If this is any indication of what their new album will sound like (turns out it was), then it’s obvious that Metal Blade made the right choice in signing them. For a 7-inch, this sounds great. And the songs are noticeably improved from those on Swamped in Gore. I would have liked to check out the lyrics, and see if they are weak as on their debut, but they were not included. Apparently all three of these songs will be on their next album, so while this is cool for completists (and it is on translucent green vinyl), I’m sure this will sound way better when on CD, and I would probably wait for that [The CD versions do sound better. -Editor].

Very heavy, mechanical sounding slabs of pain. I think fans of both Death and Industrial would appreciate this, I know I do.

This tape is simply one of the most violent, aggressive, and brutal creations ever brought forth on this earth. The drummer is Aaron Nickeas (ex: Master, Abomination, and Experiment), which explains the sheer force of the drums. The songs structure reminds me of Dismember and the vocals are like a good Deicide. This tape blows away anything Deicide has ever done, and it ripped my fuckin’ face off! This is a must.

You certainly know about the poster that comes with this 7-inch, which was drawn by Kenneth Bianchi (The Hillside Strangler), so I won’t mention it. These five songs are a bit slower, and less frantic than I expected. Well, Bloody always does like to throw me a curve. I like “Gay Party Favorite” the best, but the others are pretty great, too. The Skabs’ Punk sound is probably too pure for most, but not me. I think Bloody may just be a genius - or insane. What the fuck ever you guys call it out there.

A little heavier than their fucking awesome Bitch Needs Psychotherapy demo, this is the best thing Bloody have ever done. Still just as memorable as ever, but more intense. This is just amazing. Perhaps a little of the groove was lost, but not much - and it’s been replaced by the increased Hardcore (Bloodcore, I mean) element which nuclear powers this Thrash onslaught. You will submit to the Core of Blood.

This two song demo is musically and vocally very cool. A mix of Death and Black Metal (nothing new there, but they do a good job of it). However, the production is bad and the level is way too low. I usually don’t care about production and recording quality on a demo unless it’s either really bad or great. With a good studio (or maybe an engineer or whatever), BoC would be unstoppable. As it is, they are still an evil force.

No relation to the Bleed in the above review [for 1993’s So It Mote Be by the Bleed that recorded on the USS Kitty Hawk -Editor]. Very well produced and tight Death Metal. You hardly notice the drum machine, and I actually think it fits right in. Everything is amazingly precise. Get this, it’s excellent, and it’s available on CD too!

The first song is a strange instrumental. The remaining are sorta speedy Deathrash. Many weird things happen musically, and the vocals are also interesting; sometimes trading off between the left and right channels. The recording and production are both kinda bad, but the songs are cool. Given their current situation (somewhere at sea on the USS Kitty Hawk), this is probably the best sound possible, but a real studio would really help.

I was told these guys aren’t really Death Metal. Well it’s a pretty close approximation, although occasionally the vocals wander away from the standard Death vomit into a Punk-like scream or a more Rap-esque chant. Sometimes the music changes style, too, but usually that’s also pretty Deathly. Actually, these guys remind me of a less memorable (and less sick) Pungent Stench - sorta.

I remember not liking these guys, but after hearing this album, I can’t imagine why. This is certainly brutal and heavy, and although the production isn’t too awesome, it’s acceptable - and I’m sure this is supposed to be raw. Mostly the music is fast, and the vocals are completely rancid. I think you can figure out what the lyrics are about.

This album is about 65 minutes long, and my copy at least, has two bonus tracks that are not listed anywhere, the last of which consists of the guys making noises and splashing water. Umm, I hate this. It is derivative of everything Grungy, and I don’t even like the originators in that style, much less the half-assed followers.

Sometimes I’m sent stuff to review which is pretty far away from what I normally listen to. This is one of those times. I would have never listened to this band had I not gotten this tape to review, and I guess I would have missed out. I suppose they are what is known as Hard Alternative, and that’s pretty accurate, but occasionally they throw in a little Thrash drum beat. And always they have a lot of energy. Not one of my favorite bands of all time, but better than I expected.

A lot of the fault with this demo is in the production, which has the drums a lot louder than anything else, and utterly buries the vocals. I think they should concentrate on the slower stuff, which seems to be what they do best, and maybe throw in a lyric sheet next time, since I’m interested in that sort of thing.

After their last album and EP [1991’s The Grand Leveller and 1992’s Dark Is the Season -Editor], this is kind of a disappointment. I was expecting this album to be the best thing I’d ever heard. It is good, though, and has that Benediction sound: heavy, intense, fast, and brutal. Easily worth your money.

Interesting, and somewhat experimental Deathrash, with very pro-“God” lyrics. However, the lyrics are well done and for once don’t sound preachy. Musically, this really stands out, and even if you don’t agree with the lyrics, it’s worth a listen.

Pretty good sound quality for a “raw mix.” These 5 tracks are all intense, and the vocals are certainly brutal enough. Like a lot of stuff like this, it’s not extremely memorable, but that may not be a problem for you when it’s this heavy. Pressed on orange vinyl. Also available on CD.

I wasn’t expecting much from this album, and I wasn’t really surprised. Well, maybe I was - a little. This is certainly way better then their The Oath of Black Blood. Some parts of this are even good. But not a lot. Again, the production is pretty weak, and this may be holding them back somewhat, since one of the problems is that the songs are pretty noisy. Occasionally I hear something I like, usually it’s the addition of a keyboard, but its not enough. However, if they can continue to improve at the rate they have since their last album, their next one would be pretty good, although still not on the level of really great Black Metal, like Rotting Christ.

This band used to known as Baphomet and released two 7-inches and an album (on Peaceville) under that name. The name change in no way corresponds with a style change. Apparently these is a German band who have the rights to the name Baphomet. Anyway, Banished is as heavy and raw as you would expect, and these two new songs make me long for the new album.

The plodding intro gives way to interesting, keyboard-infused, speedy Death. I especially like the “uncontrolled” quality of the vocals.

Formerly known as Axemaster, this band has lost none of their awesome energy with the name change. If anything, they now seem even more focused and intense. Excellent production and amazing songs. Eric’s vocals, while sorta melodic, are very powerful and fit perfectly with the powerful Thrash music. A must for all Thrash fans.