Considering that all the members of this Australian Black Metal band are also in Nazxul, I naturally expected Depths to be amazing. And of course it is. The memorable, mournful riffs are perfectly blended with occasional bursts of speed and absolutely agonized vocals. The excellent production leaves the guitars raw and noisy, but allows the other instruments to be clearly heard, which is greatly appreciated. There are rare times when the repetition within the songs starts to work against the band, such as the first half of “Choirs Beyond the Blackened Stars,” but usually PM know exactly how best to achieve maximum suffering. And I mean that in the best way possible.

When I first reviewed this album as a brand-new release, in Metal Curse #4, back in 1990/1991 (for those who don’t know, Metal Curse started publication in early 1990), I really didn’t like it. The glacial tempos can make the riffs difficult to sit through without passing out. When Winter speeds up to let’s say the slowest that Celtic Frost ever played, things get a little more interesting. Since this album was initially released, some other super-slow Death/Doom bands have emerged as Funeral Doom, and the cream of that lethargic crop incorporate many layers and sounds into their compositions to keep the listener interested, and in the very best cases, entranced. Winter is too simplistic, but was breaking new ground at the time. I haven’t listened to Into Darkness very often in the past twenty years, but I think that I appreciate it now more than I did then, and it’s good to see this (very limited edition!) Southern Lord reissue, even if it does not seem to have been remastered or include the bonus tracks (the Eternal Frost EP) from Metal Mind’s 2008 edition.

I have listened to this English Black/Death Metal album over and over, trying to figure out what to say about it. The difficulty is because Spearhead doesn’t combine Black and Death Metal so much as try to play both styles at once. The repetition of these simple Death Metal riffs doesn’t help, and borders on annoying at times, but this seems to be somewhat less of an issue at the rare slower tempos. Barghest’s vocals are decidedly on the Black side of the Metal spectrum, and while serviceable, are possibly too understandable. Maybe more rawness and/or low-end would help, but a bigger issue is how the vocal patterns fit with the music, which often feels a little odd. It’s like he’s screaming for a straight-up Black Metal band, but these guys only know how to write Death Metal riffs, and try to play them as Black Metal as possible, which the production certainly highlights. This may all sound like Theomachia is a bad album, and it’s absolutely not. But the skill is clearly displayed for this to be better. The Melechesh-esque riff and drumming at the beginning of “Prey to the Conqueror” is a highlight, as is the instrumental final track, “Aftermath.” Hopefully those are signs of greater things to come.

Holy hell, Deviser is back! The last new material from this Greek Black Metal horde was 2002’s Running Sore album (a CD reissue of the band’s 1996 demo followed the next year), so I was surprised to see this, but very pleasantly so. There is more than a little experimentation to be found on Seasons of Darkness, both vocally and musically. The album intro, “MMXII,” is kind of Techno/Industrial, and there are hints of that sprinkled very sporadically throughout the album. Matt’s normal vocal strategy is raw and raspy, but he also uses a… I guess I’ll say “Gothic Metal” clean voice sometimes, that is generally deep and depressing. At times I’m reminded of Cemetary’s Godless Beauty album, although this isn’t that Rock-oriented, except some guitar solos. There is also somewhat of an almost subliminal Katatonia influence occasionally, and it would probably be impossible for a Grecian band to not be inspired by the dark gods of the abyss, Rotting Christ and Varathron, to at least some degree. From the very beginning, Deviser has always known how to write haunting riffs and create baleful atmospheres, which is essentially perfected here, but every now and then the clean vocals get in the way. A prime example is the beginning of the song “I Die.” The first 45 seconds or so are absolutely beyond belief, and then the clean vocals kick in. It isn’t that they’re executed poorly, because they’re not at all; it’s just a sudden, jarring change. Repeated listens help, but that was quite a shock the first time through. A better use is in the double-tracked clean/whispered-raw vox of “Angel of Darkness,” which really add a disturbing quality to the ominous song. Rare vocal imperfections and even rarer musical quirks aside, Seasons of Darkness is a complex, impressive return for Deviser.

One of the most highly anticipated musical endeavors in the history of mankind here. Four tracks/ten minutes of noisy forgettable slop. The band sounds like a 10th-rate Converge doing a 10th-rate job of covering Eyehategod songs that weren’t good enough to make any albums. Or, just imagine if The Abominable Iron Sloth had no talent or good riffs. Not liking this actually made me cooler and smarter. I’m guessing since 234,654 bands that already sound identical to this just formed today, a 14-album/$9.8 billion deal is already in the works with either Southern Lord or Relapse. And of course a 364-day tour with similar Safe Metal bands like Isis, Howl, Baroness, Mastodon, Neurosis, Cough, Kylesa, and The Atlas Moth, called the I’m Just Going to Eat Something and Go to Bed Fest. Feedback isn’t that hard to achieve, people.

I don’t know how these things happen, but Illdisposed managed to drop off my radar a decade ago, after 2000’s all-cover-songs CD, Retro. Since then I’ve missed five full-length albums, and a live DVD. Fuck. I suppose that it only makes sense that There Is Light… sounds more “modern” than I was expecting, with a very crisp production and keyboard embellishments. I’ve unintentionally skipped too much of the band’s work to say with any authority that this is Illdisposed’s best album, but it would be tough to beat. Musically this is perhaps somewhat Thrashier than I remember (which is not a complaint), but the riffs are better, and Bo’s vocals are perfectly savage and throat-maiming, although it does sound as if he has a little effect/multi-track help (once again, not a complaint). The keyboards and other f/x provide additional nuance, giving these Danish Old Schoolers exactly what I wasn’t expecting from them: a 21st century version of Death Metal that I actually like. Now to go track down the half of their back-catalog that I’m missing…

Unfortunately I missed out on Sect’s 2008 debut, WWIII, so I’ll probably have to pay a small fortune on eBay to own it. But after experiencing the moody, intense Russian Black Metal of Doomsday, I’ll do whatever is necessary to track it down. The excellent production of this album lets the songs’ black light shine, and the balance between melancholy and vehemence is expertly maintained. There is a decided edge to the sound even in the less-extreme moments, but some assholes somewhere may say that this recording is too polished and should be more raw. I, on the other hand, appreciate being able to actually hear the complexities in these many-layered, yet still memorable, compositions. The vox of the singer, who is known only as D., are tortured and tormented wails that compliment the music perfectly. There are also scarce female vocals, such as in the beginning of the 10+ minute, album-closing masterpiece, “The Revelation,” that only add to the evil atmosphere, and secure Sect’s unique identity. 2011 is shaping up to be a fucking amazing year for Black Metal!

It’s apparent that all of the Metalcore/Deathcore bands are going to have to step their game up to appease the 8-second attention span of the soulless, empty-headed trendfuckers who can be followed on Twitter when they upgrade to Blu-ray. What worked in ancient underwater civilizations aeons ago (2009) simply must be modified. That is why you’ll find many new intricacies on The Discovery, which by no coincidence is almost longer than their two previous releases combined. Slight changes in atmosphere that some guy who’s been laid twice will undoubtedly label as Progressive. If it sounds like I’m mad at the band, I’m not. The skeleton of their animal is still that lovable Sumerian Core juggernaut of palm-muted Meshuggah-tuplets and brutal vocals. I can just sense that they felt pressure to progress, and what has this produced? Lots of Portishead-style segues, more keyboard ambiance, longer solos and more of them, Electronica tinkering, Rap beats, and clean vocal experimentation. None of this makes the album any better, just longer. It’s called filler… Google it. A ham-fisted breakdown is still a ham-fisted breakdown, even if there is xylophone over it. Having said all that, homosexual critics across the universe will still hail this as the band’s coming of age and their finest work to date. Rest assured they are lovers of sounds, not songs. It is a solid, brutal listen, played to perfection across the board, but it’s completely void of any trace of an anthem. Something their first two were loaded with. So we have a 4-year old band whose crowds at shows are already going to be begging for the “old” stuff. Bet on it. Thanks a lot, forced progression.

It seems like a sign of progress that there are Extreme Metal bands from the Middle East. In this case, Nervecell is from Dubai, in the UAE, and the group’s form of Death Metal is very precise and modern, especially the phenomenal drumming of session skin-pounder, Psycroptic’s David Haley. The Behemoth influence is a little hard to miss, which is more a compliment than anything else. Not that these guys need the help, but Nile’s Karl Sanders contributes guest vocals on the track “Shunq (To the Despaired…King of Darkness),” which is supposedly the first Death Metal song to ever have both Arabic and English lyrics. That’s cool and all, but I’m not really sure how much it matters without a lyric sheet in front of you. What is more important (to me, at least) are the riffs, the monstrous vocals, the aforementioned drumming, and how well they all come together with a nearly flawless recording and production, to make songs as intense as they are memorable. Psychogenocide is truly an impressive work of Death Metal art.

New Mexico’s Kryoburn is just one of those bands that doesn’t really deserve love or hate. They’re okay at what they do, which is aping Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad and Mnemic to the point of near copyright infringement. The problem for them is no target market. It’s not quite brutal enough for Death Metal fans, not fast or filthy enough for Thrashers or Grind freaks, way too digital and false for Black Metal misanthropes, not enough breakdowns for the junior high Tai-Bo moshers, and nowhere near Industrial enough for the guyliner clientele. So, that essentially leaves relatives and friends. To Kryoburn’s credit, they can write a decent tune. One-two punch album openers “Broken Hero” and “Burning the Doubt” are heavy and catchy with just enough saccharine in their Pop-Metal choruses to stick in the craw. But the heavy verse, slick chorus, break, repeat pattern is about all they can do, and by album’s end you’ve had about enough. Only other standout cuts: “Introspective” and “Suicide Season.”

I wanted to start this review by saying “the something-core band Boris has a new album,” but you can’t, because Boris completely changes genres with every release. And I don’t mean they’re a Death Metal band, but this album’s got a ballad or a dance remix. I mean, listen to any two cuts back-to-back from this band’s fifteen studio albums and you’d be surprised they came from the same damn country, let alone the same group of people. I was a huge fan of 2003’s Akuma no Uta and its minimalist, feedback-laden and noisy production that sounded like something Iggy Pop recorded and mastered on a bathtub crank bender; I was not lucky enough to get the limited-to-300 Japanese picture-disk that’s a tribute to Venom’s Welcome to Hell cover art. I also dug 2008’s Smile, although it was more conventionally structured, with the occasional annoyance that made it impossible to listen to the album in a car without having every person around you wonder when John Zorn did a remix of the Revenge of the Nerds soundtrack.
When I first got this Japanese-only 2011 release and loaded it up in iTunes, I immediately cursed Apple, Steve Jobs, and whatever fuckwit entered “New Album” in the CDDB information for the CD’s title field. A few google searches later, and I found out that New Album is the actual title. There are ten tracks here, and of course some tracks are extended or different on the 2-LP album version, so true fans need to shell out more money and track down both copies. (Could be worse: Smile had ten different versions and pressings.) This stuff is similar to the more straightforward Pop approach of Smile, taking a huge nod from conventional Electronica in the use of synth and programmed drums. In general, the songs alternate between speedier numbers with a touch of the band’s trademark guitar distortion over very slick backing tracks, or songs with female Japanese vocals that make the whole thing sound far too J-Pop-esque. The song “Flare” is one of the better cuts, with a good bass groove to go with a fast pace.
This is by no means a Metal record. If you’ve burned through many a bowl to Absolutego’s Stoner Metal goodness and want a platinum-heavy wall of feedback amplifier abuse that goes on for an hour per track, you will be sorely disappointed. But if you’re a fan of this band’s innovation and experimentation, it’s a decent outing. And if you don’t like any given Boris album, you can always wait five minutes for the next one; in addition to two versions of this title, the band’s sixteenth and seventeenth studio albums are also coming out in the first half of 2011.

Udo “Bastard!!” Dirkschneider has been kicking asses for over thirty years, first with the legendary Accept, and since 1987 with the sort of eponymous U.D.O.. I’ve been a disciple from my first listen, way back in the Paleolithic Era, before iPods or even CDs, when we listened to music on things known as “cassettes.” I am always happy when Udo releases new music, but this EP is essentially only a teaser for the impending full-length Rev-Raptor (which comes out next month), with two album tracks, two rare songs previously only available on 2004’s Thundervision DVD, and two video clips. For fans of Udo’s raspy voice and unchanging version of Heavy Metal, such as myself, this is an absolute must-have for the rare tracks alone. But I suppose that I could understand if, in 2011, those who have not been lifelong devotees might require a little more than a few songs that would have not sounded out of place on U.D.O.’s 1987 debut, Animal House. I, however, thoroughly enjoyed Leatherhead, and am counting the days until Rev-Raptor is unleashed.

I can’t remember the last time a Black Metal band had a 5-minute ambient wind intro that I actually wanted to listen to (maybe never!), but then again, Ygg is no normal band. Comprised of two former members of Nokturnal Mortum (Vrolok on bass/vocals and Odalv on drums) and Khors’s ex-guitarist Helg, this is a Ukrainian supergroup. At first, these baleful, majestic, melancholy songs might seem simplistic, but every listen reveals more and more depth, and the evil atmosphere is expertly balanced with bursts of intensity. Vrolok’s tormented wails can be a little too much at times, and there is a weird, sort of twangy instrumentation in a couple of the songs that I don’t understand. But despite, or maybe because of, these possible flaws, this is an amazing debut album that is somehow both a “first listen” and “it has to grow on you” experience.

It truly is a thin line Funeral Doom bands walk between Earth movement and just plain bowel movement. At this slower than slow pace, there is nearly no margin for error. Do it right and you’ll give the listener the chills. Do it wrong and merely put the listener to sleep. Finland’s Colosseum have been at it for five years, and have yet to aspire towards the former. But with Parasomnia they are starting to show signs of being at the cusp of potential greatness. In particular the 21-minute epic opener “Dilapidation and Death” has flourishes of breathtaking beauty within it’s oppressive, crushing heaviness. The only setback being that the song is 21 fucking minutes long! Still, it’s clearly evident that strides have been made towards greatness and not just slowness. Juhani Palomaki has the perfect growl for the genre, bestial and utterly sorrowful. Perhaps all they need is more time? I predict their next album will be a vast improvement. This just in: Juhani Palomaki died on May 15, 2010. Well, fuck…

Man, Richard Johnson was always such a cool guy. I could probably exist just fine without any post-Honky Reduction Agoraphobic Nosebleed, but I always thought Enemy Soil was the absolute shit. He had a great zine, too. That’s why this sucks that I have to do this, but this is pure shit. Honestly. I can’t pull any punches when it comes to reviews, as much I’d like to in this case. I couldn’t make it through four minutes of this horribly shitty album. I’m just not 16 anymore. This isn’t cool. It’s slop. Pure shit. No talent. I’m sure RJ is all about his message with this band’s lyrical content, but fuck dude, write a book. This is just fucking atrociously bad. I hate to disrespect the Grindfather like this, but this is some junior high, basement show Grind if I’ve ever heard it. Sorry bro, I just expect better from you. Given his reputation and work history, I’m sure this will top all the year-end lists and garnish nothing but glowing, positive reviews form the major Metal press, but heed my warning (all 200 people left in the world who actually still buy albums), this is pure unlistenable shit.

Black Metal may not be dead after all. This just might be the year that sees the return of darkness and evil, the return of my master Satan. First I was floored by The Beast of the Apocalypse, now Iceland’s Curse have dropped what could potentially be the Black Metal album of the year, if not the decade. It’s without question the best trve kult Svart Metall I’ve heard in years, save for Varg’s two post-prison releases. Curse paint a picture that is truly bleak, recapturing the grimness of ‘92-‘94 era Norway (where I’m told the band have recently relocated). Musically a simple but potent mix of Darkthrone, Burzum, and early Satyricon. Vocalist Eldur serves as the album’s prime mover, his voice the brightest jewel in Curse’s crown. His sandpaper throat is a dead ringer for Under a Funeral Moon-era Nocturno Culto, which is nice to experience again since Darkthrone these days are nothing more than a glorified Gorilla Biscuits cover band. Curse are the real deal lyrically as well, “doing 666 per hour” all the way, and after listening to this masterpiece “if you told me I was dead I would not doubt your words.” Only the sloppy outro track prevents this from being a perfect 10.

I’ve heard of Bill Steer saving his best riffs for Carcass, but I have never heard of a band saving their best material for an obscure split with a nobody band mere days after putting out a brand new, highly anticipated full length album. Granted, the Epoch material has grown on me somewhat since my review, but it took an awful lot of listening. The songs here are more in the vein of The Malediction Fields, instantly likable Agalloch worship with soothing suicidal melodies. I just can’t get over how superior these four tracks (one being an instrumental acoustic piece) are to the full-length. Speaking of “superior to,” Swedish one-man band De Arma makes his recorded debut as the other half of the split. Not the smartest move to make getting blown away by your splitmates your first impression. Very stylistically similar to Fen except not good. This is a side project of the one-time bassist of kvlt Black Metallers Armagedda. I really liked their Final War Approaching LP back in 2001, which is coincidentally the nicest thing I can say about De Arma. Someone really should’ve told him that he can’t sing. All Fen here.

I suppose the title of the album kind of gives it away that this Japanese trio aren’t 100% serious, but it seeps through even into the actual sound of the record. The kick drums and toms sound like empty two-liter bottles pounded on a stainless steel counter. Take a rubber band, hold it in place with your teeth, stretch it four inches from your and face pluck it, and now you essentially have their bass tone. The vocals of Masaki Hidaka are also comical in their guttural depth. He is the quintessential cookie cutter Cookie Monster. All that said, I don’t hate the album. It is full of solid riffs, sick breakdowns, and mind-bending bass guitar tweedly-deedlies. In fact, they are near Alex Websteresque in their tweedly-deedliness. But even for the average Death Metal fan, let alone a lifer as myself, I doubt this will penetrate your top 500. It’s just too middle-of-the-road and forgettable. You could do worse though.

Before I start on this album, I want to make it known that I absolutely worshipped this band’s self-titled debut. I had always intended to review it, but rampant drug and alcohol abuse combined with unprotected sex with several partners kept getting in the way. I’m not always the biggest advocate of female-fronted Metal, but I probably would’ve dropped an easy 9.75 on it, as it was nearly perfect in every way. Just wanted to let you know the angle I was coming from because I don’t like this new album at all. I don’t know if it’s the production or if the material just isn’t as memorable, but it can’t hold a black or red candle to the debut. Alia O’Brien’s voice sounds completely different, nowhere near as haunting or eerie. Plus, a lot of her singing is just plain off key (“Night of Augury”). The record’s sound is much bigger, cleaner and more modern, so a lot of that classic ’70s Hard Rock Black Sabbath/Jethro Tull vibe is just gone. It’s almost as if they purposely set out to change everything that I admired so much about the first album, with the exception of singing about Jesus’ love (let’s hope that isn’t next). I pray to Lucifer the new Devil’s Blood isn’t a letdown as well.

It’s sort of odd that a band barely a decade old requires a greatest hits package, but I suppose there are some circumstantial factors involved here. First and foremost the band is moving to Metal Blade (with a new release just weeks away), so they probably owed Victory one more album I’m guessing. Well, the parties involved have done everything possible to make this a worthwhile release for collectors and new fans alike. There are two discs plus a DVD with three music videos and the Colors companion film. There’s also hidden messages that can be decoded throughout the packaging, and I’m told the first few pressings actually come with a live rabbit and Ovaltine. What’s missing is any material from their self-titled debut (not a Victory release), arguably their best album, unarguably their most brutal shit. This compilation does benefit me somewhat as I never did buy the Colors album (I was still pissed at the band for covering Pantera on their bullshit stopgap b-sides album), and low and behold the best songs are right here for me. There’s also live material (BtBaM are an absolutely stunning live band, as I have personally witnessed) and a Cutty Sark cover. Just kidding about the Cutty Sark cover. I can’t argue that this is not the definitive top shelf material from the world’s premier Progressive Metalcore act, because it certainly is, even if the actual product in question is a little less than essential. I’m saving my dough for the new shit.