reviews

G= Greg (Diminutive Revolution)

Abortus- Judge Me Not (Album)
I was expecting a more black metal sound because the label that sent me this look like they tend to be into things blackened. Well I guess if I looked at the band photo and actually looked at the song titles, I would have known better. What we actually get is death metal with some strong thrash influences. I love how they incorporate their samples into the music rather then just tacking them onto the start and end of songs. I love how the drums are used to make a riff sound heavier rather than have the drums do one thing and the guitars another. I like the slight change in pitch for the vocals in a couple of songs. Heck I even dont mind the guitar solos. The bad point: a couple of times the bass guitar is left out in the open in the middle of the song and it sounds a little juvenile. But I only noticed that twice I think on the CD so its really a minor complaint. Otherwise this CD was a pleasant surprise. It just sounded so good compared to all the usual melodic riffs, and female vox, not to mention all that black metal stuff that EVERYONE and their brother is doing these days. (Battlegod Productions)

Aeternus- Shadows Of Old (Album)
   Everyone I have talked to loves this band. Maybe it is because I am not a huge black metal fan, but I really didnt enjoy this CD. It sounds like the band is trying too hard to be different and end up sounding like a black metal band with some weird/different stuff tacked on to the usual. (Hammerheart Records)

Baltak- Zaginatiot Grad (Album)
Stripped down, bare minimum black metal from Australia (?????). All swirling, evil guitars, winter drum blasts (did I mention Australia????) and anguished scream vocals. I do find myself getting a little bored after a while with the same drum beat (actually after a while, every song sounds similar) over and over, but other than that I really enjoyed this. It was nice to hear music with less of a dependency on keyboards and rather than the usual Satan this.... Or Odin that.... These guys give us a history lesson on ancient Macedonia. It is rather fascinating and a nice change from the usual topics..... (Battlegod Productions)

Blood Storm- Pestilence From The Dragonstar (Album)
   I think this is the first ever release from Chris of Metal Core Zines new record label...and I dont know if I want to listen to it. The band photo has these guys wearing corpse paint, leather and spikes, holding swords and axes. You know what that means right kiddos? BLACK METAL!!!! Not looking forward to more black metal, but at least I just listened to some Bolt Thrower, Napalm Death, EYEHATEGOD, and Drogheda so I feel fairly refreshed. I think I can handle it. Sides, there ARE a couple decent BM bands around. Who knows? This could be one........(couple hours later, couple listens later) hmmm, I actually hear a little bit of a thrash influence in a couple of parts but I was right, this is Black Metal. BUT, there are no keyboards, no female vocals, no pretty atmospheric passages...actually I think I am going to listen to this again. These guys are pretty much all speed. Just full tilt buzzing guitars (tho in the song The Chaos Magician there is some chuggy-chugg guitars at the end that are a nice tempo breaker) and chaotic drums and some guys screaming his voice hoarse over top of it all. Two things I really like about this CD: the aforementioned lack of keyboards and other nicey-nice crap, the production is pretty clear..still a little raw but you can hear the inflections in the guitars and hear all the instruments. Was I pleasantly surprised by this? Yes, I actually was. (Soul Sold Records)

Bolt Thrower- Who Dares Wins (Album)
   Bolt Thrower are pretty much gods to me. They released a little song called Cenotaph and another one called World Eater. Any band that has released those two songs are pretty much the kings of all the survey baby! And then there's Warmaster, Lest We Forget, Dying Creed....well pretty much all of their songs are cool. This CD is a bunch of rare Bolt Thrower stuff re-released. You get the Cenotaph CD single, a live version of Realm Of Chaos, the Spearhead Ep, and the tracks that were released on Rareache....Damn, I cant believe that Karl left the band again. That seriously sucks. No one can growl CENOTAPH like he can. There is a CD in the Repulse catalog in which the band covers Cenotaph. Excellent. I think I shall have to check that out. (Earache)

Boysetsfire- After The Eulogy (Album)
   I am seriously disappointed by this CD. It is like the band have taken really good songs and added a bunch of unnecessary stuff. The title track starts off pretty cool, all heavy and screamy, but then they try to become Rage Against The Machine and just start screaming Wheres Your Anger. Wheres Your Fucking Rage, over and over. It just sounds so forced within the this particular song. The we get Rookie which is a nice little poppy sounding song which is great but they cram a drum solo into the middle of the song which takes away all the momentum for it. Most of the songs are either just not catchy at all or they are good songs that have parts thrown in that dont sound like they belong in the song. Think I will just listen to their old CDs instead. (Victory)

Buio Omega- Thy Dark Conquest (Album)
    Its melodic black metal but in a fast, buzzsaw guitar, blasting drum sort of way. This stuff is pretty insane. A band ripping thru their music full tilt and then stopping with a quick keyboard bit or some tribal drums. Either I am starting to like BM or there has just been some really decent bands coming out lately. The drums on this are stellar. Lots of blasting but with a lot of time changes within the songs. Actually what I like most about these guys is the time changes in the music and the knowledge of when to use keyboards and when to just tear loose. Meaning that they dont put keys in without a good reason. You get a mix of majestic and heavy, and did I mention fast? What a great band! They even limit themselves to seven tracks which means you dont get sick of them by the end on the CD. Wish more bands would learn that it isnt necessary to include every song youve written on the CD....buy this or my mum will come over to your house and punch you in the nose. (Battlegod Productions)

Built To Last -...And Knowing Is Half The Battle (Album)
This cover art baffles me. What we see is is about 9-11 teenagers, who may or may not have extraordinary amounts of Gold Leaf felt marker running through their veins by this point, all cuddling/bouncing and pointing at something, although the camera doesnt see what it is they are wanting us to see, and in the background looms something from a GI Joe comic, layered over really computer style, leading me to wonder what the hell is happening to hardcore. The music is of the fast old school positive hardcore variety, sounding identical to a large amount of other bands, past and present, and future too I guess. I dunno, I just want to look at this cover a while more and figure out what it is they are all pointing at. G

Cenotaph- Puked Genital Purulency (Album)
   Well I am not usually into the old Cannibal Corpse thing but maybe the fact that I have been hearing a lot of black metal, old metal and non metal lately has made my ears hungry for some old fashioned gurgle vox sick guitars, migraine inducing drums and NO keyboards or female vocals. Besides, I liked these guys last CD too....they have an added crunch to them and some truly awesome between song sound bytes-all haunting n stuff. I cant help but think this CD would be a bit better tho if when recording it they had put more emphasis on the bass. They have some bloody heavy riffs that would be just that much cooler if they slammed into your ears harder. I guess that if you read the title of the CD you know what kind of music you are going to get. Sick. (Cem Devrim Dursun, P.K. 866, 06446 Yenisehir/Ankara, Turkey)

Crestfallen- Rocks (MCD )
   God Damn!!! German bands!!!! Are there any bad ones? I am seriously starting to doubt it. I seem to recall their last release to be a little more death metal than this sucker, but not to worry one bit. There is still plenty of heavy guitars and growled vox. This time around tho the music is a little more diverse. The opening track (I don't Wanna Find) The Way To Your Heart is actually more industrial, a more metal version of Front 242 perhaps. Next track is some melodic death metal. Then we get something more in the vein of traditional heavy metal. Each song has its own sound and personality. And each song works completely! I dont think you could call this band death metal, they do have death elements but they have so much more to offer the listener than the typical gurgle, riff, gurgle, riff. I cant think of a single track that I did not enjoy completely. Tho I will say now that some of you purists out there may not enjoy the more melodic songs due to the decided lack of a heavy riff. Oh well, I still say this band could very easily get a huge following if enough people get the chance to hear them. So write this band, buy this CD, tell your friends, make them buy the CD too and who knows? Maybe people will have one less reason to cry about the state of the underground metal scene these days. (Bjorn Fink, Windhuker Str. 34, 47249 Duisburg, Germany)

Danzig-666-Satans Child (Album)
   OK, most long-time Danzig fans HATED the last album but fear not cause the lord of darkness returns with what I consider to be the BEST Danzig album since Lucifuge. For those who liked the electro style on Blackaciddevil there's something here for you as well. What Sir Glenn has done is take bits (rather than hit the listener over the head) of his experimental electronics and mix them with the more classic and accepted Danzig sound....and the result is stunning. This right here is my favourite album of last year and probably one of the best I have heard in a good long while. (E-Magine)

Darling Lemuria- Rehearsal 1999 (Cassette)
   This is a rehearsal for the new band of Poems, from the now defunct Savior Sect. He has got himself a new vocalist and Carrion from Savior Sect does some drums for the band, though Im not sure whether he is actually part of this new band. Musically this is similar to Savior Sect. Quiet, understated, dark. The main change is Lady Lilith on vocals now. She has a little harsher voice than Anastasia had. Still a slight distortion to the voice, creating a singing underwater effect. And sometimes she sounds like she smokes. You know, the raspy sound people get in their voice when they are smokers? Though her voice does match the music quite nicely. As usual, with a Poems-related project, this music will either bore you half to death or depress the heck out of you so be forewarned. I dont know if you can actually buy this. Poems said they were working on an actual release in the near future so you may have to be patient.

Day Of Mourning- Your Futures End (Album)
   This band is probably one of my favourites. Fudds vox are just so pure and powerful, total aggression. The music is loud, loud, loud. Very high energy. I have seen these guys live a few times and while they do not quite capture the live experience, they sure do come close. Anyone who has read more than this issue of Corrosion will have probably realized that I really like this band (and their earlier incarnation as Dirge....not to mention XCASX), and the music laid down onto this CD is not going to make me change my stance one bit. If you like you hardcore loud and your death metal slamming and moshable then youre going to love these guys. (Sounds Of Revolution)

Deftones- White Pony (Album)
I know, I know, it is not cool to for a zine guy like me to enjoy this so-called new metal. But if you think I care you obviously havent been reading this zine. That being said I think that only Deftones and System Of A Down are bands with this label that actually release a full albums worth of good music. All the rest that I have heard have at most 3 good songs on the whole CD (well Korn has a lot of good songs but they all sound the same so I tend to get sick of them after the first two songs on a CD). But being as this is a review of the Deftones brand, spanking, new CD, not a state of metal address...let us get on with it. Well, lets first say that Maynard from Tool does a guest appearance on this CD so right away this CD is worth picking up. The rest of the CD is....well a Deftones release. You gets what you are expecting. Slow stuff that quickly turn to screaming, plus a couple straight forward angry songs. BUT this time, there is a bit of experimentation with pitch control on the vox and we get a cool Cylon effect on the song Elite, prob my favourite song on this CD....I have always loved how the Cylons talked (Battlestar Galactica for those of you wondering what the heck Im talking about). So like I said, dont expect anything too groundbreaking on this CD, but if you have enjoyed previous stuff by Deftones then you are pretty much going to love this CD as well. (Maverick/Warner Bros.)

Descend- Hate For Your Blood (Demo 1999)
   What we got here is a 2 song sampler tape type dealie of death metal but with some slight thrash influences. Personally I do not believe you can properly judge a band on two songs but seeing as it is my job here goes: to be perfectly honest, nothing on this tape really sticks out to my ears. Its just two songs that are well played but otherwise pretty much your standard fare. I do hear a couple of decent riffs that if placed in more interesting songs could amount to something cool but for now I am just not into what I am hearing here. (P.O. Box 770376, Cleveland, OH 44107 U.S.A.)

Dimmu Borgir/Old Mans Child- Devils Path/In The Shadow Of Life (Split CD)
   Well I was kinda hoping that DB would grow on me but they have too many stupid tracks with too many stupid guitar solos and the rest of the songs are just boring, derivative black metal....dont think I would check anything else out by these guys going by what I heard on this. Old Mans Child on the other hand, just blew me away! Got the typical black metal vox but also some deep singing. The guitars are quite repetitive too but they only repeat long enough to sound good then another sound is brought in, and they're heavy as hell when needed, but not dependant on heaviness to get the point across. Amazing keyboards, classical guitars, drums that go from laid back, atmospheric to whirlwind instantaneously, and pretty decent sound quality (you can tell what is happening) makes me need to check out some of this bands previous material. (Hammerheart Records)

Dissarray- A Lesson In Respect (Album)
   I always thought the vocalist in this band sounded like James Hetfield. A little more hardcore perhaps but with a similar singing style. Musically this crosses over between thrash, hardcore and a tinge of death metal. It works quite well together. Kinda making you want to mosh and bang your head at the same time which incidentally can be rather difficult and painful. (Eclipse Records)

Draconis- The Highest Of All Dark Powers (CD Ep)
   When one thinks of California, one probably doesnt think of black metal. Well, to be accurate blackened death metal. Well to be even more accurate, well played, evil without going overboard, brutal without sounding overdone, blackened death metal. Sides if my pal Justin likes these guys, they must be cool. (Greying Dawn Records)

Drogheda- Agents Of Primordial Creation And Ultimate Destruction (Album)
   This is the kind of music that got me into the underground in the first place. Reminds me of a couple old Earache bands from the early 90s. Fast, buzz saw riffs playing over and over again with some guy screaming over top of it. Then the song ends and the next one starts pretty much the same way. Welcome to grindcore baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the guitars in bands like this. No squealing riffs, all low sounding rumbles. And the DRUMS!!!!!!!!! OH YEAH!! Blast beats! Its been soooo long since I have heard any good blast beats........Um, I thought these guys had broken up?!? Did they? Anyone know? (Extremist Records)

Eternal Sadness- Celebrate... (Album)
   I dont like this. Its too bad too cause this is pretty darn original sounding. Its sort of doomy but also sort NWOBHM. Especially in the slower songs. The more doomy stuff is listenable until they break out the keyboards and the cheesy noodling really makes it hard to continue listening. In fact after the first listen, I tried to listen to this again in hopes that it would seem better the second time....no dice. Couldnt even finish listening to it again. Please get rid of the keys or at least dont have keyboard solos and this CD may be interesting. (Alex Hagernauer, Am Oberen Buhl 24, 97350 Mambernheim, Germany e-mail: alex@WorldWideSadness.de)

Fangorn- Pentatonische Furien (Album)
   OK not that it really has much to do with Fangorns music but there are 2 females in this band. One helping on vox and one on guitar. I mention this because it is cool to get more females into the scene and because lets be honest, you are more likely to check out a band with females in it. Thats just the way it is. Anyways musically this is pretty thrashy sounding with alternating vox between female clean and growled male. You know how these bands go. The thing I dislike about bands with the female vox is that they never seem to actually manage to incorporate them into the music properly. It is more of using them for the sake of using them. That being said I really dont think this band would work without them. The music just is not catchy enough to keep you interested if it was just supported by the growls. And fortunately they dont really overuse the female vox. When they get heavier they stick with the growls exclusively. So I guess I would say that while this band hasnt quite got the formula for utilizing the dual vocals in tandem with this style of music, they do have the groundwork for it laid out. I think give them another album or two and they could really get this going. And maybe a little heavier sound in the production department too. That would help. Hmmm, Eternal Sadness, Fangorn...two German bands that I didnt rave about...shoots the whole German-bands-cant-lose theory to heck dont it? (G.U.C.)

The Get Up Kids- Something To Write Home About (Album)
   This is a huge disappointment for me. Well actually their last CD was not great either so I wasnt totally caught off guard. Still tho, I havent been as disappointed with a band since Paws Death To Traitors CD was released. This is the same, not in style, but in what happened to them. The music got watered down, all the catchiness has disappeared and the guy on vocals sounds like he has tried to mature which is often a death knell for a great band. TGUK used to write upbeat sounding, sing-along, stick-in-you-head-for-days- after songs. Now they just sound alterna-rock. There is no hook to catch the ear, no feeling of extreme joy when you listen, no nothing. This sucks! (Vagrant/Heroes&Villians)

Gooseflesh- Chemical Garden (Album)
And I quote, in reference to an upcoming Swedish compilation,: Gooseflesh will be featured alongside the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Entombed.... I dont know who is more insulting to be placed alongside of, I would have to say at this point, the latter. Thats besides the point though. Gooseflesh (cringe) do what they do adequately, kinda a groove/mosh/thrash thing with some melodies, in that 90s Machine Head way, but not slipping into the whole Korn thing (do not get me started). For me, this cd just kinda ambled on in the background, not groundbreaking or exciting, but if you are into the bottom-heavy thang, you may just dig this. Either way, they will blow Entombed out of the water on that aforementioned compilation... (Digital Dimension) G

Haste- Pursuit In The Face Of Consequence (Album)
   I heard their song on the Bad Brains Tribute CD and another on a Century Sampler and what I heard made me really want to check this band out. I LOVE THIS CD!!!!!!!!!!!! For once Im not disappointed with a CD that I have built myself up to like. Just heavy, heavy, heavy, repetitive riffs, drums that are insane but are actually part of the song, and the vocals.......the vocals are what make this CD. Two vocalists, but a few different styles between them. 1. Screaming yells, 2. Straight forward Yells, 3. Another harsh sounding voice, and 4. Clean melodic vocals sort of like Fear Factory. I just LOVE bands with multi-vox and multi-vocal styles and Haste take it another step. They use the different vocal styles to make the songs heavier or more catchy, whatever is needed for a particular song. I am really impressed. (Century Media)

Iron Monkey/Church Of Misery- Weve Learned Nothing/Murder Company (Split CD)
   I am sad....Iron Monkey broke up. They were a great band. Sure they sounded a lot like EYEHATEGOD but that is hardly a bad thing, and besides EHG are broken up too. So who is going to take their place now? Church Of Misery? They're doomy and gloomy too. Painfully slow. OK, I think these guys can be the band I listen to when I want some doom. R.I.P. Iron Monkey. (Mans Ruin Records)

JAWW-Lifetimebomb (CD Ep)
   These guys are kinda like Wolverine Blues era Entombed but more raucous, more chaotic, and a little heavier. And maybe a bit of an EYEHATEGOD influence tossed into the mix. That, of course is a generalization, these guys are not Entombed. They are not EYEHATEGOD. They are Jaww. If you actually read the header to this review you would know that already. Sheesh. (1576 Queen St. West #30, Toronto, ON, Canada M6R 1A6 e-mail: JAWW@ROCKETMAIL.COM)

Kataklysm- The Prophecy (Album)
   I have been hearing that these guys have gone back to the Northern Hyperblast style that was so glaringly missing on their last release. Well I guess it is back for this album but thats pretty much the only real positive thing I can actually say about this CD. IT SUCKS!!!!! Who is that doing the vocals for these guys? And why did he record his vocals while trying to take a dump? The other vocals sound like a black metal guy gargling listerine. And the music is just a bunch of riffs thrown together to from a song. Its a total mess! Even the few tracks that sound like songs are either ruined by the cheesy vocals or by being totally uninspired and boring. What happened to the band that released Sorcery? Heck, even their last CD wasnt bad, it was just a change in sound for these guys. Maybe they should have stayed with that sound. (Nuclear Blast)

Killing Mask- Killing Mask (Demo CD)
   Oh my dear sweet jesus!!! This is the best grindcore CD I've heard in quite a while!!!! Under-produced, fast, screaming female vox, beautiful guitar sound for this style of music. Pure grind baby!!!! This is Rosemary Obscure's band and I should have an interview with her in the next few weeks. Listen to this and you'll see why I want to do this interview. (Crypticat Records, P.O. Box 29102, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6P9 Canada)

Living Sorrow- Triumvirat (Album)
   Starts off almost ripping off early Metallica then this just throws a bunch of mid-paced thrash and keyboards at you. Way too many keyboards. Now where is the female vocals? You just know they are going to make an appearance at some point. Hmmm, no females in the first song. Maybe the second...well this track is a little slower, sort of like a new Paradise Lost song but without the electronics. Third song is all spooky sounding at first. Sounds like Sisters Of Mercy with some goofy keyboard riffs. Track four has some heavy guitar and is also pretty darn slow. ...the rest of the CD carries on pretty much the same. Crossing somewhere between mid to slow-paced thrash and gothic.   (T.N.G. Music Productions)

Machetazo- Carne de Cementerio (Album)
Ultra-gore death metal. Blood and guts leaking out of your speakers. Which, if you think about it....is rather disgusting. Imagine having to clean that mess up? I sure would not want to....musically this actually doesnt sound exactly as I expected it too. I was expecting the extremely low vox, chunky riffs...sort of like Carcass or even Cannibal Corpse....the first track is along those lines: all putrefying and icky and stuff. But then the next two songs seem to switch gear into a more straight forward death style. Rather boring actually. Never fear tho cause after that brief interlude into blah-dom things get rolling again into the rrrrrrr uurrrr rrrrraaaaaaa uurrrrrrrrahhh type stuff which I am sure we all love so well. AND.....some dual vox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you figured out yet that I love dual vox? We also get a couple of tracks that I would say have a little punk influ in them. And some doom! Did I mention the doom?...kinda sneaking around behind all that deathliness. Isnt that neat? Isnt that spiffy? Aint that grand? I would almost say that this band has nothing to offer that is really groundbreaking...it is true to a certain extent. But there are some little quirks in their guitar riffs that leave you saying "COOL!!!". This is actually a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be. I love surprises! (Razorback Records)

MAYHEM- Mediolanum Capta Est (Album)
   Live Black Metal!!! What a scary concept! Actually I suppose a BM band has the best chance of re-capturing the sound of their CDs live because for the most part the CDs are so under-produced that they basically have a live sound anyway. O.K. that's really a gross generalization but there you go. It's just my opinion anyway. So anyway, this sucker was recorded November 1998 in Milan, Italy at the Rainbow Room and yes, this is an official Mayhem release. It says so right here in the booklet. What can I say about this CD? If you like Mayhem you'll probably want this CD. All sorts of light hearted banter between songs ("God is DEAD!!!!"), better sound than most BM studio albums (all vox and instruments are heard clearly), and besides, this is Mayhem for pete's sake! Do you need any other reason to check this CD out? It's all evil sounding and haunting at times�you can feel it all seeping thru your speakers, wending it's way into your brain, making you want to go out and desecrate a church or something dumb like that. I don't like much BM and I'm not a huge fan of live CDs, but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this CD. (Dwell)

Mess Age- Reborn (Demo 2000)
   You know, I remember back when female backing vocals used to sound interesting. Now I am so sick of them! It seems like every band has them. So you can probably figure out by my opening rant that Mess Age have female backing vocals. They also have straight forward thrash metal with a touch of classic metal. This could possibly be a decent if somewhat boring tape but the female vox just make this sound like any other band, and lets face it, the music and vocals arent anything that you havent heard before. (ANDRZEJ OSMALEK, UL. SZARA 27/62, 80-119 GDANSK, POLAND e-mail: message@underweb.net)

Night Conquers Day- Rebellion Is The Art Of Survival (Album)
   Been reading a lot of good reviews for these guys. Starts off with an orchestra (or probably a keyboard with an orchestra programmed in) then we break into some guitars that sound like they are being played underwater, the music keeps building...here come the vocals....ah black metal vocals but sung melodically. Actually from what Ive heard so far these guys seem to be a more musical band rather than the blast, blast, blast style of BM. Hmmm the shortest song is 10:27 and there is seven tracks...this CD is 73:04 long. Sheesh this better be good. Really hope they dont just stay at this pace the whole way thru. One or two songs at the mid range speed in fine but you need something a little faster to break the monotony. And I really could do without the squealing guitar solos.....I think we are in trouble here folks. These songs are going to just drag on and on....<approximately 2 hours and a couple listens later> The songs were way too long. There were great parts in each song but on a whole I got really bored with each song. Maybe they could just take parts of each song and build a whole new song around them. Maybe shorten the track length down a bit too. Maybe I am just not getting this stuff. Its not bad but damn the songs are loooooong! (Hammerheart Records)

Nomad- The Devilish Whirl (Album)
   I was expecting black metal from this band... we get a melodic death metal. Actually this could almost be black metal if you threw in some Bolt Thrower, a few Carcass-like riffs, some amazing time changes that actually sound like they belong in the song, some old metal and a cool vocalist who sounds almost constipated, but an evil constipated. Hey, dont ask me. All I know is that it works. It just builds up, crashes down on you, goes around a few corners, rips out your throat, lulls you into a false sense of security, and then....well let us just say: be afraid...be very afraid. (Novum Vox Mortis)

Sick Of Society- Sportsman Sound (Album)
   Back again and cooler than ever! This band is never afraid to do something different. One song can be Monster Magnet-esque the next can be total punk and then you get a slow song (tho I dont think you are supposed to take it too seriously!!!). Every song is catchy...I was humming various songs throughout the day after only one listen. Complaints: Oliver tells me he does not actually play the drums any more...just programs them. Well most of the songs it does not seem to matter but on the opening track NO IT! and on TIME BOMB they just sound awful. Sound like they were done on one of those starter keyboards you get when you're a kid. Speaking of TIME BOMB, they do a bit of rap/spoken word between choruses that just sounds a little too forced. But that song actually has one of the catchiest choruses on the CD so I guess I can overlook it (isnt that nice of me?). Anyway, like I said, this is an ear pleasing CD if you like hop around like mad music. I like the new elements brought into the sound except for the rap thing. Tho I think with a little work even that could be cool as long as it is not over used. To paraphrase SOS: I can't imagine there is someone out in the wide, wide world, who does not like the nice Sick Of Society guys. (c/o Oliver Kast, Romerstr. 26, 89269 Vohringen, Germany e-mail: SickofSociety@gmx.de)

Slaughter Lord- Thrash Til Death (Album)
This isnt actually a studio album as Slaughter Lord broke up before they were ever able to release anything. This is a collection of demo tracks, rehearsal tapes, and their Taste Of Blood demo, all done around 1986-87. This sounds old. Very old. Which is new I guess now that we have the retro thing going on.....I kind of think that this would never have been re-released if it werent for the current trend. But then again Hammerheart seems to be a decent label (and I get points for sucking up to the label yay!!!) so maybe they just really like this band. Whatever, its the music that counts right? Was this deserving of a release after so many years? Sure, what the heck? This isnt what I would call groundbreaking stuff here folks but I still rather enjoyed listening to the old style thrashy guitars and besides, this is actually stuff from the late 80s so at least it is the original music of the time and not a bunch of kids that werent even around back then trying to cash in on the cool retro thing. (Hammerheart Records)

Snapcase- Designs For Automation (Album)
   Well I havent heard much from this band but apparently this release is a big deal. My first thought is that the vocalist is a little weak. There is no power in his voice. But on the bright side he doesnt sound like every other hardcore vocalist and I think he may grow on me. Maybe if the vocals were raised up in the mix a bit.... Musically this reminds me of Neurosis a bit, mixed with elements of a more traditional hardcore album. And while I'm not sure what all the hoopla is about (frankly I am looking forward to the new Shut Down a lot more) this is an album that I will give a listen to every once in a while. (Victory Records)

The Step Kings- Lets Get It On! (Album)
   I didnt quite know what to expect from this band. Maybe ska? Well anyway I am quite happy with what this turned out to be. Its got some of that new metal sound, some punk, and some hard rock. Some songs are slamming and some are plain rockers, and there is even a slowish song. A nice mix of styles performed by a vocalist who has some decent vocal range. Well the first half of the CD is like that....the second half, all the songs start to sound the same. Maybe they should have released this as an EP. (Roadrunner)

SUICIDE CULTURE- Hallowed By Thy Agony (CD Ep)
   I was bored listening to this CD. I never once got into it. It's too obvious, nothing new is brought into the mix, and the playing is missing soul. So these guys will probably be HUGE!!!! (P.O. Box 70566, Seattle, WA. 98199 U.S.A. e-mail: SUICIDECULTURE@WEBTV.NET)

Tears Of Euphony- In Na tura (Album)
   Bloody great band!!!! This band is unlike anything you have ever heard before. They are death metal, thrash, NWOHM, classical, and a bunch of other styles all mixed up into one. BUT that is not where it ends, because mentioning those styles wont help you to understand what this band is doing musically without actually hearing some of their music. Structurally this actually sounds more like a classical CD done by a metal band. Its a mixture of beauty one moment, becoming brutal and vicious the next. Its like a warm spring day turning without warning into a blizzard. Its an album that musicians and laymen can listen to and enjoy, not to mention understand. Its sort of like the seasons of the year, the birth and death of all life, interpreted into the metal genre. I have heard two CDs by Tears Of Euphony so far and I have been totally and completely sucked into living them every time I hear them. It is not just listening, it becomes part of you and you become part of it. This is not a CD that you can just put on and do something else while listening. You need to give it your full attention in order to get the total experience but it is well worth the effort. (Per Lunding, Kliplev Nygade 5, 6200 Aabenraa, Denmark e-mail: ToEuphony@hotmail.com)

Thanatos- Emerging From The Netherworlds (Album)
Ok this is a re-release of this album but as an added bonus, you get eight extra songs taken from demo tapes. So all in all you get 19 trax on this CD. Hmmm...another re-release from Hammerheart. I think they must really like this old stuff or something. I am a little more interested by this release though cause I had actually heard some Thanatos stuff before. I wish I had this on an LP. The cover art is just incredible, especially the colours used in the painting and it is a shame to have it crammed onto a booklet the size of a CD. (Hammerheart Records)

Therapy?- Suicide Pact: You First (Album)
   I am surprised anyone was willing to release this CD after these guys released that pile of crap called Infernal Love. But apparently they managed to kiss some major ass or marry someone whos father or mother is a record exec....actually maybe its because these guys used to be amazing and they figured that perhaps the last CD was just a fluke. Or not. This CD doesnt sound too much like Therapy? The first song I swear sounds like a swing song. You know, like Brian Setzer Orchestra (sp?). There is another one that could fit in nicely on Monster Magnets Superjudge album and there is another that sort of makes me think of Joe Satrianis song Big Bad Moon (man, I used to love it when that video came on!). Well the last two actually arent bad things to be compared to but unfortunately those two songs are the only really interesting ones on the whole CD. The rest seems to be filler. Not worth buying for two songs. (Which label are these guys on now? )

Tulus- Evil 1999 (Album)
   Black metal. Yawn. Nothing new. Probably not bad if you are the kind of person who loves all black metal, but unfortunately I am not such a person. This just seems too much like what I have heard from countless other bands, done better by a good number of them. This has all the prerequisites for a black metal release so you know what to expect. (Hammerheart Records)

Unhallowed-PunchFucking Blasphemy (CD Demo)
   It has been a while since I have received a demo from a band claiming to play grinding death. Its like music to my ears....which is good I guess cause this is supposed to be music. Works out rather well huh? Damn I miss this kind of music!!! Used to be the in thing I guess...used to receive tons of demos from grind mixed with death bands but now I get to hear black metal over and over and over and over......so I slip this sucker into my CD player and out pours some beautiful, putrid, gurgly.......oh man, THIS IS SO COOL!!!!! This CD and the Cenotaph one have made my week much more bearable. (Jenn C, 5170 Berkshire Valley Road, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438 U.S.A.)

Various- Heavyweights (Comp CD)
   UNEARTH, BEYOND ALL HOPE, RED SKY, NORA, CLUBBER LANG, DIECAST, THROUGH AND THROUGH, UNDYING, CIPHER, JANE, DARE TO DEFY, GODFORBID, UNSOUND, FORTYDAYSRAIN, CROSSTHREAD, DAY OF MOURNING, ALL IS LOST, RED TIDE, DEEP, and FINAL HOUR.....I came for the Day Of Mourning and boy did I like the rest. (Endless Fight Records)

Various- He's No Good To Me Dead (Album)
   Holy mother of jesus!!! Doom!!! Not that pansy death metal doom with all them pretty girlies singing and keyboards�this is DOOM!!! You know. GRIEF, SUBSANITY, BONGZILLA, SOUR VEIN, NEGATIVE REACTION???? Sludgey riffs, guys screaming at the top of their lungs, the smell of�well you know what's wafting through the air at these concerts. You get all the bands listed above doing at least two songs each (some do 5) and these are pretty much the best that the doom genre has to offer�well there's no EYEHATEGOD but I guess we can let that go. I tell ya folks, at the moment this is probably my favourite CD. It hasn't left my CD player in a couple of weeks. I got this from Riotous Assembly so pick it up from them if this is at all to your tastes. They also have a cool catalog full of all sorts of amazing bands. Probably the best since Lost In The Fog folded anyway.   (Game Two Records)

Various- In The Sign Of The Thorns: A Tribute To Venom (Album)
   Um does Dwell Records release anything besides tributes these days? Didn't they already do a Venom tribute? Or was that one of the many other "tribute labels" that seem to be popping up these days? Ah who cares anyway? I may be sick of these things but apparently there's a market for this stuff out there somewhere. Maybe it's how the kiddies of today discover the old bands. Anyhoo, this is your typical tribute album, a couple of really decent covers done by classy bands surrounded by a bunch of throw away songs done by clone acts. It's basically a case of if you're a Venom fan you may want to check this out or perhaps if you must own all the songs done by a certain band on this disc. Either way, not really much of a reason to check this CD out. (Dwell Records)

Various- Mission Impossible 2 Soundtrack (Album)
   Lets see. Rob Zombie gives us a...well Rob Zombie song. All his songs sound similar. Metallica contribute a boring song with a decent riff. Foo Fighters song is ok mainly because we do not have to hear Dave Grohls voice in it. Uncle Kracker sounds like Kid Rock, maybe they are, I dont care. This song is awful. Tinfed, Diffuser, and The Pimps all have completely forgettable songs, no hook, nothing new, just faceless blah bands. Chris Cornells song starts off with a wicked riff and decent vocals but he slows things down and it gets boring fast. The Limp Bizkit song is a good LB song though I figure it wont win over anyone not already into the band. Godsmack are semi-heavy, and cool as always. I love those bands with Alice In Chains type vocals. Butthole Surfers are also cool. Their song is kind of a soundscape turned into a song. Buckcherry give us a fast little rocker. Very catchy. Apartment 216 are semi-abrasive, industro-angst hardcore-ish. Decent. And Powderfinger...well lets not mention them. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There is a Tori Amos song too. I really like Toris music but this song is definitely one of her lesser attempts. Is this soundtrack worth buying? Not at all. I would suggest doing what I did. Download it off the net. (Dont Know Which label this is on)

Various- Never Give In: A Tribute To Bad Brains (Comp CD)
   OK I am starting to really like Haste. I have only heard two songs by them now but both were amazing!! High energy, aggressive, cool vox......but this isnt a Haste review so I will leave it at that. As the title says, this is a tribute to Bad Brains and I am going to assume you all know who they are so we shall dispense with the history lesson. Bad Brains deserves a tribute. They have tons of cool songs to choose from. So as I have mentioned before...how can it go wrong with that formula? Well Moby sure does his best to wreck the whole thing. Mr. I-Change-My Musical-Persona-Every-Day (I am all for progression in music but this guy did not progress. He jumped) does a cover of Sailin On and....well, let us just say I really dont like Moby anymore. Some highlights for me include the aforementioned Haste (No Conditions), Boy Sets Fire (I Against I), Skinlab (The Messengers), and Vision Of Disorder (Soulcraft). Pretty much every band does at least a half decent job on their respective songs so I give this Comp my full endorsement (YAY!!!). (Century Media)

Various- Overload 2: Tribute To Metallica (Album)
   It wouldn't be a promo package from dwell without at least one tribute album. This time we get part two of the Metallica tribute. My opinions on tributes aside, this one ain't bad at all. The bands on this choose some of Metallica's better songs and do a credible job of covering them. Most do a close interpretation of the original (Krabathor "The Four Horsemen", Soulless "Motorbreath") but some take the song and make it their own, most notably Solarisis' cover of "nothing else matters", turning a ballad into something more powerful, more searing, and just plain more listenable. I think i'd actually consider buying this one folks. (Dwell Records)

Various- Scream Forth Blasphemy: A Tribute To Morbid Angel (Album)
   AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! ANOTHER TRIBUTE ALBUM!!!!!! Sheesh! O.K., now that's out of my system I can actually review this CD. Hmmmm, I didn't know Mangled were still around. Cool. They do a nice straight forward death metal cover of "Visions From The Darkside", then we get more deathy stuff from Centurian and their take on "Blaspemy Of The Holy Ghost". Actually this isn't a bad CD mostly death metal bands doing the covers, a few blackened bands show up too, which I'm not as into but it does create a nice change of pace. The bands have chosen a nice cross section of Morbid Angel songs to cover and for the most part they do a credible job of covering them. For the most part I'd rather hear the original versions especially when I hear Headhunter D.C.'s cover of "Blessed Are The Sick". It's just a really horible cover. Losing all the power of the original. As I said tho, most of the bands do a good to excellent jobs of paying tribute to a band that actually deserves a tribute album. I still hate the concept of tributes but this one is worth checking out. One complaint that I tend to have about these Dwell Tributes is that they really don't have much about Morbid Angel in the booklet. The have the addresses of the bands doing the covers and a quick blurb about MA but nothing else. (Dwell Records)

Wadge/Pantalones Abajo Marinero- Split (7 inch Split)
   Actually I think Wadge is one of the better bands to come out of Canada. It is insanity on vinyl. Its sort of hyper grind with a technological edge to it. Think Fear Factory if they were in a mental institution and played faster, heavier music. Ok Wadge sounds nothing like Fear Factory. I just said that because I felt like it. Pantalones Abajo Marinero....PAM...hey thats a gurls name! Dont sound like gurls tho. Unless said gurl was choking on a chicken bone. The vox for this band sounds like he has got a bone stuck in his throat. Sounds cool. The music is ultra fast and insane like. (Discos Al Pacino)

X Coalition Against ShaneX- Down With The King (Album)
   What can you say about these guys? They act like a bunch of goofs, their song titles are a joke. The music isnt exactly professional....its hard to take them seriously....but DAMN, the music is fun to listen to, and live is always a blast. Musically somewhere between hardcore and grind not to mention all the odd little sound FX they use, and the banter between and during songs, XCASX pull out all the stops to be...well I am not sure what they want to be actually. A funny, novelty band? Just a way to blow off steam from the other bands they are involved with (Day Of Mourning members included), or maybe they are just having fun? Dont know, dont care. Probably all of the above. Still confused? Here is a couple of song titles to give you an idea: Love Bites...Your Arm Off (A Tribute To The One Armed Drummer Of Def Leppard), Rebuttal From My Butthole, George Corpsegrinder Does Not Really Grind Corpses!, X Coalition Against ShaneX VS. Tony Ramhit in a no holds barred Japanese Style Death Match With Barbed Wire Bats and Exploding Tacks.......you get the picture.   (X ProphecyX Records)

Addresses You NEED to know

Battlegod Productions, P.O. Box 532, Kingsgrove, NSW 2208, Australia
The Diminutive Revolution, P.O. Box 8183, Victoria, BC Canada V8W 3R8
e-mail: demento@islandnet.com
Discos Al Pacino, Box 3051, Burnsville, MN 55337 USA
Endless Fight Records, P.O. Box 1083, Old Saybrook, CT. 06475-5083, U.S.A.
Extremist Records, 808 Renninger RD., Akron, OH. 44319 U.S.A.
G.U.C. Records, P.O. Box 280145, 01141 Dresden, Germany
Greying Dawn Records, P.O. Box 892125, Temecula, CA. 92589-2125 U.S.A.
Hammerheart Records, P.O. Box 277, 6300 AG Valkenburg, Holland e-mail: HHR@XS4ALL.NL
Novum Vox Mortis, P.O. Box 21, 00-956 Warszawa 10, Poland e-mail: novumvoxmortis@iname.com
Razorback Records, c/o Jill Girardi, P.O. Box 173, Kings Park, NY 11754 U.S.A.
Regurgitated Semen Records,
Riotous Assembly, P.O. Box 16396, Portland, Oregon 97292 U.S.A.
Soul Sold Music, P.O. Box 920, Yonkers, NY 10701 U.S.A. e-mail: metalczine@aol.com
Sounds Of Revolution Records, P.O. Box 20017-075019, Lasalle, ON. Canada N9J 3E5
e-mail: HRDCORE98@HOTMAIL.COM
Victory Records P.O. Box 146546, Chicago, IL. 80614 U.S.A.
XprophecyX Records, 6049 Lake Brandt Rd., Greensboro, NC. 27405 U.S.A.