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April / May 2005Necro | Hobble | Freakhouse | Sybreed | Of Infinity | Sonic Warfare | Dan Lorenzo | Estee Louder | The Cringe | We Are Childhood Equals | VRR | Capitollium | Jumbo's Killcrane | Darkthrone | Jigsore Terror | Die Warzau | Hecate Enthroned | Cipher System | Transient | Rigor Sardoncous | Requiem Aeternam | Valerian | Divination | Confessor | Sounds from the Trenches | The Savoy Truffle | Monarch | Ghengis Tron | Jujitsu | Draghead | Uncle Light | Heavycore | Ikonoklast | Downtown Brown | Transient | Ramesses | Brodequin | Vixen | Scum of the Earth | Darkwell | Marilyn Manson | A Perfect Murder | Visions of Atlantis | Goatsnake | Elis | Scalla Mercalli | Theocracy | Enuff Z' Nuff | Boned | Destruction | Carnal Rapture | This is Exploding | Jorn | Callenish Circle | Vreid | Lunacy | S.M.I. | Quick Change | Blastmat | Kreep | BigFastCar | Kaamos | Ezra Stone | Randy Ellefson | Silent Force | By Night | Crionics | Scenteria | Matahari | Gatja | Skincrawl | Anachronism | Yigga Digga | Thine Eyes Bleed | Transmission 0 | Tearbyte | Esqarial | Rammstein Siege of Hate | Steel Prophet | Beyond the Flesh | Jet Motor Crash | Lacrimas Profundere | The April Skies | Brookfield | Mennen | Y.O.C. | Pale Existence | Tony Koretz | Croatan | Sub Noize Souljaz | Die Romantik | Urinal Puck Ministries | Mistelein | Pantheon | Funerus | Juggernott | The Hidden Hand | Soilwork | Mors in Tabula | The Provenance | Metal Mike's Painmuseum | Athanator Vicious Art | The Lizards | Marduk | C.I.A. | Alice's Garden | Fixer | Havochate | Summon | Ooverkill | Angra | American Dog | Neal Schon | Crowbar | Concept 7 | Entombed | Rhapsody | Icarus Witch | Alex Gomez | Rage | Girls Under Glass | Stiv Bators | Azrael'S Bane | Toast | Hed P.E. | Josh Small | Crossfade Necro Some time ago, I had a Necro release that I more or less bashed because I wasn't all that impressed. So, naturally, I thought the worst when I saw "The Pre-Fix For Death" sitting on my desk and, when I saw the CD booklet, which was filled with blood, gore, death and satanism, that didn't do much to float my boat either. However, when I threw the disc into my CD player, I was really suprised by the fact that is was, for the most part, rather good. Although, I have to admit, with 25 tracks and a running time that's well over an hour, it does tend to take a lot to let it all sink in because that's a lot of material to go through in one sitting. As you go through each track and various skits, you're treated to some guest appearances by artists such as Away of Voivod, Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, John Tardy of Obituary, Ill Bill and Dan Lilker to name a few. This is some seriously sick and brutal shit and, if you happen to be a slightly twisted individual, hell, that'll probably help you to appreciate this album a lot more. One thing I really admire about Neco, at least when it comes to "The Pre-Fix For Death," is the fact that he's no slouch when it comes to putting an album together. It's clear that a lot of time and effort went into this recording and it's sure to pay off. I'm not exactly sure what kind of audience would go for something like this. But, whoever they are, this release is sure to be welcomed with open arms. http://www.necrohiphop.com Hobble This was some good solid punk rock music that was more with the old style, then with that new groove style a lot of bands play nowadays. The music is quick, somewhat fast and to the point. The vocals are strong punky sort of style. Almost 20 tunes of power pop punk here. Info: woodeye710@yahoo.com Freakhouse I've had the pleasure of owning this copy for quite sometime. This is in a round about way a revised review of one I had done previously. What more can I say then what is below. A great group of guys. Very talented and professional in many ways. Freakhouse put out an extremely energetic live performance that should not be missed. Look forward to hearing much more from these guys in the near future. Freakhouse unleash their 2nd effort 'Beautiful Misery' for your listening pleasures. Besides telling you this is a great album, I'm unable to peg their sound to that of another. They have a 70's metal to a more modern hard rockin' sound with some electronic moments mixed into the fold. There's a reason for the vast amount of airplay they have been receiving all over the country. These guys are good. No other way to put it. In the large spectrum of genre labeling, I would say , simply put, modern day hard rock. Sure there are a few metal moments here and there, but then again, what's your perception of metal? Huh? Anyways look out for Freakhouse. If a radio station in your area is not playing them now, it shouldn't be long from now they will. If you need a comparison, besides good, some elements of Lynkin Park (without all the rap), Dokken, Nonpoint. Just to name a couple. Very original all be itself. There are Mp3's on their site for you to decide for yourself. But please do yourself a favor and check it out. Great guitar work and scorching vocals throughout. Oh, and by the way, did I mention Reality Entertainment rocks!!! http://www.reality-entertainment.com Sybreed Garbage nu metal crap with those overdone groove style riffs and weak vocals. The music sounds like a million other new metal bands that play music with the groove and those gruff tough guy vocals that people find so brutal. I find this boring, weak, mindless and worthless. Info: http://www.reality-entertainment.com Of Infinity I couldn't take this due to the vocals and I just found the music boring. The girl has a great voice, but for me and the style of metal I like, I prefer vocals with more of a growl and not these clean vocals. I hate em in metal and goth metal music like this with those opera female vocals that sucks in my eyes. Not for me at all. Info: http://www.ofinfinity.com Sonic Warfare 7 bands, 2 tracks each. Blooddrive offer up 2 metal core tunes that didn't sound bad to my ears. The band can play and I felt the emotion of the band during the 2 songs. Sort of like Slayer meets hardcore. C.D.P. also offer up old style thrash mixed in with some hardcore sort of like Hirax meets DRI. I didn't like Soul Casket with the female vocals, but as with all comps this was hot or miss. Info: http://www.peaceordierecords.com Dan Lorenzo This is a solo release from the guy in Hades. Hades was a killer NJ speed/thrash metal band. I didn't think this would be speed metal and this is more along the lines of Dan's other band, Non Fiction. This is heavy metal with lots of slower, but nevertheless heavy parts. There is also a cool cover of Kiss's 'Hotter Than Hell" which I liked a lot. For those into bands like older Soundgarden, Kyuss, etc you'll love this. Info: http://www.danlorenzo.net Estee Louder Raw punkish, dirty rock n roll. The band plays of a raw style of like older 80's punk rock bands sort of like DOA (remember them). The band also has 3 girls and let me tell you they can play for sure. The band also does a David Bowie cover and this band may not be for everyone, but they are really good. Info: http://www.diaphragmrecords.com The Cringe While this wasn't my cup of tea, the band does play strong college rock with lots of catchy hooks and vocals. This band I'm sure have a strong career ahead of them as they can write catchy songs for the masses. Info: http://www.thecringeband.com We Are Childhood Equals This was college rock in the vein of The Pixies and sort of 80's new wave rock. Not for me at all. Info: http://www.popfaction.com VRR More 80's new wave stuff that reminds me of Devo, Echo and the Bunnyman and bands like that. Not for me at all. Info: http://www.popfaction.com Capitollium Black metal is the ticket here. The band play in the usual black metal style and vocals with keyboard parts. Yes another band with keyboards, fast picking riffing and screamed black metal vocals. Gee, we haven't heard that before. Another faceless black metal release that sounds like soo many other black metal bands. Info: http://www.oupiric.narod.ru Jumbo's Killcrane This is like Eyehategod meets Disembowlment meets Godflesh meets Symphony Of Grief. Slow pouing riffs that are as heavy as f_ck along with some of the sickest vocals. The vocals fit the band perfect and the production is thick and the guitar sound totally crushes. The songs are long and some may not like the slow doom parts and stuff that this band do, but if you like any of the above bands, you'll love this. Info: info@crucialblast.com Darkthrone This band has been around a long time and return with a crushing release of one of the best black metal release I have heard in some time. Unlike the above band, this band plays black metal with passion and emotion and mix up the slow and faster parts and this just kills. Bone crushing riff after heart breaking riff and the vocals are total pure 100% hate and evil. A gem of a release and the production is dead on the money too. The guitar sound is unholy to the max. Info: http://www.theendrecords.com Jigsore Terror A total non stop display of carnage and brutality that never lets up nor should it. Real blast beats with killer riffs and drum rolls and just plain brutal songs that will leave you gasping for air. Total old school blasting death that will make wimps of all those so called brutal groove metal bands. This is a great band. Info: http://www.listenable.net Die Warzau Techno dance crap that had me going for the eject button soon after a couple songs. Info: http://www.pureblack.com Hecate Enthroned This band is back with another round of death/black metal. HC still sound like the older releases as they still rip into super fast black metal parts along with parts of death metal. The band throw in keyboard parts here and there. Production is solid as well. If you liked this band in the past, you'll like this. Info: http://www.candlelightrecords.co.u Cipher System This band plays death metal in the vein of At The Gates, with a bit more of a melodic style to them and they also use keyboard parts here and there. The keyboard parts aren't over used and they sound fine. The thick guitar sound is a plus. If your into In Flames, Soilwork, etc, then you'll do backflips for this. Info: http://www.lifeforce-usa.com Transient Hey I was surprised I liked this as much as I did. This band gives us atmospheric gothic metal with female vocals as well as death metal style vocals. The female vocals for once aren't bad nor out of place. The music is very emotional and moving. The production is right on the money and this is a very solid release from this band. Info: http://www.spvusa.com Rigor Sardonicous Dark, gloomy, and eerie is what this ensemble is all about. This is back woods goth music that Satan himself listens to. The song "In Autumn Twilight," introduces you to Rigor Sardonicous with their heavy keyboard and synth work and repeated musical patterns. Joseph Fogarazzo is the main creative influence and performs vocals, guitar, and keyboards on this album. "The Dead," has heavy guitar work that is pure doom and straight out of hell's dungeon. It also has vocals, but is hard to understand with the heavy effects and constant groaning and whispering. "Risus ex Mortuus," starts off with a scratchy record player sound and then has an eerie guitar riff played over and over again. Vocals enter the song with low range that does not sound at all human. The drums play a constant simple beat that heightens the mood and scare factor. This music takes your mind to a different place. At times I became bored with the redundancy, but this is not my style. I love music that has one obvious dark underlining message and is unapologetic. This is for anyone who loves goth and other forms of dark music. Requiem Aeternam A wicked combo of some ferious death metal played with power and fury. This is hard hitting and powerful. The band is like a chaotic warped out version of Human Remains. Technical riffing, with out of control vocals and playing. RA are very original and very entertaining. Any fan that is sick of the same ole bands, need to find this and buy, you will not be disappointed. Info: http://www.requiem-aeternam.com Valerian What ever happened to classic rock with a modern edge? Well, it's here with Valerian, that combines dirty old school rock 'n' roll and kick ass bluesy guitar solos with a hip European look. "Homesick," is an absolutely catchy song. Singer Olli Koskela has a unique voice that echoes with charisma topped with personal and heart felt lyrics. He sings, "I couldn't go any further / I couldn't walk another yard / I know it ain't never easy / But this time it was way too hard." The second song on the CD, "Corporation Mule," blows you off your feet with heavy metal ballsy dirty power chords by Matti Toivonen and Toni Ritonen. It's topped off with a powerful guitar solo that brings another echelon to the band. However, these hard rockin' boys have a soft side and the ballad "Liar," displays it perfectly. This is where the band comes full circle and shows they have the goods with technical musicianship and a social conscious message. Every so often you hear a band that stands out from the rest of the crowd. Valerian is that band, and flaunts it with everything they have. This album is for anyone who loves rock, hard rock, and is a sucker for an occasional ballad. Divination DRP Records goes death metal with the release of Divination's crushing, eight song CD, "Three Nails Of Fate," and, sad to say, this is probably the first album I've gotten from them that I can't get into. Truth be told, I can't stand death metal. It's a style of music that just doesn't float my boat. Truth be told (again), what really kills it for me is the vocal style. That whole "brutal death growl" style turns me off faster than the thought of Rosie O'Donnell in the nude. No matter how hard I try to like it...even tolerate it...I can't. Although, to be fair, the musicianship on here is pretty good. It's got a nice kick to it and the production is cool. Oh, can't forget the naked chick on the album cover...gotta love it. The tracks that kind of caught my attention were "God's End," "Enter Disease" and "Torment Of The Living Dead." Those three weren't too bad. Since I don't really understand what a death metal fan would consider a good release, all I can say is give it a listen. Maybe it will trip your trigger, maybe it won't. You decide. But, know this, when it comes to DRP Records, they only put out the best. So, that should tell you something. http://www.divinationmetal.com Confessor This band put out a release many moons ago on Earache and at the time they were a hit or miss band due to Scott's high pitched vocals. They are back and with a new ep of doom metal with Scott still singing. Confessor plays doom metal with an edge sort of like older Soundgarden if they played doom metal. The music is still heavy and Scott vocals are in more of a clear mid tempo style, which makes the band that much better. I am glad to see this band back and that they are still playing the same style they started out with and did not hop on some generic bandwagon. Info: http://www.confessorband.com "Sounds From The Trenches Vol. 2" Compilation CD's are a dime a dozen. Almost every record label in the world, no matter how big or small, has done at least one. You've gotta admit, they're a good way to check out a lot of new material that you might not be familiar with. On the other hand, if they're not done right, which a lot of them aren't, they can turn out to be a really bad listening experience. As far as "Sounds From The Trenches Vol. 2" goes, this one's a winner. I mean, come on, the first two tracks on this release are from Prong and Dog Fashion Disco...and that's just the begining. There's seventeen more tracks to go through after that. Featured bands include A Different Self, Under Every Stone, Spinebelt, Tommy Hate, Catatonik, Adorn, Fast Eddie, Marino, The Damn Eye Network, HTD, Ill Fated, Fallen Line, Against, Epoxy, Swift, Drill 187 and Oddzar. Not a weak song in the bunch and, for having this much heavy music in one place, I was impressed with the fact that it all flowed together rather well, which, in my opinion, means someone put a lot of thought into putting this release together. Anyone can throw a bunch of tunes together and put 'em on a disc. It takes a little extra effort to make sure that the people who are gonna eventually listen to it get the maximum impact from the music and that's exactly what you get here. As you go through each song, you really do get a feel for the band and what they have to offer and, depending on which tunes you end up getting into, it won't be too hard to find more music from the band because there's a website address for each band on here, which is always a plus. So, if you're in the mood to sample a lot of good, heavy music, this is a disc worth checking out. The Savoy Truffle If you're into southern rock and a bit of the blues and you're looking for something different, The Savoy Truffle's "Roadhouse Boogie" is the album for you...and did I mention that they're a Japanese band? Interesting concept, isn't it? I think it is and, for those of you who can't quite grasp that concept, you should give this band a listen because they sound just as good, if not better, than most of the stuff we have here in America. They've perfected their craft and they play like seasoned professionals. The opening tracks, "Out In The Rain" and "Lowdown Blues," are rockin' tunes that set the tone for the rest of the release, which features a mixture of southern rock and blues. You'll get to hear songs like "Until You Can Feel It," which is what you might call a southern ballad because it's kind of mellow and laid back. "Bring You Down" is a song with a real driving force and, the last track, "Give It One Good Try," which is a laid back blues number. There's only nine songs on "Roadhouse Boogie," yet, there's a lot of variety to be found here. I was impressed with that and I'm sure you will be as well. So, give 'em a listen and be sure to add this release to your collection...if you're into this style of music that is. http://www.live-indies.com/savoy.html Monarch Death metal that just bored me with not so good songs and screamed, generic death metal vocals. The music just didn't hold my attention and the songs felt flat and the band just sounded like another faceless new style death metal band. Info: http://www.popaction.com Ghengis Tron Genghis Tron is a mutation of industrial pop with hardcore and metal blastbeats all mixed into one noisy instrumental package. This five song EP is brutal, yet soft and clean during other parts. The first track blows your ear drums with "Rock Candy." Groaning guitars and blastbeats rattle your brain and just when you're about to turn down the volume, a soft clean guitar part breaks the redundancy. "Arms," opens with a dance drum beat mixed with fast guitar riffs and screaming, which sound absolutely horrible. Then the song takes a turn into an atmosphere and spacing sound that reminds me of chill-out trance music. Then the blastbeats and pissed off guitars come crashing in to ruin the song once more. The last song on the CD, "Sing Disorder," is a mess. All different sounds are coming at you like an immense force of sound. The guitar riffs are idiotic and uninspiring. The structure of the song is all over the place and you cannot even begin fathom what this band is thinking. This CD is a complete disaster. I appreciate musicians who are always willing to push the envelope and create something completely differently. However, when the sound just does not work out and has no elements of a half-way decent song, then it's pointless. This style is hard to label, but Genghis Tron attempts to cross Depeche Mode with Brutal Truth. The result is nothing but noise and leaves the listen uninterested. Jujitsu 3 tunes of groove metal that was so generic and boring I was ready to shut it off after one song. I listened to all 3 songs on this dics and this band plays tired, already overdone groove tough guy metal that is total garbage. The screamed vocals and the groove riffs are so over done. The songs weren't even strong at all and the riffs were bad too. Info: http://www.jujitsurocks.com Draghead More generic new style metal with some soft spoken vocals and then in to the tough guy vocals and those jump like riffs that are so tired and old. This style of metal is so overdone and boring and its not cool nor heavy. Let's see how many people we can get to jump around and mosh. Beyond bad. Info: http://www.draghead.com Uncle Light Here's a band that should knock your socks off. But, they don't quite accomplish that goal. I mean, it's not like they're a bad band. In fact, they're quite good on a musical level. They've got a pretty decent sound. It's just missing that certain something. It's like, the songs are good, yet, when you hear them, you know they could be much, much better. To me, it sounds as if they're simply going through the motions and, what bothers me about that is the fact that they have the potential to blow the roof off the place, know what I mean? They add a little bit of raw aggression to their sound, they could really bring their music to life. I don't know, maybe it's just me and the way I hear things, but, I know this band could be a lot better than they actually are. Another complaint that I have is the vocal style...it doesn't seem to fit the music. It's not a rock 'n' roll voice. Although, at times, it does remind me of early, early Rob Halford. So, with that in mind, I'm thinking, if the vocal style could develop into something more like current Rob Halford and the musical style is kicked up a few notches, they would have something really special going on...and I know they've got it in 'em. You can hear that in the music. There's an animal in a cage here and it's screaming to be let out and, hopefully, Uncle Light will answer that call. When they do, you can count on something very magical taking place. My advice? Keep your eye on Uncle Light. For more information, e-mail unclelight@hotmail.com Heavycore A comp of over 20 bands from all over. I always love comps because you always get a variety of bands and there is always going to be bands you never heard of that you will get into. I have not heard of any of these bands except for Malevolent Creation who turn up a live tune at the end of the disk. All of the bands are heavy and might be worth your time checking out. Here is a sample: Chaos Order, Self Inflicted, Skeptik, etc. I am sure this isn't a lot and the guys that do the Heavycore website are 100% true supporters of metal. Info: http://www.heavycore.net Ikonoklast This is a pretty cool band. They play death metal with a bit of gothic and industrial edge to them. Their music is out of control and they even have some keyboard parts, that don't sound out of place. The band still maintain some melody and this is like Ministry meets Voivod at times. A band that I am sure will be signed soon. Info: http://www.ikonoklast187.com Downtown Brown Funny, goofy, retarded are words to describe Downtown Brown. This is a sub genre of music that is a bastard child of metal, punk, funk, and everything else in between mixed with funny lyrics and a band that just wants to party and crack jokes. "Welcome to the Acropolis," immediately caught my attention with industrial-like keyboard and guitar work that sounds like Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, with an '80's metal guitar solo played by Neil P. Then it totally does a 180 and goes into a hardcore punk sound. I found it wild and unorthodox, yet ballsy to have a band to not tight themselves down to one style. "Smooth Talk," has a funky guitar vibe with pop and slap bass work done by Wolf. The song I found the most hysterical was "Love Kitchen." The lyrics are one of a kind with, "Put dressing on my nub / I'm into Coney dogs and all other types of grub / So come give me a hug / It ain't the size of the boat / It's the motion in the ocean." This record is captivating to say the least. You will either love or hate this band. This is for anyone who has a good sense of humor or is high at the time. Transient This is a one man band project and l;et me tell you this is one hell of a job by this guy. He plays everything himself and he has a good set of lungs too. The music is like dark metal with a edge to it. Sort of death metal at times, but not in that brutal style. The 2 tunes are full of emotion and power to the hilt. The guy is sort of like Nonfiction at times. Track 2 is so slow and depressing and I loved it. Check him out on the web at: http://transient.edwardfaust.com Ramesses Slow crushing crust doom metal. Vocals that sound like a dying man being out into the ground. Slow, punihsing riffs that will have you in misery. A low tuned guitar sound is what you will get here. A raw, not polished production too. Bands like this need that dirty, low tunes production. Think Winter, Disembowlment, etc. A heavy as f_ck rlease for the doom/crust fan. Info: http://www.devildollrecords.com Brodequin While I didn't mind the musuc, the super low, generic lower than ground vocals make this sound like all those other generic Suffocation wanna be bands. The music is lighting fast death metal with some killer riffs and playing. The vocals which sound like some guy just barking into the mic are worthless. If your into the Suffocation style bands, then this is one of the best and the music is flawless. Info: http://www.unmatchedbrutality.com Vixen When it came time to do a write up on Vixen, I wasn't really sure what direction I was gonna go in because, let's be honest here, if you're a fan of the band, you already know everything there is to know and all I really need to tell you is that the first two albums have been re-released. I'm sure you're thinkin' the same thing I am...it's about freakin' time. "Vixen" and "Rev It Up" have been kind of hard to find for way too long. So, it's good to see these albums available once again. However, I do have a complaint. There's nothing new to be found here. Shame on you. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to see this albums available again and I'm sure a lot of other people are as well. But, you should give the fans a little something extra. While I'm in the "little something extra" frame of mind...and since we're talking about Vixen...I've got a major, major complaint that I'm gonna share with you. There's a Vixen release called "Full Throttle," which is a sorry excuse for a compilation album. It's one of those "we don't give a shit about the band, but, let's make some money off their music" kind of releases. Some bastard calls it a "best of" album. Screw you! Let me explain something to you. When it comes to "Vixen" and "Rev It Up," there's a total of twenty two songs, right? "Full Throttle" has thirteen of 'em. Plus, one of the tracks, "I Want You To Rock Me," is featured by way of a live version. That's the only real "bonus" you get from the purchase of this CD, which I do have. But, I bought my copy at a flea market for a price that was the next best thing to free...and the only reason I bought it, besides the fact that I like the band, is because their first two albums were so damn hard to find and my cassette tape copies were pretty much shot. Now, when it comes to the best of Vixen, why buy a single disc that doesn't have all their tunes when you could buy their first two albums and have the whole twenty two songs? It's a much better deal because these CD's kick ass. They did back then and they still do. As far as personal opinion goes, okay, the first album, "Vixen," was good. It was our introduction to the band and it showed us all that they had something to offer. "Edge Of A Broken Heart" is the main reason most people remember this album. It's a good song, I won't argue with that. But, I was always drawn to the tunes that didn't get as much exposure. Tracks like "I Want You To Rock Me" and "Hell Raisers," now those tunes have some serious punch. The second album, now that's where the band really came into their own. I feel "Rev It Up" had a much stronger edge than "Vixen" and I believe it's because the band wrote more. Richard Marx does not a career make. Being more involved in your own music, that does the trick and that's why I believe "Rev It Up" is a far more superior release. The songs are stronger and they have more of an edge and, when I'm in the mood to feed my Vixen addiction, this is the album that I'm usually drawn to the most. If I have a choice, it's my first choice. Another thought I have on the band...I think what hurt them in the long run was the label they got stuck with. Pop rock, glam, two terms I've seen people use when talking about Vixen. To a certain degree, I can agree with that. However, I saw them in concert when they were on tour with Ozzy Osbourne and they came across much, much heavier. If I wouldn't have been familiar with their music at the time, pop rock and glam are two terms that I never would have used to describe their music, that's for sure. Anyway, your collection isn't complete without these two releases and now that they're available once again, there's no excuse not to have 'em. Even without anything extra added to 'em, they're still worth having...although some bonus material would have been nice. Maybe someday we'll see some additional material from this time period. But, for now, at least you can enjoy songs like "Edge Of A Broken Heart," "I Want You To Rock Me," "Cryin'," "Love Made Me," "Rev It Up," "How Much Love," "Not A Minute Too Soon" and "Wrecking Ball" once again and you know you want to because Vixen rocks. Scum of the Earth The new band formed by former Rob Zombie guitarist, Riggs along with many all-star players, which include John Tempesta (White Zombie, Rob Zombie), Mike Tempesta (Powerman 5000), John Dolmayan, Clay Others and others, make up Scum Of The Earth. Well SOTE get a big fat zero for originality. From the artwork to the music to the lyrical content. Zero. You'd think with this bunch of great players, they might branch out just a tad with a different sound then their former bands. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear you were listening to White/Rob Zombie. I mean like every song. Riggs' vocals are amazingly close to Rob's as well. I know damn well that if this exact packaging and musical sound was put out by any other players besides the ones mentioned, they would probably be laughed at as a copy cat band. Now I don't really want to give out a false impression of my total thoughts of SOTE. There are some very cool songs on the disk. In fact the whole release is actually pretty damn good. SOTE should do very well, picking up from where Rob Zombie has left off , due to his movie making ventures. So if you're a Zombie fan, you're gonna fuckin' love this. Darkwell "Metatron" is fuckin' horrible the keyboards-(Raphael Lepuschitz), are overriding & almost as off key as the lead vocalist-(Stephanie Luzie). "Metatron" is a symphonic goth nightmare. I just can't seem to get over how off key the Stephanie Luzie is, who has replaced Alexandra. There isn't one redeemable song on this release Darkwell release. SkullCrusher/Angela Marilyn Manson Well another band pulling the best of release. I'm not downing the fact. I too get suckered into purchasing them from time to time. This retrospect from Marilyn Manson's career, sums it all up with seventeen tracks, from one of the most recognized shock rockers of our time. Thru the many antics and controversies, he has made himself a household name. A name in which many fear or shudder at the sound of. But, none the less, a very successful and intelligent individual. If you are familiar with the Manson discography, here's the songs you may already have. And if you're not, well this is a great start to owning some Manson in your collection. Very cool layout of the disk insert with loads of photos of the many faces/styles of Manson's façade. I do believe the deluxe version is accompanied by a DVD with a handful of videos. As well as some uncensored versions. A very nice addition to anyone's collection, who is even remotely into the music of Marilyn Manson. Track listing is as follows : The Love Song, Personal Jesus, mOBSCENE, The Fight Song, Tainted Love, The Dope Show, This Is The New Shit, Disposable Teens, Sweet Dreams (are made of this), Lunchbox, Tourniquet, Rock Is Dead, Get Your Gunn, The Nobodies, Long Hard Road Out Of Hell, The Beautiful People, The Reflecting God. A Perfect Murder This Canadian based metal core band makes it's debut on Victory Records with their latest, 'Unbroken'. They take the bare essence of hard core and metal, twist it severely by the balls and add the southern groove-laden feel of bands like Crowbar and Down. No bullshit here. Pure hardmetalcore. Very crunchy, boot stomping tunes. An all around kick ass release. Hard, heavy and in your face. A 2x4 to the face. Highly recommended for fans of Hatebreed, Sick Of It All, Full Blown Chaos and Malice420. This is Germany's Elis's third full-length release. The cover art is very pretty-too pretty, a big blue butterfly with some clouds lurking behind it; I think a bit more thought could have been placed on that-let's look at it like this, if your into this type of music and your wanting to wear a big blue butterfly (Morpho) on your shirt-'what the fuck is wrong with you?' -so I foresee many t's not being sold-if that's on the shirt, & yes I'm a female. Besides the cover art I can't pick on anything else about this release, it has great rhythms-on the faster side of goth, Sabine Duenser vocals are sweet, especially when doing duo's with Tom Saxer. Guitars are powerful (Pete Streit & Juergen Broger), drums by Rene Marxer are tight-however they no longer have Renee. Some of the songs are in German: 'Der Letzte Tag' & 'Die Zeit', Elis offers up 11 trax on "Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky". This is a must for lovers of goth & people who enjoy doom may also get into Elis Visions of Atlantis "Cast Away" is Visions of Atlantis' second album, & might I add these Austrians do very good job of mixing power metal with goth. Nicole Bogner's vocals are smooth and right on, Mario Plank's vocals blend well with Nicole's. Guitars have a power metal edge, there are some mid paced songs, nothing face-smashing. Some of my favorite tunes are: 'Winternight'-which is slow paced, but very catchy & 'Cast Away', listeners of Stratovarius, Leave's Eye's and the like, should chek this out. Goatsnake Southern Lord Records puts together the 1999 and 2000 recordings of doom metal masters Goatsnake in one convenient package. Any doom metal head should already be aware of Goatsnake by now. Any others of you not familiar with them, where the hell have you been. And for those of you not really into the whole doom scene at all, you need to give it a try with Goatsnake. They are a great band. But you've got to give them a listen to believe it for yourself. They have a sound that is somewhat reminiscent to The Cult being beaten severely with a Black Sabbath stick. Very drudgey and most definitely stoner rockfish. They also have some new material out, but you'll need to head to the website for more info on that matter. Whatever the case may be, get doomed. Get Goatsnaked. Elis This is Germany's Elis's third full-length release. The cover art is very pretty-too pretty, a big blue butterfly with some clouds lurking behind it; I think a bit more thought could have been placed on that-let's look at it like this, if your into this type of music and your wanting to wear a big blue butterfly (Morpho) on your shirt-'what the fuck is wrong with you?' -so I foresee many t's not being sold-if that's on the shirt, & yes I'm a female. Besides the cover art I can't pick on anything else about this release, it has great rhythms-on the faster side of goth, Sabine Duenser vocals are sweet, especially when doing duo's with Tom Saxer. Guitars are powerful (Pete Streit & Juergen Broger), drums by Rene Marxer are tight-however they no longer have Renee. Some of the songs are in German: 'Der Letzte Tag' & 'Die Zeit', Elis offers up 11 trax on "Dark Clouds in a Perfect Sky". This is a must for lovers of goth & people who enjoy doom may also get into Elis Scalla Mercalli A heavy, speed to a progressive thrash sound. Italian metallars, Scala Mercalli give up four tracks as a promo album in search of a record deal. Pummeling double bass drum beats, crunching, groove laden riffs accompanied by vocals that sound as if Geddy Lee of Rush were belting out. Formed back in '92, SM have released various demos, with little avail from record companies which has forced some line-up changes over the years. Yet they still forge on. Always writing new material, in the style in which they love. Never giving in or compromising their sound. Very reminiscent to that of early Fates Warning, Fifth Angel. There are three originals on the disk as well as a cool rendition of Iron Maiden's Be Quick Or Be Dead. Check them out. They are worthy for a listen. Theocracy The first noticable attribute of this Christian artist is the great packaging... Truly breathtaking. After listening to the CD my assumptions were that Theocracy was another progressive Underground Symphony type band, but without the overbearing Italian accent. The operatic vocals harmonize perfectly against their choir voices. With epics reaching nearly 12 minutes, I became a little bored with the programmed drums. It was then when I became genuinely impressed. I checked the credits to find out everything on this disc is ONE GUY. For more info got to http://www.metalages.com. Enuff Z'Nuff Had to rip this one and then burn it in order to give it a listen. It might be a good idea to make sure the CD's you send out to review actually work before you send 'em out. It doesn't help the band if the people who are supposed to plug 'em can't hear their music. Anyway, I remember when Enuff Z'Nuff released their first album way back when. They were like a breath of fresh air. I was always crankin' that album and I still go back to it from time to time. I liked the band, but, I never really followed their career like I should have. I picked up a few of their releases over the years because I always liked what they had to offer. Now, here we are, 14 releases later and they're still putting out quality music. To be honest with you, the opening track, "Gorgeous," really didn't do much for me. But, the rest of the album did a pretty good job of floating my boat. The thing I really appreciate about this band is the fact that, well, I think they've stopped trying to please people long ago, which was a smart move because music fans change like the weather. One minute, you're on top of the world because everyone loves you and the next, nobody knows who you are anymore because they're off listening to something new. I think the band is smart enough to know that. So, they simply make music because that's what they enjoy doing...and they do it rather well. In the press material that came with this release, it mentioned that Enuff Z'Nuff is one of the most underrated pop band's in the world and I couldn't agree more. They have a wealth of fantastic material under their belt and, with "?," there's eleven more tunes that are added to that pile. I mean, come on, this band should be freakin' huge. It's a shame when a talented band such as this is almost ignored, while a band can put out an album that ain't worth a plug nickel and they end up selling a million copies. Okay, well, I'm sure some of you are probably thinking that I'm kissing way too much ass here. Let me tell you something though, I have nothing to gain by praising this release. I already have the album, I enjoy it. If you don't add it to your collection, it's your loss. However, I look at it this way, I view music as a meal. If you walk away from the table and you're still hungry, then the food wasn't all that great to begin with. However, if the food is so good that it fills you up, to the point where you pass on dessert, well, my compliments to the chef. Only a true music fan, one who can appreciate a good song...or eleven in this case, one of which is a cover of Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy," will see the beauty in this release. You won't walk away from the table hungry, that's for sure. Stand out tracks include "Joni Woni (Likes To Ride The Pony)," "Help," "Hang On For Life" and "Man With A Woman." http://www.enuffznuff.com Boned It doesn't take much to describe Boned's latest ten song release, "Up At The Crack," because, after one listen, it's clear to see that they're a carbon copy of Bon Scott era AC/DC. This England based band could very well pass for an AC/DC tribute band if they wanted to. In fact, they were originally called AC/DD. They changed the name because they didn't wanna be confused as an AC/DC tribute band. Go figure, huh? Anyway, I know there's some people out there who will listen to this album and say that they lack originality. I, however, don't look at it that way. First of all, you have to understand that, no matter how good the band is...and Boned is rather good...they'll never replace the original, even if they were playin' AC/DC tunes note for note. I'm aware of this, you're aware of this and, more than likely, the band is aware of this as well. So, with that in mind, with their style and sound, they're obviously paying tribute to a band that had a great influence on them and there's nothing wrong with that. I have almost every AC/DC album, with the exception of one or two and, I listen to them on a regular basis because that's the kind of music that I happen to enjoy more than anything...straight forward, balls to the wall, rock 'n' roll with no bullshit, and that's exactly what Boned offers up as well. With songs titles such as "Up At The Crack," "Drain The Main Vein," "Ain't No Talkin' With Your Mouth Full" and "God Given Right To Rock 'N' Roll," they also have that suggestive word play that AC/DC is known for. I mean, the only thing that's really missing here is a song with the word "hell" in the title. That might have been a bit too much though. My only real complaint was the way I recieved this release. You know, the way you present a band does count for something and the CD I got didn't even work in my stereo. I had to stick it in my computer, rip it and burn a new copy in order to listen to it. That's seriously lame. It makes it look as though you don't give a shit about the band you're trying to promote. Hell, if I burn a CD for someone, it looks a lot better than how I got this one. Don't be a cheap bastard and take more pride in the product that you're trying to promote. That's what I think. Anyway, if you're hungry for a little hard rock and AC/DC is your main course, then Boned is what you have for dessert. It will leave a good taste in your mouth and you'll walk away from the table completely satisfied. |
