ABSCESS - TORMENTED (Necropolis Recs., 2001): This is the first recording for Necropolis Records form these death metal supergroup that was in the lines of Relapse Recs before. Formed by Chris Reifert on drums and vocals (ex Autopsy and Death), Danny Coralles (ex Autopsy) on guitar and Clint Bowen (Hexx) on guitar. The music on this CD is a death metal that goes back to the roots of the style of bands like Autopsy. Some guitar riffs are very interesting like they were for example in the classic of the aforementioned band, "Mental Funeral". This recording has thirteen tracks where the mainfeature are the more climatic parts like the first solo in "Rusted Blood" or the beginning of "Madness and Parasites" or the last solo of "Death Runs Red". The tortured vocals are all over the CD and you can find in them different textures , from a gutural vocalist to another one that is more a barking one in a Carcass style for example. The sound of the recording is fairly good, but it brings to memory the sound that death metal bands used to have in the beginning of the nineties (I think that the band did this on purpose) and maybe it would be better put the drums a little bit up on the mix and to have a sound a little bit less muddy on the guitars to emphasize the band´s strength. The hooks that Autopsy had in their first recordings are present on this one too in all its splendour. Favorite tracks: "Tormented", "Street Trash" and the spectral "Scratching At The Coffin". Contact: www.necropolisrecords.com . In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling to 15-5333-9432.

 

 

AS ALL DIE - TIME OF WAR AND CONFLICT (Crowded Control Activities, 2001): This record can be described with one word: climatic. The fundamental theme in these CD, as is pointed by the title us war, and about this Clint Listing, the main brain behind this, makes his lyrics. There are a lot of keyboards bases and guitars used as support ina way that maybe Pink Floyd could use (in their more melancholic material), I mean, to create certain textures. The CD opens with a militar march and the voice of Clint personifying somebody who is sending his people to war. There are depressing songs that are very interesting like, for example, "Johnny Got his Gun" where Listing´s vocals seem a mix between Roger Waters and Johann Edlund from Tiamat ("Wildhoney" era). We can also point out the darkness in tracks like "Mother Earth" with Listing whispering very softly the lyrics, almost imperceptible, making stronger the feeling of desolation that he is trying to show. Favorite tracks: "Johnny Got his Gun", "A Tear for the Hero" and "The Longest Day". Contact: crowded@relapse.com

 

BASQUE - FALLING FORWARD (Independent, 2000): An exceptionally beautiful voice opens CD taking us to the magical music world of Basque through the first song "Somefire". This is the classical music of the future: melancholic, soft, climatic with a lot of emphasis on the feelings expressed through the beautiful female voclas of Maryasque. Elements of celtic music and folk are put together in passages adorned by the keyboard chords and the bass (it is interesting to see how Brandt creates all this atmospheres) to conform this dreaming songs. Arpeggios and vocal lines wrap their sonic qualities in songs like "Grey and Green" or "Kamehameha". It is also impressing how well this duo uses dynamics. The best way to describe Basque´s musi is with the sentence that appears in their website: "The objective of Basque is to give silence its place in music - to create space and let people´s minds breath" . Favorite tracks: "Falling Forward", "Grey and Green" and "Inheritance". Contact: http://basquemusic.com or basque@basquemusic.com

 

 

CAGED - DEAD END (Meathook Recs. - 1999): A powerful recording from this band that mixes extreme hardcore with the most modern elements of heavy music. The CD opens witha n introduction Halloween movie´s style before getting in the first discharge, the song "Packed Fist". The music of this band brings me memories of certain elements of bands like Agnostic Front or the first D.R.I. together with more recent bands as Biohazard, Sepultura or Soulfly. The main characteristic of this band is the combination of the vocals of the singers, one with more growling screams and the other one more high pitched, there are also moments with clean vocals and a lot of screaming choruses. The producction of the CD is good, mainly in the drums that can be fully appreciated here, and also the bass. Maybe the guitars should be a little bit more in the front in the mix to give more impact to the music that is really good (in the beginning of "Sane" they can be more appreciated in the parts that they play in unison with the bass and drums) . Favorite tracks: "AIDS", "Hemorrhaging" and "Immortal". Contact: meathookrecords@mediaone.net o www.meathookrecords.com

 

 

CHAOS AS SHELTER - MIDNIGHT PRAYER/ILLUSION (Crowd Control Activities - 2001): Really interesting work of this band from Israel fomed by Vadim Gusis, who is the brain behind this project, helped by Vera Agnivolok (guitara in the song "Dream") and Elena Blinder (vocals on "No More Suffering") . This release consists in two CDs, one called "Midnight Prayer" full with ambient parts and full also of synthesized sounds (listen for example "Dead Sea Song" or "Et Filii (Jesus The Swordfish)" to see what I am talking about) centered in a religious thematic (I think that Vadim could explain this better), and the second "Illusion", that is maybe a little bit more accesible (not too much) and spins around the two parts of the song that gives name to the record. This second CD is also full of synthesized sounds and the experimentation is a constant. Favorite tracks: "Et Filii…", "Et Spiritus Sancti (the Gipsy Judgement 2)" from "Midnight Prayer" and "Get Back !", "No More Suffering" and "Lullaby for the Wind" from "Illusions". Contact: crowded@relapse.com

 

 

CIRCLE OF DEAD CHILDREN - THE GENOCIDE MACHINE (Deathvomit Recs. - 2001): This is a Death/ Grind band in te style of extreme bands as de Exhumed, Brutal Truth or Mortician. In fact, I think that what sets this band apart from the others are two things: the guitar parts that are really intelligent and killer, specially in the slower parts (example: "The Genocide Machine" (0:20) and (0:42)), which I think should be more exploited in the future to get more identity and certain drums rhythms that are not typical from the style and that make the listener not feel that the songs are too similar. (listen for example the double bass drumming in the title track (0:46) that makes the song much more interesting that what could have been if he had only played blast beats) I like this record, specially the guitars that sound really tight and the drums (the sound is clear and you can listen all that this guy is doing behind the drumkit). There are also a couple of things that are quite strange for bands of this style, for example the experimental "Isabella´s Nightmare" with keyboards and sound effects or "Extreme Cannibal Smoke!" with a slow beginning and medium sections. Favorite tracks: "Only One Per Coffin", "Extreme Cannibal Smoke!" y "Beethoven´s Children". Contact: www.deathvomit.com. In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

CRIPPLE BASTARDS - ALMOST HUMAN (Obscene Productions - 2000): Grindcore/death/hardcore direct from Italy. This is a good recording that contains 50 songs, 31 are the complete collection of studio work by Cripple Bastards and the other 19 are live tracks taken from a show in the city of Utrecht on February 27^th 2000. The studio aprt begins with an interesting song called "Pete the Ripper" which I suppose has this name because of Petter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, who killed at least thirteen women between 1975 and 1981. Cripple Bastard´s song have the carachteristic of having purely grind parts mixed with others more hardcore or rocker., making the listening of fifty songs really easygoing. As variety is the spice of life there are songs in english, in italian and in other languages. The fundamental thing in this band is their sense of humour that makes them do these things. The cover art is quite graphic and may offend those that consider porn offensive, but, music is what matters here. If we talk about the live tracks we can see that the band sounds mor tight and energetic live than in studiio, unleashing all their power without mercy. Favorite tracks: "Sbocco Nichilista", "Guerra e Pecador", "Italia di Merda" y "The Mushroom Diarrhoea". Contact: www.obscene.cz or curby@obscene.cz

 

 

DARK RITUAL - DARK RITUAL ( Independent, 2000) : Dark Ritual is aband combining elements of traditional heavy metal with elements of thrash metal, power metal and a little bit of hardcore. The band´s sound is really raw for this style of music and makes the heavier parts more heavy. It is interesting to remark that this band with better production could be really important because they have what they need to do it. I think that an important point to exploit in the future are the skills of the voclaist, who has a really interesting vocal range, specailly on the middle tonalities (in certain moments he made me remind Glenn Danzig). This MCD has five songs, and my favorite is the second one called "Flesh", with really interesting guitar parts and some choruses kind of hardcore that give some good hooks to the song. Maybe the weak point here is the sound that buries some of the things that this guys do (I think that the hihat covers some guitar parts that would be intersting to remark). Maybe a less muddy sound in the future would help them (I kno that it is a budgetary matter and that they are going to solve that in the future). Favorite tracks: "Flesh" and "Loca". Contact: darkritual@darkritual.com or www.darkritual.com

 

DEAD AGAIN RECORDS - PRICK PRODUCTIONS : THE DEAD PIT COMPILATION (2000) : As the title of this compilation says, this are 19 of the world´s sickest bands. Form legendary bands as Agathocles (Bélgium) up to others that I didn´t know about as Inner War or Grot have their place here. Gorerotted is the band in this compilation with better sound (surprisingly clean) and that amkes that their song shines in the whole CD. This is the main difference with bands such as Deepred, who are a band with great ideas but a bad sound quality. A good surprise for me was Prophecy, band that I had not listened before, iknteresting drum patterns and frenetic guitar solos are framed in their track "Tortured by Deceit". We have also the well known Inhumate with two great songs. The bands in this compilation really show that grind/death is a total standing style and that it is possible to play it with great quality and musicianship. Other bands that are on this CD are: Machetazo, Regorge, Brutal Insanity and Drogheda among others. Favorite tracks: "Gagged, Shagged, Bodybagged" (Gorerotted), "Tortured by Deceit" (Prophecy) and "Underground" (Inhumate). Contact: www.deadagain.fsnet.co.uk or promo@deadagain.fsnet.co.uk

 

 

DEFILED - UGLINESS REVEALED (Deathvomit Recs./Baphomet Recs. - 2001): Defiled is a band that comes from japan and this is their second recording,a nd the first one Deathvomit/Baphomet. A strange introduction with guttural sounds takes us to the first, "Lies for a Lie", and we find a great band of death metal with riffs that aim more to power and potency than to speed, like the last four or five Morbid Angel albums (it is really interesting the work of the bass player in this CD, and we can hear him perfectly because of the great mix). One thing that call my attention was the number of intros that this CD has (seven to be precise) one before each of the first seven songs. The sound is really good and I think that this guys have to use a lot their technique to do complex riffs. It seems that this band is very wellknown in Japan and it has supported bands such as Vader and Impaled Nazarene. The most interesting thing about this band is their quest for originality (specially in the guitar riffs). Contact: Deathvomit Recs: www.deathvomit.com , Baphomet Recs: blackbloodvomit@webtv.net In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or call 15-5333-9432.

 

 

 

DEMENCIA - THE LAST TRIP (Independent - 2000): This guys from San Nicolás, Buenos Aires, Argentina present us their new opus "The Last Trip" which has an intro and seven songs, five of them in studio and two live ones. Recorded in a four track portastudio, the tape has a fairly good sound (a lot of bands get a worse sound in professional studios). Dementia´s music is a kind of black metal style (eventhough their lyrics are not about satanism or paganism) with a lot of technical skills. So, in tracks like "When God Cried" we have melodies, breaks, tempo changes, and speed riffs. I thinkl that they also have some influences of good old tharsh metal, as I can see in the guitar riffs of Guillermo Tinarelli and Juan Pablo Gaitan. The live tracks are "The Last Trip" and "Lost in Indifference" (we have also their studio versions here) and sound stronger live than in studio (eventhough the sound quality is poor here), showing that the band shows its most energetic side to their audience. Favorite tracks: "When God cried", "The Last Trip" and "Lost in Indifference". Contact: demenciademencia@hotmail.com

 

DISARRAY - A LESSON IN RESPECT (Eclipse Recs. - 1999): This is Disarray´s third recording, the first two are "Widespread Human Disaster" and "Bleed" (they also have a live single from 1997 "Spreading the Death Plague"). Their music, which they like to call, aggro-metal, can be described as death/hardcore metal with a modern guitar sound. It can be felt in all the recording that this guys are looking to do an impact through the power and setrength that the tracks have. So, in songs like "Piss" they unleash all their anger, even if this is not one of the fastest tracks in the CD. In moments they look like old Sepultura or Crowbar, but this guys have some hardcore touches that this other bands don´t have: you can see that in "Mindless", "Loss of Tolerance" or "Black Truth". For the lovers of rare things, this CD has a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd´s classic "Free Bird" done Disarray-style, that means with a completely different feeling, really good. Contact: www.eclipserecords.com.

 

 

DREAMCHILD - LA FÉE VERTE (Independent - 2000): An a capella female voice opens this record with a short song called "The Stolen Child" that takes us to the spectacular "La Fée Vertewith Cheryl Wanner´s voice getting into each space of your soul, thanks to her power of expression. Dreamchild is a duo formed by Cheryl on vocals, harp, bass and kalimba and, Frank Gerace on guitars. The result is an introspective work with a permanent search for climatic textures. Through all the songs we can see the combination of instrumentation and the diferent states of mind that the songs transmit, ("Capacochea" for example transmits to me something like desolation, while "Nimueis a more dynamic song with some percussive touches). Dreamchild is a really creative outfit with a music that we can describe as céltic/experimental/ambient…something original!!! The distinctive element are Cheryl´s vocals full of inflexions (to give you an idea is like a mix between Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Björk and Francesca Nicoli (Ataraxia). I hope to listen more from this duo in the future because they caught my atention from the beginning to the end of this CD. This is for those who search originality (they also include a Beatles, "Cry baby Cry"). Favorite tracks: All, Contact: www.dreamchildmusic.com or seahorse@us1.channel1.com . MP3: www.mp3.com/dreamchild .

 

 

DREAMSFEAR - PRELUDE TO DESTINY (Independent - 1998): This is an irish quartet with a style that is a cross between power, heavy and thrash metal. The riffs are those that yopu could expect from a band of this style (the guitars have a fat sound that brings us to mind thrash metal) but the vocals are different since they are a little more growling and they made me remind some eighties thrash metal band. (Listen for example to "Ruins" (3:46) to know what I am talking about). This MCD has four songs, which have a duration that allows a lot of variations to happen within a same song (the shortest song is "Bleak Horizons" with 5 minutes 54 secs.) There are riffs in the vein of Metallica ´s "Ride The Lightning" or "Master of Puppets" and a lot of use of twin guitars (it has been a long time since I last heard this, IT IS REALLY COOL!!!!). The only point agains this CD is the sound that is a litle bit confusing in some parts, but that can be solved with a good sound engineer and a good studio (it is just a matter of money). I hope to listen something more from this guys in the future (that will be out at the end of this year). They deserve an applause for playing a style that is not commercial and for the effort that they make. Favorite tracks: "Bleak Horizons" and "Burning Bridges". Contact: dreamsfear@hotmail.com or http://members.tripod.com/~dreamsfear/index.html

 

 

EJECUCION - OBSERVATION (Furias Records - 1998): This is a band from Argentina that maybe not much people know and that deserve to be on the first places of popularity in the scene (I think that they have split up, a pity) because they make an original black/doom metal full of keyboards and exotic instrumentation (listen to the introduction with flute and guitar "Dialogo sopra la musica" and the first track "Observation" to see what I am telling you). The bands which I can relate to this guys are Crypt of Kerberos and Orphanage, bands with a "european sound" (to distinguish it from bands with less subtle sound). What I think is excellent is that they have included some medieval-like pieces as "Lamento di Tristano", "Dialogo sopra l´Amore" or "Saltarello Nro. 1" to get more variety and breath in their music (there is even a piece by John Dowland and one by Nicolaus Ammerbach). I am really surprised with this CD that is on the level of any release that could come from Europe and it comes with a deluxe digipack edition. I hope that more bands like this one will arise from the argentinean underground, they are necessary. Favorite tracks: "Tools of death", "In Endless Fall" and "Darkness". Contact: Furias records: : furias@ssdnet.com.ar or in Argentina calling 15-5333-9432.

 

ENTHRALLMENT - BURNING FIELDS (Butchery Music - 2001): A scene that has surprised me for its magnitude and recent develope is the death/black metal scene from Bulgary (and all Eastern Europe). Really guttural vocals are the ones by Plamen Bakardjiev and I have to take my hat off with the colossal guitar riffs from Hristo Hristov. This four song MCD has a really professional sound that is very raw at the same time and allows us to see Enthrallment´s full potential. If I can give an advice: use more riffs like the ones in "Fast Explosion…" (1:06)(2:55)(3:14), "Burning Fields" (3:45) and "Massacre" (1:56). This CD, was recorded in the Max Sound Studios between December 4^th and 5^th of 2000 and mastered on December 6^th This CD lets us admire a band than in the future will make people in the european death metal scene talk a lot about them. Contacts: www.butcherymusic.dir.bg or butcherymusic@yahoo.com or www.enthrallment.dir.bg or enthrallment@yahoo.com

 

 

ENTHRONED - ARMOURED BESTIAL HELL (Blackend Recs. - 2001): Yes, people ! Here we have a new record of raw black/war metal. This band was formed in 1993 from the ashes of Morbid Death and Blaspherion and this is their fourth record.Their style is black metal without mercy and without subtle elements. Having survived to multiple lineup changes and the suicide of one of its original members (Cernunnos), the band has solidified their style making their best album up to date (the other ones are "Prophecies of Pagan Fire", "Towrds the Skullthrone of Satan" y "The Apocalypse Manifesto"). I would like them to give more space to certain original parts that are more elaborated like the one in "Enslavement Revealed" (2:06) with that double bass drumming sound over the slow guitar parts. The shrieking vocals cover every hole that the instruments left empty and are what gives the music its main characther of black metal . this is a band that fans of black/death metal will surely adore. Favorite tracks: "Armoured Bestial Hell", "Enslavement Revealed" and "Spheres of Damnation". Contacts: www.blackendrecords.com In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

ESICASTIC - ATMAN (Independent - 2001): Having interviewd this band I had an idea of what the music of this italian guys was about but tey surprised me the same. It´s an extremely technical death metal, with a lot of melodies and a lot of jazz!!. Make yourself an idea of amix betweene Cynic, Atheist and Pestilence to have a clue of what this people do. Spectacular sound and spectacular playing from this band that must rehearse a lot to achieve this results. This MCD has three songs and "Atman" opens the fire with a bass line very complex, followed by the guitars and synthesized guitars everywhere (in the tradition of what Paul Masvidal and Jason Gobel did in that phenomenal record "Focus"). The long tracks allow them to experiment a lot (I would like to see them live because they must be fantastic) taking the rhythm changes, breaks and melodies to unsuspected boundaries. It is really good to see how Nicola uses the fretless bass, an instrument less than common in this style (Steve Di Giorgio (Death, Sadus, Testament) is one of the few musicians that uses it) in "Self Omnipotence" and it is really inspiring to listen guitar solos of this quality. I recommend this CD to all those who love originality and have a really open mind. Favorite tracks: The three. Contact: esicastic@libero.it or http://go.to/esicastic

 

 

EXTREME NOISE TERROR - BEING AND NOTHING (Candlelight Recs. - 2001): This is a legendary band formed in the middle eighties during the grindcore explosion in England, when names such as Napalm Death, Carcass or Godflesh appeared. Fifteen years later, this band brings us a record (obviously much more tidy than their first offerings) that keeps alive their primitive strength and energy and the vocals that charachterized the band since its beginnings. The CD opens with a hyperspeed track typical from this band, the one that gives title to this recording. A great achievement of this band is having managed to keep all the instruments audible despite the speed that the drumming and the guitar riffs have. (see as an example "Through Mayhem"). This is a recording with no mercy for the listeners, a record with total aggression and really guttural vocals. This lineup of Extreme Noise Terror has all the thumbs up, they are extremely skilled with their instruments, specially new drummer Zac O´Neil that is a nightmare with his double bass drumming (look what this guy does for example in "When Gods Burn"). Favorite tracks: "Through Mayhem", the hyperspeed "Damage Limitation" and "No Longer as Slaves". Contact: www.candlelightrecords.co.uk

 

 

EZURATE - INFERNAL DOMINATIO (Forever Underground Recs. - 2001): This recording shows us a band completely inmersed in black metal, and its more raw variations. It is ablack metal that could have been part of one of Dark throne´s more recent recordings, it has that sound that Norwegian bands used to have. Hyperspeed riffs. That create some hyperspeed melodies over a crushing blast beat drumming and a diabolical vocal that screams the lyrics to the moon. "Posession of Twilight Shadows", "Battles of Armaggedon" , choose the song that you like most and you will have black metal there. The sound (unlike some bands that are around today) is really good. For my taste, maybe the drums are quite in the front in the mix, covering a little bit the guitars (that maybe are a little behind) and perhaps it has a litlle thin sound in the snare drum, but this can be fixed with more time and studio experience. Listen to "Baptism by Fire" or "Through Haunted Caverns" and let yourself be transported to the darkest part of your being. Contact: www.foreverunderground.com or Ezurate666@aol.com

 

 

FINNTROLL - JAKTENS TID (Century Media - 2001): Finntroll practices what they call "Trollish Hoedown Metal" . They are from Finlandia and their music is amazing and their originality really susprised me. Voices closer to death or black metal with guitar riffs that are very rhythmic (in fact in the first song "Födosagan" it reminded me some typical music from Finland), keyboards used in the way of power metal bands with a lot of solos and bases (like Jens johansson or Tuomas from Nightwish). Really interesting. You can listen in their tracks a lot of melodies that could have been taken from nordic folklore, like in "Slaget Vid Blodsälv" or "Skogens Hämnd". I think that this bands bings new atmospheres to black / death metal, which were searching for bands like this with a lot of originality and that show once more that putting melodies and subtle elements in their music does not mean losing strength.. And they say that this project arose from a night of too much drinking …I want right now what this finnish drink!! Songs to recommend: All the CD. It is really spectacular. Contact: www.centurymedia.com.br or www.finntroll.darkgod.net

 

 

FULTRACK - SEEDS OF GRAY (Independent - 2001) : A good MCD from this finnish quartet with a style in the middle of thrash and power metal with really modern and a vocalist that we have to watch in the future.(really powerful). Through the four tracks of the CD we can see the main carachteristics of the band: clean and heavy guitars, a really good vocalist that emphasizes the atmosphere of the songs. It is really interesting to listen to songs like "The man who never was" that in the hands of this people is like a powerful hymn from Metallica´s Master of Puppets, with breaks and clean guitar parts included,. This band was opening act for Nightwish and it has a good reputation as a live act. It would be good to see them live or to listen more material from them. They are a big promise. Contact: www.fultrack.com or fultrack@fultrack.com

 

 

GODSIZE - DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR (Independent - 1999): This band comes from Norway…and they play…no!!! They don´t play black metal!! What Godsize does could be discribed in the lands of thrash metal, despite they are not a standard band of the style neither. The influences from this trio are Motorhead, Black Sabbath and Pantera. They prefere to describe their music as a mix heavy metal and rock and they call it "killer metal". This band has a great reputation of live band and if the tracks sound so energetic in the CD, I can understand why. They have good guitar riffs and the base of drums and bass is demolishing., shinning in all its splendour in the track that starts slow and heavy called "Death Before Dishonor". For being a selfproduced recording and a debut CD it sounds really well…this is evident in a song that can be a mosh classic "Hall of Pain". This CD has ten songs with a lot of energy, no subtle things an intelligent arrangements without forgetting the hooks for the ear. Favorite tracks: "Hall of Pain", "Human Sacrifice" (with clean guitar intro) y "Inside the Outsider" (with a certain taste of Sodom "Agent Orange" era in the main). Contact: godsize_box@hotmail.com or www.godsize.no

 

GOREROTTED - MUTILATED IN MINUTES (Dead Again Recs. - 2000): Like I said in the review of the compilation from Dead Again Recs., Gorerotted seem to me the band with the best production and sound. Those charachteristics are also on this CD. First level grind/death with a spectacular sound (recorded in thePhilia Studio from Henley with Dave Chang as sound engineer). Every instrument can be heard with total clarity and you can even distinguish which is Fluffy´s guitar and which is Dicksplash´s one. The vocals from Mr. Gore and Baby Sliced dominate the recording due to their gutturality ( a clear example is "Bed´em, Behead´em" where the vocals interplay is crucial to the song). Titles like "Stab me Till I Cum " or "Cut, Gut, Beaten, Eaten" show this band lyrically in the path tat showed in the early nineties Cannibal Corpse with their two first records. Totally recommended for fans of the style. Favorite tracks: "Corpse Fucking Art", "Cut, Gut, Beaten, Eaten" and "Severed, Sawn and Sold as Porn". Contact: promo@deadagain.fsnet.co.uk or www.deadagain.fsnet.co.uk

 

 

HATEWORK - THIS IS A HOLOCAUST WAITING TO WAKE ITSELF (Meathook Recs. - 2000): When I looked at the pictures of this MCD I thought "a band like GWAR with nothing to offer"- I was wrong and the music of this guys is very different from that band. It is more a mix of good hardcore and death metal (specially on the vocals). The four tracks here are powerful. The first one, , "Holocaust" it´s a mid tempo with simple guitar riffs where the vocals take the main part (then the song starts in a hardcore way, speeding up). "Hung", the second track starts slowly until a a good rhythm from drums and guitars take us to the holocaust promised in the title of the CD (great work of the drummer here). "Indisposed" is the more direct song of the four here, starting at a good speed and blasting with no mercy. "Sign of the crimes" is also very fast but is more elaborated, and it has more breaks and parts. A good job from this band which I should learn more about. Contact: meathookrecords@mediaone.net or www.meathookrecords.com

 

 

HOLY MOSES - MASTER OF DISASTER (Century Media - 2001): The band that I was hoping to listen again has reunited to kick our asses again!!!! Yes, Sabina Classen is back, together toJochen Fuenders and the new members (it is a surprise for me that Andy Classen is not there eventhough he participates in the composition of the tracks). This five song EP shows us a Holy Moses showing all the energy as in "Finished with the Dogs", "The New Machine of Lichtenstein" or "World Chaos" but with a much modern sound (I have to remark the drum sound, specially the bass drums) and the guitars (that sound fatter than in the other recordings). A total different thing is Sabina´s voice…she is great !!!…what a strength !!. I thionk that she is what gives the band its identity, if you listen the song , when the vocals start you will know exactly that it is Holy Moses. The MCD is crushing from beginning to end and leaves the listener hoping for more, so I have to say one thing…We wait a CD with more songs really soon!!!!. Favorite tracks: " "Feel The Pain", "The Hand of Death" and "Down on your knees". Contact: www.centurymedia.com.br or www.holymoses.de or www.bullet-tv.de

 

 

ICED EARTH - HORROR SHOW (Century Media - 2001): After the triple live album "Alive in Athens" and the EP "The Melancholy", here comes the new CD from Iced Earth, with a new lineup (that includes the great Steve Di Giorgio on bass and Richard Christy from Death y Control Denied on drums). This new Iced Earth shows us clear impruvements, basically in the rythmic section. Also, if we compare with their latest studio album, 1998´s "Something Wicked This Way Comes" we can see an improvement also in th sound that now is more clear, more full. The concept of this CD spins around horror stories, for example "Dracula" or "Frankenstein" (watch the Iron Maiden cover, "Transylvania" really well done). There are songs that have been done really well for example the second track called "Damien" with some classical sounding choirs. It is evident that there has been a lot of practice and rehearse from this musicians in the last years. Will Iced Earth become one of the main bands in heavy metal in the next few years? Favorite tracks: "Damien", "Ghost of Freedom" and "Dragon´s Child" .Contact: www.centurymedia.com.br or www.icedearth.com

 

 

ICARUS PROMO N.2 - (Icarus Recs. - 2001): this is a compilation with some bands of the label Icarus. Arachnes opens the fire witha piano prelude that takes us to the first song called "Arachne" (with parts that are similar to Yngwie Malmsteen´s a "Forever Is a Long Time"). The music of this band goes through the path of power metal with good drumming and interesting keyboard and guitar solos. The is not so good compared to the main exponents of the style: the drums are low and the guitars are also a little bit behind. Maybe in the next recording this will get better. "Narrow Road" is the song with more power from this guys, followed closer by, "Lobotomy". This songs are from their record "Parallel Worlds". Secret Sphere is another of the bands presenting here songs from their CD "A Time Never Come", and they go right to "Gates of Wisdom" without that much talking. This band is more interesting due to the constant interventions of the keyboards. I think they should use more riffs like the ones in "Gate of Wisdom" (2:00) or the clean parts (2:32) to avoid falling in th common galloping style of power metal bands a la Rhapsody. This band shows more variation and presents interesting things like the beginning of "The Brave" . Hemisphere is the next band and the review should be a mix of the two bands that I reviewed before: interesting songs (maybe abusing a little bit of the cliches of the style) and a not so good sound, muddy. The CD of this band is called "Mind´s Door" and I would like to point out songs like "The Visitor" (a racing of keyboards and guitars) and "Flying High" (very Malmsteen). Into Eternity is a more original band and the song presented here is "Left behind", a mix between symphonic rock and something heavier (for the next time I think they should mix the guitar higher). What makes interesting this band is the interplay of vocals and the hooks for the listener. Sonic Debris is next that I think is the best of the bands here. The song is called "Dead Man" and follows the steps of Dream Theater "Awake"-era (the singer is very similar to James Labrie in some parts). A lot of changes in phrases and rhythms are contained in this song. For fans of progressive rock and metal. Contact: icarus@ba.net

 

 

IMPACTO FECAL - ENCERRADO EN MI (Independent - 2000): This spanish band dedicated to the most pure death/grind presents this CD that has seven songs plus an intro and an outro and a bonus track containing their demo "Inhumanización" (It was not on my promo CD. What a pity!!!). The music, as I said,is full power death/grind. What amazed me is the use of riffs that are not played at superspeed, for example in "Alianzas de Sangre" or de beginning "En Blanco". César vocals are absolutely gutural but you can follow the lyrics reading the booklet. If I had to give some advice to the band, would be to use more riffs in the style of those in es "Encerrado en mí" (0:26) (1:08) (1:26) that make more interesting and challenging their music. The demo "Inhumanización" presents songs recorded in the Estudios Señor Guindilla on January 1998 and it has been remastered by J. Desiderio on December 1999. Favorite tracks: "Dos Segundos", "Encerrado en mí" y "En Blanco". Contact: ImpactoFecal@ono.com

 

 

IMPALED - CHOICE CUTS (DeathVomit Recs. - 2001): It seems that this band has had some problems with their election of cover art for the CD that presents a lot of blood and human guts. The material here presented is not new, with the exception of two tracks "Nightsoil" and "Until Death", but is inedit material from this band. The CD is divided in four sections: the first one contains the new songs…in the vein of Carcass "Necroticism…" and two covers, one frome Impetigo ("I work for the Streetcleaner") and another one from Carcass ("Carneous Cacoffiny"). The other three parts are made of tracks extracted from demos, splits and compilations released by the band ( among them the first recordings with Leon del Muerte on vocals, that are the two last songs in the CD). It is very interesting to see the evolution of this death/gore band because it would be good if they continue to write in the vein of the two new songs. The music in the new songs is more tidy and presents more polished ideas, also they show a greatly improved sound where the guitars sound louder and stronger. To all Carcass fans this CD is a must. Favorite tracks: "Night Soil", "Until Death" and "Carneous Cacoffiny". Contact: Deathvomit Recs: www.deathvomit.com , In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

 

INFERI - THE CALL OF THE DARK SIDE (Furias Records - 2000): Directly fromdesde Argentina and to the world comes Inferi, one of the few black metal bands from the local scene. This is a band that does not play only the most raw aspects of de style, but also the most rhythmic and subtle things. (see the Sabbath-like riff from "Riding from Apocalypse (1:34)). Using climatic riffs like the ones that open "The Call of the dark Side" and using different types of vocals they manage to create interesting textures in the style of bands like Dimmu Borgir ("For All Tid" era). Very interesting work from Fabrizio Andrada on guitaras and the rhythmic base of Ariel Canca on bass and Sebastián Rodríguez on keyboards and drums. The songs on this CD have been recorded in the Bunker Studios from Buenos Aires and it was mixed and mastered by Marina Rapallo and Alejandro Caputo and the overall sound is really good. Maybe I would use a more potent guitar sound and would put a little bit down the drums cymbals, but that is a matter of tastes. Favorite tracks: "Rivers of Blood , Flow from Hell", "Riding from Apocalypse" and "They will never escape from Destiny". Contact: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

INGROWING - SUICIDE BINARY REFLECTIONS (Obscene Prods. - 2001): This band comes from the Czech Republic and has a great reputation in the brutal death/grind european scene, equaling almost to his Krabathor. They also say that their live show is amazing! This new record is more brutal than the last one called "Cyber Space". The most notorious influence that I fnd in this band is Dying Fetus but not too much evident, I think it is a matter of sound. "Binary Reflections", the first song after the introduction "Suicide..." is a track at full speed, grind with guttural vocals in the vein of Napalm Death ´s "Mentally Murdered", but, there are also certain rhythm changes (that are mad in a similar way in the tracks here) that make the final result better. Look as an example to the breaks and cjhanges "Chemical Emotions" (0:53) (1:14) or the beginning of "Ethereality Section" and its changes (0:27) and (1:14). It is a really good recording for lovers of hyperspeed grind and the most brutal death metal. Contact: www.obscene.cz or curby@obscene.cz

 

KOMA - CRIMINAL (Locomotive Music - 2000): This is a heavy/rock/thrash band from Spain and singing in spanish, with some clear rock influences in their sound. The band sound makes me remember a little bit to Testament in their CD "The Ritual" (specially in the beginning of "Menos Mal"). Really good sound, really powerful, intelligent rhythm changes. The tracks are really well done in a heavy rocker attitude that I have not listened in a long time (listen to"Un plan Criminal" to shake your head). The tracks never lower their level of power "Jack Queen Jack" with a riff that could have come from the most powerful era of the american Skid Row with really humouristic and sarcastic lyrics. I have to point out the guitars of Brigi Duque and specailly Natxo Zabala´s solos that shine whenever they have place with a modern sound. There are songs in a hardcore mood "Das Pena" with a middle riff in the bridge where you can imagine people moshing and banging their heads. I think that this CD can be appreciated by heavy metal fans or for those who love rock or those who love classic thrash metal. Favorite tracks: "Das Pena", "El Diluvio Universal" and "Postmortem". Contact: www.koma-group.com or www.locomotivemusic.com or locomotive@locomotivemusic.com . In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

 

METH - BIOMORPHIC SYMPHONY ( Independent, 2001): Bill Sannwald is a really creative person and uses everything that he can get his hands on to arrive to te results that he wants in his compositions. So, here we have a lot of electronic elements and some sounds that can be from an Atari videogame or something like that, also we have his guitar, and he has managed to create this "Biomorphic Symphony". I must say that I like much more this CD than the last one, "Transformers:…" (already reviewed on an issue of Music Extreme) because it seems to me that here Sannwald has found the path to explore in the future. The melodies are spectacular and are in the vein of classical music (in fact there are sounds like a synthesized harp and some synth strings that remark Sannwald´s results). I think that we have a real evolution here. Also, the seven parts that are present in this opus are independent but at the same time cloely related one to each other. I hope that Bill continues in this path, because he has found something new, full of ideas and really fresh. Contact: Keirka777@hotmail.com

 

 

NOCTUARY - WHEN FIRES BREED BLOOD (Lost Disciple Recs. - 2000) : As a lor of you may know, Noctuary was the first band that I interviewed for Music Extreme. And this choice was not casual because this band has the fame of being one of the bests in their style of brutal death/black metal brutal. When one listens to this CD you understand that that fame is coimpletely justified, because of the power that this guys have in their music. It is not only speed or power, as you can see since the beginning with"Clouds Donning the Black Sky". In the eight tracks here (organized in five chapters on this CD) we can see a lot of arrangements, breaks, rhythm changes, etc. …my definition is that this band knows how to use the charachteristic elements from the style, plus they know how to use spaces and silences that are so useful in music. Listen to "…And Hate Embraced The Night" to see the quality of this band, to see how subtle can be their arrangements, or to "Vengeance Before Valor" to see how they do those guitar solos and how tight the band is in the faster parts. This is a record that you must have in your collection or shoot yourself.. Contact: www.lostdisciple.com or ALHuman@aol.com .

 

 

[O3] - WITHOUT FACE (Guano Recs. - 2001) : From Estonia comes this CD conformed by four tracks, from this trio. The sound of the band is not conventional, specailly the way in ehich Roby plays the guitar. "No face" starts with a really interesting sound from the band (I like the way the cymbals and the hihat sound, like for example in a Queensryche, really well equalized) to enter in a furious track to bang your head to. The style of this band can be described as metal with a modern and original sound. "What About", the second track, starts with a clean part, with Roby singing in a very subtle way, entering more heavily later and returning to subtle again.Can we say that this band makes progressive metal? Yes, I think so. "Invisible Game" starts with a strong guitar riff sort of a new metal band but played with a heavier sound. Interesting. To end this MCD the band has recorded a Judas Priest cover , "Saints In Hell" (yes, the one in the classic "Stained Class") but very different from the original (purists won´t like this). Contact: www.o3.ee or o3@o3.ee .

 

 

PLACENTA - CONDEMNED (Meathook Recs. - 1998): Hardcore/death !!!!! Is the first thing tat comes to my mind when I listen to this guys! Played ina a twisted way and witha a wall of sound. The vocals are in the delicated thread that divides the more powerful hardcore from death metal. The work of the band here is very good, specially the Larry Sweet (very original in his way of playing, specailly in the double bass parts and in his use of the snare). "Act of Rage" is one of my favorite tracks from this record because is the one where you can hear the band at it s most. "Cause and Effect" opens with Sweet playing with all his power before the guitars enter. Who said that hardcore and death can´t be original? Take a look at Placenta!! I would really like to see what this guys are doing now since three years have passed since this release and it would be interesting to see the evolution of the band. Favorite tracks: "Act of Rage", "Disgusted with Humanity" and "Ode to the Nightstalker" (where they describe the deeds of Richard Ramirez, a serial killer of the eighties in the USA who killed thirteen persons and left Los Angeles in total panic). Contact : meathookrecords@mediaone.net or www.meathookrecords.com

 

 

PRIMAL FEAR - NUCLEAR FIRE (Nuclear Blast - 2001): This is the band of ex Gamma Ray, Ralf Scheppers and the guitarist from Sinner, Matt Sinner. And this is already their third recording. What we find here is what we could find in their first two records but better done (in fact I didn´t like too much their last record "Jaws of Death"), that is a heavy metal in the vein of de Judas Priest (Scheppers is everytime more similar to Halford) but with a little touch of german power metal, esentially in the choruses. The music is not too original, but is really powerful. Lovers of good heavy metal will be completely satisfied with this CD. "Kiss of death" is a really powerful song of the kind that you sing with a fist in the air, a heavy metal hymn. The discharges have no rest: "Back from Hell" (withScheppers singing at the maximum of his possibilities) , "Now or Never", "Fight the Fire" (to tell some names of the songs) with galloping drumming, breaking guitar sound and the lungs of Scheppers spitting the lyrics. Recommended to lovers of heavy/power metal. Contact: www.nuclearblast.de

 

 

PROJEKT - SPRING 2001 SAMPLER (Projekt Recs. - 2001): This is a compilation that presents songs from the new releases from the Projekt label. This label is dedicated mainly tu introspective music, with principal axis in keyboard bases, in clean guitar (really good sounding in all the tracks that have guitar), female vocals or clean whispering vocals. Bands that are well known as Lycia or Frolic are here represented together with the less known ones like Vidna Obmana or Unto Ashes. To point out here we have Lycia with two climatic tracks "Across a Thousand Blades" and "Nine Hours Later", Frolic with an atmospheric song called "So Truetaken from the "To Dream, Perchance to Sleep" record, with great female vocals, I would like to listen more from them. Faith & Disease, presents us herea song from "Beneath the Trees" called "Rubina Verde" that transports us to an ethereal world full of woods and nature. Really good !! Other artists tht seemed really great to me are: Unto Ashes with a really celtic sound with a lot of guitar arpeggios and a singer that has a voice similar to Loreena Mc Kenitt, with the song "The Duration of Emptiness" and Audra with "In Hollywood Tonight" with a more fark gothic type of sound. Contact: www.projekt.com .

 

 

QUARK 7 - ONCE UPON A CRIME (Black Cat Distribution - 2000): This band is preesented as France´s answer to Dream Theater. Nevertheless, I think that both bands are quite different. Quark 7 has for example a different approach to guitar parts, see the guitar parts of Mikael Fitrzyk, the phrases are done in more open chords, and John Petrucci would have played instead riffs with one note progressions. Also, the drumming are different than those used by the american band, here the breaks and patterns are more influenced by the most elaborated progressive rock bands of the seventies, like Yes, King Crimson, Focus. Another difference is that Quark7 uses less keyboards. This band is formed by four virtuosos that are all the time getting the most from their instruments but giving more importance to the actual composition than to doing simple pyrotechnics (all that they do is done to make the song better). But the prize here is for Mikael and his spectacular guitar parts, that guides the music of Quark 7 . Listen to songs like "Will to Live" or the acoustic interlude "Remember" to see what this man can do. Lovers of progressive rock or metal will be really happy with this recording from France. Favorite tracks: "Conundrum", "Rage part one" and "Mystery". Contact: quark.rock@free.fr or http://quark.rock.free.fr

 

 

RED HARVEST - NEW WORLD RAGE MUSIC (Nocturnal Art Prods. - 2001): Really fast, really powerful, with a black metal touch (there are certain Emperor shades in the faster riffs), with an industrial touch too, with a lot of death metal. We can describe this CD of the band Red Harvest in this way.. Interesting guitar rhythms (flattened by the spectacular sound that this production has, really one of the best that I have listened in bands of this style). "Ad Noctum", "Move or be moved", choose the song that you like and fall over your ass because of the power that your speakers will throw to you. "Swallow The Sunis an apocalyptic song with trance like middle part that transports the listener to a grey and machinal world. "Pity The Bastard" with an impressive work from the drummer, superhuman and crushing, with all the speed. Lovers of power and aggression, this is your stuff. Favorite tracks: "Pity The Bastard", "Absolute Dunkel:Heit" and "Terrorsonic Zoidiac". Contact: www.redharvest.com or www.nocturnalart.com In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

RELENTLESS - EXPERIMENT IN EXCREMENT (Butchery Music - 2001): I remember that one of the first interviews that I did for Music Extreme was with Robban Kanto, guitarist from the band Azure. Well, I have received this tape from one of his bands called Relentless, where Robban plays bass. The tape has four tracks and the music that Relentless does is the most bestial grind/gore with extremely fast riffs, blast beats and guttural vocals. (to compare to a band, I would say that they are in the same vein as Reprobation): i liked a lot some of the more crushing riffs and some of the riffs that are in places where there is a drum break. There is also a riff in the first song "Kicked Down and Hacked up" that is an unison between guitar and bass that sounds really interesting. The sound is good, maybe the hihat is a little bit in the front in the mix, and that turns a little bit chaotic the tracks.The lyrics are a catalog of rotten bodies and vowels, with titles as "Experiment in Excrement, "Spinal Leucotomy" or "Luscious Discharge of Fetid Defecation". Contact: www.butcherymusic.dir.bg or butcherymusic@yahoo.com or www.relentless.com or relentless@swipnet.se

 

 

REPROBATION - THE COLOUR OF GORE (Forever Underground Recs. - 2001): Mini-CD from this guys dedicated to the most pure gore/grind/death. The six songs presented here are short and effective, in the vein of bands like Carcass or Incantation (mainly in the sound). A great effort from this band, which I think should use more of those crushing riffs that they use sometimes to avoid the fastest parts , making more original the compositions. I like a lot the work of Rob Whitworth and Shawn Connors on guitars with those pinch that they throw in the middle of the riffs. To remark also are the more rhythmic parts in the tracks (Mike Rees on drums). This band, with a little bit more of experimentation could be a big hit in the underground. Favorite tracks: "Butchered Souvenirs", "Sins of the Sick" and "Fuck the Rotted Meat" . Contact: www.foreverunderground.com or www.geocities.com/reprobation or Beaner666@aol.com

 

 

SEX MUSEUM - SONIC (Locomotive Music - 2000): This spanish band with eight previous recordings discos (only "Sparks" and "Sum" are still available), shows us in this work their way of doing a very psychodelic hard rock. Very interesting (it made me remind those americans Raging Slab, because of the guitar rythms ). Also, apart from the furious guitars, in this recording is remarcable de keyboard and Hammond work by Marta Ruiz, burying deep under the songs to surface in the less expected moments with that seventies sounding instrument (listen to "PVC" and see that when you expect only the bass to sound, then it appears the keyboard with its particular sound). The overall sound is good and this is due to the production of guitarist (he plays with fuzz too!!) Fernando Pardo who knew how to extract the best from each instrument to arrive to this final product. The vocals from Miguel pardo are really good knowing how to give enflexions to them to adjust to the adecuate atmosphere. Favorite tracks: "We Can Move", "I Walk Alone" and "PVC". Contact. www.locomotivemusic.com or locomotive@locomotivemusic.com In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

SHADOW - SHADOW (Century Media - 2001): Debut recording from this Japanese band dedicated to the more melodic branch of death metal (something In Flames, Dark Tranquility or Arch Enemy, bah, the Gothemburg sound). The first thing that surprised me were the guiter arrangements (really good solos too!!!) and how good the drummer, Mitsuhiro Enomoto, is. The vocals are similar to the ones of Jeff Walker in the last recordings of "Heartwork" or "Swan SongIf I had to synthesize the main features of this band in only one song, that would be the first "The Arrival at the Last Quarter", listen how good are the solos, please!!!!, what melodies, what arrangements. Tha band is really tight and you can see that in the faster parts played with total precission. "Lunar Eclipse" is the next song and it shows the same face of this band, melodies, arrangements and power everywhere. The CD was recorded in the Free People Studios from Japan and mastered in the Finnvox Studios de Helsinki (I understand why thay got this great sound). The CD also has the curiosity of preseenting one female death metal vocalist: Tokiko Shimamoto, who is specatcular all over the record with her rotten vocals. Favorite tracks: "The Arrival of the Last Quarter", "Eden", "Observes from Satelite". Contact: www.centurymedia.com.br

 

 

SIN CITY SIX - SIN CITY SIX (Locomotive Music - 2000): This a multinational punk rock band with american, spanish and english members and this is their debut CD. They have this attitude carachteristic from punk rock bands and their music as the style is simple, with a lot of hooks and rocking. The recording has been produced by Andy Shernoff, bassist from The Dictators (who has also produced a lot of bands of the style, like Ramones, D-Generation, The Barracudas or The Smithereens). The sound is good but raw, as it should be in a band of this garage rock style, nothing subtle here. Very good and funny are the songs that conform this CD: "Sin City Six", "Let it Roll" or "Black Lorraine" to name just a few of them. Contact. www.locomotivemusic.com or locomotive@locomotivemusic.com In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

SIRIUS - SPECTRAL TRANSMISION - DIMENSION SIRIUS (Nocturnal Art Prods. - 2001): I did not know this band until this record came to my hands. I don´t know if this is their first CD but what they show here is a powerful black metal, with the feature of a machine sounding drums (like Fear Factory´s Raymond Herrera) and very interesting keyboards (they are making chord progfressions most of the time, but in some points they make some phrases similar tu guitars, like the russian band Azeroth does) the lyrics are about dimensions, corridors, metamorphosis, they are quitre abstract. After the brief introduction "Spectral Transition", the CD starts with all its strength in "Spiritual Metamorphosis - destroy the earthly" and continues like that through all the recording. There are moments that are really interesting and you can see that this guys have rehearsed a lot to achiev this results. Another thing (one of the best) are the guitarists, with their short solos and melodies, creating together with the keyboards and the drums this metal monster called Sirius. Favorite tracks: "Axis", "Into Forbidden Dimensions" and "Paradox Timeline".Contact: www.neverland.un/sirius or www.nocturnalart.com In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

TIERRA SANTA - TIERRAS DE LEYENDA (Locomotive Music - 2000): With an extraordinary packagin in digipack format and with the booklet with all te lyrics and pictures, arrives from Spain this CD of the band called Tierra Santa. An introduction with classical choirs and horse riding sound called "La Tormenta" introduce the title track. Specatcular sound! Even better than in a lot of bands that are the main bands in this power/heavy metal style (I liked a lot the bass sound…like a Steve Harris but more modern). This is all thanks to this professional musicians and the technology of the Estudios Sonido XXI from Pamplona and the production from Javier and Juanan San Martín, apart from the band who also produced it. Really great work from Arturo in the guitars of the track "Sodoma y Gomorra". The lyrics are in Spanish and they make the songs sound strange and cool. Fans of power metal…buy or die!!!! Favorite tracks: "La canción del Pirata", "El secreto del Faraón" and "La Torre de Babel". Contact: . www.locomotivemusic.com o locomotive@locomotivemusic.com In Argentina: furias@ssdnet.com.ar or calling 15-5333-9432.

 

 

TRANCE TO THE SUN - ATROCIOUS VIRGIN (Precipice Recordings - 2001): Strange band coming Santa Bárbara, California. Strange sound is the one that we have here. They have a really good use of disonances (are those notes in the beginning of "Sleeping with the Natives" flat ninths?). Really good female vocals ! Very different from what one could expect…they are more whispering, more twisted. There are also a lot of electronic elements in this CD that make the result even more weird, the guitars are distortes in an industrial way and the bass has a really particular sound. I had not listened anything from this band before, but this really surprised me,. Is not a recording so easy to listen, but if you listen to it very carefully many times, you will always find different things. I liked a lot the sound of the recording, done in the Lions Den Studios and mastered in the Soundscape Studios by Robert Rich. Excelent band to sit and listen carefully trying to analize all the different aspects that make their music. Favorite tracks: "Thistle Lurid", "Map of the Lost" and "Terrible Parties". Contact: precipice@minspring.com or www.trancetothesun.com

 

 

TU CARNE - ANTOLOGIA DEL HORROR EXTREMO (Independent - 2001): As I consider myself almost an expert in serial killer, I have recognized that the intro of this CD talks about the famous seventies killer Ed Kemper, because of the part where it describes how he killed his other, cut her head, cut her vocal chords and threw them in the toilet. Interesting beginning for this CD. The music here is pure Grindcore from Spain, with a really gutural voice, interesting drumming patterns, specially in "Una vez derretida". The CD is made of this intro, eleven tracks from Tu Carne and one Terrorizer cover "Fear of the Napalm". The tracks are short and direct, and that makes this band more interesting and easy to follow than other bands. We continue with serial killers …track number four called "Violación" has the same voice speaking about the last murder done by Ted Bundy, one of the most terrible serial killers of the USA, (the one of 12 year old Kimberly leach) before starting with a hyperdistorted bass and a not so fast song, but really heavy and good track with good riffs. I think this is a good , specially in the parts of grewat riffs that are not necessarily done at a lot of speed, instead they try to make them sound heavier than hell…it is also really well recorded despite being and Independent production. Favorite tracks: "Simulando una operación" , "Odio" and "Una vez Derretida". Contact: rbrt@ono.com

 

 

UNDAGROUND DISCIPLES - UNDAGROUND DISCIPLES (Meathook Recs. - 1998): This guys are from the USA and they make a style that we could call rapcore since it is a mix of rap and hardcore. Maybe it is a matter of taste, but among the CDs from Meathook Recs. this is the one that I liked les (the rap parts, because the screaming choruses are really good). "Psychological Phenomenon" is the first song that I am talking about and it has a good guitar riff at 2:49 (in the end) that I woudl have liked to be used more. "Abduction" is a song that I like more because here the hip hop is not so in the front, is only a part of the song. In "Infiltrate" the rapped voices seem better done and together with tha main riff, ehich is really well done make this the better song from the CD for me. Favorite tracks: "Infiltrate", "Consensus" (really Biohazard style) and "Abduction". Contact : meathookrecords@mediaone.net or www.meathookrecords.com

 

VARATHRON - THE LAMENT OF GODS (Precipice Recordings - 2001): The legend of Greek balck metal is back!!!!! This is one of the bands that started the black metal scene in Greece togethere with Rotting Christ and Necromantia in the beginning of the nineties. Not like the first ones, Varathron continued to do the same style of melodic black metal that carachterized them, evolving but not changing style. This MCD (they are recording the follow up) starts with "Fire Spell/Forbidden Lust" a mid tempo track with interesting keyboard interventions and intelligent ideas. The main feature of Varathron´s music are their rhythms designed to blat your head off and their melodies that are all over the place done with guitars and keyboards. A clear example of this is "The World Through Ancient Eyes". Really good recording of this masters of darkness. I only have to add: We are awaiting for the new long duration recording. Contact: paganrec@polbox.com

VISIONARIES OF THE MACABRE - VOL.2 (Lost Disciple Recs. - 2001): This is a compilation from Lost Disciple Recs. showing black metal bands from the USA. Bands like Bloodstorm, Kult ov Azazel, Abysmal Fall, Bloodshed Divine, Noctuary or Averse Sefira have their place here together with a lot of others of the same style. Due to their power and quality I would like to pick up some of the bands, first of all Noctuary (for the reasons that I wrote in the review of their record) with "Eternity Everfading", then Kult ov Azazel that are a very interesting ban, despite the sound that the song presented her has that is worse than the one in their debut CD, also Averse Sefira with all their strength (they use an electronic drum but now they have a killer drummer), Cryptic Winds that presents us their track "Storms of the Black Millenium" with a strange black metal sound (the mix is not too good, it has too much reverb in the vocals…it seems recorded in a cave) and Corvus Coraz, with one of the best tracks (at least one of the most elaborated ones) that is "Terminus Est" with clean guitar introduction and melodies. Contact: www.lostdisciple.com or ALHuman@aol.com

 

 

 

YEARNING - FRORE MEADOWS (Holy Recs. - 2001): Yearning is a duo that has made its impact in the underground since a while, Their new recording, this"Frore Meadows" shows us a band in evolution towards melodic and experimental fields (like Tiamat did but without the electronic sounding elements) . the main feature of Yearning is the singer with a privileged voice, almost operistic in some places and really death metal in others and who gives a lot of dynamism to the songs, listen for example the song that opens the CD ("Bleak"). The acoustic guitar parts or the ones without distorsion are abundant on this CD and I think that this is what the band uses to make of their music something extremely original and unique, together with the keyboards that maybe ar mixed a little bit lower than I would like. The atmosphere of songs like "Solitary" or "Autumn" is really depressive with beautiful melodies that enhance this feeling. Favorite Tracks: "Bleak", "In Strange Slowfooted Fever" y "Elegy of Blood". Contact: holyrecords@wanadoo.fr