10$ HEAD - THE HENFORD CHAINSTORE MASSACRE (Independent , 2000)

Produced by Pete Freshney and 10$ Head

Recorded at Pulham Village Hall

Artwork by Dunn

Tracks: 1- Eat Shit and Die, 2- XXX, 3- Self Brutilation, 4- Surrogate

Looking at the coverof this CD reminded me of grind death bands of the late eighties. Specially it reminded me of Nuclear Death´s "Bride of Insect". But the similarities dissapear there: the music here is completely different. Here we have more like a straightforward death metal but with a special feature: electronic drums (and it does not play blast beats all the time). Also the guitars sound different from what they are supposed to sound in the style. In fact there are elements that would not be out of place in an industrial band. Can we call this "industrial death metal"? Who knows? The fact is that the music is fast and powerful and has many moods and atmospheres but it needs a better mix to achieve better results. Favorite tracks: "Eat Shit and Die" and "Self Brutilation".

 

ABADDON INCARNATE - NADIR (Sentinel Recs., 2001)

Produced byMieszko Talarczyk and Abaddon Incarnate

Recorded in Soundlab Studios, Sweden

Artwork by Paul Mc Carroll for Unhinged Art and Design

Tracks: 1- I Will nail you in, 2- False, 3- They use dark forces, 4- Unclean, 5- Aeons of Our Dying, 6- Throne of the whore, 7- Funeral procession, 8- Traumatic Stress Solution, 9- Hunger Allowed No Choice, 10- Transgressor, 11- Victory or Annihilation, 12- Scene of the Crime, 13- Progeny, 14- Where´s my axe?, 15- Come Onto Me, 16- She Hates With a Marble Heart, 17- Seditious Thoughts Part 1, 18- Seditious thougts Part II, 19- Judgement was Passed before, 20- Hamunaptra (City of the Dead), 21- Bonebag, 22- ....And Then The World Bleeds, 23- Pogrom, 24- Rot

Abaddon Incarnate is a grind band from Ireland. The first thing that got my attention from this CD is how good it sounds. Th sound here is crystal clear, even in the fastest parts with blast beats. The music is extremely brutal full of fast parts and great riffs like the ones in "Aeons of Our Dying" (which are the riffs that I prefer, not so fast but much heavier). The band is really tigfht and you can notice that in the blast beats parts with breaks like the ones in Throne of the Whore" where everything is completely under control, despite being fast and complicated. This is a CD for grindcore fans and also for death metal ones because it has all the features that they love. Favorite tracks: "Judgement Was Passed before", "She Hates With a Marble Heart" and "Funeral procession". Contact: www.sentinelireland.com

 

AFFLUENT OF STYX - THORON (Inner Cellar Prods., 2000)

Produced by Affluent of Styx

Recorded at Ender´s Inner Cellar

Artwork by Ender and Darx

Tracks: 1- Tue Ne le Divin Enfant, 2- Condamnation de la Trodecte, 3- Ad Usque Terras Mors, 4- Phusis, 5- Rapax Ataraxia, 6- Fardeau Miserable de la Genese Divine Fleaulienne

Here we have Affluent of Styx, a band of death/black metal extremely brutal and with some subtle elements. There are also some riffs that could be labeled as black metal, specially on the fastest parts where they are one not runs creating melodic background. I like specially riffs like the one at 2:16 in "Tue Ne le Devin Enfant" that reminded me of early Celtic Frost. There are a lot of keyboards on this recording that make the sound of the band much more interesting (and less raw). The vocals are extremely guttural and are mixed very low, so sometimes you confuse it with the music that is behind them. The best thing here are Ender´s riffs and solos which are original.The intrerludes here are really cool and melodic and give a lot of breath to the music contained on this album. Favorite tracks: "Condamnation de La Trodecte" and "Phusis". Contact: www.affluent-of-styx.com

 

ARCHETYPE - DAWNING (CDM Prods., 2002)

Produced by Ed Tomecko and Chris Matyus at Audioworks

Recorded At JGRS - Massillon, Ohio

Artwork by Chris Kallias, Chris Matyus and Tony D´Atri

Tracks: 1- Final Day, 2- Hands of Time, 3- Dawning, 4- Dissension´s Wake, 5- Inside your Dreams, 6- Premonitions, 7- Visionary, 8- Arisen, 9- The Mind´s Eye, 10- Years Ago

Archetype is one of the first bands that I interviewed for Music Extreme like one year ago or something like that. Now, I have received their latest opus, called "Dawning". Archetype´s music is what I called progressive: they have a lot of elements of heavy metal, of progressive rock and and there´s something also that reminded me of thrash classics like early Flotsam and Jetsam (certain vocals lines or crushing guitar riffs). In fact they are really eclectic and that makes tracks like "Years Ago" which is over twelve minutes, so interesting. The vocals are not what you expect of bands of the style....in fact, they are really melodic in places but they have always a lot of aggression that makes the result here really powerful. Also we have an extra point: the sound in this recording is really killer!! (also another thing that gives a lot of power to the tracks is the guitar sound which is really heavy and the way in which the drummer accentuates the riffs). A must for any metal fan. Favorite tracks: the whole CD. Contact: www.archetype1.com

Produced by Bathtub Shitter

Bathtub Shitter is a culkt band in the grindcore underground. And here they are with this offering that includes three covers: one from Holy Moses, one by Scum and another one by Extreme Noise Terror. As you may know Bathtub Shitter has no mercy for the listener and they play ultrafast and brutal grindcore. Here is no exception. Starting with the title tracks they push the accelerator and go at top speed through the whole recording. The sound is clear enough to listen to all the instruments (even if I would have mixed differently the drums which are a little bit buried in the mix, except for the cymbals). A classic band that is as brutal as always. For lovers of extreme grindcore with original ideas and some death metal touches. Favorite tracks: "New Clear War", "Wrinkly Wall", We The Helpless". Contact: www.plastic-bomb.de

Some Tracks: 1- Maschinsohn, 2- Somnambulism in Maschinenzimmer 30, 3- Mein Kuss erstickt im Imperativ, 4- Mary Samaels NFB 418, 5- Dunkle, kalte Materie, 6- Das 4. Tier Ass den Mutterwitz, 7- Roast, Wahne tote Gleise, 8- Tod einer Dieselkatze, 9- Aus dunkler Ritze fruchtig Wahn + A LOT OF BONUS TRACKS !!

This is a masterpiece !!This is an amazing CD ! !In fact this is a double CD !! The first one, called "Das Grauen" has 18 tracks (one of them that is thirteen minutes long is hidden and you have to wait until the cd counter goes to track number 66)!!! How can I describe this jewel? Well, first of all this is extremely climatic, combining the most beautiful and melodic moments with extremely heavy parts full of crushing riffs. The tracks here have complexity and are made in a way that they are interconnected between them. There are plenty of spoken partd, because this was conceived to be a theatrical piece. There are choruses that are greatly harmonized in a way similar to gregorian chant. Also...do you want some electronics? Well here you have them in some tracks. DO you want slower tracks? You have them. Do you want fdaster ones? Here they are. Do you love atmospheric parts? Here you will be delighted !! Are you a lover of keyboards and piano? Here you have plenty of them, including intros, solo passages and more. The second CD called "Der Dorsch" is more orchestral and it is like a movie soundtrack with all the elements described above and many more. THE CD of the MONTH!!!!!!!! Favorite tracks: The whole CD. This is the record of the month an probably of the year. Contact: www.redstream.org or www.alexanderwelt.org

Produced by Biotech

The music of this CD goes in the way of bands like Sepultura and Fear Factory with some riffs that are different from those bands (they are quite more twisted and have many breaks through the same song). This recording has a really good sound and that makes the music to be more appreciated. The vocals are quite similar to the ones of Machine Head´s Rob Flynn: there are interesting things that I would like the band to explore more: like the solo at 2:30 of "My Last Days" which makes a great contrast with the rest of the music. I would like to listen a full length of this guys or to listen what are doing nowadays, A REALLY POWERFUL BAND !!! Favorite tracks: "S.K. 99" and "Wile". Contact: www.youngmusic.com

Produced by Black Mass

Mayhemic death/Black metal !!! This is what we have here: this is a combination of the most brutal death metal vocals with violent black metal riffs and the brutality of death metal patterns in the drums (that get into blast beats in a lot of places). The guitars sound like a wall of sound, with great riffs that are very rhythmic in a lot of parts. There are some short guitar solos that are really well placed and give the melodic element to the tracks contained here. The vocals are really guttural and fit the brutality contained on this recording perfectly. Lovers of death / black metal will fell in love with this band !! Favorite tracks: "Scource of Hell", "Weltering in Sin" and "Kill Them in Hell". Contact: www.usblackmass.com

 

BLASTMAT - THEME FOR A DYING WORLD (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Blastmat

Take a little bit of hard rock, add some metal then add a lot of hardcore and punk and then you´ll have a close idea of how does Blastmat´s music sound. I enjoyed a lot the tracks contained here because of the choruses that the tracks have and I liked the simple and effective riffs (really hardcore) that Andy Reitano makes with his guitar. Here you will have from catchy songs to some that are much faster (like "Lives for Lies") and everything in between. The main thing here are the rhythms which are designed to make the people jump and to sing along with the band. The sound is a little bit muddy but this guys can solve that in the future adding more time to the mix. A good one for lovers of hardcore and similar styles!! Favorite tracks: "Lives for lies", "Taliban Fight Song" and "Jesus Saves". Contact: http://members.aol.com/blastmatcthc

Produced by Bolt Thrower and Ewan Davies

This is Bolt Thrower previous album, but I have to review it because it is the end of the chapter with Karl Willets on vocals (now the vocalist is the ex Benediction vocalist Dave Ingram). The music is really potent as always, slower than on their first albums and more focused in death metal with crushing riffs and a lot of rhythm changes. The sound is good here, but I have to admit that I would like them to mix in a different way the snare drum, like louder. On this release they are using more bottom end (Jo Bench is crushing as always on the bass) than in for example "For Victory...". there are some riffs that are more original than others like the ones you can listen on songs like "Mercenary" and I think the band is getting better with time doing this type of music. Favorite tracks: "Laid To Waste", "To the Last..." and " "Behind Enemy Lines". Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

Produced by Bolt thrower and Andy Faulkner

This is Bolt Thrower´s latest opus and it marks a new step the band´s career. In fat is the first record with Dave Ingram on vocals. And the music is crushing as always, but Dave gives the final touch sounding more powerful than his predecessor Karl Willets. One thing that I liked here a lot is the drumming, is like more spatiated on tracks like the opening "Contact - Wait Out" relying heavily on the double bass and the ride cymbal. As always the tandem conformed by Jo bench on bass and Gavin Ward and Martin Kearns on guitars is demolishing and are the ones that create the main structure of the tracks here. War metal at its best !!! Favorite tracks: The whole album. Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

 

CALMSITE - 99 MOONSHINE (Independent, 2000)

Tracks: 1- Streaper, 2- Sapath, 3- Helwizz, 4- Hate Red

Pure death metal but with heavy metal like riffs (including some galloping with the guitars and bass). In fact the thing here is about pure power. You won ´t find tsubtle things like keyboards or female vocals. Here you will find a powerful band playing crushing riffs and a guttural vocalist that fits the music perfectly. I like the guitar riffs that are played with a bigger than hell sound that makes the music sound closer to Bolt Thrower than to Iron Maiden. The CD includes also a multimedia bonus track with pics of the band and many more things. Favorite tracks: "Helwizz" and "Hate Red".Contact: http://listen.to/calmsite

 

CHAOSPHERE - COSMIC WARHEAD (Independent, 2001)

Recorded Oct 2000 - Jan 2001

Tracks: 1- Payback, 2- State of Terror, 3- Personal God, 4- 72, 5- Djihad

How can I define the music of this band? Well, I think the better way is to define it like a cross between heavy, power and thrash metal, being the first two influences the clearer ones. There are riffs that could be from a thrash metal band of the eighties, and some clean guitar intros like the one in "State of Terror" that are really good. The sound of this recording is not so good (the vocals are mixed really high and the guitars are buried in the mix). The vocalist sound like some vocalist that used to thing thrash metal in the mid eighties (it reminded me of the guy in Raven in the fastests tracks). This guys can do it better with more time to mix and maybe adding some more original ideas.Favorite tracks: "Personal God" and "State of Terror". Contact: www.chaosphere-area.com

 

CHAOTIC HOPE - LUNAR WINDS (Independent , 2001)

Produced by Chaotic Hope

Recorded in November 2000

Artwork by Darkteth

Tracks: 1- I, The Wanderer, 2- Oceanus, 3- Beyond the Gloomy Summits of Oblivion, 4- Black Wings

"I, The Wanderer" opens this CD in a majestic form, full of mysticism before getting in the hyper fast black metal of "Oceanus". The band makes a good balance between raw black metal and more elaborated one: there are parts full of speed and there are parts really subtle like the unison between guitars and keyboards on "Oceanus". There is plenty of speed here and a lot of dark atmospheres (mainly due to the heavy use of keyboards chord progressions to embellish the tracks). The band is really tight and I think they should achieve a better guitar sound to make this a black metal classic. Favorite tracks: "Beyond the Gloomy Summits of Oblivion" and "Black Wings".

 

CINERARY - RITUALS OF DESECRATION (Deepsend Recs., 2001)

Produced by Cinerary and Tom Jingles

Recorded at Moon Studio, Arroyo Grande, Ca

Artwork by Matt Richards

Tracks: 1- Undying, 2- Inheriting the Deified, 3- Recapitated, 4- Rituals of Desecration, 5- Hung by Intestines, 6- God of Cremation

Cinerary has absolutely no mercy for the listener !!! They start at full speed with their extremely ultrabrutal death/grind. The blast beats are all over the place and they are enhanced by a great sound. In fact the sound that this recording has helps a lot to make the tracks much more brutal because the instruments don´t get lost in the mix. From the start with an extremelty fast blast beat in "Undying" up to the end of "God of Cremation", the last track, the band crushes you with their speed and their powerful riffs. There are two types of voclas here: one more guttural, more typical from death metal and a screaming one that is used in grindcore and here in the fastest parts. There are also some slower moments which are really dense and whose rhythm then gets into a fast blast beat!!!!!! If you want to be crushed musically then Cinerary is a great choice !!!! Favorite tracks: "Inheriting the Deified", "Recapitated" and "Hung by Intestines". Contact: www.deepsendrecords.com

 

CORONA BOREALIS - CORONA BOREALIS (Well of Urd / Hammerheart Recs., 2000)

Produced by Kristian and Pytten

Recorded at Grieghallen Studios, Bergen

Artwork by Eirik Vie

Tracks: 1- Cantus Paganus, 2- Tourdion, 3- Bordeaux, 4- Rencontre a St. Chartier, 5- Morning Song, 6- Molendinar, 7- Tristans Lament, 8- La Rotta, 9- Non Puesc Sofrir Qua La Dolor, 10- Ouvrez Moi la Porte, 11- Chaconetta tedesca, 12- The Pretty Harvestress, 13- Bay of Douarnenez, 14- Stella Splendens, 15- Tir Na N´Og, 16- Bjørgvindans

I must admit that I love the type of music that Corona Borealis does. That melodic spirit that flows through all their songs is really a way to take you to a land of dreams. In fact you can imagine the woods and the wilderness while listening to their music. Another thing that I like here is that all the tracks are quite different one from each other. Listen to "Tourdion" with that beautiful combination of guitars and flutes and see how subtle and elegant Corona Borealis can be. Also, here Ronny, Kristian and the multiple guest musicians play only instruments that can be found on celtic and european ancient cultures giving that extra flavour of being listening something that is ancient and at the same time new. I would like to listen their new album when they release it. Favorite tracks: The whole album. Contact: www.hammerheartamerica.com

Produced by Cruel Humanity

Produced by

An interesting bass intro opens this CD, then the bass pattern is joined by the guitars that are very well harmonized. In the end of this intro the drums enter, making a small demonstration of Davidian´s music before getting into "the Face You´ll never seen again". The two first bands that come to my mind while listening to this CD are: Kreator, because of the vocals and certain guitar riffs, and Coroner, because of certain guitar dissonances and clean intros. There are influences of thrash and some of hardcore (check for example "Crescent Nation" with multiple breaks and changes). Davidian has two very good guitarists whom I would like to listen more (and with a better mix), in the person of Alex and Micha. Their short solos and melodies give a lot of atmosphere to Davidian´s music. For fans of aggressive metal. Favorite tracks: "Burning Witches" and "Torture". Contact: www.davidian-metal.de

Produced by Sotiris Noukas

Recorded at Underground Studios, Thessaloniki, Greece

Artwork by "La Morte" Jean Delville

Tracks: 1- Death To Death, 2- Skinned Alive, 3- Into the Formalin, 4- Evil Under Cassock, 5- Serial Killer, 6- Under The Leadeership of a Liar God

Ultra blasting death/grind is what Death Device plays. From the first seconds of "Death to Death" you have crushing guitars along with blast beats and an extremely guttural vocals (they are similar to Chris Barnes ones in Cannibal Corpse´s "Eaten Back To life") I like a lot when the band changes rhythms and make rhythms that are more twisted like the ones at 0:53 of "Death to Death" or the beginning of "Dkinned Alive". The recording has a really good sound, specially on the guitars that make a huge wall of sound grinding your brain!!! Check this band to see how well they can crush you with their music ! Favorite tracks: "Evil Under Cassock", " Serial Killer" and "Death To Death".

 

DEEDS OF FLESH - MARK OF THE LEGION (Unique Leader Recs., 2002)

Produced by Deeds of Flesh

Recorded at Moon Productions, Arroyo Grande, CA

Artwork by Zig

Tracks: 1- Cleansed by Fire, 2- An Eternity of Feasting and Brawling, 3- Mark of the Legion, 4- Spewing Profligacy, 5- Fulfilled in Warfare, 6- Contest of Wills , 7- Master of Murder, 8- Ideal Genocide, 6- Drink the Blood

One of the most brutal US death metal bands is back. Yes, Deeds of Flesh comes back from hell to crush us with their amazingly brutal death metal. The music here is fast, but I think that this band designs all their tracks in order to crush and disembowel you even in the slower parts. In fact I think that the better riffs are the ones like the one in "An Eternity of Feasting and Brawling at 2:26....amazingly crushing and followed then by some riff with pinch harmonics that nearly decapitates the listener with their power. The sound here is amazingly good and that adds a lot to the final result. Specially I would like to remark how well mixed are the drums and fundamentally the ride cymbal and the double bass which are fundamental for Deeds of Flesh´s music. Along with the Cinerary one this is the most brutal album of the month !!! Favorite tracks: "Contest of Wills", "Fulfilled in Warfare" and "Ideal Genocide". Contact: www.uniqueleader.com

 

DEFEATED SANITY - PROMO 2000 (Independent, 2000)

Produced by Defeated Sanity

Mastered by Tino Köhler

Tracks: 1- the Parasite, 2- Forensic Entomology, 3- Horrid Decomposition, 4- Expectoration of Fear, 5- Retreat of the Conquered

A fast drum fill starts this album in a crushing way. Then the band enters and their extremely mayhemic death metal fills the air. The music is extremely fast with a lot of blast beats. I think that what gives this band their super strength is the combination between the guitar sound (extremely low end and very tight with the bass ) and the crushing drummer. The vocals are extremely guttural and fit the music really good. The sound is a little bit muddy and maybe mixing the instruments more clearly will make the resulkts more effective for this band. Lovers of the style will sure find a good option in Defeated Sanity. Favorite tracks: "Horrid Decomposition", "Retreat of the Conquered". Contact: Tino Köhler - Römhilder Str. 201 (98646) Gleichamberg

Produced by Deicide

Deicide is back!! Yes, they are back doing what they best know and that is their death metal with their full-of-hate lyrics and with those brutal vocals (as always Glen Benton is doing his guttural shouts ). There are some riffs here that can be considered new for Deicide, for example the first one in "Standing In the Flames" (before they enter on the high speed mode and in some breaks that they use in the middle). Demolition man Steve Asheim is in great shape as always, going from fast parts to slow and back without any problems. I think that maube the band should explore riffs like the ones in the beginning of "Remnant of Hopeless Path" or maybe the ones in the beginning of "Worst Enemy" to give more variation to their music. Favorite tracks: "Forever Hate You", "Remnant of a Hopeless Path" and "Suffer Again". Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

Recorded at Lakiz Studios

Recorded by Disagio 2000-2001

Majestic keyboards open this CD in the intro called "Escape". Then the band starts smashing your head with their dark metal. In fact the thing that I think is a main feature of Disagio´s music is their ability of putting sad melodies with their distorted guitars and with the clean ones too. This melodies are combined with interesting keyboard touches that make Disagio´s music unique. The only low point is the sound which is a little bit primitive for this kind of music (specially the drums and guitars which sound muddy). Interesting changes and different parts on each track make the music really interesting. A good ste for this band. Favorite tracks: "Come Back", "Windpipe" and "Friend of your enemies". Contact: www.geocities.com/disagio-metal

Produced by Hans Pieters, Dennis Liedelmeyer and Disavowed

Extremely brutal death metal !! Unique Leader is a label that is releasing the most brutal bands on Earth, like this one and Deeds of Flesh. This guys come from Holland directly to your stereo to crush your brain and squash it into pieces with their grinding riffs. Here the blast beats are used a lot in a way that will leave you in the floor begging for mercy!!. Favorite tracks: "Reason Rejected", "Condensed Conditions" and " Generative Patterns". Contact: www.uniqueleader.com

Produced by Dismal & Gernot Huber

Tracks: 1- Dreamin, 2- Stigmatize, 3- I, 4- No Man´s Land, 5- Tale of Tomorrow, 6- Streets of Bucharest, 7- Inner Self, 8- Confused

Produced by Eric Peterson

For thos who doesn´t know this is Eric Peterson´s (Testament ) black metal side project. And I have to say that he has been very succesful with this style of music. This is black metal in the vein of Dimmu Borgir with a lot of keyboards and interesting ideas. And above all it has an amazing sound, specially on the guitars and drums (that in many black metal albums fail miserably to achieve a great result). There are also a lot of thrashy rhythms that wouldn´t be out of place in Testament. Peterson does all the vocals here in a great black metal fashion, and he has great mucisians like Steve Di Giorgio, Jon Allen and Steve Smyth from Sadus to make the results crushing. A great side project from Testament´s mastermind. Favorite tracks: "Tradition and Fire", "Judgement Failed" and "Spirits in the Mist". Contact: www.enterthedragonlord.com or www.spitfirerecords.com

Mixed and Mastered at Doghouse Audio Laboratory by Babdog Catlin

A great electronic release from this experimental band!! I like people who are not afraid of experimenting and this is obviously the case here. This guys love experimentation! The feeling that I got when I first listened this CD was similar to the one I got when I first listened Tangerine Dream´s "Electronic Meditation" some years ago! Full of keyboards and synthesizers and there is James H. Sidlo oplaying a guitar with a distorted and processed sound that makes the music sound more complete and improvisational. In fact I think he is playing a lot of lines, some of them in a very dissonant fashion in order to break some structures and to make a big contrast with the keyboards that are doing some melodies and chord progressions here and there. Also there are some sound effects and native American flutes that make the music really eerie and that will surprise everybody. Excellent CD, really challenging !! Favorite tracks: The whole album: Contact: www.unclebuzz.com

Produced by Embryo

This is brutality and melody in the exact proportion to do an excellent album. In fact this is a MCD whose main charachteristic are the riffs that Embryo´s guitarists play with a lot of musicianship. One important thing here are the keyboards which are fundamental to give to the tracks the atmosphere that they nedd. And they add a lot of originality too. The voclas are in the vein of Kreator´s Mille Petrozza but more distorted. I really liked this band and recommend itto open minded death metal fans. Favorite tracks: "The Butcher´s Lullabye", "Choice of Pain" and "Drowning in Blood" Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

Recorded at Roaside Studios

Produced by Esqarial

Extremely technical death metal. I must admit that this is one of the styles that I like most. And Esqarial is a great exponent of this kind of music. Using riffs that need to have a lot of knowledge of the instruiments to be played correctly. And this music needs a lot of rehearsal to make the band sound really tight. And Esqarial is really tight, going from extremely melodic parts to parts that are technically complex and then going to a crushing and more simple rhythm structure. All within the same song. In fact I think that the award to best musicians of the year go this guys with no doubt and specially to the guitarists which are responsible of the excellent riffs and the killer solos that are on this recording. There is also a multimedia part on this CD: an excellent one. This is one of the CDs of the month. Favorite tracks: The whole album is amazing. Contact: www.empire-records.com.pl

Produced by Finidi and Aki Peltonen

Furious death metal with killer riffs and vocals that reminded me in some places to early Enslaved material (despite the completely different music that they play). This is what I call death/thrash metal because of the influence that both of this genres have in Finidi´s musc (cool solos nad guitar riffs come directly from mid eighties thrash but with a modern sound an ellaborated in such a way that fit perfectly Finidi´s style....the guitarist is killer). There are multiple changes within the same song structure giving a lot of diversity within the same track. A great effort of this finnish band. Favorite tracks: "Screams of Wrath" and "Things that Exist". Contact: www.geocities.com/finidi_11/website.html

Produced by Gholes

Produced by Ghouls

Himinbjorg is a killer band that is always on the edge between black and death metal with incredible song structures and amazing melodies (I love the way one of the guitarist plays them while the other makes this heavy riffs that are the core of the tracks contaied here). And here lies the main element in Himinbjorg´s music: they are not doing hyper speed and furious riffs all the time....they prefer diversity adding slow riffs in a lot of parts and some clean vocals followed by some melodies. Then they change to faster rifffs and more brutal vocals. But they are not afraid of using this diverse styles. And this is one of the main points here: Diversity (checkas an exmple the track "War" and listen the way they combine from screaming vocals to vocal harmonies in a few seconds). There are a lot of clean guitars here and there (like on "The Haunted Shores") that embellish the songs. If you want great metal with a lot of ideas then check Himinbjorg. One of the best CDs of the month. Favorite tracks: The whole CD. Contact: www.redstream.org

Produced by Homicide Hagridden

This is a band from Torino, Italy with a lot of ideas. I would call their music style as progressive death thrash metal. Progressive because of all the changes and original parts that the music contained here have. Death because of the vocals that are in the vein of later Carcass or Kreator and some Destruction. Thrash because of certain riffs and drums patterns and because of the sound, that specially on the bass sound really thrashy. There are four powerful tracks here and the rhythmic riffs played with a lot of power and strength are the main thing here. The sound of the recording is really good and it is original because they are not trying to sound like the most famous bands out there. And the clarity of the mix helps a lot to communicate what the band is trying to show. I would like to listen more from this band , maybe a full length release soon!! Favorite tracks: " Arena´s Sky" and "Constriction". Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

Produced by Honey Barbara

Honey Barabara makes really atmospoheric music, where the emphasis is on the climatic passages and in the arrangements. The band is a trio in which each musician plays a variety of instruments. In fact the main thing here are the keyboards and the atmospheric. Also, there are a lot of processed guitars that make the tracks more weird. The vocals are almost whispering and they are sometimes melodic, but not in the typical way...their melodies are twisted and make the songs even more weird than before adding them. I like experimentation and here you have a lot in the keyboards, in the guitars and on percussion. Each track here is a world on its own and all of them are completely different one from each other. If you have an open mind, this is for you. Favorite tracks: " Ambus Chorus", "Beddie Bye" and " Eye on You". Contact: www.emigre.com

Produced by Inkblack

Produced by Akhenaten

Judas Iscariot has become a legend in the underground in this years. The main man here is called Akhenaten and he is risponsible for all the music contained here and all the lyrics, helped only by session drummer called Cryptic Winter. Speaking about the music, the one contained here is pure raw black metal full of hate and anger. With hyper speed blast beats and trollish vocals, in the vein of bands like Ezurate. One thing that I would like Akhenaten to do is to mix the guitars a little bit louder and maybe the drums too (not the cymbals which are clearer enough). There are super fast runs with the guitars and some riffs that are more catchy and rhythmic but the main thing here is hate and speed. Even if there are slower tracks where i think the best of Judas Iscariot lies. Lovers of the style will be pleased with this release from this cult project/ band. And maybe with a better sound Judas Iscariot´s music will be more appreciated. Favorite tracks: "Bathed in Clouds of Blood", " Spectral Dance of the Macabre" (with a really catchy guitar riff!!!) and " In the Valley of Death, I am their King". Contact: www.redstream.org

Produced by Kol Marshall, King Diamond and Andy La Rocque

 The voice of O´Brian of the Black horsemen along with a keyboard intro starts this new King Diamond CD. The story goes along the path started by the first "Abigail" album, lyrically and also musically. I like the way King Diamond does his music with all the guitar riffs and solos. It is true that all his latest albums have been really similar but it is his own style. My favourite musician here is Andy La Rocque who is a really versatile guitarist and is the one who put the flesh in King Diamond´s song (as Hank Sherman is the one who does it in Mercyful Fate). There are not many nrew elements here. The sound is much better than on the first part (there are 14 years between one part and the other). Fans of the King will be delighted. Favorite tracks: "Mansion in Sorrow", "Little One" and " More Than Pain". Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

Produced by Johnny K.

Machine Head is Back! Blasting with their cutting riffs and their thunderous drum beats here is one of America´s most powerful bands. Starting with a noisy intro followed by a great drums opening before the band enters with their ultra heavy and modern brand of metal. The sound on this release has made a big progress from the one in "the Burning Red" their previous albums and also Rob Flynn and company have made an effort on doing better tracks here. As powerful as always this is Machine Head´s fourth album and is one of the heaviest up to date. The great combination of crushing riffs, screams and singing vocals is omniprescent on this release as on their previous ones. If you like modern metal you should check this CD. Favorite tracks: "Crashing Around You", "American High" and " Deafening Silence". Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

Produced by Robles Dresch

How brutal can a band be? I think that not much more than Mental Horror with his extreme death metal. The core of Mental Horror´s sound is the crushing wall of sound that their guitars are, the guttural vocals that are all over their tracks and the blast beats and extremely fast drum patterns that the drummer plays through all the compositions. Death metal in its purest form. This is how I would describe Mental Horror´s music. This band has no mercy and there are only a few moments where they slow down (like in "Anguish Seas, a short interlude). I would like the band to make a clearer mix, specially on the guitars that sound a little bit opaque. There are some maniac guitar solos that add more twisted feelings to the music contained on this CD. Here you have brutality in its highest level. Favorite tracks: "Flagellum Forms", "Genocidal Inquisition" and "Profane Spawn". Contact: www.necropolisrecords.com

Produced by Mike Galiatsos and Lukas Bergis

The opening of this CD really fooled me,. It starts with a riff in the vein of some power metal bands, but after some seconds it turns to death metal !! And it sounds really good. I mean the blend of this type of riffs and the more brutal vocals typical in death metal is a good combination !! But this guys through some other interesting things too. For example some super fast riffs like on "Veil of Darkness!", and some riffs that are quite more complex and give a different feeling to the tracks. I think Midnight Scream´s music has a lot of atmosphere because of the way the guitarist interacts (as an example listen to the change in "Veil of Darkness" at 2:02. This MCD contains four tracks from a promisory brutal band. Favorite tracks. The four songs contained here. Contact: http://welcome.to/midnightscream

Produced by Necroflesh

Produced by Necrophilism

Necrophilism inmerse the listener in their brutal world of death/grind metal going for the most extreme side of music. Speed? You have it here in a lot of parts. Technique? Well, this guys can play from the fastest riff to the more rhythmic ones perfectly and without difficulties (they reminded me of bands like Myopia because of this changes combined with the guttural vocals). The overall sound in this recording is fairly good. Maybe they could have made sound better the drums (the guitars are killer) and that would have gave extra points to the recording. This CD and the band are brutality guaranteed for the listener. Favorite tracks: "The Ancient Cemetary" and "Flesh Feast" Contact: http://necrophilism.cjb.net or www.kickagency.3000.it

Produced by Needlerust

An amazing CD !!! This guys have a ll the elements to become a real success in the underground metal scene. And they have the main thing: ORIGINAL IDEAS. In fatc what I liked most of this band is the way in which they combine a lot of elements to obtain a type of death metal that is extremely original. From the technical guitar parts (which emphasize melodies and dark phrases) to the keyboards that are all over the songs here adding harmony to brutality and subtle elments to powerful music. Also the drummer is killer and knows how to accentuate the riffs in order to make the music here much more interesting. This band is going to become one of my favorites if I listen more from them. Favorite tracks: the whole CD. Contact: http://www.metalprovider.com/needlerust

Produced by Overblood

A brutal band from Italy playing what I would call modern death/thrash. I call this music in that way because it has elements from all this styles. They have vocals that could be from a death metal band and fast riffs that could be from that style too, then they have some drum patterns and guitar riffs that remind of eighties thrash metal bands. And they also have influences from modern metal bands like Fear Factory, Sepultura and others. The combination of influences gives a great result in this CD and the vocals which are not very guttural and not too clean either gives an original identity to Overblood´s music. There are also slower tracks like "Children Market" (that gets fast after a while). Check this release from this powerful band. Favorite tracks: "Mister Crime", "Mortal Love" and "Refuse It All". Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

Mastered by Paul Miner

This is a deceiving CD. It starts with an acoustic intro with some clean vocals singing along theguityar and immediately it gets into hyper fast death/Grind with the track called "Death Threat". The first thing that got my attention was the excellent sound quality that this recording has, even better than many of the top bands in the style. Then another thing that hit me was the great riffs that this guys made. In fact they are not going at top speed all the time prefering to do more interesting rhythm changes and emphasizing the heavier than hell rhythms. This riffs that are slower than the grinding blast beat parts are extremely well supported by drummer Matt Mills who is really killer along the whole recording. Heavier than hell. Favorite tracks: "You Suffer", "Poison my Mind" and "Rid Self Condemnation". Contact: www.necropolisrecords.com

Produced by Gary meskill and Eric Klinger

Pro-pain is back. As always with the leadership of ex Crumbsucker Gary Meskill on bass and vocals. This time they have returned to some heavier parts that were present on the "Foul Taste of Freedom" album with a total predominance of hardcore riffs. The guitar sounds really raw and it helps to make the tracks more direct like a kick in your head. The songs here are short and very powerful with some really cool riffs like the ones in the bridge of "Gone Fishing". The mix is really loud and you can appreciate both guitars and the bass perfectly. Also the vocals are really up in the mix which is really great to enhance the results. It is great to see bands like Pro-Pain that become better with time. Favorite tracks: "Lock´n´load", "No Way Out" and "Kill or be killed".Contact: www.spitfirerecords.com

Produced by Pascal Geronimi and Drop

The perfect combination between heavy riffs, excellent keyboards, great drums patterns and an original voice. That is what Rain music is about.S pecially I liked a lot the way in ehich the keyboas are present through the whole recoring contrasting with the heavier riffs and complementing the more elaborated ones. "The Four Messengof Neptune" start this CD in an excellent way and this guys teach you how to make tracks that are really heavy and at the same time extremely original and extremely melodic. The band Has riffs that are extremely heavy and they put it together with really mechanical drums (that sound in the vein of Fear Factory but better) and vocals that are death metal in places but really versatile in others. One of the albums of the month. Favorite tracks: "Starclouds and Cosmic Seas", "The Cyclic Flood" and "Meteor Rain" Contact: www.adipocere.fr or www.frozenrain.ch

Produced by Jacob Hellner and Rammstein

"Sehnsucht" was a great album, and "Mutter is its successor and is great too !! The music cis very similar to the one contained on "Sehnsucht: with that heavy riffs and that industrial feeling and with all the keyboards used in such a special way. Perhaps "Mutter!" is a little bit more difficult to listen because the tracks are not so accesible. The oppressive feeling that Rammstein creates in their recordings is present here too !! One thing to remark is the great sound that this album has (even if "Sehnsucht" had a great sound too). Favorite tracks: "Mein Herz Brennt", "Ich Will" and "Rein Raus". Contact: www.rammstein.de

Produced by Skywise and Daredevil Recs

Stoner rock!!!! Yes, here we have that psychodelic style of hard rock in its purest form. The riffs are catchy and witha lot of hooks and they are hypnotic at the same time. In fact the music here is pure rock and roll with a lot of seventies feeling on it (even in the sound, that is really muddy as it was in that time). There are certain influences of bands like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age but Skywise has its own identity and in the future I think this guys will have a great sound as they deserve (even if it does not sound so stoner to have a great sound). Fans of stoner rock check this one !!!! Favorite tracks: "Mountains of the moon", "My Rotten Kingdom" and "Earth 2012" Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

Produced by Guy Segers and Alan Wards for Carbon 7.

An interesting album with a mix of jazz, blues and rock with great arrangements and very interesting vocals. In fact, I think that this trio has a lot of ideas going on in their minds. I love the way the bass lines are quite different from what one could expect: In fact they are more rocking instead of doing typical walking bass arrangements. There is a certain feeling of progressive rock in tracks like "Yukun Slang" that combined with some hip hop drumming and the trumpet playing jazz phrases give an extremely original track. I like the way the album is mixed too because you can listen that is a trio but the instruments and vocals sound really huge without letting some holes in the sound appear as it happens with other trios. My favorite point here is the way the bass sound is distorted and the way this guy plays his instrument. Those lovers of original music, here you have Slang. Favorite tracks: "Sugar", "Bazaar" and "Own Wings". Contact: www.carbon7.com

Produced by Ross Robinson and Slipknot

Here is Slipknot´s latest offering, starting with "People Shit" one of their most extreme songs up to date even with some blast beats in the beginning. I still donm´t know how this guys are so popular, because their sound is not what you would call "easy listening". Well, I think they deserve their success, because they are a great band. And they show how great they are on this new rtecording with a much better sound than their previous one (courtesy of Mr. Ross Robinson). The tracks here have that HUUUUUUGEEE guitar sound that has made Slipknot so famous and those drumming and percussion patterns that crush your mind with their insanity. I think this is one of the releases of year 2001. Favorite tracks: "My Plague", "The Heretic Anthem" and "Left Behind". Contact: www.roadrunnerrecords.com

Recorded at Audiolandia Studios

Here we have this band coming directly from Italy (and their songs are in Italian language). Their music is modern heavy metal with a great guitar sound (maybe a little bit low in the mix) and good riffs (most of them in a rhythmic way that make th songs conceived to jump in a moshpit). One of the things that I liked most were the guitar solos that maybe in today´s music are a little bit forgotten, but not for S.R.L. It is good to listen a bass with a sound so clean contrasting with the guitars. As I said the one thing that I would do is mix a little bit louder the rhythmic guitar to make the result more direct. A good release from this band. Favorite tracks: "La Fine di un sogno", "Requiescat In Pace" and "A Lex". Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it

Produced by Brendan O´Brien

Produced by Stormblade

 TAIPAN - 11 MUST DIE (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Taipan

Mastered by Tom Gilles at Surgical Sound

Here we have a good band of melodic punk rock. They have excellent songs, much better than in many bands that are a big success. I think that Taking Back Sunday deserves to be one of the most recognized names in the punk scene. This album called "Tell all your friends" is full of melodic choruses and interesting vocals interactaction like for example in the song "Cute without the "E" (Cut from the Team)" which is a great example of what this guys can do. The guitars are powerful and add a lot of strength to the songs. But the main thing here kis how well constructed the songs are and how good are the vocals (which have a lot of pop/rock sensibility). If you love this style I would totally recommend you this band !! Favorite tracks: "Great Romances of the 20^th Century", "Bike Scene" and "the Blue Channel". Contact: www.victoryrecords.com

Produced by The Soil Bleeds Black

 THY DISEASE - ART OF DECADENCE (Independent, 2001)

Produced by Dario and Jarek Baran

Produced by Valgrind

There are certain recordings where I definitely like the music a lot but the sound is not so good and that smooths a little bit my enthuisiasm. This is the case with this Valgrind release. And the problem is in one fundamentral thing: the guitars. The music goes in the path of brutal death metal with good guitar riffs and killer drumming. The vocals are guttural as the style demand and there are interesting harmonized guitar solos. In fact it is strange that the solos are really clear in the mix and the rhythms sound more opaque. I think the result can be more crushing with a better mix. And experience shows you the way to do it better. I think this guys have the potential to do it. Favorite tracks: "Author of Your Pain", "Prepotence" and "When Mortal Skin Ends to Be". Contact: www.kickagency.3000.it