12 DAYS OF ANARCHY - MORE UNDERGROUND THAN THE INTERNET (Independent, 2001)

Produced By: William Paiffer

Tracks: 1- Wouned Needs, 2- Bomber Command, 3- Necrobutcher, 4- Clinton Youth, 5- Friends Kill, 6- Theme Song, 7- Get a live, 8- Women is Fucking Evil, 9- Dead and Crusty

Cover Art by 12 Days of Anarchy

 Recorded at River City Sound

This is Pure extreme death metal with original riffs that are not typical in the genre and a powerful sound (even if it is extremely raw). This guys deliver nine tracks full of interesting changes and arrangements and with vocals reminiscent of Necroticism-era Carrcass. The guitars sound really fat and they are really low tuned adding heaviness to each of the riffs. The rhythms go from fast to slow and then back giving a lot of variation to each composition. I liked a lot the drummer who does simple arrangements leaving a lot of space to the guitarists to develope their ideas, riffs and melodies. There are many instrumental passages here full of heaviness and extreme guitars. The raw sound gives a more extreme feeling to the recording and this band delivers with a lot of confidence their music. Lovers of death metal with not typical arrangments and originality should check this one. 

Favorite tracks: "Wouned Needs", "Bomber Command" and "Get a Live"

Contact: corpsedisposalunit@hotmail.com

12 DAYS OF ANARCHY - SHALLOW GRAVE II 6.66 MILES EP (Independent, 2000)

Produced By: 12 Days of Anarchy

Tracks: This are all tracks of pure brutal holocaust

Cover Art by 12 Days of Anarchy

Here we have a previous recording by the guys in 12 days of anarchy. And here you can listen the evolution that this band had from this recording to the "More underground..." album. This album is more primitive in sound but the extreme death metal spirit of the music is here with a certain dose of grindcore in some places. The guitars were already sounding really fat and interacting with the bass guitar, specially in the fastest parts. There are many parts that are slower and some of them have keyboards that add a different feeling to the music. This band also uses clean guitars in some palces to add an obscure feeling to their music. This is original death metal from a really extreme band ! 

Contact: corpsedisposalunit@hotmail.com

137 - PRODUCT OF THE ENVIRONMENT (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: 137

Tracks: 1- Slug, 2-13 Shades of Black, 3-Parting Sabbath, 4- Savior, 5- One Too Many

 Recorded at

This is a trio with great rhythmic guitar riffs and an intense rhythm section that delivers rhythmic death metal (I am telling that the style is death emtal because of the extreme guttural vocals but the band goes beyoind the style. Here we have a band that is pure power and aggression and that leaves a lot of spaces where the guitar can enter with its heavy riffs (the guitars have a huge sound that gives a lot of heaviness to the music). The tracks are original and the sound while raw is powerful and gives a more direct, in-your-face sound to 137. There is some seventies influence in teh riffing and that is really good because it adds a lot of hooks to the music, and this riffs are combined with more modern ones to create 137´s sound. A really good effort !!!

Favorite tracks: "13 Shades of Black" , "Slug" and "Savior"

Contact: www.onethirtyseven.net

IV LUNA - LIBERA MENTE (Independent, 2000)

Produced By: IV Luna

Tracks: 1- Balocco, 2- Germogli, 3- La Mia Terra, 4- Libera Mente, 5- Il Velo, 6- Raggiu di Luce

Cover Art by Michelle Chessa and IV Luna

 Recorded at Elefante Bianco Studio

After a climatic intro coming from outer space comes the first track with a heavy mid paced rhythm, heavy guitars and interesting melodies, then comes some acoustic guitars that give a melancholic feeling to the composition. Here you have a band who combine perfectly heaviness and melancholy with a dark atmosphere delivering a music that is obscure as hell ! Here you have multiple arrangements and incredible melodies (sometimes reminding me of classic doom bands like Trouble even if the style is completely different). There are different types of vocals, one more aggressive and another one more melodic and sad. The lyrics in italian language add a special feeling to the songs. The sound of the recording is good, specially on the guitars (the melodies and solos shine through all the recording) This music is complex and this guys deliver the compositions with a lot of power and good technical skills. If you like original bands with aggression and melodies then you should check IV Luna. 

Favorite tracks: "Balocco", "Libera Mente" and "Il Velo"

Contact: julius_4luna@hotmail.com

ABSEMIA - MORBOPRAXIS (Extremist Records, 2002)

Produced By: Absemia

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- Septisemia, 3- Calcinado (desesperante sofocación), 4- Obsesivo-morbo-corporal, 5- Neuroperverso Torturador, 6- Repulsivo vómito post mortem, 7- Defunción Fermento Gangrenal, 8- Autopsia a un cadaver en descomposición, 9- Compulsiva hemorragia (inminente final), 10- Crónica Infección

Cover Art by Mariano Tattoo

 Recorded at La Nave de Oseberg Studios

Pure death metal directly from Argentina!!! Yes, Absemia is one of the best bands in the genre here in Argentina and they have chosen to do the most brutal style within death metal. All the tracks have ultra fast riffs with blast beats on the drums and ultra guttural vocals. The sound helps a lot to the music because is raw but enhances the brutality of the music. The lyrics are about gore and madness and they fit the music perfectly. The rhythm section is extremely fast but at the same time is really tight making the band sound really effective, specially in the fastest parts, creating the perfect environment for the lyrics. Pure brutality and aggression directly from the south of the world !!!!

Favorite tracks: "Septisemia", "Neuroperverso Torturador" and "Compulsiva hemorragia"

Contact: www.absemia.8k.com

ABSTRACT - PROMO 2002 (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Abstract

Tracks: 1- Spirals, 2- E-Mages

Cover Art by Abstract

 Recorded at Audidinamica Prato

Here we have two tracks from this really good band that leaves you wanting more of their ultra technical and aggressive metal. Some passages of thius band reminded me of eighties thrash metal bands like Toxik, combined with riffs that wouldn´t be out of place in bands like Atheist or Cynic and I find this really good because this bands are among my all time favourites. The music is heavy metal with complex song structures, amazing musicanship and extremely technical passage. The melodies created here are really good, Guja Piazzesi is an amazing singer and David Zaccagnini is a virtuoso guitar player whose sweep picking solos are a great part of Abstract´s compositions. I have to recommend Abstract to all those who love music played by great musicians with excellent technical skills. We want more from this band!!!

Favorite tracks: Both

Contact: www.abstract-site.com

ADULTERY - AGE OF WINTER KINGS (Avalanche Prods., 2003)

Produced By: Elrabor

Tracks: 1- Silent Breath, 2- Dark Ages, 3- Last Hope, 4- Struggle of Curse, 5- Tears, 6- Confession of Immortality, 7- Crystal Light, 8- The Ancient Prophecy, 9- Black Well, 10- Death of Sun, 11- Silence, 12- The Return of the King, 13- Forgotten Rites, 14- Time I, 15- Time II, 16- Time III, 17- The Final Trial

Cover Art by Franta Zemcik

 Recorded at Bluestudio Trinec

Some screams and battle sounds....then some acoustic guitars and violins....then a really dark and extreme voice ....then comes the rest of the excellent music of this band from the Czech Repucblic. Here we have a band whose style they describe as slavonic black metal. That is this guys with no doubt play black metal (they have speed, they have the really extreme voice) , they also have the dark feeling in the melodies and they also have an epic feeling that most of the bands in black metal style don´t have....and they have many voices that sing epic melodies within some of the songs (they are really original!!). This guys are extreme and have original riffs that are essential to their music. This elements combined with the good sound that the recording has makes a good album...one of those albums that you really enjoy from beginning to end.

Favorite tracks: All the CD

Contact: avalancheprod@seznam.cz

ADVENT - VALHÖLL (Independent, 2003)

Produced By: Advent

Tracks: 1- Paradise Lost, 2- Valhöll, 3- Shub-Niggurath

Cover Art by Riccardo

 Recorded at DB Studios

This MCD opens powerfully with the track "Paradise Lost" in the vein of bands with a lot of power and at the same time dark melodies and a sort of dark black gothic metal (sometimes black metal in the vocals and sometimes gothic in the cleaner parts). One of the main things here is the combination of majestic keyboards with the heavy guitars and the voices that can be of three different types, a screaming one in the black metal tradition, a clean one with a dark feeling and a more guttural one closer to death metal. I really liked the quality of the compositions that blend together technical riffs with keyboards melodies or chord progressions delivering aggressive music with a lot of feeling and originality. Here we have fast riffs, some blast beats and a good sound that allows the guitars and keyboards to be listened perfectly. This is what I call good musicinaship in a dark metal context !!! A must.  

Favorite tracks: the three.

Contact: www.adventcomes.it

AEONS CONFER - THE SOUL OF THE UNIVERSE (Independent, 2003)

Produced By: Aeons Confer

Tracks: 1- The Astral Nexus of Time, 2- Synthetic Misanthropy, 3- Aeonic Dreams, 4- Bringer of Light, 5- The Soul of the Universe, 6- Ad Infinitum

Cover Art by Aeons Confer

With no doubt this is one of the most powerful releases of the year!!!! Here we have a band that has combined perfectly elments of black metal, death metal and modern metal, delivering their own kind of music which I would label symphonic spacial death metal. Here we have amazing keyboards all over the compositions orchestrating each of the musical passages that are part of this album. The guitars are extremely heavy and their sound contrast a lot with the keyboards making a battle between the instruments delivering this powerful music. The vocals are really extreme sometimes screaming and sokmetimes guttural but always delivering totally extreme lyrics and agonizing screams. I have to remark the excellent sound that this recording has...one of the best mixed albums of the year, specially the drums that sound almost like a machine (this guy is a beast with his drumkit). This album is a must....check it or die!!!

Favorite tracks: All the CD

Contact: www.aeonsconfer.com

AMBASSADOR 21 (Invasion Wreck Chords Recs., 2002)

Produced By: Ambassador 21

Tracks: there are 15 tracks here with most of them toitled in russian.

Cover Art by Ambassador 21

Ambassador 21 is a really weird band full of guitar riffs played with an extrmely industrial sound and many electronic elements going on in all the tracks. Here we have male and female vocals screming, shouting, singing, speaking, whispering. This band has a really good point that most of the bands can not achieve: extreme originality. The combination of hyper distorted guitars with drum amchines and electronic elements gives birth to the Ambassador 21 sound, a sound that is ideal for an apocalyptic movie or something like taht. I have to remark the good sound tat the recording has that makes all the instruments to sound clear despite the extreme distortion and the multiple electronic elements. A really original release. 

Favorite tracks: tracks 3, 6 and 10

Contact: www.ambassador21.com

ANARCHY X - THE QUEENSRYCHE TRIBUTE (Spreadit Agency, 2002)

Produced By: Fabio lentola

Tracks: 1- Walk in the Shadows, 2- Damaged, 3- Revolution Calling, 4- Suite Sister Mary, 5- Silent Lucidity, 6- Queen of the Reich, 7- Someone Else?

Cover Art by Fabio Lentola

 Recorded at Aton Studio

 This is kind of weird: an italian band thta delivers here seven Queensryche tracks in really faithful versions. Here we have really good covers of some of Queensryche´s best tracks (I would include for a next recording tracks like "The Warning", "Breaking the Silence", "The Needle Lies" or "Prophecy"). I really like the way this guys play the songs (in many places I even didn´t notice the differences with teh original versions (for example on "Revolution Calling"). Max Bastasi, Fabio lentola, marco Vaona, Massimiliano barbieri, Fabio leperdi and Valeria Colombo are the musicians here that deliver this seven great compositions with a lot of power and sounding really tight. Queensryche lovers should check this one.

Favorite tracks: "Walk in the Sahdows", "Queen of the Reich" and "Revolution Calling"

Contact: www.anarchy-x.it

ARALLU - SATANIC WAR IN JERUSALEM / THE WAR ON THE WAILING WALL (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Ze Ev Tananboim (Salem)

Tracks: 1- The Sons of Darkness, 2- Jewish Devil, 3- Religious Are Dead, 4- Arallu´s Rage, 5- Evil Has No Boundaries, 6- The Butchered Attacks Again, 7- Jerusalem Gates, 8- War of the Genit, 9- King of Bloodcave, 10- Mesopotamia Story, 11- Arallu´s Warriors, 12- Sword of Death, 13- Morbid Shadow, 14- Warriors of Hell, 15- Mesopotamian Genie, 16- Barbarian Bloodshed, 17- Satanic Birth iN jerusalem, 18- Messenger of Evil World, 19- My Hell, 20- Satan´s War, 21- Kill the traitor

Cover Art by Amit Halachmi

Here we have a band directly from Israel whose brutality is really huge !! Here we have a band that haas no mercy for the listener, crushing your ears from the first track to the last with their powerful death metal. We have here two recordings from the band: "Satanic War in Jerusalem" from 2002 and "The War on the Wailing Wall" from 1999. The newer tracks have a better sound but the band shows that three years before this recording they were haveing really good ideas (both albums were produced by Ze ev Tananboim from Salem). There is a big extreme thrash metal influence, and we can feel some Slayer here (plus they cover their "Evil has No Boundaries" classic) in the riffs and some of the rhythms. Here we have a band that delivers fast as hell tracks but whose main virtue is the extreme aggression taht they show through all this recording. This is over 70 minutes of pure bestiality.

Favorite tracks: "Jewish Devil", "Morbid Shadow", Arallu´s Rage" and "King of Bloodcave

Contact: http://listen.to/arallu

ASCENSION - ASCENSION (Independent, 2003)

Produced By: Ascension

Tracks: 1- Rising, 2- Writhing, 3- Black in Men, 4- The Grimace of Angst, 5- Bloodred Letter Day, 6- Road Leads To...?, 7- ...Nowhere, 8- Swallowing Emptiness, 9- Mors Interruptum, 10- Second Ascension

Cover Art by Ascension

Here we have the new album by Ascension….the style is technical death metal with a lot of melodies and arrangements. I like this album a lot because of the good technical skills that this guys show on the tracks. Here we have many complex riffs and melodies and also very interesting guitar solos. This album is a big step forward compared to their previous, specially in sound that here is much cleaner and better mixed and helps a lot to make every arrangement and every note shine. The vocals are really special, deathly but clear and with a dark shade that adds a darker feeling to Ascension´s music. There are some clean guitar arrangements that add a different flavour and I really liked the way this clean passages connect with the mroe brutal ones. One of the recordings of 2003. 

Favorite tracks: All the CD. One of the recordings of 2003

Contact: www.ascension-music.com

ATHANATOR - ATHANATOR (Lixo Sonido + Discos, 2003)

Produced By: Athanator

Tracks: 1- Earth of Blood, 2- Children of Darkness

Cover Art by Athanator

Pure death metal with classic elements and influences of bands like Morbid Angel or early Entombed. Here we have ultra fast riffs and fast rhythms from a tight rhythmic section. The guitars sound really fat and is essential for Athanator´s deathly sound. The vocals are guttural as the style demands and everything here is made in order to deliver brutal compositions and smash the listener with the powerful riffs. This has only two tracks with really good sound and it really leaves you wanting more brutality from this band from Colombia. So, we hope that Lixo will release a full length from this band soon.

Favorite tracks: Both

Contact: www.athanator.8k.com

AUTOPSY TORMENT - TORMENTORIUM (Painkiller Recs., 2003)

Produced By: Autopsy Torment

Tracks: 1- Preludium (Welcome to Tormentorium), 2- Tormentorium, 3- Human Puzzle, 4- I, the morbid and Grotesque, 5- Kill till I die !, 6- Death by Metal, 7- Humanipulation, 8- Death comes slow, 9- Gory to the Brave, 10- Eating human flesh by humans, 11- Bred for Murder

Cover Art by Autopsy Torment

Watching the cover art of this album I expected a straightforward brutal death metal band or maybe a grind band. But I was wrong, because the guys in Autopsy Torment play death thrash metal with riffs that are closer to heavy metal, avoiding hyper fast and untidy parts favoring riffs that let the music breath (sometimes they sound closer to bands like Kreator and other eighties thrash metal bands). The sound of the recording is really raw and that makes things sound even more straightforward giving a more extreme sound to the band´s music. The vocals are more of the type that use bands like Destruction or Kreator than of the guttural type. There are interesting guitar arrangements that make things even more interesting and a classic thrash feeling that combined with Autopsy Torment´s own sound creates a memorable experience on this album. This is pure aggression and brutality but done with interesting arrangements and a good use of classic elements that add a differnt dimension to the band´s music.. 

Favorite tracks: "Tormentorium", "Death by Metal" and "Gory to the Brave"

Contact: www.painkiller-records.com

AVIDOST - A SILENT MASQUERADE (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Avidost

Tracks: 1- Claws of Unrest, 2- Game Called Ruin, 3- Precipice, 4- A Silent Masquerade

Cover Art by Avidost

 Recorded at Studio One, Racine

Avidost´s music is heavy and at the same time subtle. Here we have a great combination of heavy riffs with melodies done with clean and distorted guitars. Everything here has a dark atmosphere that leaves you wanting to listen more Avidost compositions. One of the main elements here is the powerful and enchanting voice of Jennifer Gore who delivers beautiful vocals lines with strength and with right note placement that gives a sad, yet powerful feeling to Avidost´s compositions. I have to remark the really good sound that this recording has making each song shine and lettting the feelings that the musicians want to transmit to effectively reach the listener. If you like this combination of dark and sometimes epic melodies combined with really heavy guitars and interesting rhythms thehn you should check this band !!! 

Favorite tracks: The four

Contact: www.avidost.com

BARRY GUY / BARRE PHILLIPS - ARCUS (Maya Recordings, 1991)

Produced By: Barry Guy and Maya Homburger

Tracks: 1- Prophesies, 2- Wampho, 3- Elliptical, 4- Sundance, 5- Biwok, 6- Old Hunka, 7- Fram, 8- Yldona, 9- Sitsoo, 10-

Cover Art by Albert Irvin

 Recorded at Chapelle Sainte Philomene

Here we have two master improvisers who play instruments with similar charachteristics: Barry Guy on double bass and piccolo bass and Barre Phillips on 5 string bass. Each of this musicians play the improvisational pieces thata re delivered on this album with their own style and you can distinguish perfecly Guy on the left channel and Phillips on the right one. Sometiumes playing lines, sometimes doing percussive arrangements, sometimes playing melodies, but always letting their imagination fly with no limits. "Prophesies" is my absolute favourite track on this album where you can listen the Guy and Phillips delivering his improvisational lines through more than 21 minutes. Going from melody to almost noise but exploring every possibility of the instrument here we have an album recommended for lovers of spontaneity and good musicians with amazing ideas.

Favorite tracks: "Sitsoo", "Biwok" and "Prophesies"

Contact: www.mayarecordings.com

BATTLE HORNS - BATTLEHORNS (Hohenstaufen Recs., 2003)

Produced By: Battle Horns

Tracks: 1-

Cover Art by Battle Horns

Pure raw black emtal with some death metal influences and also some slower parts. Here we have a band whose sound is pure mayhemic black metal in the vein of early norwegian black metal but they combine this with slower and more climatic parts. Here we have difference in the sound of the tracks because they have been extracted from three different demos of the band. But every one of this tracks is extremely raw and delivers pure blasphemy and darker than hell fellings. There are abundant slow parts thata re the most climatic here And also there is heavy use of keybaords in many tracks and that adds harmonies to this band delivering obscure chord progressions. The sound is extremely raw (sometimes a little bit difficult to understand the guitar rifss that are a little bit behind the hihat ) and that adds to the underground feeling of this band. Pure blasphemic black fucking metal !! 

Favorite tracks:

Contact: www.hohenstaufen.ht.st

BEHOLD...THE ARCTOPUS - ARCTOPOCALYPSE NOW (Independent, 2003)

Produced By: Behold The Arctopus

Tracks: 1- Alcoholocaust; 2- You Will Be Reincarnated As An Imperial Attack Spaceturtle (Pt. 1)

Cover Art by Behold the Arctopus

Here we have a band that features Colin Marston from the experimental duo Infidel? / Castro!, a great prokject that we reviewed last year. Here we have two long tarcks from this guys who deliver extremely experimental music with amazing musicianship. You have to check the hyper fast riffs the amazing spped in the guitar pharases, really virtuoso solos at times. There are multiple rhythm changes, such as a more maniac Allan Holdsworth in albums like "Atavachron" where he delivers more weird stuff. The guitar sound is extremely heavy and the rhythms are fast but the main thing here isn teh constant experimentation with the instruments. There is killer bass playing that constructs along with the drums the basis of this amazing compositions. This is a must for people who are really open minded and love experimental music.

Favorite tracks: both

Contact: www.beholdthearctopus.com

BLACK CANDLE - THE FACELESS ANGEL (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Black Candle

Tracks: 1- Angel Stench, 2- Synthetic Drama, 3- Coldvoid, 4- He Is, 5- The Faceless Angel, 6- Throne of Rotteness, 7- Praise Your Sins, 8- The Crypt, 9- Dark House, 10- Insects in Your Mouth, 11- His Gleaming Eyes

 Recorded at Emerald Studios

This album kicks off with an extremely dark intro with an occult and obscure atmosphere. Then comes the heavier side with a lot of guitar riffs that are really powerful and contrast with the vocals that are like the ones used in black metal combined with whispering ones that add a darker side to Black Candle´s music . There are many hyper fast riffs in tracks like "Coldvoid" but the essence of this band´s music is the combination of this fast black metal riffs with blast beats with more rhythmic riffs that sound close to bands like Venom or Bathory. The sound of the recording is good and makes the guitars and drums shine giving the strength that this music deserves. Lovers of obscure metal will be delighted with this band.

Favorite tracks: "Synthetic Drama", "

Contact: http://listen.to/blackcandle

BLOOD - DYSANGELIUM (Morbid Recs., 2003)

Produced By: Blood

Tracks: 1- Blood Pulsation, 2- Adrenaline, 3- Schizophrenic Wisdom, 4- Penalty, 5- Wormbody, 6- Where is your Savior now, 7- Jesus Descent, 8- Evil Saints, 9- Poison for the soul, 10- The Heretic, 11- Randy mary, 12- Breaking Bounds, 13- Anthem of Scorn, 14-Cgarbage can Biotope, 15- Godmorphosis, 16- Hate Speech, 17- Malicious Awakening, 18- Demons Call, 19- Son of Shadows, 20- Devil Dance, 21- Dysangelium

Cover Art by Blood

Pure death metal with extremely guttural voices and a lot of aggression in then guitars and the drums. Here we have 21 tracks that have no mercy for the listener. Extremely fat guitar sound combined with low tuned bass parts !!! The guitars are really low tuned as the bass guitar is making things sound really extremely brutal. The tracks are short and are blasts of pure energy in a death metal context making each of the compositions an experiment in ultraviolence. The riffs are technical and the raw sound makes things even heavier but yet complex because of the changes and the twisted riffing. Pure energy to blast your brain !! 

Favorite tracks: "The Heretic", "Godmorphosis" and "Son of Shadows"

Contact: www.morbidrecords.de

BLOODY MARY - BLOODY MARY (Kick Promotion Agency, 2003)

Produced By: Bloody Mary

Tracks: 1- The 2^nd Chance, 2- Little Sister, 3- Drops, 4- The Dreamer, 5- Cease to Burn, 6- Face to Face

Cover Art by Bloody mary

Gothic metal!!!! This band plays a kind of music that many people label in that way: clean guitars, clean voices with a dark feeling in them. There are also heavy guitar and darker tunes like "Cease to Burn" really in the vein of Type O Negative´s darkest songs. There is heavy use of keyboards and tat is essential for Bloody Mary to develope the obscure atmospheres that they are constantly searching. I have to remark the really good sound that this band has and that this recording has too. One of the main things here is the combination of keyboards passages with melodies created by the guitars, sometimes clean, sometimes heavier. This is an album that would appeal to those lovers of gothic music !

Favorite tracks: "Little Sister", "Cease to Burn" and "Face to Face"

Contact: www.kickagency.com

BONEHOUSE - ONWARD TO MAYHEM (Earth AD Recs., 2001)

Produced By: Ulf Nagel and Bonehouse

Tracks: 1- Onward to mayhem, 2- This Means Nothing, 3- Shove That Money Up Yer Ass, 4- Shut Em Down, 5- Instinct for Trouble, 6- Blast Away (the Rich), 7- Razor Tongue, 8- Fascist Pig, 9- Handcuffed and Horny, 10- Disarm Charlton Heston, 11- Indo China, 12- Throwing Dirt Loosing Ground, 13- Against the Mutant Hordes, 14- My Definition

 Recorded at Wellseedamm Studios

Bone house is a band that plays powerful heavy riffs with some hardcore elements and a lot of thrash feeling. Here we have a band whose main goal is to crsuh your brain with their simple and effective guitar riffs (sometimes sounding like a heavier Motorhead) and their powerful vocals. This "Onward to mayhem" is pure energy from beginning to end with crushing rhythms and powerful drumbeats through all the songs. The sound is raw and the crushing guitars can be fully appreciated through all the recording. The vocals are dirty ones, not too guttural but they have the ideal range for this style of music. This is a release full of anger and energy !!!

Favorite tracks: "Shut Em Down", "Shove that Money Up Yer Ass" and "Agains the Mutant Hordes"

Contact: www.bonehouse.de

BROKEN TORSO - THE ULTIMATE ABHORRENCE (Buzo Records, 2002)

Produced By: Broken Torso

Tracks: 1- Buried Alive, 2- Tormented, 3- Homicide, 4- Thrill of Terror, 5- Unforgotten Sins, 6- Hours of Pain, 7- The Ultimate Abhorrence

 Recorded at TWE Studios Enns

What a showcase of pure brutality is this album!!! Here we have band with the most aggressive riffs combined with a lot of tempoc hanges and extremely guttural vocals. Here everything is designed to crush your ears and brains but without letting you get bored. Why I am saying this? Because this band knows how to make a lot of changes in rhythm, riffs and apces in order to make each of the songs really amusicng while being devastatingly heavy ! I have to remark the good production taht is extremely clear in the guitars and makes things even heavier. The drummer is killer and he is the core of the music here with his double bass drummin, his blast beats and the hyper fast rhythms that he construct along all this recording. I recommend this band to all the fans of brutal death metal full of changes and with interesting original touches. A must for lovers of bestiality !!!!!

Favorite tracks: "Buried Alive", "Thrill of Terror" and "Unforgotten Sins"

Contact: www.buzo-records.com

BROWBEAT - AUDIOVIOLENCE (Copro Recs., 2003)

Produced By: Browbeat

Tracks: 1- Before Death..., 2- Till Death, 3- Hater, 4- Face My Rage, 5- Master monster, 6- Pure Smile, 7- Blind Revenge, 8- The Plan, 9- Gray Sky, 10- Your Punisher, 11- Essere il Tuo Specchio, 12- Crush the System, 13- Audioviolence

 Recorded at Red House Recordings

Browbeat is a band whose music I would define as a mix between modern metal (like the one in bands like Machine Head) with a lot of thrash metal elements and some death metal. Here we have a band that delivers ultra aggressive guitar riffs against a rhythm section that sounds like a Panzer Division crushing all that is on its way. I really liked the melodies that create the voices contrasting with the screaming parts and I think that this element is essential for the identity of this band. I have to remark that this recording has an excellent sound and it has been designed to be played really loud and that can make permanent damage to the listener´s brain that will be blasted with the power and aggression of Browbeat´s music. 

Favorite tracks: "Till Death", "Hater" and "Gray Sky"

Contact: www.coprorecords.co.uk

CARNAL LUST - WHORE OF VIOLENCE (Diamond Prods., 2003)

Produced By: Carnal Lust and Franck

Tracks: 1- Psychotic Dementia, 2- Scared, 3- Messiah, 4- Infectious Mind, 5- The Last Soldier, 6- Outlaw, 7- Human Die, 8- Hard Drinker, 9- Lost Into the Chaos, 10- Grind Porc

Here is the new recording of this french bestial death grind band. After their previous "Prepare Your Soul" MCD now we have the opportunity to listen to this new release and we find that there has been a big evolution in this band, specially in the sound that now is more devastating (check the guitars and the drums in "Scared" to see what I am saying). Also here we have better compositions where everything is designed in order to devastate the listener with the bestiality that this band has. Here the riffs are fast and can be clearly discerned from the rest of the music, the drums are a double bass nightmare with some rhythms closer to blast beats and the vocals are extremely guttural but clear (there are various types of vocals, all of them really extreme). This is one of those albums that will be surely be loved by all death metal maniacs and that deliver aggression from the first second to the last. 

Favorite tracks: "Scared", "Messiah" and "Human Die"

Contact: www.diamond-prod.com

CARNAL REDEMPTION - CARNAL REDEMPTION (Independent, 2001)

Produced By: Carnal Redemption

Tracks: 1- The Punisher, 2- The Limits of Persistence, 3- Victim of the Cyberworld

Cover Art by C.R. and Eve

 Recorded in November 2001

This bland plays death metal with many thrash influences, a lot of primitive yet technical riffs with influences of eighties bands that makes songs more catchy while being brutal. The sound of this recording is raw making things sound harder and more brutal and the vocals are harsh but really comprehensible and they give a lot of identity to Carnal Redemption´s music. There are many breaks within each of the compositions and that adds a lot of variations to the music here and this guys are really well rehearsed and that allows them to do all this changes and breaks without missing a beat. This multiple changes are essential in Carnal Redmption´s music. This is an album recommended to all death metal fans and also to thrash metal ones.

Favorite tracks: the three

Contact: http://carnalredemption.cjb.net

CELESTY - REIGN OF ELEMENTS (Arise Recs., 2003)

Mastered By: Mika Jussila

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- Charge, 3- Revenge, 4- Sword of Salvation, 5- Reign of Elements, 6- Lost in Deliverance, 7- The Sword and the Shield, 8- Battle of Oblivion, 9- Kingdom

Cover Art by Christian Andersson

 Recorded at Fantom Studios

Here we have a finnish band that delivers pure epic power heavy metal with a lot of conviction. The thing that amazes of this band is the perfection in their combination of guitars and drums, a perfection that is really difficult to achieve, but this guys must be extremely well rehearsed. The music goes in the vein of bands like Stratovarius and others of the style with multiple keayboards parts that contrast with the heavy guitars and some neoclassic melodies that leave space for the guitarists to show their technical skills and their virtuosity. Here every second delivers to teh listener a new arrangement, a new melody, a new riff. There are multiple ideas here and that is essential for Celesty´s compositions which are complex yet melodic and powerful. The mix is excellent and that makes things even better. Here we have pure heavy metal done in the best way. 

Favorite tracks: "Revenge", "Lost in Deliverance" and "Kingdom"

Contact: www.celesty.net

CHARLOTTE HUG - NEULAND FOR VIOLA SOLO (Emanem Disc, 2003)

Produced By: Martin Davidson

Tracks: 1- Delirium, 2-Wet, 3- Dweller, 4- Quarry, 5-Dwell On, 6- Wood, 7-Dwellers, 8- Flow, 9- Rotation, 10- Pulsation, 11- Signs, 12- No Land

Cover Art by Charlotte Hug and Martin Davidson

 Recorded at Steinfels Studio

Well, I never have heard before the music of this amazing musician. She plays the viola with a lot of technique and inspiration. Here she is extrmely spontaneous creating improvisational phrases and sounds that amazes because of their variations and different textural qualities. Here everything is about spontaneity and Charlotte Hug´s sounds are really extreme and at the same time really coherent delivering different moods according to the paths that she wants to explore. This album has over one hour of free improvisation that breaks constantly musical paradigms and stretches boundaries with originality and inspiration. A really good work that will appeal to spontaneous music lovers.

Favorite tracks: "Flow", "Rotation" and "Delirium"

Contact: www.emanemdisc.com

CHTON - CHTON (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Chton

Tracks: 1- Book of Black Earth, 2- Crawling Chaos

Cover Art by Chton

 Recorded at Skansen Studios

Brutal death metal with a really modern sound in the guitars that play riffs that are not typical of the style preferring to create original riffs instead of doing the typical one note runs that many bands do. Here the guitars combine brutal low tuned guitar riffs with pincha harmonics with more opwn chords and with guitar phrases that add originality to the tunes here. The vocals are extremely guttural and they give all the death metal feeling to the compositions. Plus the vocals have a lot of different shades and variations thata re essential to the feeling of the two songs contained here. The sound of the recording is really good specially in the fat sounding guitars that are designed to crush your brain. This is ear melting music with aggressiona dn brutality and also originality.

Favorite tracks: Both

Contact: www.chton.com

CHURN - 12 EASY STEPS TO ENDSVILLE (Casket Music, 2003)

Produced By: Alan Reilly and Churn

Tracks: There are eleven brutal tracks here !!!

Cover Art by Vic Greenles

 Recorded at Red Eye Studios

Whikle looking to the cover of this album I expected a band with a lot of industrial feeling in their music but I was wrong. Here we have an extremely brutal band with modern sound and incredibly powerful vocals. Here we can say that this band has some similarities with death metal but they play more rhythmic riffs and they emphasize brutality more than speed. The vocals are powerful, sometimes guttural sometimes more of the screaming type but always delivering pure violence. The guitars are lowtuned and deliver crushing riff after devastating riff without stopping a second. Everything here is done with extreme power and brutality. A must for lovers of this combination of death metal and modern metal !!!! 

Favorite tracks: All the album

Contact: www.coprorecords.co.uk

CONTAMINO - MOTHER NATURE GASED (Carnal Records, 2002)

Produced By: Contamino

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- We have arrived, 3- Bombs Away, 4- When the Planets Collide, 5- Macabre Cadavre, 6- Reflect, 7-Bloodbath, 8- World Extinction Phase, 9- Hordes of Darkness, 10- Let there be War, 11- Outro /The End

Cover Art by Carl M.

 Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden

Contamino is an extremely raw band that takes elements from both death metal and black metal but with bigger influence from the second style in the riffing. After a short intro comes the first burst of energy that is "We have arrived", a track taht blast the listener in a few seconds. The songs here are short and really effective making the listener bang his head against the wall. The guitars sound like chainsaws and play riffs that are extremely fast and dissonant. The vocals are really extreme in the vein of the blackest of black emtal bands. I think that the brutality of the recording could be even more extreme with a better mix but this extremely raw sound makes the things really bestial and you will find yourself trying to follow the blast beats and fast parts. Pure hateful metal !!!!

Favorite tracks: "We Have Arrived", "Bombs Away" and "Hordes of Darkness"

Contact: http://oblivion.lunamorena.net/contamino

CORPSE DISPOSAL UNIT / 12 DAYS OF ANARCHY (Independent, 2001)

Produced By: Corpse Disposal Unit

Tracks: 1- Slipknot; 2- Oklahoma Population Bomb, 3- Charles Ng, 4- Leonard Lake´s Lake House, 5- , 6-

 Recorded by Bacon

Corpse Disposal Unit´s music is pure death metal with fast rhythms and some interesting thrash touches, specially in the guitar riffs. Plus, this guys have made a good combination between classic death metal and more modern death metal delivering their own brutal sound. Here everything transpires brutality at its top level, and I think that the combination with more mid paced riffs is essential for the guys in Corpse Disposal Unit´s music. Here we have four tracks of this band at its most brutal level and its an ideal album to listen with the volume really cranked up. Plus, there are two 12 Days of Anarchy tracks that are kind of more old school death and make a good contrast with CDU´s more elaborated compositions. 

Favorite tracks: The first four.

Contact: corpsedisposalunit@hotmail.com

CRIMSON MOONLIGHT - THE COVENANT PROGRESS (Rivel Records, 2003)

Produced By: Tomas Johansson and Crimson Moonlight

Tracks: 1- Mist of the Spiritual Dimension, 2- The Pilgrimage, 3-Path of Pain, 4- Thy Wilderness, 5- Eternal Emperor, 6- A Painting in Dark, 7- Eyes of Beauty, 8- A Thorn in my Heart, 9- The Covenant

Cover Art by Fredrik Sandgren

 Recorded at Dream Factory

Pure hateful black metal with many death metal influences in some parts is what Crimson Moonlight offers us. Here we have aband that combines perfectly the ultrafast riffs and blast beats with more rhythmic passages where some dark and sad melodies are played against heavy drumming and distorted riffs. The vocals give the extreme black metal feeling to the music but they are combined with a more guttural type of voice closer to death metal. There is use of acoustic guitars in some passages such as in the beginning of "The pilgrimage" and that gives variation to the music here. Some parts are complex but everything here is designed to create the more unholy type of black metal music possible. There are many passages that emphasize the dark atmosphere instead of simply going fast and I really appreciated this parts. If you are into pure black metal and you love obscure atmospheres then you have to check Crimson Moonlight.

Favorite tracks: "The pilgrimage", "Eternal Emperor" and "The Covenant"

Contact: www.rivelrecords.com

CUNT GRINDER - ESCAPED FROM MADHOUSE (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Cunt Grinder

Tracks: 1- Intro/Scumfuck, 2- The Reaper, 3- Politessencunt-Song, 4- Zombiedance, 5- Freakshow Bitch, 6- Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch!, 7- R.M., 8- Mundhöhlenschwangerschaft, ...kommt vom Spermasaufen, 9- Garden Party, 10- F.T.B.F.B.F.F:, 11- Pussyfart, 12- Masobitch, 13- You Are My Chosen One, 14- Dear, Mr. Public Executer, 15- Marry, 16- Sudden Manslaughter, 17- Gay-Attack, 18- Drown in My Cum, 19- I am a Necromantic Maniac, 20- Legalize It, 21- House of Violent Fun

Cover Art by Cunt Grinder

After a sexual intro we have Cunt Grinder,a demented band whose music is extremely chaotic and extremely heavy as fuck. This guys play death/grind with heavy riffs and an extremely raw sound in teh guitars that are extremely distorted (the bass is distorted too adding a heavier side to the music). There are many blast beats here and ultra fast rhythms. Here we have riff after riff with amazing double bass drumming in a context of pure brutality. The voices are totally guttural and distorted adn we have different types of extreme vocals through each of the compositions. The tracks are quite similar and they are conceived to demonstrate extreme heaviness to the listener. An ultra fast and heavy release. 

Favorite tracks: "The Reaper", "Freakshow Bitch" and "Gay Attack"

Contact: grindmaster_hippi@yahoo.de

DARK CLOUDS - GLOBAL DEPRESSING SYSTEM (Independent, 2001)

Produced By: Dark Clouds

Tracks: 1- Destiny Express, 2- Get you through the Day, 3- Another Man´s Fate / The Promise, 4- Diamond - Cutter, 5- In Desert Lands, 6- Course of life, 7- The Great Disappearing Act, 8- 0049301888130; 9- Doing Time, 10- Determined

 Recorded at Denever Studio

Directly from Hungary comes Dark Clouds with their modern and effective brand of metal. Dark Clouds delivers fast riffs with a lot of rhythm over crushing drumming but without forgetting melodies. Here I have to remark the great work of the singer who can go from the most extreme screams and guttural vocals to a melodic voice with a lot fo middle range and an eerie feeling. Dark Clouds music is original, specially because of this combination of heavier than hell aprts and melodies that are really essential to their sound. The sound of the recording is good, specially on the guitars that sound extremely heavy (I think that this guys have really tuned down their guitars in order to make them sound bigger and heavier) and that are the foundation of the compositions. If you like metal with a lot of aggression, but at the same time with a lot of rhythms designed for the mosh pit and eerie vocal melodies then you must check Dark Clouds.  

Favorite tracks: "Destiny Express", "Course of life" and "Doing Time"

Contact: vtauszik@freemail.hu

DARK LIGHT - I KNOW THE END...AND MAKE THE START (Spreadit Agency, 2003)

Produced By: Darklight

Tracks: 1- the Minstrel, 2- Apocalypse, 3- Falling Tears, 4- Disciple, 5- I Know the end...and make the start, 6- Apocalypse (video)

Cover Art by Cinzia Tarantola

 Recorded at CCS Recording

Here we have a really climatic band that has created five incredible tunes here !!! The main element that I have to remark here is the great voice of Silvia Aprile. This woman has an incredible clean voice and he manages to deliver a lot of power in the heaviest parts and to be really subtle where the song has to be soft. The guitars here are heavy and effective and create riffs that add a lot of power to the music. There is a lot of orchestration and arrangements in this band and that is essential to their musical identity. I have to remark the good sound that this recording has that lets us appreciate the beauty in darkness that this music is. Here everything is done with a lot of feeling an attitude and that is reflected in the compositions. A must.

Favorite tracks: The five

Contact: www.infaccia.com/darklight

DEATH OR GLORY - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM (Steelborn Recs., 2002)

Produced By: Death or Glory

Tracks: 1- In the Middle of the Storm, 2- Consecrated Steel, 3- Fight for Glory, 4- Dawn of Victory, 5- Metal Crown, 6- Ghost Knight, 7- Lost in Nowhere, 8- Revenge, 9- Frightening Dreams, 10- Screams Of Fear, 11- Symphony of Fire, 12- March of the Titans

Cover Art by J.M. William Turner

 Recorded at Riversound Studio

Here we have an italian band that plays epic heavy power metal with a lot of keyboards and guitar solos. The main thing here is the combiantion between powerful riffs, melodies and solos. Here we have a band that delivers a lot of virtuoso phrases creating epic melodies and harmonies thata re the eseence of the music here. We have a fluid vocalist called Vyper who creates also melodies with his voice while he sings the epic lyrics that the band has. The sound of the recording is extremely clear and has nothing to envy to the main bands of the genre. The guitars are really loud and the incredible solos shine through all the recording. This is an album for lovers of power / heavy metal with virtousism and plenty of melodies.  

Favorite tracks: "Consecrated Steel", "Metal Crown" and "Screams of Fear"

Contact: www.northwindrecords.com or www.deathorglory.it

DEATHCHAIN - POLTERGEIST (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Late Kauppinen

Tracks: 1- Poltergeist (The Nemesis), 2- Unseen Evil, 3- I Am Terror, 4- Undertaker

 Recorded at Bassment Studio

Fast drums turning into a fast crushing riff open this album. Then the music turns into full speed death thrash metal with intense arrangements. Here we have a band that has achieved a great sound playing rhythmic and hyper fast riffs sounding original and aggressive at the same time. The vocals are really extreme and fit the music perfectly. The guy called "Corpse" spits scream after scream, shriek after shriek adding brutality to the music and also adding hooks and memorable shouts to the choruses. The guitars are fast and play original riffs that I liked mainly in the tempo changes. There is influence of eighties thrash that is really welcome in this band because it adds new elements to this guys music. The sound of this recording is really good and it enhances the intensity and brutality of the music of this finnish crushing band. 

Favorite tracks: The four.

Contact: www.deathchain.cjb.net

DEBODIFIED - UTOPIA IN THE EYES OF A BEAST (Comatose Music, 2003)

Produced By: Debodified and Comatose Music

Tracks: 1- Reprieves for my Enemies, 2- Instinct for Malevolence, 3- Mass Extinction Agenda; 4- Emission of Adrenaline, 5- Uncompromised Extinction, 6- Terminated With Prejudice, 7- Embludgeoned Between Crunches, 8- On this Killing Field

 Recorded at the Sound Lab Studio

One of the most brutal bands ever !!!!! This band devastates you from the first riff to the last one. The guitars are really huge and have an extremely fat sound (they are really low tuned and combined with the low tuned bass we achieve the Debodified sound). Here everything is brutality, even if the things are sometimes really complex (riffs and rhythms sound extremely tight and are really difficult to play correctly, this guys are extremely well rehearsed). The sound of the recording is extremely clear and that makes the music even more brutal. The vocals are extremely guttural going as far in some places as in grind bands....the riffs are fast but this guys prefer to create heavy as hell riffs instead of simply playing fast. I warn you: if you play this one at top volume as I do you will be thrown against the flooor by this hyper deathly riffs. Brutality guaranteed. This is the most bestial release of 2003. 

Favorite tracks: "Reprieves for My Enemies", "Mass Extinction Agenda" and "Uncompromised Extinction"

Contact: www.comatosemusic.com or www.debodified.com

DECAPITATED - NIHILITY (Earache Recs., 2002)

Produced By: Decapitated

Tracks: 1- Perfect Dehumanization, 2- Eternity Too Short, 3- Mother War, 4- Nihility (Anti-Human Manifesto), 5- Names, 6- Spheres of Madness, 7- Babylon´s Pride, 8- Symmetry of Zero

Cover Art by Jacek Wisniewski

 Recorded at Hertz Studio

"Perfect Dehumanisation" opens with full brutality this recording throwing the listener against the wall with their fast drumming and amazing riffs. Here we have a band that plays complex and tight riffs while spitting brutal vocals over them. This guys are not afraid of exploring new territories with their complex riffs and interesting twin arrangements (I find some of them incredibly difficult to play as well as the band does). The drummer is incredible playing a lot of arrangements and different changes over each of the riffs (he is amazing with the double bass). There are some thrash influences here but they are taken to the most brutal side of the style making the riffs and rhythms really death metal. One thing taht I have to remark are the incredible guitar solos that give an eerie feeling to the compositions with their melodies. This album is a must!! 

Favorite tracks: All the album. Complex and brutal!!!

Contact: www.earache.com

DEMON CHILD - SHADOW CULT (Sound Riot Recs., 2003)

Produced By: Demon Child

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- In Darkened World, 3- Supreme Cruelty, 4- The Fallen One has arrived, 5- The Order of the Black Flame (The fallen One Has Arrived Pt. 2), 6- Shadow Cult, 7- Coldblessed, 8- Path of fire and blood, 9- Torch of War

Cover Art by Jason Juta

 Recorded at Pop Studio

This is pure climatic dark black metal with strong emphasis on the parts that can create more obscure passages and with heavy use of keyboards that develope the dark atmosphere that this album has. It is really important here the constrast between the heavy guitars and the cold dark keyboards and this interac5tion is what creates the Demon Child sound. Here we have fast parts but the band prefers to use slower rhythms and riffs in order to develope more anguished sounds full of obscure feelings. The sound of the recording is good and reflects clearly the atmosphere that is created through all the recording. Here we have a band whose black metal awakes the darkest human feelings !!!

Favorite tracks: "In Darkened World" , "The Fallen One..." and "Coldblessed"

Contact: www.soundriot.net

DESCENDING DARKNESS - GEVATTER HEIN (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Descending Darkness

Tracks: 1- Burning Zion, 2- Nectar of Innocence, 3- Spiegel Meiner Seele Part II, 4- Triumph Des Hasses, 5-Gedanken, 6- Gevatter Hein, 7-Awakening in Hell, 8- Voyage (The Darkest Star

Cover Art by Gevatter

Pure blakc metal full of blasphemy and hate !!!! Descending Darkness come directly from Austria and they deliver the rawest black emtal with ultra fast guitars and terrible blast beats that demolish the listener. Here we have Gevatter screaming the darkest of vocals and giving an atmosphere of ultra darkness to Descending Darkness music. There are mid paced parts that give more space to the guitars to develope interesting ideas but everything here is black as the most evil of souls. The sound of the recording is raw and that makes things mroe brutal and at the same time allows the riffs to penetrate directly into your brain. Here we have a band whose main goal is to play the blackest of music and they have achieved it on this album. Pure black metal!!!!

Favorite tracks: "Nectar of Innocence", "Gevatter Hein" and "Awakening in Hell"

Contact: gevatter@helvete.zzn.com

DESECRATION - GORE AND PERVERSION 2 (Independent, 2003)

Produced By: Martin Barbour

Tracks: 1- Raping the Corpse (Desecration), 2- Human Gore, 3- Penile Dissection, 4- It Can´t Be My Grave, 5- Dead Bitch in the Skip, 6- No More Room in the Freezer, 7- Mutilated Genitalia, 8- Immense Suffering, 9- To Kill with a Drill, 10- Pharaonic Circuncision, 11- Coprophiliac Connoisseur, 12- Fontanelle Fornication, 13- I.A.I.

Cover Art by Desecration

 Recorded at Philia Studios

After reviewing their "Pathway to Deviance" album last year we thought what could Desecration do to become even heavier. And the answer is here on this "Gore and Perversion 2" album. Here the heaviness and brutality of the tracks go beyond all limits: Desecration plays brutal death metal with perverted lyrics. This album starts with a speaker telling us about Ed Gein´s crimes before getting into their bestiality. Here you have blast beats, fast riffs, brutal guttural vocals, rhythmic riffs designed to burn your brain to ashes. Every item featured in a death metal band is her, augmented and brutalized. Plus this band recording after recording has achieved a better guitar and drums sound that makes their music even more devastating. Thi si the third recording of this guys that I review and they always amaze with their brutality!!

Favorite tracks: "Human Gore", "Dead Bitch..." and "Immense Suffering"

Contact: www.desecration.co.uk

DEVIL MAY CARE - 2002 SAMPLER (Independent., 2002)

Produced By: Devil May Care

Tracks: 1- Gorilla in a Monkey Suit, 2- My Life is a Toilet, 3- I Am Bread

 Recorded live at Carriage House

An eerie bass line opens up this three song sampler of this band whose riffs are violent and effective while being simple and memorable. Here we have extreme screams over devastating guitars and a really raw drum that plays vioent riffs with some punk quality. The songs here are powerful and they have multiple changes that make them more interesting. Plus, I have to remark that there is some use of electronics or samplers that add new dimensions top Devil May Care´s music. The songs have memorable lyrics and choruses that make the songs more sticky to the listener´s brain. The sound is extremely raw and there are almost no overdubs making the band sound like they really sound live (unlike some bands who make a lot of overdubbing in their live recordings). This is a good band that I would really like to see live to feel their full power !! 

Favorite tracks: The three

Contact: devilmaycare415@aol.com

DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER (Nuclear Blast Recs., 2003)

Produced By: Die Apokalyptischen Reiter

Tracks: 1- Vier Reiter Stehen Bereit, 2- Warum?, 3- Sehnsucht, 4- Terra Nola, 5- We Will Never Die, 6- Baila Conmigo7- Ride On, 8- Du Kleiner Wicht, 9- Komm, 10- Das Paradies, 11- Fatima, 12- Wo Die Geister Ganz still sterben, 13- Seid Willkommen, 14- Master of the Window

Cover Art by Die Apokalyptischen Reiter

Here we have the new album from this german original band. Here you have compositions that go from straight forward metal to more gothic songs, making the album really enjoyable because of the multiple variations and arrangements. What I like most is the combination of the heavy guitars with the melodic keyboards playing melodies or chord progressions making a contrast between heaviness and subtle arrangements and also the multiple variations within a song and among the songs in this album. Here the lyrics in german language are essential and give a heavier and a darker feeling to DAR´s music (this guys even sing one song in spanish making things even more weird). The recording has a great sound that emphasizes a lot the originality of the compositions and their sheer power !!!.

Favorite tracks: "Das Paradies", "Sehnsucht" and "Seid Wilkommen"

Contact: www.centurymedia.com.br

DISCIPLES OF HATE - DIGGING UP THE GRAVE...:AGAIN (Independent, 2000)

Produced By: Disciples of Hate

Tracks: There are 24 tracks of pure death grind hell here !!

Cover Art by Vader Reactionary

Here we have this band that used to play pure old school death metal with some grind touches in the fastest parts. Here we have death metal as it used to be in the early nineties: raw, guttural, extremely aggressive. Here we have chainsaw like guitars with extremely guttural vocals and screaming voices. Everything here is designed to blast your brain and they succeed despite the rather primitive sound that this recording has. There are frantic guitar solos that add short melodies and maniac sounds to the compositions. This recording is from 1991 (is the demo of that year of this band) and is a good showcase of aggressive music in a point of the evolution that this style had. A piece of extreme metal history. 

Favorite tracks: "sacreligious", "Necrofuck" and "Buried Alive"

Contact: corpsedisposalunit@hotmail.com

DIVINE LUST - DIVINE LUST (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Nuno Loureiro and Divine Lust

Tracks: 1- Again, 2- Alone in the Dark, 3- Morrigan, 4- Where only the Weak Survive, 5- V, 6- Goddess Night, 7- Your Cruel thirst, 8- Embrace, 9- Scarlet Room of Passion, 10- Divine Lust (a story of a bloody passionatte desire), 11- Morrigan - Video Clip

Cover Art by Divine Lust

Directly from Portugal comes this climatic band whose music is really introspective with interesting guitar riffs and amazing keyboards that are essential for the band´s sound. And is this combinations of heavy guitar that sometimes plays fast phrases and riffs and then turns into a more rhythmic pace with the keyboards that are orchestrating each passage that creates the Divine Lust sound. The vocals are sometimes more extreme, sometimes spoken, sometimes sung but always extremely dark and obscure. The melodies are melancholic and in tracks like "Alone in the Dark" they interact with the keyboards chord progressions developing the main theme of the song. The sound of the recording is good, specially in the voice and keys (I would mix a little bit louder the rhythmic guitars, just a little bit) and it allows to appreciate the good compositions that this portuguese band delivers through the ten compositions contained on this album. A really climatic yet powerful album.

Favorite tracks: "Alone in the Dark", "Goddess Night" and "Divine Lust "

Contact: www.divinelust.com

DOMINATE - BURST OUT (Spreadit Agency, 2003)

Produced By: Dominate

Tracks: 1- The Biker, 2- The Maniac, 3- Painful Claws of Despair, 4- Devastating Wrath, 5- Face the Fate Arrows

Cover Art by Dominate

 Recorded at Nadir Studios

 A fast drums rhythm with interesting passages opens this aggressive album before the guitars enter with a heavier than hell riff designed for headbanging. The guitars are fat here but a little bit low in the mix, crushing you with their power. The voice is really heavy metal with some high pitches and some epic feeling and that, mixed with riffs that are not typical of the style give a lot of identity to Dominate. Here you can listen the influence of classic bands like Stratovarius or even Helloween but they are disguised because this guys combine straigh ahead heavy metal riff with more thrash parts and adding some moder nad rhythmic riff here and there to achieve more power in the songs. The sound here is good but I would mix everything a little bit louder, specially the guitars. Here we have metal with good guitars and a tightr hythm section. Powerful release.

Favorite tracks: "The Biker", "Devastating Wrath" and "Face the Fate Arrows"

Contact: www.dominate.too.it

DOOMSTONE - DISHARMONIC (Independent, 2003)

Produced By: Jörg Uken

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- Hypocrites, 3- Sleepwalker, 4- Killing Ground, 5- Evolutions Wheel, 6- Extinction, 7- Lost, 8- Infection, 9- Faces, 10- Misanthrope

Cover Art by Doomstone

 Recorded at Soundlodge Studios

Doomstone is a band that delivers on this album ten tracks of pure thrash death metal with some black metal shades, specially in the vocals. The main thing here are the powerful rhythms, sometimes closer to death metal, sometimes more thrash metal but always full of strength and energy. This guys are extremely tight to play and they play interesting twisted and complex riffs combined with many tempo changes that are their trademark. The vocals are really deathly but there is also a screaming voice more in the black metal vein (sometimes close to bands like Kreator). This album has a good sound, specially on the guitars and has the Morrisound studios touch, specially in the way in ehich the drums are mixed. Lovers of death/thrash metal should check this one. 

Favorite tracks: "Hypocrites", "Killing Ground" and "Infection"

Contact: www.doomstone.de

DOWN FACTOR - PURE (Scourge Recs., 2001)

Produced By: George Anderson

Tracks: 1- Pure, 2- Brother 6, 3- Open Your Eyes, 4- 13 Crosses, 5- In vein, 6- Judicial hunt, 7- Broken Shell, 8- Hate Inc., 9- Psycho Killer, 10- I, Mental

Cover Art by Michael Bohatch

 Recorded at Fantasy Studios

This is one of the best releases that we have received this year!!!!! Pure aggression and power from beginning to end, pure quality in the playing, done with a lot of technique and ideas. Here we have a band that is full of ideas: Jon Riggs plays machine like drumbeats that are filled with the riffs done by George Anderson and John Santos, played witha devastating sound that smasehes your brain and melts it in the same track. This album has a flawless production that makes each of the instruments shine and show how well this guys develope their ideas within their modern death metal context!! This guys bang you against the wall with their first riff and they crush you til the end of the recording. This is a must for fans of aggressive metal done in the best way!!! 

Favorite tracks: All the album!!!!

Contact: www.down-factor.com

DUNGORTHEB - INTENDED TO... (Perennial Quest Recs., 2003)

Produced By: Dungortheb

Tracks: 1- Twisted Reality, 2- Two Faces, 3- Fate of Humanity, 4- Place of Alienation, 5- Twilight, 6- The Only Rest, 7- Illusion, 8- Beyond the Darkness

 Artwork by the E Ghost

When some issues back I received Dungortheb´s previous recording I was greatly surprised with their extremely technical death metal in the vein of bands like Death ("Human" to "The Sound of Perseverance" era) or Pestilence. This time things are even better due to the better sound in the inwstruments the better mixing and specially due to having more tracks to listen. Dungortheb deliver riff after riff with a lot of complexity and their music has infinite changes of rhythm, there are extremely climatic passages created by the guitars and the bass that interact really well with extreme precission developing new ideas on each second of this recording. The drumming is amazing and Herve Joly does not miss a beat even in the more complex parts creating breaks and structure changes on each track (interesting use of double bass and snare drum and also of ride cymbal). I have to recommend this to all fans of music regardless of the style because here we have a band with extreme musicianship.

Favorite tracks: All the CD

Contact: www.perennialquest.free.fr

EMBRACING WINDS - THE ASTOUNDING DAWN (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Embracing Wind

Tracks: 1- Secret Passage to the Main Gallery, 2- This Magic Land, 3- Transparent and Wild, 4- Astounding Dawn, 5- The Vision, 6- Haunted Wind

Cover Art by Embracing Winds

A keyboards orchestrated intro with an extrmely dark feeling opens this album of darker and melodic music with intense orchestration, excellent arrangements and beautiful voices. Here everything is done to create a dark feeling with a lot of amazing melodies sung by Margarida de Mouda who delivers sometimes operistic vocals, sometimes whispers and sometimes dark melodic lines that fit perfectly the keyboards and the rest of the instruments. There is a heavy guitar that is a little bit in the back in the mix and delivers heavy riffs and intense melodies. The recording has a good sound specially on the keyboards and voices (I would mix a little bit higher the guitar) and succeeds in transmiting the multiple feelings that Embracing Winds creates to the listener. This is one of the albums of the month. 

Favorite tracks: All the CD

Contact: www.embracingwinds.web.pt

EMPEROR - SCATTERED ASHES: A DECADE OF EMPERIAL WRATH (Candelight Recs./Manic Music, 2003)

Produced By: Emperor

CD 2: 1- A Fine Day To Die, 2- Ærie Descent, 3- Cromlech, 4- Gypsy, 5- Funeral Fog, 6- I Am, 7- Sworn (remix by Ulver), 8- Lord of the Storms, 9- My Empire´s Doom, 10- Moon Over Kara-Shehr, 11- The Ancient Queen, 12- Witches Sabbath, 13- In Longing Spirit, 14- Opus a Satana

Here we have a historical album !! After Emperor´s demise with the release of their latest album "Prometheus..."and their "Emperial Live Ceremony" here comes a compilation that is essential for fans of the band or for those who doesn´t know it and want to take a peek through all their career. Here we have classic tracks from the band like their "Inno a Satana" and songs from all their career spanning "In the Nightside Eclipse", "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk", "IX Equilibrium" and the aforementioned "Prometheus". Here we have all the elements taht amde this band famous...from the fast riffs to the screams, from the multiple rhythm changes to the dark atmospheres and arrangements that they delivered through all their career. Plus we have here some rarities such as the remix done by the guys in Ulver of the track "Sworn", just to give you an example. This is an essential recording in every metal fan collection

Favorite tracks: A historical albums!

Contact: www.candlelightrecords.co.uk or www.manicmusiconline.com

ERED - DARKMAGEDDDON 3.0 (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Abyssal and Ered

Tracks: 1- The Shadowchant, 2- ...Of Blasphemy and Torment

Cover Art by Juanjo Castellano

 Recorded at Maxim Sound Studios

Powerful death metal full of heavier than hell guitar riffs and extreme vocals. Here we have a combination of fast riffs with some complex arrangements and also some open chords that make memorable parts on each of the tracks. The drumming is fast and intense, full of double bass and tempo changes as we can hear in both tracks. There are some ultrafast parts in the vein of Morbid Angel and also some slower more rhythmic ones that add a lot of heaviness to the compositions. The short guitar solos are frantic and they shine thanks to the good mix that this recording has, raw but at the same time clear. Also the vocals that are extreme and guttural are essential for Ered´s music. Death metal with a lot of feeling is what we have here!!!

Favorite tracks: Both

Contact: www.geocities.com/ered666

ERNESTO DIAZ - INFANTE - ERNESTO DIAZ-INFANTE (Pax Recordings., 2003)

Produced By: Ernesto Díaz-Infante

Tracks: There are thirty tracks here of pure experimentation

Cover Art by Ernesto Díaz-Infante

 Recorded at 1502 Studios

Here we have a new showcase of Díaz-Infante´s talent and imagination. Here you have a musician whose music goes so close to noise that makes you gasp but he never looses control over his compositions. Here everything is under control and he delivers interesting sounds and lines using such different instruments as guitar, accordion, violin, piano and also vocals. Here we can listen Díaz-Infante playing with notes, spunds and a lot with silences. And silences are essential on this recording where he uses a lot of instrumental sounds but he lets them breath leaving space for each note to develope on itself. Again, Ernesto Díaz-Infante has shown that he is a musician without boundaries and he has the skills to create amazing spontaneous music. 

Favorite tracks: All the album

Contact: www.paxrecordings.com

EXAWATT - 2K2 (Independent, 2002)

Produced By: Exawatt

Tracks: 1- Intro, 2- On the Wings, 3- Heretic, 4- Awake in the Cosmic Dream, 5- Odissea Veneziana, 6- Sigh in Time, 7- Outro

Cover Art by Luca Benni

 Recorded at Wizard Studio

This band from Italy delivers through all the tracks on this album incredible heavy power metal full of symphonic and progressive elements. Here Andrea Corsetti´s keyboards are as essential as Daniele Palloni´s guitars. Here we have a band that sounds extremely tight and whose solos are essential for the music (here we have many virtuosos musicians playing incredible guitar licks and keyboards phrases through all the recording ....just an example is their great cover of "Odissea Veneziana" where the speed is fundamental). One of the best things is the great taste that this guys have for melodies making every song sound really melodic, yet powerful without sounding soft. Thumbs up for this guys from Umbertide whose musicianship is at top level! 

Favorite tracks: All the album.

Contact: www.exawatt.it

FLESHART - ART BRUT (Grindethic Recs., 2003)

Produced By: Fleshart

Tracks: 1- Formole Lust, 2- Instinctive Addiction to Cannibalism, 3- Cast Out the Flesh...(Banished cover), 4- I Fuck You dead !!

Cover Art by Kostas

 Recorded at Wave Studio

This is pure brutal death grind with no mercy for the listener….with extremely good and clear sound that lets your brain to be completely destroyed by this guys. Here every note, every drum beat, every grunt is done to devastate your brain with the msot extreme brutality. This is a soundtrack for the apocalypse. This guys have no mercy for your brain and destroy it with their extremely fat sound (the guitars are really down tuned as well as the bass guitar and that makes things even more bestial. The vocals are more guttural than the ones by Satan himself !!!!! Here we have a combination of the most brutal side of death metal and grindcore delivered with an ultra bestial sound. Here we have a recording for lovers of the most brutal side of music !!

Favorite tracks: The four

Contact: www.grindethic.co.uk or www.fleshart.cjb.net