ALBUM REVIEWS IV - Music - http://maxpages.com/aeazine/ALBUM_REVIEWS

Allegiance Hymns of Blod World War III
Peter Tagtgren reportedly announced plans to close Abyss Studios long ago, but it appears he and his recording studio never went away since he’s still at the producer’s helm for a number of Swedish death and black metal bands including Allegiance. The abrasive rawness and naked aggression he and the band worked on for Hymns of Blod proves Tagtgren hasn’t forsaken his touch spawning some of the most extreme, uncompromising Scandinavian metal. Drummer Frederick Andersson of Marduk is one of the power trio responsible for this dedication to the battles fought against crusaders of the light, unleashed in the same fashion Swedish bands railed against the destruction of their pre-Christian culture when black metal was relatively exclusive to Norway and Sweden. As this is their fourth album, Allegiance probably started out during that period and allowed their music to evolve the way it wanted while bands from neighboring Norway progressed beyond earlier albums, taking the music in different directions. About eighty per cent or more of Hymns of Blod has a nineties feel, with a few conspicuous classical thrash and melodic death riffs added to throw people off track. The Celtic sounding intro to “Hofdingadfrapa” and the short instrumental “Intag,” besides the refrains in many of the songs, have the strongest hints of this while the guitars weave in and out of dissonant chords, abrupt stops and note progressions you wouldn’t expect to exist together in the same scale the riffs are based on, but sound very effective when played over a blast beat.

Silverstein When Broken is Easily Fixed Victory
What was originally a side project became a full-time endeavor when Silverstein discovered their formula of combining metal, hardcore and emo began to work out better for them than they expected it would. In an Epimag interview drummer Paul Koehler said the Ontario, Canada based band named themselves after the poet Shel Silverstein who also composed music for the movies Ned Kelly and Postcards from the Edge. The band formed in 2000 to create music that was removed from the hardcore and ska bands of their area. One way Silverstein differ from other hardcore bands is their use of violins, which underscores the more introverted instrumental breaks for the sake of additional emotion. The harder sections in the songs are more metal than hardcore, except for the melodic vocals that come across suited to college alternative radio in many places. Going by this you wouldn’t anticipate the lyrics to be as profoundly depressive as they are, but they get their point across convincingly in the heavier sections. The contrast between the melodic and the aggressive as the songs take their courses keeps the listener interested as much as the variance in sounds that happen in each piece.

Godflesh Messiah Relapse
When Godflesh guitarist/vocalist Justin Broderick released this collection of songs originally recorded back in 1994, the circulation was limited to 700 presses on his independent label Avalanche, Inc. Wanting the material written and extended into longer remasters to reach more people, he’s allowed Relapse to re-master the earlier recordings and re-package this 2000 release. Maybe this is an effort on the band’s part to re-kindle the creative fire that first brought us the classic sludge metal milestone Streetcleaner, or perhaps to bring an awareness to longtime fans about which direction they wish to head on future full-lengths, but in light of the persistence of involvement in other acts each individual band member has been abundantly involved in it seems the band are seeking to pull all the loose ends together in favor of a new identity, drawing from the ideas from the more than side bands and single-album projects that have emerged since the beginning. This may appear to be a major undertaking for the band. Outside the fact that the brutality of Godflesh’s first album has evolved into hypnotic rhythms without waning in its heaviness, they haven’t evolved into anything commercially viable. I mean this as a statement of admiration since they’ve retained their perception of a world enslaved by technology without realizing it. The ambient remixes here with their spacey guitars and distorted bass put this across as well as anything else they’ve done.

Katatonia Viva Emptiness Peaceville
If American Psycho with Christian Bale, Jacob’s Ladder with Tim Robbins and the 1991 indie film Begotten merged into one movie, Viva Emptiness may be the bastard spawn resulting from the bizarre union. If the story this album depicts was ever made into a film, I’d be interested in seeing it. Not to reveal too much detail about the events transpiring throughout Katatonia’s new album, but from the speaker’s point of view something has gone seriously wrong and the only alternative to a chain of events leading to a logical conclusion that’s too horrible to actually mention in the lyrics is to run for the great unknown somewhere in America, or perhaps somewhere abroad. The darkened narrative begins with “Ghost of the Sun,” marking the beginning of an excursion in which its protagonist is forced to face his own inner demons. Which leads you to wonder whether this is really happening, or if it represents something occurring inside the mind of some wayward traveler. The chorus in “Criminals” and the somber mood of “A Premonition” reinforce this back-in-the-mind question. Illustrated by grainy artwork depicting blackwinged angels and solitary journeys through a depressive universe of gray matter, dark light and isolated buildings, the metal opera takes you through experiences of anger, severe urgency and brooding reflection, all of which are being thrust into your consciousness at unexpected intervals. Melodic vocals, guitar effects and keyboards so subtle you have to listen close enhance the conflict the speaker must overcome. An extreme recording in its own right.

Ved Buens Ende Written In Waters Candlelight
Though I don’t have firsthand experience, I’d guess Written In Waters’ original Misanthropy pressing is closer to Ved Buens Ende’s 1997 effort Those Who Caress the Pale, rawness-wise. Candlelight took it and cleaned the production up to release domestically but it doesn’t seem they screwed up the effect of this full-length by doing so. In fact the addition of certain effects like echo together with the biting treble-laden remastering of the studio session the band recorded this with enhances other aspects of this you otherwise would have been unable to fully appreciate. Coming to mind are the vocals of guitarist Vicotnik. Floating eerily over the endless black ocean of suppressed chaos Ved Buens Ende capture musically, if sounds like you’re hearing messages emanating from an ancient, sealed crypt through sepulchral choirs at times. At other intervals you get the impression you’re being addressed by a rotting, ages-solidified corpse that is rather eager for you to listen to his tales from beyond. The abrasive guitars sound relatively untouched by the improved treatment this album received from Candlelight, utilizing black metal’s frightening dissonance as the groundwork for avant-garde themes. The clear bass sound underneath this contributes depth and dimension while distortion-heavy power chords give way to haunting solitude making you feel you’re standing at the edge of that raging ocean. What the improved production most helped with is the drums that accent each riff with sudden ejaculations that keep things from becoming monotonous.

Fornication Descendants of the Degenerated Race Black Hole Productions
Inspired by death metal pioneers Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Deicide besides recent bands like Deeds of Flesh, Brazilian thrashers Fornication alternate between choppiness and steady progressions while writing, pouring accents into the riffs almost as often. Descendants of the Degenerated Race is their label debut after releasing a couple of demos, and if this is the representation of their technical ability, it should be more than interesting to see how they progress. The band enjoys composing songs to throw the listener off by interchanging stuff with the guitars in one measure, then doing the same with the drums in the next. Keeping up with the transitions from melody to brutality among the tempo alterations and additional beats per measure they manage to cram into a single composition makes the half-hour duration sound like forty minutes or longer, which is ideal for enthusiasts of complex arrangements in death metal. Mauricio Amorim’s skinbashing was growing on me as things went on; having played in Infernal; reportedly among Brazil’s most notorious unsigned death metal bands for ten years, he developed timing that drives the band to handle their arrangements without skipping a note. Fornication includes a cover of “Regurgitated Guts” which was originally on a death/grind Death tribute released this year.

Dead to Earth Demos 1999-2001 Rebarbative Recordings
Dead to Earth was a “black-hearted isolation metal” band that began as Secludere in 1999 and released a few demos and CD’s besides a split with Shroud of Despondency before disbanding last year. As far as I know you can’t order a copy of this demo compilation anymore except via Rebarbative. Their black metal in many ways was too extreme and nihilistic, even for label exposure from companies that deal exclusively in the genre today. The vibes I get from listening to this are of self-imposed exile and pure calculated misanthropy that would lose its appeal if it was confined by any standards set by label promoters. It’s as if they carried their negativity as far as they could until they reached the pinnacle of what they could get away with evoking on record without violating some laws of decency recognized by society as a whole, and then hastily absconded, leaving some truly evil music in their wake. “Deicide meets Abruptum” is a good way of describing the angry overtones of this band, but a more accurate comparison would be to that community of previously unsigned black metal bands who broke up after making one album. Under the typical demo production is wrath, darkness and damnation that’s hard to describe without experiencing it. “A Future in Dust” for example is a ten-minute scorcher that chills you to the bone without the additional benefit of studio effects. Visit http://rebarbative.mercurous.net to learn more.

Marduk World Funeral Regain
A few years ago, Marduk parted company with Osmose Records for reasons pertaining to finances and lack of creative control, starting their own independent production company and licensing Century Media to release their albums through a Swedish label they believed would be more beneficial. Marduk also recently parted company with Frederick Andersson and hired a new drummer to record World Funeral. Re-pooling their resources and re-emerging with a new lineup must be what bolstered their resolve to dominate the world through black metal since this is a return to the band’s form on albums like Nightwing and Heaven Shall Burn When We Are Gathered, with a significant amount of sophistication bestowed upon their relentless blasting, searing guitar and throaty howls. The band agree Emil Dragutinovic fits them perfectly, taking the percussion Andersson fueled the band with and pressing onward into new levels of extreme license. The blast excursions on World Funeral are more focused and elaborate and there are more slow songs that harness their power as strongly as ever. “Bleached Bones” is one slow song that stands out above the rest, a detailed description of an insane man’s desire to pursue meaningful relationships in isolated cemeteries. “Cloven Hoof” and “Blessed Unholy” have developed their own sophistication lyrically, and could the shadowy figures in Castrum Doloris” be the same undead villains that reared their heads in past songs like “Beyond the Grace of God” on Heaven Shall Burn…? ““Blackcrowned” borrows from the theme music of Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, transforming it into a hypnotic soundtrack to the rebirth of evil. Marduk still refuse to add any keyboards while writing these songs, keeping things basic to channel all their aggression through their music.

Mystifier Profanus Crash Music
Between the 80’s and 90’s, Mystifier were among the early Brazilian death-black metal acts, having been spawned from the same school the legendary Sarcofago emerged from to herald the birth of a more blasphemous approach to extreme music that became a major inspiration to the cult death and black metal of the 90’s. The technical capacity of guitarist and founding member Beelzeebubth has improved since their formation, demanding musicians who could keep up with him as changes in lineup happened to accommodate his dedication, but the occultic overtones have consistently permeated their music instead of fading into the woodwork with the advancements in their ability. One development leading to recognition for Mystifier was their inclusion on the Gummo soundtrack with Absu, Brujeria and Mortician. Now their influence is to be expanded further with Crash handling the Stateside release of Profanus. Where they unleashed their brutal aggression by blasting, grinding and vomiting their way through their songs (I still think Wicca is a great album, all things considered) has been replaced by classically inspired solos and harmonies to go with tighter riffs placing emphasis on biting notes while vocalist Asmoodeus is a powerful presence spewing verse passages in that haven’t lost their sacrilegious presentation to the more serious level the backing soundtrack has been carried to as the moods alter with each change in style from death to black metal vocals. A lot of the music the band wrote for this album may sound more refined, but Asmoodeus’ demonic growls will leave no doubt as to whether they have the intention of ever following suit with the lyrics. Mystifier are planning to release a video track on their next album, which should offer more insight for where they’re taking their music.

Chinchilla Madtropolis Metal Blade
This German band, who you might remember from reading Madness reviewed in this column, has an extensive touring record playing several European countries and opening for everyone from Krokus and Saxon to U.D.O and the Scorpions. As on Madness, the band worked with engineer Achim Koehler to get the classic power metal sound they were looking for to piece together what appears to be a mini-metal opera about a futuristic society known as Madtropolis (hence the title) in which the rulers acquires everything at the expense of everyone else. The fourth wall between the tale and its audience is broken down a little with “A Dance With the Devil” and “Money Rules Everything” for the purpose of comparing the events that unfold during the conceptual piece with what they perceive as happening in the world of politics and greed. With the exception of the commercial atmosphere of “Satellite” the pieces the band write are consistently energetic with Motorhead paced thrashing and frenetic guitar solos, one of which is performed by ex-Fastway and Motorhead guitarist Eddie Clarke in the middle of “When the Sand Darkens the Sun.” There are no epic-length songs describing what happens in the story, but the guitar riffs sound written with a larger epic in mind, reinforced by vocal choruses and impassioned lead vocals that strive to get the point across about the world they’re creating on record.

Celldweller Celldweller Esion Media
New York native Klayton started Celldweller after laying Circle of Dust to rest. His career as a musician, composer, producer and mixer rivals those of others who have been around for longer, though he had less time to establish himself. From helping mix Prong’s Rude Awakening to composing music for MTV, he is building a reputation from the ground up. The name Celldweller was inspired by the endless hours Klayton spent in his basement studio creating music that blurs lines between the organic and electronic. Conveying the pain of questioning oneself more deeply than most people, the self-imposed exile Klayton spent recording this album culminated in a schizophrenic piece of work springing changes faster than you can react to them. Before you grow accustomed to one mood, another is unveiled forcing you to re-adapt. This consistency represents varying levels of frustration resulting from being cut off from the rest of the world and has a certain viability “in the mosh pit as easily as on the turntable” as described by the accompanying bio. The complexity of these arrangements compares to that of classical music, fluctuating between electronic sounds, heavy guitars and sudden explosions of industrial noises. If you can envision Nine Inch Nails crossed with Biohazard, such a comparison is basic since much more is happening here. Klayton’s inspiration in hardcore-metal crossover is obvious in “Stay With Me (Unlikely)” and other songs that center on techno and trance like “The Last Firstborn.” Another thing setting Celldweller apart is the complete array of electronics overlapping one another, and complemented by bass and vocal effects. This album has already established a position on the Billboard/Soundscan net charts so you’ll probably hear of it soon.

Kettle Cadaver A Taste of Blood Horror Rock
The graphically titled A Taste of Blood shows Kettle Cadaver a visual melting pot of the Misfits, Alice Cooper and GG Allin. Promotional videos, live stuff and backstage footage capture this band’s twisted imagination by displaying extreme fetish, fighting on the dance floor and other savage antics for those who like entertainment as raw as it gets. A recreation of the crowning with thorns on the front cover is just a taste of the brutality inside. In the space of twenty minutes you get an experience you never thought you’d witness on a DVD, from which you won’t likely recover if you’re unprepared. The liner notes boast that one live performance was stopped by the police before even a minute passed, and a recent in-store appearance resulted in trashed display cases and injured fans. Musically you can expect an endless barrage of noise to accompany the violence of their shows. Kettle Cadaver’s complete lineup includes two drummers and four or five bassists providing heavy bottom. You can imagine how loud this makes them sound as they incorporate death metal, black metal, gothic metal and industrial. Reviewers who watched this agree this is meant specifically for enthusiasts of the sickest and most extreme of extreme music. If you happen to fall into this category, send ten bucks to Horror Rock Records, P.O. Box 891732, Temecula, CA 92589-1732. Website www.kettlecadaver.com will be up soon, so watch for that as well.

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