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

Vassago Knights From Hell World War III
Originating in 1997, before the outpouring of Swedish melodic death metal bands began tapering off, Vassago took a comparatively long time to establish themselves. This was caused by internal problems like bandmates becoming thieves and drug abusers. Sin and Pepa of Lord Belial (a band that is still active, having released Angelgrinder last year) plowed through these difficulties with the same fire fueling Knights from Hell. Little is known about the Black Dragon International of which Vassago state they’re members, but if one remembers the infamy of the Norwegian black metal scene the name may sound ominous. It remains to be seen whether we’ll look at metal publications and start reading the same headlines that well-known Norwegian bands were making a decade ago, so we’ll refrain from jumping to conclusions. Knights From Hell was recorded in 1998 at Los Angered Studios under the supervision of King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque who did well to retain the rawness Vassago had in mind even if it’s produced with less grit placed alongside standard 90’s war metal. Daniel Vala’s cover art depicts a horde of medieval knights preparing for battle, but the lyrics announcing the onset of this battle in “Sign of Vassago” are metaphors of fighting the religious heathens with firearms rather than the axes and swords described in “Total War Brings Total Death.” The brutality of Knights from Hell manifests itself with a steady feel of chaotic violence apocalyptic thrashers “God Forsaken” and “Thou Shalt Kill” regardless of varying tempos. One of the best moments for me was “Anal Fistfuck” that incessantly pounded on with a slower “Reapers of Satan” (War) likened tempo that was a backbone for repetitive lyrics as blasphemous as those that hard core Swedish metal bands are known for.

Soulless Agony’s Lament Crash Music
Now a leading Ohio death metal band, Soulless set thrash riffs written in the vein of Kreator, Sodom and Slayer to the melodic sound of Hypocrisy and Amon Amarth. An admirable thing for them is they demonstrated their ability by covering songs by Ozzy, Judas Priest and Twisted Sister besides W.A.S.P., Metallica and Destruction on a bunch of tribute albums that Dwell Records were handling before they even released their first CD a couple of years ago. These covers were done in a way that proved the band had the potential to write songs at least as well as those bands, and their most widespread release Agony’s Lament confirmed this for various independent mainstream publications including Metal Maniacs, Eternal Frost and Metal Rules! In their songs Soulless often elaborate on the ripping aggression of the guitars with harmonies that flow into the close of a riff, seemingly appearing as an afterthought at first but dominating the progression as it returns to the beginning again. Examples of how guitarists Wayne Richards and Jim Corrick set this to thrash well are in “Agonies,” “Lament,” “Exile” and “The Soul Scythe,” for which Soulless offer a live mp3 on their website (www.soullessdomain.com). Richards and Corrick are a formidable talent for a band with their sights set on the metal hierarchy, basing their interaction on duos like King/Hanneman and Murray/Smith as they open songs with riffs allowing for accents to cut in and going into the songs themselves with interesting harmonies in different keys. Room is provided in “Empty Deadness” and “Bleeding Darkness” for mid-tempo mosh parts featuring these harmonies Drummer Chris Dora backs this up with a relentlessness you can hear in the thrashes and moshes, pushing everything to come through the speakers with greater resolve.

Pissing Razors Evolution Spitfire
Pissing Razors’ sixth full-length, their third on Spitfire Records, is being described as “metal for the new generation” as the band are being described by their record label and independent publications like NC Scene and Metal Review as a cut above the crop of Pantera/Skinlab/Machine Head imitators, angrier than Pantera, top-notch musicians, etc. Evolution does have a very modern sound, but presented with dissonant guitars with a distinct difference from most groove-oriented riffs other bands write. The last album they released before this was a live CD that spanned everything starting with their debut Cast Down the Plague, this live album was received positively by the fanzine circuit, so apparently the band are confident to give audiences a good showing even without backing from an established label. Under these circumstances you need a studio album that can back up proving yourself before a crowd on record. Guitarist Matt Difabio writes arrangements that go a long way toward building the momentum of the energy generated culminating in their live album. There’s atmosphere on Evolution that is more up front than many “modern metal” albums; “Perseverance” and “Fall Away” have an interesting balance between atmosphere and heaviness from verse to chorus. But the true appeal in the guitars is how the riffs sound out of sync with many bands following the same patterns other guitarists do. Difabio sounds like he goes out of his way to incorporate riffs into these songs with chops that follow previous notes and start and stop inn unexpected intervals.

Callenish Circle My Passion // Your Pain Metal Blade
Doing a four-week European tour with Amon Amarth plus appearing at the Ozzfest in Holland must have bolstered the resolve of the Netherlands’ Callenish Circle to carry the energy this album displays to its limits since thrashers over there reportedly liked what they were hearing from the stage. Their first Metal Blade release My Passion//Your Pain displays an endless barrage of aggression that sounds like the band are making up for parting company when Drift of Empathy failed to receive the accolades they were hoping for upon its Hammerheart release in 1996. Holy Moses guitarist Andy Classen handled the production duties at Germany’s Stage One Studio, ensuring Callenish Circle’s brutality would be laid bare for everyone within earshot to know how devoted the band have been to conquer the world for the decade they have existed. This in-your-face production allows for a stronger distinction between the choppy mid-tempo thrashing and slower groove sections that appear as often as the faster parts. But the only flaw in this approach is that it downplays the band’s melodic capabilities and tends to sound too one-sided as far as showcasing the variances in their songwriting. In example, toward the end of the album “My Passion” tramples all in its path with a conscious effort to show its melody before giving way to a quieter refrain in “Conflicts” which in turn leads to an almost classical theme at the beginning of “Your Pain.” As a “trilogy” it might have had more of an impact if it wasn’t as in-your-face. “My Hate Unfolds” features a sample from American Psycho that works well in the song’s fadeout. There’s also a CD-ROM track designed by Brutalism’s Twan Sibon.

Wehrwolfe Godless We Stand Magick
I guess it was bound to come about sooner or later. Indie goth/industrial label Cleopatra finally formed a sister label that is solely dedicated to supporting extreme metal, though I should mention the likes of Motorhead, Genitorturers and former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Dianno have albums on Brian Perera’s original label. The musical blasphemy of guitarist Chuck and the rhythm section of Devon on bass and Scott on drums, who wish only to be known on a first-name basis and were members of Deadmoon with Nile’s Jon Vesano before Wehrwolfe, is evidently too excessive for standard Cleopatra fare. But these musicians cite Geddy Lee and Yngwie Malmsteen as influences on top of respected figures in thrash metal like Dave Lombardo, Cliff Burton and Pete Sandoval, channeling their combined abilities into making sure they do their part to ensure metal is taken seriously. After all, they covered Coroner’s “Masked Jackal,” which shows they’ve remembered their classic thrash roots even if many bands from that time period were forced to call it quits; that kind of integrity must count for something. Godless We Stand makes it plain that Wehrwolfe believe so. From the first song they declare a metaphoric quest for vengeance on behalf of the unavenged, to coin a phrase, and carry you through the fiercest wars waged to see the quest through. Many blast beats and classical leads are on this album, but Wehrwolfe’s death metal is more mid-80’s to early 90’s, with lead-in riffs, accents and fills preparing the listeners to ready themselves for the pure speed that follows. The strongest reminders are of old Slayer and Morbid Angel. Vocalist Nathan Ellis treats the lyrical shades of black metal, death metal and thrash with equal brutality in “Godless We Stand,” “The Trinity Undone” and “Forged Sufferance.”

Nasum Helvete Relapse
I would prefer not to begin a review of a good grindcore album on a bad note but this will likely be the last Nasum album with bassist/vocalist Jesper Liverod since he’d parting company with them as of summer’s end, for reasons he doesn’t go into either at the official Nasum or Relapse websites, other than because he wants to work with his last band Burst. But he assures us the parting was amiable and there’s not a shred of animosity between him and his former bandmates. I’m sure Liverod will be missed by those who have followed Nasum up to now since his presence on their third full-length recording Helvete (Swedish for hell, for the black metallers) has become an important counterpoint to the guitars and lead vocals of Mieszko A. Talarczyk. Working as a unit since 2000 and Human 2.0, the power trio did well writing longer, more detailed grindcore songs and developing solid communication between the two members up front as drummer Anders Jakobson backed up the hyperblasting powerviolence assaulting audiences from the drum stool. Jakobson uses his crash cymbals a lot to give the blast parts an additional chaotic sense to build on their inspiration from classic Napalm Death, who they cite as the reason they started playing grindcore. Nasum doesn’t bother with electronic sounds or interspersions of jazz-fusion thrown into their songs; there are as many time changes and breakdowns from blast beats to halftime thrashing as on the kind of albums Dillinger Escape Plan and Soilent Green come out with, but the aggression almost always stays constant. The lyrics retain the political feel of Napalm Death’s pre-death metal albums, but are longer and more personally directed. If anyone has a copy of the cover Nasum did of Discharge’s “Vision of War,” I’d really like to hear how that sounds.

Brainstorm Soul Temptation Metal Blade
Brainstorm should be the band to represent power metal’s future; in many ways they deserve a place spearheading the revival right next to the likes of Luca Turilli and Rhapsody. And they didn’t even need the classical influence to warrant this worthiness. They’ve come as far as releasing five albums solely on a fierce resolve that shows itself without compromise. I thought Ambiguity was okay musically, but there was something about that album making it one of the more “evil” power metal releases Metal Blade has handled in the past five years. Two full-lengths later (I didn’t have the opportunity to hear Metus Mortis, much less their earliest discs Hungry and Unholy) and the lyrical malevolence may have been toned down, but there is still that frightening intensity redirected through improved musicianship (there are even orchestral instruments added to some songs) and a more traditional power metal atmosphere. Jan Meininghaus’ cover art suggests the same darkness of their past work is still lurking just underneath, out of sight of prying eyes. The personal lyrics sung by Andy B. Franck (also vocalist for Symphorce) are made even deeper and more introspective than usual by this intensity channeled in their music. The relentlessness pushes Franck harder to project his vocals, giving “Dying Inside,” “Highs Without Lows,” “Doorway to Survive” and “The Leading” a more profound effect that lasts long after these songs have ended. A high point of Soul Temptation was a three-part epic called “Trinity of Lust” that stands out from everything I’ve heard from Brainstorm until now because of the Eastern overtones running through it from an introduction replete with Indian musical instruments to how it’s reflected in the songs that follow to the conceptual story of seeking knowledge and finding the wrath of Shiva.

Parricide Ill-Treat WWIII
Polish death metal is still gaining momentum in worldwide underground affairs, and as more bands are signed to labels based abroad, the scene may eventually earn recognition from mainstream press that the scenes in New York and Florida have been receiving for years. Many people are familiar with Vader as the leading death metal band based in Poland, but there are others fast approaching from behind to re-establish the infamy that band has already earned on behalf of brutal music from the Eastern Hemisphere. The classical piece Parricide sample at the end of “One Step to Deviation” creates a feeling of emerging from oblivion beyond to dominate the world of extreme music much as the onslaught of Polish bands seems to have been doing seemingly out of nowhere. The longest track on Ill-Treat is little over four minutes; the number of choppy guitar progressions and time changes jammed into the confined space of each song calls forth enough energy that by the time the album concludes you feel you’ve been listening for much longer. If WWIII garners enough publicity for this band (and from the bio they’ve been making a valiant effort), publications that give widespread exposure to Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel may find much of value in them. “Watched (By Shades)” is a song demonstrating how Parricide are injecting their own visions into this genre, the lead in riffs of this song handling its off-time accents with sharp precision that the band build on when the blast beats kick in. “Deranged,” “Primordial Fear” and “Burnt Offerings” follow this formula in similar ways but with enough inventiveness to make sure you keep listening closely to hear everything that’s going on. I am also certain that covering Cannibal Corpse’s “Hammer Smashed Face” will further convince American death metallers of Parricide’s capabilities as musicians.

Corrosive Slaughtered In Vain Independent
Slaughtered in Vain is the third self-produced MCD released by Corrosive (their second, Rotting Within received limited but positive press from zines besides being reviewed here; their first came out way back in 1994 and that was the last the underground heard of them until 2000 with the new CD and an appearance at the Milwaukee Metalfest) who are selling it at Cheap Thrills branches presumably centering in their Shady Spring, West Virginia hometown and through cdbaby.com. Corrosive call themselves “Guerilla Grown Mountain Metal,” one of the more thought out titles this side of Kor-Lokt’s “Fully Jacketed Metal.” The title song of Slaughtered sounds more groove-oriented than I remember them being on their last MCD, mostly from an opening buildup with a riff that sounds as if it could go double-time but slows for a bit before picking up in speed. Thrashier riffing with relentless double bass that figures prominently in the choruses follows this. Just when you’re growing accustomed to the faster velocity, it’s back into more groove to dominate the rest of the song with. Similar groove riffs are in the following songs but the speed is picked up more often. You’ll hear the same mid-tempo double bass in “Shapeshift” and “Infected Condition;” the latter song brings progressive elements of thrash some bands experimented with in the late 80’s (Testament’s Practice What You Preach is what I had in mind). From repeated listening it seems the musicianship is primarily built on string instruments following along with the percussion. In the faster parts, the double bass is steadily synchronous with the guitars, the only deviation in chords at the end of a riff the drums accent later.

Arkham A.D. Bloodfiend Back Ta Basics
A local Long Island band calling themselves “speedeaththrash (speed-death-thrash) metalcore,” Arkham A.D. consist of musicians who have played in other local Long Island bands for years. To promote their second demo, the band have been signing the guestbooks of various webzines, performing and building a following. According to their promotional ad, they did a show in Germany which they will be sampling on their website. With all the gore-grind and black metal bands originating from LI in the last five years, Arkham A.D.’s hardcore following are apparently hell bent on letting people know there are still bands here who want to play metal. Copies of Bloodfiend are being pressed in limited quantities by Back Ta Basics, an indie label from Baltimore, MD. Going by the songs, Arkham A.D.’s biggest influences seem to be Deicide and Sepultura with the strongest impressions of old school thrash and early nineties hardcore that I’ve heard in a long time from a LI band. The guitars have a relentless quality and the vocals sound like a cross between Peter Steele and Sheer Terror’s Paul Bearer. The title song had a catchy break that reminded me of an old Carnivore song “Cry Wolf” that was included on Type O Negative’s Live, Rare and Hard. Contact the band at TheArkhamCult@yahoo.com for more info.

The Crown Possessed 13 Metal Blade
I’m sure many people who are concerned with the state of the metal scene these days will find it refreshing to hear that Possessed 13 recently entered Sweden’s Top 100 charts at number 54. It nudges the underground into the mainstream a bit more with the promise of more to come if other underground bands should earn enough clout for sales to increase. The Crown package this album like a cult horror flick from the 1950’s, complete with a grainy cover depicting a terrified woman clinging to a gravestone, cringing from some unseen horror about to pounce. The consternation she must feel is illustrated by a melancholic climate the band write into these songs in a way that creeps into the picture much like the unseen horror was stalking the woman by the gravestone. If you’re closely attentive to how The Crown infuse this climate into their music you may feel some apprehension as if the act of listening was invoking some unearthly menace to come searching for you when the moon comes out and you’re alone in your room. You might even feel safer listening to the rest of this album with the lights on, taking solace in the extreme slants of “No Tomorrow” and “Morningstar Rising,” but always be careful where you take your next steps into this journey because the trepidation could be waiting for you before you even suspect it may decide to unveil itself. After the narrative has concluded, there are some demos and unreleased tracks the band included at the end of the album, one of these being a cover of a rare Bathory song known as “Burnin’ Leather.”

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