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

Cult Of Luna The Beyond Earache
Cult Of Luna, consisting of ex-members of the Swedish hardcore band known as Eclipse, operates on the principle that “isolation brings its own rewards in the end,” described by Earache’s biography for the band. Working within the confines of the cultural scene in Umea, the birthplace of bands playing atramentous, psychologically brutal music such as Naglfar, Meshuggah and Refused has left an indelible mark on this band, judging by their banefully apocalyptic approach to music. This could be why the Swedish scene has attained the level of notoriety in the metal world that began with the second half of the last decade and carried through to this day. The vision of doom unleashed upon the world is not transmitted through blast beats and savage vocals but announced by waves of sound emanating from keyboards or synthesizers, laconically giving way to heavyhearted depictions of society collapsing in on itself, humanity losing out to the machine, or whatever should be going through your mind when listening. Former Eclipse vocalist Klas Pydberg and guitarist Johannes Persson personify the last voice of reason degenerating into directionless frustration as the songs comprising The Beyond pound on relentlessly, oft times quieting into fleeting moments of reflection and searching for what was lost. Although these parts offer a sense of renewed faith they don’t last long before you’re reminded that all you know is still crumbling all around you. But what the band mean to put across is there is always a chance of deliverance in the end, no matter how slim.

Blood Red Throne Affiliated With The Suffering Hammerheart
If you’re learned in death metal and black metal it might not come as a surprise to learn that Blood Red Throne are from Norway. Along with the shades of early Death there are many instances where they hearken back to Soulside Journey era Dark Throne. Mixing Norwegian and Floridan death metal is an interesting idea to pursue, and Blood Red Throne manage to pull it off convincingly. The band’s founding members are Tchort, formerly of the mighty Emperor, and Dod, who played together in Satyricon’s touring band. In this situation they discovered a shared love for brutal music, and while playing with bassist Erlend Caspersen they covered Death, Obituary and Deicide until ready to write original material. Released after their debut Monument of Death and mini album A Taste For Blood, Affiliated With The Suffering has many indications of BRT seeking their own voice amidst their influences, which I will get to after mentioning those responsible for bringing the band’s brutal aspects to light. Endre Kirkesola, who handled production duties for the mini album, handles production and engineering of Affiliated with Tchort, bringing a rawness that will appeal to black and death metallers. ‘Unleashing Hell” is one example of how BRT can evolve on their own terms, placing guitar harmonies that may call early Emperor to mind as the band likewise master the standard guitar harmonies of the Florida scene. Maybe it’s just me, but “A Dream Of Death” resonates with both Deicide and Mayhem, especially in the opening progression that thrashes like there’s no tomorrow.

Cage Darker Than Black Fugitive
The name may sound unfamiliar but Cage earned the title “best new band of 1999” in Rock Hard magazine and spent some time opening for Iron Maiden and Dio on the Virtual Eleven tour besides sharing bills with Judas Priest and Dokken and opening for Metallica at the Dynamo in Eindhoven, Holland. All part of Cage’s ascendancy toward global domination, and obviously impressive achievements for a band that started as grunge was enjoying mainstream exposure. They must feel a sense of vindication from playing with metal bands of such stature that retain the ability to fill colossal arenas. But it remains to be seen if their fervor is enough to win over fans of the Luca Turilli school of power metal. Vocalist Sean Peck vaunts an aptitude of reaching high notes similar to what Rob Halford exhibited on good days. The regression of his voice into an abrasive black metal rasp in “Chupacabra” threw me off, but the elevation of his voice to a high-pitched scream in “Blood of the Innocent” sounds more suitable to his style. In “Eyes of Obsidian” he lays out a range between high and low notes comparable to Bruce Dickinson. I shouldn’t liken Peck to too many vocalists lest people get the wrong idea that he’s biting off other singers. His vocals have a certain resolve with its own identity, and his multi track harmonies show that he is establishing his own mode of conveying said resolve. The songs listed above along with “Philadelphia Experiment” and “March of the Cage” show musicianship wieldy and tenacious enough to back up the strength in Peck’s voice.

Burial Hordes Mors Luminis Independent
Burial Hordes formed in Greece a few years ago; two of its members also play in another band known as Enshadowed. Their second demo Mors Luminis reminded me of Demonic’s Lead Us Into Darkness, in the guitars and vocals specifically since their style seems to have corresponding foundations. Assigning themselves the title black thrash and citing Impaled Nazarene, Carpathian Forest and Aura Noir as influences, they do a befitting job at bringing darkness and evil to CD as demos go. The similarities to Norwegian black metal are in the dissonant chords and shadowy production. One complaint is that the percussion could have used a minor tightening up during the thrashier parts of these songs, but other than that the musicianship is proper for the effect the band intended to impart. The drums also could have been turned louder in the mix at the start of “Imminent Eclipse” to add more weight to its tenebrous theme. The title song and “Centuries of Lies” are better percussion-wise, as here the drums are much tighter and give the song stronger propulsion. There is no website that I know of for the band, but you can contact them at morsluminis@hotmail.com if you’re interested in writing them.

Vader Blood/Reign Forever World Metal Blade
Blood and Reign Forever World are two MCD’s Vader recorded between 2001 and 2002, that Metal Blade have seen fit to release Stateside this month. That’s about enough for my usual introductions for this review. When I listened to Blood, I was impressed with how tighter the Polish death metallers keep getting. The new lineup of vocalist/guitarist Peter, guitarist Mauser, drummer Doc and bassist Novy (who was previously playing in Behemoth) got accustomed to playing together pretty quickly; this was evident right from the opening strains of “Shape-Shifting” and continued through other pieces like “We Wait,” “As The Fallen Rise Again” and “Son Of Fire” As great as these were, it’s when I noticed their choice of covers for Reign Forever World, I had to skip ahead to them before hearing the rest of the CD, starting with “Total Desaster.” The cover Vader do of the old Destruction classic easily compares to Marduk’s version for Glorification and the live version for Live in Germania. Following this is a cover of Judas Priest’s “Rapid Fire” which continues the tradition of death metal acts doing one of the first bands to wear leather and spikes justice. But the best choice for a cover song, at least in my opinion, was when they decided to record Mayhem’s “Freezing Moon.” In what may well be a milestone gesture for an established death metal act, Vader lend their trademark brutality to Euronymous’ vision, translating the original into a believable death metal song where the evil persona of the version on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is obviously taken seriously as the band show how effectual it can be as death metal. Peter contributes a haunting vocal style while wind effects and an occultic flavor a la Morbid Angel are added. Reign generally has darker production, and while not as tight as Blood it’s still pretty brutal and relentless in their execution as well. The band are planning to record a new full-length soon so watch for it.

FalconerThe Sceptre of Deception Metal Blade
Before I get into discussing their third album, I should mention Falconer was started by guitarist Stefan Weinerhall, who prior to establishing his current act was in a Swedish black metal band called Mithotyn. If you’re new to the scene it’s good to know Mithotyn were among the more progressive voices in Swedish black metal, incorporating Celtic themes and intricate songwriting. Mithotyn released four demos and three full-length albums on the German label Invasion before they disbanded in 1999. But instead of expanding on the music Mithotyn released between 1997 and ’99, Weinerhall decided a change in direction was necessary to establish himself in a new band, and power metal best fit what he wanted to do. His new band took off quickly as Falconer released their debut album with former Mithotyn drummer Karsten Larsson in 2000. The band recorded The Sceptre of Deception at Los Angered with King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque who plays lead guitar on “Hear Me Pray,” the ninth chapter of a conceptual story written for this album. Falconer goes all out to make this metal opera as dramatic as possible, hiring a heap of guest musicians and vocalists to fill the different roles of the story, including not just one but two female singers. Falconer hired Kristoffer Gobel to replace Mathias Blad who was vocalist for the band on their first two albums. I haven’t heard Falconer’s work with Blad singing for them, but Gobel has a vocal range that accommodates the tenebrous design of the songs. Again Falconer are going in a different musical direction from the last band Weinerhall and Larsson were in, but you can hear a lot of the progressive Celtic-tinged black metal in the songs here, mostly in the riffs but in other places as well, like the blast beat Larsson eases into the refrain of “Night Of Infamy.”

Kill 2 This mass. [down] – sin (drone) Loudspeaker
They’re new voices on the radio, but Kill 2 This have existed since Another Cross To Bare introduced them to the world in ‘95. They recently finished a promotional video for Universe in a Nutshell off their fourth CD mass. [down] – sin (drone) which can be previewed on kill2this.com where you can see the lyrics to this and the band’s other three albums. They say the band will find an audience in the underground and nu-metal camps alike; doing so would be an accomplishment worth mentioning since fans of death and black metal as well as nu-metal lovers have a tendency to stick to what they’re into. In some ways I can see how broadened New York metallers might gravitate toward this even though others may find this too mellow for their tastes since Steve Rooney is a hard hitting and precise drummer, and the production gives his beats and fills much clarity. In such moments as “Suburbanality,” one of the album’s heavier tracks, his style pushes the band to play harder. Phil Bretnall makes the biggest effort to push his vocals from melodic to aggressive. “The Truth…And Other Lies” still has solid percussion and blaring guitars, but this song reflects how most of the album is more emotional than heavy. It would give you the notion the band is from California if it wasn’t for the strapping intensity the songs are performed with. Kill 2 This is actually from London, England though they’ve been received warmly playing shows with the Slipknots of nu-metal. The band was also recently confirmed for an opening slot with Machine Head’s forthcoming European tour.

Jezabel Legiones Del Sur Cruz Del Sur
If all power metal from Argentina sounds like this, it wouldn’t surprise me if that country’s scene eventually moved in on the European power metal bands. Jezabel mixes rawness with classical influence, making the sum of both parts poignant enough to place Legiones Del Sur in a spotlight alongside the most musically accomplished bands on the other side of the ocean. This is one of the first examples of classical-flavored metal from the Argentinian perspective since the 80’s revival started, and I’m as favorably impressed as I was when first hearing that archetype of quality Italian thrash, Luca Turilli and Rhapsody. If these bands shared the same label, they could book a tour and likely tear the roof off wherever they were to perform. I doubt even the most hardened power metallers could handle both acts together. Legiones ushers itself in with a multifaceted orchestral introduction “Glaciares” that’s so clear-cut you can attend to each instrument. When you think the intro reaches its conclusion it lingers in a tense juncture between itself and “Sigue Un Paso Mas” which springs into action with the classical elements of the intro backed by thunderous double bass from Guillermo Sacromanno. Leandro Coronel handles the vocals in a relative Fates Warning vein but with reinforced passion. The musicianship remains steady through this song, and there’s a lot of interaction going on between guitarists Nestor Rodriguez and Diego Del Rio, and quite a bit more between them and keyboardist Omar Liste as bassist Gustavo Florio keeps a firm anchor. There are other cuts with the same speed as this one, but the slower songs are a little more interesting as pieces like “El Tiempo Dira” has a middle break with some intriguing vocal harmonies. This is a band you’d make no mistake by looking out for.

Dimentianon Seven Suicides Paragon
For those of you who don’t already know, Dimentianon rose from the ashes of The Forgotten when it was decided they should change their name so as not to be confused with other bands under the same name. This was back in January of 2002, and the band that emerged from the old – consisting of founding members of The Forgotten and Rigor Sardoncous guitarist J. Fogarazzo – spent the summer of that year writing material for a demo that would become the groundwork for their first full-length since 2001 and L’Aldila, Seven Suicides. I’ve heard comparisons between this band to bands into the war metal of Australia and Canada, bands into black metal’s more chaotic side, and bands like apocalyptic doom such as fellow Long Islanders Winter. Personally, from what I read of them I’d opine they have more in common with Fleurety and Vediog Svaor for their unconventional approach. Their music is extreme for its effect on your subconscious, twisting it into a maze it would take years to negotiate rather than directly assaulting your senses. Not to say they completely abandoned the frontal assault method. “Self-Inflicted Abuse” begins with a wall of feedback that comes across like a surreal nightmare would if translated into sound, joined by a heartbeat of open chords that builds to a traditional black metal progression that resonates of Mayhem and Necrophagia. The band is much rawer than they were as The Forgotten. The production is very abrasive, with distorted guitars and rasping vocals. From my perspective, the song views earthly existence as a prison by which the only means of escape is through dying, to put it mildly. If this strikes you as repugnant, what may most unnerve you is how this is put across almost artfully. And it’s just the outset of a voyage into a world of phantasmic dread where percepts of pain and pleasure, concepts of dazzler and gorgon, are turned on their heads. What’s repugnant becomes liberating, what’s pleasing to the eye becomes horrid and unbearable. Anguish becomes catharsis and sadness becomes self-revelation. And all the while the traditional aspects of black metal drive the point home.

Cradle of Filth Damnation and a Day Epic
I believed Cradle of Filth reached their creative peak long ago, but Damnation and a Day is making me reconsider this in many ways. Perhaps releasing an album of their finest live moments of the past couple years gave them the opportunity to replenish their collective afflatus with yet another new lineup (I may be mistaken, but Dani Filth could be the band’s sole founding member at this point), which is good because with new members comes fresher ideas for a genre of metal that is known for stretching its own confines, and Damnation and a Day brings new elements to the Cradle sound while enticing more attention drawn toward others that were more dormant but have just begun to be expanded on. Like Cruelty and the Beast, which you’ll remember was a black metal opera about the life and times of Elizabeth Bathory, Damnation is a black metal opera spanning the creation to the arrival of… er, Old Scratch, if you will. The narrative is broken up into four parts marking key moments in history chronicled in both Testaments. Cradle’s prosaically epic lyrics are still a major constituent of their songwriting, as are the bloodcurdling screams, blast beats and searing guitars that we have all come to know and love from them, but here this is just scratching the surface when it comes to discussing the effect these songs are to have upon the listener. Just wait until you hear Sarah Jezebel Diva’s vocals and the horn arrangements of the Budapest Film Orchestra. The latter element added to the music is the most exceptional improvement that Cradle have metamorphosed themselves with. For example, the intro to “The Promise of Fever” creates an effect that’s both majestic and spine-chilling, heralding something evil in the distance. Damnation proves black metal is alive and well, and still has much more to offer.

Napalm Death Punishment in Capitals Snapper Music
From the way metal journalist Malcolm Dome described the grueling performance Napalm Death recorded for their live DVD, Punishment in Capitals sounds like a live experience to end all live experiences. While writing the liner notes, Dome interviewed vocalist Barney Greenway who told him the band went twenty minutes over their usual 70-minute set to create a home video of their shows fans would never forget, pointing out observations that many other established bands usually expend all their energy in less than an hour. This would suggest the band’s ULU performance eventually began to take a life of its own at a certain point, with the energy and brutality the band released to went beyond itself and transcended the usual amount of energy bands put out while playing live to become something frighteningly self-sustaining. Unnerving to consider but you might get the same impressions from watching the band play when viewing this DVD for yourself. Barney and Napalm Death played the show as a Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty benefit to raise money to fight animal testing at the Huntingdon Life Sciences Laboratory. When you think of why they put on the show, you’ll imagine perhaps it was their unwavering personal convictions that fueled the incessant, demonic energy they threw into their set for that long. Napalm Death plowed through classics from their glorious first two albums “Lucid Fairytale,” “From Enslavement to Obliteration,” “Scum,” “Life” and “The Kill” next to “Greed Killing” and “Mass Appeal Madness” and tributes to the later Chuck Schuldiner with a cover of Death’s “Back From The Dead” plus a cover of the Dead Kennedys’ “Nazi Punks Fuck Off.” And they did it as if they could stop the animal testing by force of will alone. When you watch the show you will agree it seemed so.

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Page Updated Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:40pm EDT