MUSIC REVIEWS VI - Music - http://maxpages.com/aeazine/MUSIC_REVIEWS

Vision Just Short of Living Knife or Death
All Out War and Merauder brought crossover between thrash and hardcore from the days of Cause for Alarm into the new school and Vision are sustaining its presence in hardcore. Which is understandable because hailing from New Jersey they’re based in generally the same area. Just Short of Living was co-produced by the band and Eric Rachel; I’m not sure if this is the same Eric Rachel who was the bassist/vocalist for Negative Youth during the earliest days of thrashcore, but if it is I understand more completely why there is a strong metallic sense overall, in terms of the sound besides many of the guitar riffs. The early nineties groove is combined with progressions that reminded me of the more complex stuff written by Slayer and Testament. The vocals, more akin to eighties’ positive hardcore don’t fully match the heaviness the guitars are intended to put across, but the lyrical messages make up for this in that they coax the listener to think about what it means to make sure you’re honest about what you’re trying to say as part of the hardcore scene and the consequences of being blinded by false pride when those around you are not as easily swayed by superficial impressions of strength.

Red Harvest Sick Transit Gloria Mundi Relapse
Before Red Harvest existed I regarded Voivod as the only band who could successfully pull off marrying science fiction to metal in such a way that made a computerized future a reality more convincingly than anyone, even the albums that are not as well received as older ones. I don’t want to say this Norwegian band “outdid” them per se because there’s always a band that thinks of something before others did, and too often in metal originators have been written off as “outdated.” In another sense Red Harvest put their own stamp on the industrial sci-fi metal sound as Mysticum did with In the Streams of Inferno, presenting their own bleak vision of a reality where humanity is ruled over by technology through its own failure to see the warning signs ahead of time. With Sick Transit Gloria Mundi the electronic production makes the atmospheric black metal riffs written still more frighteningly intense, the ethereal female vocals in the background still more haunting. In the early nineties when Scandinavian black metal emerged as a baby was when Red Harvest formed and began releasing their albums, heading in a direction apart from what other bands were doing which led to what they refer to as Apocalyptic Cyber Industrial Metal. Images of the identity of the individual absorbed into machinery and being robbed of everything that makes him a man in “Godtech,” “Dead” and “Cybernaut” are exhilarating and terrifying to experience.

Iniquity Grime Candlelight
Iniquity’s death metal strikes me as intended as a cerebrally targeted mind-screw as opposed to an exercise in brutality. I gathered as much from the cover art adorning Grime besides the muffled complexity of the songwriting. The song structure shows that these are talented musicians who handle the constant breakneck twists and turns they compose without missing a beat and the drummer’s double bass percussion does a great deal to push the rest of the band onward. Many of the riffs sound like they’re at least partially influenced by Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse. The accompanying lyrics are imaginative and well written, but without any verse breaks. While the band played fast the words often passed by in too much of a blur to follow along, which made it difficult to appreciate what was happening in that department. I’d personally suggest the band make their technical capabilities more prominent, though the material sounds like it would work well performed live. I don’t deny there is proficiency here; I just though it could be much cleaner on record. The vocals did appeal to me despite everything, being in the vein of Tom Angel Ripper’s older style.

Sear Bliss Grand Destiny Red Stream
This is a reissue of Sear Bliss’ fourth full-length recording, the original release of which according to Red Steam is no longer in print and difficult to track down. Imagery-wise an interesting comparison is made between the emptiness of hell and the farthest reaches of outer space as one solitary figure embarks on a journey into these unknown nether regions to eventually establish unchallenged dominion over all he explores. The guitar progressions, being somewhere in between Behemoth’s demo days and Immortal’s groundbreaking Pure Holocaust and do a good job radiating stark coldness and take unexpected turns, although at times the production comes across as too thin for the effect the band wish to create. If there was more bottom added to the darkness, as in the introduction and the acoustic sections these impressions would be much stronger for the listener to take in. Most of the keyboard accents underscoring the riffs provide the material with a bizarre sense of avant-garde license, often reminding me of the kind of accents Celtic Frost used to flavor their music with. The vocals have a sense of creeping evil though they could have been mixed lower into the music

U.D.O. Live from Russia SPV
Well, as I’ve said before, naysayers who believe heavy metal is dead just because it’s no longer in demand in American halls would be forced to reconsider after Live from Russia and Iron Maiden’s Live in Rio is shoved into their faces. I see there’s still a healthy enough audience for metal in many overseas countries that bands of their caliber can fill vast arenas if the need arises. Udo Dirkschneider still has the capability to pack arena capacity halls as much as Ozzy does here and I can predict if his audience was ever to go head-to-head with that of popular American pop idols, the faithful would prevail, so to speak. Live appearances by metal bands in the Soviet Union may be commonplace as opposed to the latter part of the eighties when another form of glasnost first began taking shape, but for some reason I feel transported back to that time when I hear this. Maybe it’s because I’m overly nostalgic after all, but then again maybe not. The twin CD is compiled from various shows performed during Dirkschneider’s tour of the Soviet Union. When Udo greets the crowd in Russian at the beginning you know his enthusiasm remains as it’s always been since Accept was first heard on the radio, and his vitality while singing hasn’t changed much either, almost as if he was just starting out. There are older Accept tunes here for the veterans to hear including “Midnight Mover” and “Turn Me On” as well as songs from Udo the band. I’m not sure if the acoustics of the arenas where the shows were recorded are to blame, but the production tends to sound relatively thin for the music. On the other hand, the energy as well as the honest emotion Accept conjured with their music is constant throughout and the determination on the band’s part to win the crowds over reasserts itself as the album progresses.

Hatebreed Perseverance Universal
At the risk of beginning with a clichéd note, Hatebreed is the perfect hardcore band to release your aggression to when you’re feeling pissed off. Perseverance urges you to remain true to yourself almost to the point of threatening you to under unpleasant alternatives. If there were more bands like this in the hardcore scene and not as many emo bands it’s possible that the mainstream popularity of the genre would be much bigger today, and most post-hardcore alternative would not be as self-deprecating as it is lately. The album’s inherent strength of character is magnified by the influences in death metal they bring to their music, which accounts for their being appreciated by the death metal scene in Long Island. If hardcore music’s purpose is to give kids something to maintain their inner strength in the face of blind conformity this style of “death core” takes it to another level. Despite the negative connotations people outside the underground would perceive in the band’s name, the message of Hatebreed is undeniably positive. Each song they put here is a successive dropkick to the face of those people who don’t understand where the odd man out is coming from and would rather act on ignorance than try reaching out, throwing the hate right back at them while promising not to yield to their intolerance. “Perseverance” and “I Will Be Heard” are a couple of songs I can think of right off the bat that reinforce your will to fight back against injustice committed against you in a way that would force its perpetrator reconsider about keeping the game going. It’s enough to make you wonder if that’s the actual reason that there is so much controversy about aggressive music, because a source of strength for kids who don’t fit in with society can turn out to be a dangerous thing to the existing status quo.

Hate Cain’s Way WWIII
The most extreme death metal band to originate from Poland since Vader, Hate may eventually find themselves being referred to by the press as that country’s answer to Deicide. But comparisons to the Florida death metallers aside, which includes cover artwork depicting poor old Jesus being burned alive inside a pentagram, the Polish band prove they’re competent thrashers even more than on their debut recording Holy Dead Trinity. I’ve mentioned before that Poland is one of those countries where the bands have a special passion all their own for speaking out against organized religion. These bands also have a certain mystery about them since Poland had always remained an obscure place as far as the influx of bands. Whether this changes in the future remains to be seen but Hate are drawing attention to their scene. I found few flaws with the musicianship or the production and Hate are obviously out to demolish anything in their way. For those just hearing about them now, as before Cain’s Way plows ahead relentlessly with few accent breaks added into the mix before the tempo changes occur. I noticed the largest amount of progression on the band’s part lies in the intensity they channel through the material almost as the energy of the music matches their determination to earn favorable Stateside attention. I found the slower breaks in the songs more interesting where they play riffs with one less beat per measure; those places are where they show their technical capabilities even more so than during the blast beats.

The Meads of Asphodel The Excommunication of Christ Supernal Music
Things get underway on a good first impression with this band with the first piece, a violent guitar progression kicking off, and the band have a hypnotic imagination though the songs often tend to sound uncertain as to whether they want to be Viking metal or gothic rock. There are nice transitions between one mood and the next, but as far as my personal taste goes the gothic parts sound too bright for music that the band intended to be sacrilegious. The introduction piece opening this album starts similarly to Bulldozer’s introduction “The Exorcism” from The Day of Wrath. The vocals and Gregorian chant were really familiar. When I read the band’s bio I discovered why: AC Wild, former vocalist for Bulldozer, made a guest appearance on this album, as did Kobold of United Kingdom-based gothic band History of Guns. To be fair to the band’s efforts, this is probably what accounts for their influence. You can perceive their gothic inspiration most strongly in the keyboard-spoken word breaks appearing at some intervals. There’s a heavy, almost Cronos-like bass sound emerging from underneath the guitars, especially during the slower sections, and some interesting keyboard effects likewise surface at regular intervals. An equally interesting lyrical concept is based on Biblical prophecies set to Eastern elements added to their music, though I thought the album progresses in too many different directions for me.

Cattle Decapitation To Serve Man Metal Blade
Presumably christened after the old Twilight Zone episode of the same name, To Serve Man has the unique distinction of having been banned in Germany prior to its release. I never understood what the big debate is about that, and I’m certain a lot of you feel the same; this is fiction, after all. What’s more, the fact that the first song on Cattle Decapitation’s first album, “Testicular Manslaughter,” is a morbid tale about a sex offender getting his just desserts reinforces the thought that it’s a waste of time to bitch about graphically offensive lyrics in music. The band do have a long road to travel before they can be compared to the likes of Carcass and Cannibal Corpse, but as debut recordings go To Serve Man carries an undeniable impression of technical dexterity and talent. Plenty of tempo changes are thrown into each piece as the band manage to hold everything together while setting to the music images of the consumption of living and dead flesh and the regurgitation of said matter at varying degrees of stomach-churning descriptiveness. Guitarist Josh Elmore seems to get the biggest workout through the album, and Travis Ryan does well telling these stories with a fittingly sick vocal style.

Angra Rebirth SPV/Steamhammer
Despite its brightened overtones Rebirth impressed on me a retelling of darker metal epics warning of an eventual day when fallen angels of ages past will return from the netherworld to reclaim the heavens, driving out those currently ruling the universe. The imagery of one of these fallen angels inside a magic circle enthroned on dark clouds, set against a sky with lighter clouds and a full moon background besides the optimistic overtones this band deliver gave their work a sense of irony. In the spirit of classic Fates Warning Angra take you on a journey giving a feeling of hope for the future, starting with “Nova Era” that follows a short introduction suggesting that something ominous is taking shape in those dark clouds, ready to make their presence known at any second. The music is guitar-heavy with few keyboards except in some places where the band prepare you for the song to follow. Guitarists Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt don’t sound like they’re competing with each other for attention while soloing and the lines between the lead sections and the rest of the song are defined enough. Hard to believe the band hails from Brazil which I’ve long associated with extreme black and death metal.

Brand New Sin Brand New Sin Now or Never
The hardcore scene in Syracuse, New York was thriving as much as the hardcore scene in Manhattan, according to the members comprising Brand New Sin, who maintain their style of biker rock grew from the post-hardcore explosion which began in the early nineties. There is little evidence of hardcore music on their self-titled freshman effort but if you consider that Corrosion of Conformity, who were a leading voice in the crossover movement, have made a name for themselves playing music similar to theirs that makes things a little more valid. The gritty anthem-like progressions gracing the album appear to have enough confidence to challenge the likes of Motorhead and Guns N Roses for their status as innovators who redefined popular music; while what they’re playing here is currently being done to death by countless other bands, particularly where the Tony Iommi influenced guitars are concerned, a level of unapologetic honesty and warning shines through that can’t be denied for long. This will make you wonder why most mainstream alternative is more emotional and too concerned with trying to be inane instead of doing what comes naturally to a disgruntled musician.

Limbionic Art The Ultimate Death Worship Nocturnal Art Productions
Going by their album covers alone, it’s simple telling that the members of Limbionic Art have always shared an affinity for exploring the “outer limits” of black metal, so to speak, taking excursions into unexplored astral realms with their music. Seeking to supply a pervading element of mystery, for example, most of the keyboard lines the band utilize to underscore the pieces on their seventh effort The Ultimate Death Worship sound as if they’re being transmitted over insurmountable distances to imply the vastness of their creative scope. If the band intended the keys to sound that way in the final mix, it makes if apt fare to transcend by, more through experiencing than just listening if that’s what you most enjoy doing while hearing extreme music. The rough-edged guitars and machine gun blast beats taking center stage in a significant portion of this album do a nice job speaking of the violent chaos the songwriters perceived in the darkest reaches of their minds, but as for me I found myself appreciating the ambient-themed tracks including “Purgatorial Agony” which evoked several shades of lurking malevolence before sailing smoothly into “Towards the Oblivion of Dreams” with a slow opening riff that opened the doorway for the creeping evil to leap out at you unexpectedly. Actually the first ambient piece introducing the album likewise did a great job at this, and that’s the reason it should have had a longer duration considering the opening title song takes a little while to build up. Another point of interest: Attila Cshar, vocalist for Mayhem on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas makes a guest appearance here, his unique voice seeming to add the right effect to the shredding ambience of this album. His vocals share the spotlight with the band’s vocalist, creating a dual chilling effect without overlapping.

Myrkskog Superior Massacre Candlelight
Although Myrkskog’s music is primarily death metal, one can understand the riffs likened to black metal - one example is a couple guitar progressions in “Trapped in Torment” that reminded me of Satyricon - considering that two of the band members also comprise Emperor guitarist Samoth’s side project and brainchild Zyklon. Again, it could be because I have spent a long time listening to a great deal of black metal but I hear a lot of that here. While this kind of progression is often repeated it fits the other riffs well enough when they do and the transitions remain tight as they jump from one riff to the next. Firmly remaining in the thirty-minute range as a full-length, Superior Massacre is death metal that balances brutality with technicality evenly, delivering it with the hateful flavor fast becoming synonymous with the Euro death metal sound. Guitarist/vocalist Destructhor’s riffs dominate the material denoting technical dexterity while accompanying drumming that sounds as if it’s almost impossible to be humanly duplicated as attested in the liner notes. But as is the case with any new face surfacing in extreme music, as far as turning out to be the next Trey Azagthoth it’s too early to tell at this point. To his and the rest of the band’s credit there is a very modernized atmosphere permeating this album with plenty of intricate time changes that the band as a whole handle perfectly. Candlelight are pulling for them to make a name for themselves in the United States with a lot of fervor so we’ll see whether the band’s and label’s combined efforts pay off in the long run.

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