Atrox "Orgasm" CD
7/10 - [Code666]
I guess you could call this avant-garde metal from Norway or something
of that nature. It's pretty creative and at times technical, fusing metal,
jazzy, and progressive influences with a few far quirkier little dashes of
strangeness. Female singing takes the lead, usually pretty calm and
restrained, at times flying off the hook and wailing/squealing rather
obnoxiously, and at times backed by equally varied male singing that can be
really calm or shrieked. The riffing is very rhythmic and driven by strong
guitar/bass interplay, often layering clean and distorted guitars for more
melody. A few of the chunkier and more basic rhythms have a Meshuggah thing
going on, whereas the jangly and off kilter clean chords can have a really
unusual indie vibe - not common for any form of metal. I love some of the
slower melodic leads as they really add a sense of emotion to the songs, but
the keyboards are also tactfully handled for this style, rather than being a
little cheesy or overbearing. Honestly I think this record could be a little
better than it is were the songs slightly more consistent. I love the
diversity of it, but some of the wackier stylings clash with the masterful
melodies and generally strong vocal performances. "Heartquake" is one of the
spacier and more progressive inspired tracks, and I think it's one of the
strongest in its laidback tone. "This Vigil" maintains a healthy balance of
atmospheres throughout (including some uncharacteristically melodic and
almost upbeat chord progressions), and the chorus in "Second Hand Traumas"
borders on being catchy in a way. Ironically the longest track, "Pre-sense",
stays pretty linear in structure (i.e. not journeying off on any unnecessary
tangents), with a mix of great dissonant arpeggios and stuttered rhythmic
chord progressions, as well as some abrasive rhythms and droning lead runs
with a lot of fucked up panning effects. I have no problems with the
recording. Everything is nice and clear despite a good deal of layering, the
tones are bright without lacking force, etc. The bass plays a great role
just behind the guitars, the percussion has its own natural depth
(highlighting some nice fills and cymbal work), and the soaring vocal
moments don't overpower at all. The digipack and booklet are covered in
strange Bosch-like paintings that have sort of a childlike quality in some
ways (to the subject matter, not their appearance), and all of the lyrics
are handwritten. It looks great, though admittedly the text can be hard to
read through. I have no real opinion on the lyrics, they're certainly a bit
strange, but don't really push me one way or the other. My biggest complaint
is that some of the best songs herein can wander off into that sort of
peculiar territory that lacks the power of their most effective writing
sensibilities in their lengthy running times of six minutes or more.
Thankfully they never go so far that I really can't take it, but the band is
so fucking talented that I can only imagine how great they could be if they
reigned in some of the craziness. This is a really cool CD, though. At its
best it's absolutely awesome, it's only held back by a stack of minor little
discrepancies. Worth checking out, however. I have to give them credit for
really creating something that's in a league of its own and will take many,
many, many listens to truly digest. I do think I'd like to check out some of
their previous work based on this, so. I'm intrigued. Success.
Running time - 51:00, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Heartquake, This Vigil, Pre-sense]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Bloodshed "Inhabitants of Dis" CD
[Code666]
Here's some pretty typical blackened death metal from Sweden that's
held back by an immeasurably thin and basically powerless recording. The
vocals range from higher sneers to lower growls, the riffs are all basically
fast and based around tremolo picked chords, there's a subtle amount of
melody in there, a few slower runs or more dissonant textures, etc. It's a
shame about the recording, because for some reason the drums actually sound
better than most of this stuff - crisp, but fairly dense and almost natural.
But there's a severe lack of bass presence, the vocals are a little weak,
the guitars are really thin and have no real warmth or character, etc. It's
just a really one-sided recording with tons of midrange and no real crunch
or punch at all, of course meaning that it also lacks clarity. It's pretty
unoriginal material as well, which doesn't help, but it's competently
performed, so with a better sound it would be enjoyable. Now and then they
throw in a thrashier rhythm or slow things down and catch my ear, but for
the most part it's pretty bland. They use some clean parts now and then, but
the plain production ruins those passages as well, so they serve little
purpose. The layout looks fucking awesome here, however. The disc comes in a
large glossy digipack with varying artwork, some of which is dark, some of
which is based around white space. The booklet and inner panels of the case
are strewn with photos of human and animal skeletons and strange, gloomy
landscapes with the band members involved in most cases. I wish the band
members weren't in almost every photo, especially on the cover, but it's
been well handled regardless. Some of the lyrics are a little cheesy, but
I've seen worse, they have their moments. "A construction where all tones
are set. From the beginning to the bitter end. Fate is mine to choose
totally, as destiny is hollow as hope." I'm just not really into this. It's
alright, but none of the songs grab me at all (sans some of the more
memorable rhythms in "Doomsday Device"), and the recording's a real setback
for this record. Even with a superior sound it wouldn't be wonderful, but it
would be significantly more forceful.
Running time - 41:20, Tracks: 11
[Notable track: Doomsday Device]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Handful of Hate "Vicecrown" CD
6/10 - [Code666]
Fast and precise black metal from Italy with sneering vocals, lots of
speed, and a fairly clean, modern sound. It's really nothing new musically
or lyrically, but the design work here is fucking splendid. Of course the
muddy corpsepainted band photos aren't really helping, granted they're 10
times better than most, but everything else is slick. The front cover has a
chained torso with a pentagram carved into the back of the neck and is
fairly minimal, but everything else is much more colorful and violent.
Images of knives, corpses, bloody bodybags, collaged newspaper headlines,
etc. Very artistically visualized. The lyrics are along similar lines often
blending a sort of ritualistic violence/sex sort of thing, and I'm not into
that, but whatever. As far as the songwriting goes, it's basically typical
for this style. They're not going for the raw and primal style at all, so
expect wicked vocal screams mixed deep in against the music, lots of tremolo
picked riffs with a little bit of dissonance infused into some of the
chords, etc. Thankfully most of the tracks run around three minutes, maybe
five tops, so they don't beat you over the head time and time again with a
bunch of overkill. "Boldly Erected" is darker, manipulating slower tempos
with spiraling discordant riffing and completely indecipherable vocal
snarls. When they emphasize speed, even in focused and succinct cuts like
"Vexer's Kult", I'm pleased with the tightness of the playing, but generally
the writing is uninteresting to me as it's all a blur of speed with no
sensation of feeling. "Catharsis in Punishment" is another slower track that
has a totally different style of rhythm to it, making it stick out from the
other songs quite a bit with more of a thrashy gallop to the pacing. Very
unusual. As far as this style, I don't particularly mind the recording. It's
actually pretty good. The bass is lacking, but the guitars are clear without
being razor sharp, the vocals don't dominate, and though a little clicky the
drums are kept in check very well. It's a good sounding session. But, as
mentioned, the songwriting is nothing to write home about. It's a decent
disc with a handful of good tracks, but to me it's something that only
diehard fans of the genre would have a true interest in.
Running time - 34:55, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Boldly Erected, Hierarch in Lust]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Thee Maldoror Kollective "New Era Viral Order" CD
7/10 - [Code666]
This Italian act plays industrial/electronic-tinged black metal, and I
have to say that despite a few faults, they do it far better than most. For
one thing, they use a lot of strong tempo changes rather than focusing on
constant speed. So there's an even mix of tremolo picking and slower,
churning rhythms with more of a thrash/death feel. They also integrate the
electronics well. On occasion they'll use some vocal filters or synths that
I'm not into, but most of the vocals are aggressive snarls and the synths
are full-blown accents that bear a true resemblance to industrial music.
They also blend live and programmed drums to a significant degree of
success, or intersperse a few samples amongst the compositions. In some ways
they can sound like a more electronic and less groove-laden Fear Factory at
times (see portions of "Haemorrhage Transmission"). The recording is another
plus, as despite having a bite at times, the guitar tone is quite effective
and heavy - thankfully they don't use that thin, biting industrial sheen.
The bass is also evident in most cases, and the live drums, while taut, are
certainly dense and well handled. The mix is very dense and compact as well,
so nothing really overpowers, and the vocals/samples are generally deep in
against the instrumentation. "Drain-Wound-Cosmosis (Iera Porneusis)" is
driven almost exclusively by synths and programmed beats, with distant
distorted vocals, and it's actually one of my favorite tracks herein -
further proof in my mind that this band knows what they're doing. The songs
also range from three to seven minutes or so, but the longer tracks, despite
being a bit repetitive, are still effective enough to remain interesting for
their duration. The only mildly slow track is "La Flamme Vivant", five
minutes of melodic ambient synths and rumbling background textures that,
while fairly good, is a little dull in the center of the record against all
of the more colorful material. The record is divided into three segments of
three tracks, Analysis, Synthesis, and Thesis, but there's no real
separation between the style of each division, though the final segment is a
bit more powered by electronics and samples - closing with an MZ.412 remix
by the name of "Epidemic Noise Age". The disc comes in a large, glossy
digipack that folds out to reveal a good deal of strange artwork with lots
of layers of images and some partially illegible text that's hard to make
sense of, with no lyrics or anything really included. It's definitely a
strange but interesting appearance. Overall I think this is good work, but
it does cut it close since the latter handful of songs loses some of the
initial punch that the three Analysis tracks provide. It could be
significantly better as a whole, but this is far better than most such
experimental metal.
Running time - 48:52, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Haemorrhage Transmission, Drain-Wound-Cosmosis (Iera
Porneusis), Epidemic Noise Age]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Manes "Vilosophe" CD
9/10 - [Code666]
I don't know much about this Norwegian act other than the fact that
apparently they're another former black metal band that, much to my delight,
has transformed into an amazing avant-garde project based as much around
jazz and electronics as they are metal. My initial response to this, aside
from loving it, was that it sounds like a fairly even mixture of something
along the lines of .In the Woods meets Ulver (speaking of each group's more
atypical moments) with a smattering of Ephel Duath. "Nodamnbrakes" has some
of the only true metal riffing herein, flaring into some vaguely black
metal-esque tremolo picking and industrial-like uses of samples and raw
guitar tones. The drumming in this track is supremely unbelievable, a
constant string of restrained yet intricate patterns and fills that's played
with complete feel and an energetic sense of improvisation. Tracks like the
lush and melodic "White Devil Black Shroud", based largely around resonant
clean guitars and soft singing vocals, are incredibly wonderful. taking
things even farther into a realm that could easily be appreciated by a
significantly wider audience. "Terminus a Quo/Terminus ad Quem" is somewhat
similar, but the vocals fall under some distant effects and a few jazzier
moments of faint horns and a slow tapping riff that really sounds excellent.
The frantic programmed rhythms and synths mixed with live drumming and
thick, constant power chords in "Death of the Genuine" are actually pretty
irritating, making for the only truly weak song herein; but this all leads
into the amazing "Ende" with its nice use of droning lead melodies and
borderline catchy vocal arrangements to build into an immense and emotional
peak complete with tasteful horns and a slick mix of clean and distorted
guitars. A very similar approach takes the fore in "The Hardest of
Comedowns", another epic track that has a heavily emotional slant to it,
bringing in some more focal electronic beats and basslines. Closer
"Confluence" is practically a five-minute sample (in German, I believe)
backed by thick, bleak dark ambient soundscapes that fade in very gradually
over the course of time - a bit slow moving, but it is the final track, so
it's not disruptive and does fall into place. I love the recording. The mix
is generally very detailed with a lot of stereo effects and complex
arrangements that layer sounds individually in different speakers without
losing a lot of character. The percussion all sounds fucking perfect, the
clean guitars are amazing, the bass is nice and solid when it needs to be,
and the vocals are placed deep in the heart of the music. Aside from a few
minor issues I have with a select number of distorted passages or uses of
electronics, things rarely lean towards an almost muddy sound, and I
thoroughly enjoy the production across the board. Visually things are pretty
minimal, using only black and white with dark red to display some cryptic
mathematical diagrams to varying degrees of precision. Lyrics are only
included in part, for two tracks, and are indeed unusual as well: "It seems
all books are forgotten, Now all words are shouted, It seems promises
crumble all rotten, When we turn the page of a book that's forgotten." There
are some other unusual snippets of text alongside some of the artwork, such
as "I was never free I was chosen" and "spiral path of a blindfolded man",
so there's a lot of curious thought involved here. I'll flat out confess
that this review isn't detailed enough to do justice to this work. The CD's
not for everyone, that's a fact, but it's one of the most creative and
interesting records I've heard to date, and it gripped me immediately.
Therefore, I highly, highly recommend it, and look forward to hearing more
from this unusual group.
Running time - 47:05, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Nodamnbrakes, White Devil Black Shroud, Ende, The Hardest
of Comedowns]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Unmoored "Indefinite Soul-Extension" CD
8/10 - [Code666]
I've been wanting to check out this Swedish act for awhile, and this is
my first chance to do so. This here is some fucking impressive melodic,
thrashing death metal with incredibly forceful low vocal growls/shouts mixed
with beautiful singing, lots of tempo variation, and so on. Aside from a few
flashier than average drum fills, "Commit to the Fire" is a chunkier and
more straightforward track that contains a few riffs of the more traditional
Swedish death metal variety, contrasted with basic proto-thrash chord
progressions and one slick break of singing that subtly layers in acoustic
guitars against the distortion. But make no mistake, this is not a one-sided
record at all. The solos have a flashy 80's metal or progressive angle
happening to some degree, there are a lot of carefully placed layers of
instrumentation that add mild technicality to the mix, the drumming is
restrained when need be but drops plenty of colorful fills/patterns, etc.
Just check out the fucked up discordant riffing that opens "Leave-Taking",
eventually opening into a gorgeously lush acoustic passage with some
Opeth-esque singing that explodes into a more black metal influenced run
(complete with midrange vocal sneers) morphing into a thick set of rocked
out leads that jumps from the Carcass realm to something more like a
Shrapnel records virtuoso. oh, and there's a violin solo!? Insane. There's
so much going on. And it's great, because despite songs that routinely top
six minutes, it doesn't come off as overly technical or slapped together,
and they're generally far heavier than most such bands, achieving a perfect
balance between aggression and atmosphere (making tactful use of the
occasional smattering of keyboards). The chorus of "Cinders Veil" is also
incredibly awesome, layering a ton of different guitar parts together before
quickly shifting to a strange dissonant rhythm and slightly left of center
traditional metal riff. "Final State Part III (Posthumous Writings)" is
heavily based around intense melodies and acoustic guitars with some of the
finest singing of the entire record - a true standout that closes the disc
excellently. The production is fucking awesome. The guitar tone is crystal
clear but perfectly honed in its tight heaviness, the drums are nice and
resonant, the vocals sound killer, etc. I'm not making out a great deal of
bass, but I'm such a huge fan of the guitar tone that I don't mind that
absence in the least. I guess at times the mix could be ever so slightly
clearer in benefit of the vocals, but I think it sounds superb overall. The
disc comes in a beautiful glossy digipack covered in bleak yet somehow
peaceful foggy landscapes. The booklet contains all of the lyrics, which are
fairly strange and tend to deal with strange transcendental sort of cosmic
topics on some level. "Ethereal stronghold, Metempsychosis nocturne,
Labyrinthian transition, The spirit shifting shape, Resurrection final
event." This is a great piece of work. Fans of Opeth, Vintersorg, and the
like should absolutely look into this. Trust me when I remind you that it
sounds very little like those bands (it's way heavier and not so overtly
complex), but there are minor similarities and a general sense of powerful
creativity that holds enough weight for me to make such a recommendation.
Very fucking nice work here.
Running time - 45:34, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Commit to the Fire, Leave-Taking, Final State Part III
(Posthumous Writings)]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Void of Silence "Human Antithesis" CD
7/10 - [Code666]
Wow, this Italian act unloads some supreme doom. Opener "Human
Antithesis" is a three-part 20-minute epic that begins with a sample and a
few minutes of ambient soundscapes before plowing into a slow, doomy groove
with spoken vocals that border on narration, shifting into bleak acoustic
guitars and operatic female vocals - all within six minutes! Gradually it
bounces back to the pummeling doom, contrasting well sung vocals with
vicious snarls, often layering in obscure samples in the distance as added
texture - not unlike a more creative take on classic My Dying Bride perhaps.
"Grey Horizon (M.P.H. MMIV)" has a few of the more typical lead lines
associated with doomier styles, as well as a more consistent, plodding
rhythm. followed by an untitled choral segue. So things get a bit more
straightforward at times, but the subtle intricacies of the release
definitely make it something more atmospheric and moving than your average
doom release. The nature-based samples and orchestral synths that open "To a
Sickly Child", for example, are far more forceful than most anything I've
heard in that realm before. I also enjoy the vocal variation throughout the
album, be it whispering, speaking, snarling, growling, dramatic singing.
it's all handled well and implemented to accent shifts in the dynamics of
the writing. I like the recording. The synths are perfectly handled adding
ambient underscores to the core of guitar, drums, and vocals, and I assume
the bass is in there though I really can't make it out. The clean guitars
sound fucking excellent, as do the keyboards, while the vocals are fine, and
the drums are decent (they could stand for more resonance and depth). The
heavy guitars are good as well, they get the job done, but I think they
could somehow use more warmth and depth as well. The end result sounds nice,
but minor touchups could make a major difference, I believe. The disc comes
in a nice looking digipack with a large booklet, and all of the artwork is
based around lots of black space with hues of light blue. The lyrics, too,
are quite bleak, and speak for themselves: "Do the months pass? Do the years
pass? It's felt like the same day for the whole of my life. I've had one of
those dreams again, Where all I can see is a grey horizon, No sun breaking
the monotony, A dream devoid of color, devoid of sound, Where I am only
greeted by blank faces, Drones, grinding the gears of the grey machine."
Very well done. From the epic opener to the subtly militaristic slant of
closing narrative "CXVIII" this record blends textbook doom with fluid
atmospheric experimentation without fail. I'd love to hear more from this
band because I have a feeling they're capable of creating an absolute
masterwork.
Running time - 61:05, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Human Antithesis, To a Sickly Child, Dark Static Moments]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
7/10 - [Code666]
I guess you could call this avant-garde metal from Norway or something
of that nature. It's pretty creative and at times technical, fusing metal,
jazzy, and progressive influences with a few far quirkier little dashes of
strangeness. Female singing takes the lead, usually pretty calm and
restrained, at times flying off the hook and wailing/squealing rather
obnoxiously, and at times backed by equally varied male singing that can be
really calm or shrieked. The riffing is very rhythmic and driven by strong
guitar/bass interplay, often layering clean and distorted guitars for more
melody. A few of the chunkier and more basic rhythms have a Meshuggah thing
going on, whereas the jangly and off kilter clean chords can have a really
unusual indie vibe - not common for any form of metal. I love some of the
slower melodic leads as they really add a sense of emotion to the songs, but
the keyboards are also tactfully handled for this style, rather than being a
little cheesy or overbearing. Honestly I think this record could be a little
better than it is were the songs slightly more consistent. I love the
diversity of it, but some of the wackier stylings clash with the masterful
melodies and generally strong vocal performances. "Heartquake" is one of the
spacier and more progressive inspired tracks, and I think it's one of the
strongest in its laidback tone. "This Vigil" maintains a healthy balance of
atmospheres throughout (including some uncharacteristically melodic and
almost upbeat chord progressions), and the chorus in "Second Hand Traumas"
borders on being catchy in a way. Ironically the longest track, "Pre-sense",
stays pretty linear in structure (i.e. not journeying off on any unnecessary
tangents), with a mix of great dissonant arpeggios and stuttered rhythmic
chord progressions, as well as some abrasive rhythms and droning lead runs
with a lot of fucked up panning effects. I have no problems with the
recording. Everything is nice and clear despite a good deal of layering, the
tones are bright without lacking force, etc. The bass plays a great role
just behind the guitars, the percussion has its own natural depth
(highlighting some nice fills and cymbal work), and the soaring vocal
moments don't overpower at all. The digipack and booklet are covered in
strange Bosch-like paintings that have sort of a childlike quality in some
ways (to the subject matter, not their appearance), and all of the lyrics
are handwritten. It looks great, though admittedly the text can be hard to
read through. I have no real opinion on the lyrics, they're certainly a bit
strange, but don't really push me one way or the other. My biggest complaint
is that some of the best songs herein can wander off into that sort of
peculiar territory that lacks the power of their most effective writing
sensibilities in their lengthy running times of six minutes or more.
Thankfully they never go so far that I really can't take it, but the band is
so fucking talented that I can only imagine how great they could be if they
reigned in some of the craziness. This is a really cool CD, though. At its
best it's absolutely awesome, it's only held back by a stack of minor little
discrepancies. Worth checking out, however. I have to give them credit for
really creating something that's in a league of its own and will take many,
many, many listens to truly digest. I do think I'd like to check out some of
their previous work based on this, so. I'm intrigued. Success.
Running time - 51:00, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Heartquake, This Vigil, Pre-sense]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Bloodshed "Inhabitants of Dis" CD
[Code666]
Here's some pretty typical blackened death metal from Sweden that's
held back by an immeasurably thin and basically powerless recording. The
vocals range from higher sneers to lower growls, the riffs are all basically
fast and based around tremolo picked chords, there's a subtle amount of
melody in there, a few slower runs or more dissonant textures, etc. It's a
shame about the recording, because for some reason the drums actually sound
better than most of this stuff - crisp, but fairly dense and almost natural.
But there's a severe lack of bass presence, the vocals are a little weak,
the guitars are really thin and have no real warmth or character, etc. It's
just a really one-sided recording with tons of midrange and no real crunch
or punch at all, of course meaning that it also lacks clarity. It's pretty
unoriginal material as well, which doesn't help, but it's competently
performed, so with a better sound it would be enjoyable. Now and then they
throw in a thrashier rhythm or slow things down and catch my ear, but for
the most part it's pretty bland. They use some clean parts now and then, but
the plain production ruins those passages as well, so they serve little
purpose. The layout looks fucking awesome here, however. The disc comes in a
large glossy digipack with varying artwork, some of which is dark, some of
which is based around white space. The booklet and inner panels of the case
are strewn with photos of human and animal skeletons and strange, gloomy
landscapes with the band members involved in most cases. I wish the band
members weren't in almost every photo, especially on the cover, but it's
been well handled regardless. Some of the lyrics are a little cheesy, but
I've seen worse, they have their moments. "A construction where all tones
are set. From the beginning to the bitter end. Fate is mine to choose
totally, as destiny is hollow as hope." I'm just not really into this. It's
alright, but none of the songs grab me at all (sans some of the more
memorable rhythms in "Doomsday Device"), and the recording's a real setback
for this record. Even with a superior sound it wouldn't be wonderful, but it
would be significantly more forceful.
Running time - 41:20, Tracks: 11
[Notable track: Doomsday Device]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Handful of Hate "Vicecrown" CD
6/10 - [Code666]
Fast and precise black metal from Italy with sneering vocals, lots of
speed, and a fairly clean, modern sound. It's really nothing new musically
or lyrically, but the design work here is fucking splendid. Of course the
muddy corpsepainted band photos aren't really helping, granted they're 10
times better than most, but everything else is slick. The front cover has a
chained torso with a pentagram carved into the back of the neck and is
fairly minimal, but everything else is much more colorful and violent.
Images of knives, corpses, bloody bodybags, collaged newspaper headlines,
etc. Very artistically visualized. The lyrics are along similar lines often
blending a sort of ritualistic violence/sex sort of thing, and I'm not into
that, but whatever. As far as the songwriting goes, it's basically typical
for this style. They're not going for the raw and primal style at all, so
expect wicked vocal screams mixed deep in against the music, lots of tremolo
picked riffs with a little bit of dissonance infused into some of the
chords, etc. Thankfully most of the tracks run around three minutes, maybe
five tops, so they don't beat you over the head time and time again with a
bunch of overkill. "Boldly Erected" is darker, manipulating slower tempos
with spiraling discordant riffing and completely indecipherable vocal
snarls. When they emphasize speed, even in focused and succinct cuts like
"Vexer's Kult", I'm pleased with the tightness of the playing, but generally
the writing is uninteresting to me as it's all a blur of speed with no
sensation of feeling. "Catharsis in Punishment" is another slower track that
has a totally different style of rhythm to it, making it stick out from the
other songs quite a bit with more of a thrashy gallop to the pacing. Very
unusual. As far as this style, I don't particularly mind the recording. It's
actually pretty good. The bass is lacking, but the guitars are clear without
being razor sharp, the vocals don't dominate, and though a little clicky the
drums are kept in check very well. It's a good sounding session. But, as
mentioned, the songwriting is nothing to write home about. It's a decent
disc with a handful of good tracks, but to me it's something that only
diehard fans of the genre would have a true interest in.
Running time - 34:55, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Boldly Erected, Hierarch in Lust]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Thee Maldoror Kollective "New Era Viral Order" CD
7/10 - [Code666]
This Italian act plays industrial/electronic-tinged black metal, and I
have to say that despite a few faults, they do it far better than most. For
one thing, they use a lot of strong tempo changes rather than focusing on
constant speed. So there's an even mix of tremolo picking and slower,
churning rhythms with more of a thrash/death feel. They also integrate the
electronics well. On occasion they'll use some vocal filters or synths that
I'm not into, but most of the vocals are aggressive snarls and the synths
are full-blown accents that bear a true resemblance to industrial music.
They also blend live and programmed drums to a significant degree of
success, or intersperse a few samples amongst the compositions. In some ways
they can sound like a more electronic and less groove-laden Fear Factory at
times (see portions of "Haemorrhage Transmission"). The recording is another
plus, as despite having a bite at times, the guitar tone is quite effective
and heavy - thankfully they don't use that thin, biting industrial sheen.
The bass is also evident in most cases, and the live drums, while taut, are
certainly dense and well handled. The mix is very dense and compact as well,
so nothing really overpowers, and the vocals/samples are generally deep in
against the instrumentation. "Drain-Wound-Cosmosis (Iera Porneusis)" is
driven almost exclusively by synths and programmed beats, with distant
distorted vocals, and it's actually one of my favorite tracks herein -
further proof in my mind that this band knows what they're doing. The songs
also range from three to seven minutes or so, but the longer tracks, despite
being a bit repetitive, are still effective enough to remain interesting for
their duration. The only mildly slow track is "La Flamme Vivant", five
minutes of melodic ambient synths and rumbling background textures that,
while fairly good, is a little dull in the center of the record against all
of the more colorful material. The record is divided into three segments of
three tracks, Analysis, Synthesis, and Thesis, but there's no real
separation between the style of each division, though the final segment is a
bit more powered by electronics and samples - closing with an MZ.412 remix
by the name of "Epidemic Noise Age". The disc comes in a large, glossy
digipack that folds out to reveal a good deal of strange artwork with lots
of layers of images and some partially illegible text that's hard to make
sense of, with no lyrics or anything really included. It's definitely a
strange but interesting appearance. Overall I think this is good work, but
it does cut it close since the latter handful of songs loses some of the
initial punch that the three Analysis tracks provide. It could be
significantly better as a whole, but this is far better than most such
experimental metal.
Running time - 48:52, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Haemorrhage Transmission, Drain-Wound-Cosmosis (Iera
Porneusis), Epidemic Noise Age]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Manes "Vilosophe" CD
9/10 - [Code666]
I don't know much about this Norwegian act other than the fact that
apparently they're another former black metal band that, much to my delight,
has transformed into an amazing avant-garde project based as much around
jazz and electronics as they are metal. My initial response to this, aside
from loving it, was that it sounds like a fairly even mixture of something
along the lines of .In the Woods meets Ulver (speaking of each group's more
atypical moments) with a smattering of Ephel Duath. "Nodamnbrakes" has some
of the only true metal riffing herein, flaring into some vaguely black
metal-esque tremolo picking and industrial-like uses of samples and raw
guitar tones. The drumming in this track is supremely unbelievable, a
constant string of restrained yet intricate patterns and fills that's played
with complete feel and an energetic sense of improvisation. Tracks like the
lush and melodic "White Devil Black Shroud", based largely around resonant
clean guitars and soft singing vocals, are incredibly wonderful. taking
things even farther into a realm that could easily be appreciated by a
significantly wider audience. "Terminus a Quo/Terminus ad Quem" is somewhat
similar, but the vocals fall under some distant effects and a few jazzier
moments of faint horns and a slow tapping riff that really sounds excellent.
The frantic programmed rhythms and synths mixed with live drumming and
thick, constant power chords in "Death of the Genuine" are actually pretty
irritating, making for the only truly weak song herein; but this all leads
into the amazing "Ende" with its nice use of droning lead melodies and
borderline catchy vocal arrangements to build into an immense and emotional
peak complete with tasteful horns and a slick mix of clean and distorted
guitars. A very similar approach takes the fore in "The Hardest of
Comedowns", another epic track that has a heavily emotional slant to it,
bringing in some more focal electronic beats and basslines. Closer
"Confluence" is practically a five-minute sample (in German, I believe)
backed by thick, bleak dark ambient soundscapes that fade in very gradually
over the course of time - a bit slow moving, but it is the final track, so
it's not disruptive and does fall into place. I love the recording. The mix
is generally very detailed with a lot of stereo effects and complex
arrangements that layer sounds individually in different speakers without
losing a lot of character. The percussion all sounds fucking perfect, the
clean guitars are amazing, the bass is nice and solid when it needs to be,
and the vocals are placed deep in the heart of the music. Aside from a few
minor issues I have with a select number of distorted passages or uses of
electronics, things rarely lean towards an almost muddy sound, and I
thoroughly enjoy the production across the board. Visually things are pretty
minimal, using only black and white with dark red to display some cryptic
mathematical diagrams to varying degrees of precision. Lyrics are only
included in part, for two tracks, and are indeed unusual as well: "It seems
all books are forgotten, Now all words are shouted, It seems promises
crumble all rotten, When we turn the page of a book that's forgotten." There
are some other unusual snippets of text alongside some of the artwork, such
as "I was never free I was chosen" and "spiral path of a blindfolded man",
so there's a lot of curious thought involved here. I'll flat out confess
that this review isn't detailed enough to do justice to this work. The CD's
not for everyone, that's a fact, but it's one of the most creative and
interesting records I've heard to date, and it gripped me immediately.
Therefore, I highly, highly recommend it, and look forward to hearing more
from this unusual group.
Running time - 47:05, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Nodamnbrakes, White Devil Black Shroud, Ende, The Hardest
of Comedowns]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Unmoored "Indefinite Soul-Extension" CD
8/10 - [Code666]
I've been wanting to check out this Swedish act for awhile, and this is
my first chance to do so. This here is some fucking impressive melodic,
thrashing death metal with incredibly forceful low vocal growls/shouts mixed
with beautiful singing, lots of tempo variation, and so on. Aside from a few
flashier than average drum fills, "Commit to the Fire" is a chunkier and
more straightforward track that contains a few riffs of the more traditional
Swedish death metal variety, contrasted with basic proto-thrash chord
progressions and one slick break of singing that subtly layers in acoustic
guitars against the distortion. But make no mistake, this is not a one-sided
record at all. The solos have a flashy 80's metal or progressive angle
happening to some degree, there are a lot of carefully placed layers of
instrumentation that add mild technicality to the mix, the drumming is
restrained when need be but drops plenty of colorful fills/patterns, etc.
Just check out the fucked up discordant riffing that opens "Leave-Taking",
eventually opening into a gorgeously lush acoustic passage with some
Opeth-esque singing that explodes into a more black metal influenced run
(complete with midrange vocal sneers) morphing into a thick set of rocked
out leads that jumps from the Carcass realm to something more like a
Shrapnel records virtuoso. oh, and there's a violin solo!? Insane. There's
so much going on. And it's great, because despite songs that routinely top
six minutes, it doesn't come off as overly technical or slapped together,
and they're generally far heavier than most such bands, achieving a perfect
balance between aggression and atmosphere (making tactful use of the
occasional smattering of keyboards). The chorus of "Cinders Veil" is also
incredibly awesome, layering a ton of different guitar parts together before
quickly shifting to a strange dissonant rhythm and slightly left of center
traditional metal riff. "Final State Part III (Posthumous Writings)" is
heavily based around intense melodies and acoustic guitars with some of the
finest singing of the entire record - a true standout that closes the disc
excellently. The production is fucking awesome. The guitar tone is crystal
clear but perfectly honed in its tight heaviness, the drums are nice and
resonant, the vocals sound killer, etc. I'm not making out a great deal of
bass, but I'm such a huge fan of the guitar tone that I don't mind that
absence in the least. I guess at times the mix could be ever so slightly
clearer in benefit of the vocals, but I think it sounds superb overall. The
disc comes in a beautiful glossy digipack covered in bleak yet somehow
peaceful foggy landscapes. The booklet contains all of the lyrics, which are
fairly strange and tend to deal with strange transcendental sort of cosmic
topics on some level. "Ethereal stronghold, Metempsychosis nocturne,
Labyrinthian transition, The spirit shifting shape, Resurrection final
event." This is a great piece of work. Fans of Opeth, Vintersorg, and the
like should absolutely look into this. Trust me when I remind you that it
sounds very little like those bands (it's way heavier and not so overtly
complex), but there are minor similarities and a general sense of powerful
creativity that holds enough weight for me to make such a recommendation.
Very fucking nice work here.
Running time - 45:34, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Commit to the Fire, Leave-Taking, Final State Part III
(Posthumous Writings)]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
Void of Silence "Human Antithesis" CD
7/10 - [Code666]
Wow, this Italian act unloads some supreme doom. Opener "Human
Antithesis" is a three-part 20-minute epic that begins with a sample and a
few minutes of ambient soundscapes before plowing into a slow, doomy groove
with spoken vocals that border on narration, shifting into bleak acoustic
guitars and operatic female vocals - all within six minutes! Gradually it
bounces back to the pummeling doom, contrasting well sung vocals with
vicious snarls, often layering in obscure samples in the distance as added
texture - not unlike a more creative take on classic My Dying Bride perhaps.
"Grey Horizon (M.P.H. MMIV)" has a few of the more typical lead lines
associated with doomier styles, as well as a more consistent, plodding
rhythm. followed by an untitled choral segue. So things get a bit more
straightforward at times, but the subtle intricacies of the release
definitely make it something more atmospheric and moving than your average
doom release. The nature-based samples and orchestral synths that open "To a
Sickly Child", for example, are far more forceful than most anything I've
heard in that realm before. I also enjoy the vocal variation throughout the
album, be it whispering, speaking, snarling, growling, dramatic singing.
it's all handled well and implemented to accent shifts in the dynamics of
the writing. I like the recording. The synths are perfectly handled adding
ambient underscores to the core of guitar, drums, and vocals, and I assume
the bass is in there though I really can't make it out. The clean guitars
sound fucking excellent, as do the keyboards, while the vocals are fine, and
the drums are decent (they could stand for more resonance and depth). The
heavy guitars are good as well, they get the job done, but I think they
could somehow use more warmth and depth as well. The end result sounds nice,
but minor touchups could make a major difference, I believe. The disc comes
in a nice looking digipack with a large booklet, and all of the artwork is
based around lots of black space with hues of light blue. The lyrics, too,
are quite bleak, and speak for themselves: "Do the months pass? Do the years
pass? It's felt like the same day for the whole of my life. I've had one of
those dreams again, Where all I can see is a grey horizon, No sun breaking
the monotony, A dream devoid of color, devoid of sound, Where I am only
greeted by blank faces, Drones, grinding the gears of the grey machine."
Very well done. From the epic opener to the subtly militaristic slant of
closing narrative "CXVIII" this record blends textbook doom with fluid
atmospheric experimentation without fail. I'd love to hear more from this
band because I have a feeling they're capable of creating an absolute
masterwork.
Running time - 61:05, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Human Antithesis, To a Sickly Child, Dark Static Moments]
Code666 - http://www.code666.net
