Metal music reviews, top albums and forums (2024)

3.67 | 2 ratings

UMUR

"From Hell I Rise" is the debut full-length studio album by US thrash metal artist Kerry King. The album was released through Reigning Phoenix Music in May 2024. King is of course known for his many years playing with Slayer. His wish was to continue with Slayer until they couldn´t do it anymore, but when Tom Araya wanted to retire from touring and recording, Slayer effectively disbanded in 2019. King however immediately vowed that he wasn´t done playing music and that he would return with a new band. It took a few years and a COVID-19 epidemic, but he slowly found the musicians he wanted to perform on his first solo album. He naturally asked his former Slayer bandmate Paul Bostaph to play the drums, and soon got guitarist Phil Demmel (Vio-Lence, Machine Head, live-Slayer) on board too. Bassist Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah, Skrew) then joined, and after trying out different vocalists King ultimately went with Mark Osegueda (Death Angel).

King never made it a secret that he wanted to continue producing music which sounded like Slayer where they went off with "Repentless" (2015). An album which was almost entirely composed by King. In many ways that´s exactly how "From Hell I Rise" sounds like, but of course Osegueda is a completely different sounding vocalist to Araya and that after all makes "From Hell I Rise" a different listen to Slayer. When Demmel is given the opportunity to play a guitar solo, his solo style also provides "From Hell I Rise" with some non-Slayer qualities. Personally I think King made a lot of good choices picking the lineup for "From Hell I Rise" as all members of the band bring something to the table. Osegueda is a skilled and unique sounding vocalist. Of course we already knew that from his work with Death Angel, but here he sounds really raw and pissed, which suits him and the music on the album well.

Other than the features mentioned above the actual music won´t surprise you. It´s got the mark of King all over it. Let´s just say that King didn´t take the chance to experiment with his sound or overall playing/composing style. I´m not sure doing that would have ended well, but I´m still a bit curious to know if King has something else in him. I guess I´ll have to continue guessing. So this is basically more of what you heard on the last couple of Slayer albums just with a different lead vocalist and a couple of different sounding solos. Fans of latter day Slayer and fans of old school Bay Area style thrash metal in general should be able to appreciate this album greatly. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

• 2 days ago
• 1 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880233

3.75 | 2 ratings

siLLy puPPy

Germany’s VANDEN PLAS was one of the pioneering progressive metal bands forming as far back as 1984 and joining the ranks of Dream Theater, Psychotic Waltz, Mekong Delta and a bunch of others in the 1990s by delivering some of the most cutting edge metal meets prog the decade had to offer. The band has weathered the storms for well over four decades now and even produced four rock operas. VANDEN PLAS’ prog metal creds are undeniable and yet somehow this band has remained just outside of my grasp. Although i’ve heard of them for years and even checked out an album or two, there was just something about them i found off-putting. Well, sometimes it’s unwise to sample the proper nectar before one is ready to glean the benefits and i figured it’s time to once again dip into the musical world of VANDEN PLAS since the band is obviously in no hurry to set up a retirement plan.

Although the band debuted in 1994 with its first release “Colour Temple,” the band has never been in a rush to pump out as much product as possible. The latest album THE EMPYREAN EQUATION OF THE LONG LOST THINGS is the band’s 12th album and it’s absolutely amazing that this band has pretty much kept the same lineup since its 1994 debut. The exception to this long lasting stability was broken when keyboardist Günter Werno departed in 2023 and for the first time VANDEN PLAS had to scout out some new talent to fill his shoes. The band found a suitable replacement with Italian born Alessandro Del Vecchio who has been well seasoned in a number of bands including Alex Beyrodt’s Voodoo Circle, Sunstorm and Silent Force. Given his prog rock / power metal / hard rock creds, a perfect candidate for VANDEN PLAS’ classic prog metal sound that seems to remain firmly planted in the 1990s.

While the world of progressive metal has evolved exponentially since the 90s and branched out into every possible direction conceivable, VANDEN PLAS has retained its ties to the early heavy metal and power metal roots that spawned the more progressive metal variations that emerged in the 1990s. The band features the same style of guitar riffing and accompanying solos, melancholic atmospheres, frenetic keyboard runs, high pitched vocals and the typical melodic and rhythmic drive that made the earliest variations of prog metal so endearing. Not much has changed in the VANDEN PLAS camp as the same formulaic approach as always has been implemented. THE EMPYREAN EQUATION OF THE LONG LOST THINGS features six tracks and adds up to the 55 minute plus mark. The tracks are mostly on the longer side with every track clocking in at over six minutes and the lengthiest grand finale “March Of The Saints” approaching the 16-minute mark.

The album starts off with the title track and showcases beautiful piano rolls and the classic build of tension that merges into the prog metal thunder the band is famous for. Andy Kuntz still delivers clean and confident vocal workouts and the band is by all means a well-oiled machine at this point in their career and newbie Del Vecchio seems to fit in like he’s been a member of the band since the beginning. The tracks are all well-crafted and deliver veritable slices of that old school prog metal stylistic approach that will remind you of classic Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Symphony X, Threshold, Pagan’s Mind, Shadow Gallery and a gazillion others. In that regard little has changed in the VANDEN PLAS sound and the band carries on as if the modern world doesn’t exist. For some that may be a nice comfort zone and for others it conveys a band that remains staunchly committed to a certain stylistic approach that refuses to branch out into new turf. Whatever the case, VANDEN PLAS’ latest offering delivers a veritable slice of classic prog metal but doesn’t really do much more. Even the 16-minute closing “March Of The Saints” doesn’t deviate from the overall established sound of the band in any way.

Upon listening to THE EMPYREAN EQUATION OF THE LONG LOST THINGS i’m reminded why VANDEN PLAS never really clicked with me. Sure they are a more than a competent band that delivers all the prog metal goods in fine form but the band lacks imagination and a creative spirit that animates the music to a higher level. This album is very anachronistic and may serve as a form of comfort food for those who have been alienated by the world of prog metal seeping into the caustic arenas of dissonant death metal, black metal and extremist hybrids and for that it is perfectly suitable however i just find this band to be a bit too generic for my liking. There is not a single bad track on this album and the performances are impeccable with every keyboard run, every guitar riff and every drum roll teased out to perfection but there is a very clinical feel to the album as if VANDEN PLAS engineers its music through a microscope rather than allowing an organic process to inspire and evolve its style. It’s sure to be a fan pleaser for those who expect a band to remain consistent but after three decades i would expect the band to have at least evolved a smidge. Decent album but comes off as prog metal by the numbers.

• 4 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880034

3.00 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Killing for Revenge" is the eighteenth full-length studio album by US death metal act Six Feet Under. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in May 2024. It´s the successor to "Nightmares of the Decomposed" from 2020 and features the exact same quintet lineup who recorded the predecessor. With the 2017 addition of former Cannibal Corpse/Deicide guitarist Jack Owen, band leader (and former Cannibal Corpse vocalist) Chris Barnes found a new composer for his project. Barnes have had several other composers contributing to the songwriting over the years (just in the last 10 years the following have been composing music for Six Feet Under: Steve Swanson, Ola Englund, Phil Hall, Jeff Hughell, and of course Owen), but Barnes of course knew what he was getting when Owen joined, because of their shared past in Cannibal Corpse. Owen on the other hand needed a new project where he could be given the freedom to compose, because that was the main reason he left Deicide in 2016 after having been a member of that band since 2004.

As if the Cannibal Corpse connection wasn´t strong enough, Vincent Locke (Cannibal Corpse artwork artist) has also joined the project creating the artwork for "Killing for Revenge". Stylistically this doesn´t sound much like Barnes former band though. It´s a much more primal form of death metal with the occasional old school thrash metal oriented part thrown in. The tracks range from heavy stomping death metal to faster-paced more aggressive death metal. All very old school in style and execution. The heavy grooves of the past are only very rarely a part of the music. Barnes vocals are deep and brutal, but also predominantly unintelligible which makes them a bit one-dimensional. Although Barnes vocals on "Nightmares of the Decomposed" were generally pretty weak, at least you could make out the words.

"Killing for Revenge" features a good quality sound production and upon conclusion it´s a decent quality release from Six Feet Under, but I wouln´t count it among their better releases. I have great respect for Owen´s merits but to my ears his songwriting isn´t the most interesting. It´s all very straight forward with no surprises and a bit more variation (and not just shifts between mid-paced and fast-paced) would have been appreciated. But at least it´s a step up in quality from "Nightmares of the Decomposed". A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

• 11 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #879983

3.86 | 3 ratings

UMUR

"Banished By Sin" is the thirteenth full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Deicide. The album was released through Reigning Phoenix Music in April 2024. It´s the successor to "Overtures of Blasphemy" from September 2018. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Mark English has been replaced by Taylor Nordberg. The latter is a relatively prolific name in death metal circles having performed with artists like Massacre, Ribspreader, and Wombbath (among others...). "Banished By Sin" was released to some controversy regarding the AI generated cover artwork, which many fans heavily critiziced.

Stylistically there are very few surprises on "Banished By Sin" if you´re familiar with Deicide´s output since "Till Death Do Us Part" (2008). Lead vocalist/bassist Glen Benton maybe sings more of his high pitched demonic vocals and thereby complimenting his raw throaty growling vocals which ultimately makes the vocal part of the album relatively diverse, but other than that this is Deicide as we expect them to sound these days...anti-christian/blasphemous lyrics and all. Although they can still whip up a storm of blast beats and fast-paced riffs, "Banished By Sin" is predominantly a heavy and mid-paced affair. Everything is delivered with great energy and skill though, so Deicide are definitely still a force to be reckoned with (scene veterans or not). The lead guitar work is blistering and powerful, and Steve Asheim as always delivers a sharp and brutal drum assault.

"Banished By Sin" features a clear, heavy, and powerful sounding production job, but to my ears it´s almost too polished for Deicide´s music style. A bit more grit would have suited the material better. Upon conclusion "Banished By Sin" is a good quality death metal release from Deicide, but it´s not an album which rival their classic 90s releases, which isn´t surprising since nothing they´ve released since the mid-90s have been able to do that, but that doesn´t mean it´s not a release worth investigating and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

• 20 days ago
• 2 comments
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #879881

3.17 | 2 ratings

siLLy puPPy

As one of rock and metal’s most distinct guitarists on the scene since the 1980s, MARTY FRIEDMAN has remained one of the most creative musicians beginning with his days with Cacophony, crafting neoclassical classics like “Dragon’s Kiss” and of course bringing Megadeth to the highest ranks of the world of metal music. Despite his contributions to the world of shredding and guitar virtuosity, FRIEDMAN has also displayed a firm command of exquisite compositional creation with emotive albums such as “Scenes” and “Introduction.” After relocating to Japan, FRIEDMAN has also delivered many albums worth of J-pop inspired metal and has proven that his relentless pursuit of new avenues of exploring where the guitar playing can go is virtually limitless.

Now well into his 60s and nearly four decades after his work with Jason Becker in Cacophony, FRIEDMAN is still going strong and returns in 2024 with his latest solo extravaganza, DRAMA which finds him back in the role of guitar god after seemingly exhausting his love of Japanese themed music set to the world of metal music. DRAMA is a near hour’s run of FRIEDMAN doing what he does best and that is namely delivering sharp melodic hooks in the form of some of the most phenomenal guitar playing moves in the known universe. Like most of his solo offerings, DRAMA is a mostly instrumental affair but also finds a couple tracks, “Dead Of Winter” and “2 Rebeldes” with vocal contributions.

Also joined by drummer American Gregg Bissonette of David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai fame, DRAMA also finds some classical music support from cellist Hiyori Okuda and violinist Miho Chigyo. as well as offering emotive orchestrations with Japanese pianist / keyboardist Mika Maruki adding beautiful textures to his melodic tunes. Long abandoning the one-dimensionality of pure shredding, DRAMA offers a collection of mostly mid-tempo tracks that implement some of the now familiar exotic scales FRIEDMAN is famous for and while shredding seems to be MARTY’s laser preferred mode of guitar expression these days, he still has the ability to crank out some amazingly virtuosic moves however always in the context of the melodic composition at hand.

In many ways DRAMA sounds like a collage effect of some of FRIEDMAN’s 90s work with a mix of alternative metal riffing, slower clean guitar playing on various musical scales that are melodic and in the case of this album an emphasis on emotive atmospheres and subordinate instrumentation. Personally i prefer the instrumental tracks as the vocal ones don’t work for me (i assume FRIEDMAN is the singer) however many of the melodies and styles seem a bit recycled and there is even a reprise of the track “Triumph” in an updated form that first appeared on the 1992 “Scenes” album. Overall this album is a bit too much of what’s been done before for my tastes. I haven’t really been blown away by anything FRIEDMAN has done since the 2002 album “Music For Speeding” but it’s a well played and well performed album. A little too mellow overall and i wish there were more upbeat metal moments. It’s a good album but not one i would call essential in the FRIEDMAN canon. Great to hear him still doing his thing though!

• 26 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #879763

4.00 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

By 1986 SWANS was starting to evolve past its origins out of the no wave scene that briefly took New York City by storm and was splintering off into new arenas of experimentalism. While many of these groups would simply just fade away after leaving their mark, SWANS was one of the few to continue on to the present day by constantly reinventing itself without losing that initial impetus of making bleak noisy minimalism. One of the first significant changes emerged on this short EP (some call it a single) titled TIME IS MONEY (BASTARD) / SEALED IN SKIN.

This marked the debut of Jarboe who had left the swamps of Louisiana to engage in the world of experimental rock and stage music in New York City. She had been a fan of SWANS since the “Filth” album and contacted Michael Gira who recognized the band needed to move past its origins and evolve into something completely new. This EP / single features three tracks. TIME IS MONEY finds the band jumping into the world of industrial rock in the vein of Come, early Big Black and Alien Sex Fiend only SWANS retained the bleakness and dread of its no wave albums “Filth” and “Cop.”

The second track SEALED IN SKIN features a slowed down return to the no wave form only less abrasive without the guitar distortion and grunge that made the first two albums so abrasive. This track finds Gira’s vocals sound like a moaning mummy as he monotonously bellows baritone vocals alongside a monotonous dirge-like motif that offers little variation from in terms of musicality. The EP / single ends with a remix of TIME IS MONEY (BASTARD) which features a beefed up percussion and more echoey guitar presence. Not as industrial sounding as the first track but offers a glimpse of what Alien Sex Fiend would adopt as its sound once it evolved out of its deathrock routine.

At this point Jarboe’s duties were limited to merely screaming on the album but it helped her establish a connection with the band that would allow her to expand her own musical talents and ideas into the world of SWANS. Of course this band, especially the earlier 80s releases are an acquired taste that many find too harsh, too monotonous or just too weird but personally i find the magic is in the hypnotic effect of the bleak tones and timbres, the mesmerizing rhythms and the simplistic procession of it all. It’s an entirely different way of perceiving music but one that ultimately works to a satisfying level for my ears. Gira did an excellent job of nudging SWANS along into new arenas and not just jumping headfirst into a new style completely. These songs never appeared on any SWANS album so you have to hunt these down separately but i personally find these as essential as any of the earliest caustic SWANS releases.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880192

3.72 | 5 ratings

siLLy puPPy

The year 1986 was the busiest year of SWANS’ existence as it was undergoing a transmogrifying event to emerge from the New York City no wave underground as a truly inventive source of musical bleakness. The year opened with its stand alone single “Time Is Money (Bastard) / Sealed in Skin” which introduced SWANS fans to a new fascination with industrial rock. The single also was the first appearance of Jarboe who while limited to mere screaming on this release, established a connection with the band that would significantly alter SWANS’ style up to her departure in 1997. Her contributions were essential for the next stage of SWANS which proved to expand their sound exponentially into various arenas of experimental rock.

It was also a fruitful time of rediscovery as the GREED / Holy Money recording sessions that lasted from June 1985 - January 1986 produced enough material to release not one but two albums in ’86 and then the year was topped off with a massive tour and the first SWANS live release “Public Castration Is a Good Ideal.” But wait! THere’s more! The band ended the year with yet another EP titled “A Screw.” It was the year of the dollar sign since every one of these releases featured a prominently artistic variation of the $ sign all of which signified the biggest changes in the entire history of the band’s long run as an established experimental rock act. Together these $ releases seemed to collectively express a total disdain for the world of power and wealth obtained through the financial fraud the world has been overtaken by.

GREED was the first album to emerge after the “Time Is Money” single and therefore the first album to feature Jarboe as a permanent member of the band only this time her backing vocals are more prominent than mere background screaming. Her wordless vocals provide a new form of instrumentation to add to the overall depressive atmosphere of GREED which found the band shedding its no wave origins and blossoming into a strange no wave / industrial rock hybrid. Fortified by two bassists and THREE drummers, GREED is percussion dominated powerhouse that finds SWANS moving on from the caustic guitar driven angst of the first two albums and instead finding a new form of depressive despair as its main emotional outlet.

Brilliantly continuing the essential aspects of no wave that avoid melodic motifs like the plague, GREED maintains that abstract detached feel of the first two albums only adds implied melodies carried out through atonality and dissonance. The plodding percussive drives make this album sound like a funeral procession and i wouldn’t be surprise if funeral doom metal was inspired by this stage of SWANS’ career. GREED is a rather bleak affair with seven tracks that add up to almost 38 minutes of nihilistic and ominous repetitive processions through some of the darkest musical tones and timbres you can experience. The album has been compared to a bizarre religious cult ritual soundtrack but i find it more like a form of oozing anarchy.

The opening “Fool” offers something completely new to the SWANS playbook, namely a demented piano that does indeed offer a somewhat melodic approach however this tactic restrains itself and allows the cyclical loops to let the dark atmospheres to play around. Gira’s vocals have moved on from raging angst to a more contemplative and depressive tone. His droning vocal style of yore actually sings on this opening track and thus the new SWANS is born however the opening track only ushers in the new era as the album continues in a similarly minimalist approach that the no wave years employed. The album also features samples, tape operations and other sound effects as well as Jarboe’s blood curdling baking vocals and the aforementioned piano parts.

The name of the game with GREED is pure dissonance and atonal counterpoints that all conspire to craft one disturbing melancholic march through complete musical alienation and sparseness. The incessant flow of percussive beats on steroids is punctuated by moments of silence, the abrasive guitar and bass lines that accompany and the contrapuntal effect of Gira’s downer vocal style along with Jarboe’s nails on the chalkboard vocal approach. The album is incessant in how it ratchets up the tension until the more caustic than thou grand finale “Money Is Flesh” which just pummels away with staccato tom drumming and atonal guitar freakery. This is true industrial bleakness bliss! This particular track sounds unique compared to the others as it has some sort of bellowing sample sound that wails away.

While many consider this period one of SWANS’ weakest, i have to say that i love this album quite a bit as it delves into some of the most barren soundscapes possible and yet finds ways to subtly offer some of the weirdest and strangest alienating results. While the angst had been channeled to despair, it makes a full comeback by the end of the album and it ends with a barren bang. So many adjectives can describe GREED: discouraging, bleak, dismal, gloomy, hopeless, dreary, sombre, raw, desolate, harsh, severe but most of all this album is tempestuous as it has an unresolved uneasiness about it that works so well! Obviously this sort of extremity is an acquired taste and i have no idea how i acquired it but if you accept what the band is going for on its own terms then you can’t deny that SWANS did an absolutely excellent job of conveying what it aimed for. You may not like it but you can’t deny that the results of its sweltering banter is not effective in what it sets out to achieve which i guess is engage is musical sado-masochism!

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880191

3.78 | 5 ratings

siLLy puPPy

The year 1986 could be thought of as the pupa state for the transformation of SWANS from a noisy and even brutal no wave hardcore caterpillar to the experimental powerhouse butterfly that mixed gothic rock with post-punk, industrial rock, neofolk, post-rock and an endless supply of experimental touches all without ever totally jettisoning the no wave ethos that gave life to that short wave New York City movement in the late 70s and early 80s. This was the busiest year of SWANS’ long lasting career which resulted in the release of one non-album single that some consider an EP, the band’s first live album, another EP and two full album’s worth of material.

The “Greed” and HOLY MONEY sessions were fruitful and yielded two albums worth of material. The first studio album of 1986 was “Greed” which found the band slowly morphing from the caustic noisy no wave abrasiveness to a more diverse array of stylistic approaches that incorporated more instrumentation, focus on the atmospheres rather than brutality and the debut of vocalist Jarboe who would stick around for several albums and add a feminine touch to the testosterone fueled rage-fest that the no wave albums exuded with abundance. HOLY MONEY was basically the double album companion that was released a month after “Greed” and ratcheted up the band’s evolution a few more notches. This album was the first to find Jarboe contributing lead vocals on “You Need Me” as well as offering the first taste of acoustic moments such as on the near 8-minute track “Another You,” however even this track is noisy and dissonant as water is wet.

While still retaining the bleak dirge-like processions of “Greed,” HOLY MONEY also featured fleeting elements from the blues by adding select harmonica moments as well as allowing more contrapuntal elements to accrue for a greater atmospheric approach. While the opening “A Hanging” exhibits a throwback to the no wave era, “A Screw (Holy Money)” offers a more pure industrial rock approach only set to the doomy gloomy monotony that SWANS had made all its own. Michael Gira delivers a similar vocal approach to “Greed” with a dreadful downtuned moaning style that borders on mumbling and mimicking a mummy from some Hollywood film. In tandem all the elements on board keep the dissonant and atonalities humming along with jangly guitar chords sustaining over thunderous percussive and bass drives.

On many tracks it sounds like no wave style of SWANS has totally merged with some of the industrial rock bands of the 80s such as Foetus, Big Black, Helios Creed or even Einstürzende Neubauten. Far from accessible, the changes on HOLY MONEY compared to “Greed” are subtle and minor additions but nevertheless showcase a whole plethora of new approaches that would allow SWANS to emerge from its cocoon and emerge as the butterfly that it would become on the following “Children Of God” which found the band coming of age as a totally newly reincarnated act. Basically HOLY MONEY is a companion album to “Greed” and the two have since been released together albeit with track order differences. There is nothing on HOLY MONEY that will convert SWANS haters if the idea of caustic dissonant and molasses slow dirging processions aren’t your bailiwick.

This is some of the bleakest musical expressions ever to have emerged and SWANS had knack for delivering the goods in a way that kept the no wave detachment relevant all the while crafting a more post-rock generated delivery system. Personally i love this caustic stew of creative torture. It’s totally unique and even though these transition albums seem to be some of the least loved albums in the vast canon of the world of SWANS, i find them endearing and just as relevant as the no wave albums that proceed as well as the more ambitious art rock sounds that follow. A niche market for sure but for those who have acquired the taste, HOLY MONEY is a beastly delectable morsel of experimental industrial / no wave brilliance.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880190

4.08 | 2 ratings

siLLy puPPy

In SWANS’ busiest year ever, the band released two studio albums (“Greed,” “Holy Money”), one non-album single that some call an EP (“Time Is Money (Bastard) / Sealed in Skin“) which featured the debut appearance of Jarbie, one bonafide EP in the form of “A Screw” and its first live album with the catchy and non-cuddly title PUBLIC CASTRATION IS A GOOD IDEA. The year 1986 was one of reinvention of SWANS from a caustic industrial no wave band to an extraordinarily creative visionary act that somehow merged the worlds of gothic rock, post-punk, industrial, noise, neofolk and post-rock into one single artistic statement all without losing that thread of no wave detachment. This live album featured tracks from the “Greed” and “Holy Money” tour and showcases the band’s evolution during this transitional period.

PUBLIC CASTRATION IS A GOOD IDEA was recorded on the “Greed” and “Holy Money” tour from performances in London and Nottingham, England. While originally released as an indie bootleg, the recordings were approved by SWANS and thus officially became its first live album and self-released however it wouldn’t be until 1999 that the Thirsty Ear label would finally release the album on CD form. This one is a lengthy beast that despite featuring only eight tracks takes up 74 minutes of playing time. Like the albums, SWANS toured with a guitarist, bassist and THREE drummers! The percussive bombast at this stage in the SWANS sound was integral in crafting that bombastic dirge-like military march procession tension that allowed all the atonalities and dissonance to wreak its sonic havoc.

Michael Gira, the mastermind of SWANS also played occasional bass guitar as well as offered his bedeviled moaning techniques for delivering his bleak and gloomy lyrics but in the live setting he also implemented many of the samples and sound effects although for the most part PUBLIC CASTRATION IS A GOOD IDEA has a much more stripped down approach than the studio albums. While many bands just play their music much as it sounds on the albums, the music on this live album that features tracks from only the “Greed” and Holy Money” albums do exhibit enough differences to warrant making this excellent live recording an essential part of your SWANS canon. Although not substantially different than the studio recordings, enough variations make it an interesting listen however PUBLIC CASTRATION does feel more jarring through its atonalities and minimalism than the spruced up studio recordings.

These live versions are real sprawlers. For example the opening “Money Is Flesh” from the “Greed” album is only over 6 minutes on the studio album and on PUBLIC CASTRATION is doubled to over 12. Likewise “Fool” originally at 5 1/2 has been extended to over 8. The lengthy repetitive sequences give these live renditions and even gloomier and more depressive veneer than the studio tracks. Another main difference is that in the moments of silence between drums and quite time there’s also a use of the echo effect from the venues acoustical layout. Overall this live album will be of little interest to non-SWANS fans trying to acquire a taste for the band’s avant-garde extremism as this period and the earlier recordings crafted some of the most inaccessible and cacophonous din of the band’s career but served as a gateway to the more experiment arty albums that followed. While i’m not the hugest fan of live albums i really love some of the sounds they get from the echoey drumming and the overall torturous bleakness of it all. SWANS proves it was not limited to the studio on this release and made an excellent live act.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880189

3.00 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

During the ambitious year of 1986, SWANS released the two studio albums “Greed” and “Holy Money” which led to a tour which spawned the bootleg turned bonafide live album “Public Castration Is A Good Idea” but the band also released two shorter EPs that some call singles in the form of “Time Is Money (Bastard) / Sealed in Skin” which featured the first appearance of Jarboe and at the end of the year released this three track EP titled A SCREW.

This one is basically a remix EP that features two different versions of the title track with programmed percussion, a more electro-industrial sound not too overly distant from bands like Skinny Puppy and a rather reggae / dub sort of syncopation. Less abrasive and less gloomy than the albums that preceded, A SCREW was the most “normal” sounding release by SWANS at the time.

The track “Blackmail” is completely different as it features the piano as the primary instrument with Jarboe on lead vocals and eschews all the industrial dance grooves and remains an ethereal Cocteau Twins / Dead Can Dance type of track only with the repetitive monotony that SWANS was delivering at this stage in its career. This one is actually a highly stripped down track with only Jarboe’s vocals (including her own background vocals) and the cyclical post-rock style of piano looping along with a creepy atmospheric backdrop. It sounds more like a snippet than an actual song.

This one is rather unnecessary as it’s the least compelling of any SWANS release of the 80s and these days these three tracks are simply added to the newer releases of “Holy Money” as bonus tracks therefore there is absolutely no need to track down this EP unless of course you are a completist and collector of all things SWANS. And these really sound like bonus tracks as there is nothing special going on here yet worthy of checking out and more than worthy as bonus tracks. This was the last release of 1986 before SWANS totally reinvented itself and debuted its new style of experimental rock with “Children Of God” the following year.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880188

3.00 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Diabolical Desolation" is the sixth full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Centinex. The album was released through Candlelight Records in March 2002. It´s the successor to "Hellbrigade" from August 2000. There have been no lineup changes between the two releases and Centinex therefore still operate as a quintet (with a human drummer) on "Diabolical Desolation".

Stylistically Centinex have produced an album which sounds like a combination between their two preceding album releases "Reborn Through Flames" from 1998 and "Hellbrigade" from 2000. "Diabolical Desolation" features the melodic old school Swedish death metal ingredients plus the professional sound production values of the former, but also the blackened and atmospheric touch of the latter. Overall it probably sounds most like "Hellbrigade" but with a less gritty and raw sounding production job.

Centinex still produce some decent quality material and they can certainly play their instruments too, but like the case has been on all preceding releases they don´t deliver anything here which you haven´t heard before from other artists. In other words they lack an original sound. When that is said "Diabolical Desolation" is still a decent quality death metal release from Centinex and a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880187

3.00 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Two Songs of Sorrow" is a single release by Finnish thrash metal act Anthony. The single was independently released in 1991. It follows the release of Anthony´s two 1989 demos "Impossible Mission" (May 1989) and "Perfect Violence & Concrete Destruction" (November 1989). "Two Songs of Sorrow" would be Anthony´s last release in their original run as they disbanded shortly after its release.

Compared to the material on the two demos, Anthony have obviously been influenced by the then popular Finnish death metal scene and the two tracks on the 11:59 minutes long demo are death metal with thrash metal roots, rather than the brutal and aggressive thrash metal which Anthony played on the demos. The quality of the songwriting and the performances are as high as ever. Anthony were an incredibly well playing band and they knew how to compose varied and effectful death- and thrash metal tunes too.

The sound production is a bit rough around the edges, but if you can forgive the raw nature of the recordings, there are a lot of good quality features to revel in here. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880186

3.50 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Perfect Violence & Concrete Destruction" is the second demo recording by Finnish thrash metal act Anthony. The demo was independently released in October 1989. It succeeds the May 1989 "Impossible Mission" demo, which was Anthony´s first release after forming in 1988.

The material on the five tracks, 19:55 minutes long demo is brutal and aggressive thrash metal. Sometimes I´m reminded of a less technical and more punishing Coroner, and Anthony deliver this type of thrash metal with great passion and conviction. Although they may not focus as much on technical playing as Coroner do, Anthony are still a very well playing band and lead vocalist/guitarist Miitse Räätäri has a raw snarling delivery. There is good variation between fast-paced thrashy riffs and rhythms and mid-paced heavy parts, and the music also features quite a few clever and well sounding lead guitar parts.

"Perfect Violence & Concrete Destruction" features a near professional studio sound quality, and could well have been released as an EP instead of as a demo. The songwriting is varied, powerful, and memorable and upon conclusion "Perfect Violence & Concrete Destruction" is in every way a high quality demo release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved. Unfortunately only a 1991 single would be released after this demo and then Anthony disbanded.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880185

2.50 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Ritually Abused Orifice/Mongoloid Messiah" is a compilation release by US cyber goregrind act Lysergic Rites of Sadopriest. The compilation was independently released in 2010. It compiles thee material from the 2009 "Ritually Abused Orifice" EP/demo and the 2010 "Mongoloid Messiah" EP/demo.

Seventeen tracks of filthy electronic cyber goregrind. Lysergic Rites of Sadopriest probably isn´t for everybody, but if you enjoy purely programmed goregrind with distorted and effect laden shouting/growling vocals there certainly is some decent music to be found on this compilation. But if you´re interested in listening to Lysergic Rites of Sadopriest I´d recommend purchasing the 2022 "Stains on the Breeding Altar: 2008​-​2021" instead, which features all material from this compilation plus everything else Lysergic Rites of Sadopriest recorded and released in the 2008-2021 period. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880184

3.50 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Mein Wort in deiner Dunkelheit" is the debut full-length studio album by German artist Rainer Landfermann. The album was independently released in June 2019. Landfermann is known as the bassist of German technical/progressive death metal act Pavor and for performing vocals on Bethlehem´s 1996 album "Dictius Te Necare". He created his solo project in 2018 and released the Vertieft single the same year. Landfermann has enlisted a few of his Pavor bandmates to perform drums and guitars, while his brother Robert Landfermann performs double bass on five out of the ten tracks featured on the 40:16 minutes long album.

The material on "Mein Wort in deiner Dunkelheit" is an avant-garde/progressive black/death metal style, featuring the fusion influenced bass playing of Landfermann but even more importantly his ultra expressive, hysterical, and extreme vocals. Think Niklas Kvarforth (Shining) when he is in his most lunatic/schizophenic mood and think how that would sound over the course of a full album, and you´re halfway there (Diamanda Galás is another valid reference). I will say right away that the tortured quality of the vocals on this album are so extreme and over the top (not to mention that they are in German and deal with various heavy topics like darkness, pain and personal issues), that they are very much an aquired taste. They are arguably very well performed though and quite varied too, which can also be said about the instrumental part of the music.

While the music features both black metal and death metal elements, I´d say those are just elements of the overall avant-garde music style of "Mein Wort in deiner Dunkelheit", which quite often doesn´t feature any metal elements at all. So this is a pretty dynamic release with tracks like "Kunstvoll" and "Schneller als Sehnsucht, Größer als Eins" featuring a brutal black/death metal style, while other tracks are odd, minimalistic, and experimental songs featuring the screaming tortured vocals of Landfermann (the almost lounge jazzy "Ursprüngliches" is probably the best example of that). Another effective feature of the album is how Landfermann uses choirs for atmosphere enhancing effects. When the choirs occur they provide the music with something a little melodic to hold on to amidst the chaotic darkness of tortured screaming vocals, unconventional song structures, and experimental weirdness.

Although "Mein Wort in deiner Dunkelheit" is a self-produced affair, Landfermann has managed to produce a well sounding release. The sound production actually helps the otherwise challening and difficult music to become more accessible. I understand those who can´t listen to the extremely expressive and tortured screaming vocals without feeling that they are hurting their ears and who therefore won´t be able to appreciate "Mein Wort in deiner Dunkelheit", but if you evaluate this album a bit more objectively it´s quite the unique and daring release. Although I´ve mentioned some influences above, and they should give you a good idea of the weirdness level here, this really is one of those albums you have to listen to yourself, to form an opinion about. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

• 3 days ago
• 0 comment
• Permalink
• Share
• Report #880183