This is a 3 song CDR, but the second track is 21 plus minutes so there is still quite a bit of music here. “Death In The Snow” begins the release with a deep drifting melody, that captures the essence of its title well, though at 7 minutes long without changing seemed excessive. “Russian Front” is next uses synth drones and subtle melody again but adds spoken vocals and sweeping bits of drama to animate things a bit. The vocals are treated in such a way and placed low in the mix so that what is being said isn’t immediately clear which I prefer, but the basic idea of the music stays virtually the same through the entire length. The final track “German Assault” features an gentle acoustic melody and synth accompaniment all drenched in reverb with a quiet vocal chant accompaniment. This is the piece with the most development and movement to it, and ended up being my favorite of the three. They all create their moods well, but the final piece had more to grab on to. – Scott
FORESHADOW PRODUCTIONS
As All Die – East West Noise Pact
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a CommentProcer Veneficus – Ghostvoices
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Ghost voices indeed. Composed by a mountain lake, 1 man and an acoustic guitar are the core elements executed by Procer Veneficus. The stark minimalism somehow creates this very dank atmosphere, almost like the entirety of the album was recorded outside. There is no real room sound… Just a strange eerie vastness that strives to embrace nature and bend these forces into some sort of a monument representing the death of a mans soul. Supposedly there is only a guitar and voices on this album, but as found on “A Fridged Warmth Cascading” and “Rising From the Lake”, there is this note being held, as if way off in the distance that resembles a keyboard or an electric guitar being played with an ebow. Whatever instruments are found on here, this album really took me by surprise for its haunting qualities and affinity for truly scary atmosphere. Don’t expect “riffs” per say, just chord and note structures that seem to weep with the sorrow of nature as it struggles to survive in a time where it’s constantly under attack. There is a beauty and an underlying thread of darkness present that is truly unique. Best played during the evening hours, “Ghostvoices”acts as a dark ambient album that whispers to your deepest thoughts and leaves you feeling lost and alone in the wilderness. There is a Velvet Caccoon cover on here as well for the song “P.S. Nautical”. – Marty
GOD IS MYTH RECORDS
Primitive Graven Image – Hellish Figurines
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
England’s Primitive Graven Image strikes me as the black metal influenced counterpart to their labelmates, Downlord, as this 2 piece is moderately effective at emulating their desired musical genre of choice, but lost site of writing songs with any sort of merit or meaning. Riffs come and go, often sounding out of place sitting next to each other both in feeling and in note selection. “The Night of Dokkalfur & Ljosalfur” begins with some impressive guitar work and over all technical proficiency, which quickly decays into painfully simplistic power chord dominant riffs that go in very predictable directions. I can appreciate minimalism as long as there is substance, or a truly dense or otherworldly atmosphere communicated through the dissonance, but Primitive Graven Image strike me as yet very rudimentary in their songwriting ideas. The album comes off very 2 dimensional, even boring, as if the band has overlooked something important when writing this material. I might add… the thin overall production or equally poor drum machine tone isn’t solely to blame for this feeling. “The Journey to the Forest” (track 4) finally offers a bit of spirit in the form of the cult aesthetic ala Gorgoroth, where a fast riff effectively stirs the feelings of loss and dismay with its repetitive nature, but the note selection seems to find the missing link, the “IT” that I feel is missing on this album. The final song on “Hellish Figurines”, “Blood Red Heart” actually finds this band ending on a positive note where they seem to have found a bit of originality by way of an old school black metal vibe, piling on the creep with a haunting guitar harmony and a pulsing push in the verse riffs that puts me in mind of the twisted satanic might found in “Worship Him” era Samael, or even the early 90’s satanic Brazilian scene. This inclusion is definitely encouraging, and I like the burnt out/tortured midrange in the vocals throughout this album, but it comes far too late in saving this forgettable listening experience. – Marty
OPEN GRAVE RECORDS
As All Die – Germanic Tales
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
This is a 3″ CDR release featuring three new tracks from this ever evolving project. “Germanic Tales” abandons the apocalyptic folk dominance found on the Crowd Control Activities full length “Time of War & Conflict” in favor of cryptic, militant leaning Dark Noise. “Children of the Northern Lands” opens the release with mournful tonal drifts and distant timpani beats providing the camouflage for subtle whispered vocals. “Radios Are Down In London Tonight” is next, beginning with a snarl of frequencies that cascade, into a din of far away bells, gunfire, explosions and a lethargic synth melody to build a soot choked vision of unhurried war. “Funeral March” ends the release with sweeping synths and spoken word dissertation, I was a little surprised that there aren’t actually any “march” elements to the track. It instead elects a more disembodied approach to the electronics, it’s a bit more spacious and uses less foreboding tones than the previous two cuts. “Radios Are Down…” is the stand out here, and shows a lot of promise for what is yet another turn in the road for As All Die. – Scott
SOMNABULANT CORPSE
Overkill – Killbox 13
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
I have been a faithful worshiper of Overkill since the “Feel the Fire” days and even though their career has seen its share of ups and downs (yes… they have put out a handful of bad albums), this band’s unending dedication to the power/thrash metal medium is to be applauded. No matter what the flavor of the month is in a musical genre that has gotten progressively more extreme over the years, Overkill maintain their trademark style and continue with “Killbox 13” on an upswing of vitality that was the aggressive kicker on “Bloodletting.” This album took me a few spins to fully digest, but Overkill have kept up the full frontal attack with even more focus on aggressive guitar work/solos. Blitz still sounds strong as he bends his voice into a scathing scream, or more subtle vocal lines as the song warrants the variety. A very metallic/clean production gives these guys the clinical tone they need for the hooky power grooves and Blitz’s sharp vocal rhythms to rip in and sound fresh as each track takes on a life all its own. If you haven’t been able to get into Overkill throughout the years, “Killbox 13” isn’t going to change your mind, but longtime fans will revel in the fact that Jersey’s finest remain true to their roots and have once again come to “Shred”. -Marty
SPITFIRE/EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT
Orodruin – Sampler
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a CommentThis was handed to me 2 years ago at the Milwaukee Metalfest. Yes, pretty damn sad that I’m just now getting to it, but the mags inactivity and the fact that one person cannot listen to the huge influx of new titles and keep their sanity, will have to suffice as my excuse. New York states Orodruin embrace the down tuned and dreary crawl of traditional doom metal. The bare minimum song ideas that center around barren power chords and Sabbath-esque solo work crawls along with little spark or emotion other than an attempt at musical depression, which turns out to be boredom until the structures become more involved and the band even add some organ lines to “Peasants Lament” for a bit of uniqueness. Add flat pitch singing to Orodruin’s take on metal vs. St. Vitus vs. Pentagram and it is evident that their influences were far more advanced and not afraid to take chances like the monotone procession of the 3 tracks on this sampler. Some colorful solo work or more challenging tempo changes/musical dynamics need to be explored before Orodruin can reach the quality that their music needs to be entertaining at this slug like pace. – Marty
ORODRUIN
band@orodruin.us
http://www.orodruin.us
Order of the Ebon Hand – XV: The Devil
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Featuring members of Septic Flesh and Necromantia, Order of the Ebon Hand is a Greek trio rich with Swedish speed and harmonies, not to mention and underlying Norwegian black metal pulse lurking beneath the surface. I’ve never been able to get into the distinct sound of the scene in Greece… believe me I’ve tried. There was always something really alien about the style of the bands that arose from that location (ie: Varathron, Necromantia, Rotting Christ, etc.). The weird delivery somehow killed the atmosphere I needed to hear and feel so that I could reach that otherworldly state of mind that is essential to the black metal listening experience. Order of the Ebon Hand thankfully sounds nothing like the 2 other bands its members were a part of and even though their take on this genre of music is far from an original strike at the heavens, “XV: The Devil” is a very well written album that somehow rises above a blasting delivery to present some potent “songs”. “To Alloces” perfectly incorporates minimal synth textures to some very moving, though Norge in scope, riff ideas that expand with a full-bodied harmony that is as enchanting as it is dissonant. The keyboards act as a mystical specter lurking in the background to give this song the much-needed element of “creep,” only for the banshee screams of the vocalist to elevate the feeling of chaos even though the guitar work feels very focused and memorable. This formula carries throughout the whole of “XV: The Devil.” Speed does eventually decay into very powerful moments of mid-paced bridges and also the doom laden track, “Gateway to Silence,” which offers a moment of rest and wonder before hurling the listener back on the rack for another dose of blasting torment as found on, “The Visitors.” Think Marduk, Moonblood, Taake and Sacramentum mixed with a touch of Windir and you have a very promising mix of black metal that will keep you interested from start to finish. “XV: The Devil” was indeed a pleasant surprise. – Marty
SEASON OF MIST
Opus Majestic – Temptation of the Ring
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
One thing is certain, with the success of the amazing film adaptation of the Lord of the Rings, one could guarantee there would be a fresh new crop of Tolkien worshiping black metalers eager to pour their appreciation into the music they create. Where Peter Jackson handled the books about as carefully as one can with respect and a desire to see that Tolkien’s work wasn’t butchered for the silver screen, Opus Majestic run the imagination that comprises the majesty of Middle Earth, into the ground with embarrassing lyrical ideas (roll playing and direct quotes from the books that sound comical with the vocal style being used) and some of the most laugh inducing, out of tune pitch singing I have ever heard, found on the track “Mithrander.” The black metal side of Opus Majestic’s delivery is the most passable, if predictable screams and cheap sounding synth tones that mirror the guitar lines verbatim are your idea of “cutting edge” blackness. O.M. try to capture the epic feel of the books/movies with the frail synth accompaniment and try to rouse the spirit of majesty with go nowhere repetition. Such a tactic has worked in the past for other artists, but in this bands case, minimalism is far from hypnotic… rather, the outcome is very boring as this corpse painted quartet forcibly tries to drag the listener into a sound and mental space where their music can’t even reach. As “Temptation of the Ring” journeys ever closer to Mount Doom, it becomes painfully evident that no one in the band told the singer that he can’t sing and should never try to croon ever again, as the pitch style continues to bring a snicker to my lips. If this band would only drop the synth work and concentrate on the straight forward side of their sound, there is a spark of talent there and an obvious desire for the members to try to musically expand within a smaller circle of exploration until they can become successful there. As it stands, “Temptation of the Ring” is a mess that trades atmosphere for moments of comedy. I’m certain this wasn’t Opus Majestic’s intention. If you want your Tolkien metal pure and full of symphonic brilliance, leave the driving to Austria’s Summoning. – Marty
OPUS MAJESTIC
ebausch@hotmail.com
www.bythebloodrecords.com
Optoletum – Nightscape
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
This Oslo based 1 man “band” working under the moniker Optoletum recently submitted his 4 song demo of some rather promising Norge blackness. I really like the tone of this music, for Optoletum thankfully embraces the “Norwegian sound” which could be best described as highly melodic, somewhat atmospheric, yet soaked in a wash of dissonance. Fans of Taake, Winder and the like take note, for musically and at times vocally, Optoletum resides alongside fellow countrymen working towards a similar goal. The only deterrent to the sound of this material is the overly thin and mostly undistinguishable drum machine sound. Since the drums sound so synthetic, I guess it’s a good thing that the guitars bury the drums on this CDR opener, “Archangel” which is definitely a look back in time and a tribute stylistically to Norwegian black metal 101. The title track has a bit clearer drum production since speed isn’t really a factor, but more of a simplistic and bass dominant element enters Optoletum’s sound as if these ideas were touched by the influence of Ildjarn. As I dig into the bio information, I see that Optoletum’s sole member Punisher intends to find more musicians (including a human drummer) in time for the next material to be recorded. Punisher has done some sessions live work for Old Man’s Child and is also in a band called Nuctemeron which he formed with Tex Terror from Nocturnal Breed fame. “Nightscape” was recorded at Punisher’s home and aside from the poor drum sounds killing a bit of the atmosphere that is created by the emotive riff ideas and mid-ranged despondent screaming style, this 4 song demo really possesses a lot of promise and obviously longs to bring Norway back to a time where black metal was something far more passionate, frightening and not so streamlined/modern. More info and song samples can be found at the bands website. – Marty
OPTOLETUM
http://www.punishermetal.com
punisher@punishermetal.com
Onward – Reawaken
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
This somehow got lost in the shuffle in a mess of promotional material dating back to February of last year. Better late than never I say, for Onward are actually doing something fresh sounding with a medium of traditional metal that typically sounds plagiarized into submission to these ears. Toby Knapp has written all the music on “Reawaken” by himself and the riff action is full of fire and memorable twists, sometimes thrash (a minor influence), sometimes Maiden, but all the time passionate sounding. Thankfully the vocal work refrains from that screeching soprano/falsetto ala Halford, in favor of a more throaty mid that does bring to mind the stirring midrange of Agent Steel’s John Cyriis (Think of the classic “Chosen to Stay”). Certainly not a direct clone, but Michael Grant does share a similar inflection on occasion. Regardless, his performance seems to be a perfect match for the heavy and always colorful music that Toby has created. A full production and a unique presentation easily avoids the Helloween trappings of an overrun and bred to death Euro power metal scene. Highly recommended for fans of this more musical style of metal. – Marty
CENTURY MEDIA
One Step Beyond – Life Imitates Art
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Yet another band arising from Australia eager to absorb all the stylistic influences of the extreme and shape them into something that may be hard to classify, but very entertaining to behold. One Step Beyond possess the bluesy groove and attitude of Blood Duster on tracks like “Rockstar”, while focusing on open minded brutal death on “Greed” and “One Chance”, but the music thankfully never stoops to blatant band emulation, moshable mids, or IQ lowering segments of brutality by numbers. One moment, the grind cripples with exacting guitar trickery, only to ease off the vocal shrieks, to settle back into the deeper death register that somehow allows some verses to slip through completely comprehendible. Chicawakka funk guitar surprises on the 70’s slanted “Forecast” to reinforce the fact that One Step Beyond is out to shock the listener with drastic genre shifts. More oddball influences arrive as “Life Imitates Art” forges on in the form of a Caribbean, Jimmy Buffet guitar line on “Infinite Illusion”, only for more and more non metal guitar work to be found fused in the middle of the heavier death songs. The ideas on hand are lighthearted and obviously meant to challenge the listener, but like all bands that aren’t afraid to push the boundaries, they run the risk of alienating the music fans they are hoping to impress with their music. Through the meticulously programmed drum work and often dominant clean/funk bass tone, the music does offer me an oasis away from the standard blood and satan rhetoric typically arriving at our mail box and I really respect this band for their risk taking approach to creating metal. The question is, are you open minded enough to give this band your focused ear and be able to judge freely without taking into consideration the often limiting laws of heavy metal? You are going to have to if you are going to “get” this band. One Step Beyond are among the most technically competent, original and diverse bands you will likely find using metal music as their main bass of operation. – Marty
ONE STEP BEYOND
PO Box 40
Marden S.A. 5070
Australia
One Master – Demo 2004
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Much like the band listed above, I’ve been sitting on this demo for 2 years now and One Master have since then moved on to self-release their full-length debut. If this 5-song demo is any indication, that should be another release that I need to inspect closer, for this blackened death metal quartet are quite proficient at creating layered and memorably destructive music. Vocally, I like the midrange and dirty delivery of guitarist Justin Conlon, but he often follows the guitar lines too closely with his vocal rhythms, which is common with singers that play guitar as well. It’s incredibly difficult to separate the hands from the words it seems. This is my only real bother with this release and it’s not really that much of a bother… just an observation, for the crusty tone of the guitars and the bands keen sense of writing hook bloated riffs full of movement and uniqueness as witnessed on the impressive opening track, “Journey to the Northern Lands” really gives them a sound all their own. The swirling sonics within their riff ideas and overall perplexing sound does point to some minor Morbid Angel appreciation, but the band kind of loses this spirit on the disjointed and 2 dimensional “Immortal Frost”, only to regain a bit of originality and a slight black metal influence on “Shadow of the Firehorse” with it’s clean guitar intro, synth accompaniment and eventual galloping 6/8 time signature. At the demo stage, sure One Master are not without their share of mistakes and occasional stylistic confusion, but I enjoyed this bands organic and crusty sound and overall songwriting style enough to know that they could only have improved before embarking on a full album worth of material that I’m looking forward to checking out. – Marty
ONE MASTER
http://www.one-master.net/
Ominum Gatherum – Spirits and August Light
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Even thought the melodic Swedish death gene is present in “Spirits and August Light”, Finland’s Omnium Gatherum truly create so much more depth and innovation than this minor influence could ever offer. A sharp guitar sound chews through strong harmonies that load on the hook dominant catchiness and an almost prog metal level of riff work. This is all made even more unshakable from the bands subtle synth lines that flow in and bloat a good share of these tracks with a gripping breath of life. The solo work is equally tasteful and adds to the urgency of some tracks, or the mournful refrain of others. Thankfully the vocals remain harsh and envenomed as Antti Filppu effortlessly pours his suffering into every mood portrayed on this album. Great production and 9 tracks of some of the most promising modern death metal (for lack of a better descriptive term) I’ve heard in some time. The elegant guitar work really adds that vibrant flair to “Spirits and August Light”. – Marty
RAGE OF ACHILLES
Omen – Eternal Black Dawn
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
The first 3 Omen releases, along with the “Nightmares” EP, are among the essential titles of the 80’s metal movement. With his gruff, yet harmonious vocal croon, J.D. Kimball (RIP – 2003) really set this band apart from the rest of the pack of Maiden-esque, melodic metal merchants that melded touching emotion, with a hard as granite attack. Even though Omen have continued on after Kimball, I can’t say that the magic of their past has remained in their songwriting. Replacement vocalist Kevin Goocher can really emulate Kimball’s rustic voice both live and on the older Omen tracks in the medley found closing “Eternal Black Dawn”, but he seems a touch dry on the original tracks being scribed by Omen 2003. Perhaps this isn’t his fault, for the bulk of this albums fire is extinguished by the stale production and crunch dominant music that guitarist Kenny Powell is coming up with these days as he tries to rekindle his inspiration. Minimal in attendance and sadly low key when present, is the once rich note oriented riffs that bore many similarities to unashamed Iron Maiden worship. To say that this album is horrible really isn’t fair, since there are some good ideas and songs that do surface, but this material is largely too laid back and non threatening. Dynamics are cut-n-dried as the guitars lack any sort of bite. The drum work is horribly rudimentary. This album just lies there as if the serpent that has been their mascot since the 80’s has drained all its venom. As I’ve continued to spin “Eternal Black Dawn”, I can respect Omen’s effort as they have tried to create an 80’s metal record. The formula on display here is promising, but noticeably missing some much needed excitement. – Marty
CRASH MUSIC
Old Nick – Reclusive Hymns
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
If anyone remembers the industrial death/grind band Mighty Force, where the songs consisted of sampled guitars (mainly riffs taken from their Earache label mates becoming popular during the early 90’s), drums and “vocals” that were nothing but samples, then you will know where Old Nick is coming from, but with far less success. Every element on “Reclusive Hymns” has been lifted from someone else and manipulated to meet the will of the programmers at the computer/sequencer . If the guitar lines are original, they have been played on an outside medium and sampled to be slapped into the meandering song structures wherever desired. The drum programming is as scattered as the bits and chunks tossed into this audio car wreck. The result is very choppy and impossible to listen to as this material is all over the place. Sounds like it’s playing back on a computer without enough memory, causing h-h-h-I-c-cupp-p-ing as the sound plays back. Absolutely no flow or direction can be found, so it’s easy to see why there aren’t any vocal lines to be had. I don’t care that every element on here is synthetic, for I do like industrial music, but to make something like this, it’s like there should be definite musical phrases on display to give the listener something to hold onto. Such elements are sadly lacking on “Reclusive Hymns”. Old Nick is a failed experiment. – Marty
OLD NICK
bludvleyes@aol.com
Old Man’s Child – In Defiance of Existence
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
How anyone can call this black metal is beyond me. Even though it possesses elements of said genre along with death, bands like Old Man’s Child, Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon, Emperor and countless others on Norwegian soil have long ago drifted out of the “black” classification. I give you “modern metal”. A hodgepodge of musical extremes, glazed over and possessing a commercially viable sheen. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, for some bands are destined to develop beyond their inception, but it’s just the way it is. After a long hiatus due to Galder’s joining Dimmu, Old Man’s Child, now reduced to a studio project, jumps back into the fray with teeth showing. I will say there are some excellent hooks on “In Defiance of Existence”, but the lines between this and Galder’s full time band are as fuzzy as a bigfoot photo. It’s like he’s finally using up the riffs that were rejected by the Dimmu camp. Add Nick Barker to the drum kit (this man is a machine!) and you have one more stylistic connection to the aforementioned band. Similarities aside, Galder’s guitar work and overall songwriting style remains sharp and often entertaining once all the elements are layered over the top. The synth accompaniment can offer some interesting emotion to the guitars, but far too often they come off sounding overbearing and fruity as cheap sounds and a flamboyant playing style takes the forefront. OMC’s debut, Born of the Flickering will forever be the pinnacle of this bands dark sound that has sadly diminished from release to release as Galder and crew embraced a slicker production and more complex way of songwriting. OMC 2003 still has some element of entertainment for those who prefer the technological advancements this modern metal genre embodies. If you can get past the trendy cover art (Norwegians sure like their demonic and bloody blonde strippers, no?) and carnival side show synth tones, “In Defiance of Existence” is a mature and well rounded release. Fans of cult underground black metal, avoid at all costs. – Marty
CENTURY MEDIA
Olc Sinnsir – The Throne of Dead Emotions
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
The new wave of underground French black metal seems to be bulging at the seams these days with a fresh stock of grim demons eager to sacrifice their lives and music to the dark arts. This resurgence is very promising in execution and dedication to extreme black metal, but unlike the garagey, but VERY unique era where The Black Legions reigned supreme (Vlad Tepes, Mutiilation, Belketre, Torgeist), new bands like Temple of Baal, Blut Aus Nord and Olc Sinnser are all very solid and worthy bands in their own right, but tend to lack the character of their forefathers. This is almost a side note as “The Throne of Dead Emotions” creeps in with atmospheric dissonance. Olc Sinnser churn along in a predominantly mid-paced delivery which gives their riffs more room to ascend, but due to the laid back and often times unoriginal nature of their music, it really took me a few spins to become accustomed to their ideas. When the moment of clarity hits, I found that the music on this album is very well written as OS alternate effectively between sensible tempo shifts and a musical affinity that embraces the thick like a fog chord dissonance and more streamlined melodies that interact perfectly with the vocal blasphemies. Thick and enchanting, Olc Sinnser create a promising canvas of black metal that is right in line stylistically with the underground woodland atmosphere born at the hands of the Finnish scene. Certainly nothing original, but a good presentation and better yet, memorable music, effectively detracts from the obvious while entertaining all of those that dwell in the darkness. “The Throne of Dead Emotions” is a solid piece of work. – Marty
OAKEN SHIELD
Octavia Sperati – Winter Enclosure
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
If you would take a minute to contemplate the greatness of The Gathering’s Mandylion, with its lush contrast of heavier, though never perplexing moments of metal color, offsetting the pure beauty of Anneke’s silver pipes; it is a genuine sound that really should have reached out to many aspiring musicians to try something a lot more passionate with their music. The all female Norwegian quintet, Octavia Sperati, have built their fledgling empire solely around the “Mandylion” formula. Even though singer Silje Wergeland does possess her own smooth delivery, she can’t help herself to dip into many phrasing techniques and tonal shifts that we’ve heard, and much better I might add, from Anneke. But for someone like myself who considers himself a starry eyed follower of The Gathering and their angelic front woman, the similarities Silje envelopes her voice in works in Octavia Sperati’s favor. Their music is pretty low key… mellow if you will, even though the bare fundaments of their sound shifts between traditional metal and more doom laden approach. Bottom line… the vocal lines carry the music since there really aren’t any “monster” riffs or overly noticeable hooks that further suck me in. “Icebound” and “Future Is” both strike me as the most developed tracks on this disc. Their powerful vocal lines accentuate some well written musical ideas that touch on a mild black metal riffing style to give O.S.’s sound an even more multi-faceted approach. More variety rather than settling for a mellow groove would really have given this album a deeper sense of creativity and memorability. As it stands, “Winter Enclosure” is a very promising debut from a band that seems to possess some rather exciting tools in their arsenal. Hopefully the magic will be more fully realized in the songwriting for their next album. For those of you who keep track of such things, “Winter Enclosure” was recorded and produced by Herbrand Larsen and Arve Isdal… both members of the ever godly Enslaved. – Marty
CANDLELIGHT
Octagon – Artisans of Cruelty
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Muddy production aside, “Artisans of Cruelty” really is a well-written and organic sounding, black metal influenced album. I say it’s BM influenced since Octagon possess their own aggressive tone that is more powerful than your often imitated, Norwegian styled black metal which focuses on cold/melodic dissonance. The guitars on this album exhale with a full, warm breath of room ambience, which gives the album an atypical atmosphere. Full chord riff ideas put me in mind of “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” that give the tracks an instantly memorable aura, before breaking off into more thrash influenced, note dominant music breaks that act as a nice stylistic shift into less cluttered areas of musical distinction. The end result is very well considered as Octagon strives to create dark and strangely depressive anthems their own way. Vocally, a mid-ranged snarl/aggressive shouting style maintains a black metal level of execution, but even though Mortigan’s vocals uphold the full bodied feel of the music, his vocal patterns tend to stick too closely to the movement/accents in the riffs. He constantly stretches syllables across the actual beats, which for the first time, allows a level of predictability to enter this 2 pieces music. More adventurous/inventive lyrical placement would really help this band further down the path on future albums. To end where I started… I really like the roomy feel and sound of this album (the guitars in particular), but once again, “Artisans…” comes off as a bit too dim/muddy. A different mix, or a more aggressive mastering job would have really given this album the much-needed boost in the high-end department. I guess it just sounds too compressed. Anyway, this is a minor gripe in light of such well-written material from a band that has discovered their identity. Looking forward to the follow-up. -Marty
AUTOPSY KITCHEN RECORDS
Obscene Eulogy – A Portal Into Fire
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
You can usually discern North American black metal from the rest of the world on the initial listen to a CD. Perhaps this is an unfair generalization with lots of room for disagreement, but the bands in this territory tend to be less atmospheric with borderline death metal guitar work which focus’ on technical riffing rather than longer musical phrases and melody. Such an attack can be well done, but largely comes off as dry and devoid of emotion. This is where I’m at with Canada’s Obscene Eulogy. Perhaps the production on “A Portal into Fire” and the bands use of a drum machine (though expertly programmed) gives this release too crisp of a sound. Mixing this point with the shrill/dimensionless screams of the vocalist, the lack of variation and feeling greatly detracts from the impact of this 7 tracker. The very minor synth work on here strikes me as an afterthought since the occasional spooky breath creeps in with little interest or merit in terms of the overall track. Imagine a lesser complex Morbid Angel mixed with crunchy thrash rhythms, and you have the talented, though unspectacular glimpse into the world of Obscene Eulogy. – Marty
BAPHOMET RECORDS
Worm Gear 