ASTRIAAL/Anatomy Of The Infinite (Obsidian Records) This is this bands 1st release in over 10 years. To me this is just another black metal band doing nothing new or different that I have not heard a 1000 times before. Same pick riffing, same black metal vocals, and same fast black metal style music with a few slow parts here and there. The production isn’t bad, but after 7 years I would expect a release like this to come knock me out of chair and this barely scored above a wimper with me. This is a case of heard it all before and this band offers nothing new that I can’t get from 500 other black metal bands. Info:
www.obsidianrecords.com
LIFE OF AGONY/20 Years Strong (I Scream Records) Now I am not into all this groove and happy hardcore stuff and that is what this band is. Telling people to jump, jump is not my idea of hardcore. Hardcore to me is meat and bones raw thrashing done the right way by bands like Black Flag, GBH, Agnostic Front, The Crumbsuckers, etc. To me this is just another one of many nu metal happy metal bands that play groove metal that sounds like every other band except this band has a singer with more of clean voice. I will give the band props for being around 20 years and the sound on the disc is great and the band and fans at the show are into it big time, but to me this band just sounds like any other generic groove metal band. I’ll take Biohazard over this band any day. You also get a DVD with this as well, so if your into this band, you’ll do backflips over this. Info:
www.iscreamrecords.com
NEUTRAD ARCHON/Overture (Self Released) The music actually isn’t too bad, but the vocals. I mean come on if I hear another band do the low screaming and then the high pitched screaming I am going to go mad. It is so overdone and so many newer bands are doing that style it is way overdone. The music is a combo of black metal with keyboards and some semi technical death metal. The band at least are trying to be different and I am cool with trying to mix in 2 different musical styles into one band and in some cases it works and in others it doesn’t. For this band it works as the music isn’t bad, but the vocals have to go. The guy needs to just sing and not do the tough guy thing one minute, the screeching black metal style another and the low death growls later on. Stick with one and not all 3. I prefer the death metal style myself. Production is good and this isn’t bad. Info:
www.myspace.com/neutradarchon
ATTILA/Rage (Artery Records) Beyond bad groove metal with some of the fuckin worst vocals I have heard inn years. The guy just screams into the mic and has no power and his voice is big time annoying. The music is total happy groove metal and lo and behold the band also use clean vocals too. This band is what is wrong with metal as they sound like every other happy groove nu metal band on the planet and you guys can fuckin blow me with your happy metal. Info:
www.arteryrecordsing.com
ARKHETH/LX & L The Quintessence Of Algaresh (Obsidian Records) Again another typical black metal band. This band just bored me as they have the same singing style as every other black metal and have the fast riff picking parts and then have those slow parts with keyboards that has been done to death and then some. I have heard back like this time and time again and then some. Just another case of heard it all before and then some more all before. At least try and bring something a little different to the table. Info:
www.obsidianrecords.com
DECLARE WAR/Malevolence (Artery Records) Wow a death metal that sounds like 5000 others with the cup the mic vocals and all the groove metal parts down pat. Bands like this are a dime a dozen and are just polluting the underground metal scene. This offers nothing new, nothing good at all and is just another faceless death metal band in an already way overcrowded death metal scene. Info:
www.arteryrecordsings.com
RAVEN SOUL/100 Bleeding Souls (Arctic Records) Is Arctic Records nuts? Why in the hell would they release this piece of shit. Some of the worst music and vocals I have ever heard. This is by far worse than anything I have reviewed above. The singer sings in a weak little voice with no power and the music is beyond bad. Weak goth metal with no power at all. I can’t see for the life of me anybody liking this as this has no balls or power and again some of the worst signing I have ever heard. Info:
www.arcticmusicgroup.com
ART IN EXILE/Aeon Somnia (Self Released) Oh my god this is more awful music. The music is like a mix of death and goth metal and it goes nowhere and is just so boring. The vocals are even worse as they have one guy growl and then they have these clean female vocals which are beyond awful and bad. The music just sits there and has no power or anything catchy at all. This music just plods along with power a limp wrist. Yuk. Info:
www.myspace.com/artinexile
TRUE/Still Live (Geenger Records) Another faceless death metal band that sounds like a 3rd grade version of Cannibal Corpse. Weak tin can sounding drums with cup the mic vocals make for yet another faceless death metal band. Why do all these bands I review want to sound like another band? This band need to mic up the drums and have the singer not sing so low and work on developing a sound. Info:
www.geengerrecords.com
UNDER THE FLOOD/Alive In The Fire (Self Released) Dear god more happy rock/metal with clean vocals. The vocals on this are so beyond bad and the guys sings with no power and would be more suited in some new rock n roll band. This The band is so cliché and so bad it isn’t even funny. The songs have no power and the riffs just bored me to death. There is nothing on this except for the production that is even the least bit good. Terrible rock/metal band with the god awful clean metal vocals style. Info:
www.undertheflood.com
SATORIA/Where Loyalties Lie (Self Released) This is a melodic death metal band with the clean and death metal vocals and again this style has been done to death and sounds forced and so unoriginal. The music isn’t much better as the melodic riffs are about as heavy as a limp dick and the riffs and melodies do nothing for me and go nowhere. I hate to repeat myself, but this is another faceless metal band that sounds like all the rest. Info:
www.myspace.com/satoria
D.O.M./Necktie For A Noose (Self Released) God is this some god awful music. I don’t even know how to describe it other than a bunch of senseless noise. I guess it is like a mix of some really bad groove metal meets industrial. Vocals are totally buried in the mix and all the guy does it scream into the mic. Wow how original. I need a noose to hang myself from listening to this shitty release. Beyond bad and absolutely worthless and so far this is the worst CD of the bunch.
MASS HYPNOSIS/Disn4mation (Greenger Records) This actually isn’t too bad music wise as the band churn out a nice mix of thrash and death metal with some vicious riffing. The one bad thing is the vocals and once again we have the low and high type of vocals which I am not a fan of. Thankfully it is not used a ton and the music more than makes up for it. The production crushes and I love the guitar sound and the vicious riffs along with REAL blast beats made this a pleasure to listen to. Finally some death metal with BALLS!!! Info:
www.geengerrecords.com
PAT TRAVERS/Fidelis (Alexus records) I loved some of the stuff Pat has put out including Crash and Burn and the awesome live album, Go For What You Know and had no idea what to expect when I popped this in. Well this is some awesome rock n roll with a blues edge to it. Pat’s voice still sounds great and he can still rip out the killer riffs as well. This might not have the power and the fury of some of his older stuff, but it is still ass kickin rock n roll and I enjoyed this and I was hoping this was gonna be good and it sure was. Info:
www.alexusrecords.com
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