CDs/LPs - DEMOS - OLD STUFFS - FANZINES - GIGS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

CDs/LPs/Eps reviews:

# / A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / J / K / L / M
N / O / P / Q / R / S / T / U / V / W / XYZ / Compilations

COMPILATIONS Part 1          COMPILATIONS Part 2

10 WAYS TO SPLIT THY SKULL Split 2x CDr. 2005.
A 10 ways split CDr composed of 10 bands and 2 CDr isn't the easiest thing to review, but since all of the band members agreed to send me their semen in well rounded little packages, so that I can increase the size of my collection, I'll make an effort and regurgitate a part of the sucked in substance of the horny.

The first band is DETRIMENTUM from Uk, with 3 song from their last MCD. You can hear 3 expulsions of diabolic semen taking their rides a brutal, but not so modern way... A bunch of quite old styled, or better said obscure, influences are there. This is an okey facial shot, quite brutal, with a corroded sound, but not much more happening in my thirsty throat.

The second cumfukkers are SERRATED SCALPEL who plays a kind ball-shredding mix between Us brutal death and blasting death (So I'm lucky their semen has reached my mail box) yet with some technical, blackened and quite weird melodic touches from here and there. All in all, it could be testiculated between USBDM and mid old MORBID ANGEL.
Not bad, I appreciate their research for a more intricate insemination, but my throat remains thirst.

Then, you try to ingurgitate all the corporal liquid of the following band, GODLESS, but they didn't help me that much to make it reach the stomach.
They have improved quite seriously since an older demo I could hear, this time it's some kind of darkened Death metal (With MORBID ANGEL, IMMOLATION, EMPEROR influences, and few melodies). It's quite well done and built, but also lacks of energy and intensity for the seed shall penetrate.

The ULCERATE helps to make the explosion of acid and corrosive semen more tormenting. There's one song from a demo (previously reviewed in vomit by Lord Gayball_Gayblow), 2 new songs that sound more sextreme and 1 live group-ejaculation. Us Styled Brutal death with influences of old CRYPTOPSY, some quite catchy or a bit more "abstract" riffs from here and there, and almost really obscure part in the vein of the once total death metal dominators MORBID ANGEL.
A cool bag of putrid secretions fans of the style will east up without problem.

MYND SNARE might be one of the most extreme death thrash band from India, but I tend to drown a bit in the multi-regurgitations of semen, as their kinda progressive style taking it the way of the end 90s lacks of direct impact for my spermatozoidal needs! I heard worst, but also much more horny.

Now, I feel quite impatient to insert the 2nd CDr of this split in my big juicy ass!! Yeah! More semen and ass-pounding brutality!

The first cumcommando is MISERY from Australia. I thought they split up and drowned in the forgetting of a thousand dead spermatozoids (If I could burp so), but apparently this is not the case. They still play their obscure death metal, with some old styled thrashy death influences. You could think about old MORBID ANGEL, PENTACLE, some mid old ANGEL CORPSE, some INCANTATION, VIRULENT, old EQUINOX (Us).
Not bad and pleasant, it could sound hypnotizing once you're in the right mood, but it lacks of something decisive to turn my head inside out in the big box of multi-demon-cums!

Then you have TERMINAL DESCENT. Well, their music sounds quite spermicidal in my hears, it might be the stuff I like the less in there. Quite old school death thrash with faster beats and a strangely programmed cum-machine (That could happen to remind of a drunk penguin). Well, there are quite ok riffs à la early MORBID ANGEL/ POSSESSED/ ANGEL CORPSE, but there's really better in terms of skull-crushing old styled death metal! Between the burping average and very average in my sperm-filled hears.

INGURGITATING OBLIVION is hopefully here to kick you semensack and make it more extreme! Quite impressive, obscure and brutal death metal hat seems like it evolved from a MORBID ANGEL basis and got stuffed with some GORGUTS influences. You do not only ingurgitate semen, but the whole oblivion of a thousand sequestered perverts! You have 3 promising (If not more) songs that has severe burning chances to please fans of crushing and inhumanly heavy Death metal! 666!

Even though ASCENDANCY's moniker rhymes with some kind of crescendo, I'd rather say their music created some kind of erectile decrescendo after the carbonizing performance of IxOx.
ASCENDANCY isn't bad: fast death metal with some kind of "abstract" riffs from time to time, and some black metal influences; it could sound like some IMMOLATION mixed with not so dark influences to refresh the demon... But after a while some repetitive aspect could be felt, and there are strange stuffs (In the bad sense of the word). I don't think I would remind much the taste of their post erectile potion, even if I decided to drink thousand liters of it.

The last one, cumming from Semengapore, is RASPATUL. They play some kind of thrashy death metal, a neat way; with rather old styled influences, and screamy vocals. But not much to cumsplash my face with soarprize or to haunt my reviving wounds. Just decent stuff, or average, depending on your taste for the translucent substance.

It's time to cumclude! This 10 ways split 2xCDr isn't bad at all, you could taste quite a lot of music (with your smelly mouth), and a restricted part of the split if kind of really fertilizing! This collection of substances is composed of a quite good spermatozoones' percentage.
since it's probably sold for a cheap price, I guess it could be a good solution to meet more semen-burpers and taste more appealing liquids from their collection.
http://www.ingurgitating-oblivion.de

BRAIN DAMAGE compilation CDr'02 BRAIN DAMAGE Prod.
Here's another compilation that includes French extreme bands only. The design is quite pro but unfortunately the content is very much Grind noise shit induced! That's a shame the underground is plagued with this shit noise "spirit" that confuses the underground state of mind and the fact of doing poor as fuck music...
Here you get 40% of the bands playing some shit noise, grind noise, grind shit or noise shit whatever with LES CHIOTTES (shit metal/scato core), DETRITUS DE FOETUS AVORTE (Noise grind shit), ORGAN HARVEST (Gore brutal shit death), ROTTEN CUNT (noise shit grind core), JEAN MICHEL (Alcoholic shit metal), EXKREMENT ( "prout Thrash Black metal"), BEER VOMIT (Wanna sound funny shit noise).
The other included bands aren't all interesting (nope!), they are more serious: UNTAMED (Death grind à la old Inhumate/ Depraved), DUNGORTHEB (Melodic technical death metal), SEMPERVIVUM (Melodic dark black with exuberant sodomized nun's vocals), KRONOS (Anal oiled Brutal death), DARKENED (Heavy low tuned brutal death), WRECKER ( Uh... Death grind? uh?), HORD OF MAMMOUTHS (MetalCore with indus and Messhugah touches everywhere), APALAVIA (Grindcore that sounds very average! ), BLOCK (Cliché as fuck Death grind!!), EDICIUS (Black metal), TECLYSS (Black metal? Uh... what stupid sounding vocals! Where are the riffs??) ANARCHOPHOBIA (Poor sounding Punk), DIFTERIA (Brutal death that needs real efficiency and less demonstration!), D.H.I.B.A.C (Grindcore)... None of the bands I didn't know caught my attention and it's a shame since the French scene is better than never! Next time thanks to throw away all the shit noise bands!
Ay.m@wanadoo.fr

CELTIC FROST (Swi): Order of the tyrants Tribute CD'03 BLACK LOTUS.
I wasn't satisfied at all after the first two listenings! I was probably hoping for too much, but finally this tribute isn't so bad...
As always you have some bands doing your usual cover with few differences from the original track and not much more success than an Ok result. MARDUK plays "Into the crypts of ray" in a very close to the original way. Sounds ok, vocals could be better though. NECROPHAGIA does "Triumph of death" close to the original, with better production. Sounds average. Not being an HELLHAMMER fan I can only say: "Uh?". BEWITCHED aren't the first ones to record a "Circle of the tyrants" cover, and their own isn't better than the previous one! Too close to the original with a lack of punch... but weren't they known for being a cover band? Uh! RAGNAROK does "Fainted eyes" with middle enjoyable black metal vocals... but what a "Hu!"! It must have taken some times of hard work to achieve this! Ah! ACHERON does a pretty boring and quite slowed "Dawn of meggido", somewhere between Six feet under and Scepter. The 'trumpet' part remains okey. DIMMU BURGER does a technically correct "Nocturnal fears", but the mighty "Uh!" could be done better and the vocals aren't that good (to high pitched). But no ass licking keyboards were there. AKERCOCKER does "Mesmerized" quite close to the original. Vocals may sound more "Serious"? But I'm not a fan of 'Into the pandemonium". ORDER OF THE EBON HAND covers "Rex irae" w many keybs, female vocals... close to the original... not my cup of beer. MELECHESCH does an Ok cover of "Babylon fell" with black metal vocals. ASTARTE does a melodic black doom cover of "Sorrows of the moon" w/ black metal vocals... quite close to the original. But... Not my cup of putrid beer! Too many tracks from "Into the pandemonium" are covered in my opinion! Some great tracks from the previous releases were forgotten!  

Some bands tried to change some stuffs in the tracks, with more or less success; one could say "at least they tried", but it's not always good. GRIEF OF EMERALD does a blasting black metallic cover of "Visual aggression", it differs from the original (ways less 'crust') but too much synths reminds me of CRADLE OF FILTH! Damn it. NAER MATTARON wore their corpsepaints, spikes and leather to cover "Return to the eve" with few differences: more double kicks and a blasting black metal part, but... Uh! I won't listen to this again.CARRIER FLUX does a strange "Beyond the northwind": electro metal/ techno hardcore like with screams... but failed impressing me! Sounds too 'confused' to be impressive: Many guys will laughs! HYPOCRITE does somekind of Death thrashy "The usurper" with nice keyboards during the chorus. But the hardcorish vocals waste what could have been on okey cover.

Few bands tried to adapt a bit the original songs to their style, but unfortunately it wasn't the case for most! This tribute isn't so bad, but there's not much exciting here! I don't know if I'll play it again and I have an under feeling of business thing towards this CD! This isn't the worth Tribute I've heard, but one has to have a lot of extra money or to be a total CELTIC FROST maniac to order this! Between the average and very average.

CHAPEL OF DEATH Compilation tape #2. 2004.
Before CDs and CDr there were tapes and vynils. Before hundreds of sterile evil clickers, there were few thousands of putrid bastards drowning in decomposing tape maceration. Before all this modern crap there were a few thousand of maniacs who spent hours dubbing tapes and slowly descripting each new morbid death metal substantial song on some good old Death metal compilation tapes! It wasn't so easy to find new school underground bands, no! You felt really enthusiastic to find a very underground ass-kicking band because it was hard! Actually, the poofter only have to click the next button when the poofter feels like a track could eventually be boring... Years before, in death, fucking compilation tapes where the golden beers as it was the best and cheapest way to discover underground acts from unknown suburbs of this rotting earth, many maniacs released such kind of compilation for which no band had to pay to be a part of it, and everythings were supposed to be done for the passionate matter, and without any promoneytionnal interest! Anyway I didn't really listen to a comp tape for years, but I will for the simple matter of this review! The tape is ready in my good old tape player! Ancient power of metal arises from the real heaviness of tapes!

STRANGULATION is the first band. One track of American Brutal death from their first full-length pro CD. Sounds like some Cannibal Corpse, Hateplow, with a good powerful sound. Nothing memorable, but decent and not running on my nerves. Nice for big fans of the brutal.c/o Juha Helttunen, Faktorivagen 12 A, 69133 KARSKOGA, SWEDEN.

I remember ANWYL back from their 1st Demo of '98... Well they have turned in a more skilled kind of Black death with thrashy touches, but it lacks all the ass-kicking matter to decompose my splatter. Might be nice for fans of semi melodic Black/ Death, but beer isn't here! c/o Krom, Po box 192, Hutchinson, KS 67504, USA.

FLESHART is a quite familiar name since that Brutal band was promoted in cool fanzines few years ago...but well, it's not cool and even quite sleepy! Most of this track is flat slow Brutal death with blasting parts that would have sounded Ok in '98, but it's too predictable and in need of real punch to keep the energy of beer yellow focused. c/o Stelios Krithinakis, 212 K? MATAPA, 18546 PIRAEUS, GREECE.

WATCH ME BURN: Average grinding death with HxCx and other influences taken from the realms of SOILENT GREEN or CEPHALIC CARNAGE. Nothing special or impressive. Some weakness are the in the flat blasts. Not desperate, but in need of brutal anal fist-fucking! c/o Kevin, Po box 6488, Burbank, CA, 91510-6488, USA.

As most of you probably knows, CRUCIFIRE plays very old sounding obscure Death à la old INCANTATION, DEICIDE and the darkened ones! I appreciate the fact this sounds like some old demos from early 90's and some riffs are cool or epic enough to keep you screaming "Hé!Hé!Hé!". Not the most thrilling piece of metal darkness, but at least a decent one. c/o Steve, Po Box 1648, Geelong Vic, 3220, AUSTRALIA.

AGRESSION MINDFUCK tries to play death grind with apparently thrash and hardcorish influences from beer and vine, but it's not a that smashing final. Some riffs sound Ok, but it's average and everheard. What about catchy riffs?? The musicians have a good level, but the brutal power from the pack of beer is needed to fly above the average!

PUTRIDITY: Non stop blasting kind of Brutal death metalcore. For sure the musicians like to wank their guitars and play it as blasting and technical as possible... but I'm not impressed as it sounds average or confused. The sound isn't bad, but catchy riffs and themes of arising perversion are needed in this kind of never-ending frog-squashing brutal death. c/o Radek Florecki, Warszawska 33a/15, 44100 GLIWICE, POLAND.

THUNDERBOLT seems to be a decent and respectable band hailing a kind of fast Black metal situated at a scorched middle between the fast Norwegian style and the more worked up parts of EMPEROR's 2nd Lp. Nice mood. Nice track with alright structures and decent riffs. Nothing thrilling or that impressing, but it sounds all-decent... and for a black metal band it's already a lot! Try them! c/o Blazej Adamczuk, Po Box 164, 67200 Glocow, POLAND.

Wait motherfucker, I have to reverse this tape as well as the big tits bitch sucking my cock before being able to finish this review! Ah!

THE RAUNCHOUS BROTHERS sounds like some old MASTER, old thrashing metal with some Death and few crusting HxC. All very influenced by early Speckman; quite a shame it sounds a bit cliché/ cheezy and not that great (understand it's not full of putrid beers), but die hard fans of early MASTER will say "Hu!!"

NECROPIA seems to play a strange kind of thrashing death with old influences emerging from the old early 90's! Some raw black metal is here. Sounds a bit like average old NOCTURNUS, less tight and a bit confused, with low vocals. This is average and not that impressing in my book of beers. But with more rehearsals it might improve since a technical level and some broootality us here. c/o Alick Andreades, 657 Aine Ave Apt #2, Farmingdale, ME, 04344, USA.

Since the guy behind CAPTAIN 3 LEG told me several times he wasn't happy with the bad review I wrote for his crap, I have to remind him how much his band sucks! Ah! Ah! Very average Goregrind/ Grindcrust without real energy and too convenient riffs to kill the weak.

I understand some very underground freaks dig their shithole with the captain, but what about the real deal: music with guts and strong convictions!! c/o Andy Koettel, 713 Grace st, Ottumwa, 1 A, 52501, USA.

DISHARMONIC: Boring very average thrash metal with melodic heavy metal & core touches that needs an hellish amount of rehearsals and a severe ass-kicking to be impressive. Very average and boring... unless this band is from your suburb... c/o John, 98 Meandrou Str, N.ionia 38445, Volos, GREECE.

HALOMACHINE: Slow mid placed kind of core é depressive induced kind of music that don't inspire me much than "Very average" and "What about energy?" c/o Andrew Parrish; Po Box 204, Louisville, OH, 44641, USA.

SICKENING MASS OBLITERATION plays very underground grindcore the old school way. Not that impressive and rather between the average and (rough) very average coz this was everheard and it's not played the most brutal way, but the influences are cool: early NAPALM DEATH, old PHOBIA, TERRORIZER... Very average, but it might sound blasting live in few years!

NOCTURNAL VOMIT: Somekind of blasting "raw" death black with thrashy touches... well since the blasts sound like old BLASPHEMY, the riffs are too simple and the vocals lack of sickness, I can only say: very average and in need of brutal rehearsal to reveal the real sickness! (Drink more black blood and snif the ashes of christ!). c/o Isaak Akritidas, Po Box 50470, 54013, Salonica, GREECE.

DEAD MOON practices very average "raw black death". The band seems to follow somekind of BESTIAL WARLUST/ BEHERIT/ DETROYER 666 pickaxe murder lines of devastation... but it's just very average and boring because of a lock of tightness, real musical skills and hearable riffs. Very average and in need for strong rehearsals and abusive beer drinking. c/o Brain, Po Box 1706, richmond, Ky, 41476-1706, USA.

JESUS ANAL PENETRATION: Death grind meets simple guitars brutal death from Australia. It follows the lines of early LIVIDITY, FLESH FEAST (Usa- R.i.p), SEVERE TORTURE, UNCREATION and some '98 American bands. It sounds Ok and decent, but nothing surprising or brutally shocking. Just packaged with enough heaviness for fans of Brutal death. Might be nice live. c/o Travis, Po Box 551, Elizabeth S.A., 5112, AUSTRALIA.

FECULENCE is a very underground goregrind/ death grind band with harmonized vocals. Sounds very average and in need of brutal rehearsals. Few riffs sound Ok, but the strong marks of averageness are there. Just between the average and very average in my book. c/o J. Shithead, Po Box 801, Simpson, Pa, 18407, USA.

As well as many comps, this one has both the boring, the average, the cool and the rarely surprising. Few nice discoverings were made, and I feel like this comp is more interesting than the average comp. tapes, because it's rather death metal/ brutal focused and it has a very underground content! Shawn runs a cool underground distro with a bunch of cool stuffs, and he's a cool metal devoted maniac and a real satanic nun-fucker (true!); so don't hesitate to contact him for some honest underground business.
CHAPEL OF DEATH Distribution c/o SHAWN FRAZIER, PO BOX 207, NEWTON, KS 67114, USA. (No email).

DOOMSDAY NEWS III, THRASHING EAST LIVE: KREATOR, TANKARD, SABBAT, CORONER. Noise records 1990.
1989 again. This time, we are in December and Germany is living a moment of History with the fall of the Wall of Berlin. The two Germanys are finally together with all that counts of joy, economical and social problems. Berlin as the core of this historical moment, everybody went there to live the History, and so did our beloved thrashers.
Believe me one can feel that this record is literally a piece of history. Imagine 4 of the biggest thrash acts of the time on Noise records playing in east Berlin before a crow of fans finally authorized to see their idols performing live for the first time... It must have been awesome.
This event has been also filmed and if you manage to find the tape,
then don’t hesitate to buy it, because it is really cult.

On the top of the bil KREATOR is delivering the goods. One can hear three of their tracks on this compilation: "Flag of hate", "Riot of violence", "Love us or hate us". It’s a pity that one can almost not hear the crowd between the tracks, but the performance is really great, and at that time, KREATOR were a bit more tighter with their instruments. So it´s always a pleasure (to kill... sorry!) to hear these songs live.

Then TANKARD assaults the vinyl with "Alien" and "Chemical Invasion". Gerre (the singer) is far way more communicative than Mille Petrozza, and it´s cool to hear him speaking to the crowd... of course it’s better if you understand German. But the songs sound good and full of energy, and of course give you the lust to bang your head totally drunk. One wonders why! hahahahah!!! Hail TANKARD!

SABBAT from England with its kind of fast and aggressive thrash metal is really cool to hear live. I don’t know if this band has released a live album, so for the SABBAT fans, I think it’s worth the listening. The sound is good, and Martin Walkyer (later to be heard in SKYCLAD) is really a good performer, as well as the rest of the band, whose guitarist Andy Sneap is the last TESTAMENT album producer for example. It’s funny to hear Martin Walkyer speaking between the songs, because he has a default of pronunciation, and when he’s presenting quite seriously the songs, it’s a bit weird! ha!  You’ll find there "Hosanna in excelsis", "I for an eye", and the great "For those who died".

CORONER closes this compilation, but unfortunately it´s the worse recording... One hears almost not the voice of Ron Royce. And the guitar is really back the rest with a too low volume. It’s shitty because CORONER is definitely the most technical band on this compilation, and also a really great live band. So, one more reason to get your hands on the video is that the CORONER songs aren’t so badly recorded there! ha! But at least, if you only find the vinyl version of this event, you would maybe "enjoy" some soundwise mutilated versions of "D.O.A" and "Absorbed".

All in all, it’s surely not the most essential release one might get for his/her collection, but the historical side of  the thing, as well as the SABBAT live performance may be good reasons to get this vinyl or CD. I think that it’s only possible to find it in second hand stores nowadays. But if you see the video, that has the same title, then it could more interesting to get... The TANKARD guys are really worth to watch in their everyday life. If you are a nostalgic of the patches, and the typical German haircuts, this compilation is made for you...Ha!

Nathaniel.             

GRINDING IS NOT A CRIME comp CD single'02 EMERGENCE.
Here's a grinding compilation that rather takes the form of a 6 ways split CD as the 6 bands included offer several tracks.

The 1st band is CUMSHOT that plays some punk/ soft Crust with high pitched Hardcore vocals. They seem to have a quite cynic state of mind... I think they were influenced by old DEAD KENNEDYS. Nothing good, they're tight... it's not my style.

Then comes the Grind death band OBLITERATION. It goes fast and hails from Italy. But their sound is so raw I don't understand the riffs! Reminds me of BEHERIT's demos for the sound, but it's not evil!

The BILE that includes members of INHUME (but I'm not sure) plays Grinding Brutal shit with an INHUME like raw sound. This track makes me think about HEMDALE and old MUCUPURULENT with some old DEAD INFECTION's Grindcore. Not bad!

Then you get the GRIZZLY ADAMS. Uh! What is it?
They own a very CELTIC FROST ripped of logo and their music that tends to grind includes bizarre parts and samples à la FANTOMAS... ans some Crust punk... Don't know what to think about it... bizarre, but not outstanding.

Then PTAO plays Grinding Death with saturated and gore vocals. It's impossible to hear their riffs. I'm bored with this kind of "wanna do as much noise as possible" projects. It seems influenced by ANAL CUNT... Boring!!

Then you get WILBUR COBB (Ger) to finish this little mirror, they are rather a Grinding crust band with punk touches and screamy vocals. Some structures are quite different from the common stuff in this style, but it's rather common riffs. Some arrangements are quite nice but drowned in too classical riffs. It remains quite aggressive and correctly done tracks. Ok stuff in the Grind punk style!

I tought it would be a cool comp, but it's rather based on the punky and crusty Grindcore... Only BILE attracted my attention (and WILBUR COBB was Ok) as the whole sounds very average at its best! And the pro cover won't help it being a more interesting release in my opinion...
Label: Vincent Troplain, 29 rue le nostre, 76000 ROUEN, FRANCE.

IN THE NAME OF SATAN: A tribute to Venom CD'94. GUN Recs.
As far as I know, this might have been the first VENOM Tribute ever released. At this time, while many peoples didn't gave a fuck about this band anymore (Probably because too much of average albums, regional assaults, re-releases from no-need-land...), Abaddon decided to create this project and motivate quite "acclaimed" metal bands of the time to honor one of their strong influences and teenage object of worship... It could have been a good idea, yum, but something was strange and kinda wasted my pleasure: You couldn’t find a real incarnation of every listed bands, since Abaddon generally played the drums (And he has never been the best drummer... It could have been better to let other peoples do what they feel, and possibly offer new ideas), plus few musicians from the listed bands did their thing, and finally some 'illustrious unknown' filled the holes of this studio project... (Yes, studio project :-/)
Does it really sound so much as a tribute anymore? Doesn't it sound strange to hear a drummer paying homage to his own music on a tribute album?
Questions could flow, and re-flow... And that's kinda old blabber, isn't it? So we'll simply talk about the music, since it's what matters the most :-)

-First of all, you had KREATOR (Or better said Mille?) making "Witching hour" more thrashy, faster, and displaying the frenetic vocals of Mille Petrozza. A quite good cover, that showed some energy. Some might say “Grrrr”.

-Then, ANATHEMA did a cool version of "Welcome to hell". It kept somekind of the initial obscure mood (If I could say so), with a quite moody production and low-pitched vocals distorted through an obscure chorus. Not bad at all, and quite groovy... I wished ANATHEMA followed much more this kind of vibes, because most of their own stuffs only disappointed my imagination...

-Then, VOIVOD turned "In league with satan" in their own way. It definitely sounded like VOIVOD, with high-pitched & quite "visionary" vocals, a sci-fi aspect, and other cool stuffs... I didn't like it much at the time, because I was young and the vocals seemed strange, but they did a nice job. Cool.

-Then some guys of NUCLEAR ASSAULT, and other peoples (From the studio?), tried to cover "Die hard"... But it wasn't that good (Huh!). I have never been a fan of this particular song, and the quite Us heavy metallish vocals didn't do it (Urk)... A quite boring cover!

-Where there ever some SKYCLAD fans in the assembly? Well, their first album was cool, but what about the following? This time they turned "Prime evil" in their own middle-age world... Ok, they kinda changed the song, with violins and few other goblins, but I never found it good. Blah!

-SODOM surprisingly choose to cover "1000 days in Sodom" (What a clever choice! Ah! I guess VENOM might even have been the origin of their moniker) and did an ok but just average job... It sounds like the average heavy moments of SODOM era 93-95 (Tapping the vein), and I never liked it much... (SODOM = Fast as fuck! In your ass baby!!)

-Then, various peoples covered "Countess bathory" under the CANDLEMASS moniker, and there's not much to say... This was just an average one, while the original was better.

-After all of this, it could have been better, but it's not really... PARADISE LOST did a quite boring cover of "In nomine sathanas" that sounded like the heaviest of their "Shades of god" album, minus the sorrow... And blah! You get bored.

-Then came the little surprise: Two new songs of VENOM that probably disappointed some die-hards: It was a time when the guys were experimenting with Indus metal. Even if these two songs weren't mind-blowing, I kinda like the atmosphere and the kinda "Easy listening" indus metal à la old NIN or FILTER... It might have been a cool idea for VENOM to do more of these experiments and release it under another moniker (What about turning the letters inside out? You get MONEV? Just an effort, and it turns to MONEY!? Some kind of prophecy? Ah Ah)

Finally, what you got was an average tribute album that contained a lot of average recordings, and it rather tasted like a compilation of various (Discutably useful) things than a real tribute.... Nothing vital, even for big fans... I still use to like it for "Nostalgic reasons", but that's all... Hopefully KREATOR, ANATHEMA and VOIVOD did it right and offered coolified covers. (And the artwork was cool).

IN UNISON Compilation CD'01 SENTINEL Recs.
Here's a double compilation CD that includes a lot of Extreme metal bands from the Irish scene. I hesitated to review each bands' track to do a traditional overview of the thing for several reasons, including the fact it's not easy to get a overview of a band with only one track, but also because it's fucking boring to do so!! ah! ... but let's go as I still feel awaken enough to do it right night!

First comes KINGDOM with its mix of Heavy metal à la Mercyful Fate and melodic Death/ Black. It includes Black metal vocals. The little heavy touches remains quite cool, but the whole of this track isn't always very inspired or constructed the best way. Nothing the incredible Hulk would find marvellous!

The following band called ARCANE SUN follows the Heavy Metal style but it totally into these boundnaries. It's like a mix of MERCYFULL FATE and last DEATH's releases meets CONTROL DENIED. Their vocals are very sung, maybe à la DREAM THEATER, but rather like CONTROL DENIED's vocalist. Technical lead guitarist. Nothing awaken my thisrt of good old Heavy metal but it remains ok (Even if it's quite long by moments).

DESOLATE begins its "Chaos season" with a doomy riff but they are far more thrashy with a few Death/ Black touches. Old school Thrash à la old Metallica/ Exodus. It didn't attract me that much but english and patched as fuck bastards may break their necks during their gigs.

The 4th funerary guest here is MOURNING BELOVETH that reminds me a lot of My Dying Bride's "Like gods of the sun" LP with maybe a little touch of old dommy Paradise Lost. This band may be cool for My Dying Bride fans even if this track doesn't include some extremely depressed parts the dying bride owns in its best moments. Check a review of their full length CD here in the following weeks!

MORPHOSIS plays Brutal Death à la Cannibal Corpse/ Skeleton of God with some older Death metal touches, but they sound more discordant in their ways of this track entitled "Conflagration". It's tight but quite common. Nothing that would distinguish them from another band into a 100% Death metal compilation!

WAYLANDER comes with a Doomy metal that includes heavy riffs and folkloric parts. It made me think about old Moonspell ("Wolfheart") with a very old Tiamat touch for vocals. It doesn't please me: oh no... some riffs are too funny!

Here's a track from ABADDON INCARNATE's first CD. On this one their style was some Brutal death à la Suffocation (less technical). There's some Immolation like melodies here. Dont know why, it reminds me some old Pungent stench meets Baphomet in the heavier moments. Bid Brutal death fans may find something cool here!

MAEL MORDA plays technical Brutal death that needs to find its personality since some riffs sounded too common or reminded me too much some old Sinister tunes by changing a few notes! (Check the Sinister track on "Death is just the beginning Vol.3" and make a comparison!). Also some old Vader is present. Tight. Can be better if they find back their own guts!

Here's now the 2nd CD!

Hallo flies, buzzy buzzz, lutins and other fairytales!
Here's the beautifull and very nice CRUACHAN that plays happy and folkloric metal that could fit some old histories written little children! I've got nothing against happy music, but metal isn't deeply meant to be happy and so nice!! So, turn off the overdrive effect and change your band's name!

SCALD plays a mix between Doom and Heavy/ Depressive riffs à la Godflesh. The high pitched screams à la old Napalm Death are cool! It's quite experimental in the track's structures but it also lacks or naturally flowing tears!

GEASA plays a melodic mix of Death, Doom and Black. I'm fastly bored with this style so I'll make it short: this is very average or average, I don't know since it's not my style, but the exhausting point is near!

PRIMAL DAWN palys old school Death, not very good, one of the worst bands on the comp! How much did they pay to get here? lol
Sounds like a quite new band for the riffing, or could say outdated...

According to the KARNAYNA track I can hear, folkloric and atmospheric Black Death metal seems to take a strong place in Ireland! And I've crossed the 3/4 of the whole comp. so I guess the following tracks will be the tracks with a shitty sound, or the songs that the label didn't want! Ah ah! So I'll be short as I'm 3/4 asleep and I don't want to spread bullshits.

MOONFOG is a Black metal band that sounds quite aggressive, but the sound lack of production and it's just Ok.

PRIMORDIAL would play melancholic Black Doom. Riffs are common but their vocals sound good and almost pro.

MEPHITIS sounds lie a beginning band in the melodic Death/ Doom/ Black style. That's all!

INHUMANE offers a track of Heavy/ Death with a thrashy touch. Powerfull sound. They sound a bit like Usurper for some Celtic Frost influences, or also some heavy Obituary...

LUNAR GATE plays average Doom with female vocals, that needs a stronger sound and most personal riffs to impress me after 160 minutes of rather doomy induced Extreme metal stuffs!

As with almost every comps I expected to find at least one band that really interests me. But there was only a few bands I found cool, nothing that rumbles my head! Maybe check it if you're a lot into Doom and the different styles that takes influences from it!
http://www.sentinelireland.com 

NEVER AGAIN Sampler CD'02.
Here's a 100% German Brutal Death metal sampler. In short words, a cool introduction to their Death metal scene that's filled with lots of Brutal sounding bands.

The thing begins with PROFANITY that's surely one of the most extreme bands on this comp. Mixing quite intense riffs/ complex songs with good and quite varied drum's playing, this band can please the big Brutallers who have had their dose of thrilling brutallizing experiences but who wants more.

Then comes SPAWN, a band that have several official releases in their bag of bones but I still don't see so much the great points in their stuff. This is brutal sounding Death metal that's quite obscure with a good sound, but the whole riffs sounds too much before for me for a band owning 2 CDs. Maybe it's a cool live band!

Then comes MEATKNIFE, their Death metal sounds less professional and less efficient. Some parts sounds a lot like a new band's demo riffs. This isn't a band that'd outstand the fucking shit from this comp, they also suffer from their sound that isn't great compared to the other bands on NEVER AGAIN.

The 5th one is TEARS OF DECAY, still Brutal death metal reminding me of CRYPTOPSY/ old SUFFOCATION and co. I'm not a big enjoyer of their style, maybe it's a cool live band.

I remind reviewing a demo of MENTAL AMPUTATION in the past, and they're still very much (too much) influenced by CANNIBAL CORPSE's Morbid sounding riffs, it's the kind of riffs almost every Brutal death band includes in their stuffs now. Their whole tracks aren't bad sounding (and rather well produced) but it remains too much Cannibal Corpse influenced for me, I've had my dose of this style now.

The 7th bastards on this pile of Brutalized regurgitated agonies are the MALEDICTIVE PIGS that plays a Death metal rather influenced by the old school Death metal style, with grinding parts. So I'll say it's Death grind. Their vocals and tremolo quite melodic and morbid sounding riffs remind me of very old HYPOCRISY (two first CDs), the whole doesn't sound very new, but there are some cool riffs melted in the whole thing.

EMBEDDED plays a Death metal style that sounds quite technical, and quite pro. But I'd don't get into their stuff. Too much calculated and "constructed", not enough deeply emotionnally mind (and guts) blowing for me.     

The 9th invited guest is named FETUS CHRIST and plays somekind of Deathgrind with some Hardcorish influences thrown in, by moments they sound a bit like a funny band, some gory fun touches à la SANITYS DAWN were thown in the gore pot.  Their riffs and stuffs didn't leave me a very good impression, some songs structures needed more efficiency.

GALLERY OF DARKNESS' style didn't leave an neverperishing mark in my brain of the gore  but they have a cool haunting riff in the middle of their Brutal death metal track reminding me of INCANTATION (for some vocals and heavier dark sounding riffs), old BRUTALITY (for few arrangement and more melodic riffs) and other technical Brutal death metal bands like NECROPHAGIST or CANNIBAL CORPSE.

VERY WICKED reminds me of old DEICIDE on their "Creation of god" track, notice some old Death/ Thrashing elements in the riffing; but the vocals' reminds me Glen Benton's formation on "Amon feasting the beast". Not especially crushing, but ok sounding.

The first band of the second side of this CD is FALLEN YGGDRASIL that plays some Death/ Grind. Nothing special to say for me, as the whole doesn't revive my old forgotten guts. They sound a bit like a "beginning" or lets say not very experienced band on some riffs and arrangements. More efficiency is needed!

IMPURE rides in an evil fog with a Brutal death metal reminding me of DEICIDE for some mid placed power chord domination like riffings placed on a double bass drums. Notice blasting beats and what you could expect from a Brutal death band inluenced by CANNIBAL CORPSE. Could make think about EXHUMATOR or other Deicide influenced bands also. Their vocals are more deep grunts.

Being the 14th butt plugger, CRYPTIC offers a track of Death/ Grind that ain't very great and reminds me some stuffs released around 98, both for the sound and for the music. Produced a bit in the vein of the LIVIDITY's "Fetish for the sick", and with riffs being too much classical. Drums are fast, but not crushing. Can be cool for their alcool and german localized Brutality partners.

ANASARCA sounds like one of the more professional bands on this comp CD, with a Brutal death grind reminding me of old MORBID ANGEL, FLESHTIZED. It sounds cool and one of their full releases could be considered as a nice blasting effort for big albums burning freaks and for the brutalheads addicted to the maximized multi sessions grinding fiestas  (if all the tracks are in the style of this track).

Coming in the 16th and 17th position, INTESTINAL INFECTION sounds really weaker than Anasarca with their low produced 4 tracker like recorded sound. Their style is somekind of Grindcore, short tracks, bad sounding riffs. Maybe a better production would help them.

TORNESBREED begins it's sentence with two doomy death riffs à la old PARADISE LOST, but their stuff is really more Brutal and faster. They remind me some Brutal bands that released some Brutal like blasting albums around 94, but I can't remind their name... Their sound is quite raw, that's quite cool, but all the riffs or breaks aren't very pleasant to my ears. Some moments sound very chaotic and raw, a bit à la old INCANTATION. But I'm not an INCANTATION's fan...

FESTERING SALVIA offers a Brutal death Grind track in the style of the Frist CANNIBAL CORPSE's "Eaten back to life" release, expect the same kind of cool splattering beats and other gore metal variations Cannibal had at this time. Some riffs are cool, but the sound isn't very good, and they sound oudated to my ears... It sounds very much influenced by CANNIBAL C., it must be a quite new band, musn't it? Could have been a cool band a few years ago.

OF THREES AND ORCHID plays Brutal Death metal with a quite powerfull sound. They've got some riffing gimmicks totally bound into the American Brutal death style, and some of their riffing influences that can be named are NILE (1st album), MORBID ANGEL ("Domination") a bit of MONSTROSITY. Notice a nice ATHEIST break in the middle of the track.As a whole it sounds Ok and they have a nice (high pitched) vocals chorus in the track. Even if it's a bit long, it's a decent track!

FEARER didn't inflict me the awaited thrills of fear with their Death grind with a raw sound and rather old school riffs that can remind VOMITORY ("Raped in their own blood"), could also make me think of DEICIDE, SINISTER, MONSTROSITY but one track is short to define the style of a Brutal death band included on a comp with 21 other Brutal death bands.

Finally, here's the last one: DESPONDENCY. They also play Brutal death metal. Nothing outstanding or very different from the common Brutal death style played a bit everywhere in our planet's underground. But the whole sounds ok. Their stuff didn't interest me more than that, and I didn't get the awaiting thrill of Death, neither any exploding gore vision from the now revived guts of war, but it's correctly executed as a whole. Can be cool for local german brutallizing bastards.

Conclusion of death: a cool comp you can try to get in trade with Michael Eden to get an opinion about Germany's Brutallizing death scene.
Mr.Deichkot@tears-of-decay.de