Posted by admin on June 15th, 2008
From crude black metal to finessed industrial electronics, Samael’s long and at times arduous Passage (pun intended, and that’s the one time their defining masterpiece will be mentioned here) along their career has left many fans upset and stranded by the roadside — as much due to the radical nature of that musical transformation, as the mixed quality of albums like 1999’s Eternal and 2004’s Reign of Light. Now, with their seventh long-player, 2007’s Solar Soul, the Swiss quartet appear to be striving to achieve some kind of historical balance by re-injecting the analog metal elements of early days efforts into their still largely digital aesthetic, and coming up Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by admin on June 15th, 2008
When he’s not directing feature films like House of 1000 Corpses and Devil’s Rejects, Rob Zombie likes to make music. Educated Horses, the prolific director, writer/animator/horror aficionado’s return to the world of hedonistic, sexed-up monster rock doesn’t stray too far from the formula that garnered him such a rabid fan base, but there’s less theater and more backwoods creepiness at hand this time around. Horses crawls on all fours for the first three tracks, relying on too many tried-and-true White Zombie dance beats and turgid guitar riffs to hint at anything outside of sheer puppetry, but Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by admin on June 12th, 2008
As I Lay Dying offer album number four with new bassist Josh Gilbert, who replaces Clint Norris (who left to get married and settle down). An Ocean Between Us offers several new aspects in the band’s sound: the churning hardcore is still very much at the center of the band’s sound, as are the twin lead guitars of Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso. Tim Lambesis is still the growling, razorbladed behemoth he always was, but Gilbert now offers melodic vocals on some choruses, effectively widening the band’s reach even if it takes fans a while to get used to it. “Forsaken” will probably be the greatest shock, with its purely melodic, even majestic classic metal intro. The fury comes, to be sure, but not until a full minute in, and the opening riffs sound like outtakes from Metallica’s Ride the Lightning LP — by the time Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by admin on June 11th, 2008
HOWEVER, with utmost respect to the group, this is not one of their best albums. I find myself only listening to two songs on here: Samhain and Belladonna. Many of the songs sound similar to one another, without their usual unique ring to them. I STRONGLY encourage you to check out a different album of theirs. Personally, I enjoy “Wild” - it is much more true to how good they really are. If you have never heard Inkubus Sukkubus before, check out the “Wytches & Vampyres: The Best of Inkubus Sukkubus” album - you’d be getting the Belladonna & Aconite song on there, too! Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by admin on June 11th, 2008
Here’s AF’s 4th full-length album, and I’ll have to say it’s their most ambitious by far. They’ve cut back on the operatic passages tremendously for one thing. On top of that, new keyboardist Joost adds in his own style of industrial-sounding synths and beats - WAIT! What?! Don’t ask me, but it really doesn’t sound all that bad (bar a few intros that sound like recycled 80s synth pop fillers). The guitars also sound a lot crunchier and more intense - making the songs sound grittier and overall more METAL. Gone are any of the gothic metal cliches the band have been plagued with over the years, and good riddance! Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by admin on June 10th, 2008
For album number nine, Wretched Spawn, Cannibal Corpse continue on with much the same style of gore-themed death metal that had made them a mainstay of the stateside scene for a decade-and-a-half. Bassist Alex Webster and guitarist Jack Owen write most of the songs here, respectively, and those songs are pretty much what you’ve come to expect from Cannibal Corpse by this point — musically pulverizing and lyrically unsettling. Vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher is as unrelenting as usual, especially on such songs as “Frantic Disembowelment,” where he switches from growling to screaming with seeming ease. Wretched Spawn is overall a pretty brief album, clocking in just under 45 minutes, as Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by admin on June 9th, 2008
Shot to Hell marks Black Label Society’s debut for Roadrunner Records, following a six-year relationship with Spitfire summarized on the previous year’s Kings of Damnation: Era 1998-2004 compilation. Shot to Hell may mark a new era for Zakk Wylde and company, yet not much has changed artistically, no doubt to the relief of fans. Over the course of 13 songs, the band showcases impressive musicianship, incorporating occasional moodiness and balladic touches into its otherwise charging style of metal. The usual comparisons to Alice in Chains, Pantera, and Corrosion of Conformity are as apt as ever, with Wylde’s vocals especially reminiscent of AIC. The album-opening “Concrete Jungle” is an instant highlight, kicking off the album in high fashion, while the piano ballad “The Last Goodbye” is another, highlighting Wylde’s songwriting talent, as is “Nothing’s the Same,” another mellow song. Read the rest of this entry »
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