Beef Conspiracy ‘Hung, Drawn and Quarter Poundered’

Beef Conspiracy have been shredding up the underground since late ‘98. This is one brutal fucking album. It is sort of a tough one to pinpoint. There is a medley of extremities thrown in the blender here. At first I was going to peg them for a grind core band. Upon closer inspection and a few track in, this was some sick-ass death metal. I now can hear certain technical venturing that reminds me of Neurosis, At All Cost, Fear Before the March Of Flames, Disgorged. They also add the humor to the grotesque nature of their songs. Sort of like Macabre. Here is the track list. “ Cerebral Minge, Jam Or Butter Not Both, Nothing Says I Love You Like A Chainsaw Injury To The Head, Spunky Beefcake, Beneath My Skin, Rover Does The Splits, The Sweet Caress Of A Nailgun, Beef Denied”. So with Beef Conspiracy, don’t be afraid of the grind and embrace the death. This is the reason underground music will remain underground. Not for the weak hearted. Cool shit. www.grindethic.co.uk

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No matter what genre of rock, metal and beyond you may be into, it’s one thing for sure, everybody knows who Yngwie is. Well they should. I mean, how can you not know one of the greatest guitarists to ever grace the recording world. Whatever differences on a personal level or musical, Yngwie is by far one of the greatest. All you have to do is listen to him play and that’s the seller. On this DVD he is playing with The New Japan Philharmonic. He completely composed this concerto specifically for an orchestra with his guitar as the lead instrument. He has only performed this with the orchestra seven times. The 18 compositions on the DVD were filmed over two shows in Japan. What’s cool is how well the performances blend together as one. Musically it is heard as it was recorded. Amazing. Stunning. Magnificent. This is an outstanding night out at the Symphony. The tracks are: “Black Star Overture, Trilogy Suite Op.5, Brothers, Icarus Dream Fanfare, Cavallino Rampante, Fugue, Prelude To April, Toccata, Andante, Sarabande, Allegro, Adagio, Vivace, Presto Vivance, Finale, Blitzkrieg, Far Beyond The Sun and Evil Eye”. The New Japan Philharmonic did a superb job. Any musicians out there that have any doubts to how this is suppose to be done, this is your instruction book. www.yngwie.org www.eaglerockent.com

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Well, another incorporation of talented, seasoned rockers getting together to just rock out. The results are amazing. This is a hard rockers heavenly slice of pie. Think of where Sound Garden left off with some Velvet Revolver/AudioSlave added. Even maybe a touch of C.O.C. They have set out to make the music that came naturally, without any rules or corporate influence. They being Scott Rockenfield (Queensryche), Damon Johnson (Brother Cane), Kelly Gray (Queensryche), Roman Glick (Brother Cane) and Scott Heard. Between the excellent musicianship and vocal delivery, Slave To The System is set to rival any of today’s Top 40 radio rock bands. A hard and heavy rock sound with just the right blend of melodies. Be prepared to being in awe. STTS’s sound is one you won’t be ready for. Yeah, you can’t go into this one with any preconceptions. STTS are primed and ready to take over the rock radio airwaves. I think this one may do it. Check them out today. www.spitfirerecords.com www.rockenfieldmusic.com/slavetothesystem.htm

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“Norway’s Dimmu Borgir have managed to become the most prominent and vital Melodic Black Metal act around the globe.” Yes they have. An amazing outing at 2004’s Ozzfest performance. Which on the release, you’ll get a bonus disk with a full performance at Ozzfest. Well on this one, Dimmu have taken one the most essential albums in Black Metal history and have rerecorded all tracks. Plus a couple of never before stuff. By doing so they have set the bar a little high already this year. This may be the best black metal release this year. Yes again. Just as it was in ’96. So what else is there? If you’ve never listened to “Storm blast ’96”, then you’ve missed out. Peter Tagtgren (Hypocrisy) is back at the helm as producer. And together they have unraveled a masterpiece. Worthy and vital listen for any fan. www.dimmu-borgir.com www.nuclearblastusa.com

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Sweden’s Nocturnal Rites crown their ten years together with their latest release, ‘Grand Illusion’. And what I need to add is how astonishing Nocturnal Rites sound on this one. A delectable blend of melodic metal and powerful hard rock with a progressive edge to it. From start to finish , you the listener, are subject to another dimension. A dimension of pounding, heavy metal state of mind. This one is full of fist-pumping, chorus chanting, arena rock-like metal sound. After seven releases, I would hope that you may have heard Nocturnal Rites somewhere. If by chance you have not, you need to. Iced Earth, Evergrey, Pyramaze to Nevermore, Helloween and Hammerfall fans. You’re going to dig this one. “Deliverance, Our Wasted Days and Something Undefined” are just of a couple standout tracks from an all standout track list. www.nocturnalrites.com www.centurymedia.com

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I’m not much of a gamer, but I do realize to correlation between kick-ass games and kick-ass soundtracks. One could just as well bury the other if not done properly. The Rainbow Six:Lockdown soundtrack is really kick-ass. It is produced by Fear Factory drummer Raymond Herrera and partner Laddie Ervin (3Volution Productions). So if you do play this game, you already know what I’m talking about. If you don’t play it, you’re still going to want to go out and get this one. Track listing is as follows: All My Life - Killing Zone, Lockdown - Fear Factory, Unstable - Kush, Never Forget - Not Forgotten, Game Over - Last Amanda, Waiting - Not Forgotten, Rainbow Six Lockdown Theme - Fear Factory, Stabbing The Drama - Soilwork, Like Light To The Flies - Trivium, Door 2:12 - Mnemic, The Color Of Money - Bury Your Dead, Love? - Strapping Young Lad, The Heart And Shape - 36 Crazyfist, Eyes Of A Criminal - Chimaira, I Could Care Less - Devil Driver, Rainbow Six Theme - Bill Brown. www.calvinrecords.com www.3volution.us

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Finland’s Lullacry have come a long way since their 1998 debut “Sweet Desire”. And since then, they have been winning fans over all around the globe. The bands latest, ‘Vol. 4’ is sure to please the fans they’ve already won over sticking to the sound they flawlessly mastered. With some more exposure, and the tell two friends strategy , there will surely be many more wanting to listen to Lullacry. Tanja’s beautifully hypnotic vocals put you in a state of trance while the rest of the band belts out some of the catchiest, hook laden riffs in the business. Her vocal style, to these ears are in very, very close comparison to that of Gwen Stefani. Their heavy goth rock style is mixed with almost a light pop sound. A hard edged rock sound with more modern, pop style vocals. And while we’re one the subject of catchy, some of the choruses roll on as if they were an old friend. Very memorable. A great listen over and over. Electrifying. High energy. Seductively passionate rock. What I want to know is why the hell great music like this is not being played on stations throughout the states. I’m mean, well, how long were we forced to listen to Amy Lee and Evanescence. Dreadful it was. Not to be bad talking or anything. It was just a jam down your throat band that was played every hour or so. But that’s over now. Fans of Evanescence, HIM, Beyond Glory, Beesech and Nightwish will love what Lullacry have to offer. All tracks on the disk are standout material and will be played over and over once you get it for yourself. This is not my “favorite” genre style. But after several listens, and this review. I’m sure it’s going to be one I frequent often. www.lullacry.com www.centurymedia.com

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Well I’m not going to try and bullshit my way through this one. And for those familiar with OMC, you’ll already know how great this album really is. I’ve been wanting to get a hold of some earlier OMC releases for a long time now. I still can’t figure out why I hadn’t. For those who are unfamiliar with Old Man’s Child, as I am, here’s a little rundown of things. OMC is the brainchild of mastermind Galder. Galder is maybe more popularly known for his involvement in Dimmu Borgir. And it is said by some that these two band are pretty much one in the same. I’m going to have to disagree on that one. ‘Vermin’ is the 6^th release by Galder under the band name Old Man’s Child. There have been several guest musicians on all the earlier releases. On ‘Vermin’, it is Galder on vocals and all instruments and Reno Killerich (ex-Dimmu, Vile, Exmortem) on the drums. Excellent job to these two guys. This is a magnificent album. The music is a blend of dark epic black metal. At times almost majestic in sound. There are many tones of thrash and death metal here as well. All tracks are both very heavy and melodic to a certain degree. All the while not losing grip of his black metal roots. Now I can go on and on about this and that or what not. By doing so it would probably just bore most of you. And for those who know the band well, I might just piss you guys off by putting something wrong down here. So in brief I have only two things left to say. One is to separate your thoughts that this is going to be just another Dimmu Borgir sounding album. (Not that that’s bad) And two, this is a great fucking record. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that. Go and listen for yourself. ’Vermin’ is the must have album of the year. Yes , this year too. www.oldmanschild.net www.centurymedia.com

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Cryptopsy are recognized worldwide for infusing extreme music with awe-inspiring precision and rabidly dynamic rhythms. It has been five years since their last release. From what I’m hearing here, for the fans it sure was worth the wait. Cryptopsy take what they’ve been doing from the start, mash it all together and give you ‘Once Was Not’. A pulverizing blend of some of the sickest, brutal death metal known to man. There are several off-time beats throughout the disk that remind me of some of the newer stuff out there today by bands like At All Cost, Fear Before The March Of Flames and maybe even Primus. Yet not straying from the elements they have stuck by for so many years. Intense, vicious and technical death metal. A rhythmical onslaught. This release only shows why they are one of today’s defining metal acts. You’ll be impressed by the sheer concentration of authority that is spewed forth with each listen. www.cryptopsy.net www.centurymedia.com

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So I’ve given this a few/several spins in the player. I must say, or have to say, this is a first-class release and a wonderful way to start out the New Year. I’m not familiar with the bands first release, so I can’t compare it to that. But after hearing what I have from the band, Wow. These guys rock. Now I must be completely honest. Their sound has many similarities to what is popular in today’s hard rock radio scene. Fans of Shinedown, Crossfade, Seether, Allele to Nonpoint to Godsmack to even Nickleback will freak over this latest release. I only have the new tunes, (disc 1) and it’s all of those groups and more. All rolled up into an extreme molten ball of hard rock fury. There are way to many catchy tracks on here to say which one is standout. (Like Suicide, I’m Falling, Drowning, Empty Promises) There are plenty of thunderous beats and driving guitars to please the heaviest of rockers while the great melodies and memorable vocal parts fill in the rest of what should be dubbed “the hard rock release of the year”. Could it be too early to say that. Hmmm. Multi-platinum? Maybe. If all the other bands mentioned above could do it, Switched are a shoe in for it. Great album. I’m glad I was introduced. And you will be too. For more info and to listen in for yourself, check out one of the sites below. www.myspace.com/switched www.switched.tv www.corporatepunishment.com

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Well here we have the debut album from Aggro-hard rock act Lies. What the hell is aggro-rock? Another one on me. Am I just totally out of it that once a week I learn of a new genre? I know I bitch about that often. Onward to the aggro-rock. I don’t know any aggro-rock bands to compare Lies to. I know this, they’re all over the typical genre map. Sort of a fusion of metal, mild-hardcore to rock. Hell it’s a tough one. The vocals are described as melodic, abrasive and emotionally unstable. Okay, I’ll agree. But it would help if the guy could sing. Well he can, but not throughout the whole disk. There is a very long bio attached with the disk that tells of some tragedy that happened to Travis Bain early on which led him to music. It is very touching, but does not help the sound of the music on this release. Congrats to them for what they are doing, just not a disk I can enjoy. They are doing something that no other band is really trying and I respect that. Sort of the Mentors meets U2 with some aggression mixed in. Slow sludgey punk? At least that’s what I get out of it. I don’t know. Go to www.myspace.com/liesonline and listen for yourself. Sorry, for some reason I can’t even give good constructive criticism to it. Not one for me. www.lies1.com www.myspace.com/liesonline

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 From what I can tell this is a self released, very professionally packaged and recorded album. There is no record label on the inserts or the promo sheet. This I find very hard to believe. These guys are pure fucking thrash. “ Modern Oldschool-thrash”. Formed in 2000 this is the second release from the band. The first being a MCD titled “Fractured”, in which I have not heard. No need. This album says it all. Pure and true thrashing frenzy. With so many bands out there using the name Hatred, please don’t confuse this German band from any of the others. In fact that is how I stumbled upon their website. I was looking for another Hatred from an old demo I had laying around. Much in the vein of Destruction, Forbiddon, Kreator, Kaos, Wartorn, Exodus. Very Bay Area like thrash with a lot of depth to it. Very heavy sounding. Hatred are Matthias Mauer - vocals, Fredrick Melott - guitars, Daniel Buld - drums, Stefan Hofman - bass and Steffen Lindner. Hatred bring some fresh blood to the table playing some of the most relentless thrash to date. Yet you can here the influences of the classic old-school of thrash. A must have for any fan of thrash/death or metal in general. www.hatredmetal.de

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Well I’ve had this for a short while as the 14 track full length release of “Beyond The Shadows” is out and is receiving rave reviews. So I will not go into too much detail on this one as I may be receiving the full length to review as well. Who knows. For anyone who may know the band or not, they started out in 1982 in Sweden. From what I’ve gathered, they played around for a couple of years before disbanding. Each member going this way or that but staying in the metal scene. Well they’re back. And from the sound of the two tracks I’ve got here, they mean business this time around. The first track if a high fueled power metal onslaught titled “Night Knight”. the second track is a muck mellower track titled “Weeper Deeper”. these both are newly recorded, yet I believe they are originals from back in the day. I’d like to hear some more of this. Two songs are too much of a tease. Music much in the vein of Hammerfall, Thunderstone, Pyramaze, Engage. Check out the website for more details on this amazing band. www.darkillusion.se

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Wow!! That’s the best way to start this here review. From Richmond, VA come Engage. The average age of the band members is 19. Don’t let that fool you though. The sounds that rip through the speakers sounds as if were from any well seasoned power metal band. Engage are James Beard II - guitar/backing vocals, Doug Trammell - drums/backing vocals, Chad Brown - bass/lead vocals and Chris Rudolph - guitar/backing vocals. The music is fast and precise with touches of some melodic influences from European power metal and other style of metal. What can I say. This seven song demo kicks some serious ass. They have only been doing this since ‘04. I can’t say from the time I got this demo till now whether or not the band has been signed, but if any label had any sense at all they’d swoop on these guys. Great musicianship from such a young group of musicians. Listening to this demo, it’s very easy to mistake it for Helloween in many cases. So for any one into the likes of Helloween, Nocturnal Rites, Fifth Angel, Brimstone, Iced Earth ect., ect…. You’re going to think Engage are the next big thing. I think they just may be. Excellent self release guys. Great production. Hope to hear much more from Engage for years to come. www.engagetheband.com

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Phoenix Reign are forging their way through the ranks of this “U.S. True Metal” scene. Or so they call it. Every time you turn around there’s a new genre popping up. Their music slips right into the melodic/power metal category. There are nice sounding vocals fronted by Teresa Gaffney. Think of Pat Benatar trying to sing metal. There are some cool dueling guitar parts mixed into the fold of some crunchy rhythms. The three tracks on this demo are fairly well crafted tunes. A sound that fuses the sounds of Maiden, Lullacry and Nocturnal Rites. I would like to hear these songs after a producer got a hold of them. Not that I have the greatest ears on the planet, but while giving this several listens over the course of having it, it just seems there are parts of each song that could be slightly tweeked and made a bit more commanding. As with the mixing. Overall this is a band to keep your ears out for in the near future. And this demo is a great addition to any metalheads collection. With the proper recording, Phoenix Reign could go very far. www.phoenixreign.com

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You know I get a lot of music from all over. And there are so many times when I wonder why there is a band like Sectas, who play such a high caliber blend of rock that they’re just sending demos around. Upon further research on the bands website, one can read that Sectas was quite the rock band down in Mexico. I suppose that can only go so far though. Sectas are now ready to take on the rest of the world. To fill the void of originality with their rhythmic journey of guitar-driven hard rock with melodic changes, searing solos, and driving energy. They bring to the table many influences of a multitude of heavy metal, jazz and blues musicians. On the bio sheet it states ,“They look forward to becoming pioneers of the new hard rock sound of the 21^st Century.” Well we’re going to have to tell the radio mongrels to stop playing the same shit over and over and slip in some real talent. That being Sectas. This is the sound of the future of hard rock. At least I hope it is. Sectas bring a fresh new sound to mundane world of hard rock radio. www.sectasmusic.com

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Stonecreep were formed in 2001 in the Midwest. North Dakota to be exact. The band left their Midwestern hometown and settled themselves in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. In 2003 they released the full length debut ‘Keep The Hammer Down’. (like to get my hands on that) With plenty of touring and some line-up changes, Stonecreep headed back into the studio to record this EP, ‘Tonight We Ride’. The bio says it best. “ At its core is a guitar style that features intricate dual harmonies and heavy, chunky riffs. Driving yet complex drumming and a diverse blend of vocal styles augment the overall sound, which is rounded out by solid and creative bass work.” Yes, that does about sum things up for this 5 song release. Stonecreep are Matt Litton - guitars/vocals, Aaron Mullaney - lead guitar, Andy Mercil - bass and Mike Townsend - drums. This my friends is a kick ass set of tunes. And so, I’m surprised they have not been swept up by a label yet. Must be due to deaf ears on the part of those A&R guys. If your into the likes of Shadow’s Fall, Trivium, The Black Dahlia Murder or Lyzanxia, you’re really going to want to check these guys out. Sounds to me there’s a promising future for these guys. See for yourself why they’re the hottest thing in the Pacific-Northwest underground scene. www.stonecreep.com www.myspace.com/stonecreep

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Well here’s another one of those chaotic, hard/metal core bands. I hear these guys call their sound “Nintendo core”. And once again, that’s pretty fucking stupid. I am writing this review just after one by the band Look What I Did. And, well, it’s pretty much the same. It’s the hey let’s be as aggressive, brutal, weird and obnoxious as anyone can be. Add a little lyrical comedy in the fold and you’ve got Horse the band. Not to be mistaken for horse the animal, or horse the dick. Horse the band are pretty damn intense musically. And for an old slug as myself, I did not realize this was a growing popularity with today’s youth in the underground. Not much different than the early punk scene, just better recordings than back then. There are a few really cool tracks on the disk. And even though their music is pure mayhem from start to finish, all the songs do not sound the same. In fact towards the end of the disk, some of the tracks seem to loose their luster. Maybe it’s due to the fact the they are trying to out do the oddity of the earlier tracks. All in all a good, schizophrenic listen. You might want to be up and moving for this one as it may hurt.  www.horsetheband.com www.combatrecords.com

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This is one for those into the likes of Dillinger Escape Plan, The Blood Brothers, Blessing The Hogs. Not really my style of pleasurable listening. These guys are balls out chaos. Violent most of the time with some melodies in the chorus. These guys are all over the place. Many different styles thrown in the blender and set on high. I guess some of you out there call this math core? That’s just fucking stupid. Anyways, I can’t really say that this is a terrible album. I mean there are parts where I’m like, ”hey that was cool”, and then there are parts of the disk that, well I suppose with any extreme music genre, you as the listener are just left confused. Hypersonic fury and mayhem. So if you’re into the chaotic sounds of extreme music filled with an off-beat humor in the lyrics, check out Look What I Did. If you’re looking for some nice tunes to sing along to in the car on your way to work, you can forget this one. They need to put an additional warning next to the explicit lyrical content sticker. One that states: “This music may cause one to have seizures, even if never experienced before.” This is some wild shit. Check them out at the sites below. www.ihatelookwhatidid.com www.combatrecords.net

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Well the gods of vomit metal are back. This time with a vengeance. After a long 10 year contract deal with Mourning Star Records, Skitzo are free agents and are shopping for a label to officially release this gem. I only wish at this point Metal Warrants were in a position to do this for Lance and Co. These underground legends are not fucking around with this collection of some of the best ‘80’s era metal known to man. Crushing. Pure and nothing short of powerful. This disk has a ton of amazing guest musicians who contribute in many ways. Jeff Beccera from Possessed sings lead on the track “Metallic Tyrants” , as well as John Marshall from Metal Church, Blind Illusion sherds it up on this track. Machine Head/ Voi-lence Phil Demmel plays lead on “We Are Not Dead”. Sickie from The Mentors plays lead on “Catacombs”. Plus many more throughout. Skitzo held nothing back from this recording and it should be in the hands of anyone who is remotely into metal. Skitzo@sonic.net Joe@attitudemanagement.com www.skitzo.biz www.myspace.com/skitzo667

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Norway’s rising masters of modern black metal release their 4^th album on Golden Lake Productions. The black metal duo consists of Mithrin (instruments and electronics) and Gorbag (main vocals). They get some help from Helstein with the clean vocal parts. Emancer continue to forge their path in the cold, dark genre of black metal with this latest effort. Depending what style of black metal you are into will determine how you’ll enjoy this album. All the tracks are very good musically. In an overall view of it. Emancer are making their own brand of black metal. Maturing with every release. The lyrics have much more to them than the all out satanic imagery that encompasses most black metal releases. The songs within are dark and aggressive. There is a certain mystique to their sound that I can’t quite pinpoint. But I highly recommend ’The Menace Within’. Emancer just may be what the genre needs to attract a broader fan base. An all around excellent release. A couple standout tracks are ,” Claustrophobium, Reclamation Of Merciless January, Disfigured Divinity”.  www.emanceronline.com www.goldenlakeprods.co.uk

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Danish death metal band, Usipian, belt out some pretty vicious and brutal death metal on this release. Usipian formed in 2000 from the ashes of Gothic Domain. This is pure death metal. Nothing other to report than that. Violent, aggressive and intense. Both lyrically and musically. This is fucking great! Not sloppy sound like a lot of death metal can sound. These guys are high up on the heap of great death metal bands. Their sound can be reminded to that of other acts such as Immolation, Dismember, Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse. Anyone remotely into the extreme metal scene will want to get their hands on this one. www.usipian.dk www.metalfortress.com

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Power metal fans beware. You better make sure you have a towel handy when you put this one in the player. It’s like a wet dream come true. Extremely riff heavy with plenty of melodies throughout. Quite possibly the perfect melodic/power metal album. Now for me, I am not all that familiar with the previous works of the band. This I believe is their seventh release. Maybe that has something to do with the title? Very powerful songs here. Right from the opening track “ Demons And Angels” , on through to the ending ballad “In Memory”. Though the song writing and musicianship standout through each track, be it the thundering drums or the Maiden-like riffing and dual soloing, Ralf Scheepers vocals are amazing. For as many times as I’ve listened to this, and I bet a lot of people with beg to differ, but he sounds very close to Ripper Owens (Iced Earth). Not on all the tracks, but most. He does utilized many different vocal styles on the disk. A powerful release from one of the top of their genre. This is metal. This is how it is. Check it out. www.primalfear.de www.nuclearblastusa.com

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This is one of those releases that any fan goes nuts over. The rare b-sides and unreleased material to date in one package. This one being a two disk set with 27 tracks. It covers the past five years under Century Media. It contains alternate versions of songs, live recordings, demo versions of songs and three cover songs of Dead Can Dance, Talk Talk and Slowdrive. ‘Accessories’ also comes with exclusive artwork and extensive liner notes by The Gatherings own Hans Rutten and Eroc (Woodhouse Studios). For those not real familiar with The Gathering, this is an excellent and diverse collection of material to keep you captivated from song one all the way through disk two. And for the fans, this is a collection of The Gathering’s music that you have been waiting for. Very cool release. www.centurymedia.com www.gathering.nl

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How does a band get a record deal in the same year they were formed? Some find this a puzzling question. One listen to this disk, and there should be no question of this nature to ask. Before I realized the line-up, I just couldn’t take it out of my player. Scar Symmetry consists of Jonas Kjellgren (Carnal Forge, Centinex, World Below), Henrik Ohlsson (Theory In Practice, Mutant, Altered Aeon), Per Nilsson (Altered Aeon), Christian Alvestam (Unmoored, Incapacity, Torchbearer) and Kenneth Seil. An exceptional gathering of talents. Although the genre of music here is starting to hit the saturation point in the business, there are still plenty of fresh sounding ideas that slightly separate themselves from one band to the next. Scar Symmetry dish up one of the most intoxicating blends of melody and brutality together that it should not be taken in large doses. This release showcases the incredible musicianship and songwriting skills that in many cases are over looked in order to appeal to the masses. Impressive drumming that compliments the exquisite guitar work throughout the disk. And at the forefront, the vocals are superb. From the memorable harmonies of the chorus that intertwine with more deep, growling style vocals. Fans of Arch Enemy, Soilwork, In Flames and Children Of Bodom will love Scar Symmetry. All songs on this disk are standout. I believe I have found the perfect metal release of 2005. I am confidant you will be hearing a lot more from Scar Symmetry in the near future. Definitely the band to look out for in the coming year. www.nuclearblastusa.com www.scarsymmetry.com

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As dynamic and immense as any band in rock/metal, Mushroomhead has always shined through being an entity all their own. Be it the make up and costumes, or the vibrant performances on stage, Mushroomhead are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Artistic both visually and musically. In their latest offering, ‘Volume 1’, you get to see a side of the guys behind the get ups. Their stage personas set aside, you are introduced to a band/bunch of guys that are even more crazy off stage as they are on. This DVD was done completely by the band. It has a few of the professionally done videos as well as ones they have done themselves. The off show antics, mainly on the tour bus are hysterical. And you get to see them with out the costumes too. There are not a lot, or actually any interviews on this. It is not a documentary or history of the band. Just a lot of outtakes of a band out on the road living the rock-n-roll lifestyle and dream. Many, many live sequences on this DVD. Some very cool perspectives of the day to day life on the road antics by none other than the guys who are living it. Some tracks included are ,” Before I Die, Kill Tomorrow, Becoming Cold(216), Sum Doesn’t Rise”. all footage is fairly recent and includes JMann and not their new front man Waylon. All is good though. A pretty cool DVD from the band that everybody loves to hate. Check out ‘Volume 1’ today. www.mushroomhead.com

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Yes, you’re seeing that label correctly. And yes it is the same Combat that gave birth to the likes of Exodus, Venom, Dark Angel and Megadeth. The newly resurrected label is proud to present the debut full-length for both band and label, ’It’s Time To Decide’. At All Cost have a sound that fuses the intensity of metal and the energy of rock-n-roll, while pushing the boundaries of the metal/hardcore scene . At All Cost want to put the dance back in hardcore. There is a definite mix among to songs here. From classical guitars to violins to vocoder and synth effects, At All Cost are bringing a new sound to the hardcore fans of today, while covering the bases of what of is already out on the market. It does take a couple listens to fully appreciate what At All Cost are creating. So give them a listen, and give them a chance. At All Cost just may be what this genre has been looking for. In terms of reviving it.  www.atallfuckingcost.com www.kochrecords.com www.combatrecords.net

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Sometimes I wonder why everyone, or most everyone has a greatest hits album. As a fan, honestly, do they ever put the greatest hits that you want to hear on there? Not usually. ‘Kings Of Damnation’ is more of a collection of works from Zakk Wylde & Co. from ‘98 thru ‘04. In addition, you do get two new and previously unreleased tracks. This is the seller for those fans who have all the other albums and need to have these two other songs. It works and the record companies know this. As do I. I’m a sucker for these types of things. The two new tracks are typical BLS in sound. Raw and heavy. This CD is a good buy for those who do not own very much BLS, as the tracks on this disk are off of several releases by the band. So if there was ever any interest in some of the earlier works by BLS, go get this album. It’s pretty diverse, in that it covers the wide range of music that can only come from the bad ass of metal himself. And in case you are wondering, the track listing is as follows : ‘ Losing Your Mind, Horse Called War, Between Heaven And Hell, Sold My Soul, Bleed For Me, Taz, Counterfeit God, Stronger Than Death, Speedball, Demise Of Sanity, We Live No More, Stillborn, The Blessed Hellride, Crazy Or High, House Of Doom, Takillya, Doomsday Inc., SDMF.’ www.spitfirerecords.com www.blacklabelsociety.com

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Blot Mine are a Swedish black metal band that formed from the ashes of Sorhin, Setherial and Midvinter in the later part of 1995. In 1999, they recorded “Porphyrogenesis” under the direction of King Diamond guitarist Andy Laroque and was released thru Near Dark Productions. Blot Mine have a very serious concept angle to their lyrics. More can be read, and should be read at the bands website under the “matters of matter” section. In short the concept deals with the thought provoking lyrics of the searh for terrestrial intelligence. Not your typical black metal band topic. Which in itself is a welcomed change of pace. The music on the other hand is what it is. Swedish black metal. Very well done to the point that it does not sound like total noise as some black metal bands can. There are some cold and eerie parts of the disk as well as some slightly melodic portions that blend in well, not straying from the powerful black metal sound that makes up Blot Mine’s identity. ‘Ashcloud’ was done at The Abyss by Tommy Tagtgren, which is always a good selling point. But the music here is the selling point for me. I am picky when it comes to black metal, as anyone familiar with this site may have figured out by now. Or the fact that I state it whenever a good black metal band catches my ear. Blot Mine need to be checked out. They’re not your typical black metal band. Blot Mine are Steril Vwreede - vocals, Thunaraz - guitars, Athel W. - guitars, Thorn - bass and Nathaniel - drums. Their sound is in the likeness of old Setherial, Marduk and Dark Funeral. And will be enjoyed by all black metal fans. www.blotmine.com www.metalfortress.com

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Mistweaver is a band from Burgos, which is in the north of Spain. The line-up consists of Raul Weaver - guitar/vocals, Eduardo Alonzo - guitar, Eduardo Navazo - keyboards, David De Pedro - bass and Guillermo Blanco - drums. With guest vocals by Aroa Martin. We are going to start off by putting them in the melodic/progressive death metal category. But I tell you this, there is more than on genre being laid down here. It ranges from death, thrash, pagan, black, a little doom and some folkish parts as well. Either Mistweaver is a band confused, undecided or just talented enough to put this mixture all together and pore out some of the freshest, yet familiar sounding jams in a long while. A very good effort indeed. “Age Of Darkness” is the bands fourth (third full length) release. I can’t say for sure, as I do not know their earlier releases, what direction the band has gone with this one. I can say that I have enjoyed it for the past couple weeks. And with all the over saturation within the other genres, this album has been a nice change of pace. You never know where it is headed or where it will end up. That’s what I really dig about this album. I mean, sure there are some holes throughout the disk, that when picked apart may bother some. Like the female guest vocals that sound great with Raul’s at some points and at others don’t. or the placement of some of the keyboard compositions that should have been either left out in certain points of the song, or just toned down a bit. I’m no producer, but after you listen to as many disks as I, or any other reviewer, you just know where things fit and don’t. These things on this disk are going to be looked over be me anyway due to the fact that I’ve enjoyed the change of pace. With roughly 7 listens, ‘Age Of Darkness’ is just as interesting as the first. Mistweaver’s music will not bore. Guaranteed. So if you into the likes of Unshrouded Bitterness, Royal Anguish, Neglected Fields or any of the aforementioned genres, give Mistweaver a listen. They’re sure to please most metal heads appetite for freshness and brutality. www.mistweaver.org  www.goldenlakeprods.co.uk

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God Forbid come at you with a punishing, thought provoking, political concept album. Not being totally familiar with God Forbids discography, I’m not going to give the usual comparison rundown from one album to the next. And with the metal-core genre being pretty much saturated to the limits as with most other genres, I can’t even say how this release will stack up to the rest of the years releases. This is God Forbid. They rock. A brutal blend of many styles closely related in the metal world, God Forbid deliver with a vicious intent. An intent to make their mark in the pages of metal history. Intellectual lyrics, searing dual guitars and growling to clear vocals are the make up here. Not familiar with them yourself? Killswitch Engage, In Flames, The Agony Scene, The Haunted ect., ect., fans will enjoy. All tracks are pretty good, just don’t hear anything that is so stadoutish that it needs mentioned. ‘IV: Constitution Of Treason’, is a great addition to today’s catalog of metal, and should be checked out by all. God Forbid are making their mark in today’s metal scene with a devout following. Only time will tell how much of an impact they will make. www.godforbid1.com www.centurymedia.com

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The Great Kat. Wow. Have you ever listened to the music of The Great Kat? You know you’ve seen the adds over the years in many of the well known magazines. So why have you not listened? I don’t know why I haven’t either. Maybe it’s the crazy blood dripping, dominatrix look that she dons. Maybe. Well if you did not know, the music played on this release and that of others is metal/shred/classical. With plenty of gore. She uses this to catch your attention. She by far has to be one of the fastest guitar shredders I’ve heard in a long time. Maybe the fastest ever. Now I do like some fast music, but this is about a half of step under grind/crust music. A genre I do own some of, but just some. And I don’t know why except to put on the radio page for the fans out there. Now Kat is a graduate of violin from the Juilliard School of Music who had toured several countries before realizing classical music was about dead and wanted to do something to introduce the masses to the likes of Wagner, Liszt, Vivaldi, Bazzini and Sarasate. What better way that high-speed shred guitar/violin. Which are both on this release as well as some vocals. Some explicit lyrics. A couple cuss words and some body maiming about sums up the lyrical content of the album. I’m thinking maybe The Great Kat is more of a live performer than on album. Kind of like Gwar for me. I can see them a 100 times a week and love it every time, but throw in most of their cds and they just bore me to death. “Wagner’s War” sort fits into that category for me. High speed intensity. I think it would be great if the songs were slowed down a bit. Just because they seem a little chaotic to me. If you’re into this type of crust/shred, then this is an album for you. The songs are all short and sweet, all under 2 minutes. So in brief, if you want to hear the fastest shredding violinist on the planet, The Great Kat is who you want to get hooked up with. As for her guitar skills, they’re off the fucking hook. Finger-blistering fret work that is like no other. The Great Kat is at the top of her genre when it comes to guitar greatness, and should be recognized a bit more for what she is trying to achieve. A women’s place in the world of great guitar hero’s. Sorry Kat that I’m not a very big fan of this mixture of music you play, but I am a fan of great musicians. And you’re up there. Keep shreddin’. www.greatkat.com

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Formed from the ashes of Cryptal Darkness, a well known Australian doom band, come The Eternal. I was not real sure what to expect from this disk. I do not know much about the Australian underground scene, and sorry to the Australian’s, did not think that there was much of one over there. Once again, little do I know. There certainly are many selling points to this album. How about the cover artwork by Travis Smith (Opeth, Katatonia, Anathema), or that it was recorded and produced by Endal Rivers (Black Majesty, Vanishing Point), or that it was mastered by Mika Jussila (Amorphis, Nightwish, Therion). Yes, if these types of things are what one as a listener looks for so be it. Some great effort went into the making of this release. Me, and no offense to the great behind the scenes guys, don’t really need to know all that. If the music is good, well written and to my taste, that is what I look for. The Eternal do seem to catch my attention. Whether it’s the dark melodies, the somber moods on a symphonic scale which are filled with plenty of atmosphere and emotion, or the use of interesting tempo changes. it’s all here. This is a very captivating gothic, doom album. Every song, no matter how sad to upbeat they make it, just sounds good. Some are very epic in sound as well. I know that you’ll be able to say what I keep saying after the 10 or 15 times I’ve listened to this disk. Very impressive. If you’re into the likes of Insomnium, Swallow The Sun, Opeth to Lestat. You’re going to love these guys. This is truly a masterpiece down the road of gothic/doom metal. Definitely a genre of music I want to listen to more of, thanks to the sounds of The Eternal.  www.the-eternal.com  www.firebox.fi

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Here it is. I was wondering if I would be able to get a chance to review Swallow The Sun’s sophomore release. I had received the highly acclaimed, “The Morning Never Came” well over a year after it’s release and I might say, it was really good. I know I talked it up myself. Many critics had been dubbing it as the doom metal release of the year. I myself was a little confused on the subject as I recognized it as being more of a melodic death metal album. Since then, I have delved into what today’s doom acts are releasing, and I’m going to still stick to my guns on that first one. “Ghosts Of Loss”, on the other hand fits easily into the doom category for me. Like I always say, “there are too many genres that bands can fall into”. “Ghosts Of Loss”, like their first is very, very good. One thing that I notice is that it seems that a lot went into the writing and production of the songs on this disk. Where as the songs off of “TMNC” seemed to be more spontaneously done. Which resulted in an incredible mixture of music capable of making the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight out. Now I’m not in any way saying that this effort is no good, just that when I had interviewed them this spring , they laughed and said that they were not worried about topping the music released on “TMNC”. I myself enjoy the first release much than this one. Sorry Juha and Aleksi. But with all things said, I am going rank this one up there as what could quite possibly be the doom metal release of this year. Melancholic, dark and heavy as shit. And as before, these are one of the most talented bunch of musicians to grace my cd player in a long time. “Ghosts Of Loss” has eight tracks and weighs in at just about 66 minutes. If you haven’t had a chance to check out one of Finland’s finest, you really must do so. Now my only other problem I’m dealing with is which track to put on the radio page. Doom has a new name, and that name is Swallow The Sun. www.swallowthesun.net www.firebox.fi

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Well let me try this again. Lost it twice already, and with my memory….never mind that one. Watch Them Die are yet another great offering from one of the, if not the greatest birth place for thrash metal . Yep, The Bay Area. I may have mentioned elsewhere that I am privy to it because I grew up it that area myself. There is nowhere else like it that I have found yet. Delivering a multi-layered exploration of anger, loss, pain and redemption, Watch Them Die are an exceptionally talented bunch of musicians. They give forth pure, in-your-face brutality. A soundtrack of violence. I love this shit. Ira Harris - drums, Pat Mello - bass, Pat Vigil - vocals, Sonny Reinhardt - guitars and Greg Valencia - guitars/vocals are Watch Them Die. Who are quite possibly the heart and soul of the next generation of extreme music. Definitely one to watch out for in the coming years. Intense technical skills rank this one right up there with any of the other great Bay Area thrashers. “Bastard Son” is not an album that needs to be sold to you as a consumer, but passed on as a devote metal head. From one to another, check out Watch Them Die today. www.watchthemdie.com www.centurymedia.com

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Peter Tagtgren & Co. are back , and the ‘Virus’ is starting to spread. Fueled by the aggression of the more classic Hypocrisy sounds. The first two tracks, “Warpath and Scrutinized” are just full speed ahead extreme metal. Hypocrisy style. By the third track, “Fearless” they slip into the more melodic style, chorus style that filled their last release ‘The Arrival’ . “Craving For Another Killing, Blooddrenched and Compulsive Psychosis” find the sheer beauty in brutality that keep Hypocrisy at the top of the extreme metal scene. Where as “Let The Knife Do The Talking, A Thousand Lies, Incised Before I’ve Ceased and Living To Die” are more on the melodic death side of the spectrum. All are very standout worthy. A very well produced album where each track flows into the next with the precision only “The Godfather of Gothenburg” and his cohorts can accomplish. If in the past couple albums you’ve been disillusioned by Hypocrisy, fear no more. ’Virus’ will indeed infect your metal soul. www.hypocrisy.tv  www.nuclearblastusa.com

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I have been listening to this release, ‘8 Deadly Sins’ for sometime now. And I agree with other critics in that Manticora, have got to be Denmark’s finest power metal band. ‘8 Deadly Sins’ is a concept album. A superbly done concept album I might add. Roughly, the storyline is about a man who is on his death bed and is reflecting on his past. It’s not some lamely written story line that just goes from thought to thought. This is, in fact, a very thought-provoking plot. Power metal at it’s finest. Manticora are Lars F Larsen - vocals, Kristian Larsen - guitars, Mads Volf - drums and Kasper Gram - bass. Another release from Nightmare Records that is just absolutely astonishing. A delectable blend of powerful drums and quick riffing blended with just the right amount of melody, with vocals that soar to the heavens. And despite the fact that this album has a countless number of standout out tracks on it, I could only narrow it down to the top four in my mind. “Playing God, It Feels Like The End, Enigma and Help Me Like No One Can”. Truly a terrific masterpiece of some of the best epic power metal ,with a symphonic/progressive edge, out there today. I really look forward to hearing more from Manticora in the near future. www.manticora.dk www.nightmare-records.com

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Moonlight Agony are Chitral Somapala - vocals, Kalle Landin - guitars, Rikard Petersson - guitars, Martin Mellstrom - keyboards, Christofer Starnefalk - bass and Robert Millstadt -drums. I am myself hearing this band for the first time. Moonlight Agony are a Swedish dark/symphonic power/progressive metal band. Yes, all of the above. And very good I must add. There are so damn many bands of this genre these days, that in a round about way, can not be pigeon-holed into their own category. One good thing for us as the listeners is that they are not shit bands. This is not like one of those ‘80’s metal fads. Most are incredibly talented and are writing great material. Moonlight Agony are one of those bands that, in my book are ranked right up there with the top of their genre. ‘Echoes Of A Nightmare’ was co-produced by Tom S. Englund (Evergrey) and features his guitar work on the track “Equilibrium”. Also appearing on the album doing vocals on the track “Icy Plains” is his wife Carina Englund. With that, you already know that is an outstanding track. Great guitars throughout and Chitral’s soaring vocals are a perfect match in every song. Moonlight Agony should be busting through the seems with this release. And might I add, there are many places you can go to get yourself a copy of this disk. So go get it. If your into the likes of Evergrey, Brainstorm, Thunderstone, Helloween and Blind Guardian, you’re going to really dig Moonlight Agony. www.moonlightagony.com www.nightmare-records.com

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This is the third disk out for this brutal, Italian two-piece death metal band. Not quite sure how they pull off touring, if they do, I’m sure they would. Any how, Carmine covers the drums/backing clear and electronic voice sample and Angelo takes care of the guitars/bass/vocals on this release. Now they do have a new one out after this, but you need to give one a listen as well. The new disk is entitled, ’They Are As Us’. Rising Moon have been spewing out some very technical and melodically brutal death metal in the vien of Hyprocrisy. They follow the whole alien theme in their lyrics as well. Abductions, experiments and invasions. It’s all here. Some very fine music here. A must have for any tech/death head out there. Very good production as well. The twelve tracks on this disk run about 56 minutes. For fans of Hyprocrisy, Dimension Zero and December.  www.risingmoon.it www.metalfortress.com

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This three-piece consists of Martin Karlsson - bass, Matti Almsenius - guitars/vocals and Daniel Erladsson - drums. This Swedish evil metal is very reminiscent to that of some of the eighties old school style of thrash/sludge. The vocals are that of the Lemmy persuasion. At least pretty damn close in comparison. The lyrical topics rage from day to day life to death and destruction. All the tracks remain fairly heavy and driving throughout the disk. There are a few melodic parts as well. If you are into the likes of old Metal Church, BLS, Motorhead, Superchrist and Omegalord. Then you’re going to have to check these guys out. Some stand out track, “Revengia, Matricide and Halloween.” A very good listen throughout. Some real head-banging shit from Revengia. From the double-bass drums to the crunchy guitar sound, Revengia bring some serious ass-kickin’ metal to your ears. Definitely a band to keep you eye on in the coming year. www.revengia.se www.metalfortress.com

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Non Opus Dei were formed in 1997 in Poland. Thus being a Polish black metal band. Their sound is that of a unique blend. A “Slavic-style approach to black metal best described as a mixture of the epic era of Bathory, mixed with some touches of Czech legends Root.” They also take a dark and sinister path down Satanic alley with their lyrics. Hail Satan and the Satanic philosophy of thinking is the main topic of each track. All that is dark. All that is true. Hail Satan. Honour, Darkness, Might, Victory. Most of the songs are, I believe sang in Polish. At least that is what it looks like to me. Over all, each track is delivered pretty well for being black (satanic) metal. The disk is not chalked full off ripping, hundred mile an hour guitars and machine gun blast beats. Which, alone in itself is very refreshing. I can’t think of any other band that I’ve heard for quite sometime that remotely reminds me of what I’m hearing here. If you’re a metal head slightly interested in the darker side of metal, that being of true Satanic origin, Non Opus Dei is one to introduce you. I also believe some of those into doom will enjoy what this disk has to offer.  www.metalfortress.com

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“Fueled by the scarred soundscapes of the Scandinavian scene, Overthrone have taken a decidedly blackened approach to song craft.” That what it says. And so holds true. Overthrone are Toby Nickels (drums, vocals, synth) and Nathan Nickels (guitars, bass). These two guys, I’m assuming brothers, do a fantastic job on this latest demo. The demo consists of three new tracks being, “One Of The Missing, Rot and A Desolated Creation”. You Also get three remixed songs titled “Trivial Demise, Departure and Terres Astraea Reliquit”. each track is very well written and recorded. This is black metal with some talent. Not what you would expect from a two piece band. I’d like to see some additional musicians for some live shows. In most cases, the addition of outsiders, tends to change a groups style and sound. This is something we do not want here. This is probably one of the best black metal demos released this year. I have not received too many, so I’m gonna rank it up high. Very well done. Overthrone’s music is very much in the vein of Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Dissection and Unshrouded Bitterness. A must have for any black metal junkie. Check them out on Metal Warrants Radio. Or head over to their site for more information.overthrone@hotmail.com www.geocities.com/overthroneband

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Slip on over to the prog side if you will. Sandalinas is a prog/power metal outfit formed around Spanish guitar virtuoso, Jordi Sandalinas. And with that in mind, I will introduce the rest of the extraordinary musicians that make up the players on this release. Apollo Papathanasio - vocals, Victor Casado - guitars, Xavier Monfort - bass, Xavier Perez - drums and Marcus Palsson - keyboards. Liking what he heard from some demo tapes, King Diamond’s Andy La Rocque jumped on board to produce this venture. I believe he also plays some guitar on the second track “All Along The Everglades”. Right from the start you get some driving metal. Something that reminds me of Badlands. Maybe a touch heavier though. Mixed into the fold is plenty of melody as well. The first track “Living On The Edge” has a very catchy groove to it with one of those choruses that your singing along to after a couple lines. Same goes for the next track. Apollo’s vocals are out of this world. The music throughout seems to compliment him very well. Some of the guitar riffing has a very infectious sound to it. Each of the ten tracks here a very well done. Some being a bit mellower than the next, but all have that prog vibe to them. “Follow Me, If It Wasn’t For You and Die hard” are very mainstream radio worthy. While songs like “The Conqueror, Back In Time and The Ritual Of Truth” are more for the heavy shows. And but of course, a couple of power ballads in “The Day The Earth Stood Still and Heaven In You”. So what type of metal are you into? If it ranges from Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Rainbow to Hollow or Brimstone, you’ll indeed enjoy this album. For the rest of you, Sandalinas is an incredible metal band. A touch on the lighter side, but once you hear what comes from your speakers, you’ll be hooked. When the thought of great prog metal bands, or just metal bands in general, an unfamiliar name needs to be slipped into the stack. The name is Sandalinas. Remember it. This is a band that will do well.  www.sandalinas.com www.nightmare-records.com

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Who said only the U.S. knew how to do hardcore? Well, probably someone from the U.S. Behold Europe’s most respected, controversial and hard-edged, hardcore bands. Denmark’s very own Barcode. This seems to be Barcode’s 6^th release. This is pure NY style hardcore. Their sound, on this release reminds me of some early Sick Of It All and Full Blown Chaos. Like any abrasively vocal hardcore act, Barcode tells it like they see it. If you have feelings that you do not want hurt, be forewarned. Nothing is held back within the lyrics. The music is very catchy and groove-laden hardcore. One listen makes you want to get up and smash something. This is freestyle hardcore, superbly done. A must addition to any hardcore fans collection. Having ‘Showdown’ out on Nuclear Blast has opened a great opportunity to spread their music to a wider audience of potential hardcore fans. I’m telling you, Barcode can throw down with the best of ‘em. Check them out for yourself. 16 tracks of aggressive, no-holds barred, pure hard-fuckin-core music. No joke. www.nuclearblastusa.com www.barcodehardcore.dk

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Germany’s Disbelief return to the masses with their 6^th full length release “66sick”. Sick indeed. Disbelief bestow onto you a dramatic spectrum of melodic, yet aggressive music for the senses. A wide range of influences from the band are to blame here. With their early beginnings in the death and grind scene, maturing into something a bit more technical and thought-provoking. Whatever direction Disbelief are heading in their music careers, the stop at “66sick” is a stop in the right direction for this reviewer. Doom-laden grooves full of strength an intensity. I can never truly pick a certain genre to say, “hey that’s my favorite”, and with bands like Disbelief, you don’t have to. Tight rhythm sections, distinctive guitar riffing and unworldly screams. From sludgy, to thrash, it’s all here. Disbelief deliver an album for the new millennium. Some stand out tracks ,’ Sick, Rewind It All (Death Or Glory), Lost In Time and To Atone For All’. Disbelief show how to get it done without compromising the integrity of what their music stands for. Their fans will be ecstatic. The rest of you will thoroughly enjoy this one. www.nuclearblast.de www.disbelief.de

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The guys of Malice420 are back with some serious death metal for the masses. This follow-up to the colossal sounds of “Hateful Preachings…For A Mindless People”, takes a bit of a turn. “Hateful Preachings..” , with many death metal elements, leaned more towards a hardcore/trash sound. Mainly thrash. On this five track Ep, they seem to have torn down the thrash barrier a bit. They seem more death influenced on this go around. Not any melodic stuff, nor bumbling blast beats of annoyance. Straight up extreme metal the way it is intended. Honest, heavy and to the point. There are no glorious overdubs or keyboards. I’m not sure if this is a step back to there roots, or a step forward in the maturity of their sound. I do know that it is a step in the right direction. Very well done. And if you have ever seen these guys live, (which is a must), the four original tracks on this disk will blend nicely into their set. A great show they do put on. Track titles are, ‘The Opportunist, Clown Shoes, Purified By Pain, Sickness and Death Or Glory”. “Death Or Glory” being a cover of the Six Feet Under song. It kills. So you need to check out Malice420. If you’re into the likes of Six Feet Under, Pissing Razors, Funeral Age or Blot Mine, Malice420 will be your next favorite band. Any additional information on Malice420 can be sought after at the bands website, or e-mail us here and we’ll make sure you get in contact.  www.malice420.com

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www.thelanfear.com www.nightmare-records.com

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Wow, what more do you need to know here besides doomsday is here. Out less than a month now, if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you suck. Arch Enemy do not disappoint on the follow-up to the highly successful “Anthems Of Rebellion”. Do you need to be reminded how amazing Angela Gossgow is on vocals? Accompanied by the intricate, astonishing guitar playing of the Amott brothers with Sharlee D’Angelo on bass and Daniel Erlandson on drums. This is a thrash heads wet dream come true for a line-up. One listen and that goes for this latest release as well. If I graded on a 10 scale, this would be a 10 plus. But I don’t so I’ll just have to come up with one word to sum it all up. Perfect . Not a fancy word, but simply put, the truth. Arch Enemy are one of those bands that have an incredible knack for blending melody and aggression with death metal overtones using such a technical execution that one often wonders are they real or not. If you got a chance to catch them this summer on Ozzfest, they proved that they are very real. My vote gives them the best act on that whole second stage line-up. Well now I could run through all the songs and give a low down, but I’d just be repeating myself on all eleven tracks. All of them standout. All of them are superb, and all of them are done as only Arch Enemy can do. You can catch a sample of the single “Nemisis” on the bands website. If you don’t go there, head to the Century Media website and just order your copy NOW!!!! I put my personal guarantee on it. I guarantee that if you do not like this release, you have no taste in music. www.archenemy.net www.centurymedia.com

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In an age where a ton of bands say they have a sound of their own and don’t, where they say they don’t abide by the trends of the day and do, and just for the rest who are just fucking lame while rolling through the gears trying to make a buck or just to say they’re in a band, here comes Omegalord. Now I don’t say this to downplay Omegalord, but they are a band that will probably never make it bit. Why you ask? Because they are good. That’s why. And that’s all you really need to know. Their sound is not exactly all their own. It touches a bit towards Alabama Thunderpussy, C.O.C., Clutch and BLS. Heavy , southern style, stoner metal. That is about what I would call it. And there is no letting up throughout the disk. All ten tracks rock some serious ass. Some real heavy, groove laden shit. This is a metal band playing metal old school style. As lame as saying old-school sounds. Omegalord’s ‘Hammer Down’, is a must own for any hard rocking, metal fan out there. There’s no make-up, silly masks or gimmicks to this band. Just pure, straight, in your face metal. Omegalord style. Definitely head over to their website for a listen, and more info.  www.omegalord.com

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And yet another Norwegian prog-metal band, and another great find for Nuclear Blast Records. Any more if someone says a metal band is from Norway, and no matter the genre, you can almost bet the farm on the fact that their going to be good. Communic are just that. Good. Now I can’t say that just the most incredible I’ve heard, but ever song on this disk is done very well, with as much technicality and passion any prog band could possibly give. Communic have that familiar power/prog sound as many do. With some parts melodic and some others on a bit more thrashy side. Symphony X, Time Requiem or Nevermore come to mind. As do Evergrey , Brainstorm or Forsaken. This is a three-piece with a massive sound. Communic are Oddleif Stensland - guitars/vocals, Tor Atle Andersen - drums and Erik Mortensen - bass. Oddleif and Tor are both former bandmates of the group Scariot. And Erik is Oddleif’s former Ingermanland bandmate. Peter Jensen( ex-Sinphonia) provided the session keyboards which provide the album with a more atmospheric feel and gives the tracks a fuller sound. Wonder if they’ll have a touring keyboard player? Even with the shortest track on the disk being 6:44 and the longest being 10:54, don’t let this be a deterrent as there are no long drawn out sections to any of the songs on the disk. Great song structuring and powerful compositions. The vocals, guitars, bass, drums and keys all fall together and flow extremely well throughout. So I’d tend to disagree with some others out there. But this is just my opinion. Be aware. Communic “deliver quality, variety and innovation” for any metal fan out there. www.communic.org www.nuclearblast.de

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This is the third release from this amazingly talented Finnish quintet. From beginning to end, every portion of this disk leaves you in a state of awe. Each track has catchy choruses, shredding guitars and some of the most unbelievably passionate sounding vocals I’ve heard in quite some time. This is power metal Thunderstone style. Great melodies throughout that all but showcase the true genius that can be called one of today’s premier metal bands. Thunderstone are : Pasi Rantanen - vocals, Nino Laurenne - guitars/vocals, Kari Tornack - keyboards, Titus Hjelm - bass/vocals, Mirka Rantanen - drums. This is a must release for any metal head who is even remotely into some of the lighter, melodic types of power metal. Anyone into Dream Theater, Evergrey, Pyramaze, Seven Witches, Amorphis or Queensryche. Guess what? Your new favorite band is unleashing their ‘ Tools Of Destruction’ upon the world. Don’t hesitate on this one. You’ll be sorry. Standout tracks on the disk, all of them. www.thunderstone.org www.nuclearblast.de

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www.darkane.com www.nuclearblast.de

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German thrashers, Dew Scented are back with a vengeance with their fifth and latest release, ’Issue VI’. Dew Scented may possibly be the future of thrash metal. There’s no “ new breed “ of thrash here, but very intense, old school brutality with some fierce technicality. Death-like vocals seer their way through the super heavy drum beats accompanied by some of the most horrific leads just this side of a Kerry King solo. For any who has not been acquainted with Dew Scented as of yet, that is the only way to closely describe their sound. Strong, Slayer type thrash. Not one track on this disk ever lets up for a second. That’s one thing that seems so overdone anymore these days. The mixture of melodic melodies with death or thrash metal. Not that I’m putting that down or anything, but ’Issue VI’ , believe it or not, is very refreshing in this aspect. Pure thrash adrenaline on all twelve tracks. If I were to list some stand out tracks on ’Issue VI’, I would have to list them all. So we’ll just leave it at that. Alexander Pahl - bass, Leif Jensen - vocals, Hendrek Bache - guitars and Uwe Werning - drums are Dew Scented. And they are absolutely remarkable. For all fans of metal. Neck-breaking thrash, served up ferociously. So be prepared for an ass- kickin’. Highly recommended. And highly anticipating their U.S. tour fall/winter of ’05. Check out one of the sites below for more info on one of the most dynamic metal bands today. www.dew-scented.de www.nuclearblast.de

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Conceived back in ‘97 by founding members Michael DeGrena - vocals and Michael Chiccitt - guitars ,under the moniker ‘Templar’, the band has since been through a few other players and some critically acclaimed releases. As well as several compilation/tribute albums. 2001 came and the guys decided to change their name. For whatever reason I don’t know. Maybe Order Of Nine sounds better? I think so. Anyways, ‘Season Of Reign’ is the bands second release under this title. Now with a worldwide distribution deal, nothings going to stop them now. ‘Order Of Nine’ are Class A , U.S. power metal . From the U.S. even. Now there’s one you don’t hear very often. I believe Pennsylvania is where they call home. DeGrena’s vocals are hauntingly amazing. Very hard to pin a comparison for me. Think of Geoff Tate trying to bellow like Barry White. Well maybe not that low. Let’s just say there is a unique vocal sound, with wide range here that fits in very well with the craftsmanship of each tract. Crunchy/doom laden riffs abound. For those who have said true metal in the States has died, has not caught wind of ‘Order Of Nine’. They have been compared to older Queensryche, Sanctuary and Jag Panzer. Fans of early Iced Earth, Black Destiny, Brainstorm and Screaming Shadows will thoroughly enjoy. As well as any into the power/prog genres. Track Listing is as follows “ Learn The Way, Some Sort Of God, Bloodline, The End, Moment Of Weakness, Vow Of Silence, Bull Run, A Matter Of Pride, Somnia Requiem, Betrayal and Nameless”. U.S. power metal the way it was intended to be. Check out ‘Order Of Nine’ today. www.orderofnine.com www.nightmare-records.com

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Deadly Sin is a superb progressive/power metal band from Paderborn, Germany. Formed in’98 , the group currently consists of Ross Thompson - vocals, Nikko Schaffranek - guitars/keys, Markus Nulle - drums and Stefan Schwenger - bass. After releasing three pretty successful demos from ‘98 to ‘01, and a few line-up changes, Deadly Sin were ready for their debut full length. Deadly Sin’s mission from the beginning was to form a band that is reminiscent to the 80’s power metal sound. Well they do just that. ‘Sunborn’, from start to finish, has a colossal sound to it. Excellent musicianship throughout each track. From “ The Awakening to The Raven And The Mirror to Into Dementia”, Deadly Sin will leave you only wanting more. There are many elements familiar in their music. There seems to be a lot of Iron Maiden and Metallica style riffing going on. They have what it takes to merge these two styles into their own. This is a fantastic release. So if you’re into the 80’s style power metal, welcome to the 21^st century and Deadly Sin. They will fulfill all your head banging needs. Highly recommended. Check out Metal Warrants Radio to hear the track “Into Dementia”. www.deadly-sin.de www.nightmare-records.com

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The debut release by this Danish/American outfit is pretty damn good. Pyramaze are a melodic speed metal band with ever so memorable progressive tendencies. Melodic speed metal. That sounds kind of funny if you think about it. I use it to describe bands all the time, as well as others do, so there you have it. Pyramaze are backed the amazing vocal talent Lance King( Gemini / King’s Machine / Balance of Power / Defiance / Empire / Mattsson), Michael Kammeyer - guitars, Johan Weingarten - keyboards, Niels Kvist - bass and Morten Gade on drums. This band is set to impress with nine tracks of elegant intensity. Excellent musicianship and song writing throughout. If you’re into Amorphis, Destiny’s End, Helloween, Therion or Evergrey to name a few, trust me on this one, you’re gonna totally be into Pyramaze. I’ve received a lot of great disks lately, especially of this genre. But I must say, this is one that’s been in the car cd player the longest. They sound so familiar yet they bring forth a sound all their own. Make sense? Well not to me either. Just check them out. Pyramaze do not disappoint. www.nightmare-records.com www.intromental.com/pyramaze pyramaze@intromental.com

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Sometimes I find myself in deep thought. And when in this deep thought, I sometimes wonder what the hell some people are thinking when they hit the record button. And why someone could listen to more than a couple songs from Key Dragon and not tell them how badly they sound. Don’t these guys have any friends? I know my writings crap, but man. Maybe this was put out as a joke? Either way, it is definitely not anything a can stand for more then a few minutes at a time. I did honestly give it two full listens. And boy was it painful. From a huge list of influences from Devo to Dimmu Borgir to Type O Negative, to having musicians whose backgrounds include speed, death, classical, blues and the good ole rock-n-roll. Saxophones, cheesy kiddy type keyboards. Drum machine sounding beats. The lyrics are a whole other story. I tell you it’s all here. It all starts out with a butchering of Type O’s “Christian Woman” with their own lyrics titled ,’Fire Red Perception’, and the song ’The Licking Flame’ where founder and main instrumentalist Ron Langford once again shows that Key Dragon needs to stay away from other peoples music as they stumble through the notes to , “Black No. 1 “. I swear it’ll make you want to cry. My advice, whether anyone should listen, is that before you go and call yourself a gothic/power/doom metal band, at least learn how to play one of the genres. There is a track, ‘Twisted Hearts/Broken Minds’ on Metal Warrants Radio. Have a listen for yourself. Or check them out at the address below. Sorry Ron and Co. You guys should have waited till you were better before sending this out. www.keydragon.com

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If there was ever a band that can stand out, above all else with their own sound, style and attitude, who would you say? Okay. Slayer was probably your first answer. Second on that list would have to be Soulfly. The great Max Cavalera is on the top of the heap. Well as far as I could tell up till now Soulfly were on their own in the sound they have created. In comes the Hungarian band, Ektomorf. The band was founded in ‘94. Just over 10 years ago by the Farkas brothers Zoltan (vocals/guitars) and Csaba (bass). Now normally I can give the usual constructive criticism of a band that closely copies another band and say “hey you’ve got some talent, go write your own music” and have a nice day. Ektomorf are so close to sounding like Soulfly it’s sickening. Well maybe more creepy. Well Soulfly fucking kills so guess what? So does Ektomorf. I don’t think Max will ever have anything to worry about. With the legendary status he possess, no one can come close to touching him. I can’t say what their earlier stuff sounds like, although I’m very curious to hear some, but this is pure Soulfly influenced, stomping aggression fueled hate of a kick ass album. It’s tough to list a couple of favorite tracks off the disk as the whole thing rocks. “Set Me Free, Show Your Fist and Instinct” are the first three and are just as to look out for as the rest. Sepultura, Fear Factory, Soulfly fans take notice. Ektomorf are coming to “Fuck You All” up by “Instinct” for you to all “Show Your Fist” and make you “Burn” with “The Holy Noise” in this great “Land Of Pain”, “Until The End”, “I Will” “Set Me Free” as “ I Break You” as if “You Get What You Give” in a so called “United Nation”. There’s a play on the song titles for you all. Sorry about that. Check out Ektomorf. They’re fucking cool.  www.ektomorf.com  www.nuclearblast.de

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Belgium’s premier death/goregrind metal masters do it again. Out doing themselves once again from their last release , “Goremageddon”, which saw the band taking great strides forward in their technicality and melodic brutality. Aborted are a force to be reckoned with. “The Archaic Abattoir” takes things a bit further. Insane drumming, infectious guitars and the massive howls of Sven’s vocals make this one of the stand out, extreme releases of the year. This is a death metal fans wet dream come true. Aborted are shaping the sound of death metal in the right direction. Excellent production by none other than Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Mnemic and Ektomorph), makes this a great listen. The vocals tear right through some of the heaviest, yet clear sounding guitars ever. The drums sound perfect. Aborted are Sven De Caluwe - vocals, Tace De Cloedt - guitars, Bart Vergaert - guitars, Frederic Vanmassenhove - bass and Gilles Dell Croix - drums. The search for the perfect grind/gore/melodic death band is over. This is intense from start to finish. Aborted are very passionate to the music they spew forth. Aborted will be looked up to for many years to come. www.goremageddon.be  www.olympicrecordings.com

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Here’s a description you may not have heard before. What do you get when the genius minds of Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth) and Hansi Kirsch (Blind Guardian) collide? Yep . The incredible second album by Demons & Wizards. Five years in the making, and well worth it. I have never had a chance to listen to the last D&W release. I am also not real familiar with the long history and works of Blind Guardian. I am a big Schaffer and Iced Earth fan though. From the blistering riffs of the opening track “Crimson King” through “Terror Train, The Gunslinger and Wicked Witch” , you can all but hear that these , as well as any of these tracks could have been put on the next Iced Earth disk. And tracks like “Seize The Day, Love’s Tragedy Asunder and Dorian” ,on the next Blind Guardian release. You can kinda catch my drift on this one. With Hansi’s brilliant vocals and Jon’s superb guitar work, the vision of the two is nothing short of exceptional. As a metal fan of many genres, thank you for taking the time out of both of your busy schedules to keep the Demons & Wizards project alive.  www.demonsandwizards.com www.spvusa.com

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Norway gives birth to yet another black metal band ready for their own piece of world domination. Formed in late ‘99, Slagmark have had several demo releases with numerous live outings over the past few years. This most recent being their official full length debut hit’s the mark on the head. “Driven by fierce hatred and despise of so-called ”ethic morals”, Slagmark play an old school style of black metal. With quality! They might add. I can’t see very much wrong with this disk. It’s not one of those albums that really gets to you, but in the overall spectrum of things, it’s a pretty good listen. Black metal which borders here to there on a thrashy, melodic note. A definite must for fans of Immortal, Satyricon and Khold. All into the genre need to check them out. Click on one of the links below for more info. www.slagmark.tk www.edgerunner.no

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Where Angels Fall , from Norway, are a dark , romantic goth metal band. They have one of those heavy yet melodic sounds. Along the lines of Of Infinity, Twelfth Of Never, Nargathrond. Where Angels Fall are female fronted by the amazing vocal talents of Eirin Bendigtsen. She has one of those mesmerizing tones that send shivers through your bones. The rest of this very talented band are Andre Bendigtsen - guitars/programming, Kristian Andersen - bass, Tom Remi Flygel - synths/programming and Ole Kriatian Lovberg - drums. They are currently in the studio from what I hear for a follow up, full length to this astonishing Ep. Very hypnotic. Enchanting. A perfect listen every time. The four tracks are: “ Dies Irae, Hollow, Lose Yourself In Me, Requiem”. Go now and check out Where Angels Fall if your enjoy some of the more melodic sounds of dark wave metal. Hope to here more real soon. www.whereangelsfall.com www.edgerunner.no

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Stefano Fiori - vocals, Lukas Flarer - guitar, Harry Klenk - bass, Sabine Mair - keyboards, Moritz Neuner - drums and Eric Righi - guitar, make up the incredible Italian melodic black metal band which is Graveworm. ‘(N)utopia’ is the bands latest release. This album is much heavier and intense than their last album ‘Engraved In Black’. Pulsating, intense driving beats. Very atmospheric at points with the orchestral key sounds entwined with the howling death like furies. People, here these words. Graveworm are fucking incredible. Oops, I said that already. Amazing, astonishing, great, bitchin’, awesome, awe-inspiring, tremendous. Hell, I can go on all day. Graveworm have an infectious sound. They blend the melodic black/death metal superbly. Now the sound can be labeled a couple ways I suppose. Melodic black metal, melodic death metal, powerful doom metal, anthemia dark metal. Whatever the heck you want to call it, from start to finish on this one , you’ll be very impressed. Some standout tracks, ALL!!!. Or ’ (N)utopia, Hateful Design, and Timeless.’ I have found a new favorite. The first one this year. It’s Graveworm. Graveworm’s sound is in the area of Swallow The Sun, Khold, Royal Anguish and Insomnium. And to sum ‘(N)utopia’ up in one word. Infuckincrediblyamazingshit!!! Well that should count. Shouldn’t it? Check them out today at one of the websites below.  www.graveworm.de www.nuclearblast.de/media

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Well the latest release by Meshuggah, ‘Catch Thirty-Three’ hit’s the shelves next week. If your not familiar with the band, don’t feel bad. Neither am I. When all the buzz was going on about the band a few years back, I did take an honest listen to a couple of tracks. A lot of good things were being said about this band. Sounded like just another extreme band trying to be as whacked out as possible. Present day. Now , I’m sure for the fans, this is going to be one of your favorite albums by them. But for me. After listen, after listen, after listen. Same thing. Did nothing for me. Sure they’ve got the doom sound mixed in with some serious groove and extremely heavy complexity, but it did not mix right in my head. It's like one huge song broke up into 13 sections. We all have our own tastes I suppose. Meshuggah do need to be tried out by you metal heads. Especially if you’re into the more obscure, groove-laden aggression.  www.meshuggah.net www.nuclearblast.de/media

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Newly relocated to New York City is Requiem Aeternam. They were one of South America’s most promising bands. Now here in America, we can also call them one of the most promising black metal bands here. Very talented black metal I must add. Along the lines of say, Opeth, Twilight Ophera, and Khold. Extreme and technical. Progressive and harsh all in the same breath. Requiem Aeternam’s music is brilliantly written and played. Through several line-up changes, through the years, they are now, Fabian Redondo - drums, Marcelo Aguilar - bass and Jose Romero - guitars/vocals. One cool thing I might add, not sure if most metal fans care to realize, but lyrically, all the songs are based on the works of a philosopher. Including Gautama, Seneca, Rousseau, Heraclitus, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Tzu and there is also one based on Romero’s book “Forbidden Writings”. This is a great disk. They have a unique sound all their own. Very refreshing these days. Upon each listen to this disk, I am more amazed than the last. You need to check them out for yourself. There’s not much more I can say than , remarkable. www.requiem-aeternam.com

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Three Minutes Of Hate set out in 2003 to write and perform the most furious, to the point music. With the combined talents of Nate Gatti - guitars, Shawn Richards - vocals, Joe Ellis - bass and Sam Lombardo - drums, they do just that. A molten blend of the death metal and hardcore genres. Is that called death core now? Shit, I can’t keep track anymore. This five song demo is sure to please all the hardcore and death heads out there. The songs range from a minute and a half to three minutes each. Short, but definitely to the point. In your face brutality. This being the bands second demo, they are hunting for a label as well. Well this disk should do it. Great production. Brutal metal. Reminiscent to the sounds of Hatebreed, Dry Kill Logic, Hatework. But like I said, their sound is deeper than most hardcore sounds leaning towards the death metal sound with the vocals right out of the hardcore school of how-to. This is a great listen each time around. Hope the don’t have to wait long for that right label to pick them up. Good luck guys. www.threeminutesofhate.com

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Death Du Jour. That is exactly what they deliver. The enjoyment or orgasmic relation to death. This Finnish outfit deliver it up quite well too. Fast and furious. Experimental to a point with some serious crushing riffs to pulverize anything it comes in contact with. Lyrically the band stands for only the purest forms of hate and anguish and egoism towards humanity and all it’s forms. From the morbid story board images in the insert, I sure hope I don’t piss ‘em off. Well I guess it doesn’t matter either way. I’m already hated. Cool. Well this debut from Death Du Jour is one for only the extreme metal fans. Light hearted metal heads better run for cover. This disk is pure and extreme death metal. To the point. Like a knife stuck in your forehead heavy. No, really. This is some brutal shit. Check it out.  www.deathdujour.net  www.goldenlakeprods.co.uk

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Upon initial contact with the band, I was informed that they may not be the type of music folks that visit this site would be into. I sort of beg to differ. A lot of you head banging, death metal heads tend to listen to some of the slower, more ambient goth music. Look how well Opeth is doing with their slow tunes. ‘Damnation’ was the release that blew everyone away. Well any one of these eight tracks could have been pulled right of that Opeth release. With the exception of female vocalist Robin Tinker. Who I must say has one of the most hauntingly, beautiful voices I’ve heard in a very long time. Also the fact that this particular album was self released in 1999. Maybe Akerfeldt listened to Twelfth Of Never before ‘Damnation’s’ 2003 release. Through the many different line-up changes since their 1997 inception, Twelfth Of Never feel they have created their strongest and most stable line-up to date. Let’s only hope.  Twelfth Of Never are currently Victoria Chapman - vocals, Ron Miles - bass, Matthew Davis - keyboards/programming/ vocals, Keith A Landry - guitar, David Strong - drums/percussion and David Brocksmith - guitar/backing vocals(who has recently left the band and is being replaced soon.) Twelfth Of Never do a fabulous job for their genre. Superb musicianship. Beautifully crafted songs of a darkened, gothic persuasion. This disk really makes you sit back and say, “WOW”. Slow and melodic, yet excellent every minute of the way. There are talks of hitting the live circuit mid-2005. Well guys, the fingers are crossed. Magnificently done. www.twelfthofnever.com

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Well Dan Lorenzo is back again. This time around seems to be much of the same as the last copy I received titled, “Cassius King”. There are some pretty cool tunes on this one. Gritty rock and roll here. Very much along the old Kiss line. Which seems to be a big influence to Dan. And as to be expected, some great guitar work throughout the disk. I realize Dan got “bored” with the whole thrash metal thing, but hey Dan, you ever gonna rekindle Hades? Just curious man. Anyways, if you need a good hard rock fix, head over to the website and order a copy. Dan Lorenzo & Cassius King will not disappoint your guitar rock needs. www.danlorenzo.net

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Well I received this disk a few weeks ago. I was thrilled when I got it. Being from the Bay Area in the thrash hay day of the eighties, I was able to see Ulysses Siren live on several occasions. Upon trying to dig up some current info on the band has come up with zero. Seems their website is down at the time of writing this review. So I can’t give any true accounts of what the band is up to, or any of the members as of late. This disk was recorded in 1985 and ‘88. Yes you guessed it right. Some re-releases. Well bring it on. Ulysses Siren were and are still legends of the Bay Area thrash metal scene. Perhaps even thrash metal throughout the globe. Ulysses Siren lived to get high, drunk, play music and fight. Their true “fuck off” attitude shows in the velocity of each track. The seven tracks on this disk all kick some serious ass. Unadulterated thrashing mayhem. Highly recommended for anyone even remotely into metal. This is classic thrash in the vein of early Vio-lence, Exodus, Testament, Overkill, and Potential Threat. 10 fuckin’ plus here. Go get it. NOW!!! www.scrapmetalrecords.com www.Ulysses-Siren.com

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Skulgrinder dish up a fairly descent blend of traditional, eighties trash metal. A touch more on the lighter side, than the heavy. This is head bobbin’, fist bangin’ metal. ’Island Of Lost Souls’ is a concept album. It is explained within that each song represents a character that inhabits the fictional city that is called, Island Of Lost Souls’. And that the cd is not a celebration of death, but rather, a commentary on the bizarre behavior that can afflict the human psyche and thought process of individuals gone askew. That’s what it says. Really. Sounds like chaos to me. Almost like a futuristic Mad Max flic. The story line does run on the fictional side of course. If the world was turning into an actual version of the ’Island Of Lost Souls’, bizarre behavior would be an under statement. Skulgrinder is being kind in their version of how things would really be. Anyways, if your into the likes of W.A.S.P., Manowar, Hades, ect…. Check out Skulgrinder. A somewhat cool story line with some cool jams to back it up. www.kmrecords.com

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In the vast sea of metal-core acts out there, Begin The End from Madison ,WI, unleash ‘Stain Of Creation’ to the devote followers of the scene. With thirteen tracks clocking in at just about an hour, Begin The End let loose the restraints from the mediocre bands of their genre. Devastating metal fury. Grinding, powerful riffs with some relentless drumming. The band, James Alexander - drums, Aaron Miller - vocals, Allan O’Connor - bass and Chris Schultz - guitars started out in the summer of ‘97. They have played hundreds of shows with many top name acts like Superjoint Ritual, Mudvayne, Hatebreed, Disturbed and the list goes on. With this being their third full length release, you can hear the professionalism they have progressed into in such a short time. Begin The End are at the top of the game. So find out for yourself why they were nominated best metal band and best metal album in the first Madison Area Music Awards. Head to the website below for more on Begin The End. www.begintheend.com

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Of Infinity, hailing from San Antonio, Texas, are one of the states premier female fronted metal acts. Quite possibly one of the countries premier female fronted metal bands. Of Infinity’s sound has many familiarities to that of Evanescence, Nightwish and Theatre Of Tragedy. All three songs on this disk are outstanding. Excellent musicianship. The guitars, bass and drums are top notch. I’m sure these guys may be tired of hearing that, only for the fact that vocalist Alessandra Zinicola’s mesmerizing voice steals the show. Angelic yet majestic. Very powerful. She also covers the piano and synth duties. Nazareth Sando - guitars, Kurtis Kyllo - bass and Carlos Teller on the drums round out the rest of the band. Of Infinity started their existence in 1999. Seems hard to believe that a major label has not swooped them up by now. Just goes to show you how incredibly stupid most scouts really are. Each track is very dark and melodic. But on the same note, there’s a heaviness underneath it all that sucks you in. Paralyzes your senses till you become one with the music. An brilliant showcase of talent lies within Of Infinity. Hope to hear more from them in the near future. So if you’re into the above mentioned acts, or melodic/progressive metal with a dark edge to it, look no further. www.ofinfinity.com

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www.swallowthesun.net www.olympicrecordings.com

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www.behemoth.pl www.olympicrecordings.com

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Blackened thrash metal from Japan. Not portion of the globe I’d expect such an exceptional underground metal band. Cohol are : Hiromasa Saitou - bass/vocals, Kenta Ogura - drums and Itaru Sayashi - guitars/vocals. They have a great sound on this disk. Excellent production. Their second demo. Three tracks and sixteen minutes. Not enough. The first track here is only a couple minutes long and is an intro. Very somber, winds and strings. Almost too quite. Then , blam! A very heavy blend of black metal. That of the more extreme sounding of Opeth. Great writing and musical ability lies within. Let’s hope to hear more from them soon. For all metal fans and those into Opeth, Baphomets Throne and Empty. http://ip.tosp.co.jp/I.asp?I=cohol

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Plastilinovy JiNN are a different type of metal band. Formed in ‘97 in Kazakhstan , which borders Russia and China as well as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Now you know where that is, lets talk about the sound here. This is the bands fourth release and they have played many live performances and festivals. Their brand of metal borders that of an almost pop sound. There are some cool riffs with plenty of double bass drumming. Mainly the style is somewhere between rock to upper tempo hard rock. Maybe even ‘80s hair metal. There’s something European sounding to it. I hope you know what I mean by that. I’m not sure I really do. They even throw in a couple of ballads to compliment the other seven tracks. 9 tracks, 30 minutes total. This is one of those easy ones to get a hold of too. Just head over to their website and you can download the whole album for yourself. Free!! Can’t go wrong with that now can ya? I suggest giving them a listen. Pretty cool and a lot of originality. Ready for some metal out of the norm? then check ‘em out.  http://penumbramusic.net/jinn/main/

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London based Helgrind set out in the beginnings of 2000 to be the most aggressive , heaviest band in the British metal underground scene. Are they? I’d like to know. Seeing as I’m nowhere near London, I haven’t the slightest. I suppose I usually don’t anyhow. They do have the aggressive and heavy part down. ‘Denial’ is their third release to date. The vocals are very reminiscent to Tom Araya of Slayer. Very tight drumming and grinding guitars. For the most part, this album on a whole is nothing super spectacular. It is, and I’m not trying to contradict myself, a very good thrash release. Some stand out tracks are ‘Savior, Prophecy of Destruction and Denial’. Denial is more of the radio, melodic trash track. An excellent track. I had to check the first time I listened to it to make sure I was still on the same disk. All of the songs are very good. Helgrind are Paul Nelson - bass/vocals, Jon Sick - guitars/backing vocals and Sy Thome on the skins. Once again, you really need to check out this album. ‘Denial’ is the wave of the future of thrash metal from a few talented guys from London. Pretty heavy and with some slight originality. That is also one for the plus corner. They’ve got mp3’s for download on their website, or better yet, just buy a copy. Helgrind won’t disappoint. www.helgrind.co.uk

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Baphomets Throne originally embarked on their blasphemous journey into the underground back in 1992. That was when they went by the name Oppressor. Under the title Oppressor, they released three demos/cds. It wasn’t until ’98 that they had decided to change their name due to the fact that there was already a band in the U.S. using that name. I like the new name better myself. ‘Spiritual Evil’ was released back in 2003. The band does not seem to do things very quickly. Perhaps there are other side projects going on. Needless to say, this is one hell of a black metal release. It puts to shame plenty of the more well known acts of the genre today. 25 minutes of pure hate, and blasphemy. Excellent production on this four track release. Great somber laden keys encompass the unholy terror throughout. Great musicianship in this band. Black metal bands with actual musical talent are few and far between anymore. It’s usually just a blast beat fest. Not here. Although this release is very heavy throughout, there are a few that slow that slow up a touch. Great song structuring. Baphomets Throne are founding members Von Bojba - guitars/vocals, Pitbull - drums as well as Renfas - guitars, Forneus - bass and Naberius on the keys. Song titles are ‘Spiritual Evil, Satan’s Curse, Bitewny Zgietk, Shadows.’ A must for anyone into the likes of Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir, Agarthi and Paragon Belial. And so for all into black and extreme metal. www.baphthrone.republika.pl

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Screaming Shadows from Italy, consists of founder Francesco Marras - guitars, Andrea Garibaldi - guitars, Antonio Doro - bass, Flavio Fancellu - Drums and Luigi Usai - vocals. An excellent bunch of musicians. Screaming Shadows are a progressive metal band. Progressive, leaning more towards the metal side than the mellow. There are many familiar elements of bands such as Helloween, Iron Maiden, Seven Witches, Hammerfall, Evergrey and Black Destiny. Superb guitars throughout. Many, upon many ripping solos. Great melodies accompanied by the steadily doubled bass drum beats. ‘Behind The Mask ‘ is the latest efforts by the band. Their fourth release. It consists of five newly written tracks and five songs of an earlier release. The vocals of Luigi are extraordinary. Hell of a range. Geoff Tate (early days style) vocals. Sadly to say, as of 12/04, Luigi, due to personal reasons has decided to leave the band. If you have a stunning set of pipes, you can get in touch with Francesco. I had also receive a cdr copy of a couple of live videos from what seemed to be a battle of the band competition in Italy and they sound just as great live as in the studio. As far as heavier, progressive metal goes, Screaming Shadows just moved to the top of my list. Some track title that stand out, well, all of them do. ’Leave Us Here, Eyes Of The Night, Come Inside, I Want You To Burn, Dark Shadow, Another War Cry, Pain And Tears, I’ll Find My Freedom, Voices, The Cry Of The King’ Once again, check out Screaming Shadows. I never knew you could fit that much perfection on one disk.  www.screamingshadows.com

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I get this disk with five songs on it, and a hand written couple of sentences saying that this is a demo version of their cd and if I liked it to e-mail them back for a promo kit. Well I will do just that. But at the same time, I didn’t want to wait. Can’t tell you much this time around. There was no cover, no song listing and if they have a website, I can not find it. I did want to lay down a few words about Despondency. Fucking brutal!!! Extremely heavy death metal. They sound like a scenario of Cannibal Corpse and The Black Dahlia Murder slamming head on into each other. Sounds as if they’re two vocalists. Well I can’t wait to get the real thing to pass on more information to you. Keep an eye out for an updated review. And get a hold of the band at the e-mail address below. despondency1@juno.com

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Fed up with what the masses were calling metal, guitarist John Corpse started a one man project in the Boston area called Glory In Decay. He would be the one to lay down the bass, vocals, drum programming and guitars. After some time he enlisted a guitarist by the name, Christhunter. They turned out a ruthless disk titled, ‘One Body, Ten Pieces’. Their latest ‘Zombie Killer’ ep sees a maturing to the two man project. Both releases are very similar to each other. ‘One Body, has way too many machines gun blasts of drums which are very annoying. The latest ep pretty much does away with them. The music, very raw, raunchy death metal. Extremely gutteral growls for vocals. Very primitive. Definitely an underground sound. These guys do have a great attitude for their music. “They write death metal because they fucking love death metal. Fuck profits.” Well I’d have to say there is no need for these guys to worry about making any profits. Neither of these disks are, how should I state this, very good. They have a unique take on what true underground death metal should sound like. I’m not exactly sure myself after listening to these. I must say , the word different comes to mind. They have a great foundation to build off of. The music’s being played. The name is getting out their. That’s a start. Although these two releases don’t do any thing for me, I have heard worse, I do anticipate future works from Glory In Decay. As the sound seemed to evolve from ’One Body’ to ‘Zombie Killer’, I’m sure it will evolve even more so on the next venture. Keep it in the underground guys. Keep it heavy and keep it pure. That’s something there has been a big lack of as of late. So to wrap this up, if you’re into drudgey to hypersonic blasts of molten underground death, by all means get in touch with the band and help to support them. If it’s a masterpiece of the more popular styles of death you’re looking for, Glory In Decay is not for you. gloryindecay@yahoo.com

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www.alstonmusic.com www.repossessionrecords.com

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Well I’m not going dwell on the fact that one-half of this four piece are absolutely beautiful. Seems to be a topic many like to mention when reviewing NYC’s punk act Slunt. Head to the website for more on that subject. (many, many photos) The other half are guys. It’s the music here. Slunt are a highly charged sack of rock-n-roll. Bordering the punk edge. By the sex fueled, booze swelling lyrics, I doubt you’ll be hearing them on the radio any time soon. And that’s a shame all in it self. This way you’ll just have to wait it out on an internet station, or buy the damn thing. Very catchy songs throughout on this ep. Picture if you will Joan Jett mixed with some AC/DC and a few dashes of The Offspring, Queens Of The Stone Age and Wendy O. Williams. That should give you somewhat of an idea of Slunt’s sound. Really though, not a bad listen. Slunt puts the sex back into rock and roll. Slunt are Abby Gennet - lead vocals/guitars, Jenny Gunns - bass/vocals, Pat Harrington - lead guitar and Charles Ruggiero - drums. www.slunt.net

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Cryptic forge full speed ahead with their latest release, ‘Once Holy Realm’. If you’re at all familiar with the 2001 release, ‘ Prophecy of Hate’, you’ll be amazed with the progression of the band in the past couple of years. These guys take their music very seriously. On this release they give you eight tracks of blackened death metal. Leaning more towards the black metal side of genres. Almost fifty minutes of pure evil and hatred. No gimmicks, goofy satanic names or war paint. Just pure and extreme black metal. From an extreme bunch of musicians. Cryptic are out to take over the underground world of extreme metal. Beware of Cryptic. For any into black metal or the likes of Dark Faith, Cenotaph, Sauron or Shemhamphorash. Great sounding production. Great sounding band. Highly recommended.  www.crypticweb.net

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This five piece from the San Diego area are set out to take the metal world by storm. Wither have already received rave reviews from numerous publications. Just after the first listen, one can hear the professionalism, and dedication these guys have in them. Excellent musicianship. Great, self financed production. With the production team help of Bill Cooper( Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night), Richard Carr (Rob Halford, Bruce Dickenson) and Bob Hata (Van Halen, Depeche Mode), one can only expect the very best. And that is what is heard on this disk. Wither is Jeff Edelman - vocals/guitars/keyboards, Keith Edelman - vocals/guitars, Robert Becker - bass, Micah Cummins - lead guitars,/keyboards and Tony Rangel on the drums. Their sound is an intoxicating blend. Somewhere between melodic rock/metal to a progressive doom metal sound. Wither have been compared to the likes of Tool or A Perfect Circle. I really like this disk ,so I would have to say if you’re into the likes of Malta’s Forsaken, Amorphis or Cea Serin, you’re really going to get into the sounds of Wither. This release should send Wither right up from the underground scene, into the world of metal. www.wither.cc

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Quoted by the press flyer, “ sounds like the vocal gruff of Tom Waits, over NIN styled compositions, performed by the White Stripes”. Okay. With influences of Ministry, Plexi, David Bowie and Mark Lanegan. Okay. Cool. Caulked full of guest musicians, this disks has quite the mix-up of distorted genres. Most predominantly is that of a darkened industrial/goth sound with a punkish edge. Honestly, I’m not all too familiar with this style. I am into some goth, but the whole industrial wave I never really got into that much. There are some pretty cool jams on this disk though. Definitely different from what I’m used to , to say the least. Ahab Rex may not have a musical sound all his own, but is worthy of checking out if this genre is your thing. Not bad for what it is. www.ahabrex.com

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Well I received both these disks together, so I figured I would just review them together. Released January ’04 is ’Acceptable Level Of Violence’ , and October ’04 is ’The Beautiful Death Scene’. Sinocence’s aim is to release three separate cds this year, all with a running theme to them. The band is basically on a roll it sounds to me. A trilogy. I’m not sure if the third is completed yet. Hopefully soon. I can’t wait to give it a listen. Stay on the roll. This band coming from Northern Ireland consists of four extremely talented musicians. Moro - vocals/guitars, Anto - lead guitars, Caxxx - bass and Dave on the drums. Although these disks have both been put out this year, you can totally hear the progression from one to the next. Something you’d hear from most any band while releasing their disks a couple years apart. Both are of a hard paced, edgy metal to hard rock sound. Or hard rock to metal sound. Either way you look at it. Very solid metal grooves filled in with some melodies. There are some early thrash elements thrown in as well here and there. I’m amazed they haven’t been grabbed up by a label as of yet. Both of these disks are equally comparable to any C.O.C, Godsmack, Drowning Pool, Nonpoint or Nickleback disk out there. The radio stations here in America would be smart to put any track off of either of these disks into regular rotation. Or maybe they’re afraid to play something good. So if you’re into the likes of Drowning Pool, The Almighty, Godsmack, Dry Kill Logic or Killswitch Engage, you’re really gonna dig Sinocence. Excellent sounding production. So to recap, when thinking of anything that has anything to with Ireland, there are only three things to remember. Guinness, Harp and SINOCENCE……. www.sinocence.co.uk sinocence13@hotmail.com

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Recorded, written and performed by Dan138, this is an interesting ten minute voyage into the darkest depths. The three tracks here are that of a horror movie sound track. Maybe more of a morbid radio show. Very cool. Dark and creepy to say the least. If your into something a little off the beaten path, check out One Thirty Eight. A sound scape into the gloomy unknown. This guy needs to be scoring some flicks. www.onethirtyeight.com

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Jacksonville, Florida based Cystic Dysentery are P.B. Maldonado - vocals, Ben Davis - guitars, Grover Norton - drums and Josh Townsend - bass. These guys are exceedingly brutal. A grindingly heavy death metal sound. Track titles are ‘Concussion, Dead Priest and Engulfed In Feces’. Very good production on the disk. These guys are very good at what they do. Their sound is as good as, and if not comparable to the likes of Besieged, Necromis, Six Feet Under, Disgorged. Well worth checking out. Death metal for the true. www.cysticdysentery.com

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The latest demo from SIOS, the very heavy trash outfit from Gibsonia, PA are back with a couple tracks they preparing to put on their forth coming release. The first track is extremely heavy. A slight black metal tinge under lays the death/thrash feel about the song. The second track is that of a galloping death metal thrash. Sounds as if SIOS are progressing to more of a death metal sound surrounded by vicious trash overtones. Sorry I don’t have the track titles, but be prepared for a sonic battering of the senses when SIOS unleash these relentless tracks of ferocity on their upcoming effort. www.sinningisoursavior.net

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Painted With Utter Desolation is the title, thrashed beyond all belief is where it will leave you. With the vocals sounding a bit like Kurt from D.R.I., Sinning Is Our Savior is an all out, old school style of thrash metal. Hard, fast, heavy and technical. All in the same breath. SIOS are Ryan Eicheldinger - vocals, Joe Bonaddio - guitars, David E. Gehlke - bass and Jon Rice - drums. The vocals do not remain with the D.R.I. flare on every song. Ryan tends to do the understandable, death growl style on many. Elaborate riffing engulf each track. An extremely profound collection of tracks to pummel the senses. Will appeal to fans of Testament, Exodus, Death, Children Of Bodom. As well as all fans of heavy thrash metal all over the world. A word of illumination to the world of metal, your Savior is here. www.sinningisoursavior.net

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Inspired from the likes of Napalm Death, Brutal Truth, Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Ministry ect., Head Cleaner put forth ten tracks of brutal death core and grind. Formed in the lates of 2002, this band from Greece kill. Very heavy and chaotic throughout. There is more of a death sound throughout the disk with moments of grind stylishly place just in the right places. Remnants of their many influences can be heard on many a song. The premise of the lyrics are characterized by that of social and political subjects. Very, very heavy shit. Very professional packaging and superb production. Up and coming in the brutal underground scene. Head Cleaner are Jim Evgenidis - vocals, Bill Platsas - guitars, Aris Dandris - bass and Apostolos Baharidis on drums. Simply intense from start to finish. www.head-cleaner.com headclnr@hotmail.com

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The Lurking Corpses are Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul - gut munching, corpse defilement , Count Lupos Lycanthrope The Mad - axe weilding full moon massacre , Baron Boneripper Of The Hills - eerie undertonal dismemberment and The Leper - diseased beatings and torture chamber assault. They give you 23 tales of terror, horror and mayhem. They could have titled it 23 tracks The Misfits never released for their sound is very, very similar. From the song structuring, to the lyrics, right down to uncanny vocals. I swear, if you did not know any better, you’d think that it was The Misfits. Very well done. I myself have a spot for The Misfits as I believe most of us do. So in that vein, I like it. They put on an outrageous live show as well. All donning capes and masks. Very cool. www.thelurkingcorpses.com

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I often wonder upon receiving a release from a band, what lays within the packaging upon opening. Wrapped in a poster and accompanied by a few post cards is a cdr with hand written tracks. Most of which mean nothing to me as they are in their native language. Slavic?? Well the post mark is from Slovenia, so that’s where I believe they hail from. As for the dialect , I’m stumped. The website was no help either as the English version is on the way. Hopefully soon. The post cards have a band photo , wielding swords and daggers. A very young looking group. Can’t be but in their late teens by the looks of it. Upon first listen, I must say I was amazed. Amazed by the sheer talented I was listening to. Metal Steel’s a pure heavy metal machine. They yield a progressive, arena, power metal sound. Melodic at most points, with hard driving riffs. Sort of the 80’s era fist banging metal. The dueling guitar work sounds as if it was out of the Murray/Smith school of guitar. Powered by Rock Tomsic and Beny Kic. Alex Skofljance on vocals is remarkable. Matej Susnik on bass and Dasha Trampus on drums round out the rhythm section with precision. Their sound is reminiscent to that of Hammerfall, Scorpions, Warrior, Sortilege. 13 tracks in all on this disk that with every listen are more enjoyable than the last. I found my self singing along to words that I don’t even know what they are. Let alone the meaning of them. There are a couple of tracks sung in English as well. So if you want some heavy metal, being in the genre of heavy metal alone, you really need to check out Metal Steel. Metal Steel are helping to keep the metal torch held high. A very, very good band. www.metalsteel.cjb.net  rockshock@email.si

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Tremendously intense death metal to shred the senses. Growling and hissing vocals add to the absolute terror and mayhem abound. Jarrod, Jordan and Chris make up Debodified. Psychotically severe death metal onslaught. Extreme of the extreme. And once again, very brutal. Track listing: Reprieves For My Enemies, Instinct For Malevolence, Mass Extinction Agenda, Emission Of Adrenaline, Uncompromised Extinction, Terminated With Prejudice, Emblugeoned Between Crunches, On This Killing Field. Dreadfully terrific. www.debodified.com www.comatosemusic.com

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The latest to come from the most brutal label around, originally recorded in ‘95, the classic death offerings of Besieged. Heavy Slayerish grooves amidst the wickedly fast tempos. Low, grumbling vocals. Super heavy death metal.’ Golgotha, Reflection, Age Of Malevolence, Beneath the Grave, Engulfed, Sarcophagus, Imbued Dissent, Posthumous are the songs on the disk. There’s the old school death metal vibe throughout. That’s pre ‘95 ,just to make clear. An especially heavy re-offering. I believe this release is limited to 1000 copies, so you better get to Comatose Music today. Recommended. www.comatosemusic.com

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This King’s Mountain, NC death metal band are nothing short of brutal. You know sometimes that’s the only way to describe a bands sound. Fucking brutal. Typical deep, growling vocals. The disk was recorded Jan/Feb 2004. Very heavy. Very well done. Chunky sounding death. Tracks are: Arachnid Anal Infestation, Cranial Incubation, Septic Tank Abortion, Crustacean Masturbation, Predatory Instincts, Lunatic of Gods Creation, Cognitive Decimation, Kingdom Of Corpses, Twelve Gauge Intercourse, Oral Asphyxiation. Devastating sickness. Check them out. www.comatosemusic.com www.lustofdecay.com

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Deep growling vocals with hyper sonic blasts of decay. The most extreme of death metal bands. Necrotic Disgorgement are Jason Terrazzo - drums, Ben Deskins - Guitar/vocals and Tony Tipton - guitar/studio bass. Super fast and heavy throughout with some busy guitar work . Track titles are: ‘ Orgasm Of The Paraplegic, Vaginally Sodomized, Clitoral Dectomy, Defecation Delicacy, Fingering The Rot, Postmortem Fluid Evacuation, Suffocated In Shrinkwrap, Razorblade Catheter, Fornication With A Decomposing Stump’. The lavishly titled songs give an idea of what to expect. Will appeal to fans of Disgorge, Anal Blast, Sarcastic and Ancestral Malediction. Prepare to be pummeled. www.comatosemusic.com  necroticdisgorgement@yahoo.com

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Ultra brutal, death metal outfit from Peoria, Il. Sick and twisted. Perverted, harsh lyrics. Pretty cool shit. Lividity give out a reissue of the ultra sick and violent ‘Fetish For The Sick’. Originally released in ‘97, from what info I gather on the disk, and a live set from a 2003 show in Germany. The show production sounds very good. A killer performance. Extremely morbid cover and gory cover depicting someone ripping a woman right up the center with a huge knife. Excellent for fans of the more underground , beginning sounds of death metal. www.comatosemusic.com

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After pretty much ruling the southern California metal scene in the mid 80’s with their infectious power metal sound, Warrior vanished. They reunited about ten years later and after two more releases and various line-up changes, Warrior are back, charged up and ready to rock the shoes right off your feet. ‘The Wars Of Gods And Men’ is a power(ful) metal album. Surrounding the founding member guitarist Joe Floyd are Dave Ducey - drums, Rob Farr - bass, Marc Storace (Krokus) - vocals. Storace’s vocals blend well in the power metal blends dished up on the disk. Warrior have move ahead. So no need to worry about their sound. This is no step back in time. Catch power ballads throughout. Most of the tracks are on more of the heavier side of melodic power metal. For those unfamiliar with the classic Warrior sound, think of the likes of Seven Witches, Brainstorm, Forsaken or Black Destiny. That should give you somewhat of an idea. That this is a very good disk with some great song writing and superb musicianship. www.reality-entertainment.com

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Technical, electronic, melodic death metal. Switzerland’s Sybreed give it all to you. Very much in the vein of Fear Factory, In Flames, Kinetic and Hearse. Sybreed are a must listen for any metal fan. These guys are great. The vocals of Ben are stunning. Crunching, hook laden riffs, double driving drum beats, so precise, that you would almost think were programmed. I’ve witnessed them live to know Alex can play those skins as if they were born on him. Drop on guitars and Burn on bass are equally as amazing. Anathematic style songs in ’Re-Evolution, Take the Red Pill and Static Currents’. I know I recommend a lot of the disks in which I review. Not my fault they have all been good. If there’s one disk you can’t go without, it’s this one. Great melodies intertwined with the heaviest of beats. Get a copy today. That way when they become huge shortly down the road, you won’t be left behind. The future of metal is here.               www.reality-entertainment.com  www.sybreed.com

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Freakhouse unleash their 2^nd effort ‘Beautiful Misery’ for your listening pleasures.Besides telling you this is a great album, I’m unable to peg their sound to that of another. They have a 70’s metal to a more modern hard rockin’ sound with some electronic moments mixed into the fold. There’s a reason for the vast amount of airplay they have been receiving all over the country. These guys are good. No other way to put it. In the large spectrum of genre labeling, I would say , simply put, modern day hard rock. Sure there are a few metal moments here and there, but then again, what’s your perception of metal? Huh? Anyways look out for Freakhouse. If a radio station in your area is not playing them now, it shouldn’t be long from now they will. If you need a comparison, besides good, some elements of Lynkin Park (without all the rap), Dokken, Nonpoint. Just to name a couple. Very original all be itself. There are Mp3’s on their site for you to decide for yourself. But please do yourself a favor and check it out. Great guitar work and scorching vocals throughout. www.reality-entertainment.com www.freakhouse.com

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The long awaited WWIII album is here. Mandy Lion and company give you what metal is. No goofy genres, or sub genres here. Just hard rocking, pure heavy metal. The way it was meant to be. 13 years in the waiting. Mandy’s growling vocal style is somewhat mesmerizing. Honestly I had not listened to him before. He is backed by a very good band on this recording. From a look at the website, there have been a few member changes. you need to check it out for current members. Fist flailing anthems, driving melodies and great soloing throughout the disk. Mandy has worked along side many of the greats of metal, his sound rings true to the times. WWIII’s sound on this disk is as if time had stood still for them and it’s the late 80’s. Artistically flawless. Some great head banging tunes here. Track listing is : Rise, Walk With Me, The Last Days Of The Empire Of Ignorance,Let The Flesh Rule The Mind, Fighting The Earth, Garden Of Stone, The Hard Way, Reason, When God Turned Away, Kill The Lord Of This World’. Recommended. www.reality-entertainment.com  www.mandy-lion.com

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Forming back in the lates of 2000 under the name Nefarious, switching to Azimuth and changing once again to Try Redemption, this Colorado Springs , Colorado based metal outfit deliver a sonic barrage of death metal served up nice and violent. This is not your all out gutteral, blast beat type of death and grind. I know you hear this all the time but they tend to pull from many great influences, while adding a touch of their own flare to give it somewhat of their own feel. Many parts are reminiscent to that of Exodus, Cannibal Corpse, Testament ect., ect. Fresh yet familiar. Pretty descent production. John Peterson V - guitars, Chris Walker - bass, Chris Walker - vocals, James Peterson - drums and Jon Daigle - guitars deliver it up hard and fast. Very cool cd layout. This is all out metal served up death style with no bullshit added. A very good   disk. www.tryredemption.com

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Reality Entertainment give you a compilation/sampler disk, containing many of their artists. A “this is what we have to offer” disk. Some mixed genres here. Reality does not seem to cater to only one genre of music. I mean here you have industrial goth, hard rock, metal, death metal, rock, power metal and the list goes on. In a day with so many damn sub genres to sub genres, Reality do a great job of mixing up the flavor. Mixing it up with a wide range of excellent talent and musicianship amongst it’s roster. I’m privy to most compilations due to the fact that it’s a great way to find new favorites for yourself with out spending a lot or wasting your time. There are sure to be some on this disk for you. This disk contains: Marcy Playground ‘Blood and Alphabet Soup ; Godhead ‘Fade Away’ ; Freak house ‘Peel Away the Skin’ ; Slow Roosevelt ‘Comfort from a Bomb’ ; Warrior ‘Salvation’ ; WWIII ‘Walk with Me’ ; Wayne ‘Screams from Hell’ ; The Council ‘Smile for the Camera’ ; Wake ‘Hometown Rocker’ ; Mankind Liberation Front ‘Warm, strong Numb’ ; The Outpatience ‘Wound up in Vega’ ; Fast lane ‘Planet Earth’.You also get a couple of the bands videos. Check it out. www.reality-entertainment.com

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Pilotos ,which loosely translates to pilot, are a high flying, Swedish rock-n-roll band. Be it two parts from Sweden ,with the other two parts from Chile. They are to be placed in stoner rock/bong rock category. Well that’s what info I have gathered looking around on the web at least. They have a very original sound where at times, and after a few listens, still can’t figure on who they remind me of. Sorry I’m not real knowledgeable in the stoner rock genre.They have an infectious mix of bluesy grooves, a hint of the psychedelic, and the old world of hard rock. Somewhat heavy at times without the sludgey sound some may associate with these types of bands. Having formed in ‘99, and this being their third release, it sounds as if this band is honing their skills in for the big one. They do need to be picked up by a label, as they are very worthy musicians. Pilotos are very cool. Up beat and often humorous lyrics at times. Many of the tunes deserve a notable mention. And many of you should give Pilotos, a notable listen. www.riffrock.com/pilotos

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Bay Area metal legends Stone Vengeance are here, tearing it up once again. Well they already have. This release actually has a 2000 release date on it. But that’s okay. One of the most underrated underground metal acts around today. This three piece is the same lineup for the past 22 years. Yea, took me up till now to hear of them too. And I’m from the bay area. Grew up in the thriving times of the ‘80s metal scene there where bands such as Exodus, Possessed and Hirax were opening acts for them. Maybe it was the hazier days of my youth. Their sound, well at first listen is very close to Body Count. Or being the age differences of the bands, more true probably being the other way around. High speed metal, with some very interesting time changes. Pretty straight forward with some slow downs and bluesy parts. These guys are seasoned professionals. It shows in their live performance. I was able to witness the amazing live set in Milwaukee this summer. The disk somewhat threw me though. Still good, just not what I remembered. They seem to incorporate some of the old style, Chuck Berry type riffs into the fold. Very old school sounding speed metal. Underground metal by one of the most underground bands of our time. Worthy of checking out. www.stonevengeance.com

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France’s Lyzanxia are one of those bands that upon first listen, you are in awe. These guys are fucking incredible. I had the pleasure of seeing them live before hearing this disk on The Harsh Reality Tour ‘04 this summer. If you happened to catch it, than we’re on the same page. A very talented young group. Brothers Frank and David Pelvin share the vocal duties back and forth. One’s more clean sounding with the other, David, has more of the shrieking screams. They also both handle the guitars. Some very technical playing. Eguil Voisin - bass and Dirk Verbeuren - drums round out the group. A very technical sounding melodic death metal band. They rank right there along side of the likes of In Flames, Children Of Bodom and Amon Amarth. I shit you not. Before to long these guys are going to be just as well known. There is not one dull song to the disk. I don’t rate albums by a points system as a lot of other sites and mags do. If I did, this one would blow the roof off the chart. Great song writing, great production, great playing. This is once again an incredible album that you’d better get a hold of. You will not be disappointed.www.lyzanxia.com

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Pulling from their many musical influences which include the likes of Slayer, GWAR, Faith No More, DRI, The Dead Kennedys, and how the list goes on, Bloodcow put out an infectious blend of molten metal and hardcore sounds that become the album ‘Kill Bodies’. A lot more so edging towards the metal/punk crossover mixture without compromising either genre of music. Bloodcow have almost a one of a kind sound. Clean sounding, understandable vocals, groovy beats and chunky guitars. Plenty of heavy speeding as well. Bloodcow is The Corporate Merger-vocals, 1987 - guitars, Bobbie Bibledick - bass and Medium Rare - drums. Not a bad song on the disk. Some titles are ‘Fuck Me Cobra, Deep Inside You, Fuckwad, Roids’. ‘Kill Bodies’ is one you have to check out. Very well done. Sorry Medium Rare.bloodcow666@hotmail.com

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Speed metal guitarist Dan Lorenzo of Hades, slows things up a bit on his first solo effort. This disk is mainly a “done because I wanted to disk”. the sound is of a hard rock sound. Most of the songs are original, written by Dan, as well as a cover of Hotter Than Hell by Kiss and Round And Round by Aerosmith. Dan brings to the disk many guest musicians which include, Jimmy Schulman, Mike Cristi, Tom Mulligan, Alan Tecchio, John Kosco, John Milnes, and Ron Lipnicki. The disk was recorded in a wopping total of 4 days. Pretty much unrehearsed as well. Knowing this before hand helps in the listening of the disk. Especially if you are expecting something along the Hades line. There are many good tracks on the disk. Glad to see/hear Dan playing from the heart and putting out this release unforced from some record label. Doomy hard rocking riffs. Some tracks to look out for,’ Dan Zig Hates X-mas, Frozen Planet, Target Fixation’. Some cool yet recognizable riffs and sounds. A good listen many a time.www.danlorenzo.net

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Pure, true, raw heavy metal. This is the title Worrid uses to describe their sound. Okay, if you must. The 3 song demo with the songs, ‘Life Or Death, Whore Hostage, Time To Bleed’ are definitely heavy. With a low grumbling vocals, the sound verges more towards death metal to me. Death metal without the bombastic blast beats and hyper-sonic riffs. Very chunky guitars and beats are here. Heavy, heavy metal from this Chicago band consisting of Andrew - guitars, Ivan - guitars/vocals, Narcyz - drums and Marcin - bass. Whorrid was formed around 2001. Production on the songs are pretty raw. They all sound pretty good though. Looking for something new, heavy as hell with an original sound to it? Then check out Whorrid. You can check out the track ‘Time To Bleed’ on Metal Warrants Radio. Click on the link, and wait for its turn. Or just goto the Whorrid website.www.whorrid.com

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Well another band in which I did not have much luck finding any info about on the web. Yet I still forge on. Fierce Atmospheres are a very talented progressive metal band from Illinois. This two song demo/sampler is very well recorded. There is some great technical guitar work throughout. These guys should be ranked up there among some of the prog metal greats. Track one on this disk is a heavier, prog/power metal sound. Good clean vocals. Singer has quite a bit of range. The sounds of this track are to those of Destiny’s End, Brainstorm, some Forsaken and Fifth Angel. The second track on this disk is a nice, minute and a half classical guitar journey. The guitars on this disk are bordering incredible. I’d like to hear more from this band. E-mail them at the address below for more information. austinotf@aol.com or immrama@sbcglobal.net

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Hailing from Milwaukee, WI. , Bar Whore are a kick ass, beer swelling hardcore band. A deep and heavy hardcore band at that. Their lyrics are of more of a comical nature. With titles being ‘ Dying Man, Brittney’s Butthole, ‘Ol Lady Song, U.P.S. Dick, Angry Drunk, Doin’ The Nasty’. Bar Whore are Ugly Dugly - drums, Dirty Kurty - vocals, Scotty Do - guitar and Big Sam - bass. Hard hitting grinds with death metal overtones. Great crunching riffs and super sonic drum beats. Not a sloppy song on the disk. Bar Whore are here to kick you in the face. Give it a listen or two and you too will feel their wrath.www.bar-whore.com

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Pulling from their many influences, which include Children Of Bodom, Slayer, Arch Enemy, just to name a couple, Striktnyne unleash four hard hitting tracks of metal. A very tight, galloping metal sound. Edging towards the heavier sounds, reminiscent to that of Arch Enemy, Children Of Bodom. This four song demo is a must have. All tracks are as equal as the next. Great sounding recording. Another great sounding metal band from the California Bay Area. If any of you consider yourselves a metal head by any bit, you need to do yourself a favor and get a copy of this for yourself. Track titles are ‘ Crucified On The Throne Of Solitude, Ignite, A Call To Darkness, Face Down’.www.striktnyne.com

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Tearing up the underground scene in the Minneapolis area from ‘91 - ‘96 playing with such greats as Megadeth, Cannibal Corpse, Carcass and Maleviolent Creation, just to name a couple, Necromis disbanded. Playing in various other bands, 2003 came and Necromis reformed and recorded ‘Burnscar’. Eight tracks of death metal fury. Nice production on this disk. Necromis are a melodic death metal band. Well, melodic in parts. Necromis are a very heavy band. All the songs here have depth to them. Inner twined with a hardcore sounding edge at times as well. Deep growling, understandable vocals, some ripping guitar riffs and solos as well. Fans of Dimension Zero, Susperia, Amon Amarth will surely appreciate the hard driving mayhem unleashed by this talented bunch of musicians. Necromis are Greg - vocals, Dan - guitars, Jason - guitars, Aaron - bass, and Tony - drums. One listen to this disk will make you want to start thrashing about. Very well done. ‘Burnscar’, is available at their website as well as some song downloads. Check them out.www.necromis.com

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After causing quite a stir among the Bay Area thrash scene in the mid to late 80’s opening for acts like King Diamond, Overkill, Slayer, Testament, and M.O.D. just to name a few, Potential Threat called it quits in ’91 due to musical differences in the band. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Noble and drummer Kenny Noble spent eight years in Germany recording and touring under the name Shock Factor. They both moved back and reunited with original bassist Tom Padden in ‘99 and by 2003 recorded this five song E.P. The renewed Potential Threat is tighter and as heavy as always. Hard rocking heavy metal sure to please all. In the vein of Disarray, early Metallica. Will appeal to fans of Soil, Drop and Black Label Society. Heavy crunching guitars and driving beats. Track titles are, ’ Done Days Of Sorrow, Nothing The Same, Testify, Endless Fall From Grace, Against The Grain’. Welcome back guys. Recommended to all metal heads.www.potentialthreatsf.com

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A hard driving album from Houston’s Wartorn. This disk has many familiarities throughout. Nice crunchy guitars and clean sounding vocal. There are some of your more mainstream metal sounds. Those that are plastered over the radio. Then there are some more heavier songs as well. With so many genres in today’s metal alone, it is a tough one where to place Wartorn. Well after a few listens, I’d have to say that they are just a metal band. Heavy hitting drums with some complex and intricate guitar workings. Wartorn is on the search for a major label and tour. They have a good sound about them that sits up there among the likes of Godsmack, Disturbed and so on. The band on the disk are Michael Heald - guitar, Mike Martin - vocals/bass and Kevin Hollingsworth. As of June of this year the added new bassist/vocalist Kenny Hill. A great sounding disk recorded at The Plant Studios. So if your in for a range of metal songs by a band with talent, you should check these guys out. This disk has it from aggressive to melodic to complex. Overall a well rounded release. Some cool tracks,’ Brutal Manifest, The Surface, Epidemic’. you can check out some sounds at their website.www.wartornmusic.com.

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From the great state of New York come the dark melodic metal outfit Tenebrae. Tenebrae definitely have a unique sound to them. At times there is some heavy shredding guitar work on the disk but overall it’s more as they describe themselves. Dark melodic metal. Their songs are all pretty lengthy. They all range from seven to ten minutes long. Clean vocals throughout. To me personally, I would categorize their sound as a heavy goth band. The vocals remind me at times of many of Bauhaus’ songs. Some other times in the more atmospheric journeys remind me of Lestat. There are some pretty cool tunes here. Very melancholy at times. Tenebrae have been around for some time. They are currently working on a new full length album due out in a couple months. For full effect, turn out all the lights, fire up a couple candles, or whatever else you may fire up and enjoy. Track titles are, ’The Day I Lived And Forgotten, Heart Filled Days, Doleo, Evil (Live), Addiction, Truth Of Children In The Walls’. Goth, darkness, mellow, metal. It’s all there. Check ‘em out.www.thegreatestband.com

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The title of this, their second disk explains it all. Another cold, ferocious black metal band hailing from Spain. Dark Faith do not fall short on speed and intensity. Dark , evil lyrics encompass the release belted out by the grim sounding vocals of Satanachia. Lucifugo Rofocale- drums, Lucifer - bass, Dark Nephilin - guitars and Aglarieth - guitars, all chalked up with their evil warpaint round out the band. Hypersonic, black metal fury. Will appeal to fans of true black metal. This is not a release for a weak individual. So if you’re interested in joining Dark Faith’s anti - Christian war campaign, check them out. If you’re true to the cause, you won’t be disappointed.www.metalprovider.com/darkfaith www.blackenedmoon.com

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The Barcelona based Shemhamphorash give us their fourth release, on Blackened Moon Productions, ‘Dementia’. put together in ‘96, this dementia laden black metal band unleash their fury upon the weakened souls of the world. A very brutal, heavy release. Six songs of sheer terror and mayhem. Shemhamphorash are Mikkal- guitars, Wilhkiem- vocals/bass and Nechrist - drums. Not quite sure how to pronounce their name either, but when you say it slow a few times, it’ll come to you as well. Very well recording with good sound. Nothing out of the ordinary here that catapults this above any other black metal release I heard in the recent past. But they are a very good band with well written songs. As well as the nightmaric journey that is the last track on the disk. Suitably titled ’Shemhamphorash’. This is an enjoyable listen over and over. So definitely check these guys out. www.shemhamphorash.com www.blackenedmoon.com

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Well the website did not have much in the way of information on Sauron. A contact address and how to get a hold of a copy of this release. You may want to do just that. In short this is some of the most evil, harshest thrash metal I heard in a long time. Sauron is Doomy G. Blackthrash- vocals/bass, Victor “Lore Lord” Ruiz - guitars and Mike “Skinthrasher” Hudson - drums. Seven tracks of pure thrash mayhem. There is a cover of Kreator’s Total Death as well. At first listen this reminded me of Destruction’s Sentence Of Death era release. Harsh, noisy fury. Fast and in your face. Sauron don’t fuck around when it comes to belting out the blasts of hell. Very raw sounding production which gives it a cool sounding feel. My only complaint on this disk is that it’s not long enough. At 27:19, I guess I’ll just have to listen to it again. Track listing is ‘Thrash ‘til Death, Witch king, Demonic Invasion, Thrash Assault, Unholy Art, Tormentor, Total Death’. Back to the roots is where this one is from.www.sauron666.cjb.net www.blackenedmoon.com

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Formed back in ‘95, Empty are an atmospherically black metal band out of Spain. Backed by Drizzt ”Sarnad”- bass, clear vocals and grim vocals, Vanth- guitars and growling vocals, Orgall - drums and Damastor- drums. This is a very powerful release. Cold harsh black metal with those atmospheric escapes slipped in from time to time. Some nice guitar work as well. Great song structuring. All of the nine tracks are well over five minutes long clocking the disk in at 57:46. Never a dull moment from the start. Empty will appeal to all black metal fans. Reminds me of somewhere along the lines of Dimmu Borgir and Khold. A very talented bunch of musicians who seem to put forth the effort to perfecting each song. No slop here. “The time stopped in the moment when I lost all essence of life. I don’t remember when I lost my essence. Through the groove of time, I saw you die”. (from A Source Of Hollow Essence) Highly recommended. www.emptyhorde.cjb.netwww.blackenedmoon.com

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Established in the spring of 2001, Malice420 have been very busy ever since. After drumming up loads of shows in the southern California area, the then San Diego based band released ‘Hateful Preachings..’ in late 2002. ‘Hateful Preachings…’ is getting much airplay throughout the states as well as Serbia, Russia, Ireland, Germany and other countries as well. The band has since relocated to the Harrisburg, PA area in order to utilize the strong east coast scene. Yes this review is a little far behind as their new release will be out sometime in October. I obtained this copy from them at the Milwaukee Metal Fest 18 where they played both nights and were amazing. So I thought I’d do a little review of it. From the first track, ‘Malice’ to the power ballad ‘Lay Down And Die’ to the raging sounds of ‘Hard To Swallow’ , Malice420 will kick you in the teeth, with their ultra heavy, death influenced thrash metal. Reminiscent to that of Pantera and Pissing Razors. There are some great hardcore moments at times. This disks contains nine tracks of no holds barred, boot stomping, raging thrash for the masses. Malice420’s sound makes you think you’re listening to something familiar, while not being able to pinpoint it, gives them their own feel. Check out Malice420. NOW!!!  www.malice420.com

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Milwaukee’s top metal act are back, and a new album is in the works. Formed back in late 2000, Dark Shift have made quite a name for themselves and the Dark Shift enterprise. Earlier this year they headlined a very successful South American tour which they packed the house every night. With hopes for another South American tour as well as a European tour in the works Dark Shift are currently working on their follow up to their highly acclaimed release ,’The Assault’. The two tracks on this disk will be featured on the upcoming release. The tracks are of high intensity thrash metal. Track one , ‘K.M.S.’ tends to be geared more towards the commercial sounding side of today’s metal. With some nice riffing and galloping double bass beats. Very old school Metallica sounding with nice melodies. Track two, ‘Know Your Enemy’, some cool off tempo beats and riffs. Nice and heavy. Makes you want to bang thy head upon first listen. Good clean heavy metal. Great production. Some kick ass soloing guitarist as well. Very well structured songs. Look forward to hearing the full length release. www.darkshift.com

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Death metal, black metal, diverse metal. Whichever you want to call it, Elctrikchair are on their way. A very talented young metal band with their average age at only 16, these guys have got a long way to go. A path that we will all surely come across. Hailing from Colorado, I was fortunate enough to be able to catch them at the Milwaukee Metal Fest 18 where they put on a great performance. There were a couple problems with the guitars, but over all a kick ass set. These four songs on a copied disk they gave me at the show kill. They are going to be on the soon to be released E.P. out sometime end September or so. Andy Rodriguez-guitars/vocals, Bob Rodriguez-drums and Eloy Fernandez-bass pull out no stops on any of these extremely heavy tracks. They all pull from their many different influences which include Iron Maiden, Burzum, King Diamond, Slayer, Overkill and the list goes on. Elctrikchair dub themselves as diverse metal with shred guitar influence. For us simpletons they have a black/death metal sound with a twist. A good twist I might add. The four tracks I possess, production wise sound okay. Curios to hear the finished product. Track titles are ‘Carpathian Forest, Shadows Of Death, Coruept Scene, Mortuary’. Like I said, each of these track are very heavy. It’s hard to pick out a favorite. I’ll let you do that on your own. But do check these guys out. As I hope the music business treats them well so they’ll be around for a long time to come.www.elctrikchair.com

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Golden Lake Productions present to you, the Norwegian black metal duo, Emancer. Emancer give you a mix of cold, aggressive black metal with a more progressive sounding passages in various locations on the disk. Some reminiscent of the Opeth style of black metal. Only not so acoustic and lengthy. Most of the slower, astral passages are done very well, and fit into the more aggressive sections of the songs. Every part of ‘Invisible’, their third release, is done very well. From the cold atmospheric vocals, the keyboards, the programmed drums are killer, as well as the guitar work. Emancer are Mithrin- guitars, bass, electronics, spoken parts and Gorbag- main vocals. Emancer are making quite a stir amidst the underground. You give this release a listen and you’ll understand why. From the epic ’On Borrowed Time’ , to the blast beats of ‘A Comedy Of Hunger ‘ and the title track ‘Invisible’ , Emancer’s fiendish blackened hate will leave you in awe. From first listen, ‘Invisible will be at the top of your list. Emancer do have a touring band, so if you get a chance, where ever they may be playing, see them. Fans of Khold, Twilight Ophera, Paragon Belial will definitely be into these guys. As well as all black metallars. With their own unique, atmospheric ventures, Emancer never stray to far from their black metal roots. Highly recommended.www.emanceronline.comwww.goldenlakeprods.co.uk

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Gaining much respect at the forefront of the English metal scene, The Enchanted, based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, give you their second release ‘For Those Who Fall…’. The Enchanted deliver unto you a furious blend of melodic death to traditional thrash metal. In the vein of At The Gates or Carnal Forge. This latest , four track ep is very rhythmatic and gets you unknowingly bobbing you head back and forth and tapping your foot to the beat. Great production. Heavy riffing. Some real nice guitar work here. The first three tracks,’ Where Fires Burn, The Way Of The Warrior and In A Dream…’ are new tracks. The forth ,’Under The Hall Of The Moon’ is one they rerecorded from the ‘Pagan Metal’ demo. A good choice for the release. While nothing here really jumped out and grabbed my by the balls, this is a good, heavy release and I recommend it to all.www.theenchanted.co.uk

www.goldenlakeprods.co.uk

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Powerful, majestic, epic, dark, ambient, heavy, stomping riffs and clean vocals. All of these words, statements describe the latest from Malta’s Forsaken. “One of the top doom acts on the planet today”. This is how many describe Forsaken in the word of music. Right along side the throne with Solitude Aeturnus and Candlemass. After 13 years of existence, I’m sorry to say this is the first material I’ve heard from them. And they do have many releases. How’s that work? Well if you’re reading this and wondering the same thing, you need to check them out. It’s just that simple. Forsaken’s sound is of a doom/power metal feel. This is not one of those slow, sludgy doom releases. Killer cover art and very well produced. All the songs range from 7 to 11 minutes each. Not one of them is boring or repetitive as some long tracks can be. Leo Stivola-vocals, Sean Vukovic-guitars, Albert Bell-bass, Mario Ellul-keyboards and Simeon Gatt-drum are an extremely talented group of musicians. This is one of those disks that it’s hard to pinpoint a favorite track as all are as equally good to the next. So if you’re new to the name Forsaken from Malta, go to the website and give them a listen. You can also hear the track ’All Is Accomplished’ here on Metal Warrants Radio. And if you are familiar with the band, what are you waiting for. Stop what you’re doing and order ‘Anima Mundi’ now.www.forsakenmalta.com

www.goldenlakeprods.co.uk

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From the cold New England region of Maine, come 13 Winters. With their first release, one listen and you know you’ll be sure you will be hearing more of them in the future. 13 Winters are a black metal doom mixture. The songs flow through these genres to the fast paced sounds of death and thrash. 13 Winters are Roy Adams - bass/keys and violin, Mike Web - drums, Matthue Schildroth - guitars and Die Winters - vocals. Dies vocals at times are reminiscent to that of Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow. With the exception that throughout she eases up for the more angelic vocal sound. Misery, sadness and darkness run throughout the lyrical content. As well as the music. ’Where The Soul Wanders’ has only been out since May ’04 and has sold quite well for them in their area. May not be the cleanest sounding production, but I think it sounds pretty damn good. Tracks I really enjoyed, ’Just Winter, Beauty Is The Beast, Cold Dark Empty.’ But not wanting to take away from the rest of the album, I enjoyed every track. Ask for them by name or order at their website. Maybe we’ll carry them here if they wish. www.dark-valley-records.com/bands/13-winters/

www.dark-valley-records.com

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After a little more than a three year hiatus, Manias are back with their brand of grinding, death metal they dub, ‘brutal bilingual’. This five track ep is totally brutal to say the least. Manias are Andrew Manias Ruiz - guitars/vocals, Eric Lucero - drums with session guitars by Galand Brodwin and session bass by Robert Montoya. The disk starts of with a sound bite from ‘The Lost Boys’ and into instant mayhem. High speed intensity and hatred amuck. Gutteral vocals and grinding riffs throughout. Great production work. Glad to have Manias back in the fold. You need to check this one out if you into brutal death metal. Will appeal to fans of Skinless, Ancestral Malediction, Disordered. Also keep an eye out for the full length ’ …And Blood Soaked The World’ coming soon.www.manias.us 

manias_bloodflow@hotmail.com

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Well right from the start I dug this disk. Being a huge Maiden fan, Superchrist start things of with a cover of Running Free. Great job I might say. Chicago’s Superchrist, if you have not heard of them have a sound that is heavily influenced by a punk/metal blend of the early 80’s. this is a high charged disk song after song. Superchrist are Chris Black - bass/vocals, Hank Bitchlover - guitars and Whorepuncher on drums. Chris’s vocals sound almost just like Lemmy, so if you didn’t know any better, you may think you are listening to Motorhead. I tested this out on a couple of friends and they didn’t know. They do a kick ass job on every song. Track titles are ‘Running Free, Hurry Up And Bleed, None For You, She’d Look Better (with a black eye), Aim Low, Strangers In The Night, Brown Eye Sees All, Drink Or Drown, Metropolis, Don’t Ride With Superchrist. Understandable vocals and solos in every song. Something you don’t get much anymore these days. Great sounding recording. High quality production. You’ll be bangin’ your head to every song at first listen. It’s almost infectious. Cds and sound bites are available at their website and soon to very soon to Metal Warrants. A great rocking, punk, metal album. Very well rounded release. Highly recommended.www.superchrist.net

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The Abodox ‘New Knife Of The Berserker’ (self release) By John Haseltine

Hailing from the Seattle area, The Abodox give you a chaotic blend of metal/grind core with touches of jazz in the fold. Drawing from their metal, jazz, punk backgrounds and influences, Nathan Smurthwaite, Benjamin Kennedy and Dorando Hodous unleash 14 tracks of fury with their latest release. The Abodox take grind to a new level making the listener stop and take notice of all that is going on. There is never a dull moment here. A fresh new blend of extreme music. Not for the faint hearted. Check out their website for ordering information. Or if you’re in the Seattle area, check them out live. So if you’re up for a new brand of grind core, The Abodox has what you need. www.theabodox.com

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This is truly one of the sickest , drudge filled death metal cds I have heard in awhile. Michigan based Septic Asphyxiation belt out some of the most brutal, raw sounding death metal on the planet. Gutteral and shrieking vocals send the horrific sounds of death right through you. The production on this release is pretty bad. But being a fan/collector of demos I’d rate this one fairly high in the sound department. Seven tracks of putrid proportions. ‘Indecent Cunt Chewing, Fatal Sodomy, Vodka Blood Bath’, just to name a couple tracks. Some twisted groove-laden death that is sure not to go unnoticed among the underground. Shouldn’t be long till these guys get signed. Record companies take notice. www.geocities.com/septicasphyxiation

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Aftermath 'To Die Or To Seize’ (self release demo2002) By John Haseltine

Well if you ever wondered what happened to the soul of old school Celtic Frost, you need look no farther. This Irish death metal outfit give four relentless, 80’s style death/thrash tracks done extremely well. As I stated, they totally remind me and sound of old school Celtic Frost, with maybe, just maybe a slight lighter sound to them. Very good production. The demo consists of four ravenous tracks of which I can not pick one favorite from the other. Very heavy guitars and pounding drums. Deep yet clean, understandable vocals blend well together. Brutal, brutal demo. Aftermath are currently working on new material for an upcoming release. You can check out an mp3 at the website and also order yourself one of these kick ass disks. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna go listen to this again. And again, and again. www.aftermathrocks.co.uk

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When placed into a genre/category of metal from a certain area of the globe, many may have a preconceived notion of what the band may sound like before ever giving them a chance. Labeled as a Bay Area metal band does not hurt anyone. Although once again, now there are higher expectations to live up to next to the greatness of Death Angel, Exodus, Testament, Possessed, and yes Metallica and Megadeth (in the heavy days). Kaos can wave the Bay Area banner as high as they please in my book. These guys take thrash metal to a brutal new level with plenty of passion and fury. Very heavy and technical, giving it their own original sound. Great searing vocals and production make ’Kaos Among Us’ a must have for all fans of metal. A killer release. Get a copy while you can. Before too long ,Kaos will be among the list of Bay Area greats. www.kaosamongus.com

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Two brothers jamming away at their favorite songs developed into much more than just a fun hobby. This is a serious passion filled ep with some great musicianship. Deep, heavy melodic, grooves laid out by brothers Steve and Tom Campitelli. Pulling their song writing heavily from the influences of Type O Negative, Helmet, Deep Purple and King’s X, Their sound to me is more closer to that of Helmet. Mainly due to the vocals. I’m very surprised these two guys have not been picked up by a label yet. All three songs on this disk are very radio worthy. Memorable and mesmerizing. Look forward to their next release. Don’t give up. Send out more promo packs. Keep bugging them labels. www.crysknifeband.com

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Chainsnap ‘Hollow’ (Chainsnap Music) By John Haseltine

(originally reviewed for Ballbusterhardmusic.com)

Formed back in the summer of ‘02, Chainsnap has been ripping up clubs and festivals in Wisconsin and the surrounding area since late ‘02. After being featured on several compilations and a three song demo under their belt, in the fall of ‘03 their latest release ‘Hollow’ was recorded. ‘Hollow’ is a heavy groove laden disk. It has some catchy moments to it. Crunchy guitar work and some heavy double bass pounding. The vocals are that of a metal/hardcore mixture sounding a lot like Phil Anselmo to Tommy Victor of Prong. Very heavy effort for the most part with a few melodic parts thrown in the loop.’Hollow’ is a pretty straight forward, knuckles to the teeth release not straying very far from one track to the next. Will appeal to fans of Pantera, Prong, Godsmack. Good production. A clean sounding recording. Chainsnap is worthy of being checked out. Give ‘em a listen and go from there. You can also check them out at a number of festivals this summer. www.chainsnap.com