All's Third Coming (Demo)

Holy crap it's been a long time! Seems an age ago, since so much has changed, though the format of this site won't. I was sent this demo by a friend who asked me to do a review. It took me a while (Sorry!), but here it is. Since the demo is fairly short, I'll write a little about each song and then sum up my thoughts.

If there's one word that could some up this demo, it would be "diverse". Each of the four tracks featured on Third Coming are vastly different, yet still sound like the same band. The first song, Treasure, opens with a very eerie and cool riff, that carries throughout most of the song. As the vocals kick in, I was struck by the huge improvement over their first demo/album ph:ALL-us. The chorus is a little weak, mostly due to the very Rock-y riff, but overall serves to contrast the rest of the song well.
The second track, Scarmaker, is an extremely short affair, lasting about a minute and thirty second. It's a shame really, since it's fast and hard-hitting with some decent (and only) growling.
Life (Staring back at you) starts like a bat out of hell, it's grooving along, reminding me of all the good qualities of GWAR. The vocals on this track are particularly great, as is the awesome solo that lasts for about a quarter of the song which leaves you begging for more. It's a very Thrashy song with a good balance between the dissonant clean guitar and the harmonic rythm guitar. It's easily the best song on the demo.
The last song on the album is also called Life (But with a subtitle like the previous song: (Changing all the time (So yeah, it's slightly different (In name (parenthesis))))). Despite the similar title, the fourth track couldn't sound less like the previous song if it tried, as it's it's slow, long and almost Doom-ish. There are no vocals to be found, and the riff remains the same, though does evolve over the course of 12 minutes. While this might sound boring, it still manages to completely captivate by the droning, eerie riff. The song keeps adding layers, then strips them away, creating almost a landscape with its sounds.

That about does it. In conclusion, I was very impressed with the improvements in the vocal department, the production quality and musicianship. The songs on the demo all have good qualities, some better than others, but overall my impressions were very good. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from these guys.

Immortal's All Shall Fall

If there was a Black Metal album more anxiously anticipated in 2009 than Gorgoroth's newest, it is Immortal's All Shall Fall. "Comeback" albums, as you doubtlessly are well aware, typically fail catastrophically; old fans await the new material eagerly and hungrily, excited by the reunion...and are let down when they hear that the band has lost it and probably has just sold out. It is with the grimmest, coldest heart, then, that I inform ye of Immortal's total smashing of this stereotype.

Personally, Immortal reuniting was one of my life's dreams, and was ecstatic upon learning of it. Indeed, I got into Immortal following their break-up, but after having gotten into them, I wished for a reunion of them more than almost anything else, music or otherwise. Accordingly, I ordered the Blashyrkh Limited Bag Edition of the CD format, the Bag edition; the shirt it came with is decidedly lame, just a black shirt with their modern logo and the title All Shall Fall underneath it. However, the poster it came with, and the pins with the members, including Demonaz, on them are cool, and Abbath's-axe-pendant is awesome.

Where to begin with the music... the instant the first, and eponymous, reminded me instantly of a fusion between Sons of Northern Darkness and Pure Holocaust. It's got the modern Immortal sound but the sort of...musicality, if you will, of PH. Songs like "Hordes to War," and "Arctic Swarm" however, will remind you that Immortal are still the masters of fast-as-fvck, grim and frostbitten Black Metal. They are brutally heavy and in your guts (in your face is for death and thrash metal). For me, the standout track is "Norden on Fire," with its setting-winter-sun-over-snow-covered-land clean intro leading into what may be Immortal's most epic, cold-grooving, giant blizzard beast of a song. The songs of this album truly reconcile Immortal's two sorts of sounds, pre- and post-At the Heart of Winter.

The album is also even more epic than its predecessor, with its ambient sound laden intros and its clean bridges, segues, et al. Calling it "epic" is, I daresay, doing it a disservice, since that term has become too thin for Immortal - legendary is perhaps better. Regardless, Abbath is ever the master of spreading a riff out perfectly, and you can hear this in such tracks as "Norden on Fire" and the closer, "Unearthly Kingdom."

The tone in this album is great, too. It's not exceedingly dark, like I feel SoND is (not that said is a negative, just a statement of characteristics); it's got a modern production quality while still maintaining its kvlt, cold Black Metal status. First stated should be that it was recorded in Grieghallen and Abyss Studios - that should speak volumes there. The ENGL Powerball Abbath used is very clearly here, with their newish endorsement with ENGL. It is a plus - the Powerball has a huge sound, a huge bottom end, and it really shines through on this. The mids on the guitars are nice and low, giving it a throaty, meaty, somewhat muffled sound, allowing the bass and drums to beautifully (read: grimly) cut through. Drums sound sharp and huge, as one could expect Horgh's to sound, and the bass is clear and glassy.

If you are into Black Metal and are unfamiliar with Immortal, let them into your life - your only regret will be not having heard them sooner. This album and band rule - they truly are the sons of northern darkness; they are the tyrants. If you like Immortal, suffice it to say the album is everything you'd hope for, so get it; regardless, it's very much a "must-own."

If you should be one of those warped types who dislikes Immortal...go screw.

Fleshgod Apocalypse's Oracles

Oracles is a beast. A classical masterpiece, if classical music had evolved into Death Metal. Starting out with the sounds of an orchestra warming out, it is soon interrupted by the extremely tight intro to what is easily the best track of the album; 'In Honour of Reason'. Oracles hits you full force, and only lets go for a few brief moments of instrumental interludes, allowing to catch your breath.

For the most part, Oracles is extremely fast, and brutal to an insane degree. The drumming is absolutely phenomenal, rivaling Inferno of Behemoth fame. Singling out the drumming however, is a disservice to the fantastic guitar-work and the excellent vocals. While the vocal at first may seem typical of the Death Metal genre, there are areas where layering is applied extremely well, but overall the vocal work is so good because of a dynamic delivery, such as on Post-Enlightenment Executor and Sophistic Demise.

Fleshgod Apocalypse is made up of members from Hour of Penance, which are more than capable, but their efforts with Fleshgod Apocalypse are far better. Oracles wears its influences on its sleeves; There's a classical theme throughout, suggesting this might be the new face of the genre and the classical interludes fit the brutality well, with the exception of one, at the end of 'As Tyrants Fall', which seems too whimsical.

If you're looking for brutal, fast, melodic and technical Death Metal, look no further; Fleshgod Apocalypse delivers in spades on every front. My only gripe is that it is very short, especially considering that quite some times is allotted to classical parts. The quality is astonishing and I could only wish for more. In fact, I don't think I've listened to an album quite as much as I have this one. A contender for album of the year, if you ask me.

Infernal Poetry's Nervous System Failure

Infernal Poetry's previous album, Beholding The Unpure was a stroke of chaotic genius, which gave me high hopes for this album. Ultimately, it was a setup for disappointment. An EP, released 3 years ago, contain 4 of the 13 songs found on their latest album. In truth it is less than 13, as there are a few instrumental interludes and disclaimers as well, making the actual song count closer to 10.

The tragedy of it all is that the EP contain 2 of the only 4 decent song on this album. That means they spent 3 years making 6 songs that are bland, boring and repetitive. Not a good statistic. Compared to Beholding The Unpure, this album is a step in the completely wrong direction. On their previous album, there was an abundance of great melodic parts contrasted beautifully against insane riffs that made up an ensemble of progressive songs. Instead they have substituted the progression and melodic elements with repetition, a verse-chorus-verse formular and boring generic crazy sounding riffs.

In fact, the Death Metal aspect seem to be drowning amongst the metalcore-ish constant chugging and more-screaming-than-growling vocals. Infernal Poetry has proven that they can do better, and it pains me how much of a let down this album is. The few songs that are actually listenable doesn't hold up to the greatness of their previous album and I doubt they will get many listens in the future.

So in conclusion, leave this one be and go buy their previous abum that I've mentioned here instead, as it is better in every aspect. I will be getting their next album for sure, as I know these guys can play, but I will be fearing the worst. I just hope the world doesn't have to wait 4 fucking years again!

ALL's pH:ALL-US

When I received this album in the mail, I wasn't sure what to expect. Let me first say, praise is due the Finnish postal system - I got it 5 days from the postmark! Now that that is out of the way...

I had heard some songs by ALL before, but was not overly sure about them, categorically speaking. If I were to label this stuff, I would put it as Blackened Death/Thrash; that is to say, I would classify it as Death/Thrash, but only musically - lyrically it totally transcends Death metal.

Knowing a bit of the background of one of the members, I figured the lyrics and music would be inapproachably dense and seemingly chaotic, with an order only the most esoterically-literate would understand/appreciate. Not so. Moreover, it is also not actually dark, though you could possibly so appellate the music if from the point-of-view that looking into the unknown is "dark."

If you like riff-tastic, decidedly groovy (in the sense of finding one and milking it) and definitely classic-style Death/Thrash, then this is an album for you. Their sound is huge and imminent. If the album has a hindrance, it is the production quality. It is by no means horrendous, and it is probably just a sign of "demo" status, but it doesn't seem to "fit" the style of music; it deserves better production than featured, and hopefully will be addressed in the future. Regardless, the songs are complete, which is a rare thing amongst thrash of any sort these days, much less the new, very limited though it is, Death/Thrash one hears these days. Perhaps most amazing, though, is a seeming, though not exclusive, focus on the music itself, as opposed to just the lyrics and the aggression inherent in this style.

By the title, which I find the most "regrettable" part of this release, one might wonder how much of this is indeed tongue-in-cheek; however, I can say I recommend this one for fans of the classics in this nigh-dead subgenre, especially, but also fans of music that is heavy.

A second opinion by Nova
This review signal my triumphant return from an internet misadventure. The first thing you should keep in mind is that All's pH:ALL-US is a demo, with all that implies. The production is not that great. Everything is discernible, but the drums and especially the guitars and the guitar tone suffer, which is a shame. The tone lacks depth, but thankfully the melodies make up for it and pH:ALL-US is chock-full of great melodies, that are very catchy. I even found myself humming the riff from The Vengeance of Martyr de Molay several times.
While there are many great melodies to be found, the solos are quite bland, though short enough not to detract from the experience.

The vocals are quite good, despite being thrashy most of the time (Daughter of Sunset being an exception, with its growl/signing). I usually hate the vocal stylings of thrash bands, but VVV Mortem pulls them off quite well. I found that the first half of Eden featured very weak vocals, but during the second half, Mortem really ups his game. The demo reeks of thrash, yet there are definitely Death Metal elements to be found. A heavier and deeper guitar tone, as well as proper drums would definitely help.

While the guitars and drums sound underwhelming, the bass and synth work sound really great. The lyrics deserve mention as well, as they are unlike most metal bands out there. Dabbling in the occult is not a strength I possess, but I can tell that Azoneris (Who wrote all of ALL's lyrics) does. A lot of symbolism is to be found (Not all of which I understand), as well as hidden messages, which was quite cool, but I will leave that for you to find. The lyrics are intelligent and a joy to read, also because the message seems to be one of empowerment, although I'm not sure I understood all of it, it doesn't require the same amount of interpretation as Behemoth, for example.

I don't know who ALL were inspired by or hoped to sound like, but I definitely had the same feelings as when I hear Borknagar or Golden Dawn. I hope they will take that as a compliment, as those are not bad bands to aspire to. I wish these guys the best of luck, and I hope you will check them out, because despite the production (Which is to be expected; It is a demo after all), here lies massive potential.

http://www.myspace.com/allmusickk

http://www.azonei.com

Xasthur's All Reflections Drained

Even amongst us Black Metallers, Suicidal/Depressive Black Metal is not for everyone. It is uniformly dark, "downer" stuff, and it is often-times relatively slow (this album really utilises the latter to a greater extent than previously done, more on this later). Also, for many people, the subject matter is too introspective - for some it is that they, the listener themselves, can't bear to scratch their own surface; others might denounce it as navel-gazing, the stuff of yogis et al, and is, to that listener, a waste of time. Those who know what this kind of depression is like, though, understand it and like to relate with it. However it is disliked, that is immaterial - this is one of the most sincere, kvlt forms of metal, and the American "band" Xasthur is perhaps the master of the sub-genre.

Xasthur recordings have certainly benefitted from Malefic's continuing association with Hydra Head. While Subliminal Genocide, the first HH-Xasthur release, had only a slightly clearer production, 2007's Defective Epitaph saw a markedly clearer production, real drums and real cello (!) However, whereas Defective Epitaph was a little...less varied, and more boring than I'd hoped/expected, as if Malefic was still suffering from "I have real instruments now"-itis, 2009's All Reflections Drained is just as sedative and depressive as it needs to be.

Not only does Drained make use of real instruments, it also is the first Xasthur album to utilise digital recording/tracking, as opposed to analogue like before. It makes a big difference in the ability to hear what is being played, but he still kept the tone very cold and sterile, so it keeps the necro sound one expects from Xasthur. The clean guitars and all the reverb through a digital recorder actually sound more disturbing than via analogue, in this case.

It does seem as if Malefic is really starting to side with his old thoughts of one day turning Xasthur into an ambient project. Many of the songs on this are rather slow, as far as Xasthur is concerned, in terms of the guitar, and the "metal" in this song is further de-emphasised than all previous Xasthur records in favour of the atmosphere. It is for this reason that I feel this release is best suited for Xasthur die-hards; it may bore many people who are into it for the Black Metal. The one thing that had me worried about this album was the fact that Malefic has brought another person into the fold - Mark Hunter, who is listed as "M.H." in the credits. He only does some vocals, segues, and ambient stuff, the rest is all Malefic.

This is not to say that the album is not metal - assuredly it is. More importantly, Malefic still has his classical Black Metal attitude; this is perhaps most clearly demonstrated in the fact that he didn't even bother giving track six of the bonus disc a name, leaving it simply "Untitled," and in the notes, Malefic states at the end, "This music is agony, not entertainment. Overdose is recommended for maximum auditory 'experience.'"

This brings about the topic of the packaging, the "liner" notes, and the bonus disc. It is to-day my favourite Xasthur cover art - simple and grim, as are the photos in the notes. The bonus disc is excellent, too. Malefic clarifies that it is "simply a bonus disc, nothing more. It has very little to do with the album 'All Reflections Drained.' Experimenting in between the chapters, that's what these songs are. Some are literally exclusive and some are not." It contains two cover songs, "Fleshcrawl" by Autopsy, and "Jomfrulysets Fall" by Forgotten Woods, which are both made that much more eerie by way of being covered by Xasthur. It also includes a newer version of "Trauma Will Always Linger" from Subliminal Genocide, only it is 5:51 longer than the original (14:40 as opposed to 8:29), and features M.H. on clean vocals. Also, there is a song where Malefic collaborated with Striborg, and the rest is just Xasthur.

Overall, I highly recommend this album; it is one of my favourite releases of 2009. I recommend even more strongly that you buy the album, as ever, but in this case the packaging is not something to be missed. If you like Black Metal, especially of the Suicidal variety, and you don't get or like this album, you're a fool.

http://www.xasthur.mercurous.net
http://www.hydrahead.com

The Project Hate MCMXCIX's The Lustrate Process

The Project Hate is a band that is relatively unknown, due to the fact that they don't tour, and it's a goddamned shame! The Project Hate has, in my mind, done the impossible time after time again and improved themselves with each album. It's a band that sounds like no one else and is hard to label. Explaining it to fellow interested metal heads I usually call them Epic, Progressive Death Metal with electronic/industrial parts. The emphasis of my label is on Death Metal. Through and through, The Project Hate is brutal and extremely heavy.

The jump from In Hora Mortis Nostræ, The Hate's previous effort, to The Lustrate Process is not as far as the jump from the album prior to In Hora Mortis Nostræ. Music-wise at least. Production and tone wise, The Lustrate Process is much more clear and crisp and the bass sounds absolutely amazing and tangy. The drums are as good as ever, and the new drummer lives up to the always stellar drumming, even adding some fitting blastbeats, which are a new addition. The amount of layers to this band have always been staggering and it's no different this time around. I'm still finding new details.

The Lustrate Process has a lot of guest appearances and it would take too long to go into each one, But I will say this: All of them are good.

While The Lustrate Process only span 7 songs, each one is an epic masterpiece, and the album still manages to clock in at 64 minutes! This means the songs are really long, the shortest being 7 minutes, whereas the rest are around 8-9 minutes long. The opening track is almost 13 minutes long but let me make it clear right away; You'll be clinging to your speakers for every second of The Lustrate Process. There's not a single boring or skippable part or song on this album.

The lyrical themes for The Project Hate have always been anti-christian, something that I normally denounce as being too simplistic. Lord K however, the mastermind behind the band, writes lyrics like no other. At his disposal, he has two incredible vocalists; Jörgen Sandström is fucking brutal, and his timing is flawless, but put against the absolutely beautiful voice of Jo Enckell, it becomes something more. It has to be heard, words can simply not do it justice.

The only downside, and this is really nitpicking, is that the closing track, "The Burial of Gods", isn't as powerful as the other songs on the album. But this is truly a minor issue. This album is, like all their previous albums, better than the one preceeding it and each preceeding album was perfect. If you don't know this band and you like Death Metal, go buy their records, you will NOT be disappointed!

Second Opinion by Argus
So I started playing this album, not knowing what to expect. The opening riff to intro track "Descend Into the Eternal Pits" was excellent, I thought...but it lost me with Enckell's vocals. Don't get me wrong, her voice is excellent, it is powerful, but fitting is not a word I'd use here. The harsh vocals are good, a little better than standard-fare Death Metal vocals, but, ultimately, they are still forgettable. My biggest complaint, however, is the length of the songs. It is not that long songs bother me - quite the contrary; some of my own are longer than those here. It is that they are unnecessarily long - they seem like they're going somewhere...and they never do. One is constantly left with the feeling of "o.k., is this song over yet?"...some would've been boring if four minutes in length, let alone 8:55. What's more, they seem to cram a lot of clearly unrelated riffs into one song, and it gives it a very disjointed feel. At times it was a struggle not to hit the Next button.

I will applaud them on their guitar and drum tones...bass is good too, easily audible, very dark sound to it, too. I'll grant that this band is unique enough, they've got some good riffs, and they each know their instruments... I'm not a huge fan of DM, so I'll sum it up by saying that I just wish that "unique" here also equalled "interesting."

http://www.theprojecthate.net/

http://www.myspace.com/theprojecthate