Language: English
Genre: Black Metal
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© 2008 Sun & Moon Records
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tags: nocturnal depression, reflections of a sad soul, 2008, flac,
September 11, 2020
Nocturnal Depression - Reflections of a Sad Soul (2008)
Language: English
Genre: Black Metal
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© 2008 Sun & Moon Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
Nocturnal Depression - The Cult of Negation (2010)
Language: English, French (Le Français)
Genre: Black Metal
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© 2010 Avantgarde Music
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: nocturnal depression, the cult of negation, 2010, flac,
Nocturnal Depression - Spleen Black Metal (2015)
Language: French (Le Français)
Genre: Black Metal
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© 2015 Avantgarde Music
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: nocturnal depression, spleen black metal, 2015, flac,
September 06, 2020
Androphagous - Blood Soaked Freaks (1999)
Language: English
Genre: Grindcore
Label Number: None
© 1999 Goulash Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
© 1999 Goulash Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: androphagous, blood soaked freaks, 1999, flac
Yellowcard - When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes (2011)
Genre: Punk Rock
Style: Pop Punk
Label Number: HR725-2
© 2011 Hopeless Records
AllMusic Review by Gregory Heaney
Their first record after a two-year hiatus, When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes finds Yellowcard returning to the pop-punk landscape without missing a beat. With a sound that’s oddly sweeping for the genre, it feels at times as if the band owes more to post-rock than post-hardcore, with songs like “Be the Young” showing strains of the loneliness evoked by Explosions in the Sky. This kind of contemplative sound is what really helps Yellowcard stand out from the pack, giving them an extra tool to help coax emotion out of the listener without relying purely on saccharine sentimentality or sappiness. As with their last album, the prominence of the violin continues to diminish, but what the strings lack in ubiquity they make up for in impact, making an impression when they appear rather than just fading into the background. This kind of refinement of their sound paints a picture of an older and wiser Yellowcard whose members are confident enough in their abilities that they can step away from the gimmick that initially set them apart from the pack and let their songwriting do the talking, and makes When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes an album that won’t disappoint anyone who has stuck with the band for the past decade.
tags: yellowcard, when youre through thinking say yes, you're, 2011, flac,
Yellowcard - Paper Walls (2007)
Genre: Punk Rock
Style: Pop Punk
Label Number: 0946 3 98153 2 6
© 2007 Capitol Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Yellowcard is neither the flashiest nor the most popular among the new millennium's pop-punk bands but their fifth album Paper Walls goes a long way in proving that they are among the best of their breed. Despite violinist Sean Mackin, whose very presence can seem like a clever ploy (even as the instrument fades in prominence over the years), they're not attention-mongers -- their pop is melodic but not incessantly hooky, they rock hard but not furiously. Without ever seeming laid-back, they seem casual in how they approach their music, never drawing attention to themselves, which is a bit odd because on pure musical terms they're more gripping than many of their peers, displaying a restless sense of musicality that often makes Paper Walls interesting even if means they can stray toward areas that are just a shade too indulgent for their own good. Often, those areas are quicksand pits of sentimentality, whether its drippy anthemic love songs and odes to grandparents ("Dear Bobbie"), sweeping gestures that come off as hammy due to the overdose of emotion but that same tendency to dive after a big moment pays off on the harder rockers where it gives the music true momentum. There's not just a purpose in their backbeat but they dance around the clichés of their genre, either by jacking up the overall energy quotient or suddenly exploding into metallic guitar solos -- like the breakneck breakdown on the opening "The Takedown" -- or strenuously writing melodies that strive for grandness, something that's evident even when they don't achieve their goal. Yellowcard works hard within the confines of their genre but they never rewrite rules: they push the boundaries a little bit further, just enough to separate themselves from their peers, but not quite enough to rope in listeners less dedicated to the super-slick sound of modern punk, especially because they lack one undeniable song to rope in the unconverted. Nevertheless, as a whole, it's hard not to listen to Paper Walls and be impressed by Yellowcard's vigorous musicality which does display more imagination than many of their peers even if the finished songs could stand hooks that dug slightly deeper.
© 2007 Capitol Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Yellowcard is neither the flashiest nor the most popular among the new millennium's pop-punk bands but their fifth album Paper Walls goes a long way in proving that they are among the best of their breed. Despite violinist Sean Mackin, whose very presence can seem like a clever ploy (even as the instrument fades in prominence over the years), they're not attention-mongers -- their pop is melodic but not incessantly hooky, they rock hard but not furiously. Without ever seeming laid-back, they seem casual in how they approach their music, never drawing attention to themselves, which is a bit odd because on pure musical terms they're more gripping than many of their peers, displaying a restless sense of musicality that often makes Paper Walls interesting even if means they can stray toward areas that are just a shade too indulgent for their own good. Often, those areas are quicksand pits of sentimentality, whether its drippy anthemic love songs and odes to grandparents ("Dear Bobbie"), sweeping gestures that come off as hammy due to the overdose of emotion but that same tendency to dive after a big moment pays off on the harder rockers where it gives the music true momentum. There's not just a purpose in their backbeat but they dance around the clichés of their genre, either by jacking up the overall energy quotient or suddenly exploding into metallic guitar solos -- like the breakneck breakdown on the opening "The Takedown" -- or strenuously writing melodies that strive for grandness, something that's evident even when they don't achieve their goal. Yellowcard works hard within the confines of their genre but they never rewrite rules: they push the boundaries a little bit further, just enough to separate themselves from their peers, but not quite enough to rope in listeners less dedicated to the super-slick sound of modern punk, especially because they lack one undeniable song to rope in the unconverted. Nevertheless, as a whole, it's hard not to listen to Paper Walls and be impressed by Yellowcard's vigorous musicality which does display more imagination than many of their peers even if the finished songs could stand hooks that dug slightly deeper.
tags: yellowcard, paper walls, 2007, flac,
Internal Bleeding - Onward To Mecca (2004)
Genre: Grindcore
Style: Brutal Death Metal
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© 2004 Olympic Recordings
Reviewed by "Alex" for Metal Reviews.com
Sort of being on the Suffocation roll I thought reviewing Internal Bleeding
next would be very appropriate. Similarities abound. Both bands
originated in the underground NY death metal scene. Both started their
careers in the early 90s and issued some very influential cult
demos/albums. Both had long layoffs away from the field. Both maintain
an underground cult status trying to regroup and come back these days.
For me personally, however, the difference lies in the fact I have never
heard Internal Bleeding before, unlike Suffocation, whose old albums represent the classic of the genre for me. Well, having listened to Souls to Deny vs. Onward to Mecca,
I would have to say those paths have diverged in more ways than one.
And, no, I am not trying to compare and say that one album is better
than the other. It is just Internal Bleeding is not even pure
death metal anymore. Hardcore influences permeate the essence of the
album through and through. Deathcore label is very suitable and might be
even welcomed by the band’s fans.
One thing about a large number of tracks on Onward to Mecca – the approach is quite formulaic. What starts out with a kick, fast and brutal, very much along the lines of NY death metal school, tends to break down a minute or two into the song to become very rhythmic, but way slower, riff chugging. Siege in the Clouds, Far Above You, Contamination are all prime examples of the former. Just when you settle in with the fast and the furious and expect a further kick in the pants on Contamination, the band pulls the throttle back and the chug begins. Internal Bleeding, for better or worse, has mastered the hardcore breakdown art. For better, as this stuff really goes over well for moshing crowds, for worse, as I am wondering why this does not appeal to me as much. Further dichotomy lies in the fact the band can be outstanding technicians and make the listener dizzy with supertechnical, very Suffocation like, guitar runs and solos (Far Above You, Arm Our Youth). Yet rhythmic simpler pounding seems to be very much what the band prefers. At times, the tempo is slowed down to a crawl (Hateful). One thing Internal Bleeding has on many hardcore bands is their slow music sounds much darker and more ominous, just like the end of Intolerance. This is not some adolescent angst, but manly anger. The only track, and you could have guessed it is my favorite, where groove is kept without sacrificing the technicality or the speed is Infidel. Another cool, but very non-typical part, is the acoustic outro on This Day I Fight.
Jerry Lowe’s vocals are an image of the direction the band chose. He vocalizes mostly over the slower parts letting the instrumentalists in Internal Bleeding to take the center stage in the faster portions and dazzle us with their abilities. Jerry’s vocals are equal part death grunt and hardcore screams. The grunts aren’t very low, and the screams are not very high pitch, so both styles tend to blend. Bill Tolley’s drums sometimes sound hollow on the snare (Bleed by Example), but the juiciest bass by Andrew Hogan offsets that.
I don’t have the lyrics in front of me, but just looking at the song’s titles and the cover art my guess is the concept is a little less than politically correct. Kudos to that, you say what is on your mind.
In the end, Onward to Mecca panders a little too much to the younger crowd, much more hardcore inclined NYC population. Certainly the precalculated direction, this may keep the old fans on board and get new converts. Truthfully, I wasn’t a fan due to the lack of knowledge, and I am not going to become one here as the style just veers in the ‘core direction way too much. Trying to restrain myself from the Suffo comparisons, inevitably I can’t, so if I only gave 71 to Souls to Deny, this can’t be more than …
One thing about a large number of tracks on Onward to Mecca – the approach is quite formulaic. What starts out with a kick, fast and brutal, very much along the lines of NY death metal school, tends to break down a minute or two into the song to become very rhythmic, but way slower, riff chugging. Siege in the Clouds, Far Above You, Contamination are all prime examples of the former. Just when you settle in with the fast and the furious and expect a further kick in the pants on Contamination, the band pulls the throttle back and the chug begins. Internal Bleeding, for better or worse, has mastered the hardcore breakdown art. For better, as this stuff really goes over well for moshing crowds, for worse, as I am wondering why this does not appeal to me as much. Further dichotomy lies in the fact the band can be outstanding technicians and make the listener dizzy with supertechnical, very Suffocation like, guitar runs and solos (Far Above You, Arm Our Youth). Yet rhythmic simpler pounding seems to be very much what the band prefers. At times, the tempo is slowed down to a crawl (Hateful). One thing Internal Bleeding has on many hardcore bands is their slow music sounds much darker and more ominous, just like the end of Intolerance. This is not some adolescent angst, but manly anger. The only track, and you could have guessed it is my favorite, where groove is kept without sacrificing the technicality or the speed is Infidel. Another cool, but very non-typical part, is the acoustic outro on This Day I Fight.
Jerry Lowe’s vocals are an image of the direction the band chose. He vocalizes mostly over the slower parts letting the instrumentalists in Internal Bleeding to take the center stage in the faster portions and dazzle us with their abilities. Jerry’s vocals are equal part death grunt and hardcore screams. The grunts aren’t very low, and the screams are not very high pitch, so both styles tend to blend. Bill Tolley’s drums sometimes sound hollow on the snare (Bleed by Example), but the juiciest bass by Andrew Hogan offsets that.
I don’t have the lyrics in front of me, but just looking at the song’s titles and the cover art my guess is the concept is a little less than politically correct. Kudos to that, you say what is on your mind.
In the end, Onward to Mecca panders a little too much to the younger crowd, much more hardcore inclined NYC population. Certainly the precalculated direction, this may keep the old fans on board and get new converts. Truthfully, I wasn’t a fan due to the lack of knowledge, and I am not going to become one here as the style just veers in the ‘core direction way too much. Trying to restrain myself from the Suffo comparisons, inevitably I can’t, so if I only gave 71 to Souls to Deny, this can’t be more than …
tags: internal bleeding, onward to mecca, 2004, flac,
Internal Bleeding - Imperium (2014)
Genre: Death Metal
Style: Brutal Death Metal
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© 2014 Unique Leader Records
Review by Al Kikuras for Angry Metal Guy.com
Internal Bleeding helped to pioneer the much maligned (but somewhat loved) ‘slam’ death metal genre over 20 years ago, and are by most accounts the first band to use the term. As the premiere slam band alongside Suffocation [Must be a Long Island thing — Steel Druhm], they’ve been divisive since day one. Some hate the hardcore tinged attitude that oft accompanies the genre and the numerous slam breakdowns everyone just knows are going to launch a karate kicking pit. Others embraced the style and ran with it with all the same fervor that hardcore attracts. A few demos, four solid, but one-dimensional full lengths, and two compilations down the line and they’ve done little to change the opinions of those on the other side of the barbed wire fence. I wasn’t shocked to see Imperium being touted as “a masterpiece of slam,” but was pleasantly surprised to discover that description sells it short. Imperium is much more.
To bastardize a quote by Unser on Sons of Anarchy, “These guys are not cretins. [Internal Bleeding
are] formidable; as smart as they are dangerous.” The material on this
album is much less, “NY tough guy about to kick your fuckin’ teeth in,”
and more a savage maniac like Richard Kuklinski, who occasionally does
kick someone’s fuckin’ teeth in, but knows when to quietly slice a
throat or slip some cyanide into a drink. Internal Bleeding
still know when to be barbarically Neanderthal and yes, loyal slam
fans, breakdowns still abound. Rather than abandon their roots, they’ve
let the branches grow. What was lacking in the past was atmosphere and
sophistication, things the genre haven’t been known for.
“Fabricating Bliss” opens the album and delivers everything you’d expect from classic Internal Bleeding.
Drummer Bill Tolley showcases insane chops and is a monster throughout
the album, grooving like a truck, blasting at break-wrist speeds, and
throwing in slick, syncopated beats. “The Pageantry of Savagery,” opens
with a frantic blast beat and is sure to please the old fans, while the
hungrier sound should catch the ear of folks new to the band and even
those that wrote them off. The album closer, “Castigo Corpus Meum,”
along with “Patterns of Force” is where the songwriting is most off the
beat(ing) path. A breakdown about three quarters in launches what may be
the most melodic passage the band has penned yet and includes one of
only three guitar solos on the entire album, closing Imperium out with a foreboding mood one can only hope is a hint of where the band will go next.
Internal Bleeding also
prove that their basic formula can be stretched into new territories
without losing the foundation (which is something I wish Cannibal Corpse
was capable of). Particularly on the musical trilogy, “Patterns of
Force,” which is a new peak, not just for the band, but the whole
sub-genre of slam, displaying a level of dynamics, savagery and
sophistication never before heard. The manic and emotive vocal delivery
of former Pyrexia vocalist Keith DeVito reminds me at times of former Kataklysm
vocalist Sylvian Houde. DeVito’s voice is not as guttural as original
vocalist Frank Rini (who makes a guest appearance along with Suffocation‘s Frank Mullen), but his style fits the material well. There are moments of Altars of Madness-era David Vincent and Obituary‘s
John Tardy, though unlike Tardy you can actually decipher much of what
DeVito is howling. The tracks tie together thematically and lyrically
(with a story in the vein of War of the Worlds), but as a whole the
trilogy feels like a single composition. Cleverly, the last riff of Part
I is picked up by the bass and, perhaps another brutal death metal
first, a drum beat using a rim-click! As sick as “Patterns” is, it makes
the more by-the-numbers songs pale somewhat in comparison.
The guitar sound is monstrous. The bass,
an ever present growl, never gets lost in the mix and the drums and
vocals are crisp and clean. Nothing is buried yet this still feels like
singular beast. By far the most well-balanced production on an Internal Bleeding album and very fitting for the more varied songwriting.
It’s inspiring to hear one of the bands
that pioneered a genre almost a quarter of a century ago stretch it into
new and refreshing territories. The slam thing has been so done to
death, that another by-the-numbers album from some by-the-numbers band
would have me sticking an ice pick in my ear, but Imperium may be the first Internal Bleeding album with the goods to win over the naysayers. In the future, I hope Internal Bleeding take it upon themselves to push the envelope even further, as the experimenting they did here was a definite success.
tags: internal bleeding, imperium, 2014, flac,
The Flys - 25 Cents (1995) ☠
*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Genre: Post Grunge
Label Number: 7 11037 00012 2
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1995 Raid America*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: the flys, 25 cents, 1995, flac,
The Spinanes - Strand (1996)
*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.Genre: Indie Rock, Shoegaze
Label Number: SPCD 345:
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© 1996 Sub Pop
AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
Although Gates and Plouf still play almost everything on their second outing, they make things more interesting by fooling around with a greater variety of instruments (adding more keyboards particularly) and getting outside guest vocalists to harmonize on a few songs. The songwriting (now handled by Gates exclusively) gets more penetrating as well, and the production is more imaginative (but does not approach slickness). At their most morose they recall "sadcore" groups like Low and Spain, but the Spinanes have more diversity than those acts.
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© 1996 Sub Pop
AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
Although Gates and Plouf still play almost everything on their second outing, they make things more interesting by fooling around with a greater variety of instruments (adding more keyboards particularly) and getting outside guest vocalists to harmonize on a few songs. The songwriting (now handled by Gates exclusively) gets more penetrating as well, and the production is more imaginative (but does not approach slickness). At their most morose they recall "sadcore" groups like Low and Spain, but the Spinanes have more diversity than those acts.
tags: the spinanes, strand, 1996, flac,
September 04, 2020
Circle of Dead Children - Starving The Vultures (1999)
Genre: Grindcore, Deathgrind
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© 1999 Willowtip
Review by Éric Durant for Best Black Metal.wordpress.com
Starving the Vultures is the first album by the deathgrind/goregrind band Circle of Dead Children and has many black metal references, reminiscent of the band Von.
Starving the Vultures is one of these albums that stands out both by being brutal and in your face as death metal should be, while managing at the same time to create an intimate feeling of minimalistic and atmospheric misanthropy.
Being the first album ever releashed by the band Circle of Dead Children we can understand how it would be so easily overlooked, yet this album is at the same time the beginning and culmination of heavy atmospheric metal such as the music played by bands like Von Goat.
Starving the Vultures is mostly and underrated yet not unpopular masterpiece in the heavy metal scene.
First and foremost, Starving the Vultures is a pioneer work of art considering that the album was released in 1999 back when the atmospheric genre was virtually non-existent.
You can listen to as many recent “atmospheric” metal records as you want, none convey the same message and the same emotions as Starving the Vultures.
Secondly, unlike most modern black metal Starving the Vultures doesn’t try to sound “evil” or dark. Instead of relying on sound mastering, polishing and production, Starving the Vultures focuses on the music and more importantly the message that the music conveys, which I believe should be the purpose of every album.
Starving the Vultures was created to contradict the modern metal trend, in which appearances prime over musical meaning. In the modern metal trend people began listening to extreme metal music just to go with the flow, dress up and sound “dark”. In opposition to this trend, Starving the Vultures is a distorted, obscure, and yet melancholic ballad portraying everything extreme metal should be.
While most black metal bands try to sound evil with raspy and distorted vocals, on the album Starving the Vultures every instrument personifies raw hate.
The guitars overall are raspy and destructive, interacting in a chaotic, distorted yet clean way.
The songs Return to Water, Doom Farmer and Heidi’s Arrow produce a particular minimalist and eerie feeling that contrasts with the brutality of the tracks.
Summarizing this review, Starving the Vultures is a close as you can get to perfect atmospheric yet brutal deathgrind. In essence, you don’t know raw and distorted until you have listened to Starving the Vultures.
Starving the Vultures final score : 96 / 100
tags: circle of dead children, starving the vultures, 1999, flac,
Circle of Dead Children - The Genocide Machine (2001)
Genre: Grindcore
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© 2001 Deathvomit Records
AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson
Some grindcore/death metal bands like to play at only one tempo: ultra-fast. Their albums are limited and one-dimensional -- an approach that is great for annoying parents (which is exactly the idea) or distancing yourself from rock's mainstream, but doesn't take long to wear thin. The Genocide Machine, however, is a bit less predictable than other grindcore/death metal releases. On this ferocious, blistering CD, Circle of Dead Children doesn't play at the same tempo 100% of the tempo. There is plenty of ultra-fast, 500-miles-an-hour stuff, but the Pittsburgh band still changes tempos more often than (just to give a couple examples) Dark Funeral or Triumphator. While changing tempos doesn't make Circle of Dead Children unique in the grindcore/death metal field, it does give The Genocide Machine a bit of variety. The thing that does the most to set this CD apart from other black metal efforts is the influence of avant-garde noise rock -- even though grindcore/death metal is the band's foundation, traces of noise rock do find their way into some of the material. The Genocide Machine won't convert anyone who doesn't already have a taste for grindcore, although Circle of Dead Children does deserve credit for trying something a bit different.
tags: circle of dead children, the genocide machine, 2001, flac,
Circle of Dead Children - Human Harvest (2003)
Genre: Deathgrind
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© 2003 Displeased Records
AllMusic Review by John Serba
It's tempting to wedge Circle of Dead Children into the gore/grind sub-genre: there's the imagery of the band's name, the unreadable thorny-splatter logo, the comical, constipated porcine belchings of vocalist Joe Horvath, and the Napalm Death Scum-era chaotic bursts of speed. However, this Pittsburgh outfit's artistic vision and ambition stretch beyond shock tactics and horror-movie worship, as evidenced by early albums like Starving the Vultures and especially The Genocide Machine, which were a notch more intelligent than most cookie-cutter grindcore bands. The first check in the plus-column for Human Harvest, the group's fourth album, comes via the typically intriguing production efforts of Today is the Day genius Steve Austin, who gives CODC a devastating mix, including his trademark dry-as-a-wheat-pancake bass drum thwap, a clear-yet-clearly-subterranean guitar sound, and a myriad of vocal effects that add different shades of black to cupped-microphone, death metal growls. Sure, most of the songs are of the pull-the-pin-toss-and-take-cover variety, a majority of the tracks clocking in at less than a minute, grinding away at blinding speeds or trudging through waist-deep sludge like Khanate or Grief. It's too bad the vocalizations are so indecipherable, considering the lyrical devastation contained within, apparently excavated from bile and black souls -- "White Trash Hammer" and "Rocket" read like demented haiku, and "Bring Her a Mushroom Cloud (Pt. 01)" and "Alkaline" yield elements of personal despair and political hopelessness; two elements combined to create poetry of the bleakest kind. The band stretches for album highlight "Mother Pig," a four-minute crust-inspired foray into noise experimentation that sounds like Doom consuming Neurosis, Swans, and Carcass for a soon-to-be-expunged brunch. Still, CODC has yet to reach the grindcore mastery of Brutal Truth's Need to Control or Sounds of the Animal Kingdom, because without a scrutinizing listen and a squint at the lyric sheet, the album's half-hour length whizzes by in a blur of chaotic noise and grunting. Human Harvest is worth the effort for grind fans looking for more than blastbeats and hacked-up-for-barbecue lyrical excursions (and be sure to stick around for the "hidden" track, a harrowing two minutes of electro-distorted growls that bring to mind King Kong swallowing a tank armada).
tags: circle of dead children, human harvest, 2003, flac,
Circle of Dead Children - Psalm of The Grand Destroyer (2010)
Genre: Deathgrind
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© 2010 Willowtip
Review By Steel Druhm Angry Metal Guy.com
Here at Angry Metal Guy Industries ©®, staff is small [by which he means “little people” – Ed.], deadlines are many and mercy is neither asked for nor granted. Therefore, we of the reviewer caste don’t always get to cherry pick bands or genres we love. Because of this ugly truth, sometimes a review must be done for something outside our musical wheelhouse. That is the very dilemma facing yours truly with a review of Psalms of the Grand Destroyer by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s own Circle of Dead Children. Album number four by these purveyors of inhuman deathgrind is sick, twisted, chaotic and brutal for brutality’s sake, but is it good? That is a mighty tricky question.
For a true fan of deathgrind, which
sadly, I am not, this may be a big slice of putrid, maggoty heaven. It’s
32 minutes, during which you get assaulted by no less than fifteen
bursts of horror and insanity, some lasting eleven seconds, some
approaching six minutes. There are merciless blast beats a plenty, ugly
sludgy guitar work at times reminiscent of Saint Vitus, and at other times like very old Carcass.
Then there are the vocals. Oh those vocals. I’m not sure if Joe Horvath
is the sole vocalist or not but the vocals are, for lack of a better
description, utterly deranged, disturbing and freakish. There are uber
guttural death roars, blackened shrieks and screaming, then there are
these creepy and spine tingling tortured pig squeals. I’m talking about
some really fucked up twisted sounds here folks. Not for the faint of
heart or generally sane.
Now, I love my share of death and black
metal but I’m not a devotee of the whole extreme deathgrind thing.
Therefore, the short blasts of extreme noise and insanity do little for
me. I respect what the band is going for and they surely do deliver a
lot of insane brutality and it’s disturbing at times but it doesn’t
resonate with me as something I would listen to regularly. In fact, the
only time I could see putting this album on is when I needed to
dismember a body in a bathtub at three in the morning using pliers and
metal shears. Since I’m rarely in that situation, Circle of Dead Children won’t be making my heavy rotation list.
Despite these reservations, there are genuine moments of interest for me here amid the swirling malevolence of Psalms of the Grand Destroyer, including the down tuned, doomy plod on “Avatar of Innocence,” the thrashing frenzytoward the end of “Obsidian Flakes,” and the ominous, threatening mood created throughout “Germinate the Reaper Seed.” In fact, “Germinate” is the standout here, grinding along at a slower pace but really generating tension and an evil and oppressive feeling. If the rest of Psalms was like this, I would truly be sold on what the band was doing. Sadly, the bulk of Psalms of the Grand Destroyer is more about crazed blast beat insanity with pig torture included.
While Psalms is likely to appeal to a very small subsection of the overall heavy metal market and will be far too extreme for many, Circle of Dead Children
do what they do with a lot of conviction and twisted style. I salute
them for that and for being so completely over the top with sickness and
insanity. That said, I really can’t get into this and my rating
reflects that. If you love sick deathgrind, feel free to mentally add
two or three points. Enjoy at your own risk and keep far away from live
children!
September 03, 2020
Putrid Scum - Putrid Scum (1999)
Language: English
Genre: Grindcore
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© 1999 PW Productions
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: putrid scum, putrid scum album, band, 1999, flac,
Asphyx - Death... The Brutal Way (2009)
Language: English
Genre: Death Metal, Death-Doom
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© 2009 Century Media
Review by Keith Bergman for Blabbermouth.net
Anyone who came up in the early 1990s death metal scene and was paying attention knows the place of honor that ASPHYX hold. "The Rack" stands alongside "Left Hand Path", "Cause of Death" and a select few other indisputably classic band- and genre-defining albums. These groups took what was thought to be the limited palette of DM and created unique, identifiable atmosphere and individual character out of sickening tones, driving rhythms, impassive minimalism and the very blood-soaked tissue of a few swollen, sacrificed larynxes. ASPHYX, in particular, did so much with so little, creating a dank, claustrophobic epic of doom/death metal for, literally, a few hundred bucks' worth of studio hours!
It's a different time now, of course. There's a whole HAIL OF BULLETS/PENTACLE axis of overlapping band members all cranking out hoarse, organic war metal with that groaning guitar sound and the brutal, suffocating mud lurch ASPHYX concocted back then. But there may be some kind of primitive dark magic involved in just writing or rehearsing under that weird, goofy triangular logo with the skull resting at the bottom like the 1-ball in a billiards rack. You put Martin van Drunen on vocals, yowling his guts out about mustard gas and foxholes, and old-school drummer Bob Bagchus chugging along behind the kit, and the proceedings are gonna have at least a strong whiff of mouldering 1989 basement grime. And while longtime axeman Eric Daniels has been MIA for some time, Wannes Gubbels has definitely proven his mettle and is more than capable of delivering the required solid leaden riffs for an ASPHYX classic.
Opener "Scorbutics" ("those who have scurvy," apparently — who knew?) delivers soul-crushing doom parts, complete with that unique, sobbing, plaintive soloing that sends old-school chills up the spine. But it also fires out of the starting gate with a thrashing beat, reminding us that ASPHYX was never all about the funereal gloom. Indeed, their shifts between reckless, high-gear gallop and teeth-grinding sludge make their songs, which sometimes lurch haphazardly between tempos on a whim, come across as dynamic and momentous. Even when some elements of a cut, like "Bloodswamp", are fairly typical and pedestrian, there's always at least one weighty riff — or at least a satisfying transition — to redeem the tune.
"The Rack" didn't sound recorded so much as unearthed, pulled from a fetid swamp and pointedly not washed off before being put on display. The closest we get to that primeval murk here is the self-consciously old-school, deliberately slow "Asphyx II (They Died As They Marched)" — it's more pristine, polished and obsidian than its classic prequel, but again, it's a different time. ASPHYX, while by no means a technical band, has developed some chops in the last twenty years, and it would be a mistake to try too hard to return to that untutored, clattering, accidentally-awesome vibe of yore. "Death... The Brutal Way" takes the feeling from that era and delivers it with modern-day execution — louder, heavier, more calculating, but more massive and sonically crushing.
It would be a mistake to consider this "retro" or praise/damn ASPHYX for going back to their roots, because they're obviously not concerned with kitsch, or cashing in on what was a pretty low-caliber cult status to begin with. In fact, the band seems to have toiled on, in each of its incarnations, without so much as a glance at the outside world. The title of this record, ham-fistedly simple as it is, sums up the band's sound, not to mention their entire mission. That kind of single-mindedness can be redundant and boring in the hands of lesser artisans, but when ASPHYX is alchemizing their sound, "Death... The Brutal Way" sounds like the only thing that matters.
tags: asphyx, death the brutal way, 2009, flac,
Asphyx - Deathhammer (2012)
*European standard pressing.
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: NetherlandsLanguage: English
Genre: Death Metal, Death-Doom
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© 2012 Century Media
Review by Jeremy Morse for Your Lat Rites.com
Though Dutch death metal masters Asphyx remained active through the turn of the century, the band’s most celebrated work was done with vocalist and erstwhile bassist, Martin Van Drunen, who left the band in 1992. Van Drunen’s uniquely tortured vocals displayed on a quartet of classic Dutch death metal albums, two with Asphyx and two with Pestilence, have made him something of a death metal legend. Thus it was to the delight of many fans that, after a long period spent out of the metal spotlight, Van Drunen reunited with founding Asphyx drummer Bob Bagchus for a supposed one off festival show in 2007. By his own admission, Van Drunen was never much of a bass player, so the band wisely chose to retain the services of Pentacle bassist Wannes Gubbles, who fronted Asphyx on the criminally overlooked 2000 album, On the Wings of Inferno. Completing the lineup was Thanatos guitarist, Paul Baayens, who also serves in Van Drunen’s other band Hail of Bullets. The chemistry of this new lineup worked so well that one festival show turned into a handful and that handful of shows turned into a full-on re-activation of the band, the culmination of which is the new studio album entitled, oh so fittingly, Death… The Brutal Way.
Despite the seventeen year gap and line-up reshuffling, the Asphyx of 2009 sounds remarkably similar to the Asphyx of 1992. Death… The Brutal Way sounds very much like the successor to Last One on Earth. Van Drunen’s inimitable vocals certainly play a large part in recapturing the band’s classic sound, but an equal amount of credit must be given to Paul Baayens. I must admit I was initially skeptical of an Asphyx reunion that did not feature founding guitarist Eric Daniels. The prospect of such a reunion generated about as much excitement for me as a Jimi Hendrix Experience reunion without Jimi Hendrix. I am pleased to say that my skepticism has proven to be unfounded: On Death…The Brutal Way, Baayens sounds so much like Daniel’s that I suspect he might have sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for the secrets of Eric Daniel’s fretboard necromancy.
If anything can really be said to have changed about Asphyx’s sound, it is that it leans a little more heavily on the doom aspects, trading some of the brashness of youth for the commanding confidence of maturity. Tracks like “Cape Horn” and “Black Hole Storm” with their measured pacing, bristle with an imperious sense of power. Although the band sounds no less powerful on faster paced tracks like “Scorbutics” and “Eisenbahnmorser.” In truth every track on the album is a crusher (or should I say krusher?); Baayens locks in with Bagchus so well that it sounds like he is picking notes with a sledge hammer rather than a plectrum. This is a band on fire, playing like they mean it, indeed, playing Death… The Brutal Way.
The production on the album fits the band’s style perfectly. The sound is organic and muscular, but not overly polished making the songs sound massive, but uncluttered. Eric Daniels’ guitar tone on the first two Asphyx albums was terribly scooped, to the point where it sounded almost fizzy. Fortunately, in this one aspect Paul Baayens was less than faithful to the band’s original sound. Baayens retains the essential character of Daniels’ tone, but with considerably more clarity and punch.
That a band can, after such a long layoff, so perfectly replicate its classic sound while remaining so vital is almost inconceivable, but Asphyx has done it. Death… The Brutal Way is a true triumph (of death). It is more than just pretty good for a reunion album, or not bad for a bunch of old guys, it is a great death metal album period. Buy it
tags: asphyx, deathhammer, death hammer, 2012, flac,
September 01, 2020
Super Cat - Don Dada (1992)
*U.S. second pressing.
This pressing does not include the track "Must Be Right"
and contains 13 tracks total.
Language: Jamaican Patois
Genre: Dancehall, Ragga
Label Number: CK 52435
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© 1992 Columbia
AllMusic Review by Adam Greenberg
The best album available from Super Cat, one of Jamaica's hottest dancehall artists of the '90s (best known in the U.S. as "that guy that talks fast in the Sugar Ray song"). There are a couple of guest appearances made by Heavy D, to the credit of the album. The recurring ability of the songs to consistently provide a simple groove for Super Cat to fervently rap over the top of is amazing, and the virtuosity with which he can constantly provide the necessary vocal concoctions is noteworthy. As is necessary for any current (or near current) dancehall album, there's a certain level of gun talk and slackness involved. For anyone who's interested in the dancehall scene of the '90s (Shabba Ranks, Ninjaman, Cutty Ranks, etc.), this album would be a good addition to the collection. For others, there might be other notable albums to pick up first -- Shabba's albums, or maybe Rhino's Mash Up the Place compilation.
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© 1992 Columbia
AllMusic Review by Adam Greenberg
The best album available from Super Cat, one of Jamaica's hottest dancehall artists of the '90s (best known in the U.S. as "that guy that talks fast in the Sugar Ray song"). There are a couple of guest appearances made by Heavy D, to the credit of the album. The recurring ability of the songs to consistently provide a simple groove for Super Cat to fervently rap over the top of is amazing, and the virtuosity with which he can constantly provide the necessary vocal concoctions is noteworthy. As is necessary for any current (or near current) dancehall album, there's a certain level of gun talk and slackness involved. For anyone who's interested in the dancehall scene of the '90s (Shabba Ranks, Ninjaman, Cutty Ranks, etc.), this album would be a good addition to the collection. For others, there might be other notable albums to pick up first -- Shabba's albums, or maybe Rhino's Mash Up the Place compilation.
tags: super cat, supercat, don dada, 1992, flac,
Super Cat - The Struggle Continues (1995)
Language: Jamaican Patois
Genre: Dancehall, Ragga
Label Number: CK 64197
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© 1995 Columbia
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Super Cat's streak of internationally successful reggae albums endured with The Struggle Continues, a typically solid set
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© 1995 Columbia
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Super Cat's streak of internationally successful reggae albums endured with The Struggle Continues, a typically solid set
tags: super cat, supercat, the struggle continues, 1995, flac,
Uncle Tupelo - Still Feel Gone (1991) ☠
*First pressing.
Contains 13 tracks total.
A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Genre: Alternative Country
Label Number: ROCK 6070-2
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AllMusic Review by Mark Deming
Uncle Tupelo clearly defined their nervy Gram Parsons-meets-the Minutemen sound on their debut album, 1990's No Depression, and their 1991 follow-up, Still Feel Gone, found them branching out into new variations of their previously established themes. While No Depression was dominated by breakneck tempos with the occasional slow, contemplative number thrown in for variety, Still Feel Gone found Uncle Tupelo taking a closer look at the middle ground, as evidenced by the high-strung acoustic guitars of "Still Be Around," the measured but powerful Crazy Horse stomp of "Looking for a Way Out," the lonesome shuffle of "True to Life," and the stark atmospherics of "If That's Alright" (the latter of which in retrospect sounds like the first dawning of the ideas Jeff Tweedy would explore with Wilco). But plenty of what made No Depression so impressive is still on view here, including the brutal stutter-step of "Gun," the simple but powerful declaration of "Watch Me Fall," and the heartfelt tribute to an obvious influence, "D. Boon." And if anything, the band sounds even more powerful this time out, and the broader picture of their abilities only confirms how strong a combination Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn really were. If Still Feel Gone isn't as immediately impressive as No Depression, a few plays confirms it's still the work of a gifted band at full strength, and this reissue gives the album the special treatment it deserves.
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☠: Selected by Lass
© 1991 RockvilleAllMusic Review by Mark Deming
Uncle Tupelo clearly defined their nervy Gram Parsons-meets-the Minutemen sound on their debut album, 1990's No Depression, and their 1991 follow-up, Still Feel Gone, found them branching out into new variations of their previously established themes. While No Depression was dominated by breakneck tempos with the occasional slow, contemplative number thrown in for variety, Still Feel Gone found Uncle Tupelo taking a closer look at the middle ground, as evidenced by the high-strung acoustic guitars of "Still Be Around," the measured but powerful Crazy Horse stomp of "Looking for a Way Out," the lonesome shuffle of "True to Life," and the stark atmospherics of "If That's Alright" (the latter of which in retrospect sounds like the first dawning of the ideas Jeff Tweedy would explore with Wilco). But plenty of what made No Depression so impressive is still on view here, including the brutal stutter-step of "Gun," the simple but powerful declaration of "Watch Me Fall," and the heartfelt tribute to an obvious influence, "D. Boon." And if anything, the band sounds even more powerful this time out, and the broader picture of their abilities only confirms how strong a combination Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn really were. If Still Feel Gone isn't as immediately impressive as No Depression, a few plays confirms it's still the work of a gifted band at full strength, and this reissue gives the album the special treatment it deserves.
tags: uncle tupelo, still feel gone, 1991, flac,
Adorable - Against Perfection (1993) ☠
*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Genre: Shoegaze
Label Number: K2-81416; 0777 7 81416 2 4
AllMusic Review by Roch Parisien
While followers of the sound will have no difficulty playing spot-the-influence, adorable turn out gleamingly memorable fare in the bittersweet "Sunshine Smile," and the yearning "I'll Be Your Saint, " and the mournful "A To Fade In." They work up a frantic, angst-driven edge with "Favorite Fallen Idol, " "Sistine Chapel Ceiling." Like a shimmering rose, adorable offer an inviting bouquet bearing sharp thorns likely to prick the unwary listener.
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1993 SBK/Creation RecordsAllMusic Review by Roch Parisien
While followers of the sound will have no difficulty playing spot-the-influence, adorable turn out gleamingly memorable fare in the bittersweet "Sunshine Smile," and the yearning "I'll Be Your Saint, " and the mournful "A To Fade In." They work up a frantic, angst-driven edge with "Favorite Fallen Idol, " "Sistine Chapel Ceiling." Like a shimmering rose, adorable offer an inviting bouquet bearing sharp thorns likely to prick the unwary listener.
tags: adorable, against perfection, 1993, flac,
