The above is the kind of thing that deserves at least a slap on the wrist. When/if you see something like that, show it to Morrigan instead of nuking it. She can see who accepted it.

The above is the kind of thing that deserves at least a slap on the wrist. When/if you see something like that, show it to Morrigan instead of nuking it. She can see who accepted it.

Kalmah - Swampsong

http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=17992#2318

The review is not only terribly short, but I looked at the scores for the guys other reviews, they are all between 80-96%, even if he says in the very same title that they are "boring".

A bit boring - 85%
[..]
Each time i put in this CD, ifind myself skipping over the song and going straight to the solo's.
[..]

Mirror of Fears - 97%
Written by So_It_Is_Done on December 7th, 2005

Starting from the first feelings about this album, thing which strikes eyes at the very beginning is the cover art. The guy sitting on the leather couch with his eyes and mouth wrapped looks like a victim of some perversion. In fact, what I suppose, the bandages stimulate imagination and lead him to the depth of his mind. The same passage we must cross while we listen to this album, otherwise the enormous power of “Spiegel Der Urangste” won’t be revealed.

Sombre voyage into the deepest place of consciousness, and extreme fear of what lurks there is a purpose of the title song. Beginning with very unique riffs and percussion, which sounds more like knocking, song evolves into the masterpiece of form. Variety of tempos and melodies create unrepeatable atmosphere. The portion of feelings served by this piece of art is overwhelming, coexisting depression exudes from every sound. Although very simplistic in case of instruments, the atmosphere shocks and causes shivers. A voyage is depicted by melancholic howls of guitars creating such weird and unusual melodies... From time to time keyboard can be heard but only to strengthen the whole melody; keyboards doesn’t play a significant role in this orchestra of subconsciousness.

The mirror of fears which was the desire of the seeker is found...yet not so fulfilling as he thought it’ll be...
The anger and terrible ecstasy embraces listener from the first sounds of the next song. Insane vocals almost hurt ears, they are very similar to those from Burzum, yet they sound more aggressively and such strangely that one may think they are articulated by some non human form of life. Lyrics are powerfull as well, they continue the vision and flow of depression. After the seeker had discovered the mirror of fears and found his transcendence, he now wanders at the blood soaked sand in bitter satisfaction and ecstasy. Guitar melody reminds of calm waves ebbing and flowing since the creation of sea, still with same frequency and with no aim and reason at all. The destination is complete; however, there’s still no fulfillment, monotony of this peaceful and gloomy landscape causes depression. Further part of the song shows that transcendence and unity can only be found in the abyss of bloody sea. Guitars and drums start to play much faster again to indicate the anger and hate towards nonsense of life. Wanderer plunges himself into the depths of overwhelming water to reunite with nature and elements, suicide is the only reasonable way to stop his desires of looking for fulfillment in eternity.

The journey ends with the end of the album. We can unwrap the bandages from our eyes after those 22 minutes of burying ourselves in thoughts. After that depression is as big as it was before listening, and we see that there’s only one way to mitigate the pain...

Got rid of both, but give a name or something next time.

Surprisingly Complete, Highly Underrated - 91%
Written by PowerProg_Adam on February 5th, 2003

This is album symbolizes what Queensryche should have done after Empire. Soul Seasons is such a magnificent album. If you love the slower Queensryche songs such as Silent Lucidity, then this album is right up your alley. Every track displays a wide array of emotions, especially the standouts of the album: Spirits, The Difference, and Waiting for the Rain. Its pretty rare, but looking on ebay is usually pretty easy, thats where I bought my copy. Buying this is a bit of a tease though, because Sanvoisen's remaining albums are rather difficult to find.

Shub-McDonalds - 3%
Written by Lunar_Strain on July 19th, 2006

This is like.. the shittiest death metal attempt. This makes Metalcore sound interesting.

First off, the drumming loses count so many times, it drives you insane. Mr. Wulfgaren, or Nazgul, or Sawblade, or whatever the fuck he's calling himself today... really needs some lessons. I should also mention that during the recording, it sounds like they tried to capture the drums more than anything else... because the drums overpowere almost everything in these songs. The guitar work? Horrid. To the extent of this kid like.. trying too hard. It's like he's out to impress someone, and he just sounds like utter shit. The bass ... well.. I honestly don't even care. It's monotone, and there's nothing spectacular about it. The vocals are completely retarded. The singer sounds like he's choking on the microphone, and when he does his oh so "evil" high shrieks, they're scratchy and just sound retarded. Let's not forget that when it comes to Death Metal, good production is a necessity, and this "EP"? is that what they call it? Well.. this "EP", has nothing good about it... oh, and the production's crap.

Track 1: Fall of Divinity - This starts out with one of the gayest "intro" riffs known to Metal, and once it ends, the crap begins. In comes the retarded shreiks, the guitar work that sounds completely gay -- when you can hear it. Bass is audible, but annoying... and the drums lose count within the first two verses. This song is completely worthless, as this is entire recording.

Track 2: Shub-Niggurath - Oh, man! H.P. Lovecraft reference! You're so hardcore. =/ This song starts out slow, with the occasional drum roll before.. unfortuately.. the vocals kick it. Then the bass is audible... and there's nothing good about it. Once the verse starts, the guitars kick into.. well.. I guess he's attempting to play a riff. It sounds more to me like he's just slamming on an open string, no chords whatsoever. The drums, again, lose count, and this carries n for the rest of the song. If you listen carfully at the last riff, you can hear what sounds like the drummer "attempting" to gravity blast. It's sad because.. well.. you hear the snare drum, but the foot pedals don't hit the bass drum. A sad attempt indeed.

Track 3: Unholy Massacre - More like Unholy Massacre of an EP, because this is the most pointless song on this entire recording. The drumming is everywhere, and that's not good. The guitar work.. actually seems decent.. until you hear the solo, which is more like the guitarist sticking his finger on a random string, on a random fret, and just tremelo picking away, moving it up and down the neck. The bass follows along with the guitar, so it's nothing special at all. The vocals... well.. they're not getting any better as this recording goes along.

Track 4: Maelstrom Manifesto - Some people will listen to a shitty recording and feign for the last song to play so they can be done and over with it. Not this recording. By the time you listen to the last song, you're ready to kill yourself. Maelstrom Manifesto, while no better than any of the songs on this recording, actually starts off like a Death Metal song. No stupid little "intros" here. Yet the drumming, the bass, and the guitar work are all flawed. Yes, so are the vocals. The drumming contiues to lose count, and beat further and further into the song. This song is also completely repetitive, same drum beats and guitar riffs over and over. The bass, again, follows the guitar and does nothing but add to worthlessness of the song. The vocals only get worse, as if he, too, is trying to impress someone. The guitar just strums along with the same notes and chords over and over again, but least there's no five year-old guitar solo in here.

Again, this EP is completely worthless. With two songs that top out at 8 to 9 minutes, it only makes it worse. Trying to make Epic Death Metal? This is Epic shit. Avoid it like the Plague.

I gave three points because Maelstrom Manifesto didn't start with another crappy intro.

In a world of false metal, this album brings a smile to my face. Excellent musicianship and even better song writing. All songs are powerful and melodic. As I Feed the Flames of Hate is both original, yet in a way traditional death metal. With the powerful growls and the atmostpheric violin in the beggining, it builds up to a great intense song. The drummer, in paticular, on this album, catches my mind. While Yanic Bercier may not be the most polyrythmic or the fastest, he comes up with interesting beats that fit perfectly for a band like Quo Vadis. Pantheon of Tears, too, is an amazing song. Great fast thrashy riffs but they manage to keep an interesting melody. Technical death metal to the max...let the metal flow

What can be said about Sear Bliss? Complex, perplexing, abtruse, and basically anything that implies well thought out melodic, symphonic black metal. Their new album, fails to change any of this, though it is a leap from their last, Grand Destiny. This is the kind of album that takes you to another place, with its level of atmosphere. The use of horn is both original and adds to the effect Sear Bliss is trying to get through. By this album or, well just miss out on an excellent album. My favorite tracks include Eternal Battlefields and Enthralling Mystery...let the metal flow.

For those who only listen to metal...DO NOT buy this. There are very few features on this album that resemble metal, however this is an amazing album. It brings to mind the progressive band King Crimson, though they fail to create such beautiful melodies or well written solo's. I suppose one of the reason for all the influence is that Crimson's Bill Bruford assists Sean Reinert onthe drums. Most of the phraise, however, goes to the genious behind the band, Sean Malone. The bassist/chapman stick player previously from Aghora and Cynic has a PHD (or something of the sort) in music theory and actually composes most of his stuff (so i'm told) on pen and paper. All songs are great, but track 5, Grace, and Singing Deep Mountain, track 8, paticularly stand out to me. There is much influence all around on this album, classical, jazz, metal, and progressive, but overall Malone creates his own interesting style, which i think wouldn't be done as well if aproached by any other musician. Get this album if you want great musicianship, EXCELLENT songwriting, but NOT if you are looking for something to bang your head to...personally I don't think Gordian Knot belongs on this site...let the metal flow.

Musically, its as good as any other Moonsorrow, which in my opinion, is just plain amazing. The songs have just as many brillient and memerable riffs as anything else by this band. I'm not exactly sure of the true status on this demo though. It was released in 1999, but you can still order it from the Moonsorrow homepage and there it says it was released in 2001 (the copy that you can order). My guess is that it was rereleased. Anyway, the production as well is superb, and at first I couldn't tell it was a demo. The first song, Taistelu Pohjolasta, in paticular appealed to me. This, for a demo, is rather long as well, easily beating 30 minutes. This is highly recomended for those who enjoy Moonsorrow's work, or other folk metal...let the metal flow

Ulver is one of my favorite overall bands. The earlier black metal is great (Bergtatt and Nattens Madrigal), while the newer electronica stuff never fails to keep me entertained. This album, however, is niether true, nor electronica. Kveldssanger is a folkish album consisting of acoustic guitars, flutes, and other instraments of the sort. All songs are extremely well written and well thought out. The vocals on this album bothered me at first, but after a few listens everything on this album, including the previously disliked vocals, managed to touch me. My two personal favorites include Høyfjeldsbilde, track 3, which is a track consisting of classical guitar and the last song Ulvsblakk, a powerful 6 minute song. The only real flaw this album has is that on Ulvsblakk the slidding on the guitar is over exaggerated! However, the rest of this is pure brillience and highly recomended.

Yes i gave Arcturus an 80. Anyway the remixes on this album where......surprising. Arcturus turned toward a more electronic/hip-hop sound. Yes strange combination, Post-black, electronica and hip-hop, i know. But come on, this is Arcturus we're talking about. They've always been a little strange about their music. If you Arcturus fans out there are looking for more of the same from La Masquerade Infernale, you'll be sorely disappointed. This album is extremely hit-or-miss. Some Arcturus fans love this album, and others hate it. Try it out for yourself and see what you think.

I must say...when i first heard Ephel Duath, i found them very odd. Firstly because of the odd time changes. One second it will be calm and jazzy, with relaxing clean vocals, the next it explodes into a frenzied, aggressive section, with blastbeats and screamed vocals. Overall, an experimental album. If i HAD to relate these guys to another band it would be...Maudlin of the Well/Kaya Dot, but some willprobably disagree with me there.

Ulver takes the acoustic interludes from "Bergtatt" to an extreme, going so far as to make an all acoustic album. The gentle, rustic feel of the guitars and Garm's ever-impressive clean vocals create an amazing atmosphere, an atmosphere of being outside at night in the forest. Perhaps that is why the album is called Kveldssanger, which translates to "Twilight Songs".

Overall, an excellent album for those looking for soft, beautiful music, although at first the vocals might turn off some people, most will learn to love it.
Although i do recommend sampling these guys first before buying, as the overall strange-ness of the album may turn off some listeners.

Take a deep drag of acid king. This album is so lurching, fuzzed out, and STONED you'll be giggling manically and tiptoeing across clouds in no time. Imagine a laid back Electric Wizard without as much fuzz. The singer is a chick, she used to be in the Melvins. Her voice is pretty surreal and echoed. It works very well with the sloooowwww groovin riffs. Carve the 5 motherfuckers!

I'm not a very good reviewer myself, but there is a review for Burzum (Filosofem) that violates rule #7 (track by track). Since there are already 14 reviews I doubt that it'll be missed much.

http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=382#47795

Before I bought this vinyl (random buying has its benefits!) I had no idea what to expect. To say it is great is a tragic understatement, it continues to occupy my turntable every night.


What we are dealing with here is one massive track (plus a Vlad Tepes cover). After the odd intro, ancient Japanese vocals introduce us to the great hell known as "Destroy Them All." The title itself will convey nothing to you until the sound is bestowed upon your ears. Dreary and frantic guitar riffs bring you up with anticipation while gurgles of delight brutally belch forth (I cannot stress enough how disgustingly awesome these vocals are), all to the beat of warlike druming. One must understand that this epic is both hauntingly beautiful and bloody filthy.


Another point that I absolutly adore about this song in particular, is the dramatic transitions within; the melody doesnt just change seamlessly, it decays and abruptly begins as a new, hitting the listener with blatant intentions.


This band has an obvious obsession with LLN (The Black Legions) and is reflected with a glorious cover of Misery Fear and Storm Hunger. The passion and brutallity of V.T. is captured perfectly (with originallity and twist), amazingly with pretty clean production!


To sum up my favorite release in a long while, this is so enticing, I have yet to hear the Black Stench side of the vinyl! Comparisons include Mortifera, Silencer, and later Deathspell Omega.

'The Past Reborns The Storms' - 95%
Written by headzum on June 2nd, 2005


Riffs...oh YEAH!! Damn this album has riffs. These riffs slay. These riffs kill! In fact, these riffs can be used to conquer small third world countries. If Russia had had Schizophrenia, the balance of power would've been shifted in their favor (if they knew how to use it). Someone once played this album, and then Kabutu in Congo was ousted by a coup. Coincidence? I think not..

All kidding aside, these riffs actually don't stand that strong in isolation. Rommel's panzers weren't victorious on their own either. No, you've got to pummel the enemy (bass&drums) before you can roll over them with your massive guitarriffs. Some psychological warfare (the violin intro at the start of the album, and the occasional acoustic intro) does wonders as well. Alternate your gruff vocals of mad despair with insanely intense guitarsolos, and the road to Tobruk is open.

And once there, you unleash the single perfect thrash metal song in existence, the 7 minute 16 long instrumental Inquisition Symphony..

Troops of Doom make for welcome reinforcements, although it's included on multiple other albums. The rough mixes and the demoversion of 'The Past Reborns The Storms' don't offer much. They're even rougher around the edges than the rest of the album, and that's saying something.

The riffs! The riffs! And the music! - 94%
Written by Egregius on June 17th, 2004


Riffs...oh YEAH!! Damn this album has riffs. These riffs slay. These riffs kill! In fact, these riffs can be used to conquer small third world countries. If Russia had had Schizophrenia, the balance of power would've been shifted in their favor (if they knew how to use it). Someone once played this album, and then Kabutu in Congo was ousted by a coup. Coincidence? I think not..

All kidding aside, these riffs actually don't stand that strong in isolation. Rommel's panzers weren't victorious on their own either. No, you've got to pummel the enemy (bass&drums) before you can roll over them with your massive guitarriffs. Some psychological warfare (the violin intro at the start of the album, and the occasional acoustic intro) does wonders as well. Alternate your gruff vocals of mad despair with insanely intense guitarsolos, and the road to Tobruk is open.

And once there, you unleash the single perfect thrash metal song in existence, the 7 minute 16 long instrumental Inquisition Symphony..

Troops of Doom make for welcome reinforcements, although it's included on multiple other albums. The rough mixes and the demoversion of 'The Past Reborns The Storms' don't offer much. They're even rougher around the edges than the rest of the album, and that's saying something.

Favorite Metal Bands: Sepultura; Soulfly; Nailbomb; Metallica; Cradle Of Filth; Black Sabbath; Ozzy; Pantera;

Guest Appearances and Jericho - 70%
Written by headzum on May 8th, 2005


All That Remains continues in this vein, dabbling in styles ranging from rap-metal (“It’s a Lie”) to thrash (“Born of Anger”), deftly switching between styles and genres with ease. Along the way, various musicians make guest appearances. Ozzy guitarist and Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde sits in on “Wanderlust,” and his influence allows Fozzy to further unleash their metal-god demons. It’s a classic metal anthem that, at times, recalls the glory days of Sabbath and a time when metal was meant to be dark, scary and foreboding. Former Creed guitarist and Alter Bridge co-founder Mark Tremonti joins Fozzy on one of the standout tracks on All That Remains, “The Way I Am.” The song moves and struts with arena rock swagger before dropping into a killer bridge reminiscient of Zeppelin’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” Tremonti comes in on another great outro solo that further cements this record’s rep as the guitar-rock album of the year.

As a vocalist, Jericho is solid, hitting high notes with ease and dropping his voice to a menacing growl with equal aplomb. On “Wanderlust,” he lifts the chorus with his soaring vocals while on “Born of Anger,” he unchains his inner Slayer fan, dropping his voice to the bottom register. Far from being a preening celeb suffering from deluded rock-star dreams, the guy’s got talent and he puts it to good use.

This is a review I read of a band I like a bit, but they don't have much out over here, which I means I can't really get into them, so, if anyone feels compelled to buy "All That Remains" please tell me if it's any good and I can go online for it.


CobainDraven



“Remains” of the Day
Fozzy’s first all-original album is a knockout.
By Jeremy Brown

Most of the time, when someone who’s become famous in another profession attempts to branch out into music, the end result usually warrants little more than polite smiles and a quietly-worded “That’s very nice.” It’s an unfortunate byproduct of celebrity that leads people to believe that, just because they’re good at one thing, they must be good at everything. In fact, the problem has become so prevalent that, whenever a celebrity releases a record, everyone collectively braces for the worst.

Which is why Fozzy’s All That Remains is such a wonderful surprise.

We all knew that RAW wrestler Chris Jericho and company had chops, as evidenced by the band’s first two records, Fozzy (2000) and Happenstance (2002). But both of those albums were made up largely of covers by such bands as Judas Priest, Accept and Iron Maiden. While there was a handful of original material, the question still remained: Could Fozzy create a compelling album of original songs? After a three-year wait, the answer has arrived with All That Remains, and it is an enthusiastic “Yes.” All That Remains is a top-shelf metal record filled with crunching riffs, thunderous drums and full-tilt vocal bravado.

The cornerstone of any good metal record is the guitar work. If the guitarist can’t cut it, then the whole band may as well pack it in. Thankfully, Fozzy boasts not one, but two solid axemen in Rich Ward and Ryan Mallam. The duo come charging out of the gate in the record’s first track, “Nameless Faceless,” a blistering metal assault driven by a propulsive beat. The guitar solos are something to behold. For those who miss the days of shredding solos with finger-tapping and whammy bars, your prayers have been answered. Somewhere, Paul Gilbert is smiling.

Not content to stay stuck in the metal groove, however, Fozzy stretch their legs from track to track. The second song (and first single), “Enemy,” shows a more melodic, even pensive, side, with guitars rigning out over a solid, urgent drumbeat. As the chorus kicks in, guitars rage as Jericho cries, “the devil’s on my back!” It’s as strong a single, if not stronger than, anything that’s out on radio today.

All That Remains continues in this vein, dabbling in styles ranging from rap-metal (“It’s a Lie”) to thrash (“Born of Anger”), deftly switching between styles and genres with ease. Along the way, various musicians make guest appearances. Ozzy guitarist and Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde sits in on “Wanderlust,” and his influence allows Fozzy to further unleash their metal-god demons. It’s a classic metal anthem that, at times, recalls the glory days of Sabbath and a time when metal was meant to be dark, scary and foreboding. Former Creed guitarist and Alter Bridge co-founder Mark Tremonti joins Fozzy on one of the standout tracks on All That Remains, “The Way I Am.” The song moves and struts with arena rock swagger before dropping into a killer bridge reminiscient of Zeppelin’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” Tremonti comes in on another great outro solo that further cements this record’s rep as the guitar-rock album of the year.

As a vocalist, Jericho is solid, hitting high notes with ease and dropping his voice to a menacing growl with equal aplomb. On “Wanderlust,” he lifts the chorus with his soaring vocals while on “Born of Anger,” he unchains his inner Slayer fan, dropping his voice to the bottom register. Far from being a preening celeb suffering from deluded rock-star dreams, the guy’s got talent and he puts it to good use.

Those who would dismiss All That Remains as just another celebrity rock record would only be denying themselves. Unlike most of the vanity projects that flood the market these days, this is a hard-hitting collection of heavy metal thunder that could go toe-to-toe with some of the classics. These days, with so many pretenders trying to usurp the metal throne, it’s refreshing to have a band that doesn’t rely on cheap gimmicks or poorly executed fakery to garner attention. Fozzy simply step up to the mike and get it done. A visit to the band’s website (www.fozzyrock.com) reveals the slogan “We Are Huge Rockstars!!!” Well, maybe not yet. But with a record like All That Remains under their belt, Fozzy is well on their way.

This is the 7th album from this in my eyes and ears unrated swedish “underground” band. Last year I thought that it would be impossible for them to create a better album than their previous one ‘Darkness Death Doom’, I was wrong !!
Since they left Century Media Records in 2000 and signed to the small label Aftermath Music the material have only been better for each release. I’m not saying that their records on CM sucks, both ‘Enter The Realm of Death’ and “Resurrection in Blood” are damn good releases!
The first track on the new album ‘On Funeral Wings’ album is called ’Monolithic Death’ and that is a perfect description on the whole album or maybe it’s better to call it “Monolithic Doom Death Metal”. Anyway this is a fucking great masterpiece! Slow heavy original metal mixed with lot’s of doom and death influences in their own style.
It feels lika a 73min long journey in darkness with no boring parts. The sound is a bit lo-fi and it fit their material perfectly. I general its quite alot the same style in the material as on “Darkness Death Doom” but it feels better and more of everything.
A lot of great riffs and song arrangements, the drums is played a bit like good 70’s drummers, the bass sounds like a wall of distorted doooooom!
I must cut the crap and play the CD again, descend into their world and fly away on funeral wings! Listen to samples at http://www.runemagick.se but I command you to buy this album now, it’s probably a bit hard to get so check their website or http://www.aftermath-music.com

Written by Demon_of_the_Fall on February 1st, 2003


I truthfully think Flotsam deserves abit more mainstream attention and more overall fucking credit. Here is a band that gives it their 100% devotion to music and yet Flotsam cannot get by in each of their lives because this music industry has failed them. They have under their belt, numerous albums and amazing tracks with all of them, only to still be unknown to the general public. Eric A.K has one of the finest voices I have ever heard on this disc. The music seems nicely planned out, with tons of progressive breakdowns (example: Pick a window) and the production is in tip top form. Also all of the tracks are catchy easy to listen to, and no one else really sounds like Flo Jo. The reason they are virtually unknown is because record companies and people never gave them a full chance. You need to have an open mind for Flotsam. I emphasize that first time Flotsam and Jetsam fans should obtain this album first because it is the easiest to get into. Their older stuff is abit more harder to dig at first (see No Place for Disgrace for an example) but is still excellent none the less. This album turns out quallity metal tunes and it is hard to put down for weeks. Flotsam and Jetsam should be up there with Metallica and Megadeth, but for unfortunate reasons they are not. Please take my advise and pick up this superb Album Drift by Flotsam and Jetsam.

Standout Tracks on this album are: Me, Empty air, Pick a window,Blindside, and Smoked Out.

Flots Out

That one's "Sailin' On"...