"Home is Where War is" is the debut album by death/thrash metal band Nucleator hailing from one of thrash metal's greatest country's; Germany. For a debut album it certainly isn't bad. The band manage to cobble together an album similar in style to Sodom's "Tapping the Vein" and anyone familiar with that album whom is currently reading this probably has knows what I am talking about (or maybe it's just me). Deep, harsh vocals, heavy guitar tone, blistering double bass in some parts as well as some good solos.

The album's theme revolves around the subject of war as illustrated by the cover, although I have a hard time trying to decipher the vocals but they fit the instrumentation which is the main thing for me. The bass doesn't seem that audible except in the odd place (the title track for instance and even that is in a small part) which is a shame. The overall production does feel a little too clean to my ears and I feel that it could've benefited with a little more grit aside from this, it doesn't interfere with the album's overall sound and is not too glossy which appears to be the problem for many bands nowadays.

So then, what about the songs? This album contains ten songs. Starting off with "Hours of War" which delivers the listener a fresh slice of a melodic introduction helping to set a depressive, war-like atmosphere and within very little time it quickly slams on the intensity. The riffs are relatively simple but they are quite catchy and it doesn't take long before we're quickly given a masterpiece of a guitar solo and this album has plenty of good ones, my personal favourites being "Hours of War", "Napalm" and the absolutely unforgettable "Toxic Breath" the latter being an absolute masterpiece crafted with some emotionally driven thought behind it. In actual fact, I would say that this song is the very pinnacle of greatness in this album. Another great thing about this album is that the intensity and speed is kept intact throughout the majority of the album although many songs are forgettable as the riffs aren't exactly the best and I do feel that the title track is a little weak in the beginning compared to the others. However, this does not hinder the overall enjoyment much. I also feel that this album has a very good length to it, not to short and not to long.

Overall, this is a pretty solid debut album. The riffs could have been a little more complex but the overall instrumentation is fine. I recommend this to any fan who likes death/thrash metal. It's a real shame though that this band has since split up as they are one of the very few modern thrash bands (in my opinion) who released one hell of a good album and this album is enough for me to consider listening to some of the new up and coming thrash bands. Favourite songs: "Hours of War", "Napalm", "Treblinka" and "Toxic Breath".

2011 finds Acherontas with new line up changes, a new label and an unquenchable thirst to prove and re-invent themsleves once more in the black metal scene while celebrating 15 years of their black art with a masterpiece of occult black metal blended with 70s rock and ritual influences that take shape and form in Vamachara.

The record commences with ‘Opening the Eye of the Storm’ quite an ambient track and a perfect fit for an intro, as its haunting and mysterious choir-like melody combined with the whispered and spoken lyrics give a ritual feel, a thilling aura. From that point, Acherontas blast on full time, revealing the new, more mature direction that the band has embraced. Don’t get me wrong, this is as black metal as it can get but these guys are seriously deep into the music, taking you on a big journey through complicated musical passages; the riffing is traditional black metalish mixed with long instrumental sections that add to the atmosphere of the record even more! Vamachara is full of great guitar work, precise and technical enough, the transitions come naturally and the riffs are heavy and dark just like the whole feel of the album. The melodic sections couldn’t have been left of in an album like this, where atmosphere and ambience is of high importance; listen to the clean guitar interlude at the end of ‘Abraxas’ for example. ‘ Ohm Krim Kali’ also calms the storm for a while as its an istrumental song with some folk influences mixed nicely with an atmospheric chant as if it’s dedicated to goddess Kali, just like the title reveals. With this release, Acherontas have returned more glorious and destructive than ever before.

Generally, the album is so imposing and of epic proportions just like it should be, as the band draws influence from the buried past when the female archetype was worshipped through the Cult of Vama. Vamachara is the most professional and complete release of the band thought it’s career of 15 years. Are you ready to accept this different form of darkness? You should definately be!

There is definitely something in the water of France because there is no other way to explain the quantity and the quality of the bands that jump out of the country one after the other, offering such gems in extreme music. Smohalla is no different, as Résilience is one of those albums that can haunt you for a long time. The band’s music definately drifts in the air around you, dispensing a bittersweet taste of pleasant and unfavourable memories combined. Smohalla, which actually means ‘dreamer’, was the name of a dreamer-prophet amongst the Native North American Indians, quite the appropriate name to define not only the band but the whole record as well.

Résilience consists of eight mysterious and grandiose compositions which run through the dark corridors of your mind until it’s fiercely torn apart by the sudden paroxysm of ‘Au Sol les Toges Vides’, ‘L’ Homme et la Brume’ or the Arcturus influenced ‘Oracle Rouge’ which can easily transform that dreamy essence into a nightmare.The programmed, electronic parts are constantly present and whether you like them or not in your black metal; Smohalla’s music and sound wouldn’t be the same without them as they are deemed essential for the ambiance of this record. The variety of the album is another positive apect featuring calming and soothing interludes of bluesy guitar work, spoken word sections or instrumental passages filled with electronic beats until the storm breaks out again. Additionally, the medievalism that comes out in after the first minute of ‘Les Repos du Lezard’ is something that I really adrmire.

Although Résilience is a very experimental record, Smohalla actually differs from Blut Aus Nord, Ulver and such bands, due to the fact that the instruments here, are quite distinguishable as a (dissonant) whole and they’re not buried under the heavy electronic parts. Smohalla respects its influences, but as far as the completeness of the opus is concerned, those influences may be the ones that keep them from originality. In a time that most of the bands like to bear the ‘exprerimental’ tag, it’s quite difficult to unravel the true meaning of it. To quote the band itself: ‘’ The genre of post-black metal has often been mislabeled. This is the case where it can be used appropriatly. Incredibly composed music with an intelligent progression’’. Résilience is only a step away from this.

I’ve always been confused at the general use of the word crushing as a descriptor of doom metal. Ultimately, consuming music is something that one does for pleasure, and being crushed is not an experience usually associated with enjoyment. Yet, when the time comes for me to articulate my thoughts on Ungoliant’s No More the World of Man, the only single word that suitably quantifies its singular, monolithic heaviness is ‘crushing.’ Yeah. Crushing, like being driven over by a bus. Every singe riff powerfully stomps down on the listener, just the right pace for each of its individual parts to sink in, and the loud, thick guitar tones used to deliver said riffs couldn’t be more fitting.

Ungoliant are part of a long tradition of bands to record only a relatively brief discography before disbanding; a categorisation they share with such greats as Demilich, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Dissection. While they may never achieve the notoriety or influence of those groups, a lot of indirect themes certainly carry over: Throughout No More the World of Man, it constantly feels like Ungoliant were eminently content with their work, ready to leave their work behind and leave their legacy intact, rather than risk tarnishing it with further albums.

Each track clocks in at between six and twelve minutes, and every moment is put to good use; not a single second feels dull, unnecessary, or uninspired. The looming, catchy riff from the start of the opening track (and highlight of the album) Wretched Mind, the violent, punishing vocal yells on Order of the Black Root, the subtly interspersed lead guitar on Unlight of Ungoliant; all moments that keep you on the edge of your seat. In fact, No More the World of Man does something that much of doom metal is worlds away from: Where most doom (Particularly so-called ‘stoner doom’) merely aims to entice, drowning the listener in a vile and powerful atmosphere, No More the World of Man inadvertently excites as well, and paradoxically doesn’t lose any of its quintessential doom metal essence in the process. Sure, you’ll be driven over by a bus, but you’ll love every minute of it.

Despite its powerful, exciting songwriting, an obvious complaint that comes to mind when listening to No More the World of Man is that, other than its aforementioned tendency to get the listener’s blood pumping as well as crushing said listener under a mountain of riffs, it doesn’t really do anything markedly new. While this is a somewhat reasonable complaint when dealing with the music from a historical standpoint, in terms of the actual listening experience, its relative unoriginality doesn’t change a thing. While the concepts and themes found in No More the World of Man are largely redundant, it’s still a strikingly powerful album, and one that deserves to be heard by any who would call themselves a fan of doom metal.

The dirgey introduction to Wretched Mind evokes images of some kind of ruinous industrial machinery repeatedly attempting to splutter into life, and that couldn’t be a more useful analogy for the context of the album. Despite the fact that it doesn’t really cover any new ground, on No More the World of Man, Ungoliant show real promise. They would break up soon after its release, but had they not, they could have very easily become the next Electric Wizard or Candlemass – building on the few things that set them apart from the rest of their genre to create a unique niche for themselves. It’s just a shame they had to quit right as they were getting started.

Ur Draugr’s website describes their music as ‘blackened death metal,’ and while that musical paradigm clearly informs them (The band’s members have all played on black metal and death metal releases in the past) an irresistible sense of adventure and experimentalism permeates their music, completely lost on many other bands who would categorise themselves In the same way. Of The Wretched Ascetic’s twenty minute runtime, a quarter is entirely devoted to music that is distinctly not metal; it’s safe to say that despite their relative newness as a band Ur Draugr are certainly not content with imitating anyone. Sure, they still have tremolo-picking, harsh vocals, and fast drumming, but there’s something more than that present as well.

The Wretched Ascetic is absolutely full of interesting ideas -- In the opening track alone, we have an acoustic introduction that quickly gives way to completely expressive and un-atmospheric tremolo riffs, which themselves meander and transform into a violent and broken rhythm guitar section. The guttural roars of vocalist Drew Griffiths and the utterly precise, furious work from drummer Maelstrom toil away through all of this, turning the music into a cohesive and complete sonic assault.

At the end of the day, there is only so much one can say about a release as short as this one, but there really are no shortage of good things to say about The Wretched Ascetic. It showcases the best kind of innovation in music; it innovates without building its entire musical identity around said innovation. It looks to the future while leaving its feet firmly planted in the past, quietly content in its victories.

It’s impossible to be sure what will come of Ur Draugr: Maybe they’ll build on the triumphs of The Wretched Ascetic and become a well-respected force in the metal community; equally likely is that an extended stint of bad luck will see them added to the limitless piles of bands releasing only a single demo before disbanding. The future we can merely guess at, but here in the present, The Wretched Ascetic is twenty unforgettable minutes of powerful, intense, and fiercely original music.

It's on the right track with a fair bit to go.


Basics:
Stick to periods and commas unless you have a legitimate reason. Some writers thrive on parentheticals or tangents, but don't feel obliged to. Errors in grammar are more annoying than errors in spelling, or capitalization, in your case (*glowers*). A misused semicolon is a tragic loss, and, worse, puts good colons out of work.

Forego phrases like, "I don't know what to say about it," or "there's not much more/anything much to say," etc.. Unless you're a conclusion magician, they're a waste of eyeball hours.


Structural:
I think the opening sentence is too long. Don't be afraid of simple, direct writing.

I encourage more musical description. The first paragraph gives a general sense of what the music probably sounds like, but thereafter the trail goes cold. Saying it's "blackened death" means something to those with experience. Good reviews transcend the in-group.

You mention that the members all played in preceding bands that influenced this current effort. Interpret the influences.
The second paragraph needs elaboration. Without supporting statements, your identity/innovation point is vague.

I'm not a fan of the speculative conclusion. I want to hear more about what makes it a "fiercely original" piece of art. A Fiercy Original Work would be a more interesting thesis. It needn't be a long review to give us some context and a few good examples of how so.