Any feedback for any of my newest 5 reviews on the front page? I want to know if I still have it in me. I feel really out of practice reviewing metal these days. What do you guys think?

I've only skimmed over them just now but they seem pretty good, copious amounts of musical description and everything needed to make them solid additions to the site.

Yeah, I don't expect many people to tell me they're terrible or anything. I dunno. Not attention whoring or anything; mostly just looking for my old style again. Or perhaps, a new one now, with a lot of new writing experience gained in the last few months on my part.

Could have done with less talk about the artwork for the Kamelot review, but that's just me. The reviews are good stuff.

Finally, I wrote a review again after a break of almost two years. I'm quite content with it, but I'd appreciate any feedback you could give me.

http://www.metal-archives.com/review.ph ... 4623#27723

(Oh, and mod(s), sorry for that stupid HTML-mistake causing the instant edit.)

It's a pretty good review, DFB, short, describes the music (sounds like an appealing split), and well written. It's a track by track but is a split, of course, so that's all pretty unavoidable. The one part I'd talk about is this:



The first sentence is great, but the next sentence starts off rather awkwardly and kills it a bit. Just get rid of the "while" and you've made it a lot better.

While I'm here, I figured I put up my two relatively new reviews, they're both quite representative of my increasingly casual "this is me talking to someone about the record" review style.



And

caspian, I really enjoy the reviewing style. The danger is that you might skimp on musical description, but this hasn't happened. I'm not a doom fan but I especially enjoyed the Earth review, and your descriptions of Drudkh's "chord progressions" have certainly convinced me it's not worth my time. I think the only limitation I can see of the Drudkh review is that having read it, I don't really understand what Drudkh was attempting to do or achieve with the album, and how they managed to fail in their objectives. Or perhaps they succeeded in their objectives, but the objectives themselves sucked...

Hey guys, this is my third review, and I've been writing without any feedback for my past reviews. I don't think my writing style has much flow.

This is my review of Draugr - Nocturnal Pagan Supremacy:



Draugr makes me feel right with the world. - 95%

I came across Draugr by accident. I haven’t been listening to metal as long as some other people, so there is still plenty of relatively mainstream metal that I haven’t listened to without even getting into the super-underground bands. Discovering Draugr was like discovering platinum buried in my backyard.

Draugr is an unsigned folk black metal band from Italy. I’m a fan of the medieval-style of riffing that Draugr uses on this album. The band recorded this album with a specific atmosphere in mind, and they nailed it.

The ‘folk’ part of folk black metal is present here in two ways. First, many of the riffs Draugr plays are structured in much the same way as one would think medieval folk music would be. This serves as a very effective aesthetic device; it immerses the listener into a thousand year-old musical tradition almost entirely forgotten by modern society. The rest of the riffs reminded me of Emperor in their symphonic nature. Secondly, Draugr makes use of pleasant-sounding acoustic guitars as well as folk instruments, or at least keyboards that SOUND like folk instruments. This wouldn’t be a problem most of the time, but sometimes it killed the album’s immersion for me. For example, one of the best tracks of the album, “Furore Pagano”, has what sounds like a synthesized accordion belting out cheesy sounds you would expect to hear in a shitty Italian restaurant. It seems like a completely unnecessary inclusion in an otherwise incredible song. If there’s one flaw in this album, it’s this.

Draugr excels in terms of musicianship, as well. Svafnir has amazing vocal range, from his agonized, high-pitched black metal shriek, to his low growl, to his semi-clean grunts. Sometimes his vocals are layered, creating an interesting contrast between the three styles. The band also uses a real drummer rather than programmed drums, which is always a plus.

The best part of Nocturnal Pagan Supremacy is Draugr's ability to write riffs that are completely new, yet sound like they should have been written a long time ago.

Nocturnal Pagan Supremacy is an album that makes bizarre decisions in its sound, but more than makes up for it with killer songwriting. Listen to it now.

I believe this review sounds more like a description of the band and not like a description of the album. A little band description is alright and even useful (especially for unknown bands) but the majority of the text should be focused on the album itself. A rewrite with a less of a focus on the band and musical background and more info on the work would be better, perhaps?

I've had several rejected reviews, and one approved but then apparently pulled for some reason (I haven't been told why). I won't say WHY it was rejected, in order to not skew opinions. Any feedback would be appreciated.

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Eryn Non Dae's debut album Hydra Lernaia (from the ever-reliable Metal Blade) has only one review on Metal Archives, and it's a scathing review offering only a 20% rating. But I named it as one of my top albums of 2009, so clearly I do not agree. I thought I'd write a proper review to set the record straight on this excellent release.

END is a French outfit that formed in 2001. Their sound is extremely difficult to categorize; Metal Archives says it's groove metal / power metal / hardcore. I have no idea where the power metal part comes from. The last time I discussed the album, I called them progressive post-deathcore (as ridiculous as it sounds). Perhaps avant-garde groove/deathcore would be a more apt description.

I say deathcore in this context in the same way you might call Portal death metal. It's not really right, but it's the best way to get the point across. The songs are mostly composed of melodies with a lot of negative space, and breakdowns. I've mentioned before that I think breakdowns are usually boring. But these are good breakdowns, counterintuitive in the same way as Meshuggah's material, and therefore interesting. Somehow, despite the oddity of the time signatures, it all grooves, and the emotional quality of the music is not lost (check the slow, eerie "The Decline and the Fall"). The atmosphere created is eerie and harsh, and heavy as hell, and the song structures bear the mark of post-metal's gradual evolution. The vocals are done in a death/thrash/hardcore hybrid style similar to Meshuggah's Jens Kidman and Gojira's Joe Duplantier, but spoken word is also used at times.

Highlights include opener "When Time Elapses", "Existence Asleep", and especially closer "Pure".

The Verdict: It's unique, and it's excellent, but it's challenging. I recommend it for fans of anything experimental, especially Meshuggah. Since I can't really explain say "They sound like Band X", the only way to tell whether you'll like it is to listen to yourself. But I, for one, give it 5 out of 5 stars.

originally written for http://fullmetalattorney.blogspot.com/
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Any thoughts?

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Yeah, calling your review a 'proper' review and insinuating that any review that does not share your opinion is somehow not proper is just bullshit.

Thanks guys. I'll do just that. And, in regards to this:



That wasn't exactly what I meant by that, but I can see why people would take it that way. As you might have noticed, it was intended for a different site, where I had already written a blurb on the album on my list for the top albums of 2009. When I said "proper review", I was using that to contrast to the blurb I had already written, not as a contrast to the review already on Metal Archives.

That's one problem. The other is that the section devoted to musical description gives details on the "groove/deathcore" stuff and stuff comparable to Meshuggah, yet you also mention something like "Somehow, despite the oddity of the time signatures, it all grooves, and the emotional quality of the music is not lost", without going into any detail on that element of the music. From the description you do give, I'd imagine it as some technical chug-fest, so I can't see what you'd be referring to as the emotional quality.

I think I see what you mean. If it gets rejected again, I'll have to think about how to phrase that.

Hey this is my first time writing a review and it got rejected I wasn't aware of this thread so I decided to make a one of my own, stupid.
Can you guys check out why it got rejected and give me tips on how to work on it? TIA.


___

Sedition was one of those bands from Texas in the 80's that had so much potential but sadly it was not to be, they released their first demo under the name Talon but later changed their name to what we now know and love.

The first thing you notice while listening to this release is the great unclouded raw bass sound supporting every song and the clearness of every instrument while retaining their rawness, something I believe is lost in modern bands nowadays.

Their first demo as Sedition is their best and my personal favorite, its starts off with a self titled track that's just screaming awesome. Within the first seconds of heeding its call Its effect on the everyday heavy metal enthusiast will make his head bang against the wall until his neck separates from his spine paralyzing him as the songs embodiment materializes and pummels him to the ground only to make the dude beg for more.

Its not brutal like Demolition Hammer or Dark Angel not even Teutonic like Kreator, its in the vein of unrelenting straightforward punk tinged american thrash at its best Sedition doesn't sound like any other thrash band but they are a little close to Subjugator or Gammacide.

The vocals and riffs are catchy as STD after having sex with a 1$ hooker from the Philippines, The drumming is simplistic and really organic and the lyrical prowess of Turner Scott and his ability to shout like an anarchist madman bent on making the world a dystopic nation for all makes this band even deadlier getting his message across with simplistic lines without sugarcoating it:

"I don't need you/you don't need me/ but we all hate their society"

To finish up this hazily written demo review the three remaining tracks are all very well written and executed as if the band were seasoned veterans in all things astonishing in thrash metal. I honestly can't believe such bands remained demo level for so long, Sedition is a group that makes demo hunting for obscure old school bands all worthwhile.

sorry, fucked up post

anybody? no? hahaha. cool as hell.

Give it time, this isn't a highspeed thread in a highspeed subforum, you may have noticed, and such a responce would require insightful thoughts and delicate wording, so, patience and acceptance is recommened. Gratitude, too.

Hello, I'm here to get feedback on my latest attempt at writing a music review. It's been since my TON review that I've even attempted to review another piece of music, as I rarely ever have time to do so due to college. I hope I'm not rusty...

Here it is:


Title Here (Oak – ii) 79%

I thought Oak’s self-titled debut album was absolutely fantastic and nearly perfect; I had nothing to really complain about with that album and many good things to say. So when I became aware that Oak had released a follow-up in August, so soon after their debut came out, to be honest, I was a bit worried. It seemed quite sudden, it was only a few months earlier that I had even really digested the devastating darkness of the debut and had no idea how they could ever top it. Well, my fears were only partially right, since their sophomore effort did not top their debut. In fact, it didn’t even really get close. However, this isn’t to say that ii is a bad album, how could I ever consider a band as dark and doom-y as Oak bad? I’m sure I could think of something… something similar to what is found toward the middle of the first track of ii.

I will say Oak certainly hasn’t gotten any less extreme, in fact, I would say they have gotten even more extreme. ii is a full-length with only two songs, the first is “Cowards and Undeserving” clocking in at 24:49, not exactly a radio friendly song length. Obviously, this isn’t what makes the song extreme, but the fact that it’s even more drone-y and amelodic than anything on the debut. This song seems to stretch on seemingly forever with long very slow repetitive rhythmic riffing, in effect making the droning side of their influences more prominent. To be honest, I find that to be rather unfortunate, because the suspense that was created on the debut happened during those bursts of catchy moments in the songs, especially on the last song on the debut. Another strange and unfortunate part of “Cowards and Undeserving” is when random and awkward female voices during the middle of the song appear, which is repeated over and over rather annoyingly for a minute or so, breaking up the droning effect. I don’t know what the hell the point of that was, but I know I didn’t like it. Seriously, what the fuck was that Oak? Why did you put random chatty female voices in the middle of your damn drone-y song? I don’t get it…

The second and final song “Sorrow is Dead” feels more like what would be found on the debut and that is a positive thing. “Sorrow is Dead” starts off with some noisy feedback like ambience and a Sunn O))) like bass-y droning, complimented with repetitive clean guitar strumming for a few minutes, and then the dark slow lingering riffs finally re-enter accompanied with some high shrieky rasps painfully reciting something to do with death or evil I’d bet. The drumming is insanely minimal, practically non-existent, with just some slow thumps on the toms and bass or crescendos on the cymbals, not much more. Then something happens out of seemingly nowhere… after 8 minutes of droning a sudden bust of energy, like something all of a sudden coming into existence from nothing. With this, we get our first catchy memorable riff in the last minute of the album, and it’s good, but over all too soon.

Perhaps this album is just too far beyond my comprehension at the time being, but I just don’t understand it. I don’t get how this is a logical follow-up to the near perfection of the self-titled debut. Maybe that’s the point? They wanted to do something different (perhaps more drone influenced?) and they certainly did. I don’t mean completely different though, ii is still as dark as sin, but just seems to be lacking the suspenseful build-ups that the debut had and that is where it falls short of being a great album. Nothing really seemed to stick with me, except for the last two minutes of the album. The first song was almost completely forgettable due to lacking any catchy or interesting riffs, and unfortunately encompasses the vast majority of the album. Had Oak stuck with the formula and ideas of the first album and expanded upon that with the more drone-y influenced style of ii (perhaps like what is found on the second song), they could have had something special yet again. However, I think they strayed a bit too far from their debut’s formula and the results didn't turn out as well. Despite the negatives, this album is still ultra dark and devastating and for that I still enjoyed it, just not nearly as much as the debut.

This review of mine just got rejected for Woods of Infinity's Frozen Nostalgia EP. Content-wise, they said it was good, but they said it was a formatting issue. All my reviews have the same format so I have no idea why this was rejected. Here it is:

Ten Minutes of Creativity - 95%

"Frozen Nostalgia is a very unique and interesting release, even for Woods of Infinity's standards, a band that is known for being different than the rest. All we have here is two songs, but they sure are keepers.

What makes this release special is that the emotion displayed is straight to the point, but in a way, they also feel open-ended. There's a lot that can be said about the lyrics, themes, and style in particular.

The first song is "Summer is not my friend." At first, the song comes off as cheesy and some may even interpret it as a joke....perhaps attempting a parody of those Scandinavian black metal bands that prided on having the most frostbitten music around. Actually, there's a couple of interesting things going on. There's a strong sense of longing and nostalgia...the lyrics consist of rants about the narrator's past. When Ravenlord sings, he usually just goes continuously and it seems like he rarely pauses. Then again, there's sort of a happy feel to the song, when we get to the part where summer is starting to end and the first signs of winter are on the horizon, and most of the song does have this wintry-landscape atmosphere to it. There's like a transition from the idea that "your happiness is my unhappiness" to "your unhappiness is my happiness."

The second song is "Excursions in the Uncanny Valley." This track is a bit more mellow than the other one. You can really feel the themes of longing throughout the whole song. The idea of not possessing certain human traits (like feeling empathy) are told really well through the lyrics. Again, there's that wintery feel lingering about in the song. I guess the title "Frozen Nostalgia" could not have been more appropriate!

Woods of Infinity shows they really know how to put all of these pieces together to get something really original sounding and unique. For that reason, they really do come off as artists capable of expressing so much without trying too hard. Whether you're a fan of this band or not, I still urge you to check out Frozen Nostalgia at least for the moods and emotions throughout...words can only describe it all so much. You'll just have to listen to the songs to really experience it!"

I did paragraphs correctly, that is, 2 enter strokes between each one to get one solid black line of separation between each paragraph on the actual page. Nothing is spelled incorrectly and there are no grammar issues I'm aware of. Commas are followed by one space each. The only potential red flags I see are that I needed to put two spaces after each period - I only had one, but this wasn't too noticeable from the reader's perspective Also, the first two paragraphs can be maybe be combined to one because they're both short, but each serves their own purposes which is why I made them separate. I'm sure you can argue that there's a run on sentence or two in there, but again, it couldn't have been bad enough to make parts of the review seem too convoluted.

Since all my other reviews usually get accepted and follow a similar format, I'm a bit in the dark as to what was wrong with this one...If it's a content issue, save it, because that's not why it was rejected. It was purely a formatting problem. Any advice appreciated!

Can anyone help me improve my review?

(It was rejected, but I don't understand why. The feedback referred to too few paragraphs, improperly separated paragraphs, improper use of enter, space after punctuation, capitalization, typos, and grammar mistakes, but I read through my review carefully and I can't see any instances of any of those errors, so I'm puzzled and at a loss for how to improve my review. Perhaps the editor misclicked. Anyway, can anyone suggest any improvements to my review?)


Review for Avatar (Swe) - Schlacht


This is a solid melodeath album: nothing fancy, nothing out of the ordinary, just solid competent well-executed Gothenburg-inspired melodeath. You decide whether that's a good thing or not; personally, I can't get enough melodeath, so I think it's great.

One cautionary note: Avatar's vocals are screamy, and I'm not sure whether they really count as death metal vocals. It's pretty borderline, to be honest. The singer tends more towards rough screechy singing/yelling/shouting/grunting, rather than deep rich Cookie-Monster growls. More gruff, less growls. As far as melodic death metal goes, Avatar's emphasis is more on the melodic than the death.

But apart from that warning, this is a solid album. The melody and tunes are good stuff, very catchy. It's got everything you expect and demand from a good melodeath album: great guitar lines, speedy thrashy sound, and thick layered multi-guitar sound. The guitars remind me a bit of the guitarwork in Dark Tranquillity's Damage Done, the way they sit on a note and strum it rapidly, though of course Avatar can't compete with Dark Tranquillity on sheer quality.

The drums and rhythm section get the job done. They're steady: the band lays down a tempo and sticks to it throughout each song. Personally, I can't stand music with frequent tempo changes, stop-start rhythms, and technical math-metal moments. Thankfully, Avatar avoids that pitfall. Instead, each song consistently sticks to a steady beat, which is perfect for head-banging. And there are no blast beats, either, which I appreciate. The drums are basically standard no-frills hard-rock stuff, and they work well.

Some highlights and reactions to specific tracks: "Wildflower" has arguably the richest deepest melodic sound, without sacrificing speed or aggressiveness, making it one of my favorites and perhaps the best representative of Avatar's sound on this album. "As it is" has a beautiful acoustic guitar introduction, which leads into a somewhat more laid-back, atmospheric song (a nice contrast to all the fast, intense songs). The tempo steps up for "When your darkest hour comes", where we have speedy thrashy guitar licks. The next track, "I still hate you", goes overboard on the rapid-fire shouting, but when the singer shuts up, the guitar solo is great. "The end of our ride" has still more nice guitar solos. The last track, "Tales from neverend" is maybe the best, with a cornucopia of gorgeous guitar lines. To be honest, all the songs are pretty solid, but none sticks out as really great, and they blend together a little bit. (The one exception is "Die with me", whose interludes with clean singing didn't work for me.)

Schlacht is very much in line with Avatar's first album, Thoughts of No Tomorrow, in terms of style and overall sound. I think Schlacht is the better album, more inspired and with more consistent song-writing, but both albums are enjoyable.

Bottom line: I like it. It's not a breakthrough, and it won't win album of the year. I'd classify Avatar as a second-tier melodeath band. But if you already own every melodeath album you can find and are dying to find more quality melodeath, check this album out: you might like it. Recommended for fans of: MyGrain, Soilwork, Blood Stain Child.

Can anyone offer any suggestions on how to improve my review of April's Tidelines? The editor's feedback was that it needs more substance and more description of the music. That seems like an entirely fair comment to me, but can anyone offer any suggestions on specifically what additional substance or information I could add? What questions would you have that weren't answered by this review? Or would I better off just giving up on this review? I'm fine with that. I submitted a review only because I noticed there aren't currently any reviews of this album on the site.


Title: Whiny metalcore - 25%

This is generic, uninspired metalcore. Perhaps serious fans of metalcore might find something to enjoy here, but I found the album boring, flat, and repetitive.

The music is generally fairly laid-back. It's metal, but not brutal, harsh, extreme stuff: it's not a particularly challenging listen, and the tone is not overly in-your-face. The general sound seems like it might be groove metal inspired: at least, the focus of the guitars is primarily on rhythms, rather than melody or interesting riffs. The singer is pretty whiny: for most of the album, it is very noticeable, and even during brief moments when the vocals get angry and defiant, his voice still sounds a bit whiny. If whiny nasal singers bother you, then this is not the album for you.

Despite those flaws, the album is listenable, I suppose. Mostly, I found it to be just boring. The songwriting is simplistic and I found nothing that grabbed my interest for very long.

One big caveat: I am not a big fan of metalcore, so I might not be the most sympathetic audience for this album.

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Hey, I just started reviewing a month or two ago so I'm still learning. This is a review I did that got rejected because it needs more substance/content towards describing the music. If you could tell me how to improve it would be very helpful and much appreciated.

Band: Giant Squid
Album: The Ichthyologist
Score: 100

If you haven't figured it out yet, these guys are interested in everything to do with oceans. Some of the members even work at an aquarium. The ocean vibe shines through on this album and creates a very original musical journey. This albums is unlike anything I have ever heard before and is one of the best albums I have come across in recent years.

This album is very different than their first one. The doom metal influences are toned down and the harsh vocals are almost completely omitted. To be honest, I wouldn't even go as far as calling this a metal album. Taking the place of the metal components, is a wide range of instrumentation. The album features many instruments including the cello, horns, piano and even a banjo. Each song is different from the one before it and adds new depth to the album. Every song sounds good on its own and also is an integral part of the album.

Much of the success of this album is due to the arrival of new member Jackie Perez Gratz. Her cello playing is amazing, and fortunately the most prominent instrument on the album. She plays mesmerizing melodies that can't help but capture your attention and also slow ambient drawls that linger beautifully in the background. Also, her voice is another great addition to the band. It is sultry and provides a great contrast to Aaron Gregory's deep coarse vocals.

This album has a lot of variety while maintaining a certain feel. Most of the songs are cello driven and many include doom inspired electric guitar parts. There is no electric lead guitar, the melodies are played by various other instruments. From the fast paced metal song Throwing a Donner Party at Sea to the almost ambient Mormon Island, this album has much to offer. Just like an ocean it has swift moments of destruction and blissful moments of calmness.

While many people will love this album, it is certainly not for everybody. If you are expecting a metal album, I suggest you look elsewhere. While this does have metal elements, it is by no means primarily metal. This album is both beautiful and dark. It is heavy at times and very mellow at other times. It is impossible to put a label on. Its just one of those things you have to experience for yourself. If you are interested in unique music, this album won't disappoint.

I plan on reviewing that album, too; already have one up for the debut.

Well you can combine some sentences, for one, but otherwise you do need a bit more in-depth description on the music. Harsh vocals is insanely vague - tell how the harsh vocals were (gutted, charred, arid, etc. I can't remember how they sounded) and then describe the vocals that are prominent, and not by just saying "deep coarse vocals" because that's still a bit broad. How are Jackie's vocals, too? That one sentence is vivid but not that concrete. Personally I'd also take the "harsh vocals are almost completely omitted" part in the second paragraph and place it with the other vocal discussion for consistency.

You also have some grammatical errors - remember to proofread your reviews for broken sentences. Quotation marks around song titles will also help the reader differentiate terms. How does the band play? Go beyond "ambient" and "doom" and more into aggressive, ferocious, melancholic, supple, or other terms in that realm.

What's the production like? You also failed to mention the bass or drums, which do play a major role in Giant Squid's sound. Hear what they sound like, and compare it to something outside of music - like loud, tin drumming sounding hollow as tapping spoons on a wooden oak table (not in relation to the album, as I haven't heard it yet). Description like that is extremely concrete and hones the reader in on the exact sounds you want them to hear.

I would also keep it five paragraphs like you have it now. Just organize some stuff, proof read, add some more, and those paragraphs will be nice and thick. Not overly long walls of texts, but stuff with more than 3-5 sentences of good material.

If you are giving it 100%, then you better say a whole lot to make the reader believe that this is worthy of it.

I wrote a review for Black Witchery's Inferno Of Sacred Destruction, but it was rejected.

Could I please have a little advice, in regards to what I can do, what changes I can make so that it is accepted when I re-submit it?




This is one hell of a rip ride, comprised of an relentless take on the heavy as hell, down tuned guitars, the thundering drum work, and the evil vocals that are unleashed upon the listener, in this just over twenty minute blast of pure darkness and death.

After releasing a ( very ) solid debut upon the metal underground in 2001, it was yet another four years until the band had pieced together enough sullen and morbid material for what was to be their second release, which was an abomination in itself.
But you may ask, how would Black Witchery be able to top these two brilliant pieces of solid and evil War Metal? will they come back with a release that tops everything they have done in the past, slating the fans thirst for more truly evil metal, in the vein of Blasphemy and Conqueror, or will they fail to progress, stagnate and ultimately die?
Well, I can tell you right now, Black Witchery have come back with their most evil, rabid, relentless and sullen release yet, this is the Inferno Of Sacred Destruction.

It has to be said that the production on this release is very minimalistic, it is certainly not lo fi, hell, it even has a higher standard of quality than De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, but what really compliments the album, is the rough and morbid production.
There is nothing fancy to be expected here, as the album really is one massive wall of chaotic drums and a very rough guitar tone, and the vocals are sometimes drowned out because of this mixing and production job.
But that certainly is not a problem, because the production really helps enhance the extremity of the instruments, and really emphasizes the dark feeling of this music.
No special effects, no editing, but a purely raw and grim sound, as is to be expected from such an act.

The vocals on this release are the demonic growls and raspy screams that have become a trademark of Black Witchery's sound, courtesy of Impurath, the bassist and vocalist for the band.
But what really makes this a release, in regards to the vocals, that tops all previous releases in Black Witchery's catalogue, is the fact that Impurath has refined his vocal style, basically.
The sloppy and at times, weak, vocal performances on previous releases have been completely scrapped, and Impurath has opted for a much more harsh, strong, evil and at times low, and/or morbid approach.
Pronunciation is by no means more clear or understandable, but the overall tone is shrouded in pure power and harshness, really giving the listener something to write home to mom about.

In addition to the chaotic and improved vocal performance, is the heavily downtuned and monstrous guitar work of Tragenda.
The guitars have been tuned to B standard, so obviously the guitar tone is going to be thick as hell, but you will not hear any chug riffing on this release, as all the riffs are comprised of power chords that are being thrashed around for the entirety of the songs.
The guitar work is not complex by any means, but what we have here instead, is a very solid slab of tremolo picked power chords for roughly two minutes a piece, but the riffs are played in such a way, that is collides head on in a frenzied smash with the vocals and drums, in effect, bringing a new layer of depth and darkness to the band, as it is today.
The riffing style has not experienced an extreme change, and many of the riffs are akin to the early works of Black Witchery, but the difference with this album, and previous releases, is that there is not one boring riff to be found on this album, the writing process has obviously undergone a streamlined change and hence, we are now in the presence of a short, but evil and highly memorable slab of War Metal, courtesy of the musicians that have obviously refined their writing style, and in a sense, trimmed the fat.

But the last defining piece of the evil group that is Black Witchery, is the insane drum work.
But what has changed you may ask? well, simply put, everything has become much faster.
The drum work on this album never lets up, and instead, everything is a constant blast all the way through, making extreme use of the traditional blast beat, but with an open high hat, giving a definitive ring to the groups sound.
There really is no variety in the drumming, but Vaz definitely knows how to play, and make no mistake, the drum performance is never boring on this album, though the inclusion of a few more fills would be a nice touch, but there is hardly ever a chance to use them, because of the fact that there is never a break in the music, and the fast drum work really manages to bring this all together.

As you may have guessed, this really definitely tops everything else that Black Witchery has done in the past, easily, and shows a clear change in the writing style of the band.
Everything unnecessary, such as an extra minute or two, has been stripped away, the songs have been shortened, and the overall extremity and chaos of the instrumentation has been increased, which is a such a great thing, and it is brilliant that Black Witchery has been able to come through on their instrumental chops.

My personally favorite picks of this album would be:

Holocaustic Church Devastation
Antichrist Order Of Holy Death
Apocalyptic Carnage
Inferno Of Sacred Destruction
Sepulchral Witchcraft
Ascension Of The Obscure Moon

When all is said and done, Black Witchery have come back with a most solid release that has easily destroyed everything else that they have done, it is easily the most extreme record and is definitely the most appealing, due to shorted songs, more extreme instrumentation, brilliant song titles and an overall killer performance.

This is definitely a release for fans of Conqueror, Revenge and Blasphemy, as you can easily tell through the massive wall of evil, that Black Witchery has heard of all of these bands before, and takes obvious influence from them, in the most direct and extreme way possible.

If you consider yourself a fan of Black Witchery, and you do not own this release, go and buy it right now, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

This is Black Witchery's best release to date, and I only hope that they can create something as great as this, if they do release another album.



EDIT:

Some users around here love to worship Ultraboris, as I was just having a look at some releases that he has reviewed, I chose to read one of his reviews for Bathory, and this is what he said.




Written by UltraBoris on September 8th, 2003

This is so similar to the first Bathory LP, but better in a qualitative way I can't really put into words. Where the first was just fast for fast's sake Venom worship with a lot of pre-Venom punk to it, this one manages to succeed in being dark and unholy. It's pretty much Bathory, Version 2.0, and man the upgrade helps a lot!!! The production isn't as clear as the first album, but it works better, actually. It's not a punk-up speed job, but rather an atmospheric black metal work.

The songs are all pretty similar - raw speed metal in a way Motorhead never quite imagined. Dark imagery like Venom never dared. This is black fucking metal indeed. The silly intro reflects the first Bathory, and is pretty much disposable - it's at Total Destruction that things get going. Man, what an opening riff. Black metal is very necro and inverted-pentagram, but it's also supposed to be a headbanging mindfuck, and it is. You like Venom?

That wasn't a question - that was more a confirmation. You like breathing oxygen? Then you like Bathory "The Return". Born for Burning is more bangage, a bit more groove, but still just as necro. There's no real surprises to be found among the rest of the tracks, unless you count the squealy guitar solo of Possessed. Iron Maiden, this is not. But nor is it really Kerry King. Or how about that thrash break in Reap of Evil. Fast as fuck, and bangest thy head as if up from the dead. Oh yes - the highlight of the album. Or maybe Sadist, with its long extended thrash section. Ahh, too many highlights.

Outro. Silly. Production values. Nonexistent. Is it worth the plastic it's pressed into? FUCK YES.



This got accepted, and I personally believe that it tells me nothing about the music, but about a couple guitar solos, some dodgy comparison to other bands, and a half baked attempt at describing the production.

How did this get accepted, and my review did not?

First of all UltraBoris doesn't hit enter after every full stop. Proper, non-gruesome formatting is one way to avoid rejection. Second of all review standards have risen considerably since the early days of the site, so comparing your review to one from the first half of the noughties does anything but help your case.

Thanks, that's something that I definitely needed to hear, I'll be sure to re-format the review, spell check it one more time, and if possible adjust a few details.

But is it possible for you to continue with the criticism?

Thanks man, that was really helpful.

Your review is too reliant on comparison to the band's previous output.

Thank you, Forbinator, I will refine as needed.
Or hopefully manage to do so.

Learn how, to use, commas.

I'm writing up my first review, for a local band I really like. I'm sure it would get rejected the way it is now, so I'm looking for some feedback.

( OK, I won't lie, I submitted it anyway. After looking at some of the other reviews on the site, I think this was a premature decision.)

Samandriel- Awakening

Great stuff from some hard-working musicians. 90%

Samandriel is a band straight out of the vein of Epica/Nightwish/After Forever style power metal. If you like your metal songs to tell you the most efficient way to gang-rape a Chinese dumpster baby with a baseball bat and an Easy-Bake Oven, look elsewhere. If you like some fun, catchy, cheesy opera-chick power metal with surprisingly well written lyrics( THEY ONLY USE THE WORD "ANGEL" ONCE IN THE LYRICS!!! YUS), look here. These guys bust their asses, and it shows.

The keyboard player does what a lot of guys in power metal do, which is hold big long chords most of the time, but they aren't all that high in the mix, so they don't drown out everybody else. Every now and then, though, the guy busts out a wicked solo, or in the case of Initial Reality, a really cool slightly jazz-tinged piano bit.(Check it out, there's actually a really cool piano part playing behind the vocals.). One negative thing I might say, though, is that his equipment sounds a bit cheap when he does his solos. Like a really expensive (toy) keyboard.

Aside from the vocals, the most up-front thing you hear is the guitar. He just chugs mostly during the vocal parts, but when there's no singing, he busts out a massive monster mamojam of a riff. Check out the opening riff from Initial Reality for a good example... it's catchy as fuck. I don't have much to say about his guitar tone, other than that it is sufficiently ballsy.

On to the vocalist. The complements given to the massive crop of female metal singers that have emerged in the past 10 years mostly revolve around the terms "angel", "goddess", and " Tarja". While these aren't entirely inaccurate most of the time, their repeated use drives me bat-shit fucking axe-crazy( Probably a sign I have too much time on my hands), so I have taken the liberty of inventing some new descriptions for these wonderfully talented people. My first crack at this will be about Doneka, the vocalist for Samandriel.

Doneka Reids singing could, if played within close enough proximity, stop Odin himself from crushing people with his giant hammer, and depending on whether or not the rest of the band is there, make him well up with tears of joy at her beautiful voice or just stand there and headbang. Though people would still get killed, either from Odins acidic tears or the swaying of his inhumanly large testicles that would come naturally with headbanging, I think the description is sufficient. Or just plain crazy-bred dead to rights messed in the head.

OK, maybe I made use of some extreme hyperbole, but it got the job done.

As expected, she's pretty much the main focus of the music. This ain't no damn goth-metal monotone-as-a-nu-metal-singer hot-piece-of-ass-for-the-sake-of-a-hot-piece-of-ass vocalist they got on this record, though. This woman( Doneka Reid, for those of you who can't read thoroughly) is mighty! ( I saw them live and I know she's good because I spent most of the time headbanging instead of staring at her.) There's a whole lot of big, booming gorgeous soaring vocal lines going on for the most part, and they tend to skip on the soft parts. This be metal after all!

If I may, one thing in particular I noted is that Donekas voice is less cutting compared to singers like Floor Jansen or Simone Simons. She's just a bit bassier than Floor and Simone. Yes I know if the band reads that there's a chance they'll all go "bullshit!". Step off, I'm barely passing ear training at school.

The songs range from 4-6 minutes, which is preferable for someone like me with a short attention span. There really isn't a lot of wanky sections here, the band keeps it pretty concise( for a metal band). Most of the time it just grooves along and you don't end up wanting to tell them to stop masturbating their instruments. Sometimes, though, it was a bit TOO reserved, and I wanted to hear some more flashy parts from the instrumentalists, though, because they can really play! (Keep in mind I only say that because I used to listen to Rush all the time.)

I didn't find the lyrics particularly interesting( I don't find metal lyrics that inspiring most of the time as a matter of fact. Far as I'm concerned no metal lyricist has anything on my favorite rappers.), but there was never a point where they became cringe-worthy. Actually, they were written quite well, considering the genre of the band. To sum it up, as I said earlier, they only use the word "angel" ONCE!

Bottom line: Despite what an asshole I sound like in this review( that's just the way I talk!), I really do like this band. If you REALLY like this type of metal, though, buy it, because they rock and are more deserving of your money than a lot of the famous bands on the scene.



Too much "funny" stuff?( READ: me attempting horribly to be funny). Do I get too sidetracked? Help-a me out here!

To the guy above me, I think you used way too many paragraphs.

Alright, I really need someone to help me out. A lot of my reviews seem to be getting rejected lately and it says the reason is this: "The contents of your review are acceptable, but it is poorly formatted and difficult or annoying to read. Please see the following list of possible problems, correct those you find in your review and then resubmit your work." The only problem is I'm having trouble figuring out why it is badly formatted/hard to read. If someone could tell me the problem I would really appreciate it. If it is because of grammar mistakes, can you please tell me where they are because I have no idea. This is one of those reviews that got rejected for that reason:

Band: SIG:AR:TYR
Album :Beyond the North Winds

This is certainly one of the best metal albums made by a one man band I have ever heard. Everything from the majestic keyboards to the lightning fast solos are perfect. For those who are not familiar with this band, SIG:AR:TYR is a Canadian one man band, founded by a man who goes by Daemonskald. He plays a melodic form of viking influenced black metal. All of his albums feature classical guitar interludes.

While I felt SIG:AR:TYR's previous album was weakened by a lack of vocals, this album suffers no such fate. The first thing I notice about this album is how rich and unique the atmosphere is. The keyboards and classical guitar in "King of the World" draws you into another world. They are very exotic and sound vaguely Arabic. The classical interludes on this album are some of the best Daemonskald has ever done. They are repetitive and beautiful, almost lulling you into a trance.

This is, without a doubt, the most accessible album this band has ever done. Black metal elitists will hate this. But being accessible isn't always such a bad thing. Not when an album like this is the result. I am astonished that one man can create such a breathtaking album. Every instrument is played at the very least, competently. His guitar work is what really shines through on this release. From his Malmsteen inspired shredding to his beautiful melodies on the classical guitar, his mastery of the instrument never ceases to amaze me. I was also quite impressed with his subtle use of keyboard, which adds a another layer to the music while enhancing the atmosphere.

The song "Far Away" is a perfect end to Daemondskald's masterpiece. It is a very interesting acoustic folk song. It is not at all the same type of folk as the traditional folk interludes that make up so much of SIG:AR:TYR's music. It is mostly just acoustic chord progressions and deep clean vocals. There is just something so different about these vocals. They are otherworldly and draw you into a different state of mind. This is one of those great moments when a band tries something completely different and succeeds with flying colors.

I have to say that I am deeply impressed by this album. This album is the opposite of the sophomore slump. While many bands fall behind on their second album, SIG:AR:TYR eclipse their first album the second time around. Like I've mentioned, it is truly astounding that one man made such an amazing album all by himself. From the bloodcurdling wails on the title track to the serene yet sorrowful atmosphere on "Sword from an Unknown Hand," this record is an inspiring journey. There is not one song that isn't great.

The new Defenders of the Faith review is one of the most self-indulgent pieces of shit I ever encountered on this site.

Care to explain why?

Self-indulgent implies a tendency on the part of the reviewer to constantly talk about his or herself. Aside from the (intentionally) humourous introduction and epilogue to the review, I'd hardly say that I spent most of it talking about myself.

Unless you are using self-indulgent in a different context, perhaps referring to how much I talked about the relationship between hard rock and heavy metal?

I don't think it's a subject frequently discussed anywhere on MA, which is why I brought it up, and I did so in a review of an album that definitely does tread the line between the two genres, even if only a little.

http://metal-archives.com/review.php?id=177125#237570

This is a review I wrote a little while ago. I was wondering if I could get some feedback on it; comments, criticism, advice, etc.

MetalSupremacy, the main problem I'd say the review has is 1) you spend too much of the review rambling about yourself and god-knows-what (the first fourth or so of the review is entirely unnecessary) and 2) YOUR REVIEWS ARE TOO DAMN LONG. Has anyone told you that your reviews are too long? Because they're too long. Maybe it would be acceptable if you were oneyoudontknow or a more refined reviewer, but considering your straightforward, basic style (which I appreciate for the most part), you have absolutely no excuse to spend that much time describing the music. Brevity is key, keep it short and sweet.

But at least you have the correct opinion this time. Defenders of the Faith is indeed one of Priest's greatest albums, and easily their best 80's output.

It has been reformatted with that in mind and accepted. Thanks dude!