Meh - 50%
NightOfTheRealm, May 21st, 2004

MURDER WITHOUT END, the latest offering from US Death Metallers Fleshgrind can be summed up in one word: BRUTAL.

One look at either the band name, album title, or artwork, and you know exactly what Fleshgrind have to offer. Straight from the same school that brought us Exhumed, Malevolent Creation, Cannibal Corpse, and the like comes this Chicago-based band who, although they cut their first demo, HOLY PEDOPHILE ten years ago, are only on their fourth album in a decade.

MURDER WITHOUT END is your typical brutal death metal album. Despite a brief, somewhat misleading piano intro, there is not a single light moment on the entire disc. Rather, it is a simultaneous Louisville slugger to the face and kick in the nuts. There’s not a whole lot to say about this album, and even though the songs are each very short, they all start to blend together after the third track or so. If you have ten bucks to spare, and are looking for another brutal death album for your collection, then MURDER WITHOUT END is for you. Myself, I’m gonna go crank up the new Doomsword and Falkenbach albums and leave Fleshgrind for a day when I’m feeling more rage and a shorter attention span.

(originally written by me for www.metal-rules.com, October, 2003)

I am probably incredibly open-minded for hating this racist crap. Then again, I am also incorrigibly bigoted for hating something "different." At any rate, calling this "Dragonforce with harsh vocals" is certainly an overstatement - you need to slow it down, too.

Like Dragonforce, this is gay. It is puzzling how this band gets called "death metal that is melodic" as opposed to melodeath. From the cheesy melodies to superficial thrashiness, this resembles melodeath more closely than real death metal. At least, Arghoslent does seem to actually emphasize the melodic construction as opposed to rhythmic resolution, but that's hardly a compliment when the melodies are fucking gay. I know it's cliched to call things "fucking cheesy gay crap," but it really applies in this case. This may not exactly be melodeath, but at any rate it is not real death metal. If you haven't listened to this yet, you will have no idea about just how upbeat this is. Even garbage like "Slaughter of the Soul" doesn't come close to being this upbeat. Think of Arch Enemy's "Silverwing" and its childish lead melody in the chorus, and you have reasonable picture about the degree of homosexuality that is at work here. The style, though, is quite different. These melodies sound very Chinese. Now, I have nothing against Chinese classical music, but there are two reasons this is a problem: a) they are played in a gay fashion and b) this is a metal album played with electric guitars. I somehow doubt that they intended the riffs to sound Chinese, but some of the riffs sound like they were lifted up straight from the worst moment of a fifth-rate Chinese opera, without any thought about how to adjust them so that they will fit into a metal context. It sounds comical, in a bad way.

Like Dragonforce, the solos are gay, too. Don't expect any twisted, morbid soloing that real death metal is known for; the solos here are closer to Dragonforce than anything death-metal. Of course, you have to slow Dragonforce solos down, but I already acknowledged the speed issue.

Like Dragonforce, this is superficially catchy. Of course, harsh vocals are a disadvantage in having sing-along choruses, but Arghoslent makes it up with the riffs. This is watered-down music for the crowd. I already hear somebody shouting that this band can't possibly have commercial appeal with its controversial lyrics. Whatever. The possibility of shock tactic aside, that's what the music sounds like, in the end. This is "death metal" for fans of Dragonforce. Like Dragonfoce, this fucking sucks.

I am probably incredibly open-minded for hating this racist crap. Then again, I am also incorrigibly bigoted for hating something "different." At any rate, calling this "Dragonforce with harsh vocals" is certainly an overstatement - you need to slow it down, too.

Like Dragonforce, this is gay. It is puzzling how this band gets called "death metal that is melodic" as opposed to melodeath. From the cheesy melodies to superficial thrashiness, this resembles melodeath more closely than real death metal. At least, Arghoslent does seem to actually emphasize the melodic construction as opposed to rhythmic resolution, but that's hardly a compliment when the melodies are fucking gay. I know it's cliched to call things "fucking cheesy gay crap," but it really applies in this case. This may not exactly be melodeath, but at any rate it is not real death metal. If you haven't listened to this yet, you will have no idea about just how upbeat this is. Even garbage like "Slaughter of the Soul" doesn't come close to being this upbeat. Think of Arch Enemy's "Silverwing" and its childish lead melody in the chorus, and you have reasonable picture about the degree of homosexuality that is at work here. The style, though, is quite different. These melodies sound very Chinese. Now, I have nothing against Chinese classical music, but there are two reasons this is a problem: a) they are played in a gay fashion and b) this is a metal album played with electric guitars. I somehow doubt that they intended the riffs to sound Chinese, but some of the riffs sound like they were lifted up straight from the worst moment of a fifth-rate Chinese opera, without any thought about how to adjust them so that they will fit into a metal context. It sounds comical, in a bad way.

Like Dragonforce, the solos are gay, too. Don't expect any twisted, morbid soloing that real death metal is known for; the solos here are closer to Dragonforce than anything death-metal. Of course, you have to slow Dragonforce solos down, but I already acknowledged the speed issue.

Like Dragonforce, this is superficially catchy. Of course, harsh vocals are a disadvantage in having sing-along choruses, but Arghoslent makes it up with the riffs. This is watered-down music for the crowd. I already hear somebody shouting that this band can't possibly have commercial appeal with its controversial lyrics. Whatever. The possibility of shock tactic aside, that's what the music sounds like, in the end. This is "death metal" for fans of Dragonforce. Like Dragonfoce, this fucking sucks.

Noctir's track by track for Ordo Ad Chao makes for a dull read.

The "Cult" Was Dead a Decade Ago - 8%
Falconsbane, February 24th, 2006

And here it is, the latest in a decade's worth of irrelevant releases from the "cult" of DarkThrone. I'm sure quite a few metalheads will be shocked by what they find on this disc, and I'm equally sure I will find that reaction baffling. The truth is that The Cult is Alive is merely the culmination of internal trends obvious in DarkThrone's work dating back at least to Panzerfaust.

Many (perhaps most) fans will view The Cult is Alive as a radical departure from DarkThrone's previous work. After all, their career to this point, with all its inspired highs and insipid lows, has taken place entirely within the context of black and death metal. The Cult is Alive, on the other hand, is essentially a straightforward crust/hardcore release with a few isolated genuflections in the direction of black metal (vocals and the occasional melodic turn, as in "De Underjordiske").

A careful listener, however, will notice that the technique used here is not substantially different from that employed on Transilvanian Hunger or the band's other black metal landmarks of the early 1990s (which just goes to show how ephemeral the aesthetic divisions in extreme music really are). The real differences are not so easy to pin down.

The brilliance of DarkThrone's classic works of 1991-1993 lay in the ability of these works to evoke ideas of great complexity through the careful manipulation of deceptively simple music. In this, these works were highly advanced despite being birthed from a spirit of atavistic primitivism. The characteristic expression of this art took the form of basic tremolo picked riffs made gloriously ambiguous through extended phrases and a resolute refusal to allow melodies to resolve in any predictable fashion.

The Cult is Alive retains a significant portion of the technique of DarkThrone's classic works, but the spirit that once guided them is long dead. The feral beauty and ambiguity are gone, and the riffs, while superficially similar, are rendered inert through shortened phrases and a tendency to pander to the dumbest members of the audience by bringing each riff to the expected rhythmic and melodic conclusion, suitably violent to be sure, but, like all product, lifeless in that it substitutes the simulacra of emotions for any overarching idea.

Not surprisingly, The Cult is Alive is long on pretense and contempt for its audience, and perilously short of any meaningful creative impulse. Anyone who already has the classic works of Discharge has pretty much heard every riff on this album (and heard them without the annoying repetition and obnoxious production values). Many metalheads will be crying foul because this is a "punk" album. But the real crime isn't that DarkThrone released a punk album, but that they released the sort of terrible album that has been ubiquitous within the punk scene since the day someone figured out you could sell three chords and irony as if they alone constitute a sufficient reason to be.

Screwing the fans yet again... - 50%
invaders, June 6th, 2008

Why the hell have Iron Maiden released another "Best of..."?
They obviously don't need the money. They have legions of fans that know the back catalogue like the back of there hands, and now that Maiden are very popular with the younger generation of metal fans, they will obviously have most if not all of their albums anyways.

Now, the CD itself.
It's not that the songs on this album are crap, far from it, the songs are excellent. It's just the fact that we have heard them many times already.
Nearly every song within this "Best of..." have been on the other "Best of..." releases.
Why couldn't they add some of the band's better songs, instead of just the singles.
Where is Caught Somewhere in Time, Powerslave, or Die With Your Boots On etc... songs that die-hard fans love and continue to hold up in high regard.

The ideal "Best of..." would have been:

1: Caught Somewhere in Time
2: Die with Your Boots On
3: Children of the Damned
4: Phantom of the Opera
5: Moonchild
6: Total Eclipse
7: PowerSlave
8: Remember Tomorrow
9: Murders in the Rue Morgue
10: Still Life
11: Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The only reason I gave this album 50% was because of the fact I am a Maiden fanatic and bought both the CD and double picture disc.

Hopefully, this will be the last "Best of..." from Maiden.
Why the hell can't they just release and album a year or two, just like the good ol' days.

KICKASS!!!!! - 95%
Decapitated22, August 22nd, 2006

Well man, they really hit the nail on the head with this one. While Benediction have always been a solid Death Metal band, they didn't really have a record that truly set them apart until right now. Grind Bastard is a thick slice of Death/Thrash that makes most of the Malevolent Creation copies look like shit.

They didn't experiment too much with this album, which, on this occasion, is a ood thing. Each songs follows a similar pattern but manages to not get boring. That is because each track has a catchy as hell main riff that will have your head goin in no time. Really, the main thing here is the riffs. Awesome. Solid. Heavy. Done.

Add to that a drummer who keeps it all movin with some driving fuckin beats that groove perfectly with a music and flawless production and you have one hell of a disc.

If you are a fan of Death or Thrash at all and you come across this, dont fuck yourself... BUY IT! you won't regret it.

As a sidenote, the vocalist really sounds like Barney Greenway.

Ulcerate seems to have sparked a new movement of albums that spend time between blasting sheer dissonance and taking breaks for slow gloom that could draw comparisons to the metalgaze of Isis. So far those the bands putting out such albums have had a style that fits in with Ulcerate without Ulcerate actually being a direct influence, but it seems that Departe have decided to cop Ulcerate outright and put their own take on it. Considering there aren't any Ulcerate clone bands out until now (that I know of) this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

While the high end, piercing dissonance, distant death growls and shifts between blasting and depressive glass dragging are taken straight from Ulcerate, there's some simple, obvious additions that make a big difference. "Failure, Subside" spends a lot more time in the slow, isolated atmosphere than they do at blast speeds, and they add more shimmering guitars in between the dissonance, getting them closer to the metalgaze style of Isis. There's always some white noise in the background like a jagged wind, which adds to the loneliness. Between the mostly growled barks and raspy spitting in the distance are clean sung vocals, which also add a different take on the depressive aura.

As much as "Failure, Subside" should take a beating for outright copying Ulcerate, the emotional execution is there, and the end result is an album that sounds like Ulcerate experimenting in a new direction.

This review was originally posted at Cvlt Legion - https://www.facebook.com/17433735792445 ... =3&theater

way too much - 50%
ironasinmaiden, February 23rd, 2003

Ever since Pig Destroyer hit the big time, an influx of over the top grind bands came out of the woodwork.... Regurgitate are one such group of individuals. Ok, I'll admit the whole angry penis gag is pretty fuckin funny. Unfortunately, Regurgitate lack that ever-so important element... COHERENCE. "Carnivorous Erection" is a fucking mess. Grind ain't meant to be pretty but at least Napalm and Repulsion had good riffs and songs. These tracks go through one ear and painfully emerge from the other. Multiply that by 38 and it's sheer fucking torture

"Breath Like Rotten Meat" has a decent groove... um... the first song was cool. Musicwise, just really noisy grind-by-numbers, nothing new, nothing special, nothing good. Regurgitate = plain shock value... a part of that irritating trend where the song titles and cover art take precedence over the music. Skip it

Primitive Behaviour release - 50%
sored, September 22nd, 2004

Tanatron members worked a lot for this album, althoug their work had not the really repercusion the it needs. A strong Death/Thrash metal played on its harder enforced in the tracks Spilling Blood and To Eat His Flesh, remembering past of many bands like Morbig Angel and also Sepultura. In the track Aerial Revenge they play a variant Death metal with strong riffs, even in the track The Power To Judge, guitarrist Nynrod Weber destruct its guitar, in powerful riffs and solos.
But that´s not everything perfect in the world, the poor recording prejudicates the work of the veteran band. It is better live than in the album. Good band at all, just needs a better recorder.

Extremely Mediocre - 50%
Sokaris, February 6th, 2007
Former Sacred Reich guitarist Wiley Arnett has resurfaced in the metal world with The Human Condition, a kind of bare-bones, four-piece, rock metal band. Chances are, some Sacred Reich fans might be into this, but THC isn't quite as aggressive as Arnett's former band. Rather, on their debut offering (in the form of a short four-song EP) they exhibit a slightly more "bar band" quality. Unfortunately this tends to dull the songs a bit, and little stands out. The solos are excellent, but always seem to come at predictable times. Overall, though executed with a lot of passion, The Human Condition lacks a strong identity. With Arnett's technical prowess and skill, and the ambition that these four obviously exhibit, it won't take too much for them to put out a hell of a full length when the time comes. However, until then, there's definitely room for improvement

Decent but of quite bad sound quality - 50%
deathtoto, August 15th, 2006
A Funeral Doom band coming from the warm and sunny United Arab Emirates - Dubai to be more precise - is not something that you come across everyday, but it exists: Tragedian, now known as Qabr, is composed of 3 Arabs. The 2-track demo The Malediction Of Manifestation is their only release to date.

However, there is not much exotic about this demo: The music is Funeral Doom / Death with a few blast beats outbursts à la diSEMBOWELMENT, some Ambient parts and vocals like on Bethlehem's Dictius Te Necare. There is not much else to be said, apart that the CD is of quite bad quality: it sounds as if 128 kbit/s mp3 songs had been burnt on CD... True or not, the fact is that the frequencies above 15 kHz are missing (I tested this; for information, a real audio CD plays is capable of frequencies of over 20 kHz), and this is rather unpleasant when listening to the tracks with full attention.

The Malediction Of Manifestation is nothing really new, but for a first release it is decent. I just hope that next time we will be able to hear a CD with REAL CD quality.

Originally written for http://www.adnihilum.co.nr

Yea....2004 ain't gettin' any better than this... - 96%
ThePiercedSpirit, June 30th, 2004

Listen to what Nate says...he knows what he is talking about.

So I'm sitting one my laptop one day...chatting Doom with some folks...when Nate here says...."Have you heard Witchcraft yet?". I say..."No man, I haven't." Then he says..."He'd over to Hellride...Chris has an mp3 up." And then I said..."Alright, I shall do it immediately without hesitation." Well to cut to the chase...I went and listened to The Snake...only to be sucked in right then and there into the pyschedelic soundscape that is...Witchcraft.

The thing about this band that really gets me is the focus. These guys know what there sound is...rarely does a band seem to tight and together on a first release as these guys. Every song fits perfectly together as if part of a musical puzzle...yet every song has its own distinct character that sets it safely apart from any other of the 11 tracks.

Witchcraft is heavily influenced by the Pentagram sound for sure...and the others as Nate mentioned...but something else about them is truely original...one of those great things that you can't distinguish...but keeps you coming back for more..and more and more.

I guess the main thing I can do is sum up there sound now. First off, you must know this was recorded in a basement...how professionally I'm not sure...but it isn't far off from JPT Scare Bands recording quality...just more controlled...a bit like old Pentagram...but on more LSD for sure. The vocals are a little bit fuzzy...but very clear and easy to understand...just enough to add a wonderful effect on the music. The guitar tone is a warm little light distortion...but just enough to execute a monster riff when needed. A perfect mix of the instruments are well. The vocals though are beautiful, haunting, and very well executed. If you are a true fan of any Traditional Doom, Psych, Old School Metal, or shit that isn't your run of the mill boring ass uninspired Metal...then please do yourself a favor and get this album.

Sorry if this review sucks and or is too long...I kind of got sidetracked I forgot where I was going with it. Anways...Witchcraft...album of the year 2004...gonna be hard to out do this one.

Not enough - 50%
Vinilik666, March 7th, 2005

Unfortunately the soundquality of this demo is really poor, This stuff will not help the band to find a label or anything like that. You can clearly hear the infleunces of Pantera, Metallica and stuff like that.... the band is still searching for their own identity. The live track is really Bad, tons of mistakes and the soundquality is horrible(you can't understand if the band is playing thrash or grind/noise).
The band should find the money to record something good, this stuff is only of true super-underground maniacs.

THRASH METAL!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 90%
Vinilik666, March 8th, 2005

AMAZING Stuff here!!! I loved this cd since the 1st time I listened to it.
Rigor Mortis plays old school thrash metal with ultra/raw Vocals and minimalistic (but effective) drums and bass. Nothing new but If you like stuff like Sodom, Kreator and european style thrash you should appreciate this work....also they have some influence in "The Haunted "style.
This cd has only 1 bad thing....it's too short.
I hope they'll release something soon.... they can release some masterpiece of the Japanese underground thrash metal.

CATASTROPHIC - The Cleansing - 65%
Skyklad, July 21st, 2002

CATASTROPHIC - The Cleansing (Metal Blade~2001)
After hearing that Trevor Peres was in this new band I went to my nearest store and sampled some of their debut album "The Cleansing". Sure enough when I heard the first song I immediately whipped the headphones off and headed to the check out. This is an aggressive wall of sound that doesn´t show signs of relenting until the last track is spent. It´s a CATASTROPHIC, thundering package of sludgy Death Metal that features the awesome guitarwork of Peres and rather generic death growls. The guitar style is very much the same as on "World Demise" and the drawback is that it is nothing new and has been done before. Not much more can be said except that for nostalgic reasons this is a CD that you might want to purchase if you are/were big into OBITUARY.
-Cheryl

Half and Half - 50%
Skyklad, October 28th, 2002

I had to listen to this CD a lot to get it to sink in. It´s got such uniquities and twists and turns that it´s quite a chunk of Metal to digest. Some parts are really good while others just reach such a strange, almost chaotic level that I can´t get into it. There is a such thing as overdoing technicality and these guys tread the line. The vocalist should stick to the more growling kind of vocals because when he veers off into cleaner they´re off key and detract from the song. Overall they could definitely use some improvement in the vocal area, especially when it comes to the attempt at clean vocals. For the most part they hold stuff together well and musicianshipwise they are competant. They also manage to have some keyboards in there but they use them sparingly and effectively add atmosphere to some well constructed songs. The production holds it´s own. Website: http://www.handofdoom.it.

Lacks that special something... - 50%
Skyklad, October 28th, 2002

ARWEN are a Spanish band made up of 8 (!) members who play extremely symphonic, "happy" Power / Progressive Metal with an abundance of melodies and choruses reminding me of Classic Rock (QUEEN or KANSAS for example). Fans of FREEDOM CALL, RHAPSODY or the aforementioned bands would probably find something of interest here. I´ve never been a huge fan of overly happy and flowery stuff like this so it doesn´t do much for me. It lacks that special something that makes me sit up and take notice. Makes for pleasant background music but that´s about it.

Death N Roll ! - 80%
Skyklad, April 29th, 2003

Ah... that great old school sounding production ! Gotta love it ! Take a quick, hair flying ride through the true metal halls with WIZZARD and rest assured you'll be going home with a neckache ! These guys offer no bullshit, straightforward Heavy Metal with clear, death tinged vocals. The riffing is plump and full and I believe some sort of echo effect is used with the vocals as it sounds like the guy is in a large hall while singing (or could that have something to do with the production ??). Songs range from midpaced to fast and I'd definitely say this album IS 100% Metal ! If you are ready for some Death N Roll then look no further than WIZZARD (that is of course you cringe at something that has a raw production).

Sure to satiate the hunger of Death Metallers... - 84%
Skyklad, April 1st, 2003

KRABATHOR, featuring the well known Paul Speckmann (MASTER), are one of the oldest and most well known bands to come out of Czechia as far as the realms of Death Metal are concerned. This newest offering is yet another heavy hitting slab of brutality and face smashing aggressiveness. With gritty and powerful riffing, precision drumming, technical soloing and vicious, snarling growls this is sure to please the Death Metal fanatics worldwide. Not only does it have great production that still allows for the raw emotion to bleed through but it also has great variety in tempos, some times having all out speed and others slowing it down a bit to allow the crunchy riffing to sink in further. A great release that I am very pleased with.

Utter blasphemy - 100%
Hellegion, February 10th, 2003
PERFECT. This is the best 7" I have purchased in a while. I waited in anticipation since the day I heard about this release, and I was sure that I was going to order a red version (limited to only 100?!). So the day I heard it was out, sent my cash to Metal War, and sure enough a couple days later it arrived, #7/100. I popped this thing on my turntable and melted into a pile on my floor; this is great! The riffs are the type that stick in your head for weeks, and are pretty similiar to old Profanatica, while being a little more black metal instead of the usual black metal with death meal touches. The vocals are better than ever, being more similiar to later old Profanatica and Havohej.The cover, while being Photoshopped, is extremely cool, and ultra-profane. Pick this thing up, blood red vinyl versions may still be lying around in some little distro somewhere.

Travesty - 4%
Stien_Says_Hi, June 25th, 2005

Everyone saw this coming.

When Midian came out, everyone knew that the end was near. This CD was the final nail of faith Cradle could twist out of their fans, per se.

"Bitter Suites to Succubi" screams "cash-in" of the worst, most mallgoth kind.

Firstly, I must point out the cover artwork is beautiful, and is one of the best marketing ploys ever. It leads you to think this is something demonic but beautiful, akin to Midian, maybe. But it's false advertising at it's best.

The CD contains the unnecassary re-recordings of some songs they did that were actually good, and are now shitty on this CD, due to poor drumming, much MUCH WORSE vocals, and boring guitars. It's all quite sad and disappointing.

And it gets worse.

The CD opens with a fairly decent, ominous keyboard track that again wants you to believe this will be like Midian.

Then comes "All Hope in Eclipse".
Listening to this song is similar to watching a baby calf slowly murdered. It's truly the essence of black metal being suffocated by the almighty dollar. The tremlo picking is decent but drowned by annoying screams and pointless keyboards. It get's waaaaaaaay boring with this two or three minute keyboard interlude that goes nowhere. In a word-- Filler.

"Born in a Burial Gown" is making fun of you, the Cradle of Filth fan with it's ridiculous lyrics and even dumber vocal work, similar to elven rapping. It's very annoying, but the Chorus is acceptable. This song may be the first to be on your "skip" list for this CD.

There is a cover of Sisters of Mercy's "No Time To Cry". In the past, Cradle have ruined tracks by Anathema, and even Sabbat, but this is their most profound blasphemy to date. It doesn't even sound like Cradle of Filth, maybe a depressed Therion. Laaaaaame.

"Suicide and Other Comforts" is not so bad. It's somewhat catchy without being annoying, but Dani Filth's moronic vocals ruin the song. I'd say this has the best keyboard work of any song here, but it's all very very long. (I.E. 7 minutes)

"Dinner at Deviant's Palace" is utter shit. More weird, almost laughable vocals, and meandering keyboards while someone mutters backwards.

"Scorched Earth Erotica" is the reason this has a 4. It is one of the best songs they have ever made. It doesn't belong here, but it is a good way to close out the high point in their career.

You may also get the version of this CD with the video for Born in a Burial Gown. Don't bother. It's one of the stupidest wastes of time ever shitten.

CoF-- R.I.P.

I've heard this before. - 4%
asphyXy, February 22nd, 2004

If you've heard one melodic death metal band from Sweden, you've heard them all. This is absurdy generic. It's as though they want to be ridiculed for being unoriginal. This sounds just like Black Dahlia Murder, Clone, Within Y, etc, etc, etc.

Melodic death metal used to be a rarity. To pull it off successfully used to be a great feat. Thanks to In Flames [Colony], Soilwork [Natural Born Chaos], and At The Gates [Slaughter of the Soul] simplifying their music, everyone out there can copy the formula they used.

Some bands that copy that formula can produce quality music if they at least try to sound original, though. Beneath does not. This band should give all of their writing credits to Anders Bjorler, because they don't have an ounce of creativity.

Great celtic folk metal from France - 97%
Andrzej, November 28th, 2003

This is Celtic Folk metal from France, and they've really got it right! Comparisons could be made to bands like early Cruachan and Waylander, but this is often more brutal than both of those bands. Aes Dana also incorporates many softer sections with tin whistle and pipes and such. Great vocals too. The pick of the lot is Les Chants de Brennos. It starts as some sort of an ancient war march, then changes to an all-out assault with a tin-whistle melody in the background. Later there is a great mid-paced part introduced by an accoustic guitar. The band members also have cool names, like Juan Jolocaust

Disastrous - 1%
3415, November 29th, 2004

This album is almost certainly one of the worst ever recorded. It tries to be a brutal death/grind record, but fails miserably in all aspects. There is no trace of brutality on this record, the drumming is all over the place (in the most negative way you can think of) and one wonders whether the musicians were even in the same country at the time of recording.

The sound is basically the one of three musicians playing three different songs at the same time(sometimes), with the same degree of success(none whatsoever). The "vocals" are not decipherable, and it´s impossible to tell if there is any bass guitar played on this recording. The guitars, however, are audible, they sound like a wet blanket slowly being squeezed into your ears.

The person who signed this band certainly was out of his mind at the time, or perhaps he was just trying to make this world a sadder place to live in.

Way Ahead Of Time - 95%
peterott, May 7th, 2004

This is the most extreme, chaotic DeathBlack music ever recorded !!!
Formed in the early 80es, Parabellum wrote the music which is on this record already in 1984, but it was not recorded before 1987.
The simplicity and brutality of the sound makes a joke of every wannabe-Black Metal from today. This is pure evil and madness.
Maybe this band was ahead of its time for more than 10 years. Consider: When Hellhammer (1982) and Poison/Germany (1982) were founded, they were considered as the heaviest bands at that time and as the fouders of Black Metal. Parabellum has not only to be included here, but they really were 10 times more brutal than any other existing band at that time.

The record exists in 3 different versions:
* with the first pressing, the cover had the pics of the members and the vinyl is the thickest pressing. Released by Disco Fuentes Rec.
* on the second one, the cover has a big M, the vinyl is smaller and the sound quality is kept, this one says Metal Hecho En Medellin Rec. on the cover. My cover is not big enough for the LP, which is hanging out of the cover on 1cm of the right edge
* the third and the worst, the pressing was made over used records, sound is crap, the cover has inverted colors

If you find any of these pressing betwen $50 and $100, then get it under all circumstances. Information about quantities vary from 500 to 1000 for all 3 pressings together.

"Mountains in sorrow" is the debut album of Moria, released in 2003. This album includes the whole Moria's demo - "Turning of the Sorrow", "Raventhrone" and "Blood Red Harvest", and the new songs - "The Dawn is Crimson" and "Into the Crest of Thy Mountain", the best track in the album in my oppinion.

"Turning of the Sorrow" (the track), is the intro for the album. I has really good melody, and it's very well composed.

"The Dawn is Crimson", one of the new tracks in this album, it's very melodic with great drums, drums, guitars and keyboards . With it's guitars and keyboards, it builds unique style of the band. The vocals and clean vocals are very good and well inscribed into the music.

"Into the Crest of Thy Mountain" begans with great guitar intro(played by Khan Kubrat), the drums are fast and variety, the keyboards inscribe great atmosphere and the great harsh and clean vocals complete the whole song with great lyrics.

"Raventhrone", it's taken from the demo "Turning of the Sorrow", it has good guitar intro, really nice atmosphere, lend by the drums, keyboards and vocals.

"Blood Red Harvest" is very good song, unfortunately we havent heard it played on live, and may be we wont ever hear it, it has very good vocals, again clean and harsh, great guitars and of course great drums.

Khan Kubrat(guitars)'s very ambitious, great guitar and keyboard player with a lot of ideas and creations.
Werwolf(vocals) is one of the best vocals in Bulgaria.
Killerbass(bass) did great job in this album, but he was replaced by Victor, witch is good bassist too.
The drums in this album were programmed.

Pain has never sound so good! - 100%
Legitimate, March 13th, 2007

This album is truly a masterpiece. If not much of a Funeral Doom listener, this album might appear a bit too hard to swallow, at first. The dark and mysterious atmosphere of this album is almost hypnotizing. The drums and guitars are very straightforward, but it adds on to the rawness of the production. The screeches are loud and powerful almost painful, again adding to the dark atmosphere.
The album starts out with “Epejumalat Monet Tesse Muinen…” which is a 30 minute track. Church bells are heard in the beginning and than at around 2:25 the slow and heavy drums and guitars kick in along with screeches which continues on, until about 16:50 where it changes its pace and becomes slightly heavier. Eventually it gets back to its original pace at around 26:01 and follows through. The track ends with the church bells, which it began with in the beginning.
The next track, “Tomb of the Ancient King,” just starts out powerful with the drums coming in first than the vocals and guitars. It changes it’s pace at around 6:27, picking up the speed just a little bit in the drumming, than goes back at around 7:20 to it’s original pace. The vocals are very prominent, along with the drumming and towards the end it emulates that of a heart beat. One can really feel the hate, ugliness and the evilness that the band portrays very well in this track.
Than the album ends with “Return of the Ice Age and the Tortyrant,” and once again very moving atmospheric track. The track goes on just like the other two -- powerful heavy guitar stringing and drumming with a touch of deep and heavy vocals.
If you’re looking for soul crushing Doom, this is the band for you. However, it is an acquired taste, therefore, may take a few listens before one can actually appreciate it. Though the drumming and guitaring are very simplistic, it is combined and done very well. Fans of this kind of music should definitely check out Senthil, another Funeral Doom act, which is very similar to Wormphlegm.

Suffocating torture and evil. - 99%
Bart, July 22nd, 2008

"Tomb of the Ancient King" by Wormphlegm literally takes no prisoners. It's has to be one of the most evil, torturous and suffocating funeral doom records I have ever heard. The stench of death and decay reeks from this hideous album. This insane soundtrack to hellish torture and butchery contains only three compositions. The opening track "Epejumalat Monet Tesse Muinen Palveltin Caucan Ja Lesse" is a 30 minutes long sonic nightmare with incredibly heavy guitar riffing, powerful sound and truly unsettling mood. I can tell the same about two following shorter tracks "Tomb of the Ancient King" and "Return of the Ice Age and the Tortyrant". One thing needs to be mentioned: absolutely nerve-wracking and repulsive vocals by Maggotworm Incinerator Abscess and Grubgorge Pestilent Diarrhoeator. Agonizing shrieks of torture and deep growls sounding like the echo from bottomless well. They bring fear and misery, they bring utter devastation of psyche. As an avid funeral doom enthusiast I'm always looking for the most painful and depressing musical acts and Wormphlegm easily tops them all. Can't wait for the new album of those two Finnish gentlemen... Bring me more sonic torture and pain, please!

Favourite tracks: all three, but I listen to "Return of the Ice Age and the Tortyrant" most often.

Ugh.. - 0%
InfernalWrath, May 9th, 2008

Wow. I am one of the lucky people who managed to get a hold of this tape limited to 66 copies, and all I can say is thank fuck that there was only 100 copies made. This is some of the worst "black metal" ever created. It would seem that Pestilential Shadows has influenced a great deal of black metal bands coming out of Australia these days, including this one. Unfortunately the legions of these clones compare only aesthetically. And even then do a poor job.

Onto the actual sound. Well, the sound in the standard black metal fare, nothing new here. Decent production, underground as expected, typical riffs, typical singing, typical drums. Nothing new to note but nothing that stands out either.

Basically, if you are a fan of teenagers that want to act grim and wear corpse paint, whilst pretending and wishing they were in Abruptum, this is for you. In any other case I urge you to stay as far back as you can from this stinking pile of shit. This should only be picked in order to satisfy the hunger of your humour.

Overrated - 10%
WilliamAcerfeltd, November 14th, 2006

Firstly let's get one thing straight. This album is NOT black metal this is dark ambient and a rather uninspiring attempt at that. Dark ambient is supposed to invoke a sense of dread in the listener, this doesn't. In fact it's quite tiresome because it’s just so boring.

My main complaint about this album is its sheer mediocrity and repetitiveness. You can bet your bottom dollar that the repetitiveness degrades the album pure and simple. All the songs are basically the same, an intro using some random instrument, such as tuba, then repeating the same riff over and over again for about 2-3 minutes and finally adding some really dark and evil synths at the end of the song. Yep that’s about it, don't let the excitement kill you. When I first got this album (judging from the scores this album got) I was expecting a really intense, evil sounding masterpiece. What I got was a slow, boring album that literally goes nowhere.

This album is very weird. Sometimes you wish the song had have gone on for longer because you think the song is going somewhere. However, come to think of it now, even if the song had of been 20 minutes long, I doubt it would have had more variety, judging from the formula of this album. Other times, you wish the song would hurry up and finish because it's so fucking boring and repetitive. Clearly, little effort was put into this album. There is no variety in repeating the same riff over and over again and then whacking a synth on at the end to make it seem like there is some.

Another weird thing about this album is the vocals. Harsh whispering mixed with deep demonic sounding vocals? Hate to say it, but the vocals blow, they aren't evil sounding and they sure as shit don't invoke any sense of dread in me. I mean, the way the vocals are delivered they DON'T even sound convincing. They just sound like these guys did it in order to conform to the black metal style and to make a quick buck. I might have actually enjoyed this album a bit more, had he bothered to done the vocals properly, i.e. loudly...

Another bad thing about this album is how poorly constructed the songs are. Literally, the intro with random instruments seems totally irrelevant to the song because as soon as the intros over, you never hear from that instrument again. Also the synths are just slapped on at the end of each song. Good synths should be weaved into songs, not just put on the end of the song to make it seem like you've got variety.

On the brighter side of things, the atmosphere is there and atmosphere can make a good album a great album. However by no means can it make a good album on its own.

I honestly do know how this could be called black metal, let alone a masterpiece. What we have here, is very dull dark ambient. Perhaps if these guys had of added more variety, speeded their songs up a bit and done the vocals properly, I might have actually liked this album. However this album seems rushed and very insincere. All in all, this is a very poor attempt at a black metal album. There is hardly any creativity or anything interesting on this album. If you want to hear how this album SHOULD have been done, download Carpathian Forest's song, Speechless. It's got a lot of variety, has the dark atmosphere this album's got, the songs are better constructed and finally the song's actually good/interesting.

In closing, if you've got a lot of time and a lot of money on your hands give this a listen, otherwise, forget it because quite frankly this album stinks.