FESTER (Norway) A Celebration of Death CD review by http://www.norskmetal.net



By Pestifer

Fester returns here after 18 years in hibernation with bright album "A Celebration of Death."

Although the album sounds quite different from its predecessors as it sounds still attached. It is a dark, heavy and grim mixture of black and death metal in the familiar style hitches. There are basically mid-tempo with lots of cool guitar riffs and ultra grim vocals sound perfect dress. In addition, they have been joined by Audun Kleive on session drums. Audun is a fairly well recognized Norwegian jazz drummer who has little or no experience in the metal as it has done its course this sounds a bit different and original. Mortiis has also contributed a remix of the opening song, "Rites of Ceres."

Sonically they could "A Celebration of Death" as well have come out in the 90s. They have managed to keep the mood that you had to listen to black metal for 15-20 years ago and I've missed a bit in recent years. Can the highlight, "I'll Hunt You Down", "metalized" and "I spit on you" as personal favorites on the album.

All in all a thoroughly good album which I expect will get much attention in the future. Oh so we hope that it does not turn 18 until the next album comes out.

Rating: 5/6

This review was originally written in Norwegian and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in Norwegian click the link below.

Review link: http://www.norskmetal.net/fester-a-cele ... nmeldelse/

"A Celebration of Death" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Fester links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/festernorway

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fester/204292849614033

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/festernorwaybm

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Fester



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-Order FESTER "A Celebration of Death" CD and to purchase FESTER merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... rds=fester

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMGYQO2CjI or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xc7tab9jvs

To preview a song from FESTER "Silence" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hiTvtM5hoY or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSQoaAzGpQ

And to preview a song from FESTER "Winter of Sin" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKH4_MK_6DI

FAUST (Italy) From Glory to Infinity DIGI CD review by http://www.metalcrypt.com



By Sargon the Terrible

The brainchild of Aleister, former touring guitarist for Ancient, Faust released an EP wayyy back in 2001 that got some good press, and this is their debut album, released after 17 years in existence, From Glory To Infinity. I have never heard their EP, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as I know this band is considered rather technical, and does in fact feature bass legend Steve DiGiorgio as a session member.
The first thing that struck me about this was the degree of melody to be found. I was expecting something very busy and technical, which it is, but this is not as brutal as I expected, and has a lot of hooks. In places it is a little too melodic, and seems at odds with the guttural vocals and blasting drum work, as on "Golden Wine Countess". But overall the riffs are solid, and while the guitar sound is a bit restrained, that's obviously so the bass can be heard, as if you have Steve freaking DiGiorgio, you don't want to waste him. The leads are pretty damned good, though they are mixed a bit louder than I would like. Overall this is an entertaining disc of techy Death Metal, obviously influenced by the jazzy stylings of Cynic and Atheist, but not as wanky and busy as that would imply. High-speed drumming keeps the energy level up, and despite that this features many elements I am suspicious of, I enjoy this album. Worthy.

Review link: http://www.metalcrypt.com/pages/review.php?revid=5321



Faust links:

Official Website: http://www.deathmetal.it/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/faustband2

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/faustpgd

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/faust

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Faust



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase FAUST - From Glory to Infinity DIGI CD and other FAUST merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... ords=faust

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZvXttcLtj0

ITEM OF THE DAY


GEHENNA - MALICE (OUR THIRD SPELL) CD - $15.00 + S/H



1. She Who Loves the Flames
2. Made to Suffer
3. Touched and Left for Dead
4. Bleeding the Blue Flame
5. Manifestation
6. Ad Arma Ad Arma
7. The Pentagram
8. Malice
9. The Word Became Flesh
10. Before the Seventh Moon

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... ts_id=9733

Desultor - Master Of Hate - Interesting ...



"Master of Hate" is an interesting album, which is split into two chapters. Both halves of the album are split by an ambient passage, marked accordingly. When you hear the opening ambience you are not ready for what is going to come next.

"Master Of Hate" then explodes into “Black Monday” and then reveals the true direction of this album, which is an incredibly interesting one. “Black Monday” has an explosively brutal intro, and then you hear the vocal style, and your left scratching your head. The vocals are a mix between more harsh death metal style vocals, not guttural; then switch to a clean epic style. This was a total curveball. At first you are taken aback by it, and not sure what to feel about it, but as you progress through the album you will then come to really enjoy them. The songs musically are brutal, with the double kicks and the heavy alternate picked riffs, and they range from mid tempo to slower and more melodic. During “Division Insane” you are even treated to a short but well written ambient type passage. This shows the diversity in this album.

"Master of Hate" is a proper musical journey. One on hand you have the death metal side of things, then you get some progressive elements, and then thrown on top of all that; you get the clean vocals. It can’t be stressed enough that this is a diverse album.

Usually albums like this can go utterly wrong, and turn out to be a complete failure; this was anything but. The guitar work was fantastic, and the riffs were well written, and even though the alternate picked riffs were used very often, they were used in bursts and never seemed to get boring or over used which was surprising.

The songs are formulaic, they start chaotic, then slow down into a alternate picked riff, then in come the vocals, and then there’s the melodic parts, and to round it all off; the monster choruses. Desultor doesn’t stray from this throughout the whole album. This formula works well for them, and again; it was surprising that such a formulaic album was such a treat to listen too.

Overall this album will not be something you like right off the bat, you will have to really sit down and digest it, but once you do; you will come to love it. What’s not to like? Well written riffs, fantastically executed vocals, and a few ambient passages to then further the spacey atmosphere this album contains. So go out and buy this album, turn it up loud, and lock your door and digest this interesting slab of extreme metal. You will come to love it.

Fritz gives



8.5/10.

http://www.axisofmetal.com/2012/03/desu ... sting.html

DESULTOR (Sweden) "Masters of Hate" CD review by http://www.axisofmetal.com



By Fritz

"Master of Hate" is an interesting album, which is split into two chapters. Both halves of the album are split by an ambient passage, marked accordingly. When you hear the opening ambience you are not ready for what is going to come next.

"Master Of Hate" then explodes into “Black Monday” and then reveals the true direction of this album, which is an incredibly interesting one. “Black Monday” has an explosively brutal intro, and then you hear the vocal style, and your left scratching your head. The vocals are a mix between more harsh death metal style vocals, not guttural; then switch to a clean epic style. This was a total curveball. At first you are taken aback by it, and not sure what to feel about it, but as you progress through the album you will then come to really enjoy them. The songs musically are brutal, with the double kicks and the heavy alternate picked riffs, and they range from mid tempo to slower and more melodic. During “Division Insane” you are even treated to a short but well written ambient type passage. This shows the diversity in this album.

"Master of Hate" is a proper musical journey. One on hand you have the death metal side of things, then you get some progressive elements, and then thrown on top of all that; you get the clean vocals. It can’t be stressed enough that this is a diverse album.

Usually albums like this can go utterly wrong, and turn out to be a complete failure; this was anything but. The guitar work was fantastic, and the riffs were well written, and even though the alternate picked riffs were used very often, they were used in bursts and never seemed to get boring or over used which was surprising.

The songs are formulaic, they start chaotic, then slow down into a alternate picked riff, then in come the vocals, and then there’s the melodic parts, and to round it all off; the monster choruses. Desultor doesn’t stray from this throughout the whole album. This formula works well for them, and again; it was surprising that such a formulaic album was such a treat to listen too.

Overall this album will not be something you like right off the bat, you will have to really sit down and digest it, but once you do; you will come to love it. What’s not to like? Well written riffs, fantastically executed vocals, and a few ambient passages to then further the spacey atmosphere this album contains. So go out and buy this album, turn it up loud, and lock your door and digest this interesting slab of extreme metal. You will come to love it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Review link: http://www.axisofmetal.com/2012/03/desu ... sting.html

"Masters of Hate" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Desultor links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/desultorsweden

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/desultor

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Desultor



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-order DESULTOR "Masters of Hate" CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12132

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12_Nqi9XLc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st0WoXijb8s or http://www.youtube.com/?watch?v=H3JRdDRyehQ

DIE HARD (Sweden) Evil Always Return / Emissaries of the Reaper DIGI CD review by http://www.canadianassault.com



By Patrick

Die Hard are a great Swedish band playing metal the way it should be played dirty, aggressive old-school death/thrash. Fast, raw guitar riffs, fast drumming pounding is amazing and well done. Gruff growls and blackened screeches spew out the lyrics. Die Hard are definitely fanatics of the old-school sound and I must say they play it with it a lot of aggression and passion. In an endless sea of bands who play old-school metal nowadays Die Hard are definitely at the top of the list of greats that will still be standing tall once the trend has passed and all the posers are either gone or crushed by the true metal warriors of the underground scene. Definitely a band for fans of old-school, raw aggressive death/thrash will enjoy this band and their releases.

Review link: http://www.canadianassault.com/albumrev ... ml#diehard



Die Hard links:

Website: http://www.diehard.se/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/diehardthrash

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Die-Hard/148666655155328

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/diehard

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Die+Hard



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase DIE HARD - Evil Always Return / Emissaries of the Reaper CD and other DIE HARD merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... s=die+hard

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWxOGt_zEqY

ITEM OF THE DAY


FESTER - A CELEBRATION OF DEATH T-SHIRT (M - XXL) - $15.00 + S/H

FRONT:

BACK:

LEFT SLEEVE:


To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... ster+death

DESULTOR (Sweden) "Masters of Hate" CD review by battlehelm



By Shan

Holy f–k, how fast is this album!?! With names like Mack Murder (Guitar & vocals) and Ragnar Rage (Bass), odd man out is drummer Michael Ibrahim and its little wonder he’s drumming so fast – just to get away from the other two I imagine cos they call this Murder Metal LOL!!! This is an album of contrasts characterized by hyper speed technical death riffing mixing melodic virtuoso soloing, Halford-esque vocals that combine soulful with death with screaming – and of course, that aforementioned relentless double bass precision drumming. Even weirder are the songs themselves, like ‘Black Monday’, ‘Division Insane’ or ‘The Luxury Of Pain’, which times are ambient or melodic, yet with this underlying brutality that somehow Desultor pull off, just like their ancient ancestors from which their name derives, that of a skilled charioteer who would leap between galloping horses! An awesome album and musical accomplishment, this is extreme metal supreme bar none!

Review link: http://battlehelm.com/?p=3931

"Masters of Hate" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Desultor links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/desultorsweden

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/desultor

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Desultor



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-order DESULTOR "Masters of Hate" CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12132

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12_Nqi9XLc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st0WoXijb8s or http://www.youtube.com/?watch?v=H3JRdDRyehQ

ENTRENCH (Sweden) Inevitable Decay CD review by http://www.canadianassault.com



By Patrick

Entrench from Sweden play violent "classic" thrash metal. The band seems to be influenced mostly by the early German gods of yesterday. The musicians of Entrench have a lot of good musical ideas to keep the music both fresh and memorable while keeping the pure thrash sound and attack alive within Entrench's songs. Chaotic fast guitars that while being played at insane speeds also have some complex structures and solo's that are pulled off flawlessly. It seems their are a lot of thrash metal bands coming out of nowhere in the scene but Entrench have a lot of great ideas added within their thrash that makes this band definitely one to stand out and above the endless sea of others currently flooding the scene. Fans of intense, raging thrash definitely get a hold of Entrench's Inevitable Decay today!!

Review link: http://www.canadianassault.com/albumrev ... l#entrench




Entrench links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/entrench

Revebnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/entrench

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Entrench



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase ENTRENCH "Inevitable Decay" CD and other ENTRENCH merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... s=entrench

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jux9aM8W0SU

ITEM OF THE DAY


ZYKLON-B - BLOOD MUST BE SHED (RE-ISSUE) CD EP - $10.00 + S/H



1. Mental Orgasm
2. Bloodsoil
3. Warfare
BONUS TRACK:
4. Total Warfare (Sea Serpent Remix)

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... ts_id=2424

DESULTOR (Sweden) "Masters of Hate" CD review by defecationonthedivine



By Born Without an Anus

Right from the start this album is simply obliterating!!! I guess the best way to go about describing the Desultor sound would be to say that it’s the current dark and melodic prog metal brutality of Helstar with some crushing death metal weight in the riffs, hints of thrash neck snapper rhythms, and a scorching breath of black metal. The vocals are clean and more traditional metal than extreme, but thankfully not of the Euro power metal vain. Desultor really defies definition, songs like “Denied” remind me a bit of recent Hirax with the clean vocals that still carry an attitude and a bit of gruffness before belting out some solid highs. The rhythm is solid thrash and has a definitive assault to knock your block off, as the song literally forms a cyclone around you creating a vacuum in which you are inevitably consumed, even in the more melodic breaks between the bulldozing.
“Division Insane” is another blatant assault to the senses and also has enough catchy phrases that gets inside your subconscious and haunts your mind for some time to come. Amidst the continual pummeling drums and battering ram riffing there is still time to throw in a sinister and majestic lead to hail Hell.
My standout track is “Another World” though, for some reason the melodic death pulse really gets my adrenaline raging and blood surging through my veins like being set on fire, but it’s the epic melodic vocal delivery of the “When you come to this….you will see….” lyrics that instantly makes my skin go cold and tingly like electric currents are running along the surface of my skin. “Another World” almost feels like it’s the soundtrack to the coming of some celestial being.
“And So We Bleed” somewhat follows the same melodic metal with slight prog leanings of “Another World”, especially in the vocal delivery and more of the epic and dark cosmic atmosphere screaming through like a bullet through the ears. The throttle of the rhythms throughout is like a speed train on warp drive coming right at you while you’re tied to the track.
Desultor seems to have this uncanny ability to craft brutality, melody, create these almost symphonic dynamical atmospheres, throw in some prog metal, into this concoction of everything that I love about metal across the spectrum that is just perfectly placed. Every rhythm is solid, many are addictive and manage to rewire your neural pathways in order to remain fixed in them so that you can always feel and recall them. The experience of listening to Desultor reminds me of that sensation I’d gotten when first hearing Arcturus’ Sideshow Symphonies, where the metal becomes physically moving and intense. I can’t even remember the last time a new metal album made me feel as alive as this one does and that statement is me writing a check that my ass can certainly cash as even amongst the great and energetic metal releases out there, Desultor just seems to disintegrate them in my opinion.

Review link: http://defecationonthedivineradio.blogs ... html#links

"Masters of Hate" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Desultor links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/desultorsweden

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/desultor

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Desultor



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-order DESULTOR "Masters of Hate" CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12132

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12_Nqi9XLc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st0WoXijb8s or http://www.youtube.com/?watch?v=H3JRdDRyehQ

MAAX (U.S.) "Unholy Rock & Roll" DIGI CD review by http://www.canadianassault.com



By Patrick

This is a band I have been hearing and seeing a lot about the last few months so I was eager to hear this cd when it arrived with the Abyss promo's. With a title like "unholy rock and roll" it shouldn't take a genius to figure out what style of music this band plays. Dirty, filthy old school blackened thrash with a lot of rock and roll influences especially with their catchy guitars. Hyper-speed yet very catchy and memorable guitar riffs and solo's intertwined with equally as catchy and fast paced drumming that keep the pace moving nicely and never lets it get boring or too slow. Vocals are a mix between blackened screams and outbursts of deeper growls. Maax are a band that know how to play and craft old-school sounding black metal and make it sound like sheer perfection. If you enjoy blackened thrash with rock influences look past all the posers and pick up Maax's unholy rock and roll today!!

Review link: http://www.canadianassault.com/albumrev ... .html#maax




Maax links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/maaxmetal

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/maaxmetal

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/maax

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Maax



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase MAAX - Unholy Rock & Roll DIGI CD and other Maax merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... words=maax

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYmZLEnfZ1o

To preview a song from their 2010 release "Six Pack Witchcraft" go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giNCctZobOE

and to preview a song from their debut album "Dawnbringer" go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uNDPFcYcdw

ITEM OF THE DAY


RIBSPREADER - KULT OF THE PNEUMATIC KILLROD (AND A COLLECTION OF RIBS) DOUBLE CD - $14.00 + S/H



To celebrate RIBSPREADER's 10 year anniversary the album comes as a double CD:
DISK I:
contains the brand new album "The Kult Of The Penumatic Killrod" 2012 (tracks 1-9), "Serenity In Obscenity" EP 2005 (tracks 10-15), "Vicar Mortis" EP 2006 (tracks 16-19) and "The Monolith" EP 2007(tracks 20-22).
DISK II:
contains "Bolted To The Cross" 2004 (tracks 1-8) album and the second album "Congerating The Sick" 2005 (tracks 9-17).

DISC 1:
1. Nocturnal Manslaughter
2. Hunted by the Dead (Haunted by the Living)
3. The Hegemony of the Hammer
4. Mallet Seductor
5. Flesh Psycho
6. Into the Filth
7. Macabre Kingdom
8. Enter the Megaflesh
9. Outro
10. Salvation (Never Came)
11. Only the Dread
12. Souldead
13. The Dead and the Lifeless
14. Still Suffering
15. Deathsong
16. Intro
17. The Day it All Ended
18. Knee-Deep In Death
19. Torn to Pieces
20. The Monolith
21. Trapped In Unhuman Flesh
22. Domes Of The Ancients

DISC 2:
1. Dead Forever
2. Beneath the Cenotaph
3. Heavenless
4. Hollow Beliefs
5. As You Bleed
6. Sole Sufferer
7. The Unblessed
8. Morbidity Awoken
9. Autopsy Obsessed
10. Morbid Reflections
11. Bleeding You Dry
12. Breeding Sickness
13. Dead to the World
14. Maggots (Fucking Maggots)
15. Worms Inside Your Coffin
16. Not Dead But Buried
17. The Crawling

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12144

SINCERA (Norway) Cursed and Proud DIGI CD review by metal-revolution



By Bato

Sincera was a phrase that the ancient Romans used to describe a statue that were so perfect that it didn’t have to be vaxed, to cover up all the cracks and splits. When I came across this name a couple of days ago, Sincera sounded as a female led Gothic band. Fortunately, it is a side project consisting of members from Norwegian Black & Death bands, Fester, Algol, Decipher and Psychotic Pain.

The quartet was founded in 2002 where the band started up as ‘Evening’, but changed their name, due to some line-up changes, to Sincera after a couple of years. Nine years later Sincera finally releases their first full-length recording entitled Cursed And Proud.

Cursed And Proud contains nine tracks in all; four studio tracks recorded in 2005, and four live tracks from a gig in 2006, and finally a bonus closing track “Byron Lawless”, made as an entrance song for the infamous Norwegian wrestler Byron Lawless. On this opus the band still plays a furious old-school metal, mixing old Rotting Christ, Fester, Dissection, Kreator and touches of Norwegian Death Metal in general. In other words; it is actually a vicious blend of several genres within the extreme metal. It is slow – yet fast, melodic – yet extreme, atmospheric – yet furious.

I particularly enjoyed ‘Live In The Essense…’ part where the guys successfully captured the essence of Sincera live. Thus, Cursed And Proud is definitely worth getting just for the sake of the live tracks included. The most diverse thing is the guitars, shifting from emotional and melancholic melodious riffs and aggressive black metal riffs.

Despite of a couple of flaws and awkward moments through the release, Cursed And Proud, with its crispy production, is a nice foretaste of what is to come from this extreme and brutal supergroup in the future.

Rating: 80/100

Review link: http://metal-revolution.com/plugins/con ... ntent.3871




Sincera links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sinceranorway

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/sincera

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Sincera



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase SINCERA - Cursed and Proud DIGI CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=11201

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxTCuFz_auk

The GARDNERZ (Sweden) "The System of Nature" DIGI CD review by metal-revolution



By Bato

The Gardnerz is a Wilhelm (Swedish) Doomy Death Metal band, formed in 2008, and now featuring guest soli by Thomas Ahlgren (Deranged) and Heber Hammer (Inner Sanctvm). The System Of Nature is this Swedish quartet’ debut album, containing 10 ordinary and two bonus tracks, namely a Vulcano “Bloody Vengeance” and Winter “Servants Of The Warsmen” covers.

The band relentlessly delivers one after another heavy riff with melodic distortion. The overall pace is slower than what I expected, where an obvious focus is on the melody, a technicality mixed with simplicity. The vocals of Niclas Ankarbranth are monotonous and repetitive, yet again fitting perfectly together with an overall image of the band.

The album is very varied and diverse and it works just perfectly for the band. Lyrically they deal with philosophical ideas of different kinds, but also random rants about the strange ways of man. Main topics are; the fallacies of religion, the rat-race of over-consuming, and the hypocrisy found in the writing of history etc.

The album is mastered by the legendary Dan Swanö at Unsound Studio in Sweden (Edge Of Sanity, Katatonia, Marduk, Opeth, Dark Funeral…). Thus the overall sound is mesmerizing and just the way a piece of a modern Doom/Death Metal should sound.
There’s still space for growing and evolving as artists for The Gardnerz, and with the latest arrival of Vedran ‘The Croatian Sensation’ Ben?i? the future looks bright for this combo. The System Of Nature is an interesting album that keeps on unfolding itself. The music is dynamic, imaginative, absorbing and straight-up-your-face. Clearly a great debut for all fans of Doomy Death Metal.

Rating: 76/100

Review link: http://metal-revolution.com/plugins/con ... ntent.3872




The Gardnerz links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thegardnerz

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thegardnerz

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/thegardnerz

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Gardnerz



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase The GARDNERZ (Sweden) "The System of Nature" DIGI CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=11199

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iXL-YXoWSk

ITEM OF THE DAY


BEHEMOTH - ...FROM THE PAGAN VASTLANDS CD - $14.00 + S/H



1. From Hornedlands to Lindisfarne
2. Thy Winter Kingdom
3. Summoning (of the Ancient Ones)
4. The Dance of the Pagan Flames
5. Blackvisions of the Almighty
6. Fields of Haar-Meggido
7. Deathcrush (Mayhem cover)

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12141

FESTER (Norway) "A Celebration of Death" CD review by http://www.crossfire-metal.de



By Daniel Müller

Sometimes I wonder already, who is coming after so many years crawled out of the holes. The Norwegian Firm I know from former times. Their second album "Silence", the very sound technically on "Clouds" reminded of Tiamat, I loved those days. "A Celebration of Death" is their first album in seventeen years, defeated! I can still see the time! And it's good to know that they have forgotten how to still even after such a long time. Slow somber with little tinny production, but fits well with the sound of the band, they let go, as there had been such a long break ever. The song still sounds hoarse and nastier than before. Musically, nothing has changed. Usually slow and somber guitar melodies it is going sadly. The album's overall balance is very slow. But it has the sound of proof has always been identified and does not interfere in the slightest. Whether that works live, I will put one there. But the evil atmosphere of the album works on CD for sure! Underground Maniacs is not to say that there is "A Celebration of Death" in addition to the regular CD and a vinyl-and even a cassette version! This is old school! Welcome back!

Rating: 8/10

This review was originally written in German and has been translated using Google Translate. To view the original review in German click the link below.

Review link: http://www.crossfire-metal.de/cd-review ... -of-death/

"A Celebration of Death" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Fester links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/festernorway

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fester/204292849614033

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/festernorwaybm

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Fester



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-Order FESTER "A Celebration of Death" CD and to purchase FESTER merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... rds=fester

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMGYQO2CjI or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xc7tab9jvs

To preview a song from FESTER "Silence" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hiTvtM5hoY or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSQoaAzGpQ

And to preview a song from FESTER "Winter of Sin" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKH4_MK_6DI

MESOPOTAMIA (Norway) interview by blackenedhorde



Summon: How did the band get started?
V.Braadland: Mesopotamia was started when Oriasipes joined forces with Braadland and started to create dark, misatrophic and experimental black-metal. The band was later joined by Grothskall and Skarstein. Now the line-up was complete.

Summon: What kind of music do you play?
V.Braadland: Misantrophic, experimental black-metal combined with epic and melodic parts.

Summon: How has the fan response been?
V.Braadland: So far, so good. Originating from a small town on the west-coast of Norway, the response has been great. The metal-community in the local area has given us great feedback on our songs and our shows.

Summon: Where did the band name come from?
V.Braadland: Inspired by the ancient civilizations of Sumeria and Mesopotamia. The lyrics is also about ancient Sumerian and Mesopotamian myths, gods and tales.

Summon: Introduce the band members and what they do in the band.
V.Braadland: Oriasipes plays guitar and handles the lead vocals, Braadland plays guitar and contributes with backing vocals, Grothskall is the bass player and Skarstein plays drums.

Summon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
V.Braadland: Oriasipes comes up with most of the riffs, then the band works in the studio together to make and arrange the riffs into a song, adding more riffs, solos, bass, drums and occasional synth tracks. The same goes for the lyrics.

Summon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
V.Braadland: From ancient Sumerian and Mesopotamian myths and tales.

Summon: What is your view in Satanism and Occultism?
V.Braadland: Satanism and occultism isn't any part of Mesopotamia. What the individual members of the band feel about these subjects is totally up to them.

Summon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
V.Braadland: Mesopotamia is in the progress of writing our debut album (hopefully to be released later in 2012).

Summon: Do you have any side projects?
V.Braadland: Yes, several... That´s the main reason Mesopotamia consist of whom it consist of. When Oriasipes got the idea of Mesopotamia (in the ashes of Hinsides) he contacted local musicians he knew was into the music and the scene. Oriasipes is the sole survivor of the black metal band Hinsides, Braadland is the only member of black metal act Svartedauen and makes industrial noise in Air Raid Patrol, Grothskall plays in drums Reism, Goliaton and Gorgon and Skarstein blasts away in Kråke and Gravemachine. He is also the session-drummer for SorgSvart (another local black metal act).

Summon: Who are some of your musical influences?
V.Braadland: Too many to mention, we make music we like to listening to. If someone hears riffs and melodies inspired by others thats probably correct, but we're not ripping anyone off.

Summon: What is the band like when you play live?
V.Braadland: Tight, fast and massive.

Summon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
V.Braadland: No, but we´d like to some day.

Summon: How big of crowd shows up at shows usually?
V.Braadland: Given that we've only played one exclusive show, and that venue was sold out, I would say about 180 people... Haha.

Summon: How is the crowd response when you play?
V.Braadland: Head-banging mania!

Summon: What do you think of the US Black Metal/Death Metal scene?
V.Braadland: Many great bands in the US scene.

Summon: What do you think of the Overseas scenes?
V.Braadland: Well, the black metal scene originates from Norway, enough said!

Summon: What are some of new favorite black metal/death metal bands?
V.Braadland: Not an easy question. Many great, but also many lacking totally of originality.

Summon: When do you guys plan on writing any new material?
V.Braadland: We´re in the process of writing material as we speak.

Summon: What does the future hold for the band?
V.Braadland: World domination!

Interview link: http://blackenedhorde.com/mesopotamia

Debut album coming to Abyss Records.



Mesopotamia links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mesopotamiaofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mesopotamiaofficial

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/mesopotamia



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss

ITEM OF THE DAY


DISSECTION - STORM OF THE LIGHT'S BANE (RE-ISSUE) DOUBLE CD - $12.00 + S/H



FEATURES BONUS CD "STORM OF THE LIGHT'S BANE" (UNRELEASED ALTERNATIVE MIX '95), DEMO '94 & "WHERE DEAD ANGEL'S LIE" CD EP '96 REMASTERED!!!

DISC 1:
1. At The Fathomless Depths
2. Night's Blood
3. Unhallowed
4. Where Dead Angels Lie
5. Retribution - Storm Of The Light's Bane
6. Thorns Of Crimson Death
7. Soulreaper
8. No Dreams Breed In Breathless Sleep

DISC 2:
(UNRELEASED ALTERNATE MIX '95)
1. At The Fathomless Depths
2. Night's Blood
3. Unhallowed
4. Where Dead Angels Lie
5. Retribution - Storm Of The Light's Bane
6. Feathers Fell
7. Thorns Of Crimson Death
8. Soulreaper
9. No Dreams Breed In Breathless Sleep
UNRELEASED DEMO '94
10. Night's Blood
11. Retribution - Storm Of The Light's Bane
WHERE DEAD ANGLES LIE EP '96
(REMASTERED ORIGINAL MIXES)
12. Elisabeth Bathori
13. Where Dead Angels Lie (Demo Version)
14. Antichrist
15. Son Of The Mourning

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... ts_id=4817

DESULTOR (Sweden) "Masters of Hate" CD review by throwupyourhorns



By throwupyourhorns

Formed in 2007, Desultor guitarist/vocalist Marcus Joha and drummer Michael Ibrahim have released “Master of Hate” on Abyss Records and is definitely one of your more interesting albums because it is split up into many different forms of metal here. On one hand you have the typical death metal riffing that is very solid but also has some very ambient elements to it as you can hear in the intro. It also some contains some black metal elements that can be heard in the drum and guitar work as well. Then on top of that you have clean and melodic vocals thrown in with that remind you of that old eighties style of metal singing….BUT also offer up some of that harsher death metal vocal style. So needless to say, Desultor likes to keep you on your toes.
This doesn’t always turn out so well when bands try to go out into this type of musical direction but Desultor definitely seems to be making it work for them. On first listen this may seem a little chaotic but the band is definitely following a formula that never really seems to go wrong for them. Take “Black Monday” for example it starts out kind of all over the place with a lot going on all at the same time but then band seems to hone it back in with precision. The solo is just fantastic very technical and rhythmic and again holds that old eighties style of metal.
“Denied” is another great track that is very aggressive but shows off Marcus’s melodic vocal style. The drum work is incredible here and combined with the riffs and solo on top of that it just amazes me that it’s just a duo. “The Phoenix” is a short but ambient interlude that calms you down before going into “And So We Bleed” that is packed with shredding guitar and blast beats. The self-titled track is full of brutality with black metal type riffs and a powerful chorus that is followed by an insanely well done guitar solo. This is probably one of the best tracks by far on here.
I’m not saying this album is for everyone, there is some repetition on “Master of Hate” but I do believe there is something on here that every metal fan will be able to enjoy. I highly recommend that you at least give this album and see for yourself!

Rating: 7/10

Review link: http://throwupyourhorns.wordpress.com/2 ... or-review/

"Masters of Hate" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Desultor links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/desultorsweden

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/desultor

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Desultor



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-order DESULTOR "Masters of Hate" CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12132

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12_Nqi9XLc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st0WoXijb8s or http://www.youtube.com/?watch?v=H3JRdDRyehQ

The GARDNERZ (Sweden) "The System of Nature" DIGI CD review by metalprovider



By Sacir

The Gardnerz is a Wilhelm (Swedish) Doomy Death Metal band, formed in 2008, and now featuring guest soli by Thomas Ahlgren (Deranged) and Heber Hammer (Inner Sanctvm). The System Of Nature is this Swedish quartet’ debut album, containing 10 ordinary and two bonus tracks, namely a Vulcano “Bloody Vengeance” and Winter “Servants Of The Warsmen” covers.
The band relentlessly delivers one after another heavy riff with melodic distortion. The overall pace is slower than what I expected, where an obvious focus is on the melody, a technicality mixed with simplicity. The vocals of Niclas Ankarbranth are monotonous and repetitive, yet again fitting perfectly together with an overall image of the band.
The album is very varied and diverse and it works just perfectly for the band. Lyrically they deal with philosophical ideas of different kinds, but also random rants about the strange ways of man. Main topics are; the fallacies of religion, the rat-race of over-consuming, and the hypocrisy found in the writing of history etc.
The album is mastered by the legendary Dan Swanö at Unsound Studio in Sweden (Edge Of Sanity, Katatonia, Marduk, Opeth, Dark Funeral…). Thus the overall sound is mesmerizing and just the way a piece of a modern Doom/Death Metal should sound.
There’s still space for growing and evolving as artists for The Gardnerz, and with the latest arrival of Vedran ‘The Croatian Sensation’ Benčić the future looks bright for this combo. The System Of Nature is an interesting album that keeps on unfolding itself. The music is dynamic, imaginative, absorbing and straight-up-your-face. Clearly a great debut for all fans of Doomy Death Metal.

Rating: 4/6

Review link: http://metalprovider.net/the-gardnerz-t ... of-nature/




The Gardnerz links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thegardnerz

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thegardnerz

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/thegardnerz

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Gardnerz



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase The GARDNERZ (Sweden) "The System of Nature" DIGI CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=11199

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iXL-YXoWSk

VOMITORY - OPUS MORTIS VIII (WHITE) 12" LP - $20.00 + S/H



Limited Edition Gatefold of 500 copies on180 gram white vinyl.
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Lion Music Studios, Karlstad/Sweden in November/December 2010.
Produced by Vomitory.

1. Regorge in the Morgue
2. Bloodstained
3. They Will Burn
4. The Dead Awaken
5. Hate in a Time of War
6. Torturous Ingenious
7. Forever Damned
8. Shrouded in Darkness
9. Combat Psychosis
10. Requiem for the Fallen

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12058

DESULTOR (Sweden) "Masters of Hate" CD review by extrememetalzine



By OccultBlackMetal

Desultor are a band from Sweden that plays a very progressive from of death metal mixed in with some thrash and power metal and this is a review of their 2012 album "Masters of Hate" which was released by Abyss Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being thorwn in at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that is coming out of the guitars, as for the synths which are only used briefly on the intros and outro they enhance the darkness of the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine brutal progressive death metal with thrash and power metal mixed in with a great amount of technical and melodic riffing to create a sound of their own, while the lead guitars are very melodic and technical sounding guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars which are only utilized briefly they use full chords to add more variety to the music.

Vocals are mostly clean singing power metal vocals mixed in with some deep death metal growls and high pitched screams, while the lyrics cover dark, hateful, violent and everyday themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Desultor are a very great and original sounding power/progressive/death metal hybrid and if you are a fan of this style, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Black Monday" "And So We Bleed" and "The Luxury Of Pain". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Review link: http://extrememetalzine.blogspot.com/

"Masters of Hate" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Desultor links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/desultorsweden

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/desultor

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Desultor



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-order DESULTOR "Masters of Hate" CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12132

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12_Nqi9XLc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st0WoXijb8s or http://www.youtube.com/?watch?v=H3JRdDRyehQ

ITEM OF THE DAY


TSJUDER - LEGION HELVETE (LIMITED EDITION) DIGI CD - $15.00 + S/H



The first pressing of "Legion Helvete" will be available as a limited edition digipak adorned with a metal medallion

1. The Daemon Throne
2. Fra en Råtten Kiste
3. Dauðir
4. Voldsherskeren
5. Slakt
6. Black Shadows of Hell
7. Blod og Aske
8. Vårt Helvete

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12153

FESTER (Norway) "A Celebration of Death" CD review by http://www.slugmag.com



By Bryer Wharton

Fester = Godflesh + Coffins + Blut Aus Nord + Cemetery Urn
When extreme metal fans think of Norway, thoughts usually meander to black metal, but there is a hell of a lot more insanity and grim crazy shit coming out of the country than that, and Fester is a prime example. The band gets an “unfair” tag of being “blackened death metal.” Maybe it’s because this album is the first I’ve heard from the band. but in the end it doesn’t matter the style or genre tag amongst the insane amounts of extreme metal genre twists. A Celebration of Death is nauseatingly down tuned - album opener “Rites of Ceres” almost pays a small nod to early Godflesh with a mechanized type repetitive steamroller type core riff that really just sets the hook into any listener that the album is going to be a dark hellish ride all with a tone and style that pushes the “norm” of death metal away. Fester offers a brutal bastard of a record here—rotten death metal at its heart with black undertones a love of all that is doom all equaling continuous blows below Satan’s belt. Fans of super heavy down tuned grizzled festering putrid puss slow churned death this is top shelf shit chug it while you can.

Review link: http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=3416&page=4

"A Celebration of Death" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Fester links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/festernorway

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fester/204292849614033

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/festernorwaybm

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Fester



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-Order FESTER "A Celebration of Death" CD and to purchase FESTER merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... rds=fester

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMGYQO2CjI or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xc7tab9jvs

To preview a song from FESTER "Silence" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hiTvtM5hoY or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSQoaAzGpQ

And to preview a song from FESTER "Winter of Sin" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKH4_MK_6DI

MAAX (U.S.) "Unholy Rock & Roll" DIGI CD review by cosmosgaming



By Chris Dahlberg

Maax may have started off as a somewhat traditional black metal band that integrated some hints of thrash and traditional heavy metal, but ever since 2010’s Six Pack Witchcraft EP they’ve gone through a transition. The title of their sophomore effort Unholy Rock & Roll says it all, as the group now sounds like a cross between speed metal, sleaze rock and some black/thrash. It may lose some steam towards the end when the instrumentals suddenly go from a fast assault to a middle of the road approach, but this is still a solid album from a band that has some talent.
It doesn’t take long for Maax to make their influences apparent, as the first couple of songs go for fast and aggressive riffs that have a Motorhead and Venom feel to them. From there the band does attempt to branch out and mixes the aforementioned sounds with some black/thrash, which helps to keep the energy level at a high. The instrumentalists definitely have some technical ability, as not only are there some catchy riffs that grab the listener but these compositions feel very tightly arranged and don’t have that sloppy, rough around the edges feel that some bands of this type do. However, after the chilling melodic interlude “Purge of Depravity” Unholy Rock & Roll goes off in a slightly different direction. The instrumental style transitions back to traditional black metal and a bit of thrash, and for whatever reason these tracks just don’t maintain the same level of energy and don’t stand out quite as much. It doesn’t completely ruin the album, but it keeps it from being a heavy hitter from beginning to end.

The vocals on this release are aggressive and in your face, as the group’s lead singer has a gruff pitch that suits the instrumentals perfectly. But unlike a lot of the current vocalists in this genre, you can make out every single word which is not a bad thing considering how over the top some of the lyrical content is. Admittedly the pitch of the lead vocals doesn’t change for the majority of the album, but the group seems to have realized this and has thrown in some gang vocals and backing growling to help break things up. Maax’s singer has that type of pitch that is really of the love or hate variety, so I’d recommend checking out a track first to see what you think.

Unholy Rock & Roll showcases that Maax’s new direction is a good one, as their new combination of styles has resulted in some catchy and heavy hitting arrangements. But the album doesn’t feel consistent, as the last handful of songs blend together and don’t make as much as an impact as they could. So for now these guys are a good but not great band, and hopefully with a push in the right direction next time around they will create material that truly grabs hold of listeners and doesn’t let them go.

Review link: http://cosmosgaming.com/articles.php?id ... ype=review




Maax links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/maaxmetal

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/maaxmetal

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/maax

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Maax



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase MAAX - Unholy Rock & Roll DIGI CD and other Maax merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... words=maax

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYmZLEnfZ1o

To preview a song from their 2010 release "Six Pack Witchcraft" go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giNCctZobOE

and to preview a song from their debut album "Dawnbringer" go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uNDPFcYcdw

ITEM OF THE DAY


EDGE OF SANITY - THE SPECTRAL SORROWS CD - $15.00 + S/H



1. The Spectral Sorrows
2. Darkday
3. Livin' Hell
4. Lost
5. The Masque
6. Blood of My Enemies (Manowar cover)
7. Jesus Cries
8. Across the Fields of Forever
9. On the Other Side
10. Sacrificed
11. Waiting to Die
12. Feedin' the Charlatan
13. A Serenade for the Dead

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... ts_id=4231

FESTER (Norway) "A Celebration of Death" CD review by heavymetaltribune



By Hong Rui

Norway's Fester has had an interesting history, splitting up first after the release of their second full length album in 1994, then again in the early 2000s before reforming to finally release their third full length album, the first one in 16 years, entitled A Celebration of Death. Ironic indeed, considering the circumstances that caused the band's most recent hiatus.

While the band's debut in 1992, Winter of Sin, saw the band presenting a more straightforward style of black/death metal, 1994's Silence had fans experience the first incorporation of progressive elements in the band's music, and while it could have been deemed as a progression on the part of the band, it did not sit well with me with the numerous awkward fusions that were included on the album. A Celebration of Death sees the band once again promoting their unique style of metal, claiming to present a whole mix of musical genres on one album ranging from black metal to jazz, the extreme opposite ends of the musical spectrum on a single album. This certainly leaves one to wonder what this would sound like, and seeing how I already enjoy bands that incorporate jazzy elements into their music such as Japan's Sigh, this is going to be an interesting album to listen to.

As the album opens with Rites of Ceres, one instantly knows that this is not going to be as expected. While Sigh pushes the boundary with their bombastic, flamboyant style of avant-garde black metal, Fester takes their time, with the track filled with doom-paced riffs, and honestly this was slightly disappointing initially but things start picking up soon enough with the weird-fuckery that goes on throughout the album. Thomas' vocals are gruff and tortured, and this is certainly welcome-sounding, compared to the weak whisper-styled vocals that were present on the band's previous output, Silence. Throughout the album the riffs of guitarists Tiger and Raymond are crushing, and all these backed by the slow and heavy thumping of drummer Audun. The first fast moment comes in only on I'll Hunt You Down and even then these moments are short, and so speed-maniacs should probably avoid this album.

The band promises a whole range of influences that will be on the album, and they certainly deliver. For example, there is the almost electronic-sounding tone of the drums on tracks like Rites of Ceres and Metalized that certainly threw listeners off, with the almost industrial feel to the tracks. The included bonus track, Rites of Mortiis displays the band's industrial influence as well, being an electronic remix to opening track Rites of Ceres. Also, unlike on Silence, there is a marked improvement in the band's attempts to fuse the various genres together, with the absence of those awkward moments that plagued the aforementioned, and this definitely has got to do with the band's songwriting, with their ability to make use of the various instruments and the atmosphere to build the climax, preparing listeners for the transition to the subsequent segments. Sound effects are also effectively utilised, such as the sounds of rain at the intro of The Black Tower setting the almost depressive mood of the song.

While the band's focus on the album seems to be on the feel of the atmosphere on the album rather than the technical prowess of the individual musicians in the band with the mid-pace that the band goes at for the most part, this is also where the band falters, with most track going for way longer than necessary. Songs like The Black Tower end up getting repetitive after the halfway point of the track, and there are moments when one almost feels as though this were never going to end. Don't get me wrong, the ominous atmosphere is certainly one of the personal highlights of the album, and the band succeeds in creating that sense of unease in the listener, but more often than not, these tend to overstay their welcome as well especially on longer tracks of the album.

16 years fans of Fester have waited, and finally the band unleashes this album. While the claims of having influences all the way till jazz present in the album were mostly unfulfilled, the band has included a number of other surprises on the album and displayed their mastery in songwriting. A Celebration of Death may not sound anything like what the band started off with, but it definitely marks a progress and growth of the band.

Review link: http://heavymetaltribune.blogspot.com/2 ... on-of.html

"A Celebration of Death" will be released by Abyss Records on March 20th, 2012.




Fester links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/festernorway

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fester/204292849614033

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/festernorwaybm

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Fester



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Pre-Order FESTER "A Celebration of Death" CD and to purchase FESTER merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... rds=fester

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMGYQO2CjI or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xc7tab9jvs

To preview a song from FESTER "Silence" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hiTvtM5hoY or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSQoaAzGpQ

And to preview a song from FESTER "Winter of Sin" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKH4_MK_6DI

ENTRENCH (Sweden) "Inevitable Decay" CD review by metal-revolution



By Bato

In one form or another Västerås (Sweden) based trio Entrench has been around since 2005. Inevitable Decay is their debut full-length effort, being 40-minutes of fierce Thrash Metal with a certain amount of early Death Metal influences executed at a neck breaking speed. Their sound is uncompromising and Entrench brings back the real aggression and brutality to the genre.

Cover artwork is rather amateur and reminiscent more of a Doom than Thrash Metal. That’s why I was so eager to begun listening to this eight-tracker album. The album kick-off with the opening track “As Dawn Breaks” incorporating harmonic into the riffs. That song really helped setting the album up. Their song-writing is mature and everything Entrench does exude honesty, integrity and passion that is all too rare nowadays.

The band maintains the high standard set down by the opener throughout the duration of the album. I esp. enjoyed the following mid-paced song “Debt Of Sorrow” and the epic closer entitled “Where Only Ruins Remain”. “Into Oblivion” is another strong track, taken off the very first (2007) self-titled demo from the band.

Their music relies very much on the classic thrashy guitars and the raspy vocals of Fredrik Pellbrink. On the less positive note I would briefly mention the production part; being very thin esp. when it comes to the bass that is almost impossible to hear.

It might not be the most innovative album, but Inevitable Decay is an honest debut opus that deals with real old-school Thrash emotions. Esp. recommended for fans of old Kreator, Sodom, Slayer and Destruction.

Rating: 79/100

Review link: http://metal-revolution.com/plugins/con ... ntent.3874




Entrench links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/entrench

Revebnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/entrench

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Entrench



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase ENTRENCH "Inevitable Decay" CD and other ENTRENCH merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... s=entrench

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jux9aM8W0SU

ITEM OF THE DAY


EUCHARIST - MIRRORWORLDS + 7" (CLEAR) 12" LP - $35.00 + S/H



Limited Edition of 200 copies on clear 180 grams vinyl housed in a heavy jacket with gold metal foil stamping,
hand numbered + bonus 7" featuring the song "The View".

Recorded in March and April 1997 at Studio Recordia, Varberg, Sweden. Produced and mixed by Fredrik Larnemo and Eucharist. Engineered by Fredrick Larnemo Pre-mastered at The Mastering Room. Sound effects by Staffan Lyckander.

1. Mirrorworld
2. Dissolving
3. With the Sun
4. The Eucharist
5. Demons
6. Fallen...
7. In Nakedness
8. Bloodred Stars

Bonus 7"
1. The View

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12159

DESULTOR (Sweden) "Masters of Hate" CD review by autothrall.blogspot



By autothrall

Swedish duo Desultor deal in such a balanced contrast of extremes that you have to wonder why a lot more bands haven't tried it, and Masters of Hate is the sort of debut which should rocket them into the radars of many modern enthusiasts. Formed in 2007 and drawn from members of lesser known acts like Auberon and Machinery, they write in a hybrid of aggressive death and thrash metal, but use a clean and charismatic style of vocals that would take you instantly unawares had you not had prior warning. Markus Joha, who is also the guitarist, has a timbre somewhere between Bruce Hall (late of Agent Steel), Urban Breed of Tad Morose and a few shreds of Warrel Dane's haunting psychosis, sans the screaming.

In fact, Nevermore is not a bad comparison towards Desultor overall, or those late 90s/early 'oughts Agent Steel records, only the first is more choppy and technical in its riffing and song structures and the latter clearly cast in a speed/power mold. Desultor are more about blowing you over with these brazen, textured floods of chords and tremolo picked guitars over tight and muscular drumming that very often accelerates into a pure blast beat. It's this extremity that will be sure to win over the younger crowds, since Masters of Hate almost never lets up with regards to its sheer force. There are segments of more progressive, melodic and slower guitars embedded in a number of the tracks (like "Black Monday" and "The Luxury of Pain"), usually surrounding the fulfilling lead sequences, but for most of the 34 minutes they are content with tearing us a new one, and they do so with a mechanical precision that is frightening.

About the only thing here that doesn't really stand out much is the bass, which is contributed by a guest musician; but not because you can't hear it barreling along in the mix, it's just impossible to consciously register it next to the vocals, drumming and corpulent guitar tone. The band is not afraid to incorporate more aggressive snarls and sneers where it suits the music, from a rasp to a more gruff tone, but these points never feel quite so distinctive as Joha's memorable, unique chorus patterns in tracks like "Division Insane" or the crazy "Caged". As I hinted, the leads here are quite well written, never unique or innovative but sure to sate fans of Jeff Loomis, Dave Mustaine or other comparable axe luminaries. Yet it's the rhythm guitar that really exacts the most emotional damage, from the insane matrix of tremolo hammering to the brighter spikes of clinical thrash that pepper "Denies", which is perhaps my favorite single track here.

All told, Masters of Hate is one of those albums capable of playing to a broad audience. Those into faster, modern power or thrash metal which sounds as if it escaped the 80s, the more aggressive melodeath acts out of Scandinavia (Darkane, etc), hell even people into the rather generic 'extreme' mutations you hear in the gimmick band Dethklok will appreciated the music (if not the vocals). But don't mistake Desultor for some shallow, emerging trend. They know just how to rein in their skills and keep control of their compositions. None of these explode past the 5 minute limit, and most are held to a respectable 3-4 minutes of ass kicking with few if any arbitrary indulgences. I found that it lost a layer or two of shine after a half dozen listens or so, the lyrics I've seen were rather bland, and I wouldn't brand a number of tracks unforgettable. However, it's talented, fun and fresh, and I have no doubt we'll be hearing a lot more from them once this starts to circulate.

Rating: 8.25/10

Review link: http://autothrall.blogspot.com/2012/03/ ... -2012.html




Desultor links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/desultorsweden

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/desultor

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Desultor



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Order DESULTOR "Masters of Hate" CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12132

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12_Nqi9XLc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st0WoXijb8s or http://www.youtube.com/?watch?v=H3JRdDRyehQ

Desultor and Fester CD Giveaway




Blistering.com and Abyss Records are giving a copy of Desultor’s Master of Hate and Fester’s A Celebration of Death to three (3) lucky winners. Under the tag of “murder metal,” Desultor is one of Swedish death metal’s most promising new acts, while Fester have long been a cult act in the Scandinavian metal scene, with A Celebration of Death being their first recorded material in 17 years. Both can be yours if you enter before Friday, March 30.

To enter contest go to: http://www.blistering.com/fastpage/fpen ... 39/link/1/

ITEM OF THE DAY


ENSLAVED - FROST CD - $12.00 + S/H



1. Frost
2. Loke
3. Fenris
4. Svarte Vidder
5. Yggdrasil
6. Jotunblod
7. Gylfaginning
8. Wotan
9. Isöders dronning

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... ts_id=6290

FESTER (Norway) "A Celebration of Death" CD review by thedoorwayto



By The Doorway

More Melodic Black Death with a very cold epic vibe going on here . Fester has a very familiar feeling to the music they add an electronic element to all of it as I think I'm listening to bands like Red Harvest or maybe even Aborym . I read in there press release this is the 1st new release by Fester in 17 yrs I wonder if it has this industrial elements back then as well if so I want to hear more. Fester is down right awesome in what they do and how they arrange it . This is Dance music for extreme metal fans... Damn there are even folk and viking elements going on in this band that are akin to older Falkenbach. The Twists and turns on this album are brilliant to say the least. I will be listening to this for the weeks and months to come.

Review link: http://azm.thedoorwayto.com/




Fester links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/festernorway

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fester/204292849614033

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/festernorwaybm

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Fester



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Order FESTER "A Celebration of Death" CD and to purchase FESTER merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... rds=fester

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMGYQO2CjI or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xc7tab9jvs

To preview a song from FESTER "Silence" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hiTvtM5hoY or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSQoaAzGpQ

And to preview a song from FESTER "Winter of Sin" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKH4_MK_6DI

THOUSAND YEAR WAR (U.S.) "Tyrants and Men" DIGI CD review by yathblog.blogspot



By Yath

Tyrants & Men, Thousand Year War's first LP, is an album that will inevitably create a conflict between you mind and your heart.
Your mind won’t take more than half a listen to analyze this one. Tyrants & Men is a very typical Viking Death Metal record, and you’ll immediately think of a bunch of Swedish Death Metal bands like Amon Amarth.
And I think Hiral Lohr -the guitarist/vocalist/composer- is totally okay with that. Then of course, your mind will tell you to forget about that generic and useless record and to go find something new to listen to. Coz' “Who the hell needs another Viking Death Metal album?” right?
And that’s where your heart will intervene. Your mind might tell you not to, but you’ll want to listen to this album, simply because it is VERY good and VERY pleasing to listen to.
In fact, Tyrants and Men sounds exactly like a homage done by a fan and for the fans. It has all the clichés and all the elements of a record composed by one guy that is totally in love with one specific type of metal. All the songs kind of sound the same, with big catchy headbanging riffs and killer grooves. You also have those warrior and epic melodies that will drag you onto the battlefield. Don't forget to grab the armor and the helmet, just like the epic guy on the cover of the cool digipack released by Abyss Records.
No wonder Hiram caught a lot of attention after releasing his first EP, called “Shadow Of The Colosus". The man came up with some awesome tunes! I personally love the songs 'No Gods, No Masters" and "The Storm I Ride" (yep, the song names are unbelievably cliché as well).
As a conclusion, I can tell you that between my mind and my heart, I have definetly chosen to trust my heart. When it comes to music, you don’t want to constantly analyze everything and rationalize what you’re listening to. All you need to do is to play records that give you pleasure. And believe me, if you like Epic and Melodic Death Metal, then do what it takes to check out Thousand Year War, because Tyrants & Men happens to be a VERY pleasant release.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review link: http://yathblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/th ... metal.html




Thousand Year War links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tyrantsandmen

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/thousandyearwar

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Thousand+Year+War



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To purchase THOUSAND YEAR WAR - Tyrants and Men DIGI CD and other THOUSAND YEAR WAR merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... d+year+war

To preview a song go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOlEjPkRPHE or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0jL7l9B9uA

ITEM OF THE DAY


PARADISE LOST - DROWN IN DARKNESS (THE EARLY YEARS) DIGI CD - $12.00 + S/H



Includes all tracks of the "Paradise Lost" and "Frozen Illusion" demo as well as
six live tracks from 1989 that have never been officially available before.
Extensive liner notes by Nick Holmes. All songs digitally remastered.

Tracks 1-3 taken from the "Paradise Lost" demo (1988)
Tracks 4- 6 taken from the "Frozen Illusion" demo (1989)
Tracks 7- 12 taken from the "Plains Of Desolation" bootleg (1989)

1. Drown In Darkness
2. Internal Torment
3. Morbid Existence
4. Paradise Lost
5. Internal Torment
6. Frozen Illusion
7. Internal Torment (live)
8. Our Saviour (live)
9. Plains Of Desolation (live)
10. Drown In Darkness (live)
11. Paradise Lost (live)
12. Nuclear Abomination (live)

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... ts_id=6870

DESULTOR (Sweden) "Masters of Hate" CD review by http://www.steffmetal.com



By Steff W.

Tomorrow, cult US death metal label Abyss Records releases the debut full-length from Swedish progressive death metal duo Desultor. After two successful demos the band have finally brought their unique progressive death metal sound to a full length album, Masters of Hate.

Masters of Hate has to be one of the most interesting releases I’ve heard in a few months, and definitely a surprise given the description I was given by the label. I was expecting the usual death metal sound – gruff, deep vocals, neck-breaking riffs, pummelling drums … and a “nod” to a little interesting composition that seems to categorize most “progressive” death metal bands. But this isn’t Desultor’s sound at all.

A slow, haunting intro leaves no clue to what awaits you. But in the first few seconds of “Black Monday” you realize you’re not listening to a typical technical death metal record. The song explodes the intensity, and you’re waiting from those deep, brutal vocals to come in and drag you down into headbanging heaven, and what you get instead is a switch to heavy thrash riffs and these clean, high vocals scream at you. I admit, I dropped the sandwich I was eating and went “What?” But you know how it goes with music – a band can get away with anything if they a) label it progressive and b) do it well. And Desultor have done both these things.

There are only two musicians in this band, and from the intensity of sound that spews forth from their instruments, we’re probably safer for it. Michael Ibrahim’s drums stand out immediately – he’s lightening fast on his double kick, and he knows just when to pull back and let the riffs do the talking, and come forward with some intense blastbeats or interesting fills. Markus Joha on vocals and guitars does a fantastic job of both reassuring the listener that they’re definitely listening to death metal and completely warping perceptions of what makes death metal … deathy. The high, progressive vocals are a shock that many might get over, but once you recover, you realise the dude can really fucking sing. And scream. And the intense riffs straight out of your favorite death metal releases, mixed with slower, melodic passages and riffage inspired by thrash and a smidgeon of Euro power metal (the smidgeon without the dragons or falsetto) come together to give a unique, boundary-pushing record that really can be called progressive metal.

Although I can’t identify a bad track on this album, standouts for me were “Black Monday”, the brutally brilliant “Another World”. I loved the vocal interest and riff composition in “And So We Bleed” and the riffs and little ambient distraction in “The Luxury of Pain”. Normally, I’d be skeptical over a band’s ability to bring together such diverse elements into one album, but Joha and Ibrahim gel musically on such a deep level that this album is a stunning success. If this is their debut, then what are Desultor going to treat us to on their follow-up?

You can catch up on Desultor news and get the album from their reverbnation or myspace page, or check out Abyss Records for 10% off all their releases this month.

Review link: http://www.steffmetal.com/steff-metal-r ... s-of-hate/




Desultor links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/desultorsweden

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/desultor

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Desultor



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Order DESULTOR "Masters of Hate" CD go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... s_id=12132

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y12_Nqi9XLc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st0WoXijb8s or http://www.youtube.com/?watch?v=H3JRdDRyehQ

FESTER (Norway) "A Celebration of Death" CD review by heavymetal.about



By Todd Lyons

Musicians, like regular folks, have longings for the good old days, as Tiger Mathisen must have when he revisited his by reviving Fester and then releasing A Celebration Of Death. He should have the urge more often, as the quality of Fester and A Celebration Of Death is supreme, with a thick coat of 1993 slathered all over it. There's even a cassette version! Nonetheless, it’s a tremendous death metal album for 2012.
Fester made Winter Of Sin in 1992 and the fine Silence in 1994. A scant 17 years later, Fester returns with their best effort yet. Tiger Mathisen and Thomas Simonsen of the original Fester (the bass player, Jorgen Skølden, overdosed in 2000), Jon Bakker, and a session drummer, Jotho, a renowned jazz drummer, expertly rip up the tracks. Nothing says death metal like jazz, especially when Jotho predominately plays standard 4/4 with only smidgens of stylizations and nary a blast-beat.
Enrobed in a dim-fi period piece mix, the musicianship is superlative and transforms the seemingly intentional blur into "atmosphere." Opening with the melodic yet ominous "Rites of Ceres," the track swells into a sheeting rainstorm of clamped phrygian guitars brutalizing their G-strings.
Solos, like black umbrellas bent against the wind, appear in the funereal procession of dragging beats and elongated vocal phrasing, which for death metal is sung in an upper-castrati range. They work well, providing contrast to the usual buzz-saw grunting. "Rites of Ceres" boasts unusually good lyrics, lending a tint of paganistic doom to the blackened festivities.
Fester plies this quilting texture and tortured tonality throughout A Celebration Of Death. Each track builds from the previous one by elevating intensity and expanding solos and guitar beds. The riffs pound Like chromatic sieges and never sound recycled from old Kreator or At the Gates albums.
"Rites of Ceres", "The Black Tower" and "A Face for a Funeral" are outstanding, almost sludgy tracks. The two tracks worthy of the illegal-to-tear-off tag of Classic are "I'll Hunt You Down" and "Metalized". The vocals in “Metalized” are actually pitched down to modern death metal mumblyness.
The forefinger-pinching riff in the following "Jeg Spytter Pa Deg" (a Norwegian phrase meaning something like “top of the mornin' to ya”) is practically infectious. The song's drive motors along until it crashes into an ending of messy guitar and jazz spilled all over the drumh eads. Overlooking a few gaffes, an album with 6 great tracks is worth the PayPal anytime.
Before the usual plea to purchase a great album worthy of a special death metal collection, be forewarned that there are several silly Pink Floyd soundscapes of sword and machine gun mayhem, and for whatever reason, a drum-machine remix of “Rites of Ceres” tacked on the end. The extra-added value is a nice thought, but the track dilutes that warm fuzzy glow of miserable death.

Rating: 4/5

Review link: http://heavymetal.about.com/od/fester/f ... Review.htm




Fester links:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/festernorway

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fester/204292849614033

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/festernorwaybm

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Fester



Abyss Records links:

Online Label & Online Music Store: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abyss-Rec ... 3050232055

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: http://www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss



Other links:

To Order FESTER "A Celebration of Death" CD and to purchase FESTER merchandise go to: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/adv ... rds=fester

To preview songs go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMGYQO2CjI or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xc7tab9jvs

To preview a song from FESTER "Silence" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hiTvtM5hoY or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkSQoaAzGpQ

And to preview a song from FESTER "Winter of Sin" DIGI CD go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKH4_MK_6DI

ITEM OF THE DAY


MUNICIPAL WASTE - WASTE 'EM ALL CD - $12.00 + S/H



1. The Executioner (Intro)
2. Sweet Attack
3. Mutants of War
4. Knife Fight
5. Drunk as Shit
6. Death Prank
7. Substitute Creature
8. Waste 'em All
9. Toxic Revolution
10. I Want to Kill the President
11. Thrash?! Don't Mind If I Do
12. Dropped Out
13. Blood Hunger
14. Jock Pit
15. The Mountain Wizard
16. [hidden track]

To Order: http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/pro ... ts_id=3564