Motorjesus: "Dead End Road"

This song is based around two muscular sounding riffs and catchy, almost southern-rock infused vocal lines. It's fast enough to make you want to move around crazily but not anywhere near thrash or speed metal. Generally, I'd say this is more hard rock than metal. The beginning with the single guitar plus drum intro with cowbell got me smiling, as did the appearance of that first simple but effectively crunchy riff. However, there wasn't really enough to the song to make me say anything other than, "well, that was kind of fun". The vocals somehow reminded me of James Hetfield and the guy from The Offspring simultaneously, and I didn't really get much enjoyment out of the delivery. The lyrics seem like they're pretty cool though, in a "roaring down the highway with my nailed bat between my knees and a cigar clamped between my jaws" kind of way. I don't think I would return to this band because ultimately the song felt a bit void to me, but I still got some kind of kick out of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUTxH2kF2Dk

@Abom:

@necro:

@ jonpo:

@ Jonpo

Not catching up:


Mini-reviewing:

This is bullshit. Correction: this starts off as pure, unadulterated bullshit (a gospel record played through a bathroom door), then worms its way from there to expertly executed yet barely-decent-to-borderline-enjoyable tomfoolery (Have Khrishna-level folky wankery with spoken vocals sporting comically forced buuuuuUUULLshiiiit accents), until it rather abruptly switches gears to something else (almost) entirely, that being sloppy, motörhead-ish, somewhat OSDM-tinged, simplistic, brutal speed metal. That part is close to fine, albeit not holding a candle to most of the truly cool stuff there is in that vein (from early Sodom to Bewtiched (SWE)). That too--too-doo--too-doo--too-doo-doo-doo-doo- riff has been done to death and beyond by countless bands, many of them much, much better and in a more memorable way than that, but that's not my chief grief with that thing. No, it's the vocals again. Croaky McToad may now have slightly adapted his approach to a growly not-a-single-fuck-given shout for this particular section (the bulk of the song), but it's apparent from all the croaking still going on to the end of the piece that, either the whole song is meant to be sort of bullshit anyway, or the no-holds-barred bullshit of the frighteningly bad intro may not have been entirely a joke after all. I'll give credit for the joyfully destructive, borderline punk energy of the performance, as well as, oddly enough coming from me, the lame demo prod values. But I'd rather this band and I kept a polite distance from one another until another song of theirs convinces me otherwise.

Posting a song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDFUu31pu6g

Accept - Free Me Now.

I'm one of those rare people that likes new Accept way more than old. First things first, that album cover is genius. I don't know who came up with it but he deserves a high five. The production on this is weird. The bass, vocals, and lead guitar are all suitably loud, while the rhythm guitar is super low in the mix. With that said, this is mostly vocal dominated and Udo's got an okay voice (a lot less shrieky than I remember) now, does that mean it dosen't get super annoying on the second listen? No. This song, while having competent lead licks and a driving groove, makes me want to rush to turn it off. It just makes me cringe. I think it may be because of Udo's voice and his insistence on making his vocals super repetitive and aggravating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uuSgFrbVsA

Sólstafir - Pale Rider

Very, very cool song. Honesty, I expected some doom/black metal stuff till the vocals kicked in, which I really appreciated actually. Guy has a semi harsh tone and sings with a lot of power and convince as his life depends on it and reminded me a bit of Urban Breed. Little acoustic intro before the guitars kick in with such on such a storming, soaring way. Overall I really enjoyed this; can't think of any other stuff that sounds similiar to this. The whole song just hits you hard and sounds a bit messy (in a good way) but intense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUjNrJ3w4P8

@Colin:

@ Legend Maker

Metal Church - Into Dust

Man, does David Wayne sound annoying here or what? Because while I love his first couple of albums with The Church, this is abysmal in comparison; forced, tacky, and overall unpleasant to listen to. Hate to badmouth the man, but that's just the way I hear it. And the song itself? Well, it certainly isn't the awesome power/heavy/thrash Metal Church is known for, but rather some kind of tame, ball-lacking, bouncy alt rock kinda thing. Were are the blazing riffs? The soaring leads? The bone-crushing drums? Not here, for sure. It hurts me to hear Metal Church playing this drivel, because I actually love quite a bit of the band's output. Agh, I can't listen to this any longer.....

Alright, this should help to get the bad taste outta my mouth.

@ Xlxlx

@Colin and Xlxlx:

colin040:

Abuser - 07 Stone Mask Overlord

I am astounded. This is "revival-era" thrash and it doesn't sound like a mediocre clone of a mashup of the golden 80s. The riffage is varied, speedy, bouncy and best of all break-your-neck-headbang-a-licious. While the production is crisp and clear there doesn't appear to be any indication of the "modern" mixing that emulates contemporary death metal. So it actually sounds authentic like out-of-the-cellar and straight into your face horrorshow ultra-violence type of shit. With the soul of early Anthrax and the technicality reminiscent of German speed metal masters, this is a piece of modern thrash that is actually really good. Consider me amazed.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNh-488s ... ure=relmfu

@Necro:

@Abom:

@Amerigo & Xlxlx:


Hmm, you can tell it's post-blackalbumization used-to-be-thrash right away. This song's story, like so many of its peers, must have gone roughly something like this:

Dudes, I know, I know, we just want to thrash like crazy bastards as we know and love, hell! Trust me, I know. We got the vicious riffs, the filthy groove, and the awesome metamorphic vocalist who can go all the way from an über emotional clean baritone to an outrageously pissed-off and effective semi-growl. Fuck, we were born to thrash; more specifically, we're "evil thrash" naturals, Christians though we may be, that's the brutal truth. Hey! if the Lord Almighty made us perfectly fit for Satan's music, so be it. Shit, I'm getting carried away beyond redemption, here, guys; so sorry about that. The point is, the Lord our God and his almighty will for us to play filthy satanic thrash is one thing, but Greedy McDollar is another. So, let's play thrash as usual, but this time around, for every other thirty seconds, we must chug it out slowly and pointlessly like we were giving kindergarten kids a demonstration of what chugging is; it's The Rules now, you see. Mainstream people might peek an interest in us too, if we do so. Exodus already beat us to the punch with their genius saxophone idea, but if we fuck up our music really, really bad, who's to say we won't be the next band to swim in a pool of liquid diamond like them, or Metallica, for that matter, eh? Catch my drift? Cool. Now play the shit!

Well, I can promise to try out their earlier stuff, though. I'd be surprised if it weren't extremely good, judging by the good moments of that song.

Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpwZqNngec0

Damn, what's on YT and what isn't decidedly defies any logic. I'm so annoyed not to find what I want to post that I'm almost considering creating and account and posting the stuff myself.

Omen - Prince of Darkness

Already adore this album and it is one of my favorites from the USPM scene. The vocalist has always been one of my favorites. His voice is just so soothing and epic and one of the few vocal performances where the lyrics really ring in my head. The riffs are memorable and mostly midpaced and back the vocalist pretty well. You really nod your head to this one. I used to listen to this album all the time playing WoW so this is very nostalgic for me. The guitar solo is sweet as always. I prefer The Axeman and Be My Wench just barely over this song. Certainly one of the best releases to grace the USPM scene and is very epic with the soothing vocal delivery. The only problem I have with this album is the production is a bit thin lacking crunch but thankfully the vocals and the riffs do such a fine job it doesn't hurt it too much.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XfGsYb5ieU

LegendMaker:

@LegenMaker:

@Xlxlx:

@Necro:

@AcidWorm:

LegendMaker:

Count Raven - Children's Holocaust.

It starts with some deep mournful vocals with some nice clean guitars and then builds up...to the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath riff. Like, note for note. I suppose this is what you would call an homage. Even the vocals sound like a more competent Ozzy. The drums channel Bill Ward. This just sounds so similar to Black Sabbath, it certainly wins no points for originality. But is it good? The answer is yes. The tone is good and the production lets everything stand out at a nice level except the bass. Which is weird for this kind of worship. About three minutes in, it switches to a different riff with some wailing over it that I personally find better. The little fuck you made me chuckle. The whole time I was waiting to see if the solo would be some intense Iommi rip off, but it wasn't and was actually pretty awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpZs3UaGC5s

Liberteer - I Am Spartacus

Ear rape.
That is the word that came to mind upon first listen. Then I listened to it again and noticed that this band really stands out from a lot of grindcore bands, even more well known ones like Pig Destroyer. The use of actual melody is pretty cool and the guitar riffs are distinguishable from the drums, which is also a plus. For a grindcore song, this is top notch stuff. I will definitely check out more of this band in the future. Thank you Necroticism174.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13ydT52E9zo

Striker - Full Speed or No Speed

Pretty slick, fellas, pretty slick: it's refreshing to hear a current, old USPM/speed metal-inspired act like Striker amidst the glut of thrash-revival bands, which must be going over my head as they simply don't do it for me. The opening riff sounds quite a bit like the one from "Hit the Lights," and the vocalist reminds me of Rolf Scheepers; these are good things. It's also obvious that these dudes have heard Ample Destruction a time or two. Listen to that Harris-inflected bassline in the second half of the chorus phrase: well-played. It certainly isn't complicated, but it's earnest and genuine and vigorous: you just can't argue with a sentiment like "Full Speed or No Speed."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaPZO44VpnM

Depravity - Vacuum of Thoughts

Finnish death metal, uh? Well, I have a bit of a thing for Finnish metal bands, as what I heard from that country is usually pretty unique and ranging in quality from rock solid to mind blowing, and this case is not different. First of all, I'd like to point out how great these guys are at creating atmosphere; one full of gloom, despair, and decay. Such a thing is achieved by a combination of the ghastly production, the meandering, cadaveric melodies, and the drumming which, as said by one of the guys who reviewed this EP, sounds like it was executed with elephant bones instead of a regular kit. The song advances mostly at a merciless, fast tempo, and it's structure is a bit more similar to what the early bands from the second wave of black metal did rather than actual death metal (not counting the doomy, Autopsy-esque passages, of course), although this still clearly belongs to the second category. I really like the vocalist too, what with his menacing deep growls which recall those of Chris Barnes. That is, if he actually had any power behind his voice. Also, I want to say how the last bit of the song took me by surprise, as those keyboard arrangements sound inappropriately hopeful, at least in theory, yet strangely manage to fit with the mayhem that came before them. All in all, this was a blast, and it gave me a craving for listening to the whole EP. Thank you Haggard!

I utterly LOVE this song.

Rainbow - Gates of Babylon.

Starts with some epic scene setting middle eastern keyboards. Leading to Ritchie Blackmore and Dio having a musical battle to determine who is more awesome. Dio wins in my opinion, but Blackmore is no slouch. This is a lot softer than what I remember, I wouldn't consider it metal. I really love those keyboard textures, they actually sound good despite when they were released being dominated by cheesy shitty sounding synths. Dio carries this all to the end of the world, what more can be said about this man's soaring vocals? It's a testament to his talent when incredibly good singers cover his songs and still fall short of the original magic. The solo in this song takes you away to a desert where mirages in the distance beckon you. It's fuckin' great and goes on forever. I don't know who drummed on this, but he brought it too. With varied beats galore and nice tom and cymbal work. Long live rock and roll indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqjI_6MLz-o

Necroticism174:

Sun of the Blind: "Ornaments"

Strange song title that doesn't appearly nearly as evocative as this music turns out to be. THe opening clean guitar has a deep, chiming sound, which, when accompanied by synthesiser and odd unidentifiable backwards sounds, reminds me of Esoteric. In fact, this did remind me of a less bleak, less violent take on Esoteric's formula, with the heaviness comprising layers of guitar sound, distant drumming and even more distant whispery growls that conjure an image of lonely wandering. The whole thing is claoked in so much reverb that it sounds like the music is coming at you from a long, long way off somewhere in the stars....but for this style, that kind of mix is rather fitting. Somehow this dirge doesn't appear completely hopeless; maybe it's just me, but these faraway lead melodies almost suggest that if the listener tries hard enough he could find himself transported to some huge, starlit chamber where ancient beings play the music of the spheres. Such an experience would inevitably result in death, but the ecstacy of such purity would certainly be worth the termination. I don't really listen to much stuff like this anymore (not even Esoteric, who are surely genius), but I did find this to be powerful, and just long enough as truthfully much so-called funeral doom overstays its welcome for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWiZEDD2bgE

@Acrobat:

Re: Rainbow

@Abom:

To be honest, the last album from these guys I have heard is Scarlet Evil, Witching Black, which is a bit of a shame. The riff work in this is quite excellent as you would expect from these masters, with that trademark eight-string bass guitar sound, which sets them apart from other bands right from the get go. As the years (and albums) have rolled by, they have increased their use of speed to great effect, but never overusing it so it would become stale. The opening salvo is one full of aggression and poised attack, before the introduction of small piano runs simultaneously slow the pace down, but offering a much grander scale of things. This is all cast away though eventually, as a rather masterfully worked in bass solo is born, which opens up to a darkly regal set of chord progressions, that is rather amazing. The true jewels in the crown of this track however, is the absolutely wonderful interplay between bass and piano that is the coda to the whole proceedings that is truly mesmirising. I enjoyed this.

Try this.

Ondskapt - Djävulens Ande

Ahhh Ondskapt. I have always appreciated them, but I have never quite loved them like fellow Swedish Orthodox Black Metal founder Funeral Mist, or the French Orthodox scene. But they are a solid band, and that is a solid track. I love the sample of goats at the beginning... just adds to the atmosphere and pure evil. And following the sample is a big ole slice of mid-paced, organic Orthodox Black Metal done right. I've always been intrigued by this style of Orthodox Black Metal: it maintains the dissonance and atmosphere, but unlike say Deathspell Omega or Nightbringer doesn't dive into flurries of blast-beats and insane technical noodling. It feels closer to the classic Norwegian sound, which is really cool. I absolutely adore the vocals as well... some of the best in Black Metal.

Some more black metal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASV878l_Glc

GGUW - Gegen Gravitation und Willensfreiheit

The tragically awkward ambient intro set my expectations pretty low. I mean some bands can get away with it and come up with something that sets an eerie atmosphere, but this sounded like a mash-up of the most common "creepy" noises, which comes off pretty tacky. The song itself was fairly innocuous with one repetitive tremolo guitar set over the usual wall of noise but with barely audible vocals. I mean if you're going to repeat the same riff over and over it better be a really good riff. It's fairly decent, but it becomes far too easy to tune out. Then what sounds like a new song kicks in after a brief pause. I appreciate that at least they brought the drums out of blast-beat limbo and gave the song some sort of rhythm, but the riffage is just completely unremarkable. The final song in the trio tries more of the creepy ambient noise shit, and this time it's a bit better, but the song loses whatever atmosphere the noises contributed to with a riff that sounds like a comic WAH-WAH. Needless to say the WAH-WAH gets fairly annoying after the first 3 minutes of repeating it. There's definitely worse black metal out there, but this is definitely on the low side of mediocrity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReNvSKnXXwY