Klabautamann-Trolldance

Considering most folk metal/blackened folk type bands rely on clean production, its good to hear a band that has a bit of roughness to the mix. The opening dual melodies remind me of some of the more melodic moments off of Kawir's Ophiolatrea, but the vocals when rasp are one of the holdovers from the black metal influence. The blasting portions mixed with the acoustic parts are also reminiscent of some of Nokturnal Mortum's material off of the Voice of steel, the drummer stands out with that very organic tone which I enjoy a great deal. The most enjoyable aspect of riffing is how unlike most bouncing folk metal bands, the band actually gets aggressive but doesn't forget the poise and transitions as seen by the mixture of faster portions, to the dual melodies, to the blasting again at the end of the song. Overall, an enjoyable song from a band I need to check out now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRE_Ru0cFyo

Funebrarum: "Grave Reaper"

That's one hell of an evil guitar tone, and I really like it. There's a thick, mephitic and churning atmosphere that to me represents what death metal really ought to be. Nicely handled tempo changes, with some interesting change-ups from the drummer. I particularly like how they throw themselves into the short blasting sections. If I have a complaint about this song, and this band in general actually, it's that as full of atmosphere as this really is, the riffs just aren't as good as, say, Incantation's...but then, barely anybody writes riffs as well as those fellows. Love teh way everything drops out except the right guitar at the halfway point, we get a tremolo prelude to another short blasting mayhem section. Then a surprising groove bit appears, followed by a quick nasty solo...also a surprise, since I remember these guys saying that they wouldn't do solos! The vocals seem double tracked and have a bit of a primal gurgle to them. Sometimes they sound a little bit strange, but I like them well enough. Weird sound at the end as the music fades out...what the hell is that, a car screeching its breaks?

Ok, now for something weird!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQvUMiGEc5Y

LUGUBRUM - Acre I

when you said weird, i was expecting something along the lines of Sigh or Kekal and really avante-garde, so this was fairly straightforward compared with them, but definitely still has its share of quirks. Really scuzzy/raw guitar tone here...starts off with a somewhat repetitive riff, and vocals, which are abit strange...Just over a minute into the song, the song really changes direction with a faster tempo and abit of variety in the riffs...the vocals are also better here with amix of the strange vocals and gutteral vocals that really suit the music. The drummign is actually pretty good, solid sound as well as not keeping anything standard with some solid fills and quite abit of variety. There is a odd change right before 4 minutes which sound like a happy riff...not sure if I like this section, just doesn't seem to mesh with the rest of the song. the outro is really cool and I kinda wished they went straight to this rather than the section before it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0LI2zgU7Ag

The Chasm - Fortress

Well, The Chasm are always a good listen. First off, I like their most recent album a lot more than this 2004 album that "Fortress" is off. This ones still really good though. I thought that the first half of this song was good but not great death metal, but it picks up a lot in the second half. The production is a lot rougher than the next album, which I usually would think is a good thing in death metal, but I think that The Chasm are better off with a somewhat polished sound (without losing the integrity and heaviness of course). I really like that fast simple, fluid tremolo riff about three quarters in. The solo near the end borders on wankery, but its still not bad. In all, not my favourite Chasm song, but still quite good as usual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e-DSgWVkW4

Cormorant - Scavenger's Feast

The art work said "power metal", the intro said "noodly AOR", and it's actually... kinda proggy melodeath. The vocals sound like a cross between Dani Filth and Tomas from At the Gates; musically, it seems to be just progressively-tinged heavy metal (rather than anything relating to death metal). Not awful, overall, but I feel like they're trying to impress with the sheer breadth of material they can cram into under 7 minutes. The clean lead guitars are quite pleasing and the middle clean section is pretty cool (but the multi-tracked whispered vocals are a bit much on top of it, a good vocalist always should know when to keep their trap shup). Musically, everyone here is very accomplished - but there's just too much going on for my liking, or rather, that it's far from the most cohesive piece to have ever graced my ears. I appreciate the ambition but calm down for fuck's sake! Too many cooks spoil the broth, too many ingredients make your bolognese taste like soap powder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQo4xF1nNCM

Taake - Doedskvad Part I

Well, being a big Taake fan, I may be biased in positives, but i can't help it. I really like how its definitely has that traditional black metal sound, but you still get good quality riffs with some good melodic leads, drumming with some variety that doesn't rely on blast beats and of course, Hoest's recognizable vocals. This song is no different, I dig the riffs in the section starting at 1:45. The acoustic section at 4:45 adds something different and also includes a nice piano interlude....which was needed if the song were to continue to the length it is. There are some nice tremelo picked leads over the main riff at 6:50 which are very enjoyable. so yeah, good Taake song...I do have others that are favourites of mine, but no complaints about this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u44t3_qDgjE

Borknagar - The Dawn of the End

Borknagar are always a band who's name I knew, but I never got around to listening to. First off, I enjoyed the instrumental aspects very much, the guitar is good at what they do and the drum sound is awesome. The drummer is always doing something interesting and is varied in his approach. The folky atmospheric break was great, especially when the subtle near-psychedelic tone began swirling in the background. The synths were a nice touch, as well. The only real downside for me where the vocals - I just didn't like them. They're not horrible or anything, but I don't know, I guess they're just not to my liking. I want to say their too high pitched, but that would be a bit silly as I like lots of black metal vocalists that are as high pitched. I also didn't like the first emergence of the clean vocals, although the epic ones near the end where great. Overall, great songwriting and musicianship, but the vocals kind of turned me off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAZT22PbW4A

Aabsinthe-Near Death Experience

The opening Ulcerate-esqe clinical opening riff is an immediate turnoff, the cold and lifeless guitar tone mixed with the horrible Burst-esque metalcore vocals is not a good way to get things going. The main riff keeps chugging around 2:26 when it enters into an atmospheric break and thank the gods for that, but the clean vocals are atrociously nasal and monotonous. Around the four minute mark the song varies up a little bit from the terrible Meshuggah-esque opening riff to a near solo, and its back to the shitty Meshuggah riff with a bit of keyboards to make it "varied". The dual melodies come around far too late around the six minute mark to make the song interesting, with the horrible metalcore vocals and the riffs that reek fo a band with an identity crisis. From the 6:30 to the conclusion of the song its this oddly timed atmospheric nonsense with a piano, which sounds much better than the actual "metal" from the prior six minutes. Terrible band, terrible song.

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

@dystopia4

Arghoslent - Tar-skinned Pygmoids of the dense Bush

I was totally caught off guard by the guitar work in the best possible way. For some reason I was expecting something rougher but the riffs are melodic and give off a cool 80's vibe. The vocals are effective but I can't help but wish they were screams instead of growls. Although the production doesn't do the song justice it's better than if it was sterile sounding. The song is always moving and changing and doesn't give you a chance to get tired of it. I'd recommend it to any fan of melodic black/death metal. 7/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-553Wm2gfQ0

I haven't heard anything off this album from Cancer, as the sophomore was ample enough with it's take on death metal. This track probably won't change this either, as it's what I would call competent, but not inspiring. That fact may be because of my unabashed praise of Death Shall Rise, that this is somewhat tarnished with a workman-like feel to it. They waste no time heading straight into the fray though, with weighty chords setting things up for the head-down charge into rolling double bass and pummeling riffage. There are some admittedly cool runs and riffs here, with things coming to a head at around the two-minute mark, busily building the tension before returning to the central riff motif. No solos to be found here either, which makes sense as there is no James Murphy here to fill that gap, and that is rather a shame. This is solid, well played (and produced) death metal from a minor classic band, but it never really gets off the ground, and is a staid exercise of the genre, and that's what hurts it for me - it's just not engaging enough. I sort of expected more.

Something nasty indeed.

Katharsis - Raped by Demons

I've heard this band be called Darkthrone worship, and when you take a look at the production side of things, it sounds about right. This is just as raw and abrasive, if not more so, than A Blaze in the Northern Sky and Under a Funeral Moon. I feel like I'm listening to something from the early '90s, though apparently I'm not. That's where the Darkthrone comparisons stop, though, because unlike Darkthrone's willingness to take their time and elaborate on things during this era, these guys just fucking rip. For the most part, these guys are going full-speed ahead, blasting away at a speed that makes most thrash bands blush. In fact, that's all the drummer seems to know how to do. The problem with these parts is once they're done and over with, it's hard to remember what exactly you just heard. In fact, the only thing I'll really take away from this are this guy rasping "RAPED BY DEMONS!" in a voice that could easily be mistaken for Nocturno Culto's. I doubt this would do much for me in the long run, but it sure is a hell of a ride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj1Roy72Dc0

Windir - Dance of Mortal Lust


Mmmm, this is my first taste of Windir. I've always wanted to like this band for the simple fact that I'm shallow and they have a really great logo. I'll just say right up front I can see why Valfar has so many rabid fans. A lot of ideas packed into one song but the catchiness is never sacrificed on the slab. Nearly every moment of the song has something hooky going on. The ambient fake-out towards the end is an interesting touch. I genuinely liked it and wouldn't have hated seeing it close the song out, but I'm not mad at the breakdown that truly does cap things off. A good portion of the song sounds rather bouncy and upbeat, with prominent bass work. My favorite part is definitely that recurring, savagely shifting riff atop the blastbeat. It would probably lose some of its power if it wasn't surrounded by such syruppy sweetness and they know just how long to tease you with it. This song was a fun listen and I did enjoy it, but I'm left with the nagging feeling that it might just be a bit too obvious y'know? It feels like everything the song has to offer gives itself up on the very first listen, and there may not be anything more than hyper-catchiness once I dig deeper into the full album. I'm curious for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GO7wAKoPr8

Mercyful Fate-Death Kiss

It's strange that you should post it because I heard the same demo track on shuffle on my Ipod months ago, and the quality actually was much better than the polished version. Diamond's vocals have a very hard-rock edge to him and his annoying highs aren't as grating as on the studio version, add a bit of static from the good ole' analogue production and he sounds like a mixture of Halford and Donald Duck with attitude. The riffs of course retain their power and the solo around 1:58 sounds as great as it did on the album, but as I stated the production for the demo version just beats the polished version every time. 3:23 is definitely the best part with that riff sounding like a horde of swarming bees, and the tone when slowed down sounds a lot like proto-doom metal material in my opinion. Classic tune all the way through.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIv7P0yMtjQ

Coven: "Burial Ground"

Ah, cool, I'd been wanting to listen to this Coven for a while but not got round to hearing them. I'd been thinking about buying the new Shadow Kingdom release. This is pretty good stuff, though at present I would have to say I'm not exactly floored. Still, I really liked the far and fuzzy, very undergoround-late-80s guitar tone, and the drums had what I would consider a near perfect sound. I'll have to listen to this some more because the riffs and vocals didn't exactly grab me right off, but on the other hand the singing did have this cool vibe to it...almost made me think of Bobby Wright of Brocas Helm doing a duo with Tom Warrior. I thought it was neat how they would finish a section, hold a chord for a couple of seconds, and then the drummer would cue in the next verse. Listening to it again, the song has got a real propulsive rhythm to it that just swings, and I'm very much a fan of this and try to bring as much of it into my own playing as possible. It occurs to me that they kind of write riffs like a punk band. I'll have to listen to this at home as these headphones are not too great and I bet this would sound a hell of a lot more commanding on my speakers...

http://youtu.be/XoVoPATOHjM

Nasty Savage "Penetration Point"

Never heard of this thrash band before! total underground! exellent stuff. caught off guard by the rythm changes in the middle of the song, reminds me off some athiest jazzy guitar work! not sure i like the vocalist though? might not be his voice as maybe his placements. nonetheless good band! il have to look into them more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tongzF8nQto

Internal Suffering - Daemons Awakening

As soon as those very first notes make that annoying sound that sounds like your speakers are blowing out (I'm not sure what the term for it is), I knew I wasn't going to enjoy this. I suppose the band probably didn't have the best recording material on hand, but do they really have to make it sound like it's being played through blown-out speakers? That major annoyance aside, I don't think that I would have enjoyed this much more if it did have a decent mix. Everything about the instrumentation is just... generic BDM, pig squeals and all. The drums... play fast. Not Fleshgod Apocalypse or Nile fast, but fast enough. The riffs have no thought put into them, and don't really drive the song like they should. In fact, I'm not sure what is driving this convoluted mess forward. Instead of being brutal and heavy, like this song was aiming for, it just comes off as annoying. More so than most brutal death metal, that at least has some sort of purpose.

I couldn't find a youtube link for these guys, unfortunately. The song I want someone to review is the first one on the page.

For the sake of the thread I think maybe we should stick with youtube. I know its frustrating when a song you want hasn't been uploaded (it's happened to me several times) but things really seem to stall out when a non-youtube link is posted. People are understandably leary I guess. Here goes...



Cognitive - In the Form of a Drone

I bought a Malignancy album 2 years ago and still haven't opened it. I'm not predisposed to enjoying this sort of thing. This song is somewhat technical, spazzy, but overall it just doesn't move me in any direction. It doesn't make me recoil in abject horror, but I also am not being fooled into nodding along with the breakdowns. This is the audio equivalent of watching grass grow for me. I can probably muster up a few positives though let's give this a shot: The production isn't nearly as soulless and hollow as a lot of these modern tech bands. There are two solos that were really tasteful and somewhat emotive...which means they're completely at odds with the rest of the music. It does get a bit more enjoyable towards the end, sounding more like Suffocation and Devourment which are bands I can definitely get into. I don't know man, the whole thing feels like a bunch of song fragments written at different points and pasted together. Their logo is also fucking terrible...all three of them.


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

Sacred Oath - The Ferryman's Lair

starts out with a scale followed by some fast double bass drumming and pretty good power metal style riffing. Tempo slows down with some chugging riffs and a melodic lead mixed overtop, but nothing too catchy at this point. The vocals are in the style of alot of metal power/speed metal bands at the time. The rougher vocals are godo, but the very high falsettos I'm not huge on. One thing that confused me abit was the beginning has this fast section that lasted for about 5 seconds, but then they basically totally forget about that and the rest of the song is more of a mid tempo pace...I think I would have preferred something more uptempo. The solo at 3:00 and again at 4:10 until the end of the song is pretty good and I enjoy the musically aspects moreso than the bulk of the song where vocals are present...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7sY6OJLBoQ

Morgul - Machine

I've checked the link earlier and didn't feel like reviewing but since no one does it, I'm giving it a try anyway. I like the intro: very haunting with a violin and the guitars in the background fit well with heavy, booming guitar chords and the whole vibe reminds me of something Tiamat during Wildhoney or early/mid Paradise Lost could come up with. Then the vocals kick which unfortunately sound very weak: a lame half ''harsh'' rasp that just doesn't hold very much power. A moody lead kicks in at 1:35 which doesn't last long but sounds quite pleasant to hear and as soon as I knew the song was over. Really average at best...remove this guy and replaced it with an actual good vocalist and it could have been something I suppose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOnn6qqR9y4

Tiamat - Gaia

This intro might be considered as quite epic, but you really need to like the sound of this keyboard, otherwise you won't like this song, especially the first minute. The whole song is in low tempo, but since I don't know much about this band, I can't say if that's usual for them. The vocalist has quite a raw voice, which I like really much. But since I have got big problems with this ugly keyboard-sound, I am not able to enjoy the positive featurtes of this song.
I hope, I haven't disturbed someone who really likes this song and was wanting to show his love for the song in a review. Just not my kind of music.

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

Back to the eighties people!! This pulls no punches about it either, but that's alright, as it certainly rocks out (love the cover too haha). The opener is all about setting it up, redolent with chunky chords before descending full-tilt into an energetic solo. From here on it never deviates from it's path of metallic mayhem. The riffs themselves are quite cool, but rather linear, as is the drumming which holds the same beat throughout the entire track, with limited fills. This isn't really a deterrent however, as it lets the guitar do all the muscular talking, accompanying the standard, reverb drenched, and understated vocals. These are also competent, but never outstanding, they simply perform their job, suiting the style and nature of the song. I did enjoy the second lead in the middle though, that was a cool way to bring some more life into what is a fairly typical track for it's time and genre. Pretty decent, sort of raw speed/heavy metal.

Something more modern.

Azaghal-Raatosielu

Like most Finnish bm the focus is a mix of old school riffing and a simple approach to the traditional bm sound, and being familiar with Omega (great album) this seems a bit more modern than what I heard on Omega. The main riff is reminscent of the Darkthrone worshipping stuff with bands like Pest being an obvious comparison, it doesn't change much overall apart from the blasting and howling vocals which kinda remind of Gaahl from Gorgoroth. At around 3:43 the blasting and intensity ends for an acoustic break which isn't necessarily out of place, but kind of oddly timed especially being near the end of the song culminating with a good solo that hauntingly remains until the end fo the song. Great song as to be expected from Azaghal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2RH9QEU050

This is one of those albums for me which I passed over time and time again. Not exactly sure what it is that's been keeping me at a distance from it, because there's certainly nothing too glaring to tarnish it. Everyone should know of the existence of Nocturnus, especially this magnum opus. Yes, this does have what I would call a typical Morrisound studio feel, most notably with the guitars, but that where that association stops, and it becomes a thing of it's own. This has some seriously shredding guitar work - over the top, but never what I would label as wanky, due to it's dizzying, dextrous manner. This thrashes out hard, while still maintaining that death metal meanness. The keyboards are used in a way I could not have guessed at, but sometimes, just sometimes, they sound a little goofy to my ears, I guess that's the charm, but I just can't embrace it fully. Vocally this was great, full of staccato rasps fleshing the instrumental part nicely. The Key is widely regarded forward thinking, and a classic of the genre (for it's time, yes), and should be held as so I guess, but it's not something I desperately need.

This again, may not be for everyone...

Zom - The Horror from Beyond

Something about the artwork for this one, and indeed the name, made me expect something in the vein of Von. What I got, however, I prefer to Von any day of the week. The music is crushing, dark, but best of all, the riffs manage to be memorable whilst doing so - this is certainly a bone-crushing beast, but it's re-listenable more than once, I'll wager. The low-fi production seems to be about right - it's not so muffled as to lose aspects of the music, but it certainly gives the music that low-fi charm. The tone and vocal-style really sits well with me, the buzzing, uncompromising tone of the riffs, and the echoing, reverb-laden vocals creating a really intense and cocooning atmosphere. Once again, this thread gives me something new and fascinating!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz5D4iBs4Tc

A Forest Of Stars - Left Behind As Static

This band has been suggested to me before as something I would like, but never really listened to them. They are labelled as Psychedelic BM here at MA, but the intro to this song has a definite folky feeling to start off. I'm not big on any spoken word but its a short segment and doesn't harm the song. As the song progresses, that initial folky section disappears and it becomes an almost sorrowful leads of a wall of distorted BM riffs....Not sure how I would describe it, but so far really enjoying it. The leads really set the atmosphere of the song and it works really well. I only noticed at the end of the song, aside from the spoken word at the start, this is instrumental. It really didn't matter though as I thoroughly enjoyed it and will look into them some more. I'm hoping the vocals on other songs are good and don't turn me off the band.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srbs_q7K0CI

Infernal Majesty - Overlord

Sweet. Good old thrash. When it comes to that era I prefer Sepultura, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-2w9b8i7GU

@Tronics:

Gold.

Old school raw thrash, competent in terms of musicianship and with decent, albeit surprisingly clean production values. However, it's pretty generic in the riffing, song structure and vocal departments, even for the time (1987 means the 'Reign in Blood', 'Darkness Descends' and 'Pleasure to Kill' they're actively worshiping were pretty fresh in everyone's memories when they were doing it; possibly even 'Terrible Certainty' judging by the horrible, horrible Tritze-like soloing that pollutes the otherwise outstanding break section). The approach to both vocals and vocal lines is of the very cliché, run-of-the-mill and boring "let's just make woof!woof!woof! woof!woof!woof! woof!woof!woof!woof!woof!woof!woof!woof!woof! woof!woof!woof!" all along, that's good, right?" school. The drumming is solid, not too flashy, but solid. The bass lines are audible, and it's too bad the bassist apparently didn't know this, as he barely even plays, here. The interesting parts are from 3'07'' to 3'34'', with that dramatic semi-classical sounding, melodic break (not too far removed from Kreator's on "Take Their Lives"), and from 5'07'' to the end, with this odd sounding, almost Intruder-like dissonant riff. I've heard of them but don't recall hearing them before, but it's entirely possible they just didn't make an impression on me. This is stuff that wanted to be classic "evil thrash" but didn't quite cut it, I'd say. Not bad, but meeeh.

Still no decent YT link out there, and I've been meaning to post this band for too long, sorry (just close your eyes, this is still a direct link to the song - also, make sure to stop when the song does, otherwise some random shit will start, sorry for that):
http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=26794614&ac=now

@tronics: Yop, Xlxlx is very right. It's not how we do reviews around here, nor comments, for that matter. Please try once more, with feeling. Kthx.

@ Legend Maker:

@ Abominatrix

@Abominatrix!

On Infernal Majesty and French metal

Skin Casket - The Greatest Threat

The main riff is sort of... pingy. It's definitely got a manic, jumpy energy, but still has quite a nice death-metal feel. Thee vocals sound quite good in places, but occasionally remind me of tough-guy nu/groove-metal - It's probably my brain which is to blame there though. The rapid-fire vocals do manage to be catchy and hooky, which is a plus - I don't tend to find death metal memorable, but this is an exception, I think. Th riffing has quiet a catchiness too, with an energetic swagger, and the bounce whic I already mentioned. It's got a bit of a punk-feel in places, which I enjoy. The production is miles away from optimal, but that doesn't spoil it too much - it would have a bit more oomph if it was thicker-sounding though.

@Halfformedfoetus: The way this thread works is that you review the song which the last person posted, then leave one for the person in front of you - you seem to have just posted a video. I'll review it anyway, while I'm here waiting for my baked-potato to cook.

Dark Tribe - Nothing as Darkness

This is enjoyable deranged sounding, and it has quite a cool, not too distorted style of rawness. The riffing has a real lunacy too it, and an almost classical feel in places, certainly a buzzing, wide-eyed disturbing feel, which I've not heard in anything before. The drumming is quite interesting, and the extensive snare use at the start is almost militaristic, and certainly gives the sound an unconventional twist. The synth, or what I take to be synth, really compliments the classical sound. The vocals remind me a bit of Anaal Nathrakh, among other things, and although I'm not sure, it wouldn't surprise me if there was a grindcore influence in there somewhere. All in all an interesting listen, and encapsulating of madness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7BlSu_3F4Y

Root - The Curse - Durron

thanks for reviewing the prior songs....my work has limitations on sites i can go to, and I can't access myspace.

Well, I think The Book is a great album and this is one of the better songs on the album. Big Boss' vocals are very unique and I've found they do take some getting used to....but play a primary roll in this song especially the first minute or so where there is a simple riff taking a side seat to the vocals. To be honest, I find this section does drag on abit too much until the song gets going and changes things up after 2 minutes. The heavy riffs after 3 minutes present us with a darker sound, and little things like the drummer who really adds an extra element to this song with some really good fills and alot of variety. I find other interesting parts like the short "heavier" section from 4:40 - 5:15. So, overall, its a good song, good vocals, drumming, some interesting riffs but I do find a few sections are abit long/repetitive. I prefer Corabeu pt I and Mystical Words of the Wise on this album.

Also, Root is an amazing band live if you ever get the chance to see them!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQ9ueUbMeA

@comments