Blut Aus Nord - Epitome II
First off, this trilogy of BaN albums was great success, especially considering the small timeframe in which it was released. In this song, the atmosphere and tension present in the guitar work evokes a deep-rooted sense of dread, which comes off as all-consuming when listening. This song is a gleaming example of how atmospheric black metal can draw you into a different headspace. Epitome II is very textured, and all the elements combine flawlessly. It has a strong space/cosmic vibe that brings out a similar effect as psychedelia, without sounding overtly psychedelic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TElq2G0_nA

Swallow the Ocean-Amphibian

4/10

The intro riff begins like insert x repetitive riffs from The Ocean/Intronaut riff and even the vocals are more or less dead ringers for The Ocean's material. Ironically, I don't think the band put that much effort into their name especially for the aforementioned The Ocean who are infinitely more talented. The repeated main riff gives way to the usual shoegazey post-rock melodic riff which delves back into the heavier crashing drum section like you'd hear on any Cult of Luna song after the hardcore vocals/heavier riff, later its the droning ambient section that you've heard a million times before if you've listened to anything by similar post-metal artists. The song by its own merits is far from unlistenable but the band didn't try very hard to to distinguish themselves from longer established bands that play this style of metal.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbzT4hpAPKQ

Melechesh - Wardjinn

This is my first experience with this band, and now I understand why they get a lot of love around here. The only thing I have a problem with in this song is that the drummer seems like he doesn't know how to do anything else besides blast beats. And it might just be YouTube, but some of that blasting sounds like a disc skipping or something (see 0:22). Normally, I'd write this off as blast-happy black metal like Marduk or Belphegor, but these guys have some nice, melodic, yet furious riffs to back it up as well. In fact, they're enough to keep me hooked for most of the song. I also thought those clean vocals around 2:40 were a very nice touch amidst the fury. But I'm a sucker for soaring cleans over blasting like that (God Dethroned's Under the Sign of the Iron Cross comes to mind). The vocals are just like Ihsahn's on In the Nightside Eclipse, but they're a great fit for the song and pretty well done. I really enjoy this, and I can see why they get such a good name on this board.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neRTHEd1qNg

This isn't nearly as irritating as their moniker (which is bloody terrible) with it's death metal leanings. It's super compressed and clean sound is certainly powerful, with deep, biting down tuned guitars - and the actual opening riff, redolent with open chord dissonance is quite good, bloated with menace and doom, as it slowly drifts into the verse. When it gets serious, it's rather furious, with some very fast double bass. Prior to this section there is a hint of a haunting atmospheric touch, which works quite well giving some extra gravitas to the next savage section. The vocals are not full-blown, deep guttural death vocals (nor particularly outstanding), but have a near shouted presence about them, and I suppose it works for them. Overall, this was decent, as it does have some good lashings of atmosphere alongside the death(ish) moments, and solid song construction (though the name is still awful), but not something I'll hunt down.

From a rather good demo...

Ensnared - Adorations (The Dance of Madness)

This is from Sweden and it is Death metal but it sounds nothing like Arch Enemy so breathe easy! It is mayhemic, it is chaotic and it is loads of fun. IT GETS STRAIGHT TO THE FUCKING POINT! The riffing is enjoyable and there is an obvious black metal quality to it but the drumming is monstrous and lays down the general pace and feel of the song. The vocals are some of the best I've heard for a long time in a death metal setting. Really, I can't find fault at all with this song. The production is great for a demo because everything is served in the right amounts...can't wait for a full length!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKjdDCz7j8Y

Venom - Sacrifice

Venom is one of those bands which i know is influential but has never really appealled to me much from what I've heard. I did get to see them recently though and based on a live performance were entertaining...so we'll see if that has changed my view of them. Guitar tone sounds abit like NWOBHM and riffs are ok, but very simple as well with not alot of variation. Cronos vocals are decent and fit the grittier sound they are producing here...The Bass is quite prominent and booms throughout the song. A solo shows up mid way through the song which is pretty good. I don't have too much more to comment really. Definitely influential, and fun to listen to occasionally, but just not something I would listen to on a regular basis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X16w1fCXp4

Cobalt - Stomach

Fantastic. From one of my favourite albums of all time. I just got a Hemingway book (this album is dedicated to Hunter S. Thompson and Earnest Hemmingway), and was reading while listening to this. The timbre on the guitar is perfect, it's subtleties like this that really add to Cobalt and set them apart. While this falls under the banner of black metal, it can hardly be accused of following a typical black metal approach. It has an atypical song structure for black metal, focussing much more on straight ahead, ass-kicking riffs, rather than blurred together tremolo lines. The drums are an area where Cobalt is particularly unique, with much attention payed to "tribal" influences. It has been compared to Tool, but I also think I detect a hint of Neurosis (I seem to remember Erik saying in an interview that Times of Grace is one of his favourite albums). The arrangements in this song and album are part of the magic, the way everything flows together; a lot of these parts wouldn't be mind blowing on their own (although that riff that starts about 30 seconds in certainty would) the way they're pieced together to establish a flow is captivating. In a larger example of the whole album, "A Clean Well-Lit Place" (named after a pretty cool Hemingway story) and "The Old Man Who Lied For His Entire Life" aren't nearly as amazing on their own as when they are put in the whole album. Cobalt also seem to have a stronger focus on songwriting than a lot of black metal bands (at least somewhat accessible songwriting). Phil's vocal lines (he is only the vocalist now, as his duties in the American military prevent him from providing instrumentation) always go together. Phil is a big fan of crust punk and the war metal sound, and that grit shows. Overall, this is a brilliant song on a brilliant album. Eater of Birds was a masterpiece, and Gin managed to top it. I can't wait to hear what Slow Forever will sound like. I'm also exited for the new Man's Gin (Erik's other band), which should be out in March.

Sorry, I may have gone a bit over the top there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Bm_cNkt1g

Nokturnal Mortum - The Voice of Steel

The first half sounded to me like Hammerheart-era Bathory with some of the more tasteful usage of folky instrumentation I've ever heard. It didn't really move me in any particular way, but I could see where this would apply to fans of those two things. Especially since it seems difficult to find bands who incorporate folk elements that don't involve a jigging idiot. The song speeds up temporarily at around the halfway point and COMPLETELY loses me, or what little it had of me to begin with. Nondescript riffing, blasting, and a somewhat neat solo. After this section subsides there are some fairly poignant and atmospheric guitar leads, bridging into...I don't even know man, is that a synthesized flute solo? It's not particularly bad, whatever it is. I guess it's fairly damning that all my favorite parts of this song are the non-metal parts.

Things pick up a bit, at least for me personally, around the 7 minute mark. Hammering percussive riffs backed by a very evocative swirling violin...not something I'd probably ever choose to listen to again but the highlight of the song for sure. Actually, I think this may just be a reprise of how the song started but the beginning was so long ago I can't be sure without rewinding...and I'm not going to do that. Not willingly. The music isn't offensive in any way and I could see where a lot of people get off on it. Not for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6-dsH7cbx8

Anyway:

Demon Eyes - Rites of Chaos

Interesting stuff, the main riff seems like Overkill's 'Raise the Dead' if it were slightly low on batteries. It's kinda odd that they've chosen to go with an English title but French lyrics, though, quite unusual of the Frogs. Kinda typical of its time, definitely; a bit of NWOBHM (Diamond Head or Jaguar being the bands that spring to mind) with a fairly skilled singer (though certainly not A-grade for Frog HM). He actually reminds me of the guy from Nightmare, albeit not nearly as warbly. Musically, the stomping rhythms have a fair bit of Heavy Load to them, I'd say... it reminds me of one track from Stronger than Evil. This is pretty standard stuff for 1984 but not without its charms, I'd certainly be interested in hearing more of this... but it's not gold-standard French heavy metal.

Now, this has got a lot more fire!

ADX - Priere de Satan

My knowledge of 80's speed metal is... nonexistent, but if most of it sounds like this, I think I'd be glad to fix that. The song starts off with some fairly calm acoustic guitars and synth, and then about 30 seconds in, the electric guitars make themselves known in a way I haven't really heard before. A pretty cool introduction, if you ask me. The production of the song is absolutely crisp and perfect; Not a single instrument goes unheard, and everything is in a nice balance, with a little favor towards the guitars and vocals. The band's singer is pretty good, staying in mid-range most of the time without going too high. He's able to pronounce most of the worlds clearly enough and has enough range to keep things from getting boring. Although, with him being the main focus (especially during the chorus), I feel like I'm missing out on something because I don't speak a word of French and don't have any good idea as to what he's singing. It's not that big of a deal, though, because the guitars (as I mentioned before) are pretty interesting, and the verse riff can keep my head banging even though I'm at a total loss for the lyrics. That solo isn't too shabby either. All in all, I'm still enjoying this, even on the 5th or 6th listen and will see if I can't get a hold of some of this band's stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jce9HixcK-A

Here's a translation of the chorus done by yours truly:

Cet enfant est l’ange du mal
Qui parmi nous veut diriger
Cet enfant est l’ange du mal
Il n’est jamais rassasié

This child is the evil angel
Who among us wants to lead
This child is the evil angel
He is never satisfied

This reminds me I should participate in the mini review game Too lazy!

@Metantoine:


Meh. Run-of-the-mill modern-day black metal, without much personality besides a brief nod at folk/viking or whatever euphemism is deemed acceptable for a (failed) attempt at a EuroPM-inspired chanting chorus, a nod at 90s tech death in the form of overmixed, echo-ridden, messy wanking sessions for solos, and a nod at punk (or perhaps just punk-tinged black metal à la recent Darkthrone) in the form of a punky groovy riff here and there (first heard at the 2'16'' mark). The main riff is "ominous black metal 101", and even I can think of dozens of better black metal riffs in the same vein, and I'm not quite the black metal buff. The production job seems to be struggling between "hey! it's 2043 AD, let's make a super loud, crystal clear mix with each instrument standing out!" (drums and guitars) and "ah but no, we're black metal, and black metal ist krieg, goddammit! let's undermix the vocals to the point the listener will be wondering which parts have them or not, that'll show them!" (the worst offender in that regard being the aforementioned wannabe epic chanting chorus). The drums are also lukewarm as fuck throughout, churning out lifeless blast beats and pedestrian rolls when required. Yeah, thanks but I'm good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-NcVE8-bGY

Destruction - The Damned (Plasmatics cover)

Now this is the Destruction I'm fond off. The razor-sharp clearness of each instrument and a sort of compactness in the auditory space makes this song a treat to listen to. As opposed to the bombastic brutality of later Destruction that seeks to overwhelm, this song delivers short choppy riffs and sweeping almost-gratuitous solos. It's a true incarnation of early thrash that was much closer to speed metal and sought to fill auditory space not with down-tuned distortion, but precise melodical intricacy, driven at a frantic pace. I don't know the original song, which I presume is punk, but this cover is thoroughly speed metalized without being boring. A short, catchy track that I consider among the best of Destruction's entire discography.

Let's keep things fast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvZnzGFfMuk

Nocturnal Breed - Iron Bitch

The intro consisted of a wailing guitar which give me the idea the song would be some Celtic Frost-ish stuff but the vibe of the song changes quickly once the vocalist jumps in with his angry grunts not far removed from a harsher Cronos or perhaps Lemmy. The hammering riffs, thanks to the booming guitar tone reminds me a bit of Motorhead while the chorus is one of those choruses that stick into your head for days. Perhaps the leads could shine a bit better but then again I don't think it's something very important for this piece of music anyway cause it rocks a 125%. I'm not too familiar with this rocking metal+harsher vocals kind of sound but if you want something fun to headbang along to this something I'd put up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD55erMjO1g

Anthem - Voice of Thunderstorm

new band for me...right off the bat we have the high tempo of speed metal but has an underlying traditional heavy metal guitar tone and sound. Riffing is solid throughout and the leads are done very well...The long section of solos starting from 1:40 is probably the best part of the song as the guitarist really shreds. Drumming was abit dull but he kept the tempo going but didn't add anything special to the song. Vocally he keeps with the melody and has a strong somewhat raspy voice. I think most the lyrics are japanese except for the chorus or I jsut couldn't understand them...either way, not that important to me. It was a fun song and was a good listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC97XGMgjgQ

Peste Noire - Dueil Angoisseus
Well I have long wanted to check out Peste Noire, but never got around to it. It's not at all what I expected. I figured the droning, minimalist intro would essentially be the song. Instead, it gives way to a foundation of lo-fi black metal with hoarse shrieks on top of which there's a confoundingly folksy lead guitar that sounds like some strange spawn of a Renaissance Fair and a Catalan guitar. I really don't know what to make of this song, because it's a study of contrasts--tortured shrieks and a lulling folksiness. It's absurd, yet memorable for the sheer incongruity of styles. Black metal bard music? I really don't know if I like this, but I feel a compulsion to to check out more of their music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOZil6oOrBY

@Amerigo

Vendetta-Fade to Insanity
8/10

I've seen the coverart posted in various Now Playing threads on other forums I post on, but the acoustic intro belies my expectations of more frantic Sadus type thrash. The solo gives way to a technical break and quite varied riff working inspired by Metallica (to these ears), even though the riffs don't seem to end and the drummer is constantly changing his pace. The bass makes a brief appearance before a brisk solo and back to the tech thrashing, the bass re-emerges again and with a few sparse melodies reminds me of Iron Maiden's Powerslave. The instrumental track showcases incredible variety without coming across as forced, every instrument showcases its chops in a fashion that less wank prone bands should've taken note from. Around the five minute mark the riff work is less frantic and sounds a bit more mechanical and chug oriented, but the solo again shreds through with the thrash persisting, all and all an amazing instrumental from a band I myself never got into checking out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1YvIDhlmG8

HIRAX - Lucifer's Infierno

As far as thrash goes, it doesn't get better than this! The intro is just the main riff over the simplest chord progression, and that's it! That's pretty much what constitutes the song. The vocals; just monotonous yelling at the top of them lungs (might sound like I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not. Keep it simple). Halfway trough there's a second riff to mix things up, and Katon screaming LUCIFER! Metal!
Second half; an even simpler chord progression, two 10 second solos and we're done. 3 minutes of intensity.

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

@Amerigo:

Re: Hirax


Hmmm, what to make of this, really? From my first listen, I'm fairly certain terms like "avant-garde" and "progressive" will be thrown about to describe them (maybe even the much-dreaded "post-" suffix), as this is a melting pot of three mostly unrelated musical styles, jumping from one to the next often brutally, almost like someone had switched channels on the radio. The bulk of the song is occupied by a frankly potent strand of death metal with a lot of (great) groovy and syncopated riffs, and more than its fair share of tempo changes and technical sweeps, and it all works to great effect. The musicianship is neat (the eclectic drumming particularly shines) and the mid-range, powerful growling is infectious. The closest thing to that part I can think of is 'Enter the Mighty Theriomorphic', which I love. But there are also progressive metal moments, ranging from pretty good (the melodic part with solos around 2'30'') to barely decent (the "hard rock with jazzy chords and harsh vocals" part that goes just before that). Finally, there's the part that comes back several times and seems to be meant as the climax, but unfortunately leaves me cold due to the jazzy, nerve-grating chord progression it is built around: the dedicated "eerie-arpeggio with hopelessly desperate hardcore/black-metal-ish screaming/loud-whispering vocals on top" part. It could have been great, and I can see they meant well, but it's never good news for me when a band isn't capable of differentiating between the genuinely moving (much of the song's melodies and chord progressions) and the genuinely irritating (this passage at its core). On a final note, I'm curious enough to try out other stuff from those guys, but I'll tread carefully, as I suspect from this first impression that they might think just a bit too much rather than feeling when they compose. Pretty good otherwise, though!

Looks like a good time for some of this.

@Tron_79


@Veracs


@Legend

RAISM-Aesthetic Terrorism

From the get-go I liked the chugging, crunchy riffage, and the keyboards gave the song added depth vaguely reminiscent of Varathron. Well a minute in it got to the industrial chugga-wugga over an incessantly beeping keyboards and the song quickly went down hill. I had no problem with that part per se, it's just that after that point the song becomes an exercise of monotonous repetition. Their sound was interesting, but I wish it actually developed into something instead of repeating the first minute over and over.

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

Hypocrisy - Paradox

This reminds me of Finland! Of early Sentenced and Amorphis. There is a doomy quality to it and it is all wonderfully atmospheric due to the keyboards that don't cloud but rather enhance. Tägtgren's playing is not so varied or brain numbingly tech but it serves the song well and that is all that matters. Makes me nostalgic since Hypocrisy sound so cluttered these days.
A great song from a great album!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR4O5tvIFeI

Crow Black Sky - Our Path Disdained

I've always thought that this band was just a decent black metal band that's not worth the hype they seem to get, and giving this song another listen isn't going to change that. The song first starts out with a very melodic lead that would hint at an epic/atmospheric ~11 minutes to come. But then they slow down and my biggest problem with this song kicks in. The singer sucks, plain and simple. He sounds like he wants to hit a high shriek like most black metal bands do, but he doesn't and it sounds like a shitty mid-range bedroom black metal vocal performance instead. Not to mention that he is way too high up in the mix to do anything other than irritate me, especially when there are interesting things going on with the guitars beneath him. When he does us a favor and shuts the hell up, some of the guitar leads going on are very Agalloch-ish and atmospheric, and while they're not as good as Agalloch themselves, they do the job. The other leads are actually pretty technical, but they don't get in the way of the atmosphere the band is trying to create that much. My favorite part of the song actually kicks in around 8:33, where they introduce some folky guitars, and then a very heavy, Hammerheart-esque riff goes on for the next minute or two to bring the song to a close. I feel like if the band focused on epic passages like this, and got a new singer, I'd enjoy it a lot more.

I just got into the band and this album is killer.

Deathspell Omega - Wings of Predation

What can I say about this? This album is the culmination of what DsO have been achieving up until now. The drumming is tremendous, using every trick in the book and off kilter fills. Really has lots of momentum to it, driving the song ever forward and anchoring the chaotic guitars. They do this thing where the guitars churn with formless evil while the drums blast, before exploding into a really memorable, almost indescribable dissonant type melody at 1:32. It stuck with me after hearing it for the first time. The bass is really loud too and almost never follows the guitars, which gets me hard. It has a really sweet barely distorted tone. I paused it and switched it to the album version I have because this youtube quality was just raping it and not doing the sweet production justice. The guitars are much less distorted than one would expect, hitting a nice middle ground and rendering the insanity decipherable, unlike on Fas. These guys are musical and lyrical geniuses, and you should keep listening to the album man. This isn't even nearly the strongest track on it!

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

Alright, I'll take the last "surprise" chocolate from the box, then. Since you people were kind enough to save it for me.


You know what? This is definitely a grower, as I wouldn't have had many nice things to say about it after my first listen two days ago, but now I like it a lot. Eclectic, dreamy, completely fucking stoned atmospheric death/doom with twists to its twists, a whole lot of depth, and every effort seemingly made to keep untrained ears at bay. Brilliant musicianship, faultless production values and mostly excellent songwriting make it a winner at the end of the day. The crunchy guitar sound is amazing and make even the crawling, repetitive intro/verse riff work really well; the "deep voice is for pussies, I growl right from the bottom of my *balls*, man!" vocal approach was initially off-putting but it's actually endearing. The eerie arpeggios and fucked-up, depressive yet evil-sounding guitar licks are awesome and the whole thing just excels at conveying an atmosphere so thick you can cut it with a machette. The drumming is fine although the guy is certainly better at blasting beats than enhancing the atmosphere during the slower passages. Afterlife meets Muse, in a way, but with it's very own touch and yeah, that's really good stuff, man. I'll look into it. Thanks!

Here's something I can't get out of my head these days (not that I'd want to):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqFzWlxSp1E

@Metantoine: Whenever you're ready, man.

Onward- Where Evil Follows

Oh, I love this! I always did! Onward were around for a relatively short time but the material was consistently awesome. This was of course graced by the charm of the now unfortunately deceased Michael Grant and appeared on the band's second album "Reawaken" which is a fuckingly righteous American power metal classic. The guitar work is riffy and melodic at the same time with Toby Knapp's nifty playing keeping things interesting.
The late Grant delivers a "deserving-of-song" performance. Not going over the top, not playing it safe, but keeping a minimal yet relentless presence. Check out the whole album if this grabs you!

To keep things banging;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja4DjXrR4ZM
(and no, it's not "Overkill" by Motorhead!)

Steel Assassin - Blitzkrieg Demons

I really liked this band's last album like way back in 2007 or so, had some killer riffs, killer vocals and an old school vibe like it came out of the 80s. And this isn't too bad either, actually some pretty awesome riffing like something you'd hear in a Saxon or a mid-80s Maiden tune, with some tuneful Dickinson-esque wailing that belts out cool vocal lines. I really dig the galloping rhythms here; sure it's been done a lot before, but true metal was never really about invention so much as simply rocking out, which this does very well. The production sounds a little bit thin, though, like it could use some more meat, and maybe the vocals aren't as hooky as they could be, but overall it's a solid, enjoyable heavy metal song. A lot better than the first song I heard from this album, "God Save London," for sure - that one was pretty awful. Glad to hear Steel Attack are powering on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v96i1xgWQmw

Dark At Dawn-Forever
0/10

Generic chugga-lug opening power chord laden with accompanied by annoying synth, and a coverart that screams gay and I knew it was an Europower song. The main riff is an annoying almost nu-Inflames chugging nonsense with a dual melodied moment around 1:44 before its back to the jumpdafuck up moments. The vocalist is an annoying gruff Sabaton clone moron who has one tone and that is grating, and those lyrics "eternity is watching me, it shines forever endlessly- just like a light within my heart forever . Awful vocals, generic riffs, and a shallow unmemorable solo cement the song as just another dime a dozen shit Europower filler songs, how in god's name bands like this are popular over there without the listener needing a lobotomy is beyond me.

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

Thou Art Lord: "Disciples of Black Sorcery"

Fantastic! Riffs! Perfect transitions. SO very Greek sounding it's just mind-melting. Sakis sings powerful deep vocals during the early verses, and most of the latter half is given over to magus's strangled shrieks. The drum machine is a little strange but somehow it actually works better here than on some of the early Rotting Christ stuff...maybe because the music is a bit trancier? There's a beat that comes in shortly after the one minute mark and then again after three minutes that sounds almost like an electronica/dance beat. THe little bass break that announces the beginning of the first verse is absolutely perfectly placed. There's also a brief synth flourish near the end that kind of accentuates the martial flavour of the piece. I really can't fault this at all; it's pretty much a perfect representation of this style of metal for me, and even the guitar tone just bites in ahe best possible sense. It's a real joy to be familiar enough with this kind of music that you predict the little transitions and riff-tails and drum fills. Headbanging is inescapable!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWFAJpjP8Yk

Courtesey of one of the most originally-named bands listed on metal-archives!

Yeah I kind of liked this, and that honest, meaty guitar tone goes a long way to help it. The lovely sustained opening chords are cool, and I was expecting something purely thrash driven, which wasn't immediately dispelled once it starting getting quicker, BUT, the vocals soon changed all that. Instead of higher register thrashin' vocals we're treated to deeper, death metal inspired vocals which work well with the aggressive (ahem) tone of the track. The bass is wonderfully present in thick, ropey workouts propelling everything with it's punchy presence accompanying the tasteful drum work. Further into this after a couple of verses is some great bursts of blasting over some delicious thrash riffage which is aimed at wrecking your neck, and the clever use of panned vocal attack in and out of the speakers was a sweet touch - and THAT riff at the three minute mark fucking rules! This is a perfect example of thrash flirting with death and giving birth to pure awesome. Loved it.

I'm bringing this thread back.

My Dying Bride - Erotic Literature

I've only really heard their 2nd and 3rd albums, so this really is my first exposure to their debut. On first listen, I have to say this is incredible. It opens up in a frantic blaze and throughout it's endurance this is much more heavier and rawer than I was expecting. Also, some sections are surprisingly fast. The atmosphere is still there, it is just more integrated into the overall sound, rather than having many sections just focusing on the atmosphere alone. The riffing here is great, and the harsh vocals are raw and powerful. I'm definitely going to have to listen to more of this album.

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

Four Seats for Invalides - "Medial Message"

Damn, what the hell? The beat at the beginning definitely threw me for a loop, I guess it makes sense that these guys are a weird Czech grind band. Still, the actual song is pretty good. Riffs are simple, powerful and chunky. Never really goes into outright blasting territory but it doesn't need to. Vocals are kinda nondescript during the growls but work really well, and contrast with the shouting parts. Kinda reminds me of mid-era Napalm Death if they wrote really concise songs. Doesn't overstay it's welcome at all, might have to look into this band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE4kNkfZFOQ