Ein Artikel von gargantouas vom 10.07.2004 (13839 mal gelesen)
SOULSKINNER - BREEDING THE GROTESQUE
From Athens, SOULSKINNER come to torment our souls and ears with their album "Breeding The Grotesque". By checking out the CD case I realized that there is not a drummer present on the line-up, so this can justify the bad and fake sound of the drum machine. If SOULSKINNER have a human drummer that played the drums on this album, then we have to do with a wonder of the nature.
Either way, SOULSKINNER give large amounts of riffs and death metal sounds open-handed. Most of the times the riffs are SLAYER like but of course played in the US death metal way. Powerful sharp and sometimes melodic riffs (the way death metal can be melodic) with example of 'Rule By The Bullet' that the guitar riff reminds me of oriental situations. Very extreme are the 'Nocturnal Supremacy' that Sakis from ROTTING CHRIST appears as a guest and the title track.
SOULSKINNER is a very good death metal band. I don't like the brutality of this kind of music, but SOULSKINNER can be much respected because they love what they are doing. Very good production, very good solid and powerful rhythm sections built up an album that will appeal to all the fans of Death Metal.
7
Total Time: 41:45
Tracklist:
1. Feeding On Angels
2. The Call Of The Daemons
3. Rule By The Bullet
4. Nocturnal Supremacy*
5. Soulskinner
6. Testimonial Carnage
7. Inherit The Nightmares
8. Forged In Combat
9. Wolverine Devourment
10. Blood Of The Perished
11. Cultivating The Plague
12. Breeding The Grotesque
SISTER SIN-DANCE OF THE WICKED
Here we have to do with a kind of music that I didn't expect to listen. SISTER SIN travel us back, not too much though to the times that bands like MOTLEY CRUE, GUNS 'N' ROSES, SKID ROW used to sell like fresh baked bread.
Although the album is good, there is a major drawback. What is this? The only 28 minutes of music that I think are too few. Either way, taking into consideration that one of the songs is a cover version, I can say that I didn't listen that much to SISTER SIN.
From the moment though the 'Kiss Of The Sky' (maybe the best song of the album) begins, you forget everything and just think that you are traveling on a long desert road somewhere in USA. The rocking attitude just spreads out and the beer is ready to flow. The vocals from the very sympathetic Liv Jagrell are very good rocking ones and on the ACDC like 'Dirty Damn' she just gives lessons on how rock/glam rock should be sung. At times dirty, at times innocent and sometimes very sexy. The cover version to the ROLLING STONES' classic 'Paint It Black' (really how many metal bands have covered this song?) could have been better, but at least SISTER SIN give their own interpretation on the song, something that is very positive.
All the songs move to very good quality levels, the production is very good, so what else do you want? The followers of the nice glam and hard rock memories should invest. I at least, enjoyed this one very much.
8
Total Time: 28:25
DIVA NOCTUA ENTROPIA- TRANSERPENTUAL
Ok, usually when I listen to an album to make a review, I get my notebook and just check the songs that I enjoyed the most. With DIVA NOCTUA ENTROPIA I noticed that all the songs had a tick next to them. "Transerpentual" is simply a kick ass album.
The ones that love to exercise their ears, no matter what kind of sub-genre of Heavy Metal they prefer, will fall in love with "Transerpentual". DIVA NOCTUA ENTROPIA move on the black metal roads the way Greeks like to play it. ROTTING CHRIST is the first name that comes to my mind. Although the songs maybe based on black metal sounds, the band isn't afraid to move to classic melodic metal territories and sometimes progressive. Yes, progressive.
The songs usually are quite long -up to six, seven and eight minutes- but are never boring. From the amazing intro 'You Will Not Kill' to the opening track of the album 'Tranquil He Slay's' that mixes classic and black metal the best way. And from there 'Two Teeth', 'Anasatana' and the instrumental 'A Sudden Interest For Snakes' (excuse me?!!!!) keep the standards on very high levels mixing black metal, with melodic outbreaks, progressive and complex parts.
Now the last two songs 'No Hand Path' and 'All Shall Love Me and Despair' are simply the best of the album. The band recreates all its talent and unique way of making good, interesting and complex melodic black metal with the best way.
As I said, words are meaningless. I am sure that DIVA NOCTUA ENTROPIA released one of the best albums of 2003 in Greece and on the underground in general. The only drawback? Unfortunately, the production. The sound is not helping the band at all, making the songs deteriorating a lot. I cannot even imagine what an outbreak "Transerpentual" would be with a production worth to this band. If you don't care so much about the sound, you should invest immediately. If you do care a lot about the sound, then if you decide not to invest you will loose the opportunity to listen to one of the best underground releases. Thumbs up!
9 (For the quality of the songs)
6 (For The Production)
Total Time: 51:51
Tracklist:
1. You Will Not Kill
2. Two Teeth
3. Tranquil He Slay's
4. Anatasatana
5. A Sudden Interest For Snakes
6. Here To Torment The Likes of You
7. Transerpetual
8. No Hand Path
9. All Shall Love Me And Despair
INSIDIUS INFERNUS-EYES IN ASTRAL ABYSS
And what do we have here? An underground black metal release, true to the heritage of the Norwegian Black Metal scene of the 90s? A very cool artwork with the beautiful winter white wolf on the front cover prepared me for the best. Although, this album is one of the worse I have ever listened.
What makes it so bad is the very bad sound. And when I mean very bad, I refer to a sound that doesn't have a chance to be compared with an album, but only with a demo. And even so, demos nowadays have a much better sound. I think it was a very wrong move from the band to release "Eyes In Astral Abyss" since all the lyricism and epic feeling is lost to the scratching of the guitar and the drums that sound like hitting a saucepan.
What else can I say than I listen to some riffs and some incoherent ideas that try to become songs. If anything saves this release, are the vocals from Luciferia (yeah female vocals) that add some feeling.
Other than that, abyss is the word to describe. Not only the sound is bad, also the ideas are already played and nothing unique is present. I don't think there is anything more to say than just to with to the band to be able to do something better in the future, since I am sure they love what they do. Good luck next time then.
2
Total Time: 49:04
WINDFALL-TIME OF THE HAUNTED
I wasn't far from what I thought that this album would be, when I looked at the front cover. This is the fourth try from WINDFALL and the guys from Athens know what people here in Greece love to listen. Well, not only in Greece of course, since their main influence ICED EARTH is a very big name worldwide nowadays.
Nine songs then on 'Time Of The Haunted' that combines on a very nice way the US power/thrash metal influences with some death growls on the vocals. Other than that, there is nothing more to add, raw metal flows from the speakers on every song and just breaks everything.
The best songs out of this album would be the very melodic and raw 'A Broken Scream', the rhythmical and melodic once again 'Final Rite' and the fasty 'Human Petrified' with the very creative chorus.
I liked the album a lot, though it has nothing unique to offer. It is sympathetic with all the tracks being nice and giving a kick on the face of the listener. Pure Metal the way ICED EARTH showed the world it should be played. Good and sympathetic work.
7
Total Time: 36:26
Tracklist:
1. Time of the haunted
2. A will denied
3. Nightmare
4. Cursed
5. A broken scream
6. Final rite
7. On thorns I'm dreaming
8. Last moments
9. Human petrified
