The Florida, USA band Denial Fiend claims on their webpage (link referenced below), “By Law, the band is focused on blending elements of all forms of classic metal and hardcore with lyrics revolving around themes of horror/gore/zombie movies of the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's.” I think they accomplish this goal and do it well. In fact, I think this b...

26/02/2009

Stalaggh is a Dutch noise/drone/black metal band that specializes in experiments of hell sounds. How does one create the effect of hell in music? Well it has obviously been tried for years with severe distortion, growl vocals, and now with technology and electronic vocals. Stalaagh gets its name from the German word for Prison, “stalag” (Have you e...

26/02/2009

<div>Mortiis, the former bassist for the famous/infamous Norwegian band Emperor, releases two types of albums it seems, dark-wave-synth-rock (heavy on the synth) and techno records that are more like dark dance tracks. I like both and find a place for both (if there are in fact only two) in my music time. Mortiis has consistently remained a sort of...

26/02/2009

I am a fan of the heaviest heavy brutal death out there and Gutted with Broken Glass has added a cool dimension of humor to this brutality with BEATEN TO A BLOODY PULP. The CD opener, “Headfuck,” starts with a cool song that repeats two segments of brutal death separated by the words “What do you think about that fuckhead”” and then with “What do y...

26/02/2009

Sad Eyed Angel is from my neck of the woods, Chicago, IL. They claim on their myspace page that they are influenced by the blues but I do not hear it in the album Buried Face Down much (it is there a little). Instead, I hear grind style musical voicing and a solid scream-growl vocal. Ryan' O-myte (think that might be a pseudonym?) has a throat that...

26/02/2009

This Russia band delivers something that is called, by the folks at the Metal Archives, Doom. When I think of Doom, I of course think of Sunn O))), a bit of Striborg (in a non-traditional Doom way that is), and Stasis. But this group has a greater leaning toward the slow non-guitar driven melancholia. The band relies on keyboards and more slowly de...

26/02/2009

Maximum Perversion and Ebolie, both of Australian origin, have released a split-CD on Grindhead Records called FUCK YA EARS AND DRINK YA BEERS. And a fine split it is. Each band opens their part of the split with a segment of the title. For example, Maximum Perversion opens with “Fuck Ya Ears” while Ebolie opens their portion with “Drink Ya Beers.”...

26/02/2009

The acronym NWOBHM stands for two distinct yet oddly similar ideas. It stands for New Wave of British Heavy Metal and it stands for New Wave of Black heavy Metal. Obviously there might be some cross-over here but the black metal scene is represented in this by Darkthrone of Norway. Darkthrone released an EP called New Wave of Black Heavy Metal and...

26/02/2009

California, USA’s Liquid Skull has an EP out, self released, entitled ABSCESSIVE AUTOPSY, and is certainly a non-album in terms of production value or creative darkness. I will often forgive a band for low-fi recording if their angst is high or their textures are diverse. Liquid Skull has none of these positive attributes. I mean, the EP plays but...

26/02/2009

The Italian band Stigma has released a mid-length CD called WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES! On Pivotal Recordings and shows itself to be a metal band playing off themes of horror shows all around. “Walpurghis Night” opens the CD, followed by “I am Dracula” and “Silver Bullets and Burning Crosses.” There is something in the smoothness of this band’s style th...

26/02/2009