GOATWHORE:

• The Eclipse of Ages Into Black (2000)
  
• Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun (2003)
  
• A Haunting Curse (2006) A cross between black metal and death metal, with a little slayer for good measure. Guitars range from black metal style tremolo picking to some serious riffing, especially in their single 'Alchemy Of The Black Sun Cult'. Drumming again switches from more groovy stuff to continuous blasting and doublebass. The drumming isn't terribly complex, but is well performed, loud and tight. No weird time signatures, just intensity and precision. Vocals are raspy midrange stuff. This is intense stuff, the pummeling doesn't let up for a second. Basically, think of black metal performed by a band that are really good at playing their instruments, and who add a few groovy bits in to avoid being repetitive. Add nice production to the mix, and you get some angry and intense metal, nothing new, but so well done that you won't care.
• Carving Out The Eyes of God (2009) Not quite as good as their last album, but still a very worthy effort. This album definitely pushes the thrash side of the band a bit more. One thing I really love about Goatwhore is they manage to make unexpected riffs within a pretty simplistic frame. The songs are quite straight forward, but when you try and guess the next note they're about to play in a new riff, more often than not they do something other than what you expect. The songs are just a touch groovier and slower, which is the main reason I preferred "Haunting Curse", it was just an extra touch faster that gave it more intensity. But otherwise, excellent songs, worth checking out.
  

GODLESS TRUTH:

• Another Disease (1994, Demo)
• Desperation (1998, MCD)
• Desperation (1998)
  
• Burning Existence (1999)
  
• Selfrealization (2001)
  
• Arrogance Of Supreme Power (2004) If you know Dying Fetus, you know what to expect from Godless Truth. From the groove of the songs, to the tapping riffs, to the low vocals (well, those actually sound more like the gargles of Disgorge) to the midrange vocals that sound surprisingly like Jason Netherton. So nothing terribly new, however, I have to give credit where credit is due, this album is pretty fucking great. The riffs are well written, the production is excellent, the music is tight and the musicians are all masters of their instruments. This is fantastic stuff, and if you love Dying Fetus or Disgorge, I highly recommend this album, I expect it'll be spending a good deal of time in my cd player in the future.
  

GORATORY:

• Orgasm Induced Diarrhea (2002) Sort of a cross between Dying Fetus and Cryptopsy. The groovy parts are very much Dying Fetus, but the drummer also has those "twice as fast as a human should be able to do" blast beats that Flo from Cryptopsy loves to do. A very solid release, while there's nothing terribly original here, the riffs are good, the production is great (again, think Dying Fetus's "Stop At Nothing" album, for example), and who wouldn't want to listen to 40 minutes of the groovier parts from Dying Fetus. These guys must be a lot of fun live. Also gotta love the requisite song titles: 'Cream Of Fetus', 'Severed Fuck Stump' or 'Pig Fucker', and plenty of sound clips between songs. So anyways, not a must have, but after you've bought all the must have stuff, this should be the very next thing to buy.
• Rice On Suede (2004) Pretty similar to their last album with a few tweaks. First, a little more speed this time, a little less groove (so they lose a little of that Dying Fetus feel). The sound has a little more treble and a little less bass, which I'm not a huge fan of, but it's still good production. Otherwise, a good combination of blasts, double bass, technical riffs and gutteral vocals (sometimes so gutteral they're humorous). The drummer does some interesting stuff on the snare, first, he may in fact have two snares, one with the snare set on, the other off, so he has both the normal snare sound and the more hollow tenor drum sound which he alternates between. He also does these crazy two times as fast blast beats which he's achieving (I assume) using this new technique I've been hearing about of vibrating the stick between the drumhead and the rim. The songs are a little too self similar in spots, and some of the riffs are a little bit too "change the tempo every few seconds", but otherwise, it's enjoyable and worth grabbing when you get the chance.

GOREFEST:

• Mindloss (1991) While containing some of the mid-paced riffing style from their 2nd album (which is still one of my favorite death metal albums of all time), this album is a little more frantic with Slayeresque boom-chick style drumming, tremolo picked riffs and dive bomb solos. The song writing isn't quite as refined, but there's still a lot of good and memorable riffs here, and a few standout songs that kick ass (such as 'Confessions Of A Serial Killer', 'Mental Misery' and 'Gorefest'). Jan-Chris' vocals are a little more gravely too. Productionwise, the sound is clear but quiet, they could have made the mix a little louder so prepare to twist that volume knob. Good album, but not as mind blowing as "False".
  
• False (1993) False is probably one of the best written albums I've ever heard, the song writing skills of this band is unmatched. Slow and fast stuff, great production, this band really knows when to bring in the double kicks for their maximum effect. And the guitars get really low.
• The Eindhoven Insanity (1993, Live) A live CD taken from Gorefest's performance at the Eindhoven musicfest. The CD was made just for the hell of it, but the performance is surprisingly good, and the sound is very clean and powerful for a live album. Impressive.
• Erase (1994) This album is good, but the guitar sound is too dry, not menacing enough. The songs aren't as catchy as the ones on False. I expected better from the band. Still enough good material to make the album listenable.
• Fear (EP)
• Soul Survivor (1996)
• Chapter 13 (1998)
• La Muerte (2005) Wow. That's the best way to describe this cd. The early 90s was a magical time for death metal, the heyday of the genre some say, and Holland's Gorefest was certainly one of the best. But then a few so-so albums and any number of other factors led to a breakup. Now fastforward 7 years later, and the band gets back together. What do they do? Do they tour for years and year playing their old material, living off past glory? (Many other have) Nope, they come out with a brand new cd of material that's just as good as their cds of old. Again I say wow. A fantastic example of why some bands do need to get back together. As with their album "False" the key is great song writing. This cd isn't a move forward in any substantial way, each and every track definitely sounds like the band in every way, like there was no 7 year break. But the songs are just great, Jan-Chris's voice is as distinctive as ever, the production is thick and powerful. Yes, the album does have a few blues based riffs here and there that I'm not as big a fan of, but then you get gems like the doublebass / chugging riff half way through 'Malicious Intent', or the blasts in 'Rogue State', the odd chord progression in 'The Call', or the "chunk, chunk, chunk" riff in 'Man To Fall'. These moments are what metal is all about. An extra DVD has a 20min interview/in-the-studio stuff, which is pretty interesting, lots of good talk with the band about the group getting back together and the album making process. The interviews are all in Dutch but it has english subtitles, so no big deal. This is followed by 5 minutes of a live performance from 2005, and then another 5min or so discussing the band's equipment (drums and guitar). Buy this cd asap, Gorefest is back and prepared for a long healthy future.
• Rise To Ruin (2007) Just as good as their last album. Really powerful music, fast, thrashing, angry, painful like a hammer to the head. The album starts a little odd with a fast song that then contains a rather soft interlude in the middle. But then the band gets down to business. I particularly like the blasting in 'The War On Stupidity', and the opening to the song 'Rise To Ruin' is one of those riffs that only Gorefest can do justice to. Just about all the songs are really strong, no filler material here. The production is excellent again. Gorefest keep plowing ahead with renewed vigor, a definite must buy for the month.
  

• Her Gash I Did Slash (1998, Demo) As the title implies, brutal grind with silly movie sound clips at the beginning of each song (as well as the title track, song titles also include 'Stab Me Till I Cum' and 'Limb by Limb'). The band reminds me a little of Carcass from their Necrotism days (Low vocals with the occasional black metalish scream), although the riffs aren't quite as inventive. Good sound, decent playing, decent riffs, but not enough originality to set them apart from all the other bands out there. But if you're into the style, it's well done. To contact the band, write to Gorerotted, PO Box 18516, London, E11 3UJ, United Kingdom.
• Mutilated In Minutes... (2000) Sorta Dying Fetus with Carcass vocals. While they don't have the finesse that 10 years as a band gives you (this is their debut), there's some great, great riffs on this album (like riff2 off of 'Bed 'em, Behead 'em'). Lots of fast drumming, fast picking, and plenty of intensity. The production is clear, but still needs a bit more bass. If you want some good old school grind / death metal, look no further, these guys will surely please.
• Only Tools And Corpses (2004) Very quick paced blasting death metal. Talk about high strung, these guys blast and blast and blast, with lots of high pitched screaming. While not the most original stuff in the world, there's enough energy and cool riffs here and there to keep my attention focused on the music. The sound is a little lacking in the bass end of the spectrum, but that's a stylistic choice more than a deficiency, their nice clear and razor sharp guitar tone helps define their sound. Nothing revolutionary, just a good solid release and plenty of fun to listen to.
• A New Dawn For The Dead (2005) Holy Muffled batman. What happened here? I had hoped after their last release for a tad more bass, but instead we have some seriously muffled production. Ick! Ok, beyond that, it's basically what you'd expect, screamed and gurgled vocals, fast double bass, blasting, etc. Reminds me a little more of the last few Iniquity albums, but the Carcass influence is still there. I don't know, fans of the band will certainly enjoy this cd since it's more of the same, but there's really nothing new enough or extreme enough here to get me all excited. Best to try before you buy.
  

• Bleeding Profusely (2001) Nice, angry, brutal death metal. No real surprises, tons of blasting and double bass from Dave Culross (that in itself means this is a must buy). Vocals are medium pitch growling. Guitar wise lots of tremolo picking and chunky palmmutted downpicking. Several of the songs actually include bach inspired melodies, mind you, they're performed on heavily distorted guitars and with blast beats underneath (this ain't no Yngwie). Overall sorta reminds me of the first Infestdead album, but with a real drummer. Excellent, thick production. This music won't leave you humming any tunes or anything, but you will be definitely be brutalized. Highly recommended.
• Masticate to Dominate (2003) While not quite as instantly catchy as their last CD, after a listen or two I definitely got into this album. No Dave on drums, but this guy is cool too. I also now know exactly what a gorgasm is thanks to Jon Zig's cover art (you have to open the CD to see what I mean). Otherwise, more of the same from the last album, a few less bach inspired melodies, the production is a minor, minor step down, probably not a recording issue, it's just not quite as scooped as the last one was in the final mix. Still enjoy the songs, some good moshable bits, and plenty of blasting. If you liked the last album, you should get this one too.
  

• And Then Comes Lividity (1990, Demo)
• Considered Dead (1991) High quality straight ahead death metal. The production is bottom heavy and thick, with lots of guitars layered on top of one another. There are lots of great riffs and good drumming, nothing super original, but well worth listening to.
• The Erosion of Sanity (1993) One of Quebec's real success stories. Their music certainly isn't anything new, just well done, technical, powerful death metal. Don't expect originality, but it's great music to mosh to. The recording quality is a bit muddier than their last album.
• Obscura (1998) First, forget everything you knew about this band, the music on this CD isn't even close to previous albums. The new Gorguts is a much darker, technical band, with crushing riffs, perverse of key-notes and lots of  squawks. These rhythms are really, really difficult to play, at times their brilliant, at times they're just messy and their complexity sometimes gets in the way of the groove. Some songs remind me of Morbid Angel, but with crystal clear, bass heavy production. The vocals are high pitched, and sound like he's completely lost his vocal chords and he's being eviscerated by a wild animal. Overall, a good album, a very non traditional approach to death metal that's worth taking a listen to at least once.
• From Wisdom To Hate (2001) I've heard this new album described as a mix between Obscura and The Erosion Of Sanity, but overall it's still very much in the obscura vein, except the songs are a lot tighter and more focused. Basically the chaos of Obscura with stronger song structures. The result is the best album I've heard this year so far. Each song is great and quite memorable, with my favorite probably being track 4, 'The Quest For Equilibrium', which is by far the best 'Just this side of Doom Slow' song I've heard since Morbid Angel's 'Where The Slime Live'. This album just will not leave my cd player. If you enjoyed the chaos of their last album, but thought it went a little too far off the deep end, this album revolutionizes without losing the listener. A must purchase.
• "...And Then Comes Lividity" / Demo Anthology (2003, Rare) It seems like it's been forever since we've heard anything from the band, ever since the drummer committed suicide, they seem to have dropped off the face of the earth. Not that I don't understand, talk about a traumatic experience, but the band is just so good, I can't help but want new music from them. Ok, so this isn't new music, but at least it's a sign that the band is still out there and thinking of music. As opposed to just a reissue of their first Demo, this is a 18 track anthology of both their first demo, and preproduction songs from their first 3 albums. While the production on the beginning of the album is pretty horrific, it's kinda fun to hear the beginnings of many of their more classic songs, including 5 songs off Obscura in different levels of development. The album ends with a live track from a concert in Val d'Or, which is a little muffled, but still fun to mosh to. This CD will probably only be loved by collectors and huge fans of the band, but to me it's more a sign of hope, that the band has taken a brief look back at its path and is now ready to push forward.
• Live In Rotterdam (2006, LiveCD) Wow, this takes me back to the first time I saw Gorguts in Montreal back in '95. That concert, like this CD, is pre-Obscura era, "The Erosion Of Sanity" had just come out, and the band had gone through some serious lineup changes, but it didn't seem to slow them down one bit. This 8 song live album contains mostly material from their 2nd album, with a few tracks from their first. The sound quality is decent, it's definitely a bootleg, but you can hear the drums / guitar / vocals, even the bass, very clearly. Just don't expect them to be very loud. Also, the second guitar is too quiet in the mix, but I'd guess it got recorded that way, so they probably couldn't do much about it after the fact. Also, the first track 'With Their Flesh He'll Create', one of my favorite songs, starts half way through, the first half of the song apparently never got recorded and so doesn't appear on this cd. Performance wise, these guys are playing some really hard shit, and they play it with ease. It's a little rough around the edges, but I did enjoy this cd, and recommend it for any fan of the band. If the first track hadn't started half way through, I'd really have nothing to complain about at all.
  

• Ghouls Of Grandeur (2003) From the opening seconds of this album, the band has one purpose, to try and fuck up your eardrums. This became very apparent to me one monday morning when I had accidentally set my volume way too high and hit play on this cd, causing this sudden deafening roar of angry screaming and double bass. It was so cool I almost wanted to not adjust the volume and just keep it like that for the whole cd (I say almost because I was at work and knew if I kept it that loud, someone would come into my office and kick my ass within the first 30 seconds). The band covers a lot of different styles, from death metal to thrash to 80s glam (some of the guitar solos and a vocal line or two). Production wise, lots of layered guitars, a really good mix of high and low end, the way all metal should be. Guitarwise, a mixture of tremolo picking and fast downpicked riffs. Vocals are mainly high pitched screams with oodles of reverb. The drummer, while not a huge fan of blast beats (there are some blasts now and again though), is a big fan of fast pumping double bass with a good fast snare line overtop. Something about the band for some reason reminds me of slayer with a much bigger sound, and yet the band sounds nothing like Slayer. Maybe it's the attitude? Another comparison would have to be the second Crusher album. Or the thick and angry sound of early Entombed. The thing this cd really has going for it is intensity, you just want to listen to it loud and leap around. A real release of primal energy. Very, very impressive first release.
• 10 Steps to Hell (2005) From the opening scream and fast guitar, you may be under the impression that we're in for "Ghouls Of Grandeur" part 2, but really this cd has a few fundamental differences, and they aren't for the better. First, the guitarsound doesn't have as much reverb to it and isn't as densely layered, so you lose some of that bigness they had before. Second, while many of the riffs are good, a lot of them are repeated way too much, like for example the last riff in 'Separation Of My Soul' is repeated for 1 min and 35 seconds straight. That's a long time to repeat a riff. This, along with the inclusion of soft intros and some long slow parts causes a lot of the frantic energy to disappear. Now you know me, I think variety is important in order to avoid monotony. But their last album just had this energy to it, this unstoppable speed, and this album just doesn't have the same feel, especially in the middle sections. Like for example 'Unborn' has a section half way through where the guitar plays quarter notes and the drumming is all slow. The whole song could be dropped as far as I'm concerned, making way for more intense stuff like 'Breed Apart' which has a nice doublebass-gallop riff, and whose slow riffs accentuate the song rather then brings the energy to a screeching halt. There are a number of good fast songs, but the slow songs are just too so-so, and overall it makes the album unmemorable. I'd have to give this cd a pass, buy their first album instead.

• The Power Of Inner Strength (1995) Featuring Ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, they sound just like old Slayer. This is not a bad thing. While not getting any prizes for originality, they produce well written riff oriented metal.
• Nemesis (1997) The band really doesn't do anything in this album that they didn't do in their last album, many of the sounds, the riffs, they're almost identical to stuff from "Power". However, it's done well, and with lots of intensity, and I do love arabian scales and harmonized guitars. If they'd only push a bit more in the originality area, and try to progress with their music (progress as in take it in a new direction, or stick with their current direction but trying something a little different with each new release). But otherwise, there are lots of good songs, greats riffs, and excellent production.
• Solidify (1999) Ok, I've sort of given up that this band will ever produce an original sound / style, so I'll instead speak about how they rate within the confines of what they are. And within those confines, they're pretty damn good. I generally prefer the riffs in this album to the last, they have a few of those parts where you just go "Ya, that's cool." And of course, they have all the other elements that make Grip Inc. what they are (heaviness, squawks, double kicks, arabian riffs and solos). A few hohum songs, but in general good song writing, and always a clear and powerful production. Sure, they sound like an 80s thrash band, but if it's good (which it is), who cares? If you liked the last two, third time's a charm.
• Incorporated (2004) One thing that made the last cd so cool was the opening, a nice powerful riff from the getgo to get and keep your attention. It's like the band sat down in front of you, grabbed your head, and said "Ok, here I am, and I'm gonna have your undivided attention for the next 45 minutes whether you want me to or not. So listen up bitch." While this album does start with a loud moment, it quickly goes into this spanish guitar riff that's just sorta there, and then some vocals that just sorta are, and then the distorted guitars come back in and are pretty noisy and you're not sure exactly what sort of riff is being played. One of the nice things about the band on their previous albums has been how precise and tight they are, and I'm sorry to say that tightness seems a bit lost on this album, replaced with a fuzzier tone that falls short of really becoming atmospheric, or whatever it was they were going for (although the production is pretty similar to their previous albums). About 3 minutes into the first song they go back to something a little more thrash oriented, but again, sort of noisy. Track 2 starts with something pretty cool riff wise, but then again, goes into this soft part that is sort of corny with this weird keyboard thing going on. Song after song, something is just a bit off or wrong, too experimental? Too odd? Too corny? There's still a few good songs, like track 4 'Endowment of Apathy' which has this tremolo picked on / off riff that's pretty catchy (with a squawk or two for good measure). But then track 5 starts with this flamingo thing that goes on way too long. Track 6, 'Skintrade', then is back to some good thrashy stuff and fast doublekicks, Lombardo style. The track 7 has this odd string section thing going on. A very uneven album with some good songs and some bad ones. Maybe if you only listen to the even track numbers only you'll be ok. I'd recommend this is as a definite try before you buy.
  

• Grinding (1996, Demo) Performed under the band name Genocide.
• Vilification (1998, Demo) Performed under the band name Genocide.
• Promo 2000 (2000, Demo)
• Defiled (2001) First impression is this sounds a little like Origin's "Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas", from the somewhat nasally tremolo picked guitars to the spastic too fast for words blast beats (this album was released first BTW). But there are a few marked differences, such as having primarily a single vocalist who does a low and hoarse sort of growl, and a highly distorted bass guitar in the same vein as Seance's famous album "Saltrubbed Eyes". But overall I feel the band does bring something fresh to the table, I know I've been going off a lot recently about clone bands, well, I won't classify these guys as clones, they are doing their own thing, and that thing is pretty fucking sick. While not as instantly classic as Origin's second album, this cd is fast, brutal, has memorable riffs, and overall you feel you're ears have been violated after listening to it, which is always a good thing. And hell, I think these guys have my favorite song title, the album ends with the classic 'The Excrement Has Taken His Life', that is just awesome. This cd is a little hard to find, but well worth any trouble it takes you to locate it, go out and buy this now.
• Human Race Deserves To Die (2005) While the album retains a similar style to their previous album, I'm afraid I just don't find the sound or songs as unique. Soundwise, the recording level is sort of low, the distorted bass is way down in the mix, thinking back, I think the big distorted bass actually had a lot to do with the unique sound the band had. Songwise, the riffs just aren't sticking with me as well as the stuff off of Defiled did. The core style is still there, ultrafast drumming, low vocals, lots of tremolo picked riffs. And it's certainly not a bad album and is well worth a listen, but with a slight shift in the sound and too many been-there done-that riffs, this album doesn't hit that same level of uncontrolled chaos that made their last album so enjoyable. It's kinda tough to explain, it's like an old friend who's lost their soul I suppose, it looks like your friend, sounds like your friend, but you just get this empty feeling inside for some reason. Decent, but a bit of a disappointment.

Hmm, how does one start to describe GWAR. I guess their biggest strength is the fact they perform on stage dressed like beasts from hell, and spend the show performing unspeakably disgusting acts, like lopping each other to pieces with 20 foot battle axes. And they sing about all sorts of strange stuff, the band has a sense of humor if nothing else. If you ever get a chance to see the live, go for it (if you don't mind being splattered with blood).

• Hell-o! (1988) Strong punk roots mix with metal and really messed up song lyrics (song titles include such wonderful selection as 'I'm In Love (With A Dead Dog)' and 'Je M'Appelle J. Cousteau') to form a strange musical combination. I don't know if I should laugh or run away screaming. Some memorable moments (mainly due to silly lyrics), although the riffs themselves are more often than not unmemorable, the guitar solos are definitely in the wanker area, and the production is ok but nothing great. You'll sit there and keep asking youself "what the fuck is this?" for hours. Is that enough to persuade you to buy this CD? That's a question that only you can answer.
• Scumdogs of the Universe (1990) Theatrics aside, the music on this CD is pretty good. Catchy riffs, nothing ultra spectacular, but good strong metal, with some mild punk influences.
• America Must Be Destroyed (1992) Those wacky guys from Gwar (and one women, sorry, didn't mean to forget you, please, put that axe down!) Track 1 'Ham On The Bone' totally slaps you around with some killer vocals, and is a perfect example of the two levels on which you can enjoy the band, you gotta love the swords, makeup and theatrics, but then there's the more serious level, as in this song kicks some serious ass regardless of the latex and silly lyrics. 'Have You Seen Me' is also a fun track, it starts off like a live performance from a swing club (although you notice the lyrics are a bit twisted), then degrades into some serious guitar carnage. There's a few filler songs in the middle, but there's a lot of great and memorable material here. Join in the silliness, bring your pet dinosaur and enter the pit, hulk smash!!!
  
• The Road Behind (1994, EP)
• This Toilet Earth (1994)
• Rag Na Rok (1995)
• Carnival Of Chaos (1997)
• We Kill Everything (1999)
• Violence Has Arrived (2001) Ok, the costumes are cool, but if you don't make good music, I'm not gonna buy the cd. That's sorta how I've felt about the last few gwar cds, which have been a little too experimental for my tastes. But after a recent live show, and hearing the song 'Immortal Corruptor' (which is definitely my favorite song on this cd), I decided to pick up the album, and am happy to see the band get back to their more metal roots. Songwise, plenty of chunky riffs and fast songs, the tunes are more thrashy and that's a good thing. While the lyrics are still demented, there's not as much thematic variety to the songs as say on "Scumdogs", the band seems to focus a bit more on just providing a good solid cd of tunes to mosh to, and that's cool. The violence has arrived indeed. If you haven't been too excited about gwar recently, I recommend taking a listen to this cd, it might sway you back their way.