
PANTERA:
- Cowboys From Hell (1990) The sound is razor sharp, the riffs are fresh
and brutal, the leads are spectacular. The production is great, but
still a
little soft (wait till their next album). Pretty much every song on the
album is the best song.
- Cowboys From Hell The Videos (1991, Video) 3 music videos, 2 live songs (which are
well produced), and tons of home videos of the band on tour, destroying
things and drinking. Not much else to say really. About 40 minutes long.
- Vulgar Display Of Power (1992) They knocked the brutality up a notch with this
album. The sound is harsher, Phil's vocals are harsher, the guitar tone
is enough to crush a group of things that don't crush too well (how's
that for a
metaphor <G>) A must buy.
- Vulgar Videos (1993, Video) 3 music videos, 2 live songs, and an
extra 40 minutes (extra compared to their last video) of breaking
things and
drinking. I don't know, fun to watch, but do we really need to see
people
breaking things when we could be spending the time breaking things on
our
own?
- Far Beyond Driven (1994) Another must buy. I didn't think the sound
could get more brutal, but it did. Phil's vocals now border on death,
the sound is more industrial. The production isn't as polished as the
last album,
but the raw sound is so powerfully mixed you won't care. Some of the
strangest sounds I've ever heard on an album (thanks to Diamond
Darrell's whammy
pedal)
- Planet Caravan EP (1994) 4 song EP, 'Planet Caravan', followed by 'The
Badge' (previously only available on the Crow soundtrack) and then 'A
New Level' and 'Becoming' live. The live tracks have excellent
production, and since these are my two favorite Pantera songs, it makes
this a must have EP.
- The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) Not as good as their last two albums, but this
album still proves Pantera can't release a bad album (unless you count
their
glam days prior to "Cowboys From Hell") The songs are a bit slower and
a bit more experimental, but brutality is still high on their agenda.
- Official Live: 101 Proof (1997) First, you have to keep in mind that it's
physically impossible to actually replicate a Pantera concert on a CD,
simply because there is no house out there with a speaker system large
enough to compare with the brutal sonic onslaught you'll get hearing
the band live. But this comes pretty close. The production is
excellent, lots of in between song banter, the album clocks in with
almost 76 minutes and 14 tracks of brutal music. Most of the classic
songs are here, although I wish it had been a
double CD so they could have included a few more tracks. There is no
such
thing as too much Pantera in my opinion. The 2 studio tracks on the
album
are ok, nothing special.
- Pantera 3: Watch It Go (1997, Video) Two hours of home video footage of the
band on tour. There are crazy fans, sex, drugs, beer, breasts, people
destroying things, people blowing things up...interestingly enough,
there's very little music on the video. Four music videos and some live
clips. It's entertaining to watch, but I wish they would have included
some live songs. A feast
for those of you with a really short attention span.
- 3 Vulgar Videos From Hell (1999, DVD) Their 3 previous videos now on one single
DVD + 10 minutes of live footage from the monsters of rock tour, 3
minutes
of which was already on Vulgar Videos. Good for the collector so you
can
have all three of their videos for one low price in a digital format,
otherwise, not much point.
- Reinventing the Steel (2000) It's been a 4 year wait, and finally a new
Pantera album. What has the band been doing for 4 years? Well,
certainly not reinventing themselves, this cd is similar to their last
cd in lots of ways, riffs,
style, production, even the booklet looks the same. Not a bad thing
necessarily, they were good then, and this cd goes to show the band is
still doing fine, still abrasive and angry, although I do feel it's
missing something. It's still a good album, I think the problem is this
cd in relation to the current metal scene. It's just Pantera was
unbelievably heavy, and in the last 4 years, other bands have learned
how to sound even heavier, and so by standing still, Pantera now is
just part of the pack instead of a leader. But all fans should still
pick this up, the riffs and hooks pantera are famous for, grabbing your
ears and not letting go, they're all here.
PAROXYSM:
- ...A
Plague Called Addiction (2007, EP) Sort of
a cross between Meshuggah and Despised Icon. Or, if you know the
Australian metal scene, very similar to Devolved or Synthetic Breed.
The riffs are in the math metal style, lots of odd rhythms with
straight 4/4 drumming overtop (the kick stays with the guitars). A
super tight guitar tone gives it that computerized feel. A few of the
riffs go for that death-core style that Despised Icon is known for.
Vocals are low growled and then shrieked. The music also used
keyboards, samples, and spacy synth guitar to give a certain degree of
melody to the music, their second track 'Afflicted Days' uses it
particularly well. I really dig this EP, and if you love any of the
bands mentioned, you'll dig this too, my only concern is the lack of
originality. The group obviously can write good riffs, they have a nice
sense of melody and are they are tight as fuck, but they'll need
something just a tiny bit different to stand out from their influences.
Can't wait for the debut album.
PESSIMIST:
- Cult Of The Initiated (1997) Good straight ahead death metal. Don't expect
anything too original, but this release managed to keep my attention
with some nice riffs and some good songs. Vocal styles range from
growling to black metal screams. The production is good with lots of
bass and a thick sound. The band isn't quite as tight as I like, but it
does give it a more live feeling. Anyways, so not much innovation, but
better than a lot of the stuff out
there.
- Blood For The Gods (1999) A surprisingly vicious second album. While in
a
similar vein to their last album, the band turns up the intensity a
notch,
and still manages to write memorable songs. The production is great,
plenty
of bass and treble. The drums are strong in the mix, but it doesn't
detract.
The band really has a good balance of intensity vs memorable riffs, not
just
blasting for blastings sake, but to push the songs where they need to
be.
Plenty of tremolo picking, squawks and lower chugging. A very solid
release,
worth the cash.
- Slaughtering the Faithful (2002) Similar to their last album, but I don't like
the production as much. Seems kinda muffled on the top end. Drum wise,
lots
of blasting and double bass, in fact it's mostly double bass through
the
entire album like that guy in Krisiun. Definitely a brutal over the top
album, fast fast playing with some angry vocals, and good songs. If you
liked their previous album, you'll probably like this one.
PIG DESTROYER:
- Terrifyer (2004) Some
of the most intense grindcore
you're likely to find. After a short intro, expect an instant ear
shattering scream, a scream so piercing you're likely to lose control
of your vehicle if you foolishly decided to take your first listen in
the car like I did, so be-warned, may cause car wrecks. Style wise,
this is less Nasum and more Cephalic Carnage, however, unlike CC they
retain a pretty consistent style all the way through, no strange
diversions into freeform jazz, just screaming and blasting.
Productionwise, it's all about treble, the nails on the chalkboard
effect, whether it be the guitars, the apparent complete lack of bass
guitar or the vocals. That's usually a bad thing in my book since I'm a
bass fan, but considering how integral the treble motif is to their
style and how effective it is, I feel comfortable putting it into the
category of style and not bad engineering. The vocalist is especially
harsh, whether yelling or screaming, is he using a megaphone? Because
his voice has that same tin-y quality you get from shouting into one.
21 tracks, most less than a minute, expect a lot of super speed
craziness with a few rockin bits here and there. Like a tornado that's
just blown down your house, Pig Destroyer is fast, furious, extremely
vicious, and you may need a little peace and quiet afterwards to
recover from the experience.
- Phantom
Limb (2007) All you've come to expect from the band, just done
even better. The mix is vastly improved (with more bass, even though
the sound still favors the treble). Plenty of vicious screams through
that megaphone, super fast guitars, ridiculous drumming. The songs on
this CD really shine compared to Terrifyer, with quite a number of cool
and memorable riffs. Not that their last album had bad songs, these are
just a little catchier overall. The drumming could be a little tighter,
but considering the focus of the band on being super crazy,
it's not that much of a detraction. This music really makes you want to
move, whether you're at home, in the office, on the bus, you just wanna
grab something and smash it. Grindcore fans, this is a must purchase.
POLLUTED INHERITANCE:
- Afterlife (1991, Demo)
- Ecoside
(1992) The songs are very catchy, well written, and their speed is
unparalleled in virtually all respects (they have lots of nice
slow riffs as well.) The guitars sound like an angry hive of hornets,
and
the double kicks are the fastest in the business.
- Demo '94 (1994, Demo)
- Betrayed (1996) I was disappointed with this CD. The double
kicks are very low in the mix, you can barely hear them (the whole
production needs more bass and a thicker sound). Definitely one of the
most technically proficient bands I've heard, but the songs have so
many changes and are in such weird time signatures that it's difficult
to find any decent groove in them. Probably too technical for it's own
good.
- Promo CD '98 (1998, Demo) Similar in vein to their last CD, but
the
song writing has vastly improved. I still miss the incredibly brutal
speedy
style of their first CD, but this promo is a great example of what I'd
have
to call "musicians metal". The rhythms are complex with a capitol "C",
the
band remains tight but still has this loose, improvised quality to the
performance. The production is quite good, especially for a demo, with
only minimal
noise, and decent bass. And, as mentioned before, good song writing,
which
is needed to hold such complex riffs together and to keep listener
interest.
Probably not of interest to people who just want to mosh, but good
listening
music, especially for other musicians.
- Into Darkness (2001) While
still not as intense as their "Ecoside" cd, this is a lot closer to
those
roots than "Betrayed" was. Good song writing and plenty of interesting
hooks makes for good listening. This is not the "go for the throat"
style
of cd, rather it's a strong collection of complex rhythms, alternate
picking
and offbeat fills. As I said of their last demo, "Musicians music", but
not so complex as to go over the head of the casual listener. Fans of
thrash
or technical death would do well to take a listen.
PROJECT: FAILING FLESH:
- A
Beautiful Sickness (2003) Rooted strongly in the tech metal
sector (or math metal, depending on your preference), Project: Failing
Flesh incorporates some of the vibe of a simpler Meshuggah with the
symphonic elements of Anacrusis' "Screams And Whispers" album.
Basically, it's thrash with a few blast beats thrown in now and again,
and some keyboard and string elements. Overall, the combination proves
to be quite effective. It was actually a nice surprise, putting the CD
into my player I wasn't really expecting something this good.
Production is excellent, it's self produced but better than most
bigname studio recordings out there. Riff wise, some complex time
signature stuff with some more chugging riffs, very tight, complex
drums but nothing unnecessarily technical, vocals are screamed
throughout. If I had one knit it would be at a few of the songs tend to
meander a bit too much, the songwriting could be just a tad tighter,
but that's something that comes with age and experience. Ok, two knits,
the name of the band is a bit long, you want something snappier so you
can chant it at concerts with ease, that ain't gonna happen here :)
Anyways, I'll be very interested hearing more from this band in the
future, this cd is well worth grabbing. Watch out for this band in the
future.
- The
Conjoined (2007) There's gotta be nothing worse than having a
completed album who's release date just keeps getting pushed back. With
an originally intended release date of Spring 2006, "The Conjoined" is
finally available for mass consumption over a year later, and the
results are pretty darn cool. First off, the production on this CD is
bigger than their last. Perhaps its a few extra overdubs, or just a
touch of reverb, but the guitar sound on this cd isn't as dry as on "A
Beautiful Sickness" (not that the old production was bad, it's just if
you're gonna change things, this was a cool way to change 'em).
Otherwise, it's pretty similar to their debut. This band has a solid
math metal / thrash foundation, and on top they experiment with
strings, horns, keyboards, and various synth sounds. But the thing I
really like about this CD is they rarely let the experimentation get
out of hand. The weirdness tends to complement the songs, instead of
hijacking them. My current favorite track is 'Surface Noise', which has
this awesome sludgy riff which is doubled on horns. The speedy album
opener 'Final Act Of Treachery' is a nice one as well. Perhaps another
fast song in the middle would have helped the pacing a bit, but
optherwise things flow pretty well. If you enjoy thrash or math metal,
and enjoy a band that's trying something a little different, check this
cd out, it's impressive stuff.
PRONG:
- Primitive Origins (1987)
- Force Fed (1988)
- Beg To Differ (1990) The drums
are simple and to the point, and keep a strong pounding rhythm. The
riffs over top are nice and crunchy, and the tunes, while almost
commercial in their simplicity, are
catchy and well thought out. A good, strong album.
- Prove You Wrong (1991) This is the transition album between
the metal "Beg To Differ" and the Dance-metal "Cleansing", and as with
any transition, they're not always smooth, and sometimes it takes 2
albums to get it right. Tracks 1, 2 and 3 are great songs that show off
the band's ability to make an unusual sounding song with riffs that are
actually quite ordinary (thanks to one hell of a good groove and
inventive phrasing). Track 4, the title track, is just bad, some sort
of jazzy rock thing that is totally out of place. Track 5 is better,
but Track 7 is this slow plodding things that lacks energy. Basically
it's hit or miss for the rest of the album, when the band is good,
they're good, but when they're bad, my finger reaches for that track
skip button. Productionwise, the sound is sort of far away, slightly
muffled, similar to the production off "Beg To Differ". I can still
recommend getting this album because it does have some good tracks, but
if you have an ipod or cd burner, you may wish to remove a few songs
for optimum listening enjoyment.
- Whose Fist Is This Anyway? (1992, EP)
- Cleansing (1993) While the singer sounds like a hoarse Brian
Adams, and the drummer is just this side of dance, the incredibly
powerful and
brutal guitar sound reminds the listener that this is still metal. And
I
don't think there's anyone on this earth who can say that "Snap your
fingers,
snap your neck" isn't a great song.
- Rude Awakening (1996) Continuing where the last album left off.
Razor
sharp guitar riffs ontop of simplistic dance oriented drum beats
(acoustic and programmed). As always the songs are real catchy, the
production is
great. Their last album I tend to find myself only listening to the
first
4 songs over and over again, this album is a little more solid all the
way
through, later songs holding their own against the songs that begin the
album. Only other differences is the drums seem even more dance
oriented
this time, and the chunky riffs have even more squawks, provided by
everyone's
friend the whammy pedal. No surprises here, if you liked their last
album,
more of the same.
- 100% Live (2002) Well, Prong has returned, or at least, Tommy
Victor has returned with a new band playing Prong tunes. This is sort
of a "Hey, we're back" kinda live recording, a precursor to a new
studio album early next year, and as far as that goal is concerned,
it's quite successful.
As for whether this is a must have cd, well, the tunes are say 85% to
95%
as good as their studio album equivalents, with very little crowd
interaction, studio quality production and no extended songs, so really
there's nothing sensationally different here (although there is one new
song performed
which is pretty decent). If you already have all their albums, this
live
cd is probably not 100% necessary. But it does get me excited about a
new
album, so hey, take it for what it's worth, a reintroduction to a good
band,
and a promise for some good shit to come.
- Scorpio Rising
(2004) First off, this album has a lot of things going against
it. Number 1, while Tommy Victor is and has always been the main force
behind the band, he's the only remaining member in the group from their
last album. Number 2, there's been a 8 year gap between albums. And 3,
the whole reunion thing usually goes badly with respect to new music, a
band that was popular gets back together to relive some glory from the
past, and really they have nothing left to say musically. Well, I am
happy to report that this absolutely NOT the case. The result in fact
is probably one of my favorite Prong albums to date. The sound is
similar to what we know, but with a few enhancements. First, the
drumming is slightly more rock oriented, rather than the very simple
drumming on "Rude Awakening" or "Cleansing". Second, Tommy experiments
with his vocals a bit more, doing a little more singing, etc, some work
better than others, but overall the variety is nice. But primary to
keeping my interest of course are the songs, and there's some really
good stuff here. Quite a variety of sounds and moods, and riffs that
stick in your head. In fact, it's almost annoying how hard it is to get
these songs out of your brain, ahhhhh!!!. I keep trying to listen to
other cds, but half way through the cd I realize I'm humming a tune
from the new Prong. Make the voices go away! One funny song note is
there's a tune on the cd that is almost 100% identical to "Snap Your
Fingers", just with different riffs. The song structure is almost
identical, and the feel of the riffs are identical, even though the
actual notes being played are different. Kinda strange, a tip of the
hat I guess, since it's obvious from the rest of the songs the band
isn't hurting for ideas. Anyways, if you like the band, you MUST get
this album as soon as you can.
- The
Vault (2005, DVD) 2 DVD set with 3 shows (after their return in
2002) and behind the scenes stuff. The first show is 20 songs from 2002
in the Netherlands. The camerawork has a nice and even pace to it, and
plenty of different vantage points. Performance wise, they play a lot
of material from all their albums, and they play most of their best
songs (including 'Snap Your Fingers', 'Whose Fist Is This Anyways',
'Beg To Differ', 'Controller', and ends with 'Cure Rate', even though
the DVD labels it as 'Unconditional'). The sound is excellent with a
thunderous bass, and the guitartone is very percussive with very little
tone going on, which makes for an abrasive sound that I really dig. And
the band is certainly tight, when they cut a not off, it's just gone.
The second is a short 6 song set at the outdoors "With Full Force"
festival, 5 song of which are repeated songs from the last concert.
Again, excellent production, just a little less highend treble, so the
sound is more low and rumbling than razorblade sharp. The third show is
13 songs from The Hultsfred Festival in 2003. Again, fantastic
production (a little more reverb this time), and a rendition of 'Inner
Truth' and 'Avoid Promises' off the new record, as well as again
several repeats (All 3 shows include copies of 'Snap Your Fingers',
'Whose Fist Is This Anyways' and 'Another Worldy Device'). The behind
the scenes stuff has a few super short interviews and a few bootleg
quality show clips, nothing vital. By putting 3 excellent concerts
together (even with the repeated songs), this DVD manages to get my
recommendation. If they decide to do a new DVD in the future, I'd like
to see some more in-depth interviews and maybe a show or two with the
original lineup, but otherwise this is good stuff and I really enjoyed
watching it.
- Power
Of The Damager (2007) Not quite as good as their last
album, but still pretty damn awesome. Style wise, this album is a
little more metal, and a little less dance. So while the band doesn't
totally abandon the style that made albums like "Cleansing" or "Rude
Awakening" so popular, they have made the songs a little harder and
heavier, with way less dance beats, and more double bass. The songs are
more in the vein of their "Beg To Differ" album (but with modern day
production, of course). The only reason I am not totally in love with
this cd is there's a little too much filler material for my taste. But
when the band has it, they really have it, from the chorus on "Power Of
The Damager" to the catchiness of "The Banishment". I'd say at least a
dozen new Prong classics debut on this cd, and for that reason, it's a
must buy, even if some of the later tracks are a little unmemorable.
PROPHECY:
- It Shall Come To Pass (1996, EP)
- Foretold...Foreseen (1998) Pretty
standard death metal in the early Skinless / Broken Hope / slow parts
of Dying Fetus style. Generally midpaced to slow, low gargly vocals.
Production is good, although possibly a little too much low end without
enough highend. Not much here to differentiate this cd from all the
other stuff out there, but the riffs are pretty memorable, and that's
enough to make me happy I bought it. If you still dig Dying Fetus'
"Bathe In Entrails" demo and wouldn't mind something similar, check it
out.
- Contagion (1999)
- Our Domain (2002) A much
better release in pretty much every respect. The production has much
more treble in it without losing the low end. The songs are even more
memorable. And while if you really analyze the songs they do still
sound like Dying Fetus (from a song structure and riff perspective
anyways), upon a casual listen, the similarity is not glaring and as
such they don't come off as a me-too band. One of the really cool bits
about this cd is how the band uses harmonics in their riffs. You know
those Cannibal Corpse songs like 'Pulverized' and 'Orgasm Through
Torture' where the band breaks down to this slow riff with great
squawks? Well, these guys incorporate that stuff into almost every
song, pinch harmonics, natural harmonics, sweep harmonics, you name it.
Lots of very moshable bits. A little faster than their previous release
as well. Only bad thing, the cover artwork is just plain bad. I mean,
I'm sure a lot of people passed this up on the shelf just because the
artwork is so atrocious. Music wise however, very, very impressive
stuff, I'd say this is a must have for fans of the genre.
PROTECTOR:
- Protector of Death (1987,
Demo)
- Misanthropy (1987, EP)
- Golem (1988)
- Urm the Mad (1989) Pretty
standard thrash/death metal. Think old Megadeth of the "Peace Sells" or
the "So Far...So Good" era or old Slayer with death metal midrange
vocals.
The drumming is 100% Slayer style, as well as the wild whammy bar
driven
solos. The riffs are good and catchy (a lot of slow plodding riffs,
with
a few faster parts), the production is clean (although the guitars are
a little muffled and with a touch too much reverb), but there's nothing
really here to set the album apart from stuff I've already heard. The
version
I have contains 9 tracks and then 4 live bonus tracks, which have
almost
an identical production to their studio tracks! (maybe the studio
tracks
were actually recorded live without an audience.)
- Going Place (1990, EP)
- Leviathan's Desire (1990)
- A Shedding of Skin (1991)
- The Heritage (1993)
PSYCHO INDUSTRY:
- Crushing The Individual (1999) Caught somewhere between NIN, Fear Factory,
Ministry and videogame music stands the french band Psycho Industry.
Well, not really a band, it's pretty much one guy, Marc Dumont. Music
like this lives and dies by one thing, and that's the groove it
creates, and, well, this album does just fine in that department. It
contains 9 tracks of heavily processed, not quite commercial
techno-industrial music with distorted guitars, thick beats thanks to a
drum machine, and lots of keyboards and samples. The only thing I think
needs some work is the vocals, they work most of the time,
but other times they seem a little incidental and not well worked into
the
music. But the riffs are very original and stick in your brain, it's
hard
to have originality in music that's repetitive in nature, but it's
managed here. Really good songs. If you're a NIN fan or you really like
the Fear
Factory techno remix albums, this is high quality shit and should be
checked
out immediately.
- Psycho
Industry (2003) Whereas their last album was more NIN, this
album (16 tracks for over an hour of music) is far more Rammstein,
mainly due to those lowish sung vocals that make Rammstein so easily
identifiable (and a foreign language, in this case french instead of
german). And that really is my only nit with this album. Otherwise,
things got a little less industrial, a little more guitar driven, the
production has gone up a notch, very mechanical of course with drum
machines and samples. A little less experimental, a little more
straight forward, but the songs are all really catchy, even after just
a single listen I found myself singing along to some of the lyrics. So
as I said, the only thing that bugs me is how many of the vocals sound
way too much like the far more famous german industrial band, which
makes this cd feel a little me-too. I much prefer the yelled vocals of
say 'Man Without Soul', that stuff is intense and original. A step
forward and a bit of a step sideways for the band, fans of NIN and
Rammstein will find plenty to like.
PSYCROPTIC:
- The
Isle Of Disenchantment (2000) Listening to a band's first cd
after listening to their second gives you a certain degree of
perspective. For example, if their first cd is just ok and their second
cd is killer, you can say stuff like "well, this cd older cd is still
worth having just so you can see the band's style in its infancy". In
this case, while certainly not as amazing as "Scepters", "The Isle Of
Disenchantment" in its own right is pretty kick ass and worth owning
based on its own merits. While you can hear some of the style that is
later perfected on their second album, this album is somewhat more
straight forward, something more akin to say the groovy parts of Dying
Fetus. Nice production although a little too bass heavy for my taste
(imagine a good mix and then someone takes a big sword and lops the
head off of the soundwave produced by the music). The songs are catchy
and the band is still plenty tight. In general, I'd still recommend
picking up "Scepters" first, but get this one quickly afterwards.
- The Scepter Of The Ancients (2003) Listening to this cd brought me a moment of
simultaneous sadness and joy. The sadness was that it finally hit me,
Sinister has broken up and I'll never hear their razor sharp ultra
tight music ever again (except in reruns). Then the moment of joy, this
band seems to have picked up where the good Sinister cds stopped. Not
that this band sounds exactly like Sinister, they actually sound a
little closer to Decapitated's "Winds Of Creation" album, but it has
the same "holy fuck how can they play those notes so perfectly in
unison" tight vibe going on. Did I mention these guys are tight? I
mean, holy geez, absolutely perfect picking, and this shit is fast
(there are some slower chunky parts as well to keep things balanced
song wise). The drumming is equally impressive, very fast blasts and
double bass. There's plenty of songs here with a really chunky quick
riff and super insane speedy double bass below while the drummer does
midpaced quarter notes on top. Vocals are varied from low gargles to
crazy high-pitched screams. This is sort of the direction that I had
hoped Decapitated would go in their newest record. Instead they went
towards slightly simpler songs, which is cool, but this cd fills in
that void with very complex riffs that still manage to remain groovy
and catchy, not to mention brutal, heavy, and yes, tight as fuck. And
to top it off, this cd is one of the best mixes I've heard in awhile
with a nice scooped sound and razor sharp guitar tone. Very impressive
stuff, a must buy.
- Symbols
Of Failure (2006) Very similar to their last album, and I think
that's part of the
problem really. Yes, you get the super tight picking, the crazy fast
and intricate drums, the complex songs, and fantastic production, but
there's nothing here
to distinguish it from their last album, and the clincher is the songs
just aren't as catchy. I've listened to the album 4 times now, and I
still can't remember a single specific riff. In my last
review I said this is the direction I wish Decapitated had gone, well,
in the meantime, Decapitated released their "Organic
Hallucinosis" album, which is not only as precise and complex as this
cd, but also
has some really memorable riffs. So comparing the two, I have to go
with Decapitated on this one. That being said, this really is a good
cd, the musicianship is stupendous, and I'll keep listening and maybe
the songs will grow on me. Still worth looking into, but I preferred
"Scepter", and hope the band spends a little more time in the future on
the song writing.
- Ob(Servant)
(2008) So so at best. This CD generally doesn't cover any
new ground, and the riffs just sound kind of bland, sparkle with no
substance. And a lot of the songs seem to lack energy, the album is
still fast, but for some reason it doesn't strike me as having that
spark of inspiration, it just feels like the band is going through the
motions. It's not all bad, I do really like the album closer,
'Initiate', not only does it start with a good spooky clean guitar bit,
but a few of the faster riffs in the heavier portion of the song sound
quite original. But the rest of the album just doesn't grab me. Their
last album got better with age, so I hold out hope that after a year of
listening to this one it may get better, but currently I'm just not
super impressed.
PUNCHDRUNK:
- Music For Them Asses (1999) Debut for the band (appearing previously on
the
Grrrr! compilation on HDR), the band has three things going for them.
One,
they have Devin Townsend as producer. Second, they have the drum god
Gene
Hoglan perform on the cd, and three, oh ya, the band is actually
talented
:) Almost a spoof cd, they play metal ranging from death metal, to
classic
metal (like exodus) to these crazy country tunes that quickly
degenerate
into speed metal. The concept of the album is that the band is a bunch
of
hicks from Vancouver who just like heavy music. As such, songs are
filled
with strange sound clips and samples, and all kinds of wackiness that
stops
the band from becoming ever truly evil, sort of diet evil. But the
wackiness
is really just the theme, the music itself is really thick and angry,
with excellent production, lots of layered guitars and gene's trademark
quick
spurts on the kicks. Quite a variety of styles and moods here, but
solid
song writing holds everything together, a good buy.
PUNKY BRUSTER:
- Cooked On Phonics (1995???) A silly concept album, revolving around the
story of a fictitious death metal band from poland who become a punk
band in
order to make money. Sound clips of the band's exploits show up during
and in between songs. As far as the music goes, assuming you don't mind
punk, the songs are actually really good, especially considering you
have
Devin Townsend singing, he's always a maniac on vocals. Overall, a nice
album
with some good tunes, satire and plenty of energy. Not to be taken
seriously.
PYAEMIA:
- Cranial Blowout (1998, EP)
- Cerebral Cereal (2000)
Another Unique Leader release, which is probably more than enough
description to
give you a good idea what these guys sound like. Ok, I'll give more
details
anyways, Pyaemia is somewhere between Disavowed, Dying
Fetus, Vomit
Remnants and Disgorge. Pretty standard death metal with lots of
blasting,
squawks, fast double bass, low gargly vocals. The drums, despite
appearing
to be a real kit in the booklet, sound very mechanical, at least a few
of
his cymbals are sampled for sure in the Vomit Remnants style. Good
production,
the songs are interesting and catchy, I guess my only real problem is
that
you'd have a hard time telling this band from many of the other bands
on
the label. There are a few different bits, like this one warbling riff
at
the beginning of 'Impaled on Stakes' that is very cool. For overall
innovation
look elsewhere, but if you're digging the other stuff on Unique
Leader,
and want to hear more in the same style, these guys do deliver high
quality
stuff.
PYREXIA:
- Liturgy
Of Impurity (1990, Demo)
- Sermon
Of Mockery (1993)
- Hatredangeranddisgust
(1995, Demo)
- System
Of The Animal (1997) Merging elements of death metal and
hardcore, the result is something pummeling, groovy and really pissed
off. Fans of Scar Culture or Chimaira will get the general drift,
vocals remain more death metal like (think Frank from Suffocation), but
the band tends to remain a little more on the groove side of things,
moshable riffs that then jump to something faster and heavier, then
back again. The drumming is pretty awesome, lots of fast double bass
underneath midpaced snare drum, followed by occasional blast beats. The
guitar sound is very thick, wall of sound type stuff. There's plenty of
memorable riffs in here, although the songs themselves tend to bleed
together slightly due to a slight lack of variety. An extra intro or
two or something a little lighter that then moves into something heavy
may have been good as landmarks in the never-ending sea of anger. Also,
at 8 songs and 23 minutes, this is a pretty short album, I want more!
More I say! Hard to find but well worth getting.
- Cruelty
Beyond Submission (2003, Rare)
- Age
of the Wicked (2007) Totally different from their last album in
'97. First off, the band only has founding member Chris Basile
(guitars) left. Second, much of the groove and hardcore influences are
gone from the first part of the album, leaving something sorta similar
to Morbid Angel, and something a little more rockin in the last 3 songs
(which
were recorded a year earlier). In fact, much of the cd sounds pretty
similar to Morbid Angel's "Covenant" album (especially the drum sound
and patterns in their first song are quite reminiscent of 'Rapture').
As far as production goes, I guess the word is muffled, but it's not
the normal muffled. The guitar sound lacks attack, lacks definition.
It's big and bassy, but you can't hear the pick hitting the strings.
Imagine taking the guitar sound and placing it in a blender until you
get something too smooth. Maybe they suffered from too many overdubs?
It's also very obvious that tracks 8-10 were recorded at a different
time with a shift in production style. A few of the songs are cool, but
many others are a little repetitive. I don't know, I guess a lot
of the spark of their older material just seems gone to me. The band
has the right attitude, and right level of anger (some of the screamed
vocals are particularly good). But they need a few unique riffs, better
production, and more variety to the songs. The whole thing just seems
sorta rushed to me, like the cd is slapped together. "Hey, we have
several different sessions of music, lets stick them together and get
something out there so we can start touring." I'd much prefer if they'd
recorded everything in a single studio session, fine tuned the sound
and performance, and came to the fans with a single unified and
powerful vision. Not a bad album, but a step backwards from "System Of
The Animal".