Mass Infection - Promo 2005

Although only seven minutes (and two songs) long, Mass Infection's 2005 Promo album still manages to have... well... mass. Playing a style of classic death metal influenced by the Tampa bands and the more twisted northern bands from New York and the surrounding tri-state area, the two songs show an attention to tormented song compositions and creative riff patterns reminding me of Ripping Corpse or some of the earlier Iniquity material less the bizarre grooves or the technicality that the latter spun on Serenadium.

The guitar tone of Giorgos and Nikos L. has a biting nostalgic tone to it somewhere between Grave and Mass Psychosis' Necroporno though without the signature sound of either. What is important though, is that it has a legitimate tone that neither sounds like some computer guitar modulation program or a direct input of some other sort from a pedal board into the processor. It is a one hundred percent old school death metal tone. With low, guttural vocals also supplied by Giorgos and a powerful rhythm section supplied by Kostas on bass and Nikos A. on drums, both also showcasing natural early 90's style and feel, Mass Infection have managed to plant two unknown gems of death metal in the earth for those of the Obituary and Suffocation persuasion to dig up.

"Decay" starts off with memorable riffs and an immediate urgency before launching into the twisted forms that carry the rest of the song. With a not overly technical, not overly underplayed, suitable but not predictable solo promoting Nikos' and Giorgos' ability to produce soulful leads. "Eternal Oblivion" is similar to opener "Decay" though slightly speedier. It launches into a sickeningly perverted child's nursery kind of death metal riff that gets my vote for riff of the release (ROTR). Once again, Mass Infection create subtle lead melodies without becoming melodic and continue to blast out quality death metal.

Both songs are strong, well composed tracks with the ability to shake up a room full of death metal fans and stir up a circle pit in a dingy club but with only two songs, I am left a bit unsatisfied. Two more songs in this style with some slight tempo variation and maybe some signs of experimentation could make this one of the strongest death metal demos I've ever heard. With two songs showing so much promise, Mass Infection is a band that I will definitely keep an eye on. Look for a review of their Atonement For Iniquity album in the future. If it contains a similar style as this demo, Mass Infection are well on their way to being one of my favorite obscure-as-cloudy-toilet-water death metal bands.

Coffin - Coffin EP

Trenton, New Jersey's Coffin are stuck somewhere between modern Overkill and Demonic / Low era Testament's grooviness and barely manage to inject enough subtle thrash moments into their mosh stirring brand of metal. Vocally, Rich McCoy (AKA Morgue) touches down squarely between Rob Dukes and John Tardy. Then add flickers of Ron Royce without the snarl or general nihilistic aggression; decent vokills but nothing superior. Adequate for the music. While there are strong riffs across the five songs offered, they are typical, 'heard it before and heard it better' riffs. You can grasp an accurate picture of everything available here for the taking by listening to any one song on the EP. If you are into Coffin's style of groove oriented thrash, this will surely moisten your loinal region.

A strong production sports a particularly spectacular bass tone which, myself being a bass player, carries these otherwise mediocre songs a bit. The drumming on the album is sporadically tedious. At first, I thought it to be very nice sounding, with distinguishable toms and a low, thumping kick drum, but after listening through the EP two or three times, the snare drum began to irk me to no end. It has one of those "tupperware" tones. I do appreciate the natural sound of the the kit though. I can actually sit and pick out varying differences in each percussive note - a hard thing to find in music today. Featuring the talents of guitarists Roehr and Immolith (Greg Byrne), the playing on the album is nothing to drool over technically speaking however the rhythms are tight, and well performed. While the vast majority of listeners will find the guitar tone thick, crunchy and generally grizzly-like I consider it more like a fuzzy teddy bear. On low volume levels, I think it sounds scratchy and thin while on loud, obnoxious levels better reserved for Manowar, it sounds much better. Neither of the five songs really deserve such levels of volume however, rendering this reasoning somewhat invalid.

"Altar In Black" is a strong opener with enjoyable riffs and an infectious level of headbangability (HBA). Sweet solo near the end following some memorable rhythmic moments. With the following four songs all following in similar fashion and taking a conservative route in areas of songwriting, rhythmic architecture and melody usage, the EP loses steam (and HBA), exponentially decreasing in attractiveness. It's basically a reverse beer goggle syndrome; only with ears. Listen to any of these songs alone, and there really is not a whole lot of criticism but put all five together and the weaknesses are noticeable. Each song tries to hold its own but just doesn't. "Before The Cross" has an interesting drum section and "Forsaken Angel" has a chorus that might be fun to shout along with while drunk on whatever is trendy these days but little makes me interested in returning for an elongated residence.

THIS IS A
NJ BAND

Bosque / Senthil - Under The Capricorn Sky / Premeditation

I have this attitude towards split albums in which I almost always feel that they are neither a good representation of the bands, don't comprise a real strong overall concept or have one band completely overtake the other in a hail of bullets and fire. In the case of Bosque and Senthil's split, out on Pale Horse Records, my bias towards the split album / ep format and the reasons supporting my bias are crushed, chopped up and eaten. Not only does this split show both Bosque and Senthil doing what they do well. Neither band totally decimates the other in quality (though I personally like the doomier, more blackened and melancholy Bosque tracks) and instead, both bands compliment each other's material nicely. The split showcases two bands with their own particular style of blackened funeral doom noise but in a setting that allows them to blend and work conceptually together.

This split is one of the few I have heard that comes across having a particular encompassing feel throughout both sides of the release. So while images of graves, empty mausoleums, vacated torture chambers and vast empty skies will generally haunt you, there is an overall crushing weight of anticipation that has found a place to linger in this release. It swells and emanates from the Bosque tracks and is rewarded in the chaos of the Senthil hymns.

The Bosque side of the split, "Under The Capricorn Sky," renders watching the heaven's collapsing down onto them, but watching the event through the eyes of a single depressed soul, euphorically waiting for the demise of all life. The slow, plodding of the tracks, particularly "Part II," lets you enjoy every moment of the fall of mankind. Brisk sweeping melodies occasionally appear, like desolate winds, drifting across the music. The harmoniousme imaging a populace "Part III" is the culmination of the disastrous events in similar form as watching an avalanche close in on you. The tumbling tones of all the Bosque tracks are unique and something worth losing yourself in. While most of the vocals are of a screeched, insane variety, similar to Countess, there are moaning chanting moments as well which give the tracks a ritualistic feel to them. The Bosque tracks end with an anticipatory section drifting off in subdued melody, wandering into the long dark night, allowing the lights to close in.

If "Under The Capricorn Sky" is the disastrous event, Senthil's "Premeditation" is the aftermath of suffering. Once again, this theme of anticipation is prevalent. Premeditation's "Part I" is much like walking through a kennel run by animals yet holding humans in cages. The myriad voices and rich textures envelope the senses. Much more noise shines through on this side of the split; high pitched squeals, obscure distant clanking, drugged out psychotic barking. Through much of the first track, a throbbing droning tone is prevalent, at once giving way to bizarre horn fellatio which, to my ears, vaguely plays broken parts of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (mainly "Introduction"). The psychotic barks, voices and disgruntled pleas resume after brief respite once more ejaculated to simple percussion choices. "Part I" ends with a vomit orchestra playing incorrectly tuned tubas and flutes. Imagine that if you can. If you can't find yourself a copy. "Part II" builds nicely for the first several minutes, at times even bordering on beautiful and serene, an absolute juxtaposition to the first part of Senthil's contribution. This spark of solemnity degenerates into more vocal insanity. At times I wanted to laugh at some of the vocal moments though I couldn't bring myself to such release, as I immediately imagined living next to some guy in his basement tracking all these vocal takes. It scared me slightly to imagine myself hearing these noises trying to sleep.

Though both sides of the split offer different experiences, they seem to be part of a single, two part tribulation. Though for me, Senthil's side of the split is a bit too random and chopped up, it deserves a place in any Silencer fan's collection if their tastes vary between the black metal and the funeral doom. The wails and general vocal experimentation would surely capture the ears of fans this side of the spectrum. Myself being less a fan of vocals and more a fan of music, found the two Senthil tracks to be less intriguing than the Bosque side of the split which seemed much more composed and thought out. Though I enjoyed "Part II" of the Senthil tracks for the wonderful building arch of sound smashed together, the degeneration into more vocal bewilderment turned me off at times. The production throughout this spit was adequate and allowed the bands to capture their music without giving up much in return. I would have loved to hear the Bosque tracks with a slightly better production given their general excellent composition and melodic intertwining. I can't say that the production was a detriment however and in hindsight, had the Bosque tracks had a better production, "Under The Capricorn Sky" would have greatly overshadowed Senthil's "Premeditation, leading to an out of balance release.

Get This:
Pale Horse Records

Immolith - Sojourn Demo

With only two songs, Sojourn, the rehearsal demo from New Jersey's Immolith leaves me wanting much more. But calling this a pure rehearsal demo is, well, somewhat confusing because I don't believe this is a "Rehearsal" demo at all. Sure, the production does sound like a rehearsal - the drums are raw, with a natural feel, triggerless and very blackened, the guitars are muffled and laden in fuzz and doom, but using the H2 Hand held recorder, it would be very difficult to record the vocals on this recording. In first track, you can hear, very clearly on headphones, that the vocals alternate between left and right hard pans, as if going around your head in symmetrical sweeps. With vocals most likely being sourced into a PA of some sort and being played through stationary speakers, this panning ability would have to be produced in some sort of either post production phase or with calculated takes using the H2 panning features. Also, with Immolith (guitars / vocals), Warhead (drums, also in stalwart black metallers Abazagorath), and Ahazu (bass) playing the songs, I would wager that unless either one of them is an octopus cross bred human-squid creature, pressing the buttons on the actual recording device would be nigh impossible. Maybe they had someone at the rehearsal also turning the microphone however with no noticeable changes in the dynamics of the drums or guitar, I wouldn't count on that either. Either way, I wouldn't call this a true rehearsal recording and more likely some combination of the two.

With that out of the way, I have to admit that I like the direction the band is taking with the one original track presented. A mixture of Venom, Bathory and, to my ears a fair bit of Candlemass as well - in the slower sections - "Ghost Tower of Inverness" presents memorable melodies, interesting ideas and showcases a true devotion to playing black metal in the style of the originators and not in the style of today's crop of super fast, psuedo-evil black metal upstarts. Though this opening track is a rather simple brooding, chest thumping dirge-like soaker, the lack of that necessary "brick" of heaviness that a mid tempo song needs to really crush,holds it down just slightly. A more distorted bass or overdubbed vocals would add some mass to the recording but this is still an enjoyable track. If you want to enjoy it you will, if you're not paying much attention and it is playing in the background it will most likely pass you by unnoticed. Second track is a cover of Venom's Countess Bathory which, while holding its own in a pillow fight with the myriad modern punk bands, would be crushed under the weight of the original. Still enjoyable and still one of the better Venom covers I have heard simply because Immolith is naturally playing the same style.

With a four song EP in the works for the summer, this is a band to keep an eye on, especially if they could lose some of the stereotypical modern black metal elements and retain the Venom and Doom influenced sound that really grabs my attention.

THIS IS A
NJ BAND

Nyctophobia - Beyond The Pillars

The heartbeat of Nyctophobia's Beyond The Pillars is the kind of barely-there lifelessness that I find so enjoyable in funeral doom. This lifelessness is also, more times than not, the draining factor that makes me press my fingers into the skin on my face, in an attempt to tear my eyeballs out. Nyctophobia's night-lord, Deimos however has managed to take the lifelessness, combine it with a feeling that the music he is making is meant to sound dead, and then still leave you clawing at your skin, trying to rid yourself of all the happiness you may have felt prior to turning out the lights and loosing yourself in the recesses created by such dense and dark doom. The atmosphere of the demo is both relaxing and pallid all at the same time. The deep, low, gnarled vomiting vocals will compel even the sturdiest doom fans to wash out their throats with antiseptic fluids. It also is fluidly smooth and patient, changing on it's own time. In this sense, it could be a useful learning tool for children suffering from attention deficit disorder. If anything will make them sit still, it is this tape.

The three song, 31 minute descent is enjoyable (in the most negative, depressing way) from start to suicide, often times drifting freely between subtle melody and a crushing rhythmic pounding. The slow churn is like being caught forever in an endless sea of black slime, too dense for you to sink, and not dense enough to let you float, leaving the listener constantly grasping for another breath. First track, "Forgotten Emperor," swirls in a manner akin to an oil slick, at times injecting color into the mix with slightly depressed melodic flourishes - possibly the sound of dying marine life - and the rest of the time allowing the inky darkness to spread before twisting into the frightening composition that is "And They Gathered," my favorite track on the tape. Somehow, this is the calmest and most dangerous track on the tape. Halfway through, massive ancient mechanized sounds appear that, to be honest, scared the excrement from my cramped bowels while listening through for the first time in my auditory sampling chamber (car). These tolls could be compared to smashing two metal bones together in a cave deep underground in the middle of Lovecraft's worst nightmare. Final track "War" combines Deimos' expertise with compelling sadistic melodies and pulsing simple, yet interesting percussion compositions. The drumming in this track is the best of the demo and the melancholy melody provided to assist the beating makes this the most edible morsel for most listeners not familiar with funeral doom. Nowhere near as acceptable as anything from Clock's album (Haven't heard it have you?) but nothing that would make the majority of the population run in terror.

The melodic additions to the tracks and experimentations in sound is what separates this UK based doom project from other notable British doom outfits such as Moss, who have a similar funeral doom foundation though revel more in the crushing weight, than the endless abyss. With this cassette costing only three dollars from Pale Horse Records, ignoring it would be a true shame for anyone who likes to be scared and/or depressed by spaced out music. Nyctophobia's pulsing demo hopefully will be only the first in a handful of interesting sonic adventures Deimos will supply us with. He is truly capable of transporting us into the emotional crevices of depressed minds.

Anticosm - Alcoholic Darkness Demo

I can't help but feel that Anticosm are three, maybe four, different bands all battling for creative supremacy. Do Anticosm want to be a death metal band or a black metal band? Maybe a thrash band with some NWOBHM tendencies? The reality is this: they are metal band with the look and aesthetic of a Norwegian black metal band and have chosen this look before discovering whether this is the type of music they want to play. I can say this with having seen them live. They wear corpse paint, bellow to the audience in a scratchy, hoarse throated way between songs, and generally exude the stereotypical black metal qualifiers. Off stage though? I would wager that vocalist Graveless Carcass has a room full of his favorite Yankee Candles: Midsummer's Night, Sparkling Snow, and Root Beer Float all placed in the center of his plastic, Spencer's Ouija board. To be honest, Anticosm's stage show is decent, if I remember correctly. They certainly look like a veteran black metal band.

Musically speaking however, they come across as far from veteran. The general flow and musicianship on Alcoholic Darkness is proof of this and actually makes Alcoholic Darkness an appropriately titled demo for the band only because the music sounds like it was played after a few too many pints. The awkward transitions in opening track Skinless fit like a square block in a circular hole. The ability of Magnus and DemoGorgon is that of a stubborn elderly woman who thinks she still has the agility of her youth. In Magnus and DemoGorgon's case, they think they have the agility to pull off guitar acrobatics but they lose their balance sometimes and maybe fall over into their flower garden like the lady across the street. Magnus occasionally does rip into a worthy section but at other times I have to hang my head and wonder (You're Dead being a good example). Basically, they come across as the leaders of the high school garage band that everyone knows about. Bass and drums are generally in the same league as the guitars and plod along, flanking the main force but succumbing to light enemy fire.

The Demo does have moments of interesting ideas, presenting the ticking minds of creative individuals still learning their craft. The vocal duel at the end of Skinless is a great example of the band's general attempt to incorporate new ideas into what would otherwise be a stagnant formula. The band also excels at varying between riffs and simpler, melody driven sections. They fall short in the choice of melodies though, as the chord progressions occasionally veer away from the vibe of the song. The use of subtle symphonics in Sneg Sibirskiy is also done well. This is by far the best track on the demo with opener Skinless falling a few yards behind. The inclusion of acoustic guitars shows signs of compositional awareness however in the case of this demo, bad tone is their companion.

As a general rule, I simply don't find much about this demo that energizing, especially for the style these guys play. The songs aren't very memorable to my ears and I don't find myself becoming interested in the songs. I want nothing more for there to be one song which I would maybe play again but there just isn't. The best forty seconds of the demo is the first forty seconds of demo and then it seems to fall apart sloppily. The whole thing sounds amateur and unimportant. I like demos that really sound like they are more than mere demos; that sound like I am privy to some hidden ritual or obscure lost knowledge. This doesn't sound like that. It sounds like a few friends with cheap recording equipment who don't really know how to capture themselves properly. The production is also thin, especially in the lead guitar tone, and suffers from "demo plague" - a general feeling that the demo was recorded while the members were ill during recording. The sub-par musicianship doesn't help much either.

Sorry Anticosm, but you're going to have to do better than this.

THIS IS A
NJ BAND

Hell Rot - Vomit Altar

Rarely have I been privy to a true auditory recreation of bizarre circumstances and events. Hell Rot have created a nostalgic piece of dirty nasty blackened filth that puts to shame anyone trying their hand at the Von style of black metal. Including Von themselves. This is better realized than Von, more malevolent and more interesting. Not a carbon copy by any means, this is similar to the dirges playing during ancient marches of demons that plague your nightmares. There is a distinctive militant style to the music, particularly the drumming, which arouses my inner need to slaughter the holy and raise my blood filled chalice to the elder gods and proclaim allegiance to shadowed, goat masked figures. This is a perfectly logical sextuplet of tracks to blast while hammered at four in the morning. I am sure that you'll find yourself wandering the streets with a large kitchen knife yelling Crucifuck over and over again.

While the tracks are short, the longest segment being the combination of the Intro track and the blistering opening track Marginal, the tape runs for a perfect demo length leaving me yearning for more crusty filth yet also not disappointed in the product handed to me. Too often, I listen to albums that bore me after the fourth track (I'm looking at you Solitude Aeturnus). The barbarity, energy, and urgency of this demo is uncompromising. This is a demo that has found a space, and is annexing more and more territory, leaving the empty husks of ill fated and weaker demos in it's path and crushing into dust the cassette cases and jewel cases under the bloody boots of Hell Rot's ancient battle tactics; nothing less than a scorched earth policy.

This album is vitally reliant on the simple, yet genius, drum compositions of sole musician Goat. With a roughly two rhythm approach to his drum style, he blasts away through the general brunt of the demo. The key is his use of the toms which are hammered in the manner of a mad drummer boy in Satan's advancing army of rotting minions. Third track, Goat Chapel is a perfect example of his militant style. With only two different drum beats in the track, the emphasis once again falls on the floor tom which is banged in a direct and intimidating pattern. Crucifuck and Alcoholocast are earthy doomy crust dronings creating a duality to the faster pieces. In essence: two picking-up-the-mutilated-remains-of-your-enemies-kind-of tracks. Alcoholocaust is the better of the two but the sinister nature of "Crucifuck" leaves me feeling a bit uneasy though with a massive smile on my face loving that someone, somewhere is making music this evil.

The fact this is a tape only release also makes me sit back and realize that the humble cassette demo is still a one hundred percent viable commodity and not something to be ignoring. Hell, in the past few weeks, some of my favorite music has come to be by way of cassettes leaving me captivated and searching for cassette only releases. Be sure to snatch this up if you find it - it's limited to twenty copies and as far as I know, is most likely sold out by now. Worship the Goat priests at the Vomit Altar or the minions of Hell Rot will consume you next.

News

I apologize for the lack of new reviews recently. I have been fairly busy with finishing up some recording work as well as just a general thorough sweeping of my music collection. As it stands now though, you can expect a heaping load of stuff in the near future. I have several planned reviews at the moment including Moder, Katharsis, and Paganizer as well as a possible review of the entire Pale Horse Productions lineup which includes Senthil's debut, the Bosque / Senthil split album, demos from Imynvokad and Nyctophobia and a possible interview with the label's operator.

Basically, I have not lost interest. In fact, my general interest at the moment is so great that I just haven't been able to choose something to focus on. I am like a dog with fourteen biscuits hung in front of my face and I don't know which one to chase... I am always heading in the same direction. In the meantime, I do have a list of crap I am trying to trade away listed at this location. Feel free to drop me a line via whichever method you feel most comfortable.

Sapremia - Interview

I was admitted to the hospital, roughly five months ago, with a severe case of whiplash. The cause: a head-on collision with Sapremia's "With Winter Comes Despair." Upon first listen, aside from the absolutely pummeling production, the expertly structured songs and endless memorable riffs, the whole album seeped with the kind of atmosphere I love from Swedish death metal bands. To my knowledge at the time, Sapremia more than likely hailed from some distant snow-covered Swedish city, with gray looming buildings, dirty, dust covered streets and a depressing history of suicides and unsolved murders. Upon further investigation, however, I became thoroughly confused. They apparently, were from New Jersey, not the distant homeland of Grave, Entombed and Dismember. To my knowledge, they were the only US death metal band that played Swedish Death metal when all the bands around New Jersey and New York where doing the NYDM thing when they formed back in 1990.

From the first notes of With Winter Comes Despair, it is hard not to be immediately saturated with the urge to destroy. The album's dead, rotting tone is as classic and distinctively ancient as you can sound. The production is modern only in it's crispness but the guitars' festering churn sounds as if it was personally granted from the leaders of yore. This Molotov cocktail of modern quality production with the intensity, emotion and style of the late 80's early 90's propels the general genius of the compositions into a place few have had the opportunity to occupy. In short, the quality of this release is enough for me to include it any list of my top death metal albums. It is a modern classic that, had it been released in 1989, would be included as one of the must hear albums in Death Metal.

I had the opportunity to knock back a few drinks with Lou Ferrara at a recent gig with Vital Remains.

Contaminated Tones: Sapremia have been around since 1990, took a hiatus in the mid-late 90's then reformed. What urged you to reform?
Lou Ferrara: We started in 1990 and played until early 1996. We had a few member problems at that point and could not find good enough replacements, so we took the hiatus. It was not until I got the call from Mortal Decay in 2005, to do some vocals on the album "Cadaver Art", did I even think about getting things back together. After recording two songs with Mortal (Decay-CT), I was ready to play once again.
CT: Why a three piece for Friday's show (With Vital Remains, Annunaki)?
LF: The first thing I did to reform Sapremia, was to talk to Brian Valenti (guitars), who runs BV Studios where Mortal was recording and asked if he was interested in jamming the old Sapremia stuff and some of the stuff he had been working on over the years. The second thing was to get Brian Rulli (guitars) back, he was the other original member from back in the day left with me when we "went to sleep". Lastly, I talked to Ryan Hill (drums) a few times before about doing some stuff together, once I contacted him about doing Sapremia, he was all about it. So, to answer the question at hand, Valenti has decided that he loves writing music, but does not like the travel and all that, which is involved to be in a professional, touring band.
CT: Any idea who will fill his spot?
LF: We have our eye on an individual to come in, he is good. But until we actually jam and see if everything fits good, we will just leave it at that.
CT: Brian is credited with most of the music on the current album as well as the early demos. Will his departure signal a change in style?
LF: Valenti actually has nothing to do with any of the demo material, that was me, Rulli, and the original guitarist from back then. Valenti did write two songs on the Hollow EP and most of the material on Winter. There will be no change in style though, he came from the same place we did, the same style, we will sound mostly the same. Valenti still will submit songs he writes to us to do, so he will still be involved in the band somewhat. Of the five new (unheard anywhere) songs we are working on, three of them are his, so the next release will follow the same footsteps no matter what.
CT: How did the recording for With Winter Comes Despair go? Are you happy with the album's sound? I think it fits the band perfectly though many people say they prefer the tone on the Hollow better.
LF: Personally, I love it. The recording was smooth, though a pretty long process, we worked on the album for about six months. I am happy with the sound and quality of the release, and except for a little things here and there that no one would notice, I would not change anything. Hollow is a good release as well, but the recording process was different. We recorded it "live", to get a more raw sound. Some people have actually preferred it, but I do not.
CT: What will the next album sound like? Will you return to BV studios to record the next album?
LF: As mentioned, the next album should sound a lot like Winter. I am sure the new guitarist will have an influence on stuff, but we will still be the same Old School Death Metal that we are known for. I am not sure if we will use BV Studios again, depends on if Valenti will want to deal with the process. I would actually love to go back to the studio where the Existence of Torture demo was recorded and do it that way!
CT: Why does the tape version of Existence of Torture sound one hundred times better than the remixed bonus tracks on Hollow.
LF: Because we cannot mess with the old style of things! That was a reel to reel recording, 1/2 inch, down to 1/4 inch, down to 1/8 inch, then to DAT. Once you then take that sound, download it into a computer and put it on CD, the sound changes.
CT: Sapremia has a distinct Swedish sound on "With Winter Comes Despair" and your demo material also has a huge influence from bands like Grave, Entombed, Dismember. Why the Swedish sound as opposed to the New York style sound the band matured with in the early 90's.
LF: Good question! When we first started, we were hanging out with and playing shows with Suffocation (before they were signed), Internal Bleeding, Pyrexia, etc, but we never picked up that flavor. Our favorite bands were Grave, Unleashed,.Carnage, that is the direction we went in. And since not a lot of US bands were doing it back then, we always had a distinct sound at shows and such.
CT: The lyrics on the album are particularly well written and intelligent. What is your method for writing lyrics? Are there any themes that run through the album or subjects that interest you in particular?
LF: Thanks, I take a lot of pride in my lyrics and they usually take me quite a long time to get a song done. Sometimes I will have three or four songs going at a time. As far as themes, there is nothing that connects any songs on the album together, the subjects are vast and various. I sometimes find subjects through books I read, or movies I like, or everyday thoughts that run through my head about stuff going on in the world today. I usually do not write directly about a novel or movie, like I did with Ambitious Suffering, which is about The Hellbound Heart novel by Clive Barker. That was back in 1993, now I usually get ideas from novels and movies, then turn them into my own thing. Hollow for example, is based loosely from Dracula's monologue in Van Helsing.
CT: Sapremia recently opened for Watain in Allentown. How did playing a black metal audience take to your death metal onslaught?
LF: We always have a great response in Allentown, we have opened for Fetus (Dying Fetus - CT), Grave, and Incantation there, so the audience was already well versed in what we do. There were some new faces there as well, there for Watain in particular, and they appreciated the old school style as much as the rest of the crowd.
CT: Did you party with the Watain collective?
LF: No. Watain had the strict orders that no one, bands, fans, whoever, could come backstage or see them before hand. By the smell of the place while the show was going on, I cannot say that we were disappointed, haha! They slayed, but smelled pretty awful with the stage show of blood and animal carcass.
CT: Any awesome stories from the road? Old or new, funny or shocking?
LF: Wow, this could take a long time if I went into any kind of details about stuff that we have run into. We have met soooo many good people and good bands on the road, that is really the most important thing. Nothing crazily, shocking has happened, but there have been so many funny moments, too many to list!
CT: Now the fun questions: What is in your Cd player right now? What albums are kicking your ass in multiple directions?
LF: I have been listening to a lot of old stuff lately, a lot of it on cassette too! But also Bloodbath, Dismember's latest offering, Testament's new one is killer, Hail of Bullets, and a few more. When I get into writing mode though, I like to listen to the old albums.
CT: What do you think of the Maryland Deathfest Lineup? Bolt Thrower and Pestilence on one bill!
LF: UN-FUCKIN-REAL! Enough said. I can die the next day
CT: In the photo in With Winter Comes Despair, you are wearing a tour shirt from Iron Maiden's A Matter of Life or Death tour. What did you think of their decision to play the entire new album in it's entirety? What do you think of the recent Maiden releases? DiAnno or Dickinson?
LF: Well, since Maiden is my all time favorite band, I pretty much hit them every time they come around. So when they played Ozzfest and did from Iron Maiden to Piece of Mind, I was good. When Matter came out, I knew that they were doing that set, but also knew they were going to come back around and do Number to No Prayer. I like the last three releases, the few before that not so good and I could not stand Blaze Bailey. I love most of their catalog though. Dickinson for sure, though Killers is my favorite album for material.
CT: Who is your favorite serial killer? Every death metal lyricist has one.
LF: I actually break the mold here again, I am not much into serial killers. Obviously, you read my lyrics, so you know I do not sing about hacking people up or any of that stuff. I do love the history of horror though, so if Vlad the Impaler and Countess Bathory can be considered serial killers (and they should be..), put them in as my favorites.
CT: What is the first metal album you ever listened to? First show?
LF: You do know how old I am right? Haha. When I was real young, metal was defined differently, but the first had to be Def Leppard's On Through the Night when I was like 7? From there I got into Motley Crue with Shout at the Devil, then Maiden. My first show was Overkill in around 1987. I was 14, from there it was an onslaught of shows almost weekly.
CT: You are good friends with Guy Marchais. Any funny stories trickle down to you that he might not want people to know about?
LF: I would say we are old friends. We partied so many times when he played in Pyrexia, our two bands played so many shows together. I am glad to see him doing it on the big stage with Suffo. There are not any stories that come to mind from back then though, so no juice here.
CT: Continuing with on with Suffocation, was the band ever called Supremia, with a "U" instead of an "A". That is how it is spelled in the Human Waste liner notes.
LF: Damn, you are pretty thorough. Haha, that actually is a very common mistake. Many people think we are Supremia, and we actually had someone tell us we were ballsy to have such a name. We are and always have been Sapremia, which means: Blood poisoning resulting from the absorption of the products of putrefaction
CT: What is your opinion on religion, spirituality etc?
LF: I have none. I do not care what anyones views are on that stuff, it is their life. I just do not have any kind of time for that in my life, I do not believe in anything.
CT: What is one album you love that you would not want people to know you enjoy?
LF: I don't care what people think about the music I like, I like just about everything. I listen to just about everything at some point, if metal heads want to laugh at me for liking the Brian Setzer Orchestra or Alanis Morisette, that is their issue. Bob Marley and the Wailers "Legend" is one of my most played discs ever!
CT: Tony Koehl did the artwork and layout on the album. How did you come into contact with him? I think his artwork for the album is among his best. Really classic looking.
LF: I contacted Tony through the great vessel of Myspace. And yes, I agree, our cover is among his best work. And not just because it is ours, it is really good and I love how the entire booklet flows.
CT: Any plans to use him on the next album also?
LF: At this time, we have no plans ready for the next album as far as art is concerned. I definitely would not rule it out.
CT: Is his interpretation of the lyrics to the title track similar with your vision of them? Was there a collaboration between the two of you or did you just let him "go" with the lyrics?
LF: It is dead on, me and him talked about it at length on two or three occasions. He knew what I was looking for and he nailed it.
CT: What is the despair of winter? Does it have anything to do with people not coming out to a great show because of some flurries?
LF: No, but now it does! Haha, that has happened on a few occasions. I started writing the lyrics about how depressed people get during the cold, lonely winter months, but it spawned into a whole new song when I talked to Tony. "Despair" actually became an entity, which comes from the Earth's life-force, to right the wrongs done to the planet by mankind. "Despair" slays the wrongdoers and then plants their freshly slain bodies in the ground, to regrow the Earth, the bodies become the monstrous trees seen on the cover. There are talks right now to do a concept video for Despair, and I have been thinking about writing a short story or screen play for it.
CT: You are currently signed to Open Grave records. How has your relationship been with them?
LF: Open Grave Records have been great. They gave us the first shot to get our material to a larger audience with their distro and they believed in our material. We are now currently free agents after Winter, and will be looking for a bigger deal with the next album.
CT: It's ironic that you wrote the lyrics for "Open Grave" in 1995 and now, in 2008, you are signed to a label with the same moniker.
LF: A little too ironic, I really do think. Whoops, sorry. Yeah, I wrote most of the those lyrics for a song we were working on when we went on hiatus., 1995. We cannot even remember the song, but I always kept my lyric/thoughts folder handy. When the music for Open was written, the lyrics fit perfect. I have caught some flak for having a song written for our label, that is not the case and I did not feel I should change the title just because.
CT: With such a powerful release, do you feel any pressure to put out an even stronger third album?
LF: Yeah, absolutely. The next release has to be better, hopefully we can make that happen. Often times, bands cannot get the same passion back for the next release because it is about business now and not about the music. We are under no pressure to get it done in any time frame, so we will take our time and try to top Winter.
CT: What does the future hold for Sapremia?
LF: Hopefully, the sky is the limit. I would love to see us go as far as we can, get a good deal, get to Europe to tour.... If nothing does work out, we have done so much already, and I would call this band a success based on its merits as of now.
CT: Will the next album be called "With Spring Comes Rebirth?"
LF: Now there is an idea, ill leave that to the Sapremia tribute band that is sure to follow in a few years, haha.


LINKS:

Sapremia Myspace
Sapremia Info @ Metal Archives
Open Grave Records
Tony Koehl
Mortal Decay Myspace
Mortal Decay Info @ Metal ArchivesLou Ferrara & Brian Rulli Pictures by Orion. Sorry Ryan, I couldn't get a good shot of 'ya! Right: Lou / Left: Brian. Major thanks to Lou, Ryan and Brian.
THIS IS A
NJ BAND

Aeternus - Hexaeon

(An old review)

Ever since Beyond The Wandering Moon, Aeternus has been a band that I have enjoyed a lot. Both their earlier black metal material and more recent blackened death metal fare. Although I will admit that Ascension of Terror was not a complete let down, I felt that Aeternus could do much better. The two tracks that I heard off A Darker Monument were, to say the least, not really my thing. I thought that it was possible that once again a band I enjoyed was going the route of a sneezing Houdini in one of his submersion tricks.

And then, Hexaeon:


Ares has unleashed upon us nine tracks of dark, metallic, fury. The production is excellent. Every instrument screams with a need of acknowledgment. I want to mention the Vocals first because they are, in my opinion, the weakest aspect to this album. Its not that they aren't good. Certain times they just sound like Steven Hawking singing through the blades of a bedroom oscillating fan. But its not really as awful as it sounds. Anyway...Guitars, provided by Ares, cut shrill paths throughout the albums depthless flesh and gut and whatever is left over. Not technical, but pounding in every way. V'gander's bass is fantastic. No, hes not gonna be given any awards by the progressive rock fans but to these ears, he provides a lot of the awesomeness of the album with a fantastic tone and low end. Erik's drumming is also of mention, of course. A lot of cool fills and great groove complete the music of this album. If Ares is the blasphemous knight, V'gander is his steed, trampling the allies of their enemies beneath his blood-soaked hooves.

To the songs: This is a brilliant collection of music. It might be the song's arrangement... but awesome. Opening tracks "The Darkest Of Minds" and "Godhead Charlatan" are crushing mid tempo songs. Third track "The 9th Revolution" is the weakest track in my opinion. From the 4th track onward though is gold - possibly gold removed the walls of the Vatican by demons. "In The 3rd Dwells Oblivion" is a much faster track. The HUGE breakdown entering the final 40 seconds or so of the song is so utterly destructive in nature. Title track "Hexaeon" breaks the pace slightly with a clean guitar intro. The first usage of clean guitars until "Christbait." Track Six, "Punished" includes a bridge that erupts with innate violence. "Ageless Void", and "Christbait" are both solid songs but closer "What I Crave" hearkens back to the more black metal days of Aeternus with some enchanting clean vocals, grim melodies, and the albums finest, and most ironic, moment... a emotion tinged solo pulling together the album.

I think that this album is nothing but a precursor of things (great things) to come. The black metal days of Aeternus, as glorious as they were are well in the past. This new Aeternus is not better or worse than the elder/younger vision of Aeternus. It is simply a different method of showing that vision.

1349 - Hellfire

(An older review)

1349 are one of the few of the black metal bands of their kind that I can really get into. Hellfire, their newest album is a shining example of what black metal such as theirs should sound like. Relentless constant and never letting up without resorting to being redundant blasting on the drums and horribly produced monotonous guitar work.

Musicianship is of the highest order. Frost's drumming is impeccable. complimenting the music's aggressive attitude yet at times pushing it to a new level which few bands can venture. his stick work is a flurry of abysmal fury rarely seen across any of metal's genres. Archaon and Tjalve's guitar work is clear, crisp, and horrifically genius. Though Seidermann's bass playing is not at the front of the recording it does add some grit and dirty bottom end throughout the album. Ravn's vocals are a fitting end to the talented mix. This is an album which can boast some truly excellent production aside from the lowness of the bass in the mix.

The songwriting on this album is very good. Songs stick out, each holding their own against and not getting lost in the whole. The album employs a wide variety techniques at times including tremolo guitar work, more basic guitar powerchords and rhythms, some death metal influences areas, some thrashy parts, and some atmospheric sections also; its all here and then some. This is an album of songs. Nathicana is a personal favorite however Celestial Deconstruction and From The Deeps also are album highlights for me. To Rottendom is my least favorite song for some reason however that is not saying its not a good song.

The one thing that this album could have used was a little more variety tempo-wise. Its all extremely fast for the entire album with From The Deeps being the one exception and a well placed one on the album due to the fact it breaks up the speed. Perhaps not surprisingly this song also finds its way into the territory of 260+ bpm. Though there is a short clean break that works well aside from it existing for less than three seconds. A longer one may have been better placed but who am I to judge.

Slaves To Slaughter has an interesting musical break about a third of the way in that reeks of decomposed corpses and evil emanating from the very core of the human soul. Then goes off on a black metal journey to hell climaxing in a burzum-esque finale. Also a standout track.

Hellfire is the album's fourteen minute "epic." Though the first three minutes are pretty much buildup with little music except for some funeral-like organ melody. This however transforms - somewhat clumsily in my opinion - into the actual song. Hellfire is pretty much similar to everything else on the album and, for an epic track doesn't quite stand up to what the rest of the album offers before hand. By this time into the album it would have been more rewarding to encounter more doomy tempos and variation. Nine minutes in there is a more Deathspell Omega induced riff that, for me, gives this song some individuality. Thats not to say this isn't a killer ending track which it is. Some fantastic riffs, and brilliant-in-an-Einstein-kind-of-way drumming is, like elsewhere on this album the deciding factor and makes this another great song much like it makes the rest of the songs on the album great songs.

Overall, this is an excellent example of the possibilities that a talented, musicianship-oriented, black metal band can create when done right and done thoughtfully. I would personally consider this their best effort, more natural and flowing than Beyond The Apocalypse and more musical and professional sounding than Liberation. I await great things from 1349's next effort if this is any show of their progression as a black metal band.

Hear N Aid - Stars

The concept behind this whole project is, in my eyes, a massive hypocrisy. To gather huge names like Dokken, Dio and Judas Priest together and do an album to raise one million dollars is folly and a clear attempt at "softening" the image of heavy metal. If these musicians wanted to help famine in Africa, they could have each reached into their deep pockets and simply written a check instead of dropping the load of dung that "Stars" is upon us. The release of this album is none other than a combination of covering up personal selfishness and reaping the rewards of an easily digested commodity / format. "Rewards? All the profit goes to charity!" you say? After you take off your blindfolds and eye patches, read the news; money isn't the only prize to gain from participating in an incredibly successful collaboration. Every single person participating in Hear N Aid knew that the single would sell like vanilla umbrellas during a chocolate syrup hurricane. Every single person involved knew that this would attract attention to their own projects, make parents slightly less likely to throw out their son's albums, and buy them a ticket to the promised land - and in the name of Heavy Metal they did this shit anyway. Blasphemy...

Now, I can't knock the music too much. It sounds like Dio except for the first solo which sounds like an alien spaceship recorded using a microphone and a rainbow scented distortion pedal (no pun intended). The solo actually makes me laugh if I listen to it several times in succession. The solo afterward is much more metal than the Martian tomfoolery of the first solo. Considering that the song was written almost entirely by the Dio gang, the traditional style of the tune is no surprise. While I can't complain that the song sounds like Dio, I can wholeheartedly wish that there were other people involved in writing the actual music for the song. There are a ton of awesome song writers on the album that could have contributed ideas and excellent riffs: Dave Murray and Adrian Smith (who only get a chance to contribute a barely audible melody line to the chorus), Ted Nugent, and George Lynch. I'm kind of surprised that Ted Nugent would ever agree to do a song like this or even take part in such a project. He seems like the "let them fend for themselves, and let me kill the boar on my acres of farmland" kind of character. Ultimately, the song is a generic 80's metal anthem-styled song with a raging hard-on for itself, "shredding" solos (notably in the extended version where the solo section is bearable (why did they chose the two worst solos to put in the single track?) and contains some actual interesting guitar work from egoist overlord Yngwie) and a catchy general melody that flows along like a nice little river from which deer drink happily and bunny rabbits fornicate besides.

I do really love the guitar tone on the single and the whole sound of the song. It is crisp, and has that vintage lots of mids and treble tone. It is clear throughout the whole track. The song would be laughable without the classic tone which is almost the only thing that allows this atrocity of metal history to survive without sounding like a joke. The cheese of the song is supported by the cheese we associate with the guitar tone. The keyboards are buried though you can hear them at points. The drums are clear too though I wish the snare was louder in the mix. The kick drum tone is beautiful though and sounds like a kick drum and not the marching band kid in math class tapping on his desk with his untrimmed fingernails. I also appreciate the clean, booming bass that cuts through the the rest of the instruments. Sadly, Jimmy Bain is not doing anything at all interesting. His plodding makes me wonder if he originally brought the idea to Ronnie as a joke. Like telling your friend "Hey lets go eat those ants that are always crawling near your front door" and then he says "Sure!" and you are pulled into eating insects off his stoop.

The huge chorus would be awesome if they were not shouting "We're Stars." No shit you're stars assholes - your all singing on a heavy metal fund raiser album with the Dio. Is it possible that this song is a hidden attempt at making fun of the mentally handicapped? "Hey guyz! I'm da Staaauurrr!" If they were shouting something like, "We're Napalm Warriors!" it would be total kick assery though not at all appropriate for a famine relief fund raiser album. I get the same basic feeling from the chorus that I get from Dream Evil's (Hah, Its like everything is a Dio reference) Made Of Metal - big balls to the wall chorus with lame lyrics. If there is one thing I always prided Dio for, it was his lyrics. He has written some of the best lyrics in metal in his time with Sabbath and with Dio but the lyrics here are trite and meaningless. Does Ronnie James Dio really "cry for the children?" Or how about Chris Holmes? Maybe when he was floating his Vodka filled pool in the blue raft he looked to the 'stars' and wondered if the hungry African children were looking at the same night sky. Holmes wondering if famished African children have anything to eat while downing bottles of vodka in a pool is an image I would love to see a renaissance painting depiction of. Maybe David Alford really cares for "the shrunk up kids" as he gives his best Tom Hanks in Forest Gump impression. The attitude towards the starving children is less than concerned by almost all those involved. I think Rob Halford is the only one who actually says anything meaningful in the interview.

Don't get me started on Gale Murphy from Rock Network Affiliate KLOS in Los Angeles. The title for the interview is misleading. It's not four and a half minutes long. It's five grueling minutes of strung out rock stars trying to sound intelligent. But then, so is the single track itself.

At Rest - Demo 2008

This is tedious, heard it before, chop and mash death-core that should frighten just about anyone looking for something with a sense of character and heaviness. Take your balls, cut them off and throw them in a blender with some fruit then drink the contents afterwards because you might as well be doing something to hurt yourself if your enjoying this. When I can tell that shit has been copied and pasted and done up in pro-tools, I just want to turn it off and listen to Grave or Dismember; a band that didn't pay way too much of their parent's money basically. I know there are the Necrophagist / Aborted / Arsis crew out there who will hear this and literally vomit forth expletives to their scenester friends about how utterly brootal At Rest is.

Think of a second rate Necrophagist with hardcore breakdowns. That is all the description you need. Where at rest falter is mainly in the structure and architecture of their riffs and guitar lines. The guitar lines are typical, the vocals are both typical low and high attempts at being masculine but when I can hear lyrics in the songs about cutting wrists or kissing lips or something like that, I just don't care. There are moments of guitar that come out of nowhere to add nothing to the song except some long hammer-on-pull-off section. Clearly Mike Newman and Dan Ladin are good guitar players and have excellent technique but where is the heart? Charlie, last name unknown, basically follows the guitars throughout the cesspool of failure At Rest has excreted upon us. I would mention something about Phil Fontana's drumming but I doubt he actually played any of this crap, it was probably all fixed and edited digitally without any regard at having a natural sound.

Pass this shit by.

Methadrone - Horizone

Methadrone is pretty fucking awesome. Craig Pillard's side project from Evoken is centered around somber, melancholy yet hopeful soundscapes. This single is downloadable for free from the Foreshadow Productions website and is an internet only release which is absolutely terrible. This would fit perfectly on a 7" or one side of a 10" Split. I see it being paired with Nortt or something similar, maybe a new Catacombs song or unreleased material. Methadrone seriously sounds like the younger brother of the two except with his room painted white instead of black and a record collection that is more geared towards Jesu and Isis than the black / bleak metal records that compose the collections of his black forged brethren.

The first cut, the single's title track, "Horizone" is an airy, reverb coated birthday cake of captivating quality. It doesn't get boring as subtle accoutrements are added to the song's layered mass throughout. The low end is breathtaking. While the percussion is minimal, echoing effects create the feeling of being in a vast cavernous expanse mesmerized by the loneliness and the scope of feeling inferior to your surroundings. Each cycle of the song's basic structural component draws you further from the world you exist in and closer to the world that Methadrone is focused on plastering over reality. Throughout the song you get multiple vocal approaches used not as a vehicle for reciting lyrics but as a method of drawing attention away from you're surroundings. Whispers, chanting, choral arrangements in the background add to the intimacy.

Second track, a shorter piece titled "Nalbuphine" is as cleansing as the drug which it is named for. The general tone is somber yet distinctively different from the cave-like loneliness of the title track. Much more, personal than the opener, I find myself placing my body in a decaying hospital, left for dead with a slow drip of the drug being pumped into my body to remove whatever pain I might feel as the world around me died. The song drones more pulses with an acoustic guitar providing the main cadence in the track; its steel strings decisively rusted with the decay of ages.

For a free download, you have no reason not to hear this. My gripe with it not being a physical release is a personal gripe though it really should be presented to fans in a physical release. Where is the fun in downloading something? I am left in a state of urgent need for their full length releases. I can find myself drugged to sleep listening to this.

Download here

This Is A
NJ Band

Exxplorer - Symphonies Of Steel

This stuff is like candy. Exxplorer's unknown classic "Symphonies Of Steel" is filled to the brim with metal goodness. Perhaps maybe a little bit "too full." This album is like those beakers in high school that you filled with water and then tossed a little weight in and watched as the water over flowed. This beaker must be filled with a bizarre liquid, because if my facial expression was the meniscus, I would be frowning at one moment and smiling the next. I go from loving every note that comes from Ed Lavolpe's twittering fingers to hanging my head in shame at other moments as Exxplorer try too hard, make amateur mistakes and / or mock the very song they are so intimately involved with.

While Ed Lavolpe's guitar playing is nothing to frown at, his tone could use a small kick in its bony ass. Fellow axeman Kevin Kennedy is in tow with talent and a general lack of heaviness. The guitars have a vintage sound to them that anyone could enjoy but a slight tonal adjustment would leave one to face a slightly angrier bear. Both rip through a scattering of dual leads and solos across the album. Lenny Rizzo's vocals are decent though varied throughout the album. His vocals in "Going To Hell" are prepubescent. He could be singing this song while having his braces adhered to his front teeth. He makes up for this in the "Objection Overruled" duo where he sounds like Paul DiAnno on the mellow songs on Iron Maiden's self titled. Rizzo's vocals have a natural reverb to them that fills in some of the space they lack. He has the range but the power isn't there at times. Jimmy Gardner's bass playing is fantastic throughout the album and really helps the album matter. He has that 80's bass style down pat. He has a really good tone and is tight throughout the album. Mike Moyer's drums are typical and nothing special but he lays a strong foundation and pounds out some noticeable fills.

The album's songs are generally awesome. Opener "City Streets" is a memorable and standard metal tune with a great solo and those old school riffs that no one can live without. It's got plenty of headbanging moments and will make you want to romp around your room while being careful not to make the phonograph skip. "Run For Tomorrow" is, for me, the album's highlight with a great flow after the intro, which, as far as I'm concerned, is a few measures too long, and a powerful essence which leaves me wishing the song was just slightly longer. The band's namesake track chugs and gallops though never amounts to much - a let down because the opportunities were there. Cool solo though. "Metal Detectors" is stuck in my mind as the finest example of metal's acknowledgment of its own image. It's a song we've all heard before, talking about all those things metal talks about. You know...metal, steel... With lines like these, Manowar can sit proudly and smile at their disciples. "I'm hungry for metal, I'm searchin' for steel" or "The power of metal, is driving you near" and "Our numbers are growing, like a metal storm" And my favorite... "Don't let them tell you that metal is dead, they listen to Springsteen, it's gone to their head." Eric Adams would be enthralled with this track.

The two tracks / segments which form the "Objection Overruled" section of the album are no lackluster pieces of crap. The the first part is mainly slow, raunchy and doomy until the last two minutes. Basically, I would compare this entire track to "Strange World" or "Remember Tomorrow." I also get a hint of Geddy Lee in the vocals along with DiAnno. Rizzo's vocals are on full display here and they are wearing a fucking full patch covered tuxedo (damn I want one of those!). While the track picks up pace in the second half, It still maintains a general mid paced tempo and has the albums best solo section as well. This is as good as any of Fates Warning's B-sides. It ain't "Fata Morgana" or "Guardian" but I like it just as much as "Giant's Lore" or "Orphan Gypsy."

The field has some stumps though. The only-piano second track "Prelusion" is placed terribly and really doesn't prelude anything. It shares a theme that returns at the end of "Run For Tomorrow" though I'm left wondering who had the idea that a four minute piano piece as the second track on the album would help pacing and move the album along. Granted, the piano piece is really good, it just doesn't belong there. Fourth track "World War III" is a ballad. Yeah, they were all the rage at the time and the lyrics really aren't entirely about people dying, machine guns and German bombers dropping their payload on England's Anderson shelters but the song just drags. "Going to Hell" is the album's weakest track by more than a longshot. Rizzo's vocals sound stolen from Jane's Addiction. The song's lacks much drive and though a generally good riff appears once or twice, it is lost amidst awkward chord choices. A skipper if I ever heard one.

Still, of all the traditional metal that came out of New Jersey or the USA in general, for 1985, this was out there and tried to stand apart from the pack of NWOBHM imitators. If you're still skeptical that this is really that good, take note that this was originally released by the same label putting out the classic Manilla Road albums. That should be word enough that this is a worthy forged piece of metal. And Exxplorer are still exxploring! Check these guys out if you get a chance, I have a feeling you will feel like it was 1986 again. Don't forget your denim and leather though, or you won't be allowed to enter.

... or raise your fists in the air and shout "The metal detectors are losing control!!!!"


This Is A
NJ Band

Dirge - Fleshcrawler EP

Sadly, Dirge's last EP has lost a bit of the bite that Soulstorm had in favor of a more heavy-set crushing style. The punk influences, thankfully, are still visible throughout this six song testament to the lost art form of thrashing crossover goodness. Though moments of the release make me laugh outright at the vocals - usually because after I hear them I immediately associate them with the vocals in the chorus of Thor's Devastation of Musculation (look this up on Youtube drunk for a good laugh) - other moments put a wide grin on my face and remind me of why Dirge became one of my favorite unknowns from the garden state.

Whereas Soulstorm had a metallic, crisp and brittle production, Fleshcrawler has a moist, fluid and dingy production as if the whole album was properly recorded in a dank city punk club with fourteen extremely drunk audience members extruding enough energy to make forty lesser men run and cower. Erik Tucker's guitar playing is nothing to drool over but he weaves some invigorating "I have no shredding talent" solos across the album. The guitar is a bit thin though the beautiful bubbling tone of the bass fills in and plays an integral part in supporting the album's mediocre songs. Dan's drums are a bit low in the mix though they cut through with the thin guitar not providing much masking power to cover the dullness of the drums.

Boilerplate opens the album slow and heavy and points to an emphasis on the bass. Corrupted is faster and uglier. The album's third and fourth spot are generally lackluster and forgettable with Predictions suffering from some poppish moments that the band would never have been caught dead doing earlier on. Small Scene matches the bands earlier style best of all the tracks on the EP. After an Obituary-esque lead, the composition flows into a smooth jazz section before dissolving into a hasty scathing guitargasm; strongest track yet still nowhere near five-star gourmet dining.

THIS IS A
NJ BAND

Dejecta - The Sound Of Dejecta

Aaron Freeman and Matt Olivo's post Repulsion project Dejecta grind though three catchy, memorable and blistering songs on their second demo "The Sound of Dejecta." Easy to enjoy, abrasive but accessible, this is shit that the whole family can listen to at dinner while talking about how the benefits awarded by their eight-to-five job are too nuanced. You can throw this on in the background while drinking with friends and no one would get bothered by it. It sounds less like a Demo and more like Dejecta's half of a split that was never released.

The drums are clear and cutting like a broken shard of glass from the car window you broke with that baseball bat you stole from the irascible kid next door just to piss him off and egg him on. Bill Bradley is steady and precise, never overplaying. Matt and Aaron's guitars have a vintage, grating crush to them while Sean MacDonald's bass is mixed absolutely perfectly in the mix. You can hear him lumbering along and sitting nicely in the music's groove, punching out some bass licks worth making the three songs deserve replaying just to appreciate them. Lee William's vocals have attitude and a sense of urgency necessary and suitable for the pacing of the demo. He sounds like a more genuine and ballsy Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste). At other times, I am reminded of a less old school Scott Ruth during his "The Beast" era.

Though the album starts off a bit weak for me, "Shit For Brains" has its moments though I don't get dragged in until second track "Love You Madly" which starts off with an absolutely blistering metal riff then descends into some off the wall catchy thrash shit and a tripped out solo. If it only had a bit more impact it would be one of my favorite grindy tunes in a good long time. "Shit For Brains" is a good song though a bit drawn out for me. "But its only three minutes long man!!??" Shut up, I know what I mean. It should have been played faster. Got it? Good? Best part of the track is when Lee yells "Shit for brains!!" with a decisively vicious snarl. "Hearts of Darkness" ends the three tracks with a groovy, disjointed three minutes of grinding, disharmonious metallic aggression complete will a nifty bass fill and another noisy, kick ass solo. Well worth the ten minute playing time though one or two more songs would have made this absolutely necessary for die hard grinders.

Ad Hominem - Omnes Ad Unum

The first and most immediate thought racing through my head as I suffer through Ad Hominem's first demo "Omnes Ad Unum" is "who the hell puts this shit out?" I want to find the perpetrators and ask them how they sleep at night knowing that they are wasting everyone's time... the pressing plant, the artists making the covers, the plants manufacturing the Cds or, in this case, cassettes these albums are printed on. I understand the importance of maintaining a "true status" and releasing material that only "true metal warriors of the anti-Zionist regime" will understand but I can't help but pity the people buying this load of crap.

The guitars sound like a happy swarm of hornets buzzing around your ear and whispering to you when you are about to walk into a very clean clear glass door or something wholly inconsequential. The vocals are about as generic, lo-fi black metal as you can get. The drums are seeping with glue that oozes out from the tape holding the hardware together and I can guarantee you that the drummer is sitting on a milk crate disguised as the head of some Jewish leader that no one has heard of or cares about. I don't think that the bassist knows what he is supposed to be playing as he is off time, confused and out of touch with what is going on. His bass might as well be made of cheap sausage. It would sound like a more convincing instrument and only because I am currently hungry.

"In Odio Esse Sibi" brings the pretentious personalities to the forefront with keyboard interludes and clean guitars. I get the sense that Ad Hominem feels they are going to write the next great black metal masterpiece and will be loved by everyone. The problem is they can't write even a song that approaches "meh" status. The minute long keyboard pieces "Noesis" and "Requiem For Humanity" are the most interesting songs until "Ceux Qui Perirent Jadis" which somehow sinks its wintry claws into my ears and I find myself somehow maintaining a sense of fondness for the track. It keeps me engaged for some reason, the buzzing guitars adding a sense of being-chased-by-bees-that-don't-want-to-help-you kind of way.

As much as I found myself not bored senseless with the previous track, I laughed outright at the beginning of "Total Volkermord" which is, in my opinion, one of the funniest tracks I have ever heard. It almost tops Countess' Blood On My Lips. Almost. If retarded circus clowns got incredibly hammered on the cheapest and foulest beer available and attempted to make black metal it might begin to resemble the keyboard part in this song. The comedic and humorous cadence takes the cake for worst attempt at 'spooky atmosphere' that there ever was. The vomiting forth of lower, bassy vocals halfway through is a tedious attempt to save an album that has already drowned. Like a gay lifeguard trying to resuscitate a random male swimmer who drowned last year and was already buried. Just... don't listen to this.

Aceium - Wicked Metal

Heavy Metal and Canada are not two words we would usually associate with each other. Canada gave us nothing but Eskimos, Rush and Voivod. Though I wouldn't be so daring as to add Aceium's name to that list (who the hell is Aceium anyway?) this is a competent demo with some excellent, play-worthy songs. Wicked Metal is very much typical early 80's metal. The album falls into the category of "albums to play in the background when friends are over." This is one of my main problems with the album though - there are spans of minutes when nothing at all interesting happens and my mind begins to wander, towards the beer I am drinking, the porn I am watching or what I would like to put on the sandwich I am making.

Anyway... for a demo in 1982, this is well recorded and well produced. The guitars could bite a bit harder, the bass could be less passive, the drums could be more up front and the vocals could be less distant. The whole album has a "distant" feel to it. You know, that one where you feel like it was recorded in an empty hotel and the guitars were next door and the microphones were in the wrong room but the band was so loud that it cut through the walls. As the demo goes on, the severity of this distance becomes less apparent as your ears acclimate, like focusing on a friend on the other side of a class whispering to you the answers to that test you never studied for because you were too busy enjoying Saxon's full length.

The most stand out aspect of this bygone product is the guitar playing. There are leads scattered throughout the songs like gnats on a moist lawn bunching up and then floating to another part to irk you when you are trying to mow. They hit your ears and are stuck there and if you try and push your finger in they just get pushed further in and you need to run inside and get a q-tip to fish them out. The solos are like that. There will be one somewhere that will make you want to listen to it again just for the nostalgic feeling of a solo that was nothing more than a chance for the guitarist to "Let Loose." Major points to Mike Code for the guitar work on the album. Though his rhythms are a bit uninspired to these ears, those solos...

The rhythm section is quite ballsy though, as mentioned, the drums are very much in the background and at times very difficult to really latch on to. The perspective the listener is given to the drums is one of the main reasons for the whole "distant" feeling to the album. The reverb on the vocals as well adds to this. Though the drums are distant, Steven Lederman's percussive talents are very apparent. He pounds through the harder parts, throwing down some interesting and inspired fills such as in "Let Loose" and "Eyes of Pain" yet he displays expert reserve at the more mellowed sections. Richard Fulham's low end is the most recognizable instrument on the entire record. It is up front, distinguishable and of major importance in the structures and melody of the songs. He mainly plays straightforward bass parts however at the times he plays through his fills on the album, many of which seem to be improvisations at the moment of recording, he is on. Douglas Adam's vocals are competent but he is no Eric Adams as hard as he might try to be.

"Cold Steel" is a tough act to follow as an opener and "Let Loose" doesn't quite live up to the intensity of the harder, more varied, more interesting and catchy lead off track. The opening riff is awesomely and unfathomably metal to the point that someone should have already written it. Who knew that three notes could have such an effect? Sadly, most of the other rhythms fall short. "Let Loose" meanders on before becoming interesting. "Walking With Evil" is skippable, containing a few generic yet cool bass fills and a very rock 'n' roll solo while "No Peace" and "Eyes of Pain" comprise the second half of the offering's interesting tracks. "Wrong Place," though not a very good song, is worth the listen to just to hear. It seriously is the first surfing anthem / detective television show theme metal tune ever. "Satan's Laugh" is, well, laughable and can be compared to sitting down to dinner with your grandparents and waiting for them to ask you how school is and how is work going.

While not the greatest album to search for from this time period, Canada has once again given us something that maintains a certain kind of mediocrity that can be pleasing at moments and irritable at other times. As hard as this band tried to release something awesome, they fell a few feet short of the mark, possibly on concrete and possibly hurt themselves slightly which resulted in them running home to have their mother's patch up their cuts and scrapes.

Black Anvil - Time Insults The Mind

Black Anvil are a black metal band comprised of the members of New York Hardcore outfit Kill Your Idols who are also involved in several other hardcore bands. Black Anvil's take on black metal falls somewhere between competent and average, though I find the whole idea of three hardcore guys playing black metal insincere at the best and provoked by ulterior motives at the worst. The musicianship is definitely there and the tone pounds sufficiently but the riffs sound less like black metal and more akin to groovy thrash with black metal vocals plastered on a hardcore template with copious amounts of tape and glue desperately trying to hold the whole thing in place. "Time Insults The Mind" is a prime example that talented musicians can accomplish playing a particular style and make it sound good but still fall short in regards to accountability.

The album opens with "Margin for Terror" which, reasonably demonstrates what the album has to offer. It trudges on through some typical riffs similar to what the next Primordial album will sound like if Alan and the boys have lost their will to be creative and run out of ideas. Paul Delany's vocals sound exactly like Jeff Walker's vocals on Heartwork. I wouldn't be driving all over the road to say that there is potent Heartwork / Swansong influence at times, notable the second half of disjointed third track "Deathsomnia." The long pause mid track before the second half of the track could be occupied with something to blend the two segments together. "Ten Talons Deep" begins with some excellent usage of subtle melody and dynamics though falls into a post-black styled verse and chorus with a somewhat upbeat and enticing melody.

Gary Bennet's guitar is right up front and crisp with some fuzz and grit. Paul's bass throughout the album is, thankfully, prevalent however it sounds a bit too clean, like a bum after a shower. It has weight but only enough to balance the see-saw in the park with the neighborhood fat girl on the other end. The bass is used to great effect though and complements the guitars without doing any drastic progressive wanderings or spacey shit. Good for Paul. Trudging along with a disregard for those looking for the next technical masterpiece. He does his thing and does it well.

The second half of the rhythm section is where I find the album lacking. Raeph Glicken is tight and varied even though he sounds like the guy who was dragged into the project and got bored halfway. "On This Day Death" is a prime example of his lackluster emotion. He does little interesting except the toy monkey-like cymbal play a quarter through the song before the slower, droning section with screams in the background that sound like a school bus of children frightened by the spiders in the arachnid exhibit at the city zoo. The screams sound like they are behind glass or deep down in a dank well. Nice touch.

The second half of the album is where the interesting songs are. "And You Thought You Knew Pain" contains the quality riffs on the album. 777 contains the weird lead section of the album though the lack of balls in the bass is most noticeable during this section. Still, the arpeggiated lead is interesting and unique enough to support the fragment. The albums shortest song, "L.T.H.L.T.K" has the most irritable opening riff, sounding downright silly. Dethroned Emperor sounds like mediocre doom.

Overall, the album is consistently mediocre, providing little if any remarkable content. Though the ideas do present themselves and the riffs are at times noddable, not once is the music engaging enough to warrant multiple listens or to necessitate added listening in the car.