Ben's Reviews

Having never heard Massacra before, I looked forward to checking this album out. First impressions were not great though, with the album not only having dodgy artwork, but starting off with an extremely inappropriate intro. From this point on, the band push ahead with straight-ahead death metal, with little to no let up. The album has quite a raw, live-like production, but the guitar sound is quite chunky which is suitable enough. The band make mistakes occasionally and never bothered to clean it up, so that should give you an idea of the style of album Final Holocaust is. It's dirty, shameless death metal that takes no prisoners.

I've given this album about four listens now and I can't say it really does a lot for me. Any singular track is decent enough, with plenty of aggression, some nice riffs here and there and typical, yet effective death growls. But as an album, there's just nothing that makes me want to keep coming back for more. Most tracks start to blend into one by about a third of the way through. The dude below that calls this the "best death metal album ever made" is kidding himself. It's mildly average stuff that's certainly worth checking out for anyone that can't get enough of this style, but hardly an essential album.

Ambitious technical death metal album in the style of Death. This is an impressive if flawed debut!

I only very recently checked out Hopeless Hopes for the first time. My only previous experience of Martyr was their 2006 album Feeding the Abscess, which quite frankly kicked my ass. That album is filled with seriously technical and brutal death metal that I enjoyed enough to include on the Rate Your Music Ultimate Box Set > Death Metal that I put together last year. Ever since I heard that album, I’ve been very keen to delve into this Canadian band’s early discography to see what other gems could be uncovered. Given my previous knowledge of the band and the fact Hopeless Hopes was recorded way back in 1997, I guess I just assumed that it would be a more primitive effort and more than likely a substantially less technical one. What I discovered was something entirely different, being just as technical, albeit in a far less brutal style. While I won’t try to convince anyone that this is some sort of defining death metal album, it certainly contains enough good stuff to recommend to any fan of technical death metal. So, what exactly is Hopeless Hopes all about?

The first thing to say is that this sounds a lot like mid-nineties Death. Clearly fans of Chuck Schuldiner and co., Martyr didn’t exactly try to replicate the sound of albums like Symbolic and Individual Thought Patterns, but they undoubtedly took a great amount of influence from them. As anyone who enjoys great death metal would know, trying to match the quality of those albums is like attempting to transform your ceiling into a representation of the Sistine Chapel, yet these guys gave it their best shot. From a technical point of view, the members of Martyr are not embarrassed by their ambition at all. Daniel Mongrain and Pier-Luc Lampron display immense class with top notch leads and exhilarating riffs pouring forth consistently. When you check out the bands that Daniel has performed with when not on Martyr duty, it’s easy to see how well respected he is in the Canadian death metal scene. If names like Gorguts, Cryptopsy, Quo Vadis and even crazy thrashers Voivod aren’t enough to get you excited then you might as well stop reading this now. He also shares vocal duties with his brother Francois on most tracks, completing his Schuldiner-like performance.

Daniel’s vocal style is not all that typical for death metal and reminds me a lot of Jens Kidman from Meshuggah, having a deep holler rather than a death growl. It works well enough given the progressive elements of the music and is always completely intelligible. Francois on the other hand does have a decent growl, which is used sparingly for more impact. Speaking of Francois, his swirling bass lines are cool, having that non-linear freedom so often found in bands of this ilk without leaving the rhythmic structures behind. Francois Richard is just as impressive behind the drum kit and displays superb skills and variety throughout. Like other technical death metal drummers (Sean Reinert comes to mind), this guy likely has some sort of jazz training. There's no doubt that all four members of the Martyr line-up are more than adequate from a musicianship point of view. But...while Martyr may have no issue on the technical front, there are two main reasons why Hopeless Hopes doesn’t match up to the work of Death’s early to mid-nineties run, not to mention other technical death metal bands such as Cynic and Atheist.

Firstly, the production is lacking. Despite being independently recorded, the album does have a clear sound with each aspect of the band coming through perfectly well. But Hopeless Hopes just lacks the crushing power that would take this material to another level and while it is undoubtedly a death metal album, just doesn’t have the muscles or menace associated with that genre to make a dent in the scene. Secondly, the song writing, and lyrics are unfortunately not consistent for the entire 51 minutes. It’s not surprising that the two tracks that really fall flat (Ostrogoth and Ars Nova) are re-recordings of demo material written 3 years earlier. They have far fewer interesting structures and immature lyrics that stand out amongst the newer material. What is surprising is that the awesome Protoype is also from that demo, so I can only imagine that this was the track that set the band on their more developed direction. But I’m really nit-picking what is a thoroughly impressive debut from a band that would eventually find its own identity and get the recording values they deserve. The title track, Prototype, Elementals and The Blind’s Reflection are enjoyable, and Hopeless Hopes should be checked out by anyone into the more technical side of death metal.

A unique album where a drum machine and an emphasis on symphonic aspects over riffs results in cool black metal.

Limbonic Art have a lot of aspects that could make the average black metal fan write them off without a second thought. On paper, these Norwegians are a symphonic black metal band where the symphonic aspect is much more of a priority than the metal itself. In fact, for most of the album it can be a little hard to hear the guitars at all as they're so damn low in the mix. Surely a black metal band wouldn't relegate guitars to a background, secondary instrument, would they? Well that's pretty much what this band did! Add to this the fact that Limbonic Art use simple computerised drumming and one could very easily assume that an album like Moon in the Scorpio isn't worth wasting your time on. If you're unfortunate to make that decision, then you'll be missing out on something quite special.

Somehow, despite all the above features, this band produces extremely atmospheric music that is both dark and moving. The fantastic artwork by Morpheus (maybe someone can confirm whether this is band member Morfeus or a separate artist) gives one the impression that Limbonic Art will have a cosmic theme, and that certainly comes across in the sound. All the electronics give Moon in the Scorpio a kind of alien feel that is both timeless and intriguing. At times it is bombastic and operatic (such as the beginning of In Mourning Mystique), but for most of the running time it is dark, epic and majestic. The keyboard melodies very rarely enter corny realms and Morfeus manages a consistent, memorable quality throughout which is essential given the importance placed on this aspect of their sound.

But what about those simplistic, repetitive computerised drums I hear you ask! Well, as much as I would have preferred a little bit of variety to the percussion, the drum machine works perfectly well within this music. It has a pretty good sound despite being obviously computerised and adds a kind of industrial feel, which is not at all at odds with the atmosphere of Limbonic Art. I'm not the type of narrow-minded metal fan that refuses to listen to fake drums, even when they sound decent, which is certainly the case here. Special mention should also be given to Daemon's vocals which are consistently venomous yet varied. His typical black metal style is given great support by both clean male and operatic female vocals which is all tastefully and effectively done.

The result of all this is an enjoyable album that manages to be quite unique through a simple change of emphasis. If I tried to give you some sort of comparison to other bands, I think I'd end up with the epic aspects of Emperor combined with the simple yet effective aspects of Summoning, that somehow reminds me of death metal outfit Septic Flesh. Which of course doesn't help at all! Check out awesome tracks like Beneath the Burial Surface, Through Gleams of Death and Beyond the Candles Burning to see whether Limbonic Art connect with you. It's also worth noting that the album was re-released with bonus track The Dark Rivers of the Heart which is a great track. I'm not quite sure why it wasn't originally included but I highly recommend finding a version that has it included.

Kataklysm repeat the same mistakes as on Sorcery. Wonderfully violent yet entirely unstructured madness that's easily forgotten.

Kataklysm's debut full length album Sorcery, while being ridiculously brutal, annoyed me. On the one hand, it was impressive the way it so chaotically mixed melody into pure, unadulterated violence. But as remarkable as it appeared initially, the lack of cohesion in the song writing and the completely psychotic approach of vocalist Sylvain Houde didn't allow the music to really sink in. I was sure the band was one to watch though and figured the follow-up would find Kataklysm in a more restrained, refined form. It's immediately apparent on first listen to The Temple of Knowledge that this assumption couldn't be further from the truth. All that showed promise on Sorcery is still intact, but then everything I disliked about the debut has if anything, been ramped up to the max!

Once again, we have stupendous musicianship. Crushing riffs and nice melodies are backed by ferocious drumming with a focus on blastbeats. The production is ok, although the guitars get hidden behind the drums and vocals at times. When I'm allowed to focus on the riffs, I find a lot to enjoy and most tracks have moments where it all comes together nicely. But just as on Sorcery, there just isn't enough to differentiate tracks and the completely unstructured way of putting things together means it just isn't memorable at all. Worst of all though, Sylvain puts in the most laughable, over the top vocal performance I think I've ever heard. He simply vomits lyrics out in such a rush and so frantically that it makes absolutely no difference what's going on behind him. It's almost impossible to focus on anything while he's relentlessly screaming, growling and acting like a retarded demon for the entire running time.

There are plenty out there that think this is Kataklysm's best album and one of the finest pieces of death metal available to man. By now it should be clearly apparent that I'm not one of those people. Cryptopsy did the obscenely brutal thing way better than this and I don't think any album is successful if you can't remember any of it after the last track is completed. To be honest, I'd rather not! The best thing the band ever did was let Sylvain go after this release and simplify their music. That may sound like a copout, but sometimes it's clearly apparent that less is more. To prove that point nicely, I'll finish this review right here.

Totally insane, not to mention unstructured, death metal album with some of the most demonic vocals you'll ever hear.

Kataklysm have been releasing death metal albums for nearly 15 years now. Sorcery is the first of nine full length studio releases and really kickstarted the "northern hyperblast" that they would forever be known for. I purchased this album back in 1995 and got quite a shock on my first listen. It really is a bizarre album structurally with a fair amount of melody mixed into utter madness. There are plenty out there that praise this album for being incredibly chaotic and brutal. While I certainly won't argue that it isn't either of those things, I just don't think the result is cohesive enough for my tastes. It's one of those albums where I'm enjoying it immensely one minute and then wishing it would stop the next.

There are two aspects of note when I think of Sorcery. Firstly, the drumming is spectacular. Max Duhamel mixes extreme blastbeats with a whole range of variations thrown in all over the place. Secondly, Sylvain Houde's vocal performance is completely insane. He spews out whole paragraphs in seconds with no care for the musical backdrop whatsoever, then screams his guts out at random intervals. He sounds like he has effects added at times as it's all so incredibly demonic, but I don't think that's the case. There are plenty of good riffs underneath these two out of control individuals, but it's only when they get a little breathing space that we notice.

I guess that's the problem I have with Sorcery though. It's so over the top that it's like being smashed in the head repeatedly. I try desperately to come to grips with these tracks and when I manage, there's a fair bit of enjoyment to be had. But the rest of the time it's all just a bit messy and unstructured. It's an album worth checking out just to hear some of the insane musicianship and vocals, but I think perhaps fans of deathgrind may be more inclined to like this than the average death metal fan. Highlights are Sorcery, Mould in a Breed, Garden of Dreams and the closing instrumental World of Treason where the band finally get to play without the accompaniment of Satan himself.

Astonishingly awful folk metal with blisteringly awesome black metal tacked on the end.

I found a fair amount of entertainment on the Isengard compilation Vinterskugge. Working through the musical journey of Fenriz while he experiments with both folk music and black metal made for a challenging and inconsistent, yet captivating listen. Of course, I've always been more swayed towards his Darkthrone styled output than his folk noodling, but occasionally the folk inspired work surprisingly connected with me also. I figured the full length Hostmorke would be a far more focused and consistent effort, that might successfully combine the two genres in a neat way. I couldn't be more wrong.

The first 5 tracks are purely folk metal (apart from the occasional flourish in Neslepaks) and it must be said, some of it is just so astonishingly embarrassing. I Kamp med Kvitekrist and I ei Gran Borti Nordre Asen are appalling, no matter how much I try to "get in the mood". It obviously has an audience as the rating for this album is actually pretty good, but I find it excruciating to put myself through. The riffs are simplistic and bouncy and Fenriz's vocals are overly theatrical and well...just bad! Opener Neslepaks is by far the most interesting of the folk tracks and Over de Syngende Ode Moer has its moments, but the rest are awful.

Then the album takes a turn for the last two tracks with Thornspawn Chalice and Total Death being venomous and pure black metal tracks, very much in the vein of Darkthrone. Both are blistering and filled with masses of conviction and darkness, and both kick serious ass! Thornspawn Chalice displays Fenriz in such a manic and passion filled state, it’s quite frankly one the best things he's ever created. The riffs are cold and evil, the drumming intense and his vocals possessed. I love this stuff!!!

Which all leaves me utterly torn by Hostmorke. I assume there would be stacks of metal fans out there that enjoy both folk and black in equal doses, and for them this album might be gold. Then again, maybe the folk metal really is just bad, and I need to give the genre more of a fair go. For me, I'm just not willing to put myself through the first half of the album and so the stuff I do enjoy is completely wasted here. In short, this is not the album I wanted it to be.

An intriguing yet certainly not painless trip through the evolution of Fenriz.

I can't say I'm much of a fan of folky black metal. The riffs are overly jolly, and the vocals can be very embarrassing if the person behind them are not exceptional. There’s something quite interesting about Vinterskugge though. For starters, it's three demos from different stages in the band's development combined into one long compilation. Secondly, there is a multitude of genre hopping going on here, with dark ambient, atmospheric black metal and even death metal also playing a role. Finally, it's all created by Fenriz, the drummer for cult black metal band Darkthrone.

Tracks 1 to 7 come from the 1993 demo Vandreren. By far the best produced tracks on the compilation, this demo treads more within the folk influenced black metal grounds than the other demos. Fenriz's clean vocals are ordinary to be honest and the bouncy riffs just don't interest me all that much. His black metal screams and riffs are much more effective in my opinion, but that could just be my personal preference towards the darker material. Gjennom Skogen til Blarjellene is a nice instrumental though that starts off with distorted guitars and finishes with atmospheric keyboards. In the Halls and Chambers of Stardust is another decent little instrumental, this time with more folk influenced instrumentation. When Fenriz dabbles in this sort of dark ambient material, he comes off a bit like Burzum, but never reaches that sort of quality. Ut I Vannets Dyp Hvor Morket is one of the better straight out black metal tracks on the compilation too, so there's quite a lot to enjoy on this section of the album, even if the folk material grates on me a fair bit.

Tracks 8 to 12 come from the 1989 demo Spectres Over Gorgoroth. These have a rawer production and are rather death metal in their approach. I guess that's not surprising at all since Darkthrone started off as a purely death metal project. The riffs are not bad at all and the vocals are quite cool and evil. There are only 5 tracks and the whole demo is over in under 12 minutes, but it's probably the most consistent part of Vinterskugge. I can't say I'd listen to this all that much due to the production, but it's worth checking out to hear the initial stages of Darkthrone's development, even if it was just Fenriz behind it all at this stage.

Finally, tracks 13 to 16 come from the 1991 demo Horizons. This material displays both directions that Fenriz would branch out with in the future. On the one hand, it shows the path that Darkthrone would take on A Blaze in the Northern Sky, letting go of the majority, but certainly not all, of the death metal riffs, and forging ahead with something very black. On the other hand, it unveils the first signs of the folk influence that Fenriz would utilize further in his Isengard work. The Fog is probably my favourite track on the compilation, being a brooding piece of work with blast beats and great venomous vocals. It truly is a sign of what was to come shortly afterwards and an important moment in the history of black metal. Storm of Evil changes tact immediately with pure folk metal complete with cleanly sung vocals and keyboards. I have to say the main riff of this track reminds me heavily of a Burzum track that would be released shortly after this demo. Bergtrollets Gravferd is the first dark ambient piece in Isengard's history and I'd have to say it's the best too, being a very dark and epic piece of work. Unfortunately, Our Lord Will Come finishes the demo, and compilation, with more crappy vocals, dodgy leads and simplistic riffs.

Overall, Vinterskugge is an intriguing compilation that clearly displays the evolution Fenriz went through in his early years and how his influences caused him to branch out into two very distinct entities. It's tough to listen to in one sitting though, mostly due to the varying quality of the material, but also due to the order of the demos not being chronological. The experience would have been better if it had started from the beginning and worked its way through to 1993. If you love death metal, black metal, folk metal and dark ambient, then I suggest you find this album and check it out.

An initially strange but thoroughly enjoyable mixture of Stockholm and Gothenburg death metal created by Japanese.

There were a few things for me that caused a substantial amount of scepticism when it came to checking out Intestine Baalism. Firstly, that name is average. From what I can figure out, the term could very well be associated with the worship of bowel movements, but it’s far more likely that the band members thought it sounded evil and cool (which it doesn’t). Secondly, Intestine Baalism comes from Japan. When it comes to metal, it must be said that the Japanese are more than just a bit crazy. A look at three of the biggest metal bands to come out of the Land of the Rising Sun should make it clear that the Japanese don’t like to play by established rules. Boris performs monstrous drone doom metal that will crush you with huge riffs one moment and then break out into bizarre Japanese rock the next. Sigh have ties to old school black and thrash metal but then they mix in influences from just about every musical form known to man at seemingly random times. Then there’s Gallhammer of course. Three chicks called Mika Penetrator, Vivian Slaughter and Risa Reaper cranking out black metal tunes. Enough said really!

I was both curious and apprehensive when pressing play to study An Anatomy of the Beast. This trepidation was wiped out soon enough though as old school Swedish style death metal came pummelling out of my speakers. These guys clearly enjoyed bands such as Entombed and Dismember in the early 90s and decided they’d have a crack at producing their own effort, with the obvious difference being that they didn’t have Stockholm’s Sunlight Studio to fully replicate the sound. But don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not suggesting that this Japanese outfit doesn’t add any of the crazy stuff that their countrymen seem destined for. In this case, chunky death metal riffs suddenly clash with sweetly melodic leads which are initially quite off-putting. I must admit that on the first couple of listens the sheer contrast between dark, low tuned riffs and harmlessly pleasant leads made me cringe, but as time went on, I’ve found that it works well enough, and certainly gives Intestine Baalism a distinct character in a genre not known for breaching established boundaries. While the band members are clearly influenced by past albums, they produced something different and thoroughly enjoyable for it.

Seiji’s vocals are done in a typical death growl style, but black metal shrieks are added on the odd occasion for a change of scene. Drummer Takeshi can at times get rooted down in that mid paced, one-two pattern often associated with Swedish death metal, but he adds enough variety throughout, so things never get boring. But it’s without a doubt the guitar work of Seiji and Atsushi that make An Anatomy of the Beast so entertaining. There are multitudes of memorable sections that will make you come back time and time again, and while the previously mentioned leads can grate occasionally, they never feel tacked on at any stage and work their way under your skin after a while. After spending a couple of weeks with Intestine Baalism, I’m surprised that An Anatomy of the Beast doesn’t rate higher than it currently does here. I can only assume that the mixture of Stockholm and Gothenburg sounds is just a bit troubling for many death metal fans to accept. But I’m thoroughly sold and am glad I gave the album a few listens before writing it off. Highlight tracks are Anatomy of the Beast, Cannibal Sodom and A Place Their Gods Left Behind.

Thousand Swords contains some nice melodies and atmosphere, but it's let down by a weak production and a lack of variety.

I only recently had my first experience with Graveland. I spent a couple of weeks listening to 1995's Carpathian Wolves and while it didn't set my world alight, I found it to be mildly entertaining. It certainly showed enough promise to get me excited to hear more of what this entity has to offer and there's a heck of a lot to choose from. Considering Thousand Swords seems to be the album of choice among Graveland fans, I guess I assumed that it would be a decent place to venture next. I also assumed that I'd probably get into this one right from the get-go rather than having to endure multiple listens before finding reward as I did on Carpathian Wolves. That didn't turn out to be the case at all. The production is very weak for starters. It's not that it's particularly rubbish or lacking clarity, it just doesn't contain much power at all, leaving the instruments a bit lifeless. Add to this the fact that there is nothing remotely technical or even tight about what's being played here, and first impressions are not very good at all.

But once again, this is one of those albums that slowly sinks its claws into you. Which each successive spin, I've found I enjoy it a bit more, but I've exhausted that technique as far as it will go now. The drumming reminds me of early Primordial, in that it has a very ancient, kind of medieval feel to it. It's an odd sort of gallop, but one that really works for this style of Paganistic music. It's damn messy though with some extremely distracting mistakes jumping out regularly. The riffs are particularly weak in presence but are somehow quite memorable and effective. This means about the third time you listen to the album, it all starts to become rather familiar and dare I say comfortable. There's a lot of melody to be found within the majority of tracks, but the album never approaches anything remotely bubbly or upbeat, more epic and grand). Rob's vocals are of the raspy, grim black metal variety. They're decent enough, but it must be said that they lack variety or venom and are just kind of...there.

In the end I think Thousand Swords has grown on me to the point where I can enjoy it, but I still find it hard to understand why so many hold it in such high esteem. Some reviews (check out some on Encyclopedia Metallum) seem to suggest that this is the finest piece of work in the history of music which is baffling to me. There are many great black metal albums out there that have a similar grand, warlike feel to them whilst containing a much bigger production, far superior talent and a heck of a lot more variety. As it is, I feel very similarly about Thousand Swords as I did for Carpathian Wolves. It's a decent listen with some nice moments and atmosphere, but in the end it's just nothing amazing. Highlight tracks for me are Blood of Christians on My Sword, Thousand Swords, The Dark Battlefield and Born For War.

A simplistic yet atmospheric album that's certainly worth checking out for true black metal fans.

This is the first time I've spent much time with a Graveland album. I've come across the name many times over the years, which is hardly surprising considering this Polish band have put out over 15 releases since 1994. But perhaps "band" is the wrong word for Graveland as this is really the work of Rob Darken for the most part, being the sole member on many of the previously mentioned releases. All this said, debut album Carpathian Wolves does have a separate drummer (Capricornus) and bassist (Karcharoth).

Carpathian Wolves contains simplistic black metal really and its production is rather weak. But as any black metal fan will know, those two features can often combine to form great albums, as this style of music doesn't always require technicality or clarity. In the case of Carpathian Wolves, I think it does end up being a rather atmospheric listen, but it does pale a little in comparison to other albums released around the same time (Ulver, Burzum, Darkthrone etc.).

The intro to the album is excellent and sets the mood perfectly for what's to come. It's followed by the highlight of the album for me being Barbarism Returns which has some nice riffs and very effective keyboard work. In fact, the keyboards are important on this album, often turning some average tracks into quite memorable and entertaining ones. Rob's vocals are in typical black metal form (i.e. raspy and evil), but I like them quite a lot. The drumming is adequate if simplistic as are the riffs but that's not really the point.

The real reason to listen to Carpathian Wolves is the atmosphere and, on that level, I think the album is entirely successful and worthy of a listen or two for anyone into black metal. As mentioned earlier, Barbarism Returns is great as are Witches Holocaust, At the Pagan Samhain Night and Unpunished Herd. If it wasn't for a couple of forgettable tracks in the middle, I may have rated this higher. I look forward to checking out more Graveland albums in the future.

I certainly haven't heard a lot of Gorefest over the years, but this album is by far and away the best thing I have listened to by the band. Compared to albums like Erase, which focuses on groove and accessibility, this Dutch band released an incredibly heavy album with False. All that said, it certainly contains enough groove and melody to implant these tracks into your subconscious for the rest of your life, without wimping out on the brutality. While there's nothing overly technical on False, their crushing death metal is extremely effective and keeps me coming back for more repeatedly.

The band gel together perfectly, but it's the vocalist and drummer that stand out. Jan-Chris De Koeijer's death growl is awesome, yet decipherable and Ed Warby's drumming is filled with variety and precision. Of course, death metal is nothing without riffs and there are some truly cracking examples throughout this album. The production is top notch overall and there really isn't anything to complain about from a technical point of view. If I'm going to be critical, I'd say the last few tracks of False fall away a bit after an amazing first half. The Glorious Dead, State of Mind, Reality When You Die and Get a Life are all brilliant examples of crushing mid paced death metal, while From Ignorance to Oblivion and The Mass Insanity tend to cause the album to lose its strength and fade away towards the end.

All up though this is a highly recommended slab of heavy death metal. If you like bands in the style of Bolt Thrower and Swedish death metal like Entombed and Dismember, then there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't find some real enjoyment in this release. Check it out!

Wonderfully creative and experimental black metal that helped break down the firm barriers of all things "true".

Fleurety's Min Tid Skal Komme album sure is an eclectic piece of work. While this album is nearly always categorised as black metal, there are many elements here that are quite distant from the genre's blueprint. The mid-nineties was the period when adventurous musicians decided it was OK to merge the normally elite genre of black metal with other outside influences to well, see what would happen. I'm extremely thankful for this curiosity, as we ended up with wonderful albums such as Ved Buens Ende's Written in Waters, Arcturus' La Masquerade Infernale, Solefald's The Linear Scaffold and of course, Fleurety's Min Tid Skal Komme. This period in some ways saved black metal from an early over-saturated death, and this free and experimental attitude has continued right up to today.

There's something extremely organic about the Fleurety experience. It all sounds like it could have been performed live, with the drums feeling very unprocessed and natural. The music swirls between bizarre progressive soundscapes, experimental rock and atmospheric black metal without coming across as clunky or even strange. It just seems...right! It's as though the band were improvising at times and yet the result is too mesmerising to suggest there wasn't an immense amount of planning involved. One of the unique aspects for the time was the inclusion of a female vocalist and I have to say that Marian Aas Hansen's performance is outstanding, particularly when contrasted to the raspy black metal vocals that on their own may have been a bit too weak. She is apparently a pop singer from Norway and her talent is obvious, never entering overly-operatic tendencies that seem the norm for many female vocal additions in metal.

Alexander's riffs are immensely creative and discordant, and he switches between different styles easily, seemingly having no fear of what should go where. The bass is very audible and holds a much more prominent place than on most black metal albums. There's a lot of talent behind all this madness and I really wish the band had explored these avenues further over the next few years. Min Tid Skal Komme is one of those albums that gets better with time and the more I listen to it, the more enjoyment I find. Fleurety deserve a heck of a lot more credit than they receive for helping break down barriers and exploring musical realms formerly uncharted. Highlight tracks are Fragmenter av en Fortid and the genuinely amazing Englers Piler Har Ingen Brodd. If you like your metal experimental, you owe it to yourself to check this out!

Exumer were previously unknown to me, but I thought I'd give it a shot due to the decent rating it gets on this site and the comparisons to Sodom, a band a quite enjoy. After a few spins of their debut album Possessed by Fire, I've found it to be a simplistic yet mildly entertaining release. What these German thrashers lack in technicality they make up for in spirit, with good energy and an unexpectedly nice production. There are some great riffs spread throughout the album that pop up just when I start to feel a little underwhelmed, bringing my attention back to what is slightly above average thrash.

Yet for every good riff, there's an equally dull, uninspired one and there's absolutely nothing original about Exumer's work, with many sections reminding me of tracks from other more well-known bands. The choruses have a habit of just repeating the track title a few times before we're back into verse territory. But somehow this album, with all these flaws and by-the-numbers song structures, manages to entertain and excite. The vocals are a mix of Mille Petrozza from Kreator, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine with a touch of Paul Baloff, which may sound awful but is ok. The album is definitely top-heavy, with the second half falling away a little after a solid beginning. Still, Possessed by Fire is a recommended listen for anyone who just can't get enough 80s European thrash metal. Highlights for me are Possessed by Fire and the fantastic Fallen Saint.

A crushing improvement over Massive Killing Capacity, but the bulk of it just passes by.

If you’d asked me to put my money on what Dismember would produce in 1997, I would have first checked out what Entombed were up to before speculating. It may be harsh to suggest that Dismember are merely a clone of the Swedish death metal founders, but it’s hard to ignore when both bands seem to be on almost the same trajectory. The first two albums by both outfits were built on the same filthy riffed template and while all four albums are varying degrees of awesome, it was hard to listen to one band without thinking of the other. Entombed clearly knew that the style had a use by date, so they used 1993’s Wolverine Blues album to launch death ’n’ roll, a new subgenre that combines the same death metal sound with hard rock. Not to be outdone, Dismember’s third album followed suit, with Massive Killing Capacity containing elements of death ’n’ roll as well as some melodic death metal tendencies. By the time 1997 came around it became clear that Entombed were set on taking death ’n’ roll as far as it could go, so one could only assume that Dismember would tag along for the ride.

I’m glad I didn’t hand over any cash as Dismember threw a curve ball for their fourth album. Unlike Entombed, Dismember cut out (dismembered?) a lot of the softer commercial aspects that had crept into their music and went back to their heavier roots. One can only assume that the band really wanted their fans to know about it too as they gave the album the apt name Death Metal, which is a title that didn’t fit too comfortably for their previous outing. The cleaner vocals are gone, and the death ‘n’ roll aspect has all but disappeared. What Death Metal offers up is quite unique, at least for its time, being a mixture of Stockholm and Gothenburg death metal sounds. On the one hand, there are quite a few In Flames sounding melodies and leads going on, but then the enveloping and highly distorted sound is still firmly covered in old school Sunlight Studios grime. It’s not something many bands have attempted and Dismember almost pull it off. Unfortunately, a lot of the melodies don’t grip the way they might with more clarity, and they occasionally just sound out of place amongst the crushing fuzz.

All this said, there are quite a few tracks that forego this odd combination (Silent Are the Watchers’ transitions are terribly jarring) and instead focus on what Dismember do best. There’s a lot of presence to these tracks with huge riffs, relentless no-nonsense drumming and Matti’s aggressive vocals. Of Fire, Misanthropic, Bred For War and huge closer Mistweaver are really very good and are certainly better than anything off Massive Killing Capacity. But most of the remaining tracks are around three minutes or below in length and they’re over before they’ve done anything to distinguish themselves. I find myself clockwatching by about track six, just biding my time till the remaining highlights arrive. In the end, even though Death Metal has more variety when it comes to speed and style than the classic Dismember albums, it’s boring. As strange as it may sound, I’ve found this album to be both relieving and disappointing in equal amounts. It’s a lot better than I expected given the direction I thought the band would take, while still not coming close to the high standard set by Like an Ever Flowing Stream and Indecent and Obscene.

Dismember try for a piece of Entombed's death 'n' roll pie with boring results.

Unfortunately, I think I made an incorrect statement in my Indecent and Obscene review. I praised Dismember for sticking to their guns while Entombed departed from the Swedish death metal sound they helped create. I hadn't heard Massive Killing Capacity at that time, but I couldn't help assuming it would also be another filthy slab of brutality, particularly considering the title and the excessive nature of the artwork. As it turns out, Dismember clearly wanted a piece of the more commercial pie that Entombed were gobbling up, and recorded an album that sounds awfully like Wolverine Blues.

The big problem for me is that I really don't enjoy Wolverine Blues or death 'n' roll in general for that matter. Just as on that album, the vocals are far cleaner than before, the riffs are more melodic and less chunky than on previous albums and the drumming is completely boring and pedestrian. In my opinion, Massive Killing Capacity is a huge step down in quality from the band's first two albums and a huge disappointment. There are some nice riffs here or there, of course, as these guys are never going to be terrible, but in the end it's all quite forgettable and lacking in actual death metal. I can't even pick out highlights as none of it really grabs my attention (although the In Flames worshipping Collection in Blood is bad enough to do so) after multiple spins.

This album was always going to memorable, if nothing more than for its grotesque cover artwork. The title of the album itself was formed after they were described with those very words by a newspaper journalist. But Dismember certainly had a lot of work to do to stay relevant back in 1993. The Swedish death metal sound had already been done to death by a multitude of Entombed clones (themselves included). During the same year, Entombed decided to do something a bit different, with the death n roll album Wolverine Blues being the result. Dismember on the other hand decided to stick to their guns and went back to the standard Sunlight Studios sound for their sophomore release. They did however tinker with it somewhat, giving it a much cleaner production, while keeping those filthy chainsaw guitars. The drums are clean and crunchy and there's not as much of that noise of sound that was going on with the debut.

I think that while Like an Ever Flowing Stream will always be renowned as a genre classic, Indecent and Obscene would have to be my personal favourite album by the band. It perfectly combines fantastic melodies with an awesome level of violence. The leads are really nice, and the drumming is powerful while never being particularly technical. There are plenty of change-ups to keep you on your toes and I can't say things ever get boring throughout the 9 tracks. Highlight tracks for me are Case # Obscene, Skinfather and the fantastic closer Dreaming in Red. I can't give the album more than 4 stars, as there's nothing particularly original or creative about it, but Indecent and Obscene is right up there with Entombed's Clandestine when it comes to Swedish death metal at its finest.

Dismember to me will always be a band that sounds just like Entombed. This comparison in some ways may be unfair today as Entombed moved away from this sound a long time ago, whereas Dismember have stuck to the tried and tested formula for a long time now. But back in 1991, this sounded extremely similar to Entombed's Left Hand Path that came out a year earlier. But none of this is to say that Like An Everflowing Stream is not a good album, because that's definitely not the case. It's just hard for me to consider it to be influential or essential when it is easier to view it as a very good clone.

The main difference between the two albums is that Dismember's is a fair bit more brutal. The riffs flow thick and fast, the drumming is much more rapid with more blast beats, and generally, the production is heavier. In fact, I'd have to say that I enjoy this album more than Left Hand Path, but not more than Entombed's second release Clandestine. It's short and sweet at 31 minutes (at least it was before all the bonus tracks in recent years) and has enough classics to make me come back for more regularly. Highlights are Bleed For Me and in particular Dismembered with it's fantastic melody and blasting, but it's all pretty solid stuff.

Disincarnate are known simply for the fact that James Murphy was a member of the band. The genius guitarist adds a stack of class to just about every album he touches (although he couldn't save Cancer's Death Shall Rise) with massive titles by Death, Obituary and Testament to his name. But what makes this project different from just about every other band he's worked for is that Disincarnate is James Murphy's band. It's not a guest appearance like it so often his for James and it's not the 4th album by a solid line-up that James has just slotted into after a former member's departure. Dreams of the Carrion Kind is a death metal album the way James Murphy wants it to be and that means awesome, tight, old school death metal with obviously fantastic lead guitar work.

Many have complained that most of the tracks on this release sound like each other and I have to admit that's true. The vocalist doesn't really alter his style (typical but good death growls) throughout and a lot of the riffs could be transferred between tracks easily enough. But then it's all so tight and classy, with fantastic sections raising their head regularly out of the comfortable framework. Stench of Paradise Burning is by far and away the best track, but Monarch of the Sleeping Marches and In Sufferance are great also. I guess this is one of those albums that's unlikely to pop up in anyone's top 10 albums of all time but is certainly a good choice for anyone that enjoys old school death metal without necessarily requiring a level of experimentation in their music.

The writing was on the wall with Celtic Frost's prior album To Mega Therion. Little experimental flourishes had made their way into their music and made things more interesting than on their debut EP. With Into the Pandemonium, this flourishes have been given a major focus, with the result being an absorbing listen. Female vocals, gothic pop choruses, background symphonies, industrial elements etc. etc. These guys went all out and created multiple new sounds for their time.

When listening to the album, I can hear how influential they have been on gothic metal in general as well as doom metal, and yet they managed to integrate all that with the thrash metal they'd always been known for. The singing style in tracks such as Mesmerized reminds me of Anathema and Monumentum. The mixture of doomy riffs and poppy sensibilities reminds me of bands such as Tiamat.

But that's not to say that everything on Into the Pandemonium works smoothly. The industrial "One in Their Pride" with its industrial beat certainly hasn't aged well. Starting track "Mexican Radio" is an extremely strange choice of cover to start the album off. It's not terrible but it's by no means a highlight. And some of the female vocals are a bit well...crap. Yet there's an addictive quality to the album and tracks such as Mesmerized, Sorrows of the Moon and Caress Into Oblivion make this album, if not a classic, a damn enjoyable listen.

I found it hard to enjoy the Hellhammer material. It was raw and messy and not particularly interesting to me, no matter how ground-breaking it was. The first Celtic Frost release Morbid Tales was a tighter, better produced version of a similar sound. Once again, I didn't find all that much that was memorable or fun to listen to on that release.

But this album is where I finally get what it is that attracts so many to this band and the one that proceeded it. It's a much tighter affair, the production has been beefed up once again, but this time the songs are finally excellent. The band started to inject some of the experimentation that they are known for, with some female vocals, symphonic backdrops etc, and the album has fantastic artwork from the warped mind of HR Giger which I really appreciate.

It's hard to pinpoint why I suddenly like Celtic Frost on this album as overall, it still relies heavily on the crawling riffage that was prevalent on the previous releases and Warrior's distinctive drawl. I think it's just that the band finally put their sound to good use, creating truly dark, gripping tracks such as Circle of the Tyrants, Jewel Throne etc. Still not one of my favourite bands but this album is highly entertaining!

Any band that contains James Murphy on guitar is generally worth checking out. His work on albums by Obituary and Death is outstanding, with his leads showing immense class and skill. I picked up Cancer's Death Shall Rise album eagerly and expected to find some thoroughly enjoyable death metal. Unfortunately, while the album isn't terrible, there's nothing exceptional at all about this release. James' leads are of course more than decent, but just about everything else lacks any sort of power. Waiting through 3 or 4 minutes of plodding, uninspired death metal, just to hear a 15 second solo certainly isn't enough to keep me interested.

The main problem with Death Shall Rise is the drumming. It's completely and utterly boring and simplistic, dragging otherwise decent riffs into downward spirals. The vocals are not rubbish, but they're merely average, as is the bass performance. Overall, Death Shall Rise is a completely average album in just about every way, and so deserves a completely average rating, with .5 added for James' presence.

Don't be fooled. All these "rare" tracks can be heard in far better form elsewhere, and the one that can't, is a fake.

My journey through the Burzum discography has been riddled with puzzles to solve. Figuring out when exactly each album was recorded and when it was eventually released is tricky enough, but the mystery surrounding which of the several compilations released while Varg was in prison should be considered official or not is probably even more confounding. It appears to me that Draugen – Rarities is, like 2002’s Anthology compilation, merely a bootleg that has somewhere along the line been given official status. I haven’t yet tracked down what year the original bootleg made its way onto the scene, but it’s no secret that UK label Back on Black re-released it in 2005 in remastered form, which is the version I own and therefore the one I’m reviewing right now. None of this sounds all that official of course, but when you consider that it contains artwork that was apparently authorised by Varg himself, and that it appears in the official discography on the official Burzum site, it’s difficult not to consider it legitimate. Yet just when it seems that’s all cleared up, there’s the little problem that Draugen – Rarities includes a track that is not even by Burzum (it’s a fake, but more on that later). Surely Varg wouldn’t authorise such a thing, would he? I think I’ll just have to move on and concentrate on deciding whether Draugen – Rarities has anything worthwhile for the multitudes of dedicated Burzum fans out there to sink their teeth into.

The first three tracks appear to be the entirety of the Aske EP (recorded in 1992) yet with an altered track order. Closer inspection reveals that opener Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit is not the re-recorded version found on Aske at all, and instead the original recording from the Burzum debut, which explains why it appears out of order. It’s a fantastic track that I never get tired of hearing, so a welcome beginning to the compilation. The two tracks from Aske are slightly less impressive although Stemmen Fra Tårnet is worth checking out for sure. Most fans would already own these tracks though and so the intrigue only starts once they’ve run their course. Tracks four through to seven are the entirety of the first Burzum demo, creatively titled Demo I, which was created in 1991. The tracks will be easily recognisable to any Burzum fan, including Lost Wisdom off Det Som Engang Var and Spell of Destruction and Channeling the Power of Souls Into a New God off the debut album, yet these are clearly rehearsal versions with no vocals. However, the main issue is not the lack of vocals and instead the recording quality which is terrible to say the least. It’s very difficult to hear the guitars at all as they are just a muddy blur and while it’s clear that Varg already had these tracks close to their finished compositional state, I see no reason to listen to them with this sort of quality. I’m pretty sure the outro to the demo is the intro (Den onde Kysten) to Det Som Engang Var, but the sound is so bad I’m just guessing.

Tracks eight through to ten are lifted from the Svarte dauen bootleg released in 1998. The first two tracks of the bootleg were originally recorded in 1993 as a planned EP that never eventuated. Et Hvitt Lys Over Skogen is a pretty good track, albeit with simplistic riffs and drumming, and one that you won’t find on any Burzum album. Interestingly, it was later re-recorded as part of the Hvis Lyset Tar Oss session, with every intention of it being part of the final product but was replaced by the all-electronic Tomhet at the last minute. You can hear the superior re-recorded version of the track on the 2002 Anthology compilation, which is pretty much the only reason to get it. Second track Once Emperor may not be recognisable by name, but on listening it becomes obvious that it’s an early version of Gebrechlichkeit I, later found on Filosofem. Even this early version has an immensely despondent feel, and the low production values add to the menace, but the re-recorded one is unquestionably superior. Seven Harmonies of the Unknown Truth is not a Burzum track at all and is in fact taken from a demo by fellow Norwegian black metal band Ildjarn. Why on earth anyone thought to include it on the original bootleg version of Draugen – Rarities is beyond me, but the fact it remained for the Back on Black version is astounding. I guess the idea of a previously unheard Burzum track might attract more purchases, regardless of the apparent insincerity.

The last three tracks are album versions of three Burzum classics, being My Journey to the Stars off the debut, Lost Wisdom off Det Som Engang Var and Dunkelheit off Filosofem. The first two have apparently been remastered for this compilation but I’ll state right here that I can’t tell any difference whatsoever. There is one more thing that Draugen – Rarities has to offer though and that’s the video to Dunkelheit. Misanthropy released this video as a promo for the Filosofem album and I have no idea who created it given Varg’s imprisonment at the time. Its blending of atmospheric nature shots is a nice accompaniment to the track, and I do really like the way the runes appear at regular intervals. It’s nothing to get too excited about though, which is pretty much how I feel about Draugen – Rarities in general. As nice as it sounds to own a collection of rare and classic Burzum tracks in one package, there’s just nothing to make me come back and listen to this again. Every single one of the rare tracks, apart from the fake Seven Harmonies of the Unknown Truth of course, can be found in much better form elsewhere. It’s not like I can even recommend it to new fans looking to check out a broad range of Burzum material, as the recording quality of some of this stuff is simply inaccessible, particularly if you don’t have prior experience with it in graspable form. One day there’ll be a decent Burzum compilation I’m sure. This is not it!

Consistently entertaining old school death metal from the UK.

At this stage, decent death metal from the UK had pretty much been limited to Bolt Thrower and the less grindcore influenced albums by Carcass and Napalm Death. All those bands are complete legends of extreme metal, but there really wasn't much else to talk about. Benediction had released an album or two of merely average old school death metal, but it was Transcend the Rubicon that really put them on the map.

While I certainly can't suggest that the band attempted anything that others before them hadn't already achieved, but they did put out an extremely entertaining and consistent release with good production values, great riffs, more than adequate drumming and fitting death growls. Above all though, it's the constant flow of catchy, crushing riffs that gets me banging my head. It does remind me of a combination of Bolt Thrower and Napalm Death, not least because vocalist Dave Ingram sounds identical to former frontman Barney Greenway (who left the band to join Napalm Death). So much so, that I just assumed it was him for quite a few years.

I can't say I can differentiate between every track on the album very easily, but there are memorable sections all over the place to make most of it recognisable. My favourite track by far is Nightfear, but I Bow to None and Unfound Mortality are also great. Finally, that Dan Seagrave cover is fantastic, making this whole package damn near essential for anyone into old school death metal.

Many of the same ingredients that made early Amorphis so great, but the magic isn't quite there

I’ve never been particularly enthusiastic about so-called supergroups. Often it seems that a bunch of well-known musicians from well-established bands get together over a weekend to produce something merely adequate to make a quick buck using their names alone. On the surface, Barren Earth very easily slot into the supergroup category, with members from Amorphis, Moonsorrow, Swallow the Sun and Kreator, all joining forces to form what is at least initially a side project for just about all of them. But looking into the admittedly short history of the band, one gets the feeling that Barren Earth is more than just a cash-seeking name-drop, particularly for band originator and bassist Olli-Pekka Laine. As far back as 2006, some six years after he departed Amorphis to spend his time playing stoner rock with Mannhai, Olli-Pekka had been composing tracks independently that simply didn’t fit into the style of the two bands he was associated with at the time (Mannhai and death metal band Chaosbreed). In order to do something with this newfound inspiration, he decided the best thing to do was form a new band. Given his place within the burgeoning Finnish metal scene, he didn’t have to look very far to find willing participants, so began the task of handpicking the right musicians to fit his vision.

The first musicians he turned to were Marko Tarvonen (drummer for Moonsorrow) and Kasper Mårtenson (who performed keyboards on Amorphis’ brilliant Tales From the Thousand Lakes album alongside Olli-Pekka). He had no doubt that the three of them had the chemistry to work together, as they’d temporarily played around in a progressive rock band called Camel Gang (influenced by Camel and The James Gang evidently) around 2005. Both Marko and Olli-Pekka had worked previously with guitarist Janne Perttilä (Marko in Lakupaavi and Olli-Pekka in Rytmihäiriö, both of which performed grindcore), so he was the next man brought into the fold, and Barren Earth was beginning to take form. For anyone interested in where that name originated from, it turns out it was Kasper’s suggestion that got the nod after several other submissions hadn’t reached a positive verdict. He originally liked the idea of Scorched Earth, which is a song by a progressive rock band he liked called Van der Graff Generator, but it turned out there were numerous other bands with the same name. He then came across a line in another of their songs (A Place to Survive) which says “the barren earth, never more will it flower” and the rest is history. A lead guitarist, Sami Yli-Sirniö from Kreator, was invited to join late in 2007, and the resulting quintet rehearsed for a few months before entering the studio to record a vocal-less demo in the summer of 2008.

It’s around this time that the final piece of the puzzle fell into place, with Swallow the Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamäki agreeing to join Barren Earth. He added his own brand of vocals to the demo, putting the band in a position to search for an interested label. After distributing the tracks to several record companies, it was Peaceville that took the bait, with Barren Earth surprisingly being the first Finnish band signed to the legendary label. With that sorted the guys went back to the studio in the summer of 2009 to record a bunch of tracks for an intended debut full length release. If you’re reading this, you’ll already know that things didn’t pan out exactly the way they expected. After recording ten new tracks, Peaceville decided the time was not right to release the debut album as it would have directly clashed with the release of the new Swallow the Sun record. A compromise was made, with the outcome being that Barren Earth would release a four track EP at the backend of 2009 before a full length a few months into 2010. The subsequent EP is entitled Our Twilight, with the title track being the only track that would eventually reappear on the full length and would be released on the 9th of November. There would also be one exclusive new track from the recent recording session and two of the tracks off the demo would appear in re-mixed form.

It’s not quite accurate to say that Amorphis are the biggest influence on the sound of Barren Earth, but rather that the two former Amorphis members’ (Olli-Pekka and Kasper) inclusion in the band has resulted in a somewhat similar sound. The mildly progressive, occasionally seventies inspired, and not particularly harsh metal really does bring to mind the Tales From the Thousand Lakes / Black Winter Day period of Amorphis’ discography, which unsurprisingly is the era where Barren Earth’s bassist and keyboardist were both involved in that band. Given my adoration for those releases, it seemed a given that I would find much to like on this little EP. I have to say it hasn’t been as clear-cut as I thought it would be, with initial listens not meeting the high expectations I had, particularly after reading some of the very positive reviews around here. With each listen I am finding more enjoyment, with some of the melodies and choruses digging their way under my skin, but there are certainly some elements that are just not quite clicking for me. Mikko’s deep growl works well within the gloomy melancholy of Swallow the Sun but seems a little out of place within the lighter, more melodic tones of Barren Earth. I also struggle with some of the keyboard sounds Kasper plays around with, despite my acceptance of very similar textures in the previously mentioned Amorphis works.

For the most part though, Barren Earth play a tight and very listener friendly form of death metal that’s reasonably difficult not to like. Well, it is if you don’t expect your metal to be hugely technical or brutal, and don’t find your manhood threatened by catchy clean choruses and keyboard solos. Speaking of clean vocals, the liner notes suggest that each member of the band lent their voice to the four tracks at some point, so I have no idea who’s singing at which stage. None are terrible, but I can’t say any are outstanding either. The first two tracks are the more expansive of the bunch and showcase some of the more progressive influences the guys have brought to the table. One thing that does concern me is that I like the last two tracks the most, both of which are lifted straight from the demo (albeit remixed by Dan Swanö), suggesting I may be in for a more challenging experience with the full-length album. They’re just a little bit darker with less emphasis on melody and catchiness, which is probably more up my alley these days. Flames of Serenity even has a bit of doominess to it while closer Floodred’s initial groove eventually makes way for an Opeth imitating midsection, before further Amorphisisms bring the disc to a fitting conclusion. All thing considered, Our Twilight is a promising little EP that suggests this supergroup may have something to offer apart from their names.

Well, I have to say this album caught me a bit off guard. I had heard about INRI many times over the years and had also heard that it had elements of black metal and thrash. But I never expected it to be this brutal and evil sounding. For 1987, this was a fair way ahead of its time. Bathory and Mayhem were the only other bands that come to mind that were creating anything closely resembling this during the mid-80s. There are screams of anguish, guttural satanic growls, evil lyrics and a general feeling that not everything is quite right with these individuals.

But that's not to say that this is an album you must purchase. The production is ordinary, the musicianship is fairly rubbish at times, especially the drumming. But credit where credit is due. These guys set out to write the most brutal music they could imagine, and I think they succeeded in their task. It's just not an album I will listen to very often. There are far better albums out there, that's for sure.

Great black metal mixed with folk and Viking elements that I personally struggle with.

I have to say I'm a bit torn when it comes to The Shadowthrone. On the one hand, it contains well executed and interesting black metal, played with passion by a few inspired legends of the scene. On the other hand, it has just a few too many folky and Viking elements for my personal preference. I'm aware that the debut album, which I adore, contained numerous interludes and outside influences, but I don't think the riffs ever suffered because of it. Every riff on Dark Medieval Times is cold and very black metal, which can't be said for all of The Shadowthrone. There's a lot of great music on this album but I simply can't rate it as high as I do the debut. It reminds me of Enslaved’s Frost album, not particularly due its sound, but due to its schizophrenic nature of switching between great black metal and in my opinion, average Viking metal.

When Frost, Samoth and Satyr decide to keep things dark and black on this release, the results are stunning! Almost every track has fantastic riffs, drumming, vocals and song writing. Unfortunately, almost every track also contains Viking and folk metal influences that just don’t work for me. In the Mist by the Hills is a perfect example of all this. The first 2 and a half minutes contain what I can only describe as a Viking metal riff that really doesn't move me at all. It's a simplistic and almost bouncy riff with simplistic boring drumming to back it up. Then all of a sudden, the track cranks out a truly awesome black metal riff and Frost hits the blast beats with utter perfection. I've gone from one-minute thinking how much I dislike the track to absolutely loving it the next. It may seem petty to complain about those first 2 minutes as the track goes for over 8, but it’s a regular occurrence throughout the album. There always seems to be one or two sections within each track that drop the ball and stop me from considering The Shadowthrone as Satyricon’s best album when it could easily have been so with a little restraint. To make matters worse, Vikingland is basically 5 minutes of the Viking metal style mentioned previously so I don't find a lot of enjoyment there.

Personal preferences aside, I can see why anyone that enjoys both forms of music would find this album to be amazing. All the influences and interludes come together a fair bit cleaner than on the debut where they would occasionally feel pieced together. Tracks such as In the Mists by the Hills, Woods to Eternity and especially Dominions to Satyricon contain some of the most gripping music the band has ever come up with. The Shadowthrone is still an album I will listen to occasionally, but I will always tend to go for the more focused Nemesis Divina or the truly wintry Dark Medieval Times before delving into this one. Basically, if you’re a big fan of Viking and folk metal as well as epic black metal, add at least half a mark to my score.

Hugely atmospheric and majestic black metal from a time when Satyricon were truly great.

Satyr and Frost may be writing catchy, crunchy metal these days that works well live, but they are not even remotely as interesting or creative as they were when Dark Medieval Times was recorded. This album has so many dimensions thanks to Satyr's genius ability to create thick atmosphere and Frost's drumming virtuoso. The production is suitably raw and full, yet each instrument gets plenty of room to breathe. The riffs are cold and dark, yet epic and majestic. The acoustic interludes, keyboards and samplings are beautifully performed and chosen. Frost's drumming is never anything but perfect (as I can personally attest after witnessing them live recently) and Satyr's vocals fit the mood impeccably with a combination of venom and grace. It's a simple case of two kindred spirits working together to create a monumental whole.

Album opener Walk the Path of Sorrow is probably the band's finest moment along with Mother North off Nemesis Divina. The title track, Into the Mighty Forest and Taakeslottet are almost as good, and Min Hyllest til Vinterland is a beautiful instrumental piece filled to the brim with wintry atmosphere. It's very difficult for me to find fault within this work, but I guess some of the song structures don't fit as neatly together as they could, breaking from black metal riffs to acoustic passages and back without really transitioning in a pleasing way. But after a couple of listens, you come to accept these flaws as part of the unique, fascinating experience that is early Satyricon. An underrated album for sure!

Surprisingly great death metal with more than a touch of melodic black metal.

What a huge surprise this album is! I've heard several Sentenced albums over the years, and I can't say I've really enjoyed any of them. The debut album was average death metal that didn't really do much for me and the later gothic albums I've checked out were quite frankly a bit crap. The vocalist on those latter offerings is awful and I find it hard to understand the fascination with the band. Anyway, I guess I expected North From Here to be somewhere in between the average death metal of the debut and the average gothic rock of later years. Instead what I find is a cracking album that's as much black metal as it is death metal!

North From Here sounds a bit like the combination of At the Gates, Dissection and Dimmu Borgir which is so far away from what I was expecting. The riffs switch between great tremolo picking and shredding sections with ease and vocalist Taneli Jarva (also the bass player) has a fantastic black metal styled venom that's perfect for the complex death and black riffs that fill this album. The drumming is for the most part excellent and the production is top notch as well so overall, I have to wonder why this album hasn't been given more praise, particularly when you consider it was released in 1993! Highlight tracks for me are My Sky is Darker Than Thine, Awaiting the Winter Frost and closer Epic. If you're at all into the more melodic (but still intense) side of death and black metal, then you should check this album out. Don't be put off by the name Sentenced adorning its cover.

Intriguing yet flawed first effort from this crazy Japanese band.

Sigh have always been a difficult band for me. I'm always impressed with the fearless way they approach song writing. Basically, they take a genre (black metal) that many consider (un)holy and break down all the boundaries of what's acceptable. Even way back in 1993, Sigh included all sorts of wonderful creativity into their work with multiple instruments and bizarre song structures and for the most part they made it work.

The problem for me is that for every awesomely dark section or mesmerizing, beautiful moment, there are awkward misadventures and downright out of place noodling. Tracks like At My Funeral and Weakness Within manage to remain enjoyable and dark throughout their running time, whereas others such as A Victory of Dakini and Ready For the Final War are not so consistent. But I guess I refuse to be too harsh on these crazy Japanese guys because they always (and I mean always) try to do something different to what everyone else is doing.

I will listen to this album every now and then. While it's a flawed experience, it's different and intriguing enough to warrant more time. This is an album for only those black metal fans that contain a level of curiosity and an open mind. Think the simplicity of Samael's early albums mixed in with classical elements and thrashy chaos. Highlight tracks for me are At My Funeral, Gundali and Weakness Within.

First-class, flawlessly produced brutal death metal from the band that started it all.

Suffocation almost single-handedly (I guess Cannibal Corpse played a role) created what we now know as brutal death metal. Their debut album was stupidly intense with some of the most jaw dropping riffs and changeups your ever likely to hear. I recall my first experience of Effigy of the Forgotten and I must admit I wasn't ready for it. But it didn't take long for me to come to grips with the sheer violence and I was soon longing for more. Unfortunately, the bands second album Breeding the Spawn suffered from a repulsive production. This was more than just a pity, considering the tracks the recording butchered were undoubtedly Suffocation goodness, as can be seen by the later re-recorded versions of a few of them. But there's no doubt that they got things right for Pierced From Within.

In fact, the production on this album is frickin’ incredible! It's kind of like the poster boy for immensely brutal yet completely listenable death metal. Even the bassist gets a clear run to the line and has a much greater influence than on most releases in this genre. The drum sound is awesome, not to mention the drumming itself. I was surprised and concerned that the ever-amazing Mike Smith wasn't behind the kit for this recording, but I needn't have been worried as Doug Bohn does an awesome impersonation while displaying more variety. But most of all, it's Cerrito and Hobbs that steal the show, with endless shredding and crushing riffs, not to mention some more than decent leads throughout. There are so many riffs in every track, it can be hard to differentiate between tracks at first, but the song writing is varied enough to give you something to hold onto. 

Apart from the slight change in personnel, there are some differences to be found in Pierced From Within's song structures compared to previous Suffocation albums. There's a much larger emphasis placed on slower, chugging sections, but not only are these still brutal, they provide a great contrast to the up-tempo, labyrinthian slaying that you just know is around the corner. The other big change is in Frank's vocals. Gone are the vomitous burps that pervaded their early work, being replaced by completely decipherable yet still hugely effective death growls. I guess this change followed the lead set by Cannibal Corpse's Chris Barnes for The Bleeding album, but while it certainly makes the album a tad more accessible (don't worry, your neighbours will still hate you), it thankfully didn't cause Suffocation to lose any of their power. 

Pierced From Within is a fantastic album that will have any extreme death metal fan grinning from ear to ear. I'm not going to give it full marks, as I do find some of the tracks are not as memorable as they could be. But while you're in the moment, there are not that many albums out there that can top this one for controlled violence and excitement. Highlight tracks for me are the title track, Thrones of Blood, Depths of Depravity, Torn Into Enthrallment and Synthetically Revived.

Suffocation pretty much single-handedly took death metal to a whole new level of brutality back in 1991 (Cannibal Corpse also deserve some credit). Their Human Waste EP displayed what they were capable of, but it was Effigy of the Forgotten that crushed thousands of metalhead minds (in a good way of course) across the globe. I must admit that at the time, I wasn't ready for it. Having cut my teeth on Metallica and Pantera, then just made the move to Sepultura, this album was just a fist to the face that I wasn't able to swallow. To my 14-year-old ears, the death growls were indecipherable and brutally guttural, the drumming was chaotically fast and technical, the riffs were nasty and ever changing. It took me another step through Death, Morbid Angel and Deicide to be able to come back to Suffocation and take it all in. Once I connected with it, this album would never let go.

While the album doesn't have an enormous amount of variety, that's not really the point of Suffocation. They've just always had a God-like ability to create riff after riff of awesome death metal and when combined with Mike Smith's inhuman drumming and Frank Mullen's possessed vocals, it makes for a mesmerising experience. The only reason I can't give Effigy of the Forgotten 5 stars is due to several tracks not really doing anything to distinguish themselves from each other. That said, Liege of Inveracity, Infecting the Crypts and Mass Obliteration are some of the finest examples of brutal death metal you could ever hope to hear. This is essential for anyone into this style of music, but for those new to extreme metal, I suggest working your way up to it or check out Pierced from Within.

Suffocation took death metal and made it something so much more brutal back in 1991. Pretty much single-handedly creating what we now so imaginatively call brutal death metal, these US youngsters turned the intensity up a notch. The production on this EP is not all that great, but it was good enough to hear what they had to offer. Seemingly endless vicious riffs combined with incredible drumming and some of the most guttural and evil sounding vocals yet recorded announced that Suffocation had taken extremity to a whole new level.

A bunch of these tracks would be re-recorded on future albums with much better production (Infecting the Crypts, Jesus Wept and Catatonia), so Human Waste doesn't have as much to offer today as it did on release. But put into context, this little EP has an extremely important place in the history of extreme metal and offers over 20 minutes of excellent and brutal death metal.

I was so surprised by Solitude Aeturnus' debut album Into the Depths of Sorrow. It took Candlemass' epic doom approach and gave it a mystical element, in the process creating one of the most beautiful albums I've had the pleasure of listening to. It was always going to be difficult for me to approach Beyond the Crimson Horizon with anything but the highest expectations. While I can say straight up that this album doesn't match the debut in my opinion, but it is still a great, entertaining listen.

It's hard to say why I don't think this release matches its predecessor. All the ingredients are the same really, with Lowe's vocals still well and truly the centrepiece of proceedings. There are great riffs throughout the album and the drumming is a fair bit more interesting overall. Some of the leads are awesome and the doom element has been given a boost, but somehow these tracks just don't move me as much as classics like Dream of Immortality, Dawn of Antiquity or Mirror of Sorrow do. I find myself thoroughly enjoying every track, but never being completely overcome with emotion.

All this said, there is no denying that as far as epic doom metal goes, this is still right up there with the best. If you're at all a fan of the Candlemass style of doom, then don't hesitate to pick Beyond the Crimson Horizon up. Highlights for me are Black Castle, Beneath the Fading Sun and Plague of Procreation. Now onto the next Solitude Aeturnus classic, Through the Darkest Hour.

In the mid to late 80s, doom metal seemed to be split into two factions. There were the traditional Black Sabbath inspired bands such as Trouble, Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus etc and then there was Candlemass, who managed to create an epic, dark, dare I say operatic style of doom. This was the style that really caught my attention and it would be 5 years before any other bands would follow this lead. Solitude Aeturnus are the band that took up the challenge and what a magnificent album Into the Depths of Sorrow is!

This album manages to create a mood of sorrow and loss (as all good doom should) while also uplifting the listener, taking them on a voyage into distant, beautiful landscapes. That may sound pretentious, but I can honestly tell you that this album is like pure escapism for me. I can't listen to exquisite tracks like Dream of Immortality, with its romanticised middle eastern flavours, without being swept off to another world. A few reviewers below have mentioned the drums as being a sour point. I guess they are a little simplistic at times but then this music doesn't really require much more than a pounding yet minimal approach. The riffs are monumentally good throughout, never venturing too far from the blueprint that Candlemass had already laid out, although there are the occasional trips into mild thrashy power metal elements. But it's Robert Lowe's vocals that really take Into the Depths of Sorrow to the classic level. He has loads of talent and is constantly captivating and powerful. Check out Mirror of Sorrow to experience just how beautiful his emotional performance is.

It's hard to pick highlights as the entire album is worth your time, but I'd have to pick Opaque Divinty, Dream of Immortality and Mirror of Sorrow as my favourites. If you're at all interested in doom metal and haven't given Solitude Aeturnus a listen, don't hesitate!

Tapping the Vein is the most intense sounding album from German thrashers Sodom. When I put my MP3 player on random and one of these tracks comes on, the first thing I'm trying to figure out is which death metal band I'm listening to. While it soon becomes apparent that it's in fact Sodom, mostly once Angelripper's distinct vocals kick in, the drumming and riffs are all much more brutal than their previous solely thrash metal releases. Yet other than this slight change in style and production, Tapping the Vein is more of the same, and doesn't offer as much as I would have hoped. There are some good tracks throughout the album, but at least half of it is forgettable, making this one of the lesser respected Sodom records.

Some of the faster, more intense tracks are the album's highlights with Body Parts, Skinned Alive, The Crippler and Hunting Season all thrashing madly with good riffs and vocals. I also enjoy closing epic Reincarnation, which is an 8 minute slower paced track that even brings some symphonic elements into their sound. But tracks like Back to War and Bullet in the Head are just so stock standard. I don't generally expect Sodom to venture all that far from their thrashing roots, but at times they seem to be on automatic pilot, with no real inspiration or passion. Tapping the Vein is not one of Sodom's best albums, but nor is it completely worthless. Just make sure you check out Persecution Mania and Agent Orange first.

Better Off Dead has generally been hidden in the shadows of Sodom's previous two albums. Both Persecution Mania and Agent Orange are considered by many to be classic releases and really put these German metalheads close to the top of thrash metal in general. It was always going to be somewhat difficult to follow them up while still creating something new and fresh. While this is still obviously Sodom from start to finish, the band at least tried to add some experimentation and variety to their formula. It doesn't always work, but it's always interesting, and at times just plain great.

The more traditional thrash metal tracks on Better Off Dead are the best parts of the album. An Eye for an Eye, Shellfire Defense, Bloodtrails, Better Off Dead and Stalinorgel are all damn entertaining, typical Sodom tracks. They could easily have just created 12 tracks in this style and then the album would probably be remembered as much as the above-mentioned classics. But where would the fun be in that! Insteadm they crafted some slower, heavy tracks like The Saw is the Law and Resurrection and managed to squeeze 2 cover songs into the first half of the album, with Turn Your Head Around and Cold Sweat. It's here that Sodom's love of Motorhead and plain old heavy metal comes to the fore. While I must admit that I don't love these less-shredding sections as much, I think they make this album an interesting listen. The shifts in speed and mood make the true Sodom moments more potent. This is a neglected Sodom album and I for one think it's just a bit underrated.

Agent Orange is a solid thrash album from these German legends, but it's nothing amazing. The title track is killer, that's for sure. There are a bunch of other tracks that are enjoyable too, such as Tired and Red and Remember the Fallen, but just as on Persecution Mania, there are a couple of tracks that let the album down, stopping me from calling it an absolute classic. Ausgebombt, while being a fan favourite for some reason, is extremely simple and not very interesting at all. The final track and cover song Walk Away is terrible. It's completely out of the spirit of the album and just not very well performed.

All up I'm going to give Agent Orange a generous 4. I don't see it as the masterpiece of thrash that others do but it's an entertaining release that's worthy of some attention.

Persecution Mania is where Sodom really hit their straps. While their earlier work has a certain charm, it's messy and immature at times. This album displays a more fine-tuned performance and kept Sodom in touch with bands such as Kreator and Slayer in a time when thrash was hitting its straps. Speaking of Slayer, it's clear that Reign in Blood influenced these German's between the debut full length and this one. Just check out Enchanted Land for complete Slayer worship.

While I do find the album in general to be really entertaining, it is a little bit up and down in quality. Nuclear Winter, Electrocution and Christ Passion are classic, yet Iron Fist, Conjuration and the close of Bombenhagel are less successful. But all up, Persecution Mania is a solid 4-star classic thrash album!

This is such a strange album. There are only 6 tracks (plus The Misinterpretation of Silence and its Disastrous Consequences which is humorously just a minute of silence), each running between 6 and 12 minutes in length. On each of these tracks I can find sections that I thoroughly enjoy. Type O Negative know how to create atmosphere when they put their mind to it and some of the doom sections are great. There are other rock parts that get me nodding my head and remind me of the greatness that Type O Negative would reach with their gothic rock in years to come. There's even an awesome 6-minute instrumental (Glass Walls of Limbo) complete with low chanting vocals and sound effects that could fit on any good dark ambient album. So, there's a lot that I like here!

But then there's so much that I really don't enjoy. These tracks move from doom to rock to a sort of sleezy punk sound that just about ruins everything. I know that this band (and Peter Steele's previous thrash band Carnivore which I can still hear in this release) have always been somewhat sleezy, with stupid cheesy lyrics, but I find it really annoying on Slow, Deep and Hard because I can hear so much potential for an album that I would love. I guess if I hadn't heard the band's more recent albums before giving this a spin, I'd probably see it differently. As it is, I don't think I'll listen to it all that much.

Tiamat's evolution began as a straightforward death metal band, then moved through to soft death doom metal, and finally onto the goth pop that they currently release to the masses. Clouds is certainly a transitional album between the rather average death metal of the early days and the more doomy, atmospheric period of Wildhoney. If there's one word I can use for this album straight off, I would say intriguing. There are some beautiful melodies, catchy choruses and a variety of styles within almost every track. Keyboards are used sparingly and quite well too, adding to the atmosphere of it all. But probably due to its transitional nature, Clouds often comes across as awkward and at times downright cringeworthy.

It probably doesn't help that I first came to Tiamat through Wildhoney, which is an exquisite album that manages to mix atmospheric, tender sections with doomy riffs and growls with ease. Clouds doesn't manage this mix as well, with below average vocals (Johan Edlund's clean vocals are just not very good at this stage and his accent comes across as just humorous at times) and some very mediocre sections mixed in with all the above-mentioned creativity. All of this adds up to an inconsistent, yet somehow entertaining experience. In a Dream, The Sleeping Beauty and Undressed are the better tracks on the album, but all the remaining tunes have their moments.

Final Note: I'm a bit baffled as to why so many RYM users keep labelling this as Death Metal. Don't be fooled into thinking this sounds anything like Obituary or Deicide etc. It's Death Doom Metal mixed with Gothic Metal. At the most, Death Metal might be listed as a secondary genre but that's even a stretch.