Suidakra - Crogacht (2009)

About ten years ago, I got Suidakra's Auld Lang Syne in an eBay lot. I thought it was okay, but it never really got much play in my CD player, and I promptly forgot about the band. So this weekend, when a friend of mine offered to let me borrow his copy of their latest offering, I was curious to hear how they'd progressed. Sadly, I didn't hear much on this offering to interest me either. Really, this is pretty standard folk-influenced melodic death metal. There are a lot of bands doing this style, and Suidakra are certainly compentent at it (after 10+ years, I'd hope so!). But to be honest, I've never understood how happy folk melodies fit into death metal, so perhaps I'm not the right audience for this.

Their MySpace page has some songs from their previous albums, which sound a lot like their latest.

Tandjent - No One Will Hear Us (2005)

I haven't kept up with Meshuggah's work since 1998's Chaosphere, so if someone told me that this was their latest album, I would believe it. It turns out that this is actually an American 2-man band from Illinois. But they've clearly worked hard on nailing Meshuggah's sound, because it's all here: from the syncopated polyrhythmic riffs to the shouted vocals to the avant-garde, jazzy guitar solos. It's really well done: the playing is solid and the production is powerful. But I kept waiting for them to do something interesting, so I could say "it's like Meshuggah, but with ...". But they never did. It seems that they're just interested in cloning Meshuggah's sound. And with their obvious talent, that's a real shame.

A couple songs are on their MySpace page.

Flaming Anger - Biosphere II (1997)

This is some pretty decent German thrash. I'm not so fond of the vocalist -- he doesn't have enough range -- but the music is pretty good. It's technical to a point and somewhat progressive at times; at other times, it's just straight-up speed metal. The solos are even pretty decent. To be sure, this isn't a great album. There's some very good material here, but the vocalist and the amount of generic filler riffs bring it down a notch.

It's a shame that this is the band's only album, I would have liked to have seen how they developed. Their members did mostly go on to other projects, however.

Abomination - demo (1989)

Abomination features Paul Speckmann and the drummer who later was in Experiment. But despite the pedigree, this is actually quite boring thrash. One big problem is the mix -- the guitars are way too low and are drowned out by the drums. That means any intricacy of the guitar parts is lost and you're left with the rhythmic aspects of the drums. And while the music is well-played, the drums can't carry it by themselves. It probably doesn't help that I don't like Speckmann's hoarse-shouted vocals either. After a close listen, I can say that even with a better mix, this wouldn't be a great demo, though there are some decent riffs here and there.

Check out their MySpace for two of the tracks on here ("Reformation", "Over the Edge").

Second Skin - Into Whole (1993)

I wasn't familiar with these guys before hearing this old demo. Their MySpace page lists them as "grunge", which I suppose is accurate. The music is pretty average "dirty rock", not really reminding me of anyone in particular but not sounding very unique either. Nothing really stands out in the music except for the horrible vocals. His timing is terrible, his melodic vocals have no range, and even the shouted parts suck. How can you screw up shouted vocals? I have no idea, but this guy does it. I couldn't even get through listening to this.

Gollum - The Core (2009)

This is pretty boring. I hear mostly hardcore mixed with hard rock, and a few tracks that dabble in post-metal. Unfortunately, the riffs are simplistic and repetitive and the vocals are generic hardcore-style. The playing is actually pretty tight for the most part, but not particularly challenging. Also of note is the one time I can remember that they tried a guitar solo ("Schadenfreude"): simply dreadful. This doesn't really leave me with much of an impression. Nothing here is novel or really original, it's just bland and banal.

Simulacra - Towards Rapture? (2000)

This demo from a Greek band was supposed to be technical thrash metal. Not quite. It kind of reminds me in style of Pax Mortis' 1992 demo -- it's melodic thrash with some progressive elements, but nothing that really stands out. It's almost like a tech/prog thrash band put together an album with all of the technical parts removed. It sounds like any minute it's going to take another step up in the technicality or progressiveness, but it never does. The vocals here are terrible -- they're mostly atonal shouts with a hint of scream and don't really add anything to the music. For this type of music, a more dynamic vocal approach is necessary. Ultimately, this demo would be decent for the early 90's, but being released in 2000 drags my opinion of it down. Moreover, it hasn't aged very well (though nor has Pax Mortis).

Experiment - The Edge of Within (1991)

I've been looking for this demo for close to 16 years, after reading a review in Metal Curse #7 that claimed they combined "the technical sides of such bands as DEATH, ATHEIST, CYNIC and OBLIVEON, with the brutality of the likes of GRAVE, DEICIDE and GOREFEST". So when doing my review of Experiment Fear, I did a search for them on Encyclopedia Metallum, which led me to their MySpace, where I finally found a link to download the whole demo.

So does it live up to Ray's hype? Not even close; but it's not bad. I don't hear Death, Atheist, or Cynic at all. The band I'm most reminded of is actually Metallica, circa RtL through AJFA, though there are some progressive touches and some nice guitar leads here and there, which remind me of Despair's Beyond All Reason. Experiment's sound certainly isn't exceptional for the time. It's not bad, and I probably would have enjoyed it back in the day, but its time has passed.

Llaxsay - The Suffering of Nature (2008)

I'm not usually much for bands with female vocalists (that's really my wife's thing), but I kinda like these guys. I'd describe their sound as a mix between Lacuna Coil and Opeth, with some use of traditional folk instruments. The combination is a unique sound, even if the individual pieces are not very original. The playing and production are clean, if unextraordinary.

All three songs of this EP ("Suffering of Nature" (the strongest track), "Newen Mapu", and "Traje Desastre") are available from the band's MySpace page.

Believer - Gabriel (2009)

I had moderately high hopes for this album, considering that Believer's 1993 offering Dimensions was one of my favorites back in the day. Unfortunately, this album is not very interesting. It still sounds like Believer, but on the whole it sounds uninspired. The riffs and vocals still have their distinctive sound, but a lot of the riffs and vocals phrasings sound like too similar to what they've already done. Most of the album is mid-paced and not very aggressive, and the weak production doesn't help this. The few times they did try to venture into new territory (with clean vocals and spacey keyboards) were largely unsuccessful. I didn't figure they'd come up with something as impressive as the well-before-its-time "Trilogy of Knowledge" from Dimensions, but I was expecting something better than this.

Psyopus - Odd Senses (2009)

Wow. This one really surprised me. I was a fan of (guitarist) Arp's Strangefuck project and Psyopus' demo, but was let down a little bit by their first album Ideas of Reference. Our Puzzling Encounters Considered didn't leave much of an impression on me, but this one sure did. A really bad impression. On the surface, this should be something that I like. It's technical and crazy, with a unique sound, similar in some ways to Gorguts' extraordinary Obscura. And the first real song, "Medusa", at least shows some promise. But after that, the album devolves, with the riffs getting more simplistic and repetitive and relying too much on either the standard dissonant hardcore sound or their signature "whoopie whistle" guitar riffs. The jazz-influenced "X and Y" offers some respite, but the later half of the album is just more of the same and became a chore to listen to. I couldn't even get through the bonus track (a.k.a. "One way ticket to hell").

It's a shame, because these guys are undeniably talented and capable of so much more than this, but they waste their time writing this pointless crap.

Year Zero - Timedemo (2006)

Time Zero are from Latvia, and play a kind of doom metal, mixed with progmetal, pop, psychadelic, and other influences. Musically, it's not too bad, though their numerous influences can be irritating. For example, they'll spend a few minutes creating an slow, depressive atmosphere and then speed it up and switch to a more progmetal sound. But the vocals are the weakest point for me. They fit the music okay, but I find them over-expressive and cheesy. Still, this is professionally done and original, and I could see where there would be a market for this. It's just not for me.

Available free from their website.

Experiment Fear - Choir Invisible (1991)

Experiment Fear is of course one of the early bands of Jeff Loomis from Nevermore. And it shows. Most of the music is semi-technical death metal with solid guitarwork and showy solos. The production isn't great, but it's adequate. The guitar work is clearly the most interesting aspect of the music. Some of the later songs move away from straight up death metal and incorporate some melody into the riffs, reminding me at times of Brutality's excellent Screams of Anguish. Of course, this is not as good as Brutality, but it's still a pretty decent listen, regardless of the fact that Loomis went on to Nevermore and the rest of the band put out a decent full-length album four years later.

By the way, all of the tracks here are available from Loomis' website.

Caustic - Malicious (1993)

Well, this is a rather uneventful thrash disc. Overall, it reminds me a lot of Slayer, circa Seasons in the Abyss and earlier. The guitar riffs, the majority of the vocals, and even some of the vocal phrasing are direct rip-offs from Slayer. The guitar solos are thankfully not in the King/Hanneman style, but they're not good either -- they're overly bluesy, pointless, and sloppy at times. In addition to the seven Slayer-influenced songs, there are three others. One is a cover of Faith No More's "Surprise, You're Dead", which is actually kinda cool. Then there are "Sweet Dreams 1", a piano instrumental, and "Sweet Dreams 2", which is a nine minute long country/rock tune. WTF were they thinking? Anyway, you don't need this.

Infernal Execrator - Antichrist Execration (2008)

Well this was a waste of time. It's black metal with some death metal influence, and not particularly well done. At their best (when they slow it down), they sound a little like Dissection. But those places are few and far between. More typically, they're fast black metal with hyperspeed drumming and tremolo-picked guitars. And at their worst, they're sloppy, noisy, and out of tune. I didn't find anything redeeming about this EP. Even if you like the style, there are better bands out there to listen to.

The Number 12 Looks Like You - Worse Than Alone (2009)

Number 12's latest full length album is my first experience with them, and I have to say that I'm not very impressed. Their sound is a hodgepodge of styles, mostly focused on hardcore, but they also frequently add other styles, including pop punk, progrock/metal, jazz, and lounge. I'm usually not impressed by bands that try the "kitchen sink" approach, and this album is no different. There doesn't seem to be any method to their madness -- their use of style changes seems random and po-mo ("weird for the sake of weird") to me. Aside from stylistic concerns, this isn't really bad -- the playing is fine (and even a little challenging at times) and the production is appropriate. There are even a few cool parts here and there, but this album is so hit-or-miss that I doubt I'll listen to it again.

Enslaved - Vertebrae (2008)

I haven't kept up with the career of Enslaved lately, though I did like three of the songs from their 2003 offering Below the Lights. But this album is different. I hear a lot of influence from 70's prog/psychadelia, most notably Pink Floyd. There are also some other influences: a little trance, some post-metal, and even a straight-up 80's rock riff that would make Huey Lewis proud (in "Reflections"). None of it really melds that well with their base "prog black metal" sound, leaving this disjointed and rather boring. There are some bright spots (such as the end of "Reflections"), but they never put it all together for even a single good song here, and there's way too much filler to call this a good album.

Their MySpace page has two songs from this album as well as the best song from Below the Lights, "As Fire Swept Clean the Earth".

Hell-Born - Legacy of the Nephilim (2003)

This band is mis-named. They should have called themselves "Hella-Boring", because that's what this album is. I suppose they're going for the title of "heaviest death metal band", and in that they somewhat succeed -- the production is powerful and the songs are heavy. But in order to achieve this, they've eschewed anything that could make this album interesting or memorable. Nearly all of the riffs are mid-paced, simplistic chugga-chugga death metal, repeated ad nauseum. I couldn't detect any kind of structure to their songs, because each riff was just as generic as the last. And the instrumentation doesn't help either -- it's standard death metal guitars with a generic death metal vocalist grunting along.

Their MySpace page has two songs from their 2008 offering, Darkness. Those songs are a lot better than these, if only because of the guitar solos and the addition of some dynamics. Legacy can be safely skipped by all death metal fans.

World of Lies - Thorns (2007)

This is an EP of crusty death metal. The sound is very dirty and the songs are simple. Although it's relatively high energy and comptently performed, there's nothing here that's really novel or interesting. Too bad, because I actually thought the intro to "Wrong Tools for the Trade" had some promise. But after about 30 seconds, they reverted back to their straightforward sound and I lost all interest.

Check out their MySpace for the best song on here.

Traumatic Voyage - Cogito Ergo Sum (2008)

This album was recorded back in 1996 and is only now seeing the light of day. Sadly, the world is really no better off now that it's been released. The first track is not what you'd expect: it's a techno/dance number. But from track two on, it's raw black metal, with the requisite noisy production and monotonous, droning riffs. I suppose the "avant-garde" description comes from the horrible off-key, warbling clean vocals and the mixing of goth rock and black metal. I suppose for 1996, it was moderately innovative, but there's not much to redeem it after all these years.

Anagnorisis - Alpha and Omega (2009)

Anagnorisis play a fast brand of symphonic death/black metal. Not exactly what you'd expect from a band out of Kentucky. But they've studied the style and done a good job at fitting into it without sounding completely derivative. Their music is faster and tighter than I was expecting and it includes a more melody than I'm used to. Even the guitar solos are pretty well done (and I usually hate guitar solos in black metal). This isn't something that I'm probably going to feel like listening to a whole lot, but it's not bad. I hope the band can extend their sound into something more original in the future, since they certainly have the technical ability.

The band have made this release freely available from their website.

Mirror of Dead Faces - Lamentation (2008)

Ho hum. Another band doing melodic death metal in the vein of At the Gates. Nothing about this really stands out to me, aside from a few rather derivative but none-the-less flashy solos. It's certainly well executed, but its lack of originality for a style that's already more than a dozen years old is a real drawback.

Maelstrom - This Battle to Make History, Yet History Never Comes (1991)

I've been a big fan of Jon Modell's work (including Spooge and Carbomb), and have found his work consistently innovative. So when I learned a few years ago that he and Joe Lodes (also later in Spooge) were involved in this demo, I was really eager to hear it. While I'm a little disappointed, I think it lives up to any reasonable expectations I should have had.

The best comparison I can give for this demo is Watchtower's Energetic Disassembly, though Maelstrom are less technical overall. But that's not to say that this is bland -- in fact, far from it. The music is basically chaotic tech thrash with a diverse set of tempos and melodic styles. The vocals are a weak point to me, as they don't really mesh that well with the music -- again similar to ED. But overall I'm glad I tracked this down. Time has reduced its impact to some degree, but it's still an interesting listen.

The band have recently reformed, and put out a 3 song EP which is available from their MySpace page. The new songs are similar in style (in fact, they've re-recorded "A Futile Crusade" from this demo) and well worth checking out.

Taake - Taake (2008)

I had high hopes for this after having heard the first track from Hordalands Doedskvad a few years ago. Unfortunately, after the reasonably good opener, "Atternatt", this goes downhill quickly. Tracks two through six on this seven song offering fall stylistically into the more rock'n'roll/punk style of black metal popularized by Darkthrone. Personally, I find nothing redeeming in such a style -- the riffs are simplistic and repetitive and atmosphere and melody are negligible. The last track, "Velg Bort Livet" picks up a little bit, but not enough to save this album as a whole. Based upon the potential of a few tracks here, I'm going to make an effort to track down Hordalands Doedskvad, but this album is forgettable.

Advent - Remove the Earth (2008)

This is pretty decent metalcore, but unfortunately it really adds nothing new to the genre. The production and playing are solid, and the songs have lots of energy, but there's nothing here that you haven't heard before. Even when they step outside their usual style -- on the post-metal song "Three Seasons" -- my verdict is still the same: well done, but not very original. I guess if you only listen to Christian bands, then you'll love this, but otherwise it's an also-ran in an already crowded field.