Band: SACRED STEEL
Country: Germany
Title: Carnage Victory
Label: Massacre Records
Year: 2009
Style: Heavy Power Metal
Review:
Everyone knows how much controversy is around Sacred Steel, their albums have always had mixed reviews, none had only bad or only good reviews. This is the first time I'm reviewing this band, and actually the first time I take my time to study their work.
The first and most incisive element in Sacred Steel are the lyrics, absolutely unique for the Heavy Power Metal scene, these Germans's words would be fitted for a Death Black band, strongly anti-religious or even satanic I could say, and sung in this comprehensive manner, they are even more offensive that those comming out of the Extreme Metal. Then comes their sound, a quite rough and primitive (not a bad sound, don't get me wrong, but rather a violent one), I guess to bring back the '80's feeling. The cause for the mixed reviews is mostly Gerrit's vocals, the type of vocals you either love or hate, there's no middle way, but also the songs structure that's crossing both aggressive fields and melodic, epic paths, but they never stay too long on neither, the 5 Teutons are continuously changing pace, continuously switching temper. This could be tiring for many, and boring for others. Sacred Steel's music is a hard to get one, that's for sure, you need multiple listenings to get a feel of their thoughts, but that's what makes them a powerful name in the scene.
"Carnage Victory" is a tough album, it has it all, aggression, epic moments, acoustic moments, very headbanging-friendly riffs, but the most important thing, it has its own identity. The bad part is that after listening to it you don't remember so many parts and that's because they are changing so much within a single track. Give it a listen and you'll know what I mean.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: SATANIC HOLOCAUST
Country: Germany
Title: Raw Black Metal Holocaust
Label: SFH Records / Satanica Records
Year: 2008
Style: Raw Black Metal
Review:
Satanic Holocaust we offer, through this album, an ode to hatred and killing by an old school black metal, very primitive, hateful, simple and efficient to Sarcofago! Can be found in "Raw Black Metal Holocaust" this unhealthy atmosphere, cold, these hypnotic riffs that are unique to this part of black metal. I've found, this influence of 90s I particularly appreciate. The album begins with an introduction very apocalyptic, the pieces are edited in less than consistent, keeping this aspect warrior. I liked the alternating rhythms typical "raw", with much faster tempos and fluid. The voice is very "evil", I found a little too forward for my taste, because the production would have gained strength, if music was a little less in the background.
"Raw Black Metal Holocaust" is an album that will delight fans of the genre! I urge! This group has considerable potential ... to be continued!
Reviewed by Alrinack
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Band: SESTA MARCONI
Country: Italy
Title: Where the Devil Dances
Label: Metal On Metal
Year: 2009
Style: Doom'n'Roll
Review:
Sesta Marconi's first full length album has arrived to give new hope to those that may be thinking old school Doom Rock is dead. Its alive and this is one of the best examples of how to mix Classic Rock, Doom Metal and Traditional Heavy Metal into a seamless package of pure rocking ear candy. This is one of those records that bring back memories of the early days of Doom Metal but there is so many influences on show here, its really is a smorgasbord of Heavy Rock sounds and textures. Some of the obvious influences here are Trouble, Candlemass, Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath, Count Raven, Pagan Altar, Cathedral but there is also a significant nod to bands like Black Widow, Captain Beyond and Pentagram. The band really covers all the bases on a album that is not only Heavy but also is rich in catchy, memorable songwriting. Their last release was the un-forgettable "Ritual Kamasutra Kitsch" EP but they have taken it to the next level here with a album with not only better, more re-fined playing but also better production and a great looking CD package. They describe their music as "Doom N Roll" and that sums up the Sesta Marconi sound as its on the lighter end of Doom Metal relying more on catchy songwriting, infectious riffing, strong vocal work in the timeless tradition of Sabbath and Purple. The mix works extremely well however and it is very apparent that band have spent a great deal of time perfecting a sound that will appeal to not only the Doom crowd but also Traditional Headbangers. The album begins with a chilling, errie riff that leads in "Gruesome Woe", a song that has a Candlemass type theme to it, not only musically but also lyrically. Like mentioned before, the guitar is not partially heavy but its effective in a early 80's style of Metal guitar work. A good track indeed but the album only gets better from here on in, the second cut "Skeletons Party" moves the band up a gear. A bit more of a intense feel in the riffing and also a more of a Psychedelic edge makes the song a instant keeper, this is where you begin to peel back the layers and start hear other more Progressive Rock sounds starting to shine through. By this stage the vocals of Sergio will start to sound like a old friend, he has a sound like many others to a certain degree but try to pin-point a direct comparison and it is almost impossible to name one. The vocal technique is one straight from the masters of the genre and yet he makes his own mark on a style that has been done to death but somehow he manages to sound fresh. Track 3 is "LSWD" which stands for "Life Sucks Without Drugs" and I know how they feel, as the title might suggest it has more of Hippie Rock/ Black Sabbath vibe about it. In fact it wouldn't be out of place on Vol.4 as it has a meandering style much like Wheels Of Confusion, at times it seems the track may run completely off course but it all gets pulled back together by a band that seems to have a natural ability for this type of music. At this point I must say the rhythm section of Nico( bass ) and Giuseppe ( drums ) and tight enough to keep it solid but loose enough so as to not lose that jammy 70's quality. "Rock And Roll Voodoo Style" and "At The Crack Of Dawn" are more by the numbers Hard Rock, not bad at all but with less instrumental exploration than the previous tunes. Stefano( guitar) continues to shine by mixing older Doom Metal sounds but with modern technology and technique. The real highlight of the album (for me anyway) is up next and its the almost 14 minute long "Vanitas The Leper Queen". On this track the band really pull out all the stops blending every influence together into a stop that seems a bit scattered at first but after a few listens you can see the method to their madness. Like mixing early Cathedral and classic Pentagram with some occult rock thrown in, the track is a monumental piece of work showcasing everything the band can do into one track. The final track "Blasted In summertime" is a fitting end to a album that has a bit of everything to offer the seasoned Metal/Hard Rock listener. If you are one of those that consider that doom metal is too slow to listen to the whole time, but you like a bit of variety then this a album you must check out.Sesta Marconi is the perfect example of a band that can take 55 minutes of your time without one moment of boredom and do it without resorting to just being heavy for the sake of it. I love head-crushing down-tuned metal as much as the next Doom-Head but there are times you want some high quality, well-written catchy Doom Metal just like in the old-school days. I am sure this will appeal to traditionalists mainly with the Doom Metal/ Heavy Metal audience but that is not a bad thing, there is still millions of us left. A almost flawless album.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: STRAIGHTHATE
Country: Greece
Title: Indigenous
Label: BlastBeat Prod.
Year: 2007
Style: Death Grind Hardcore
Review:
Greek Straighthate was founded back in 1999 as a Punk Hardcore act. Their music has continuously changed to a point that now they are playing a very aggressive form of Grind Hardcore spiced with elements from lots of other genres as Thrash Metal, Punk, Crust, but mainly Modern Death Metal or Deathcore. "Indigenous" is their debut full-length, released through Greek BlastBeat Prod., a digipak that's a bit old nowadays, but I've received it only this year.
So, on "Indigenous" we're dealing with 12 tracks, most of the time fast and hyper-fast paced, but with lots of tempo changes so that it doesn't get boring at all. All the band does a good job in their attempt to keep their music complex and varied and at the same time mature and compact. There's not so much that you could dislike on this release, maybe the fact that there are so many bands following this genre nowadays would make a rough way up to the top for Straighthate.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: SVAROG
Country: Germany
Title: Schwarz Kreuz
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2007
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Svarog is a 4 pieces Black Metal band from Germany formed in 2004. Schwarz Kreuz is their third demo release, a demo containing 8 tracks in no less than 43 minutes, issued in 50 copies limited format that may be repressed though.
The sound on this one is quite bad, it doesn't give you the oportunity to really listen to the band's ideas only if you try your best, but that shouldn't be the aim of any release. Musicwise Schwarz Kreuz is mainly fast black metal with quite melodic guitar leads, pretty good evil vocals and the rest is almost in a mess cause of the sound. I'm sure that with a good recording I could have understood much more of this, but in this state it gets disturbing after a few minutes (and it lasts for 43...).
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: SVAROG
Country: Germany
Title: Artillerie
Label: Senfgas Prod.
Year: 2008
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Fourth demo fom Svarog, a bit better in sound than their previous release. The Germans keep their usual style when releasing something, I mean this demo has 9 tracks and lasts for 40 minutes, and their music keeps the same path, fast and uncompromisiong Black Metal. The melodic guitar leads are still present and they are a very good addition in Svarog's music, making it more interesting and avoiding monotony. The vocals this time are mixed a bit too in the background and they sound like recorded in a huge hall. The insanely fast drumming is another element that captures your attention, and if this is done by a human, not by drum-machine, we're dealing with a great, great one. A fairly good release for the Underground Black Metal, but theyr still need to improve on mixing and mastering to give their tracks the atmosphere they deserve.
This demo is released in 500 copies limited tape format by Senfgas Prod., I would recommend it if you're a maniac of UGBM.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: TEMPLE OF DAGON
Country: USA
Title: Book of Azathoth
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Death Crust Grind
Review:
Despite their name that makes you think of a Black Metal or Dark Ambient band, Temple Of Dagon are pretty different from anything I've had the chance to listen to lately. These 4 guys from North Hollywood are into Old-School Crust Grind with powerful Death Metal influences, their music ranges from mid-paced to fast and even some doom insertions, but the good thing is that they are using quite a large display of rhythm changes, stops, catchy guitar riffs and an angry crusty voice. I would define the atmosphere inhere like a combination of punk/thrash feelings with massive death metal sounds a la old Dismember. A complex EP (5 tracks, 20 minutes) by an interesting band, I'll say you should give it a try yourselves.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: TERRA AUSTRALIS
Country: Australia
Title: In the Lost Corners of the Carpathians
Label: Self-released
Year: 2009
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Terra Australis is a new one man band coming out of the ever-growing Australian scene. I know I've said it before but damn their must be something in this countries water supply!! No matter the genre this country has produced some "classic" bands in alot of different genres. Which brings us to Terra Australis as mentioned this is a one man band Invisus {all vocals and instruments} does a good job creating the music on this two song promo/demo. The first track "In the Lost Corners of the Carpathians {The Land of Phantoms}" starts out with a melodic, eerie intro but invisus quickly brings out his darker side with some raw, scratchy screechy screams followed by the raw razor-sharp guitar riffs. The music is pure, cold and just plain eerie in parts black metal. The second and final track "The Un-spoken Word" is a instrumental and showcases Invius going in a more direct and aggressive direction with the music never going to chaotic speeds but still faster than the first song. Overall a good release and I look forward to more from Terra Australis. Fans of {old} Burzum, Xasthur, Leviathian will enjoy Terra Australis.
Reviewed by Patrick
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Band: THE UNCREATION
Country: Australia
Title: Dreaming in R'lyeh
Label: Self-released
Year: 2006
Style: Blackend Death
Review:
The Uncreation were cool enough to send this release along with their latest two-song promo. The music on Dreaming in R'lyeh is proably some of the best and most brutal black/death to be heard in quite sometime. The band wastes little time getting into the aggression mixing old Marduk and Morbid Angel together nicely. The guitarist seem to be influenced by some of the more "technical" death metal guitarist as you will hear some technical riffs/solo's mixed in with the blackend death onslaught but the technical influence is not used in every song so i really wouldn't call The Uncreation a tech metal band. The band also uses some keyboards to help add layers of darkend atmosphere. You can really hear this in the eighth song "The Testimony". Fans of blackend death with some varied influences will defintly want to check out Australia's The Uncreation.
Reviewed by Patrick
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Band: THE UNCREATION
Country: Australia
Title: Promo
Label: Self-released
Year: 2009
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Wow is this the same band? This is a new two song promo/demo from the upcoming CD "The Preparation of Eternal Magicks" CD to be released sometime in 2010. The biggest and most recognizable is the sound, the band seems to have dropped the death metal influence and goes straight for the kill with semi-raw violent black metal. I hear a lot of the early Swedish gods within The Uncreation's new songs. I was a bit surprised but the musicians seem to have a great deal of musical talent and know their instruments to pull off the bands new more violent black metal sound nicely. I can't wait to hear the new full-length next year.
Reviewed by Patrick
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Band: T-MULE
Country: Italy
Title: Rejecting:
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2008
Style: Power Thrash Death
Review:
Italian band T-Mule was founded in 2006, "Rejecting:" being their first release, a demo CD containing 3 tracks in about 10 minutes of playing. It starts with a Power Thrash track, a combination of Slayer and Pantera spiced with a bit of funk metal. Second track is a bit faster, and looses it's American Power influences, remaining on the Thrash Metal track. Also some Death Metal influences are present here, too, when it comes to growls and guitar solos. The end of this demo is a fast old-school Thrash Death song, so after listening to this demo I would say T-Mule need to work more on their ideas and get their compositions more curdled. Here the two good vocalists (one using Death Metal growls and the other very good Pantera-like screams) could be an ace for this band. Also the instrumental part need to rise on intensity to reach the vocalists level.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: TORCH OF DARKNESS
Country: UK / New Zealand
Title: Hi Infernal Smile
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2008
Style: Black Metal
Review:
I've just reviewed Burial Hordes, Torch Of Darkness is again a Black Metal band, but a totally different one. ToD was formed last year and this is their debut demo, a 5 tracks (23 minutes) piece of desperation with some of the most interesting vocals in the genre. Maybe there are other bands using these kinds of vocals, but I don't know of any: extremely high-pitched, distorted, almost industrial-like screams that curiously enough are very good mixed with the instrumental part and mastered so that they seem normal (such vocals would make me throw the CD in the trash bin if they were unmastered. The CD contains 3 of their own songs and 2 covers (Blood Angel from Von and Ea, Lord of the Depths from Burzum). The first track is a slow paced suicidal black metal with raw sound, the second one is a combination of fast and mid-paced rhythms, and the last sums them all. The drums should have been a bit more in front because at some points you can barely hear them.
A good start, but they have much more potantial, I'm still in awe of those vocals. Give them a try.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: TRIPPY WICKED & THE COSMIC CHILDREN OF THE KNIGHT
Country: UK
Title: Moving on
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2009
Style: Stoner Doom
Review:
The band with one of the all time greatest band names of all time is "Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight" and this their debut full length album called "Movin On". While the name may seem comical, this is one heavy-duty doom laden album complete with a excellent album cover that I could stare at all day. The band is as about as solid as you will find within this genre of music and they are also have many elements that set them apart from other bands and I will get to those points later. Trying to describe the band is not really that easy, they crossover from Electric Wizard style Stoner Doom to Kyuss style Desert Rock to Classic Black Sabbath sounding 70's Rock and everything in-between. The vocals of Pete Holland (who also handles the guitar work) has a Ozzy-esque sound to it but more powerful than anything the Oz was capable of in his hey-day. The churning crunch of the guitar and bass is thick as mud and drumming is exceptionally solid and pounding. The title track hits in your face with a guitar attack that is as fierce as it is sleazy and by the time you get to track three "Fire" you will be suck into the swirling riffing. They do have some unusual quirks to their sound however, the acoustic guitar ending of "Sea Shanty" comes in when you least expect and the trumpet on "Southern" may leave you scratching your head and asking why but that is the beauty of this album. Quirky Stoner Doom music experimentation, parts of it can even sound bluesy which sounds so different for a band playing within the context of "Stoner Rock". God, I am getting sick of that term but I will move on. "Echoes" is slightly perplexing as it sounds at odds with the rest of the album, at first I wasn't sure if it belong on the album but after further spins it has turned into one of my favorite tracks on the album. It has a Psychedelic, haunting beginning before moving into a more traditional heavy riff rocking section. This is one of the tracks on the album where the blues element comes through but that pops up on a few other tracks as well, just some less obvious. One of the strong points of the album is the variety of sounds and musical textures they manage to weave in and out throughout the CD which means it is going to be a album that is hard to get tired off. "Innocence" kicks off one hellish bass sound before the monster riff engulfs all in its wake, this is the band in total Doom mode and it kills. "Not What You Know" rocks like a son of a bitch, kinda reminding me of Orange Goblin at their most punishing. A real exercise in head snapping metal and the fun continues on the next track "Clothes On My Floor" where the band shifts gears into boogie mode."The Water" is more of Trippy Wicked's approach to Stoner Blues, a good track but not really up to the standard of the rest of the album and the whistling part is a bit off-putting. Thankfully they launch back into the big riff at around the 3 minute mark that saves the tune from the skip button. Final track is "Because Of You" and brings back things to the Sludge/Stoner groove, a great way to finish the album. The lyrics on the album are also different for a Stoner/Doom/Sludge Rock band as they are personal, heartfelt and actually meaningful ( shock-horror ). It is refreshing to hear a band take that lyrical approach for a change. I guess the band could be put alongside other quirky bands within the UK Doom/Stoner scene like The Lamp Of Thoth for example but they really are a band with a certain uniqueness that is hard to compare. You also get the feeling when listening to this, the band really enjoy what they are doing as it has a positive vibe about it. Check this band and album out, I think you will dig it.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: VERHEXT
Country: Finland
Title: Disgust & Misanthropy
Label: Death Worm records
Year: 2009
Style: Raw Black Metal
Review:
From the first few bars of opening and title track ‘Disgust & Misanthropy’, Verhext’s 2009 demo greeted me with fine cold melodics and a strong vocal punch, and I knew exactly where I was – in the dark recesses of Finnish black metal hell! The guitar and vocal tones are nicely caustic and grittily anologue in feel, and I must say that the more times I listen to this demo the more I like it.
Unfortunately it’s not all Lapin Kulta beer and skittles however… ‘Disgust & Misanthropy’ is very clearly a demo, with all the imperfections that implies. The drums tend to veer most of the time towards the ‘Black and Roll’ variety, and unfortunately not in a good way. They seem to dominate this release - not in the mix but more in the feel of it. It may just be me, but they do kind of plod along, sometimes struggling to keep up with the guitars; I wondered at first whether this was the guitar track getting a bit over excited, but realised that the drummer couldn’t really hold the pace.
The song writing is generally pretty good overall, but my one criticism is that there’s a kind of one dimensionality that smothers the feel of this release. Three songs are enough for this demo to maintain an enjoyable listen, but it simply wouldn’t yet be an interesting enough blend for a full length. ‘Disgust & Misanthropy’ is in many ways a fairly ordinary bit of black metal with nods in all the right places – Behexen sensibilities and an early Watain groove – and the recording is pretty scruffy around the edges, but that said it does bode very well for a future release.
If you ache for a little variety and originality this might not light your back candle, but for those seeking to reinforce their already grim spirits, Verhext might well be worth a listen.
Reviewed by M.
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Band: VINTERSKUGGE
Country: France
Title: Dux Normanniae
Label: Naturmacht Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Black Metal
Review:
"Dux Normanniae" is Vinterskugge's debut demo, out last month on Naturmacht Prod. I haven't heard of this band before I've met their music on Naturmacht's space, they are pretty young as a band, formed only last year, and this is their first effort, a Demo CD containing 6 tracks in a bit more than 40 minutes of playing. I would define their music as '90's type Underground Black Metal with Atmospheric keyboards background almost everywhere. Don't know if this is how they wanted their demo to sound, but certainly it has the raw, primitive recording touch of the demos that were everywhere in the second part of the '90's. The production tends to follow the same line, so maybe after all this is how they wanted it to be. I like their music, it's grim, has the right amount of melody and seems pretty honest, but still I would recommend this demo only to the ones of you who are not expecting a top release. The instrumental execution needs some more practice, the tracks need a better recording and there should be a better mixing and mastering of the whole to be prepared for a debut full-length, but the good thing is that this demo shows a good appetite for composing, it never gets monotonous or boring. It's a pretty cheap release (5 Euros), and also limited to 100 copies, so it won't hurt to support this band and label.
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: WHITE EYES
Country: Germany
Title: Beast Mode
Label: Blastasfuk Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Grindcore
Review:
Man, I haven't had the pleasure to listen to an album perfectly named in a lot of time (if I've ever had it...). The title of this release is fuckin' perfect and who thought of it should be proud. Don't know much about the band, except that they have released an EP before this debut full-length. This album is absolutely insane, reaching new hights in brutality and violence: absolutely insane progressive guitar rhythms, indus/electro inserts to spice things up, fabulous drummer, sick and absolutely demented screamer (growler from time to time), a systematic pile up of violence and adrenaline, nothing more to say. I do really recommend this release to ALL of you out there into grindcore, this will satisfy your thirst for "new". Great band! Hope to get an intie with them to find out more about this release. Until then, get it!
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: WHOREHOUSE
Country: Poland
Title: Execution of Humanity
Label: Defense Prod.
Year: 2009
Style: Thrash Metal
Review:
I've got this CD at a gore grind fest, never expected it to be a Thrash Metal release, and especially looking at their band name... Whorehouse comes from Poland, was formed back in 1995 and until now they have released 3 demos. "Execution of Humanity" is their debut full-length, after listening to it I'm really glad I received for a review. This is a high-class Thrash Metal release that can compete anytime with any German or US release of the genre. 10 tracks inteligently composed that will satisfy any Thrash Metal maniac: fast and aggressive parts combined with melodic elements, blasting drums, great, US type vocals, fat and extremely catchy guitars,clever guitar solos, crystal-clear sound, beautiful cover artwork, a perfect blend of ald-school with modern Thrash Metal. An excellent debut for these Polish guys, I'm sure they'll have a bright future.
Execution of Humanity is one of those releases that after a couple of listenings you find yourself humming a chorus or even a guitar riff. Heavy headbanging required when listening!
Reviewed by Adrian
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Band: WINE FROM TEARS
Country: Russia
Title: Through the Eyes of a Mad
Label: Bad Moon Man Music
Year: 2009
Style: Doom Death Metal
Review:
Wine From Tears album is called "Through the Eyes Of A Mad" so I am not sure how good their English is but the sound of band is another good dose of sorrowful Doom Metal in the vein in of Katatonia, Candlemass, Draconian, My Dying Bride and Saturnus.
Released on Solitude Productions who seems to be the leaders at the moment for this style of Gothic type Doom, the songs have the usual epic feel that so many bands on the label specialize in. The music is filled with a glorious elegant sound infused with deep growls and haunting piano refrains and distorted guitars and a wall of sound coming from the bass and drums. In a world where there it seems like there is a million bands playing this style ( especially in Europe ), the band have put their own stamp on proceedings by avoiding the obvious cliches but still remaining firmly in the epic Gothic doom genre. The songs are a epic journey through grief and doubt, suffering and hope, while giving the tunes a almost cosmic feel. They also combine a lot of variation within the music from classical passages to faster sections to beautiful parts like in the breath-taking "Bless The Bleeding Angels" which is as scary as it is dramatic. The guitar work is very technical for a Doom band and sounds like they maybe are fans of John Petrucci, some of the breaks are very intricate but fit in well within the context of the arrangement of the songs. However sometimes it goes a little overboard with solos being played over the top of sections that might have been more effective if left alone. The band started in 2002 but this is the debut album from them but listening to the album gives off the impression they have work on these songs for a long time. The thing that spoils the album for me however is the band seems to be stuck in the 90's a little bit too much and at 77 minutes long, the band seems to be treading the same path in every song so its real hard to listen to start to finish. The other negative comment I must make is the keyboards just never shut up, mixed way too loud and overdone to the max. Best track for me is "Feeding the angel" which offers beautiful female vocals interacting with the main male growls, this can be irritating sometimes but they pull it off quite well in this band. Overall its a good effort but way too long with too many songs sounding the same and some over-done guitar and keyboard work that spoils the atmosphere. At its best, it is a breath-taking journey into darkness and despair but too many weak passages and average mixing wrecks the album. If they cut the album back to 50 minutes or so and did a re-mix this could be a incredible album.
Reviewed by Ed
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Band: WINTERBLOOD
Country: Italy
Title: Incantazione
Label: Witchcraft Records
Year: 2009
Style: Dark Ambient
Review:
Winterblood is an Italian project that seems to be founded back in 1996, but their demos until 2008 are nowhere mentioned, so I don't know about that. Anyway, this one is their second album, out on Witchcraft Records. It's composed of 2 tracks (40 minutes) of Minimalist Dark Ambient music. At least the first tracks it's so minimalist (not more than 4 repeating notes for 20 minutes) that honestly I had to skip more than 10 minutes from it. After about 14 minutes it becomes more interesting, but still on the same simple path: 3 or 4 key notes (same notes) and monotonous synth background. The second track is just a bit more varied, but keeps the same monotonous level. I guess it's good for meditation, for a trance so I won't say it's bad, just that it's not for my tastes. The good point in Winterblood's music is the crystal clear sound, so this is not a rough, amateurish production, we're dealing with a high-class album in what concerns production.
If you're into minimalist music, try it yourselves, you might curse me afterwards for what I said in this review, who knows?
Reviewed by Adrian
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