Sunday, December 20, 2009

GHOST BRIGADE - ISOLATION SONGS (2009)

genre : melodic doom/death
similar bands : Katatonia, Opeth, My Dying Bride
origin : Finland
strong spot : nice and discrete use of strings (contrabass, cello etc)
weak spot : not recommended for people that go for originality

Ghost Brigade play more or less typical melodic and melancholic doom/death in the vein of Katatonia or Opeth. Ghost Brigade are not that technical, in fact their music is very simple(minimalist, if you want me to put it more intellectually) and is reminiscent of post-rock bands. Imagine a scream of despair transformed into a piece of art.


8 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

Saturday, December 19, 2009

BORN OF THORNS - MMIX EP (2009)

genre : symphonic black
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Hermh, Abigail Williams
origin : Finland
strong spot : no obvious strong spot
weak spot : ''I've heard it before''

Typical symphonic black metal from Finland accompanied with a very clean and heavy production and professional perfomance. If you like the above mentioned bands, you may find it interesting.


8 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

DAYLIGHT DIES - LOST TO THE LIVING (2008)

genre : melodic doom/death/black
similar bands : Swallow the Sun, Katatonia, Noumena, In the Woods
origin : USA
strong spot : despair and melancholy successfully depicted
weak spot : ''I've heard it before''

For some reasons I cannot actually determine, melodic doom/death is very trendy the last 1-2 years. Daylight dies are definitely amongst the best bands of the scene. You know what to expect: death and black vocals, depressive melodies, lots of guitar leads and Opeth-ish riffs, lyrics that speak of despair, all packed in an almost perfect and heavy production. A nice and beautiful album.


8 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

CHAOSTAR - CHAOSTAR (2000)

genre : symphonic, black metal, avant-garde, experimental, industrial, classical
similar bands : Septicflesh
origin : Greece
strong spot : everything
weak spot : nothing is weak here

What can I say about one of the most dark and atmospheric concept albums in the history of extreme music? Chaostar are something like an acoustic version of Septicflesh. The main conductor here is the mighty composer Christos Antoniou, the guitarist and one of the founding members of Septicflesh, that has written several scores and recently composed the music for the ''Wardevil'' video game (Playstation 3). Huge choirs, grandiose samples and loops, horror atmosphere, black metal screams and death metal growls, female vocals and complex orchestrations that are 100% original and 200% innovative. Just a last warning: there are no guitars here or real drums.

10 out of 10 goatheads

No comments:

Sunday, December 13, 2009

SOULFALLEN - GRAVE NEW WORLD (2009)

genre : melodic, symphonic black/death
similar bands : Thurisaz, Agathodaimon, Septicflesh
origin : Finland
strong spot : combination between death metal growls and black screams
weak spot : no obvious weak spot

Soulfallen's sophomore album is as grandiose and dark as it gets. Very nice synth parts and symphonic samples, mature guitar riffs, fiendish lyrics and atmosphere. You can find diversity in this album and all kinds of emotions: fear, hate, horror, melancholy.

8 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

WELICORUSS - APEIRON EP (2009)

genre : symphonic black
similar bands : Tvangeste, Arkona, Dimension F3H, Lyfthrasyr
origin : Russia
strong spot : songwriting, orchestrations
weak spot :short duration

This is an EP from a band that I recently discovered. By singing in Russian and adopting some folk elements they have added their country's signature to symphonic black metal. I'll definitely check their next full-length album out.

8 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

Thursday, December 10, 2009

CRYPTIC WINTERMOON - FEAR (2009)

genre : melodic black
similar bands : Dissection, Enslavement of Beauty
origin : Germany
strong spot : cult atmosphere
weak spot : production

Typical melodic black.

7 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

INDUKTI - IDMEN (2009)

genre : avant-garde, psychedelic, progressive, symphonic
similar bands : Arcturus, Tool, Unexpect
origin : Poland
strong spot : originality
weak spot : I'd prefer some more vocals

This is more or less an instrumental album. The band mentions King Crimson, Tool, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Mussorgsky and others as the main influences. Thus, this is one of these bands you can not exactly describe their style, you can just give some hints about their sound. There are metalcore riffs, melodies from violins, clean and black vocals (sadly,very few) and lots of other elements that designate an area around this album where a label stands and warns you ''Don't touch unless you are open-minded enough''.

8 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

BORNHOLM - MARCH FOR GLORY AND REVENGE (2009)

genre : pagan, epic, melodic black
similar bands : Cor Scorpii, Windir, Kampfar, Iskald, Sear Bliss
origin : Hungary
strong spot : -
weak spot : lacks originality

Bornholm are a typical pagan black metal band. There is almost nothing out of the ordinary here, just good black metal.

7 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

DEPRESY - NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES (2009)

genre : symphonic,melodic black/death
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Septicflesh
origin : Slovakia
strong spot : performance
weak spot : -

This is the best album for Depresy so far. There are sparks of experimentation here and there but the band doesn't deviate from typical atmospheric black metal. The result is quite satisfying but certainly not groundbreaking.

8 out of 10 goatheads

No comments:

NOUMENA - ANATOMY OF LIFE (2006)

genre : melodic death/black
similar bands : Omnium Gatherum, Swallow the Sun, In Flames
origin : Finland
strong spot : clever songwriting
weak spot : awful cover

Noumena seem to know the secrets of musical composition. The album is almost flawless, all melodies seem to blend with each other and each part of every track seems to have a purpose. ''Anatomy of Life'' doesn't get boring after many repeated listens even though it is mostly based on mid tempo tracks. A HIGHLY recommended album.

9 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

DISMAL EUPHONY - ALL LITTLE DEVILS (1999) - PYTHON ZERO (2001)


genre : melodic black
similar bands : Siebenburgen, Darzamat
origin : Norway
strong spot : clever songwriting, briiliant vocal lines
weak spot : -

What can I say about this amazing band? Their whole discography consists of unique albums that transfer the listener to wonderful aural destinations. These two albums are their last ones, ''All Little Devils'' is a bit more melancholic while ''Python Zero'' is somehow more modern and aggressive. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

9,5 out of 10 goatheads for ''All Little Devils''
8,5 out of 10 goatheads for ''Python Zero''


No comments:

EVEMASTER - WITHER (2003)

genre : melodic black
similar bands : Noumena, Thurisaz, Omnium Gatherum
origin : Poland
strong spot : melodic guitar lines
weak spot : songs follow more or less the same recipe

Here we have a very enjoyable listen from another Polish band. Nice guitar melodic lines that bring power metal bands to mind, typical black vocals, discrete presence of synths, an overall melancholic atmosphere.

8 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

Thursday, December 3, 2009

ORPHANAGE - BY TIME ALONE (1996) + DRIVEN (2004)


genre : symphonic death
similar bands : Septicflesh, Theatre of Tragedy, After Forever
origin : Netherlands
strong spot : songwriting, originality
weak spot : terrible covers

Orphanage is a band very close to Within temptation and After Forever, they have toured together and they have shared the same members in the past. Within Temptation and After Forever have become big names in the metal scene whereas Orphanage, for some reasons I never really understood, remained almost unknown. You can listen to these albums and judge for yourself. Symphonic death at its best, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

10 out of 10 goatheads for ''By Time Alone''
9 out of 10 goatheads for ''Driven''


No comments:

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

WINDS - PROMINENCE AND DEMISE (2007)

genre : progressive, symhonic , avant-garde metal
similar bands : Katatonia, Arcturus, Opeth, Anathema, Leprous
origin : Norway
strong spot : performance, songwriting
weak spot : -

Winds is one of the side projects of Hellhammer (Mayhem). They have released a series of original and inspired avant-garde metal albums that oddly enough never made them famous in the metal scene. Melancholic melodies, distorted and acoustic guitars, a small string orchestra and a really expressive vocalist are the ingredients of an album that is perfect company for rainy moody days. I believe that this one is their most complete album.

9 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

NETHESCERIAL - QVORUM (2009)

genre : atmospheric, symphonic black
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Sothis
origin : Greece
strong spot : performance
weak spot : too complicated songwriting

Another Greek black metal band. Here the style is typical symphonic black metal where speed and chaotic atmosphere are emphasized. Their performance and their songwriting is sometimes too complicated and progressive ending up being occasionally boring.

7,5 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

AENAON- PHENOMENON EP (2009)

genre : atmospheric black metal
similar bands : Emperor, Limbonic Art
origin : Greece
strong spot : no obvious strong spot
weak spot : weak production, ''I've heard it before'' category

The Greek guys here play typical extra speedy atmospheric black metal. Even though the performance of the band is good, the production is neither clean nor raw(or cult) and the result is a mediocre sound that keeps the band from presenting an even better and more coherent album.

7 out of 10 goatheads


No comments:

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

OLD CROWN NEW SPAWN - VOL I (TRIBUTE TO EMPEROR) and II (TRIBUTE TO ARCTURUS) (2009)

genre : melodic, symphonic black

Here we have a very descent compilation where bands cover songs from Emperor and Arcturus. Most of the covers are awesome and the listener enjoys some old songs from a new perspective. A MUST have album for fans of Emperor and Arcturus.

9 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

ARTEFACT - FAILURE single (2009)

genre : symphonic black
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Carach Angren
origin : Slovenia

Artefact, one of my favourite French black metal bands, present a single with two versions of the same song called ''Failure''. Their sound is now purely symphonic. If you want to download their previous album click here

No comments:

Monday, November 30, 2009

LAIBACH - JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTARS (1996)

genre : avant-garde, industrial, symphonic, metal, gothic
similar bands : Rammstein, Ulver, Therion
origin : Slovenia
strong spot : songwriting, originality, arrangements, atmosphere
weak spot : kidding?

Heavy guitars, electronic loops, strange vocals, choirs, violins and brilliant dark melodies. This is a classic album. It is the soundtrack Andrew Lloyd Webber would compose if he was a gothic fan. The atmosphere is extremely claustrophobic and unearthly, it is an intense listen and a dramatically rich piece of art that every advanced listener should enjoy. Download and play it loud.

10 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Saturday, November 28, 2009

CRISTALYS - SUREMINENCE (2009)

genre : avant-garde, pagan, melodic black
similar bands : Artefact, Solefald, Orakle
origin : France
strong spot : songwriting
weak spot : sometimes french language in black metal is tiring

Cristalys deliver their debut album which is full of french avant-gardism and insanity. Imagine a more speedy and black metal-oriented version of Solefald.

7 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

ANTHELION - BLOODSHED REBEFALLEN (2007)

genre : melodic, symphonic death/black
similar bands : Chthonic
origin : Taiwan
strong spot : no obvious strong spot
weak spot : lacks originality

Anthelion's music reminds me of their fellow countrymen Chthonic. My objection? Chthonic try to push the envelope more than Anthelion and thus Chthonic are more interesting. Anthelion are more or less an average symphonic black band.

6,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

PANTHEON I - WORLDS I CREATE (2009)

genre : symphonic death/black
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Emperor
origin : Norway
strong spot : performance, cover
weak spot : ''I've heard it before'' category

Fiendish symphonic parts, demonic riffs, insane drumming and all the other ingredients of a good but not exceptional extreme death/black metal album. Extra kudos go to the clever use and incorporation of the cello in the music.

7,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

WOLVEN ANCESTRY - SILENCE OF THE BOREAL (2009)

genre : symphonic black
similar bands : Dimmu Borgir, Sothis
origin : Canada
strong spot : atmosphere
weak spot : ''I've heard it before'' category

Well performed symphonic black in the vein of Sothis, Dimmu Borgir, Vesania, Abigail Williams, Dissection and many many others. Sparkles of talent are here and there but sth is missing.

7,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

MIRRORTHRONE - CARRIERS OF DUST (2006) - GANGRENE (2008)


genre : symphonic black metal
similar bands : Transcending Bizarre?, Sigh, Cradle Of Filth
origin : Switzerland
strong spot : songwriting
weak spot : the duration of almost every track is too long and sometimes this is tiring for the listener

You probably already know Mirrorthrone. If you don't, download immediately.

9 out of 10 goatheads for ''Carriers of Dust''
8 out of 10 goatheads for ''Gangrene''
No comments:

Monday, November 23, 2009

STOLEN BABIES - THERE BE SQUABBLES AHEAD (2006)

genre : experimental, avant-garde, extreme metal
similar bands : Unexpect, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Cradle Of Filth
origin : USA
strong spot : originality, diversity
weak spot : kidding?

This is the debut album of a band that is here to stay. Fans of Unexpect and Diablo Swing Orchestra will be pleasantly surprised. It is not so easy to exactly pinpoint the style they play, your ears will come across a bizarre amalgam of dark cabaret parts, spooky accordions, atmospheric black metal touches, punk outbreaks, symphonic soundtrack-ish parts and so many others. I am not going to squeeze my mind more to describe this album, you just have to listen for yourself.

9 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

DARK LUNACY - THE DIARIST (2006)

genre : symphonic, melodic death/black
similar bands : Agathodaimon, Graveworm, Dark tranquillity
origin : Italy
strong spot : clever songwriting
weak spot : no obvious weak spot

Rarely do I listen to bands from Italy but Dark Lunacy's music is really enjoyable. Their sound is not so unique but they are talented enough to compose very clever songs and finally differentiate themselves from the bunch of other melodic death/black bands. Their style? Maybe Dark Tranquillity with a symphonic touch?

9 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

CALLISTO - PROVIDENCE (2009)

genre : experimental, atmospheric, progressive, post-rock/black
similar bands : Burst, 65 Days of Static, Mogwaii, Opeth, Katatonia, Leprous
origin : Finland
strong spot : atmosphere, performance, originality
weak spot : no obvious weak spot

Callisto are Finnish, such an origin is like a guarantee that a band is at least descent. But these guys here are more than descent, to be honest they are quite impressive. They play a quite minimalist, psychedelic post-metal type of music that is both melancholic and aggressive but most of all it is mysteriously compelling. Sometimes it sounds like the soundtrack of ''28 Days Later'' or ''The Fountain'', some others it balances between psychedelic doom black metal and post-rock in the vein of 65 Days of Static. Definitely, albums like this stretch the barriers of metal music.

9 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

RAM-ZET - NEUTRALISED (2009)

genre : avant-garde, progresive, symphonic black
similar bands : Arcturus, Unexpect
origin : Norway
strong spot : songwriting, orchestrations, diversity, performance
weak spot : no obvious weak spot

This is the first album from this band that really impressed me. Their previous albums lacked a certain something I can not specify. In this album we have a nice balance between progressive performance, clever songwriting and experimentation that is not an end in itself but a creative element that contributes to the rest of the music. Brilliant.

9 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

FJOERGYN - JAHRESZEITEN (2009)

genre : avant-garde, symphonic, melodic black
similar bands : Fleurety, Lacrimosa, Dornenreich
origin : Germany
strong spot : originality, diversity
weak spot : lyrics are in German

If you can overcome a vocalist singing exclusively in German, then this may sound like an interesting album. BM riffs, acoustic guitars, violins, pianos, combination between black and clean voices, an overall melancholic mood. Ignore the second track of the album, ''Verklarte Welt'', it is as cheesy as it gets.

7 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Sunday, November 15, 2009

W.E.B. - JESUS HEIST (2008)

genre: symphonic black/death
similar bands : Graveworm, Septic Flesh, Moonspel, Transcending Bizarre?
origin : Greece
strong spot : songwriting
weak spot : there are at least 3 filler songs that ruin the show, some riffs are childish

The Greek combo here delivers an album that has some elements that may charm the devoted symphonic black/death fan. Half of the album is ok but there are also songs like ''Enthorned'' or ''Blossoms Cry'' that are more predictable than a Jennifer Aniston romantic movie.

6,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

FANTOMAS - THE DIRECTOR'S CUT (2001)

genre: avant-garde, experimental, symphonic, gothic,alternative, extreme metal
similar music : Omen movie OST, Rosemary's Baby OST, Mr. Bungle, Morgul
origin : USA
strong spot : originality
weak spot : -

Fantomas is Mike Patton's (Faith No More) extremely interesting metal project. This album contains some of the most sinister covers you will ever come across. A mix of avant-garde metal and movie themes. Some of the songs will surprise you, I am sure. A 100% must-have album.

Tracklist:
1. The Godfather
2. The Golem
3. Experiment In Terror
4. On Step Beyond
5. Night Of The Hunter (Remix)
6. Cape Fear
7. Rosemary's Baby
8. The Devil Rides Out (Remix)
9. Spider Baby
10. The Omen - Ave Satani
11.Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer
12. Vendetta
13. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion - Fantômas,
14. Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion
15. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
16. Charade

9,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Friday, November 13, 2009

THY CATAFALQUE - ROKA HASA RADIO (2009)

genre : avant-garde, post-black, ambient electronica
similar bands : Arcturus, Shining, Ulver, King Crimson
origin : Hungary
strong spot : originality, diversity
weak spot : clean vocals sound bad at parts, lyrics are in Hungarian

Most post-black metal bands play elevator music with the addition of distortion, they try to be different just to cover up their lack of talent. Fortunately, there are also bands like Thy Catafalque that recently released another intriguing album, so far this is their fourth one. Avant-garde post-black with an ambient psychedelic twist that can ONLY appeal to the experienced and tolerant avant-garde black listeners. Their previous efforts were a bit exaggerative but I think with this one they hit right on target.


9 out of 10 goatheads
1 comment:

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

MORGUL - THE HORROR GRANDEUR (2000) - SKETCH OF SUPPOSED MURDERER (2001)


genre : avant-garde, symphonic black
similar bands : Arcturus
origin : Norway
strong spot : originality, insanity, vocals
weak spot : -

Morgul released two outstanding albums in the beginning of this century and amazed all critics. Their unique avant-garde style and horror ambience are an anthem for expressional freedom and artistic inspiration. They were definitely inspired from the legendary ''La Masquerade Infernale'' but their creations were never based on mimicry. Fans of Arcturus, this is a must-have album (needless to say that if you are not familiar with this band , your jaw will drop)

9,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Monday, November 9, 2009

DEPRESSED MODE - ..FOR DEATH.. (2009)

genre : symphonic, doom black/death
similar bands : My Dying Bride, Swallow the Sun, Nox Aurea
origin : Finland
strong spot : melodies, atmosphere
weak spot : sometimes the similarities with the above mentioned bands are severe

I really like the name of the band..the Depeche Mode of metal.... Musically now, another very good doom/death album based mostly on symphonic orchestrations that manages not to sound boring even though it is extremely slow at parts. The first 3 songs are really killers. No need to mention everything else is professionally done simply because these guys are Finnish.

8 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

HOLLENTHON - TYRANTS AND WRAITHS EP (2009)

genre : symphonic black
similar bands : Septic Flesh, Therion
origin : Austria

There's no doubt that Hollenthon is one of the best symphonic extreme metal acts. This is their new EP containing 4 new songs plus 2 live recordings.

8 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

Sunday, November 8, 2009

REVERENCE - INACTIVE THEOCRACY (2009)

genre: avant-garde black
similar bands : Secrets of the Moon, Code, Abigor
origin : France
strong spot : production, drum performance
weak spot : pretentious and fake avant-gardism, parts don't blend at all, all melodies are floating in the air aiming nowhere specifically

Have you realized you are not talented enough to write music? Grab your guitar, write dissonant riffs with strange chord progressions, combine them in a random and naive manner, add some jazzy drum passages and you are done. Reviewers will give you good marks even though you suck.In other words, Reverence suck. I totally agree with a guy's review in rateyourmusic.com :

''Maybe if they got rid of the bad Ved Buens Ende-knockoff clean vocals and wrote guitar lines that were more than just odd chord progressions, they would be a good band. This just sounds like try-hards trying to be different.''

Experimentation is good when it's not fake, when the band doesn't experiment just because they ran out of inspiration. If you want an example of brilliant and inspired true avant-garde black, try Abigor's ''Fractal Possesion''.

5 out of 10 goatheads

No comments:

Saturday, November 7, 2009

THE DEVILWORX - (2007)

genre : death/black/metalcore/symphonic
similar bands : Septic Flesh, Chaostar, Slipknot
origin : Greece
strong spot : originality, arrangements, samples
weak spot : (this is not an official release)

When Septic Flesh split-up in 2006-7, the members of the band (except Sotiris Vagenas) formed a band that shared lots of similarities with Septic Flesh and Chaostar. This band is called The Devilworx. They never released these songs and they even deleted them from their myspace profile. The songs now uploaded in their profile are more metalcore-oriented and thus, I find them at least mediocre. Do not listen to their myspace page, the promo I recommend here are 4 totally different songs. Fans of Septicflesh, DOWNLOAD IMMEDIATELY!!!!

9 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:

SIGH - HANGMAN'S HYMN (2007)

genre : avant-garde, symphonic black
similar bands : Mercyful Fate, OMEN movie soundtrack, Limbonic Art
origin : Japan
strong spot : original songwriting, choir parts, symphonic parts
weak spot : production has minor flows

If you haven't heard of this band, then I conclude you are not into avant-garde black. Sigh is Japan's leading extreme metal export, having released several high quality recordings throughout their nineteen year existence. This one is their most complete album, integrating various elements such as movie soundtracks, extreme thrash metal riffs and experimental psychedelic music. It is not as experimental as ''Imaginary Sonicscape'', here the band puts emphasis on the overall dark/horror atmosphere of the album. A perfect soundtrack for a cult Japanese horror movie.

9,5 out of 10 goatheads
No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)