Angry Metal Guy

It’s been a while since I’ve updated a “classic record”, hasn’t it? But I think I’ve hit another one that is a must have for anyone who likes good metal. I mean, any kind of good metal at all. When I was just an Angry Metal Teenager I first was introduced to a bunch of stuff that I just couldn’t get into because it was too much for me. But there was one band that really pumped out a kind of music that I latched onto that was both heavy and melodic, but also extreme and cool. That band was Norway’s Theatre of Tragedy and that record which really turned me onto the band and later the “beauty and the beast style” (often imitated, but never improved upon) was the record Velvet Darkness They Fear.

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In This Moment // A Star-Crossed Wasteland
Rating: 1.0/5.0 — Every time you play this record a Metal God dies…
Label: Century Media
Websites: myspace.com/inthismoment
Release Dates: EU: 12.07.2010 | US: 07.13.2010

So I admit, I’ve never heard SoCal pop rockers In This Moment before. This review will be completely devoid of comparisons to their last two records. Nor will it be filled with witty insights into how the band has changed over their time and whether or not this is a darker record (of course, every new record is the darkest, heaviest, etc., that any band has ever done, so trust the bio about as far as you can throw Arnold Schwarzneger). No, this is going to pretty much be a tirade about how much I really don’t like this album at all or the style of music or basically anything about this at all except for Maria’s clean singing voice, which is very good. You are warned. Don’t throw a fit in the comments because I hate your favorite band: I’ve already warned you. If you read past the jump then it’s your own fucking fault. Continue reading

Angelus Apatrida // Clockwork
Rating: 3.0/5.0 — Enjoyable, hungry, not so sticky.
Label: Century Media
Websites: angelusapatrida.com | myspace.com/angelusapatrida
Release Dates: EU: 21/22.06.2010 | US: 06.29.2010

Angelus Apatrida is a Spanish thrash metal band founded in the early 2000s, that is now putting out it’s third record, but Clockwork is the first for one of metal’s biggest labels: Century Media. So when I got this record, I just kinda went “who?” and went on with my day not thinking much of it. The name, which roughly translates to “fallen angels”, means nothing to me and has been sorta flitting in and out of my brain and while I was surprised to stick this in and hear thrash metal screaming at me (that’ll teach me to not read the bio first), I wasn’t really sure that there was anything here that would stick. Continue reading

Nachtmystium // Black Meddle II: Addicts
Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Sick, dirty and most definitely black
Label: Candlelight | Century Media
Websites: myspace.com/nachtmystium
Release Dates: Out Now!

If you ask any black metal purist what real “black metal” should sound like, you will probably get a slew of bands that, seem to blur into each other somewhat in a slew of blast beats, tremelo-picked riffs and shrieked vocals – and woe betide he who dares to experiment with this time honoured recipe. Black metal is a cutthroat genre among its fans, and bands that defy the trends of the genre yet still dub their metal “black” are quick to draw the ire of the once faithful. Blake Judd’s Nachtmystium took a major gamble when they decided to pursure a more avant-garde approach to black metal with Instinct: Decay and have both won and lost fans, but so far, (In this angry metal guy’s opinion, at least) their less orthodox releases have been consistent and relevant to the modern black metal landscape. Continue reading

Witchery // Witchkrieg
Rating: 4.0/5.0 — Riff after kick ass riff
Label: Century Media
Websites: witchery.se | myspace.com/witcherytheband
Release Dates: EU: 21.06.2010 | US: 06.29.2010

Hey, turns out that Witchery is releasing a new record in a few days. Far be it from me to not review this monster of a super group, especially given the news that got everyone pretty worked up: ex-Marduk vocalist Legion joined the band on vocals. Not only does this cement the band as serious super group (now sporting members or former members from Opeth, Séance, Bloodbath, Arch Enemy, Marduk, Devian, Spiritual Beggar, The Haunted, and Satanic Slaughter), but it adds a well-known quantity to the band. Turns out that Swedish scene is a tad bit inbred. But does this kind of caliber, and a back catalogue of well loved records mean that Witchery will hit home anew with their deathy brand of thrash metal in 2010? Continue reading

Nevermore // The Obsidian Conspiracy
Rating: 4.0/5.0 – Less complex, more accessible, don’t freak out!
Label: Century Media
Websites: nevermore.tv | myspace.com/nevermorefans
Release Dates: EU: 31.05.2010 | US: 06.08.2010

Nevermore has always held a special place in the metal community with both fans and other bands alike looking up to and respecting them. It isn’t hard to see why they command this level of respect, with world-class guitarist Jeff Loomis and vocalist extraordinaire Warrel Dane both calling Nevermore home. Because of this high profile and superb talent, a lot is expected from Nevermore and for the most part, album to album, Nevermore have consistently delivered the goods. Therefore, the arrival of a new slab of metal from these guys is always a pretty big deal and after waiting five years since The Godless Endeavor, we finally get The Obsidian Conspiracy.

Right off the bat it becomes obvious The Obsidian Conspiracy is a bit of a departure for Nevermore. While the trademark Nevermore elements are all still present, long-time fans may notice this is less complex and more accessible than The Godless Endeavor and other older works. Now, before diehard Nevermore fans get their panties in a bunch and jump out a window, this is still classic Nevermore and a very technical album with some very heavy moments. Additionally, this is far from some pop metal album. When I say accessible, I mean in the context of past Nevermore albums, which could be very dense and heavily technical and require patience to get into. Here however, the songs are all shorter in length than on previous albums, some tracks are instantly memorable and others quickly become so. For example, both “Emptiness Unobstructed” and “And the Maiden Spoke” jump out and stick in your head very quickly. I don’t recall this being the case with earlier albums, especially The Godless Endeavor. Perhaps the added accessibility comes from a growing maturity as songwriters or maybe some of it bled over from Dane’s solo album. Whatever the cause, the result is a collection of well crafted songs which ebb and flow very well from mood to mood.

As The Obsidian Conspiracy unfolds, you get everything from classic progressive thrash (“The Termination Proclamation,” “The Obsidian Conspiracy”), to brooding, morose epics (“And the Maiden Spoke,” “The Blue Marble and the New Soul”) all the way to more straight-forward metal (“Your Poison Throne,” “Emptiness Unobstructed”), all past elements of the Nevermore repertoire are showcased well even in the more accessible format.

Mood-wise and lyrically, this is definitely not an uplifting, feel good album. It oscillates between rage, despair, grief and other sinister, haunting emotions, all expertly presented by the writing and execution of some truly top flight musicians. Warrel Dane’s vocals shine as always and few are as convincing at emotional expression. It’s easy to believe Dane feels the pain of the lyrics he creates and sings and it makes the songs much more powerful. Similarly, Jeff Loomis shows he can write technical yet accessible riffs and keep things powerful and energetic even during the slower, moodier tracks.

At the end of the day, this is a Nevermore album so you know it will be quality and contain excellent musicality. The Obsidian Conspiracy has no truly weak tracks and is interesting throughout its varying moods. The added accessibility makes the material easier to digest and appreciate for the average listener, yet this hasn’t caused the music to lose its edge or overall technicality. While I can foresee some negative feedback forthcoming for the slight shift in style and some considering this a disappointment of sorts, don’t be swayed. This is still Nevermore and it’s a solid, quality release and definitely worth checking out.

Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones
Rating: 4.5/5.0 – A massive triumph.
Label: Century Media
Websites: triptykon.net | myspace.com/triptykonofficial
Release Date: EU: 22.03.2010 | US: 03.22.2010

There are some musicians that are capable of making a sound, no matter how simple, but always make it sound distinctive to the composer. In the same way, all of Thomas Gabriel Warrior’s creations have a distinct feeling and mark to them, which is why I’m so glad we have this new band on the scene. Warrior has teamed up with three young musicians to continue his creation through the new name, and judging by this record, Triptykon is a name we’ll he hearing more of in the not so distant future.

Warrior had stressed before that this CD would be Monotheist part two, which to me is a relief. After the brilliant Monotheist, I was left wanting much, much more. I’m not saying that Monotheist was too short or unsubstantial, Monotheist had the stamp of Warrior plastered over every sound that was put on the record. If you were in love with Monotheist, like me, you would have had nowhere else to turn to get a similar experience. The terrifyingly gripping feeling just couldn’t be found anywhere else in the metal scene.

Now that the wait has passed, a long four year wait for the successor of Monotheist is finally behind us. We’re now graced with Eparistera Daimones, under the new band Triptykon. Fear not though, the style has stayed the same. The songwriting is just as gripping and engaging, the sound is just as deep and powerful. The musicians involved have made no hindrance to the style of Thomas G. Warrior at all. In fact, you could argue that these new musicians who stand beside him have only enhanced his songwriting and vision. The sound itself is as pleasant as any other CD I’ve ever listened to. The production is beautifully put together, the sound is deep and balanced. It’s clean, but the gritty and evil sound that should be in an album like this is still there. It’s much better than the production in Monotheist, but it doesn’t take from the dark quality of the sound itself. It simply couldn’t have been any better.

To accompany the perfect sound itself, we have some brilliant songs to go with it. The songs here are deliciously dark and terrifying, perhaps a bit more aggressive than Monotheist – but it doesn’t take from the bleak, doom-like sound. There’s enough diversity in this album to please absolutely any metal head, no matter what sub genre they listen to. It has aspects of so many sounds that you’ll simply be in heaven, a stark irony, considering the lyrics are among the darkest and bleakest lyrics I’ve ever read or heard. Warrior’s vision certainly hasn’t taken a dive since Monotheist, and simply listening to the beautifully sung hooks assures you of this. A fantastic example of this is in the opener “Goetia”, and it slays. The song flows beautifully, and after listening to it for the second time, I couldn’t stop hearing the song in my head.

While the album is totally consistent from start to finish, it goes without saying that some songs honestly need mentioning. Among those is “The Prolonging” which is nearly 20 minutes long in length, and concludes the album. It’s incredibly executed, and despite the length of it, it’s among the most listenable songs on the record. It ends so bombastically that you’re left with no choice but to restart the CD, the feeling that this song and CD as a whole gives you is exactly what every fan of Monotheist has been waiting for.

Another stand out track would have to be “My Pain,” which is a change in the formula – but no less welcome than any of the other songs. It’s a quiet, melancholic song that functions almost as a prelude to “The Prolonging”. The female vocals in this beautiful, hypnotic track are well-executed and realized and polish this song with the infectious melody and vocals. I know there are some who won’t approve of quiet songs on an album like this, but this song really works with the atmosphere of the album, and this doesn’t show Warrior becoming softer – it shows him opening his vision and ambition.

There’s no real point in going in depth with every song, because there are no faults here. Every track here is beautifully realized, and wonderfully executed. I cannot think of a track on this album that would disappoint any metal head. But I still say this, I don’t think the CD has quite the impact Monotheist did. With Triptykon, we mostly knew what to expect. It’s possible that adding something a bit more revolutionary would have been a better move. This album will come as no shock to those who have listened to Celtic Frost‘s brilliant Monotheist. Both in the style and the sheer, glimmering quality that this CD shines through your speakers. I find it impossible for any fan of Monotheist to find any disappointment in this CD. Truly a triumph. Twenty five years on and Warrior is still contributing the best of metal to the whole metal scene, and Eparistera Daimones proves he’s just as relevant as he was back then.

Poisonblack // Of Rust and Bones
Rating: 2.0/5.0 — Boring.
Label: Century Media
Websites: poisonblack.com | myspace.com/officialpoisonblack
Release Dates: EU: 22.03.2010 | US: 03.23.2010

In the wake of Sentenced it’s no surprise that Poisonblack has continued strong, with support from fans of the previous band and has become bigger and bigger in Finland and throughout the world. Many miss the tongue-in-cheek depression that went hand-in-hand with later Sentenced records, at the same time as missing the band that once was. Of Rust and Bones, the new Poisonblack record (the band that features former Sentenced vocalist Ville Laihiala) basically continues on with the Sentenced legacy of mid-paced heavy metal with depressing lyrics, but doesn’t do it with the same kind of conviction or freshness that was embodied by the former band.

By now, I’m sure the band is sick and tired of Sentenced comparisons and, as a reviewer, one is always aware of the fact that certain kind of comparisons are lazy and/or inappropriate. But, like Bruce Dickinson will never escape Iron Maiden (and vice versa), Ville Laihiala was the voice of what was probably one of the greatest bands in Finnish history. So listening to this album its really hard to not think back to later Sentenced material and do the comparisons, and frankly, this isn’t far off. Think about it: it’s mid-paced heavy metal, simplistic riffs and chord progressions. The vocals are the focus of this music, and while Poisonblack has longer songs and is less pop-oriented than, say, The Cold Blue Light was, it is still remarkably similar.

From “My Sun Shines Black” to “The Last Song”, Poisonblack produces markedly similar riffs, vocal melodies and content to Sentenced, but with none of the same energy that existed. To sum it up with one word, the music is boring. It’s basically just a bunch of rehashed heavy metal riffs, rock beats and self-depreciating lyrics. The formula seems pretty simple and the band doesn’t move too far away from it, though some interesting song craftsmanship does actually happen here and there. For the most part, however, the rehashed feel pretty much pervades track after track, turning the record into more of a slog through boredom than an enjoyable listen.

Fundamentally Poisonblack is still stuck on blues-based 70s and 80s hard rock, with the verses for every song just be vehicles for a big, catchy chorus. And that works for them, and if you like that kind of thing you will probably love this. But just like the myriads of bands who are fundamentally stuck on this sound and can’t seem to ever really update it, Poisonblack seems more mired in a rut than anything. One can only write the same song so many times before the boredom starts to set in personally—and that’s pretty much how this sounds. Tired. Bored. Maybe depressed because of too much Koskenkorva and too little sunlight, but whatever the reason, it’s still not compelling.

‘Course, could be that I just don’t get it. I am, indeed, Angry Metal Guy not Sad Metal Guy. Fans of later Sentenced and gothic rock are encouraged to check this band out, but it’s definitely not something I’ll be spinning again. Ever.

Dark Tranquillity // We Are the Void
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — Dark and brooding, very good but with some miscues
Label: Century Media
Websites: darktranquillity.com | myspace.com/dtofficial
Release Dates: EU: 01.03.2010 | US: 03.09.2010

Dark Tranquillity is a living legend. Don’t kid yourselves: they’re a band that has managed to maintain their credibility in a scene where many of the bands that have stayed around have lost that credibility (see: In Flames). They have consistently put out good records, even into their less progressive era, that excite their fanbase and and attract new fans with their catchy melodies, creative arrangements and the energy of their music. There are, however, two sides to Dark Tranquillity‘s music. The first is a fast, heavy melodic style of thrashy death metal that has long been associated with them and the Gothenburg death metal scene. The second, and the part that has long appealed to us personally, is the blackness and dark emotional content that borders on gothic metal. We Are the Void embodies both of these sides and may be the darkest album the band has produced since the much-maligned Projector.

On a structural level We are the Void is quite similar to Fiction. The production is thick and loud, with the drums moved into the higher, tinny range in order to facilitate hearing them. There is a certain lifelessness that’s been on both of these last two records that I don’t like very much. However, the tones on this record are better than on Fiction, even if they don’t live up to the production on Damage Done and Character. The tracks are generally more chuggy with the keyboard creeping in heavier than ever on this album—thickening up the choruses on  nearly every track and being used to great effect in nearly every song. On top of that, the melodious, harmonized Iron Maiden meets Slayer kind of guitar work has lessened over the years and is even less visible on We Are the Void than on any previous record.  Instead, this style has been replaced instead by breakdowns and stop time riffs like the introduction to “The Fatalist” or the main riff from “The Grand Accusation”. The songs are generally slower across the board and lacking the blast beats that were also more common on previous releases.

We Are the Void does not need the trappings of old Dark Tranquillity tracks to be good, however. Instead, where it differentiates itself is in the dark, almost gothic approach to the tracks that we haven’t heard from the band since Projector. I don’t think we’ve heard as much of Mikael Stanne’s clean vocals, a beautiful baritone tone that fits the darker, slower music very well, as much since Projector—which was unfortunately ripped to shreds by the band’s more elitist fans in the late 90s. But it is these dark, Moonspellesque tracks like “Her Silent Language”, “The Grandest Accusation” and “Iridium” where the band feels fresh, honest and where the real energy is to be found. The final crescendo of “Iridium” only being outdone by the dour, haunting “Arkhangelsk” which borders on Dimmu Borgir or Borknagar territory on the chorus with its use of keyboards and gothic dissonance.

Bringing it all together, We Are the Void is a record that starts out weak, but gets stronger and stronger by the end; reaching its emotional peak on the track “Iridium” and leaving the listener desirous of more. Unlike previous DT albums, which are always fun to listen to because the guitar work and the speedy pace, this record hooked us with its emotional content and feel—which unfortunately cheapened some of the faster tracks and made them feel out of place. This isn’t entirely the case, there are some fantastic faster and more technical parts as well, like the introduction to “In My Absense” and the bridge of “Her Silent Language”, that are more reminiscent of times gone by, but there is a sense that the band maybe just needs to back off that sound for a while to recharge those batteries and put out music that really shows off that inner void that Stanne is screaming about.

Orphaned Land have produced the video for the first track on their new album The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR and it’s up on the interwebs! It’s actually pretty good, and I don’t really like videos that much.