I’d been holding off on writing this review because, well, to be frank I’m no grind expert. While I have a working knowledge of most genres and pretty deep knowledge in a several, grind is not one of them. In full disclosure, I’ve not listened to the classics (except Carcass and Napalm Death and Nasum), and I’m probably even fucking up genres when I have discussions about what I think the classics are. So, to pretend to be authoritative on the subject would be disingenuous—at best. Against my better judgement, when I got Aborted‘s Global Flatline I decided that I should review it anyway. But after listening to it about 10 times I realized I wasn’t quite sure how to put what I thought of it, which is kind of my.. job. So, that’s kind of awkward. I went back and listened to the band’s older material

Global Flatline, though, is kind of what you expect goregrind to be. It’s fast, loaded with pummeling riff after pummeling riff that… (let’s say…) pummels the listener into submission. Interspliced throughout the records are horror film clips that seem to range from the slightly sick to the truly grotesque. The feeling of utter depravity and musical extremity are contained within and the lyrics are also of a distinctly sick and extreme approach. While intro and outro “Omega Mortis” and “Endstille” are less shocking, the in between tracks like “Fecal Forgery,” “From a Tepid Whiff” and “Expurgation Europhoria” should give any curious listener a sense of what they’re in for. Unless this is “obviously metaphorical for the way the government and capitalism has continually raped the public at-large,” I’m guessing that Aborted isn’t exactly packing a lot of intellectual heft in these lyrics (assuming that’s your thing at all).

Instead, Global Flatline is unabashedly heavy, fast and riffy. The songs are short bursts of screaming energy (not much longer than 4 minutes ever and usually around 2:50), with healthy heaps of trem-picking, blast beats and a variety of vocal approaches. Between gurgles, growls, screams and layered combinations of these all, the variety of vocals helps to spice up the tracks with different textures and patterns. There are groovy death metal moments like at the end of “Vermicular, Obscene, Obese” and the beginning of “Expurgation Europhoria” that actually reminds me of some of Vomitory or Bloodbath‘s more doomy parts. Tracks like “From a Tepid Whiff,” “The Origin of Disease” and well, take your pick really, meet the listener head on with a more direct and violent approach with less groove and more brutality. And the final track “Endstille,” which is probably not the favorite of most of the band’s old school fanbase but is one of my favorite on the disc, is unapologetically melodic and mid-paced.

So, while the record conforms exactly to what you expect it to conform to, it’s also immensely enjoyable. The songs are good and they bring you back again and again. And while the soundclips from different films feel a tad cliché at this point, it works well in this context (and “I am become death” quote has already been used once this year). So, sure, I’m no expert, but I really dug this album. Is it better than the last one that seemed to piss everyone off? Yeah, I think so. Is it as good as their earlier stuff? From what I heard, sure it is. But I’m not the one who will dictate which material is classic or not. It’s a kick ass death grind record full of addictive riffs, offensive lyrics and disgusting imagery. What more could you actually ask for?

Related posts:

1. Decaying – Encirclement Review
2. Iron Fire – Voyage of the Damned Review
3. Eluveitie – Helvetios Review

Lacuna Coil is a band that I used to like pretty well. I’ve seen them live a few times and I thought they put on pretty good shows and I have a lot of respect for them as a hardworking touring band. Musically, though, I think they’ve been pretty hit and miss. While I enjoy In A Reverie, Unleashed Memories and liked a few songs off of Comalies, their modern sound has developed into something that is really quite derivative of the American nü metal trend—and specifically their last record Shallow Life was produced in a way that sounded exactly like Linkin Park and was entirely unlistenable to these ears. So I have to say that it was with consternation that I elected to start listening to this album in the first place. 

But it’s important to remember that Lacuna Coil has three records that I enjoy, as well, and opening track (and single) “Trip the Darkness” shows why. While male vocalist Andrea Ferro drones on in his redundancy, Cristina’s chorus parts are really fantastic and the song has hooks and grooves that are enjoyable. The production is a huge step up from the last time around, as well. While thick, it isn’t overly based on a slappy, trebly bass sound and the guitars sound chunky and meaty as hell and seem more active (hell, there’s even a guitar solo in “Against You”—when did that happen last?). I was actually very encouraged by this track because I really enjoyed it pretty well. It’s not as strong an opener as say “Swamped” was, but it certainly was listenable.

Dark Adrenaline as a whole, however, is almost binary in its character. On the one hand, there’s Cristina Scabbia who I really love—she’s got a fantastic voice, dark presence and an excellent melodic sense. Sometimes she gets this great sharp tone or even harder edge that kind of reminds me of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs that I really dig (like on “Fire,” “Intoxicated” or “Upside Down”). Her vocals lift songs that are not particularly interesting musically with fantastic performances and beautiful melodies. The two aforementioned tracks are examples of this, but her verse performances on the otherwise banal-as-hell “Don’t Believe In Tomorrow” offer sprinklings of color into the drab gray of the track. Without her, this band could never, ever survive.

On the other side is the ridiculously banal and irritating Andrea Ferro who is more of a disservice to the band than anything else I can think of. His melodies and performances are totally skippable. Not only that, but he seems to get stuck with the worst of the ESL and childish lyrics and some of these get super embarrassing (“I cross the line / the walk of shame / I hear the church bells through the acid rain”—though, in his defense, Cristina has her fair share of lyrics not fit to have been written by adults). Musically, the band seems to live or die with whoever is singing over them. When Cristina is singing, I forget about them, and when Andrea is singing, I can’t stop thinking about how boring they are. What they’re doing has its moments, some cool ideas, some great hooks, but a lot of the hooks feel forced (at best) and the music is simplistic as hell.

Dark Adrenaline offers you nothing you’ve never heard from Lacuna Coil before and, honestly, it does it way less convincingly than the band’s first three records. While I recognize that we’ll never get screamy vocals back and that these guys have more success now than they ever would had they continued in that vein, I can’t help but be amazed by how a band that has become so remarkably uninteresting is still so popular! While it has its good parts and tracks like “Fire,” “Intoxicated” and “Trip the Darkness,” these moments are offset by the filler, the crappy lyrics and a ridiculously terrible cover of REM‘s classic track “Losing My Religion”. If you don’t know what you’re getting into, pass on this one. If you do, well, you’ve been warned, better than the last record but .. well, not good.

Related posts:

1. Dark Fortress – Ylem Review
2. Dark Tranquillity – We Are the Void Review
3. Insomnium – Across the Dark

I’m part of a small minority of metal fans that heard of Finland’s Fall of the Leafe and loved what they did. Although they began life as a black metal band, they eventually morphed into a unique type of progressive gothic metal and their 2005 Vantage album is one of my all time favorites. It had a special, moody atmosphere that I return to often (largely due to the strange but brilliant vocal work of Toumas Tuominen). Sadly, the Leafe called it a day in 2007 and their compelling style was silenced. However, from the acorn of the great Leafe arose The Man-Eating Tree, another interesting forest-themed entity with Tuominen on vocals and many of the same winning characteristics and flavor. Their 2010 album Vine was a pleasantly moody, typically Finnish exercise in melancholy gothic rock/metal and their sophomore followup Harvest is more of the same but even better. The songwriting is tighter, more focused and immediate, the moods are more pronounced and honest and the whole album clicks in a way that recalls the finer moments of Fall of the Leafe without plagiarizing their sound completely. Although most similar to Fall of the Leafe, there are also flashes of Sentenced (same drummer), lighter Opeth and late-period Katatonia. This is not a very heavy album and at times, the material barely has anything to do with metal. Even the most aggressive material here won’t rattle teeth or inspire a raised fist. The sound is more about darkened, somber moods, not exactly doom but clearly not happy either. Regardless, this is a great album and deserves to be heard by anyone who likes dark rock overflowing with mood and emotion. 

The slow, somber strains of intro “Harvest Bell” sets the tableau of things to come and reveals the palette the Tree will be painting with. It’s a great lead in to “At the Green Country Chapel,” which is an instantly likeable, gloomy rocker with a simple, honest chorus that worms into the grey matter. Tuominen’s vocals are as mournful and mysterious as ever. If you’ve never heard him, he has a rich, soulful style, restrained but exuding emotion (mostly sadness) and he makes any material better for his contributions. The guitars shift from edgy and semi-crunchy to softer and peaceful and everything is steeped in morose vibes. Harvest is loaded with songs of similar quality and the one-two punch of “Code of Surrender” (extra emotive vocals with thick riffing) and “Armed” (outstanding vocals hooks and best song overall IMHO) is sure to convince listeners what these chaps have to offer. Elsewhere, the doomy plod of “Exhaled” is complimented by emotionally raw, anguished vocals which can’t help but touch a nerve. The cover of Type O Negative‘s “Everything Dies” is another standout and maintains the original’s tragically brilliant gallows charm and even surpasses it in some ways.

This is one of those albums that works best as a whole but one can take away “singles” as well. Of the eleven songs, all work well and there’s a nice flow throughout. One song melts into the next and there’s always that overhanging sense of loss and sadness. While there isn’t an enormous variety in tempo or dynamic, the nuances from track to track keep things from getting too samey or boring and the writing is very solid.

As one might guess from the above, Tuominen is the driving force and the secret weapon to the Tree‘s sound. His riven, heartbroken vocals work magic on each and every tune and he really sounds on the verge of slitting his wrists. Janne Markus and Antti Karhu shine as well with some beautiful, haunting and spacey fret-work. The morose solo at 4:33 of “Like Mute Companions” is touching and rings of personal loss. Elsewhere, “Down to the Color of an Eye” and “Incendere” have trilling riffs that remind of Insomnium. Rounding out the Tree sound properly are the understated but effective keys from Heidi Maatta and a crisp, sharp production with a satisfying low-end thump to it.

This type of melodic downer-metal/rock clearly won’t work for everyone but it’s exceptionally well done and I’m eating it up like chocolate covered bacon (mmmmmmm, bacon). Fans of Fall of the Leafe or other goth-influenced melodic metal would be well advised to spin this and let it soak into the soil of the mind. It’s both beautifully dark and darkly beautiful and that kind of quality doesn’t grow on every man-eating tree. Be sure to check out Fall of the Leafe’s Vantage too, you won’t be sorry!

Related posts:

1. Insomnium – One for Sorrow Review
2. Ghost Brigade – Until Fear No Longer Defines Us
3. Svart Crown – Witnessing the Fall Review

2011 might as well be dubbed the year of Swedish Retro Death. Band after loathsome band has burst from the underground to pay rancid homage to genre legends like Entombed, Dismember and Grave. Despite the sheer volume of the stuff, Steel Druhm has remained supportive and for the most part, the trend hasn’t worn out its welcome. Now we get Vallenfyre‘s debut full length from a veritable death metal super group featuring members of Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Cradle of Filth. With such a pedigree, it shouldn’t be too surprising when A Fragile King has everything you would reasonably expect from a Swedish death album. It’s chunky, thick, nasty and vile. It’s an ode to all things Entombed with a sizeable injection of Celtic Frosty goodness as well. At times, its so much like the immortal Left Hand Path it’s uncanny, yet it also brings in plenty of dire dirges to shake things up. This MOFO was conceived in unholy sin, birthed in ungodly filth and raised on bloody carnage. There’s a guitar sound heavy enough to fracture your vertebrae and vocals so grisly they’ll disturb the deranged. But, you rightly ask, is it actually good? Oh yes, it’s really good! This is unapologetically retro and doesn’t strive for innovation but it nails home the tried-and-true Swedish sound with the subtlety of a Panzer division. How this will sit with you depends entirely on your tolerance for more Swedish death. If 2011 has fed you all the old-time death you can stomach, move along and I won’t think less of you. If not, belly up to the death buffet and chow down on this meatloaf of the damned.

As soon as the guitars roar to unlife in opener “All Will Suffer,” you know you are in for a harrowing experience. The basic Sunlight Studios guitar tone is there but sounds even more murky and raw that it did back in the salad days of the style. The tempo is slow to mid-paced and the riffing will remind old-timers of the pummeling might of Celtic Frost. One hell of an opener for sure. “Desecration” ups the speed and throws in creepy, slithering riff patterns and mournful, forlorn solos not unlike those heard on the first Entrails album (listen at 3:57 for a very moody, glum example). Elsewhere, songs like “Cathedrals of the Dread” and “Seeds” feature super doom riffs  of Trouble and Saint Vitus proportions accompanied by raucous death metal. “Seeds” in particular works very well as a creepy, doom-death gem. Numbers like “Black Siberia” and “The Divine Have Fled”  go right for the classic Entombed playbook and get it pretty close to perfect. At no point are things technical, progressive or clean. It’s all raw, dirty and crushingly heavy. The writing is crisp, the songs all have memorable aspects to them and there’s plenty of variety in tempo and dynamics.

The guitars are the guts of Vallenfyre and the ridiculously heavy riffing is admirably rendered by Hamish Hamiliton Glencross (My Dying Bride) and a gentleman simply known as Mully. The tone is gigantic,   hideous and the riffing will give   you the sensation of being run over by an armored column, which later backs over your corpse just to be dicks. Gregor Macintosh’s (Paradise Lost) death croaks are low, phlegmy and very convincing (this album is his attempt to work through some personal tragedy and loss). His bellowing, along with the relentless sledgehammer riffing will cause you to feel a touch of bell’s palsy in and around the facial area (it’s just a partial paralysis). The production is solid, nicely raw and basically serves to amp up the guitar buzz to insane levels of sonic abuse. It’s distortion for distortion’s sake and I never argue with that (it’s death metal, after all).

At the end of the day, there’s a shelf life to the whole Swedish death retro wave and its expiration date is drawing ever nearer. I love the sound, I love the style and I really enjoyed most of the retro releases this year, including this one. But, even I can’t handle the volume with which this stuff is currently propagating. However, I have no hesitation recommending this platter of plague and pain. It’s brutal, skull cracking music done by vets of extreme music, for fans of extreme music. Ponderous man, fucking ponderous.

Related posts:

1. Blood Mortized – Bestial Review
2. Demonical – Death Infernal Review
3. Cryptborn – Into the Grasp of the Starving Dead

It’s no secret that right now my favorite band in the world is Orphaned Land. And if it was a secret, I guess it’s not really a secret anymore. Orphaned Land does what no other band alive does and they do it so very, very well. Mabool was fantastic, but 2010′s The Never Ending Way of OR’WarriOR was my record of the year and is really my standard for what a modern progressive metal record should be like. The mix and production from Steven Wilson was excellent, the song writing was tremendous and it’s one of the very few records over about 45 or 50 minutes that I can even handle these days. So I was super pumped when I got a promo copy of the band’s DVD The Road to OR-Shalem. I’m not a huge fan of DVDs, as I’ve said in the past, but this one is definitely worth your time—both as fans and non-fans. 

One thing that has happened recently in DVD trends in metal is that instead of doing a monster box like Amon Amarth did, bands have been going home to their home crowds and filming there. So we got Amorphis in Finland last year and Sonata Arctica there this year. And that’s great! But this is different. Having Orphaned Land play a club show in Tel Aviv makes this DVD truly special. First, because the band can interact in Hebrew, but also because the fans are just so fucking die hard and the feeling is immense. While the direction of the DVD is pretty good but bordering a bit on frantic (so many fast cuts—it’s like Steve Harris edited it himself), part of what makes this DVD so cool is just the crowd that’s so in love with this band.

Depending on how long you’ve been a fan of the band, the setlist might be a bit of a bummer, on the other hand. In the main, edited concert DVD there’s only a handful of songs older than Mabool, and most of that appears to have been pushed to the bonus material (and one of them is performed by Steven Wilson—and the rendition is a letdown)—which could be seen as a bit of a shame. As I’d have preferred that they just played ORwarriOR from start to finish and then done the songs from Mabool as the encore, I wasn’t too upset by it. And the band was in such good form that it was less about what they were playing and more about just watching them play—which is a blast.

Seeing the band’s personality live is part of the fun of this because I’ve never seen them live. There were a few things that stood out for me. First, Yossi Sassi Sa’aron, the lead guitar player, has to be the happiest man alive. It’s kind of a weird thing, but watching him play, you get this feeling that he just can’t think of anything else in the entire world that he’d rather be doing and it’s a bit infectious, even if it’s a tad silly. This is not to say that Kobi (vocalist), Uri (bass) and Matti (rhythm guitar) aren’t awesome to watch, but Yossi kind of steals the show for me (followed closely by drummer Matan who is a true showman, given that he’s behind a kit). In any case, the band plays with great precision and passion that coupled the way that the crowd reacted.

DVDs are often made by their extras, however, and I really thought that The Road to OR-Shalem was made by the documentary and the extra songs that weren’t included. Yehuda Poliker‘s tracks with the band were very cool, and Matan’s drum solo was actually really entertaining. But the documentary was probably the most interesting. First, seeing the old footage from back when these guys were just pups (they were so little!) was definitely cool. But also, hearing them express their influences and how they came to the point where Orphaned Land went from being something pretty alright and fairly interesting to being something really amazingly unique and cool (the difference, in my opinion, between El Norra Alila and Mabool). Hearing, too, their views on religion and politics (something that was expressed in my interview with Kobi as well) was interesting. And getting to hear it expressed by all the members of the band and their Arab Muslim fans was definitely cool because it is what makes this band not only awesome but transcendent.

The Road to OR-Shalem is something that every Orphaned Land fan should probably own. It’s a really great production with a fantastic setlist, cool surprises and catches the best band in metal in 2011 at the height of their career. In a globalized world, Orphaned Land is spearheading a movement of smart, interesting metal with a very different feel from it’s Northern peers and that’s what makes it so damned special. This DVD encompasses and embodies that. It’s a very cool package, and I rarely say that about DVDs or live albums.

Related posts:

1. Orphaned Land – The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR Review
2. Orphaned Land Post a New Track on Myspace and get Confirmed for Wacken!
3. Two Weeks Late.. but better than never..

Once considered the ”other Amorphis“ due to the style and sound of their well regarded debut In the Halls of Awaiting, Insomnium have since evolved into one of the premier melo-death units in operation. Along with fellow Fins Omnium Gatherum, they’ve been steadfastly keeping the melo-death banner flying and the style alive and viable. In fact, no one is doing this style better, as One for Sorrow and Omnium Gatherum‘s ginormous New World Shadows  amply demonstrate. Both albums employ hyper-melodic guitar-work alongside sub-woofer blowing death vocals and both shroud everything with the melancholy and sadness that seems to seep from the very ground of Finland. Over the course of four albums, Insomnium has churned out consistently high quality melo-death of this nature with very few stylistic shifts or changes. This has, at times, made their material feel a bit samey and can give the impression of roaming over well worn ground. While this was never a big issue for me personally, those concerns are still present here as they continue to hone their tried-and-true sound to a razor edge. Insomnium gives you ten new tracks of excellently melodic death that incorporates doom and elements of old Amorphis, classic In Flames, Brave Murder Day era Katatonia and Noumena. While there are no surprises, this is some great, emotionally powerful music and exactly the kind of listening material to stockpile as we head into the cold gloom of winter. 

Lead off “Inertia” welcomes you back to the cold, and at times fragile and beautiful sound Insomnium trades in. It begins with haunting, somber guitars and spoken word vocals that both slowly build the tension before blossoming into their typically melancholy death sound. The leads at 2:55 are melodic, mournful and excellently done. Things get more urgent with “Through the Shadows” which sounds exactly like material off New World Shadows and showcases that same style of frilly, trillingly melodic guitar harmonies alongside guttural death vox and clean singing segments. As melodic as it gets, there’s that ever present feeling of sadness and doom that have become the calling cards for Finnish melo-death. Its a great song with top-notch riffing and melodic leads. “Song of the Blackest Bird” keeps the quality flowing with more beautiful harmonies juxtaposed with Amon Amarthy battle riffs and nods to Tales From the Thousand Lakes era Amorphis (check out the harmonies at 2:o2 and the morose soloing beginning at 5:31). “Only One Who Waits” mixes extra aggression with an H.I.M. influence and it works exceedingly well. Other highlights include the surprisingly catchy “Regain the Fire” and the plodding and emotional title track. All the songs are classy and scream quality melo-death. There’s a ton of emotion in the writing and playing and as with prior works, that emotion is sadness and despair. This is music perfectly suited for days spent staring out the window watching the falling snow whilst lost in dark reflections.

As far as musical performance, 90% of the success and appeal of Insomnium depends on the ability of Ville Friman and Ville Vanni to craft a host of memorably melodic riffs and solos. They accomplish that mission   admirable and One for Sorrow is relplete with hooks and winning guitar riffery. Every song has its share and the album has a nice ebb and flow from faster to slower, more doomy material. There’s enough shifts in tempos to keep things interesting and more than enough atmosphere. Niilo Sevanen’s death roar is well done and always sounds great laid over the melody lines. His clean singing isn’t the best ever but it adequate and doesn’t hinder the material. The production is exceptional but not too clean or polished. The instruments are clear, the guitars sound great and the vocals are mixed in perfectly.

While I’ve enjoyed every Insomnium album, I admit to being a little underwhelmed by 2009′s Across the Dark  (as was AMG). One for Sorrow is a solid step forward and in my opinion, a superior album. It may not redefine what they’ve been doing or offer something new but it’s them at their best and that’s enough for me. If you liked their prior platters or Omnium Gatherum‘s New World Shadows, buy this with confidence. Then, get thee to a window and await the impending snowfalls. Winter is coming.

Related posts:

1. Insomnium – Across the Dark
2. Omnium Gatherum – New World Shadows Review
3. The Man-Eating Tree – Harvest Review

I know I’m late. Sure, this review isn’t coming out weeks ahead of time, and pretty much no one is looking for In Flames reviews now as it was leaked early and most everyone has already had a chance to hear the new record Sounds of a Playground Fading. For me, however, this is a record that needed some reviewing. See, I used to be a big In Flames fan. Their early albums rate among my favorite melodic death metal records of all time and they really defined and did that sound—their sound—as well as it can be done (I guess that’s a little redundant). But I, like many fans, became remarkably disillusioned with the band after Reroute to Remain. There is an irony that the year that record was released, Gothenburg took Ozzfest by storm—as well as a host of metalcore bands that sounded just like In Flames… had.

Since then, I’ve been remarkably unimpressed with the band’s output. The movement back towards a heavier sound has not been particularly successful, and the sickly sweet melody that really defined the band’s sound through Colony kind of disappeared along the introduction of a distressingly oversized dose of Anders’ new Jonathan Davis-like whines. But every time they release a record, I always feel a bit of nostalgia and hope. A hope that maybe this time In Flames will regain that magic they once had. With a name like Sounds of a Playground Fading, though, one gets the feeling that this record will be anything but.

Yeah, that gut instinct you had? It’s right. Sounds of a Playground Fading is exactly that. If In Flames‘ early material was their playground—the place where they spent their youth, crafting friendships and getting drunk on the merry-go-round—this record is one step further towards the old folks home of metal. Joining Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Slayer and a myriad of others with releases that lack fire, spunk, new ideas or anything beyond a few minor glimmers of what once was there. Still, what may be more frustrating about Sounds of a Playground Fading is that there are some really good moments and some very shiny glimmers of hope that really make this album even more painful than the last couple have been for me.

For me, the biggest, most heinous negative on this record is Anders’ vocal performance. He really topped himself for bad on this album. With the exception of a few screams here and there (kinda on “The Puzzle,” “Darker Times,” “Enter Tragedy” and a smattering of others), most of this record is made up of his monotone scream-sing. I cannot think of a vocal style that is more boring or distracting from what is otherwise passable music. When he actually sings it’s actually less annoying than it used to be, he’s even momentarily good on the closing track “Liberation,” even if the track does wander a tad too far into stadium rock for my tastes. But he really doesn’t do a lot of singing, instead he sort of drones-screams on a tone. This creates vaguely tonal melodies that inspire a desire for ear plugs and not much else. And why does he do this? Because melodic death metal requires screams. See, when melody is carried on a guitar it’s very hard to sing over it. But when you sing, then the guitars need to be more simple and chord based. Anders clearly doesn’t want to scream anymore, but neither does the band write music that allows him to actually carry melody with his voice (with the exception of “Liberation”). This leads to a conflict that kills almost every single song on this album.

The songwriting here, for me, is a step up from the last few releases. There are some truly interesting parts on here, particularly when they break out that almost Hendrix style tone and do a little guitar noodling. I love the experimentation with strings on “A New Dawn,” which mind you, also has some of the best heavy riffing on the record. The aforementioned “Liberation” sees the band experimenting with pop rock and the track is pretty good, while the single “Deliver Us” and its follow-up “All For Me” have some sticky, memorable riffs—the currency of In Flames in dreamy ages past. Of course, a shout out for good memorable solos is in order—as In Flames‘ solos have rarely disappointed and they haven’t started now. There really are glimmers of hope on every track. But then there’s a whiney lumberjack droning over top of them. Hitting that message home again and again: “The merry-go-round is broken. Go the fuck home.”

So while there is some good that can be taken away from this, I’m left cold. Will fans who liked the last few records like this record? Probably: though, I’ve heard some rumblings that the vocals piss people off. But I think that if you have liked post-Clayman In Flames, this record will probably appeal to you. If, however, you’ve been standing around waiting for In Flames to rediscover their pre-Clayman fire, it’s time to look back to your record collections, because Sounds of a Playground Fading is just one step further away from the days of yore. I honestly can’t think of a band that more accurately titles their albums than In Flames. I guess, that’s a positive.

Related posts:

1. Manilla Road – Playground of the Damned Review
2. The Top 5 Records of 2011 that We Wish We Could Unhear
3. Arise – The Reckoning Review

Looks like the Amott brothers are back in town. That town being Gothenburg (as in the “Gothenburg style”) and their band is the long running Arch Enemy, purveyors of slick, polished, (and some would say soulless) melodic death. Khaos Legion is their eighth full length and the first since 2007′s Rise of the Tyrant (not counting their 2009 re-recording of material). I was a supporter during their early years but with the Wages of Sin album, things took a turn and never felt the same. Although I gave subsequent releases a spin or two, by and large I wasn’t interested in their overly clinical, sterile and generic brand of death metal for the unwashed masses. With this track record of vaguely condescending ambivalence, I approached Khaos Legions with low expectations and much to my surprise, this isn’t all that bad. It’s certainly going to raise some eyebrows though because its much more melodic, mellow and restrained. While there are a few “heavy” songs, this is almost like a power metal album at times (albeit with death vocals). While there’s nowhere near enough death here to satisfy most fans of that genre, the more family friendly approach results in some enjoyable, lightweight quasi-power metal that will amuse some (while royally pissing off many).

After the overlong intro, the first sample if 2011 Arch Enemy is “Yesterday is Dead and Gone” which starts off in a familiar but tamer style. The song has plenty of Angela Gossow’s adequate but unexceptional death shouts, some semi-interesting riffing and of course there’s no shortage of the usual Amott guitar pyrotechnics and classy solos. One of these classy leads plays over the chorus and its such a winner that it saves the song from mediocrity. After that, Khaos Legions goes on a respectable run of quality songs with some new flavors. “Bloodstained Cross” has a Slayer/Testament feel to the riffs and a surprisingly slow, melodic chorus that’s amplified once again by solid fretwork. Then things take a decided turn for the lighter side. “Under Black Wings We March” could easily have appeared on a Brainstorm or Symphorce album if you dumped the death vocals. It’s power metal all day long and its actually very good. Pushing things even further, “No Gods, No Masters” sounds like mid-period Stratovarius with death vocals. It’s got that same hooky style with the stadium rock leads playing off the vocals. Even with Angela’s screeching and grunting, it works well and may be the highlight of the album. After that, they try to toughen things up and “Through the Eyes of a Raven” has a vaguely Amon Amarth vibe and its memorable and entertaining in a Viking-lite way. Elsewhere, they try their hand at blackened death with “Cruelty Without Beauty” and once again its more hit than miss.

Sadly, the Amotts can’t keep the magic going and the second half of Khaos Legions is less engaging. Later tracks like “Cult of Chaos,” “Thorns In My Flesh” and “City of the Dead” signify an unwanted return to the generic Arch Enemy of old and the quality levels sags accordingly. That isn’t to say the songs don’t all have moments of inspired Amott guitar wizardry but I found myself wading through generic riffing and uninspired grunting as I waited for the next fretboard gymnastics moment. There’s too much cookie cutter chug chug riffing between the epic solos and that isn’t what makes for a good song.

Another issue is the “modern” production and overly clean, crisp guitar tone. There’s absolutely no edge or danger to it. While this isn’t so noticeable on the pseudo power metal songs, when they try to go all hard and deathy, it simply doesn’t sound convincing. Polish is one thing but this production polished the heavy and the death right off the damn table.

This is the first Arch Enemy album I’ve found palatable since 99′s Burning Bridges and although it won’t rip your face off and leave you beaten and bloody (try Hate Eternal‘s new one for that joyful experience), the strange power metal/death fusion  is worth a casual looksee. I doubt I’ll be listening to this a year from now but for the time being it will get some selected track play. By the way, the album cover looks like a cheesy Xbox game doesn’t it?

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Israel is a weird scene. Actually, a lot like the South African scene that we’ve done quite a few reviews of here on Angry Metal Guy, it feels like the Israeli scene is another one of those scenes that lacks a cohesive sound. Having produced Orphaned Land and Winterhorde as well as the much darker Salem, the bands and music doesn’t seem to have coalesced around a specific regionalized ‘sound.’ Sonne Adam shows that this is definitely the case, as they produce dark, atmospheric doom and old school death metal. To be frank, I’m fucking astounded that this record is coming out on Century Media at all. There is nothing even remotely commercial about Sonne Adam. Though, I guess the same is true of label mates Triptykon.

What do I mean by that? Well, Transformation, similar to Triptykon‘s Eparistera Daimones, is deathy or grindy doom. This record is crunchy, old school death metal with drums and rapsy vocals that sound like they were recorded in a metal nuclear fall out shelter or something. Everything is just laced with tinny reverb and the guitars have a thick, ugly tone. I’m not sure what these guys are tuned to, but if this isn’t 7 strings downtuned, then they’ve done a fantastic job of making everything as thick and sticky as possible here.

And the tracks contained within aren’t immediately catchy, but they burrow in under your skin like some kind of alien insect and get into your system and once you’ve let that happen, it’s hard to stop listening. “We Who Worship the Black” starts off the record on such a note, with a riff that screams Morbid Angel circa Covenant and is quickly followed up by “I Sing His Words,” another track of pure fucking evil that pummels away at the listener with thick, heavy drums that sound acoustic (but the bass drums might be replaced) a wandering melody that is remarkably sticky in spite of its presentation.

Despite the doomy approach, however, they don’t write long songs. The final track “Apocalypse” is the longest at 5:57 and it also sports possibly one of the coolest riffs on the whole record before falling into characteristic trem picking that is reminiscent of early Norwegian black metal bands. However, shortly after they jump back into the old school death metal riffing. But the whole record is like this; remarkably old school, at the same time feeling almost like ‘blackened’ death metal, laced with blasting and trem picking and lyrics that reek of evil. And it’s hard, despite there being similarities to bands here and there, to make strong comparisons without feeling like it does Sonne Adam a disfavor.

All of that said, this stuff is hard for me at times. I have to be in a very specific moment to really get into this, and while I can appreciate that this is well done I’m not really sure that it’s going to stick with me for too long or end up on my end of year list or anything. So, let’s say this. If what you’re into is atmospheric, doomy death metal then Transformation is for you. These guys will get under the skin of fans of drone and crust, as well because the music is evil, it’s crusty and it’s raw. Like I said, that this is even on Century Media just blows me away because these guys can’t have a high profit margin, but good on them for signing something really heavy and that feels extreme. Sonne Adam will appeal to fans of Hooded Menace, Triptykon, old Morbid Angel or well anything atmospheric, riffy, and slow.

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I’m sure most know the history of The Haunted and how they formed from the ashes of the legendary At The Gates. Despite my love for At The Gates, I never fully understood the stellar press and support The Haunted received and always felt they were one of the most overrated bands on the planet. Eventually they started to drift toward a more metalcore style and I lost the limited interest I had in them. Now they’re back with album seven Unseen and they’ve left their thrash days in the dust, probably for good. Instead, they deliver a strange, directionless mess of experimentation, emo angst, nu-metal and alt-rock. It’s clear they’re writing only for themselves and could care less what their fans expect or hope for at this point. While that’s admirable from an artistic perspective, when the results are this tedious and uninspiring, it’s both tragic and cringe-inducing. No matter how brave and creative they want to be, at the end of the day they should still be striving to write good music and they seem to have forgotten that here.

This is a schizophrentic album from the start. Lead track “Never Better” starts as a nu-metal dud before morphing into a more alt-rock style with a decently catchy chorus. However, the reek of nu-metal/core can’t be shaken off. The album highlight “No Ghost” sounds a lot like Clutch or Corrosion of Conformity (think “Albatross”) and as strange as it sounds coming from The Haunted, it’s actually a good song. After that the identity crisis or willful attempt to be challenging hits full stride and we get songs with Faith No More influences (“Catch 22″), straight-up angsty emo rock (“Dissapear,” “Unseen” and “All Ends Well”), songs that would fit better in the Foo Fighters catalogue (“Motionless”) and lastly, metalcore with a bit of modern thrash and groove (“The Skull,” “The City” and “Them”). While I have to give them credit for trying to stretch their sound, this ends up trying to go in every direction at once and ultimately just feels lost and scattered. It’s almost like they couldn’t decide what style to pursue so they tried them all. While some songs manage to have memorable bits or a catchy chorus, the overall impression is one of a stylistic train wreck.

In fairness, vocalist Peter Dolving deserves some recognition for fitting into the diverse styles The Haunted explores here. He shows he can be a versatile front man and I was impressed at times by the shades of his performance. Sadly, too much of his vocals still end up being typical metalcore screamo crap which I can’t stand. The guitar work of Patrik Jensen and Anders Björler is disappointingly mediocre on many tracks and only occasionally do they hit upon an inspired riff (“No Ghost” sounds great and the riffing in “The Skull” is OK).

Truth be told, I had a great deal of trouble giving  this album the repeated spins required to be fair. After one listen all I wanted to do was treat it like I treated St Anger and throw it in trash. I did ultimately stick with it and sat through it over and over again to see if things clicked somehow. They didn’t. For people who like metalcore, nu-metal or emo, this may be quite an interesting release. However, Steel Druhm cares not for those styles so to my ears, this is pretty rotten. Although I was never fully enamored with The Haunted, I can now say they will be completely dropped from my musical consciousness forevermore.

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