Angry Metal Guy

It’s hard to make this kind of broad list, I just want to say that from the get-go. How do you do this? Do you choose your favorites, or do you choose the genre defining records? Because saying, for example, that some of the following records are really genre defining wouldn’t be true. On the other hand, these are the records that when I go back and look at the 2000s I think of pretty immediately as some of the best stuff and the things that I keep coming back to.

But the 2000s have been an interesting time for metal in a lot of ways. One of the things that happened was that death metal and death metal-influenced music really hit the mainstream in a lot of ways. For the first time since the 1980s there were larger groups of young people who really started getting into metal and there is an entire generation of musicians who have been influenced by the heavy metal of the 80s and the underground of the 1990s (particularly black and death metal). While I believe that metal is on the ebb again (in a popular music sense) and will once again retreat underground to lick its wounds and come up with something fascinating, interesting and new, the 2000s have been a great time to be a fan of the genre.

This list is going to take a lot of hits. I can already hear some of them, and some of them will come out of left field. But, as usual, I refuse to apologize for my taste. The focus on “magazine metal” bands will probably irritate some, and others will argue that my choices from one genre or another aren’t representative of the best of that genre during the period (specifically death metal in this case). But when I look back on the last 9 years, these are the ones that stand out. And trust me, there’s some stuff that I wish I could get on there, but I didn’t include an honorable mentions section since I expanded the list to 15. But there are some amazing records (Moonsorrow‘s Hävitetty, Anata‘s Under a Stone with No Inscription and The Conductor’s Departure, Agalloch‘s The Mantle, Turisas‘ The Varangian Way, Necrophagist‘s Epitaph, Ásmegin‘s Hin Vordende Sod & Sø, Absu‘s Tara, Rhapsody‘s Power of the Dragonflame, Anathema‘s A Fine Day to Exit, Nile‘s Black Seeds of Vengeance, Otyg‘s Sagovindars Boning, Obscura‘s Cosmogenesis, Watain‘s Sworn to the Dark, Akercocke‘s Antichrist, Enslaved‘s Below the Lights are just a few of my major oversights) that came out during this period that haven’t ended up on this list and I’m aware of that.

Anyway, I hope you find this list enjoyable, shocking, provocative and maybe even dead on. Backwards this time…

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Into the Moat – The Design (Metal Blade, 2005)

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Holy shit,” I thought to myself when I put this record in, “what the fuck is this?” It all got better from there.  Every swirling, sporadic beat on this album is put perfectly into place, so that it’s practically impossible to groove to, but also impossible to turn off.

I think the best way to describe Into the Moat, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the band, is to put it like this.  Imagine that you had the craziest grindcore you can think of (Gore Beyond Necropsy, for example), with it’s 30 second ideas all thrown into 5 minute songs.  Now, top this off with lyrics about war, and what seems to me to be some sort of gladitorial combat, that are thrown atop this insanity in sporadic bursts, sometimes splitting words into syllables to make it fit the never constant rhythm. Take this technicality, add hardcore breakdowns and fantastic, crisp production (courtesy of the lads in the band and Erik Rutan).  This, my friends, is Into the Moat.

This album is huge on so many levels.  While taking root in traditional grind and hardcore, it merges them in a sporadic foray of incredible musicianship.  Not once does they stop to give you time to breathe or think about the technicality, the brutality, the sheer genius of the song writing until the record is over and your looking at the CD player wondering what the hell just hit you.

What makes this all more impressive is that this is really a debut album from a very young band.  Their first incarnation was a formation in 2001 where the drummer wrote all the music. They were signed to Lovelost Records in 2003, but they only produced an EP.  So for a first time full-length, they’ve produced a monster of a record.

If you’re at all into technical music, buy this record.  You might not listen to it that often, but you will certainly be blown away by what you hear, and anyone who is a fan of genre progression, originality and sheer talent should get their hands on this.

Interview Taken from Unchain the Underground – Written by me in 2005

Overlord’s Perpetual - S/T (Sonic Age, 2005)

Rating: 1.5/5

Some albums are glimmer with light when they’re played.  They radiate with the genius of a prodigy guitarist, they invigorate the speakers from which the colorful, intense luminssence flows. OVERLORD’S PERPETUAL‘s debut (self-titled) record is not one of these records. While there are glimmers of hope that shine through, this is a string of tired metal cliches, excessive sweeping, triplets, and just general self-gratification.

Built on the basis of traditional neo-classical guitar rock (it’s hard to believe that this genre was once revolutionary), OVERLORD’S PERPETUAL go through all the motions of being a neo-classical guitar rock band, the shrill vocalist (with the bad-to-mediocre lyrics), the “rock-beat-plus- double-kick” drummer, the “what-they-have-a-bassist?” bassist, and the “aslo-a-prodigy” keyboard player. Oh, of course, let’s not forget Overlord, himself, the Ego-in-training (who happens to look just like a skinny YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, complete with cross, cream Fender Strat and all).

These guys, however, have a glimpse of hope. A couple of the songs on this record were pretty good. There were times when they broke away from the boring chord based riffing and the excessively shrill guitar solos to do some very cool, technical guitar (and keyboard work) that really showed a modicum of taste and respect for the art of metal.  The fifth track, which lacks vocals, is probably the best one on the record. The keyboards really shine through, and good ol’ Overlord puts his guitar tracking to good work to come up with a fine blend of technicality and melody that made me appreciate the moment.

Of course, aside from a couple of tracks, this was just another piece of the same-ol’ from the neo-classical genre.  The vocals are the traditionally bad, ESL vocals that tend to mar these records. Really, the only redeeming quality in any of the other tracks is the keyboard solos.  The keyboardist can really play, and he also has a good under- standing of theory, while not being a total wanker (and being able to do it well, when he is playing a fast solo).

I’d say, watch and see with this Overlord kid. He’s only 20, and if he can realize that he’s not YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and that he has the talent to really do something unique and interesting, he’ll put out some great records in the future.  However, if he continues down this path of masturbatory self-gratification (and leopard print), I suspect he’ll only be playing with himself in the future.

Written 2005 for Unchain the Underground by AMG

Shade Empire – Sinthentic (Magick Records, 2005)

Rating: 4.0/5

There’s an old adage that you might know that says, so eloquently, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” While this may be applicable to books, it often isn’t applicable to music. I can generally look at the cover of a band’s record and be able to tell what kind of metal it is, who they sound like, and whether or not they suck. I’ll always give stuff a chance to not suck, but it’s usually a pretty fair bet that my initial impression will be correct. So I looked at the SHADE EMPIRE cover, saw the devil face with a little ’666′ neatly tucked into the corner behind the eye, and more importantly the sticker that says ‘For fans of DIMMU BORGIR.’ Immediately I was struck by that panic that happens when you know that you’re going to have to sit through 60 minutes of shitty rip-off artists trying to sound like DIMMU.

Shade Empire Pose it Up

I was absolutely wrong.  This is one of those few cases where that doesn’t upset me.

In fact, I was blown away by this release. SHADE EMPIRE have managed to bring together all the best qualities of melodic, symphonic black metal and Swedish death into a cohesive, melodic onslaught of extreme metal that anyone with an ear for talent will be impressed with. Like some unholy union of (yes) DIMMU BORGIR, AT THE GATES and DARK TRANQUILLITY, this band deftly put forth melancholy melodies, backed up with a stunning drum assault and a heavy rhythm that keeps you rocking for the whole record. Spiced up with guest vocal appearances by Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH and TAROT), and Spellgoth (TROLLHEIMS GRÅTT), Sinthetic (ok, the cheesy name didn’t help the initial impressions, either) offers a dynamic, exciting aural assault that actually left me wanting more!

While this band is tight, what I noticed most was the keyboards and the vocals really carry this record. The guitar work, while good, isn’t stand out, and the guitars play more of a support role.  But the awesome melody and (brace yourself) all the hooks came through the keyboards, which border on the gothic side sometimes, and at other times almost having a THE KOVENANT feel (though only for a short time).  The vocals are pretty standard, but there are glimpses of deep, baritone/bass clean parts that really add a dynamic to otherwise good vocals.

Dynamics, as I’ve said before, play such a huge part in metal records. The clincher here is that they work their way deftly through the record never getting boring, while never changing the dynamics so much that they sound like a different band.  There is not a weak moment on this album. The whole while there is a distinctive feel, a distinctive sound and a sonic barrage that leave you with one of those shit-eating grins on your face. Mark down an incredible debut for these Finns.

This interview written originally for Unchain the Underground by me.