Corpse Molester Cult // Corpse Molester Cult Rating: 4.0/5.0 — Using Clips from Night of the Living Dead is the way to my Angry Metal Heart Label: Hammerheart Websites: myspace.com/corpsemolestercult | Stream Release Dates: March 15, 2011
It’s important to remember that despite being known for their folk metal, doom metal, melodic death metal and well, just for being the official metal mecca of the modern world, Finland also has been home to some pretty sick and impressive old school death metal acts like Hooded Menace and Claws, and going back to the early 90s bands like Demilich and Amorphis were pushing into new territory; and I think it’s safe to say that we should maybe think about adding Corpse Molester Cult to that list. Apparently, in 2005 Tomi Joutsen (you know the new vocalist from Amorphis) started Corpse Molester Cult with a couple buddies and filled out the band in 2006. In 2008 they released this 4 track EP which is now seeing an official release (though it appears to be available for download still here). And really, can you go wrong with any disc that starts with a Night of the Living Dead quote? I think not. Continue reading
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…
So, Iron Thrones‘ new EP The Wretched Sun which I made the Record o’ the Month and raved about in my review came out yesterday (the 27th of July, 2010). You can order the record from the band via their website (actually, through their store, but go to their site, too) and over at their Band Camp you can download the EP for $6 and you can still download the particularly excellentVisions of Light (the band’s first LP) for as much as you want (i.e. free, if you don’t want to contribute to the band’s well-being).
Oh yeah, it’s also available on Amazon, iTunes and any other number of sources where you can probably find the thing.
Listen to that song above (I hope you’re already doing so) and tell me that it isn’t worth your six bucks. Or wait, it is worth your six bucks. So fucking buy it already.
Edit: Oh right. My friendly competitors over at The Number of the Blog (who shall lose righteously in the Pigskin Destroyer 666 Fantasy Football League) are also sponsoring a tour for the band as well. If you click that link up there, it will take you to their vastly inferior website for the details. Or you could stay right here in the comfort of AngryMetalGuy.com and look at the tour dates.
7/29/10 — Chicago, IL @ The Double Door w/ The Alaya Conscious, Hessler 7/31/10 — Columbus, OH @ The Summit w/ The C.O.A.S.T., Artillery Breath 8/01/10 — Aliquippa, PA @ The Fallout Shelter w/ Sathanas, Dethlehem 8/02/10 — Brooklyn, NY@ The Charleston w/ East of the Wall, Name, & more! 8/03/10 — Allenstown, NH @ Ground Zero w/ TBA 8/04/10 — Worcester, MA @ Tammany Hall w/ Irepress, Frozen 8/05/10 — Philadelphia, PA @ The M Room w/ Monolith, Willing Swords 8/07/10 — Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero w/ TBA 8/10/10 — Clarksville, TN @ The Coup w/ Evolve or Die 8/11/10 — Nashville, TN @ The Muse w/ TBA 8/12/10 — St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird w/ Ashes and Iron 8/13/10 — Marshalltown, IA @ The American Legion w/ Anno Domine, Tony Rocky Horror
It seems a sad fact that when one anticipates something and really looks forward to it, the chance of being disappointed increases exponentially. After Grand Magus unleashed their wildly impressive Iron Will album in 2008 (which was one of my favorite albums that year), I was extremely stoked for a follow up by this cadre of Swedish metal mongers but wondered if they could match or top the quality of that massive platter. Now that I have the anxiously awaited follow up in the form of their fifth album, Hammer of the North, my fears of being let down seem silly, because once again Grand Magus shows that they know how to craft top quality traditional heavy metal songs with a slight doom tinged edge. Continue reading
Cynic // Re-traced Rating: 4.5/5.0 — Well, it can’t possibly be AS good as Traced in Air Label: Season of Mist Websites: myspace.com/cyniconline | cyniconline.com Release Dates: EU: 17/21.05.2010 | US: 05.18.2010
I make no bones about it, I have a total love affair with Cynic. Long have I been a sucker for good progressive metal and Cynic is about as good as progressive metal gets. While I was a bit young to really have appreciated Focus when it came out, I re-discovered it later and fell in love with it. When Traced in Air came out in 2008 I pretty much fell over myself with joy. That record has maintained a constant place on my playlists since it was released and ranks among my top 10 albums of the last decade. So when I heard that they were going to re-do some of the tracks in different styles as an EP I was justifiably excited—but skeptical at the same time. I grew up in the age of the Nine Inch Nails re-mix album: I know what happens when jackasses mess around with an already winning formula. Nothing good.
Fortunately, Trent Reznor had nothing to do with this. Instead, this is basically a re-imagining of songs you know and love and to amazing effect. While there are some glitchy IDM sounding beats going on in “Space” (a re-working of the track “The Space for This”), in general the tracks have a much more brittle feeling and what they lack in the sometimes frantic rhythmic nature of the drum and guitar combination on Traced in Air they make up for with beautiful harmonies and enticing chord structures. The sounds that were only really hinted at on Traced in Air, that is the up-close sound that is way more akin to Porcupine Tree or Guilt Machine, is something that that is used in great contrast to the hiding behind the vocodor that we’re all so used to.
While every song on here is excellent, including the new track “Wheels within Wheels” which closes off the record, the ultimate triumph is probably the track “Integral” which is a re-make of the totally amazing track “Integral Birth”, easily my favorite song from the Traced in Air album. The version on Re-Traced is a stripped down acoustic version that shows off just what an amazing song the track is at its root. I once had a friend who said that he wrote everything on an acoustic guitar, because if it sounded awesome on an acoustic then he was pretty sure that it would be even better with a whole band. “Integral” shows this off with a simple acoustic guitar, a little bit of keyboards some female vocals and a focus on the beautiful song structure and the lights out writing that make Cynic one of the best bands on the planet right now.
Fans of Traced in Air and Cynic in general should buy this. It’s not even a question of whether or not this is worth your time and money. The sheer talent of this band turns me into a blithering fanboy and this EP just gets me excited for more new Cynic in the upcoming couple of years. The only people who shouldn’t buy this album are people who for some reason haven’t gone back and checked out the previous Cynic records, ’cause it’s not exactly representative (with the exception of “Wheels within Wheels” which is much more similar to “standard” Cynic album sound). But once you’ve gone back and checked those CDs, you should rush out and buy this magnificent EP.
Ihsahn // After Rating: 3.5/5.0 — Very good, but not as compelling as angL Label: Candlelight Websites: ihsahn.com | myspace.com/ihsahnmusic Release Dates: EU 25.01.2010 | US: 01.26.2010
Easily one of the most anticipated records of 2010 for me has been Ihsahn‘s new offering. While I was a passing Emperor fan, really just a fan of In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk-era, I was taken by Ihsahn‘s solo stuff. The Adversary felt fresh—progressive enough, a step away from the later Emperor material of which I wasn’t a fan—and it captured the sonic styles and textures that he was never quite allowed to explore while in Emperor. The record didn’t stick with me as I had hoped, while I listened to it occasionally it didn’t hold a steadfast position in my discography. On the other hand, angL blew me away. Probably the finest record of 2008, angL has maintained a steady place in the rotation and is a record that I’ve showed to dozens of people. Perfectly produced, perfectly composed and smartly written, angL contained everything that I wanted out of a new progressive metal record. So, of course, when I heard that Ihsahn would be releasing a new record in 2010, I became justifiably excited.
After, the third album in Ihsahn‘s initial trilogy, has once again separated itself from the pack and from Ihsahn‘s earlier work—something that the man seems compelled to do with every release. The first album composed primarily for his new 8 string guitars, Afterpossesses a more organic sound than the earlier two albums. While the style hasn’t changed dramatically—if you’ve heard the first two albums, you certainly would recognize it as Ihsahn—the composition feels less tightly contained and controlled. The addition of saxophone to certain tracks also offers a more natural dimension to the music, similar to that of the excellent Solefald, and the saxophone is also relatively unconstrained, unpredictable and has the sound of being highly improvised.
That Ihsahn is a fantastic writer is undisputed, but how well this record plays with you probably depends on your personal tastes. The first half of After plays very similarly to his earlier material; black metal influenced progressive metal with excellent riffing, smart transitions and some acoustic parts. This culminates with track “Frozen Lakes on Mars,” which might be the best on the album, before continuing into the second part of the album. The track “Undercurrent” marks the halfway point (trackwise, as it’s track 5) and where this album started to transform to a slower, more progressive album. The riffing and writing loses some of its crispness on the second half of this album—particularly on “Undercurrent” and “Austere” which are both quite slow—and, instead relies on atmosphere, texture and feel. By the time one makes it to “Heaven’s Black Shore,” after the 16 minutes of down time, the record seems to have lost a little bit of its punch. The last two tracks are great, though again a little bit more plodding than the earlier material and the whole album comes to a major epic close that is worth the wait. How this will play definitely depends on what you like about the earlier Ihsahn material, I think. If you’re a fan of more atmospheric black metal, bands like Shining, Solefald, or even something like Wardruna (or from a totally different angle, if you’re a big fan of 70s prog and neo-prog like Opeth, Porcupine Tree, etc.) you’ll probably appreciate these things musically. If you’re more of a fan of the technical, fast, groovy, structured Ihsahn stuff—well, then this might take some time to grow on you if it ever grows at all.
There is always a danger in re-inventing your sound, and while this record is good, it just doesn’t live up to standard of what I was expecting after angL. That said, I would still recommend this album to others because it’s still heads and shoulders above a lot of the stuff that’s being released today. The musical performances are amazing: the rhythm section (Asgeir Mickelson & Lars Noberg from Spiral Architect) is tight and tremendously talented. The saxophonist (from the Norwegian Shining) offers a stellar performance and production and mix is also tight, clean and clear without feeling sterile. Musically, the record is still epic and compelling for the most part and it shows just how multi-dimensional Ihsahn is as a writer and performer. The question for fans is, of course, what comes after After?
Iron Thrones – Visions of Light (2008) Rating: 5.0/5.0 – Perfect Label: Unsigned – Get the CD FREE at IronThrones.com
It’s maybe just me that falls for this kind of stuff, but sometimes bands just jump out of nowhere and bite you in the ass and present to you their own version of exactly what it is you appreciate in the music that surrounds you. In this case, what it is in the underground scene that still appeals to you even though you’re getting old, bitter and disconnected from a lot of the modern bands that people are pissing themselves over. Iron Thrones are just that band, that band that makes you jealous as a musician, that makes you excited about the future of metal and makes you totally, ridiculously confused as to why on earth they’re unsigned!
This is easily the best unsigned record I’ve ever heard in my entire life, and giving some of the mediocrity that’s been working its way out of other labels, I’m just really surprised that this band hasn’t gotten picked up yet. At their root I’d probably call Iron Thrones metalcore, but that wouldn’t do them justice. While their vocalist is definitely a hardcore vocalist (in the veins of Burst, and Cult of Luna), the music is just so much more advanced and interesting than anything I’ve really heard coming out of the metalcore scene (well, maybe that’s not entirely true if you consider a band like Dillinger’s Escape Plan or Between the Buried and Me to be metalcore bands).
“So get to it already, jackass!” you’re saying. I can hear you. Know that I don’t like it. Anyway, so basically the thing with these guys is that they’re immensely excellent song-writers. The music sounds to me like an incredibly excellent blend of Opeth style riffing and some acoustics with Cult of Luna feel and vocals, while incorporating much of the Gothenburg Swedish metal style into some occasionally break-downy hardcore. The sound goes between some pretty heavy sounding death parts, to the 6/8 swing of acoustic parts and heavier parts with beautiful harmonies. The vocals are never misplaced, and the parts flow smoothly in between them with perfect segues. Sound complicated? Well, if you’re having trouble imagining it, it’s probably because you’ve never heard anything quite like it before. However, the mix of excellent groove, technical passages and good guitar work is blended together into fairly long, but not at all boring songs, which ebb and flow until the album is over and leaves you wishing it was still going.
I was also incredibly impressed with the production on this, especially since these guys are unsigned. I gotta say, it definitely helped to listen to a record that sounded professional from the get go even though the band doesn’t have a real label and, well, if I were an A&R guy, I’d be jumping at this band. In essence, I can’t imagine that I will not be hearing more about this band unless they fall to the fate of other excellent bands who left before their time–the badly timed breakup. If these guys can pull off what they do so superbly on this album live, I’d suspect they’re a shoe-in at a good label. And hopefully they’ll go on tour with In Mourning and Opeth. That would be totally fucking sweet.
I wouldn’t be angry at all. For at least like, three hours or something.
As a final note, there is also a psychological idea that implies if something is free that it somehow has less value to the person who is consuming it. I know that seems weird, but it’s true. We tend to value things that cost us more, because, well, they cost us a ton. This album is totally free, and trust me, it doesn’t lower the quality at all. It doesn’t change the fact that I know I will still be listening to this album in 10 years, and hopefully informing everyone how I was “so into these guys before they were cool.” What it DOES do is make you want to contribute to the cause. Which I totally suggest you do. There are physical copies of the CD available as well as it being available on iTunes. Go take a listen to it, download the whole thing and if you like it, send the guys $5 (I’ll bet £5 or €5 would make them happier ’cause it’s worth more than the dollar right now). They’re being totally forward thinking releasing their record for free, and I gotta say I really respect them for doing that. Especially since the album is so fantastic.
Would somebody sign these guys already!? They're living on somebody's porch, and they're getting uncomfortable...
OK, *that's* cool. Too bad about the shitty bands, then RT @Metal_Mark: Metallica will be playing Ride The Lightning in it's entirety! WOW!” - 4 hours ago
It’s important to remember that despite being known for their folk metal, doom metal, melodic death metal and well, just for being the official metal mecca of the modern world, Finland also has been home to some pretty sick and impressive old school death metal acts like Hooded Menace and Claws, and going back to the early 90s bands like Demilich and Amorphis were pushing into new territory; and I think it’s safe to say that we should maybe think about adding Corpse Molester Cult to that list. Apparently, in 2005 Tomi Joutsen (you know the new vocalist from Amorphis) started Corpse Molester Cult with a couple buddies and filled out the band in 2006. In 2008 they released this 4 track EP which is now seeing an official release (though it appears to be available for download still here). And really, can you go wrong with any disc that starts with a Night of the Living Dead quote? I think not. Continue reading
It seems a sad fact that when one anticipates something and really looks forward to it, the chance of being disappointed increases exponentially. After Grand Magus unleashed their wildly impressive Iron Will album in 2008 (which was one of my favorite albums that year), I was extremely stoked for a follow up by this cadre of Swedish metal mongers but wondered if they could match or top the quality of that massive platter. Now that I have the anxiously awaited follow up in the form of their fifth album, Hammer of the North, my fears of being let down seem silly, because once again Grand Magus shows that they know how to craft top quality traditional heavy metal songs with a slight doom tinged edge. 
I make no bones about it, I have a total love affair with Cynic. Long have I been a sucker for good progressive metal and Cynic is about as good as progressive metal gets. While I was a bit young to really have appreciated Focus when it came out, I re-discovered it later and fell in love with it. When Traced in Air came out in 2008 I pretty much fell over myself with joy. That record has maintained a constant place on my playlists since it was released and ranks among my top 10 albums of the last decade. So when I heard that they were going to re-do some of the tracks in different styles as an EP I was justifiably excited—but skeptical at the same time. I grew up in the age of the Nine Inch Nails re-mix album: I know what happens when jackasses mess around with an already winning formula. Nothing good.
of the totally amazing track “Integral Birth”, easily my favorite song from the Traced in Air album. The version on Re-Traced is a stripped down acoustic version that shows off just what an amazing song the track is at its root. I once had a friend who said that he wrote everything on an acoustic guitar, because if it sounded awesome on an acoustic then he was pretty sure that it would be even better with a whole band. “Integral” shows this off with a simple acoustic guitar, a little bit of keyboards some female vocals and a focus on the beautiful song structure and the lights out writing that make Cynic one of the best bands on the planet right now.
