Angry Metal Guy

Sanity of Impiety // In Life We Despise
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — Very Promising
Label: Unsigned
Websites: myspace.com/sanityofimpiety
Release Date: Available from December 17th, 2010

I know it’s not a popular standpoint, but I’ve actually been pretty critical of Sweden’s underground. It is true that Sweden has produced some of the best metal in the world, I still have a bit of a feeling of “What have you done for me lately?” While there are some great bands out there that we all know, the underground here since after that first wave in the early 90s just hasn’t been the same. However, in the last few years a new generation of Swedish death metal and black metal has started coming to the forefront. Sometimes these are older bands, but there are also a number of younger bands carrying on the banner of their proud Swedish heavy metal heritage and doing it well. Sanity of Impiety, from up north in Umeå (the same city which spawned Meshuggah, Naglfar, Cult of Luna and others) is certainly one of these bands. Continue reading

Arise // The Reckoning
Rating: 3.5/5.0 — Nostalgic and enjoyable
Label: Regain Records
Websites: ariseonline.com | myspace.com/ariseonline
Release Dates: EU: 22.03.2010 | US: 04.06.2010 [or out now?!?]

Arise was a little late on the uptake on the first go around of the Gothenburg sound—forming in 1996, but really getting their first demo out there in 1998 and getting signed about the time that all the death metal elitists I knew were already writing off the sound as “done”. However, unlike most of the bands from that era, they are still alive and kicking and putting out music of the style that was popular at the time. There’s some confusion about this record, which according to some sources came out last year, but it’s being promoted right now by Regain with a release date of the 22nd of March (which means it’s out now). It has, indeed, been a few years since Arise put out their last album, but even with the departure of two members, they don’t seem to have lost any steam.

Now don’t get me wrong, you could probably hum each of these tunes the first time through. If you’re even slightly familiar with the Gothenburg sound from the early/mid-1990s (Hypocrisy, Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, At The Gates) then you have heard this band before a bajillion times. You probably first heard it when the Swedes did it. Then you heard it again when the Americans did it. And now there are some Swedes doing it again, and showing that when done without breakdowns and hardcore screams it can still be a sound that’s engaging and fun to listen to.

The record starts off with a bang, bursting out the door with the track “Adrenaline Rush”, which clocks in at under 2 minutes long, and it’s really pretty much a thrash and headbang fest for the next 41 minutes and 20 seconds. Aside from the track “Pitch Black”, a borderline Meshuggah-esque mechnical metal kind of track, these tracks are all pretty much the kind of thing that you are familiar with from Slaughter of the Soul. But, while not novel, it certainly is well done. Particularly the title track, “The Reckoning” and the final track “End of Days” stood out for me.

Fans of melodeath should definitely check this record out. It could be slightly addictive to the right listener, I think, but if you’ve had your fill of the Gothenburg sound then this is probably a record you can skip. That said, these guys are really good at what they’re doing. The songwriting is concise and addictive and the feel is heavy and solid and hasn’t lost any of its original intensity, like some of the other originating bands (who we won’t mention here—but who know who they are!) from the Gothenburg scene. All-in-all this is a very good record, it just lacks the novelty that the metal scene craves to keep itself fresh.

Eluveitie // Everything Remains (As It Never Was)
Rating: 2.5/5.0 — Pretty solid, but too formulaic
Label: Nuclear Blast (EU | US)
Websites: eluveitie.ch | myspace.com/eluveitie
Release Dates: EU: 19.02.2010 | US: 03.09.2010

While not the first folk metal band to take the world by storm, Eluveitie has always been a bit of a unique thing in the folk metal scene. Really, the band has tremendous success when compared to other bands in the genre. After being picked up by Nuclear Blast, they’ve had three albums, big American tours (something that has only started recently for the genre) and become very well known and well loved among folk metal enthusiasts and just regular metal enthusiasts alike. Everything Remains (As it Never Was) is the band’s big third record from Nuclear Blast (5th total) and it is set to make a big metal splash.

Frankly, the band hasn’t changed anything, except that they’re more poppy than ever. Everything Remains (As it Never Was) starts out with the obligatory album intro that sets the stage for the whole album (and a sad part from Braveheart). The tracks are heavy and well-produced, but much cleaner than earlier work, and the trilling flutes and bagpipes permeate every chorus of this album, formulaically building up to the climax of almost every song in precisely the same way. At its base, Eluveitie is basically a melodic death metal band. This stood out to me as I listened to this album: tracks like “The Essence of the Ashes” have obvious In Flames leanings on the guitars. “Kingdom Come Undone” and “Sempiternal Embers” both reek of Hypocrisy and Dark Tranquillity and the only thing that actually differentiates this band from those bands is the ability of the musicians to swap out what the guitar would normally do in a DT song for a flute, fiddle or bagpipe.

But Eluveitie isn’t just a melodic death metal band, they’re a modern melodic death metal band—I’ve never really put my finger on this before. There is a ton of stoppy, “Core” riffs on this record that are simply offset by a trilling flute. The choruses are huge, poppy and bordering on schlager at times in their structure and enormity, leading often times to a sense that the verses are simply there to connect big catchy choruses to each other and for no other reason. The band has also dumped the blast beats that one hears on the earlier records completely, leaving the band far more in the post-glory days Swedish Death Metal (i.e., Gothenburg scene) arena. The song structures are quite simple and similar to each other, and because the flute basically does the same thing all the time, the songs start to sort of blend into one another. This is partially because the sort of Riverdance flute style doesn’t really lend itself to memorability, but feels more decorative than anything and the guitars and vocals don’t offset it—leading to swaths of unmemorable trilling.

Of course, there are high points on this album, too. The points where they actually point themselves in a more folk metal direction are the parts that I really appreciate about Everything Remains. For example, the chorus in the song “The Essence of the Ashes”, where they break down into clean vocals that are reminiscent of Fejd, is a major win. The folk tracks that are sort of devoid of metal are also quite beautiful and breathtaking; “Isara” and “Setlon” both set an atmosphere of beauty and simplicity which embodies the title of this album. My personal favorite track on the album is “Lugdunon” which, while it’s built on a production trick in the beginning, has excellent dynamics that are not really demonstrated on other parts of the album, including an amazing flute melody and a super 80s rock sounding breakdown that really stands out from the rest of the album.

What this leads me to is that variation, dynamics and a new approach to the metal aspects of this album are lacking. While there are some compelling songs and moments, this record generally falls short of my expectations due to its more simplistic and poppy elements, which are the things that draw the listener to the band in the first place. While Everything Remains (As it Never Was) is definitely on par for quality with Slania, I don’t think it’s as strong as Spirit and that’s probably because the sound isn’t as novel or fresh as it was when I became infatuated with “Your Gaulish War”. This band is definitely not mediocre, but this album is not what I was expecting from it. Of course, you can (and should) check for yourself (as the band has posted the album on MySpace through the 19th of February presumably).

Impious // Death Domination
Rating: 3.5/5.0 – Very good!
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date(s): Out Now Worldwide!
Website: myspace.com/impiousofficial

Impious is one of many elite death/thrash bands to come out of Sweden during the mid-late 90s and they are still ripping it up in full force in 2009. As pretty much one of the last records of the year, this is probably going to be overlooked on the grand scheme of thing, but I think this album deserves a serious examination.

Death Domination, as I have said of many records before, is nothing you haven’t heard before. Swedish-style death metal, fast and pretty melodic, but brutal enough that it puts a lot of the Gothenburg bands to shame. This isn’t Swedish death metal like In Flames, but instead like Demiurg or Hypocrisy. And the record is a blinder. Clocking in at about 36 minutes long, it’s also reminiscent of the new Vader record, which was also a highlight this year.

And really, there are some stand-out tracks on here. “And the Empire Shall Fall” exhibits a band that is keenly aware of composition and building, as well as heavy riffing, while “Legions” rocks out Nile at its own game with a killer primary theme that sounds pretty Egyptian. Actually, “Legions” is probably my favorite track on the album and definitely shows smart, old school composition style with a strong theme and a catchy chorus (something that few death metal bands ever do with any skill). “Legions” is followed by another outstanding track (“As Death Lives in Me”) and finally, when the album reaches its final track (“Irreligious State of War”), you’re not ready for this album to end.

Death Domination has a lot of strengths. The riffing is tight and brutal, the drums sound real and are well-produced with a good bassy sound (no obvious triggers). The record is littered with awesome groove and a great vocal performance. And actually, the opposite of the new Vader, I was actually really pleased with the guitar soloing on here. What there was for guitar soloing was solid, melodic and well-composed. This is a band that despite its long tenure isn’t losing much pace.

Another fine addition to the legacy of Swedish death, Death Domination is worth your time and money.

Hypocrisy – A Taste of Extreme Divinity
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Label: Nuclear Blast (EU | USA)
Website(s): hypocrisy.tv | myspace.com/hypocrisy
Release Date(s): USA: 11.3.2009 | EU: 23.10.2009

Hypocrisy is a band that should need no introduction in the world of modern death metal.  But, surprisingly to me, many in the American scene still are not aware of this amazing band, which is probably the best band to come from the myth-enshrouded Gothenburg scene in the early 1990s.  Since the early days, this Peter Tägtgren-helmed death metal outfit has put out some pretty impressive records.  It has been 4 years since the consistent and excellent Virus was released, and I have been anticipating this record more than probably any album this year.

Let’s start by saying that Hypocrisy hasn’t lost any steam.  In fact, these 4 years may have even been good for the band as A Taste of Extreme Divinity feels remarkably fresh and heavy.  It’s funny, really, that the other bands from this scene haven’t followed more in the footsteps of Hypocrisy.  Somehow, amazingly enough, this band has managed to remain fresh and relevant while bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquillity have struggled to maintain their intensity and (in the case of the former) their style.  Hypocrisy has remained remarkably consistent, blending good melodic melody structures and mid-paced death metal with more brutal parts, creating a sound that is absolutely Hypocrisy and is ultimately awesome every time.

A Taste of Extreme Divinity pretty much picks up where Virus left off.  The production is very similar, but the album itself is more consistent than its predecessor, which I feel lagged towards the end.  Instead, A Taste of Extreme Divinity scorches along through all 50 minutes of excellence, hooking the listener instantly and dragging him (or her) along for an extreme ride.  Tracks like “Weed out the Weak” and “Taste the Extreme Divine” blow your head off with their intensity and yet somehow still manage to have great guitar melodies.  And mid-paced tracks like “No Tomorrow” are never slow and boring, but instead burrow into your brain and make you nod your head emphatically (i.e., headbang) while being taught that death metal guys can still just rock it old school.  Peter Tägtgren is probably one of the finest riff writers on this planet, and A Taste of Extreme Divinity is definitely a testament to this legacy.

To be honest, I have two big complaints about this album: first, the production is not very good.  I mean, it’s good in the sense that it’s well-produced, but I don’t like the tone.  The tone is terribly tinny, which is not something that stood out for me on the older material (specifically Virus).  The drums are way over-triggered and the tone is just thin.  It really took me by surprise and I think it draws away from the record a bit.  I respect Tägtgren as a producer and I was very confused by this.

The second complaint that I had was that this album doesn’t have that “addictive” track for me.  While every track on the album is great, and therefore this is a better album than some of the earlier stuff as a whole, this album doesn’t have a “Craving for Another Killing” or “Let the Knife Do the Talking” or “Path to Babylon.”  That is, it doesn’t have tracks that keep pulling me back to them and therefore keep pulling me back to the album as a whole.  I view this as partially strength and partially weakness, but in the end it sucks a bit because I think the record lacks those high points.

Of course, you can’t really rip into Hypocrisy very much, ’cause frankly they’re the best Swedish death metal band around today (at least to come out of that early 90s death metal scene).  The tracks on here are solid, heavy as hell and the writing is good as always.  The extremity, so-to-speak, is definitely there and readily available for all.  This is definitely a record that every fan of death metal should check out.

October is going to be a very good month!  Why is that?  Because not only do we get a new record from Hypocrisy as already mentioned but Ihsahn, the very excellent ex-front man from black metal legends Emperor (as if you didn’t know that) is going to be releasing his own new record!  Color me fucking stoked!  I hadn’t expected that at all!  Anyway, let’s hope it lives up to angL, which was easily my favorite album from 2008.  Now if only Candlelight would add me to their promo list so that I can get a copy and do an interview with the genius himself!! Mark down October 19th on your calenders, I know I will.

Check the link here.

Also, check out that new fucking 8 string.  Too cool. \m/

Angry Metal Guys do get all excited like little kids.  This time?  The new Hypocrisy record.  Oh, yeah.  How cool is that?  Dropping in October—watch this space!  I’m hoping to land an interview with Peter Tägtgren!  Here’s the official release from Nuclear Blast.

Swedens [sic] masters of death HYPOCRISY have just revealed the final tracklist of their new album “A Taste of Extreme Divinity” which will be released on 23rd of October 2009 in Europe and 3rd of November in USA via Nuclear Blast.

The tracklist is as follows:

01. Valley Of The Damned
02. Hang Him High
03. Solar Empire
04. Weed Out The Week
05. No Tomorrow
06. Global Domination
07. Taste The Extreme Divinitiy
08. Alive
09. The Quest
10. Tamed “Filled With Fear”
11. Sky Is Falling Down