The Binding Cycle is the first full-length album by Norwegian quintet, The Fallen Divine. Founded in 2009, and with one EP under their belt, the band worked with King Diamond guitarist Andy La Rocque at his studio, Sonic Train, to produce the album. And he produced the fuck out of them. The sound on this album is so clean it sparkles. Which is as it should be, because there is a lot going on and The Fallen Divine don’t want you to miss any of it. A self-described progressive metal band, they have a lot of influences and only one shot at showing you that they’ve mastered them all. Fortunately, they pretty much have.

They come out swinging on “Dissension,” throwing everything they’ve got into these seven and a half minutes. The resulting aggregation of technical riffery, proggy keyboards and a jazz interlude comes off a little like a snowboard movie—not so much a continuous composition as a series of really cool tricks strung together. Depending on your outlook, this balls out eclecticism is either off-putting or impressive. “Dissension” is only a slight exaggeration of the rest of the album’s almost fifty minutes (which in this case is only a few minutes longer than you want it to be).

While you’ll find bits and pieces of just about everything on here and all of it is well done, tempo and rhythm changes are pretty much the point (think Dream Theater on crack, or more precisely, John Zorn’s Naked City). The whole album is chock-full of hooks, great riffs, and melodic lead lines but they never dwell on a single theme long enough to really develop the idea. The keyboards provide some atmosphere but are kept firmly in check and never come to the front. For the most part, vocals take the form of screams in the style of Dark Tranquility, and, you know, everyone else. But some whispers and an occasional pleasing slide into deeper growls hint at the potential for more versatility there in the future. When I remembered to notice, the lyrics seemed hold to a general theme of outsider angstyness – which is good. Occasionally, a little bubble of Les Claypool-worthy bass rises to the surface of the mathematical stew; midway through “Shades of Oppression,” some lead bass steps forward. These flashes of bass brilliance are always unexpected, but never incongruous. I kept wishing they’d let the bass player loose more often.

After “Dissension,” the rest of the tracks are uniformly strong, with consistently catchy lead lines. “Northern Lights” stands out as a little more cohesive. It feels like the ideas here have more room to stretch and breathe before diving into something else.  Just past the five minute mark there’s a jazz interlude that’s less disjointed than others scattered throughout the album because they manage to pull the flute (probably actually keyboards) through into the anthemic metal riff that follows.

They close with the title track, which has the most overtly progressive sound on the album. Where “Dissension” tended to showboat, “The Binding Cycle” showcases some of the best elements from the other tracks, offering up a piano intro paired with an acoustic guitar break reminiscent of Pantera’s “Cemetery Gates.” There’s also more bass in here and some jazz piano followed by chugging guitars that introduce the closest thing to guitar solo on the album. After some of the lower-range screaming on the album, The Binding Cycle ends – not with a bang but a whisper. And a piano. And some acoustic guitar.

The Fallen Divine have put together a respectable and enjoyable first album that is absolutely worth a listen. Despite some compositional weakness, all of the pieces are strong enough to stand up by themselves, and the album never completely falls apart.  They clearly love playing with different techniques and linking a wide variety of sounds.  As they mature, and their focus shifts from proving what they can do towards creating something whole out of the pieces, their music will only get more engaging. I’m already more interested in listening to their next album than this one – especially if they let the bass player off his chain.

Related posts:

1. Angrily Unreviewed: Supreme Pain – Divine Incarnation
2. Crucifyre – Infernal Earthly Divine Review
3. Pestilence – Doctrine Review

Ghost may have unintentionally triggered a little retro within retro trend with their well received Opus Eponymous debut. The similar acts are already starting to pop up like evil mushrooms and Norway’s Devil is one of the first. Their debut Time to Repent harkens back to all things 70′s and its melodic doom rock all day long. They wield a sound that falls somewhere between Black Sabbath‘s Vol. 4 and the NWOBHM vibe of Witchfinder General with a few traces of old Pentagram mixed in. I’m sure that sounds like a heady brew to many loyal readers (not AMG though, he hates blues-based doom like I hate light beer). Time to Repent offers up eight tales of sorcery, evil women, open graves and all such good family fun. It’s stripped down, simplistic, melodic and not the kind of doom that crushes you or brings on bouts of crippling despair. Instead, its very rock-based and groovy. While some of the material is worthwhile and shows real potential, more of it is pure amateur hour, cringe-worthy garage rock and unlikely to make anyone forget about Ghost anytime soon.

As soon as lead track “Break the Curse” erupts, you’ll notice the strange, cavernous sound the album is steeped in. It’s as if they recorded in an echo chamber and its very diffuse and muddy sounding. I’m sure it was intended to sound old school and impart an air of authenticity to their 70′s style but its a bit annoying. The song itself is one of the better ones, features a great riff that snakes along and gets in your head and sounds like something off Witchfinder General‘s Death Penalty album. The vocals by Joakim Trangsrud are like a poor man’s Ozzy and while his style fits the music, his delivery isn’t very impactful even on decent songs like this.  Followup “Blood is Boiling” is the album standout with a riff that could have been on Judas Priest’s debut. They take that riff and beat you with it throughout and some lively, energetic doom rock results. Likewise, the title track and “Open Casket” succeed by keeping things really simple, catchy and rocking like its 1974.

That however, is as good as it gets on Time to Repent. The remainder of the album is split between boring and bad. Songs like  “Crazy Woman” and “At the Blacksmith’s” just don’t work and sound both lame and cheesy at the same time. “Blacksmith’s” is especially bad due to some really awkward vocals and a painfully crappy chorus (but it does have cowbell). Others like “Death of a Sorcerer” just meander about without direction and defy the listener to play attention. Album closer “Howling (at the World) has an effective riff pattern but the vocals are so ill-placed that they undercut things badly. Adding insult to injury, the nah-nah-nah vocals as the song winds down are just plain embarrassing.

Whatever potential Devil possesses is due to the guitar-work by Stian Fossum and Kai Wanderas. They craft some tight, respectable riffs and the guitar tone itself sounds great. Even on the weakest tracks, the riffing battles mightily to salvage things for the good. If they could build better songs around the riffs these gentlemen are churning out, Devil would be onto something potent. As it stands, the songs themselves frequently fail them.

Although this got a pretty dismal rating, Devil may be a band to watch. There are some solid doom tracks here and with some experience, they may be able to elevate their game next time around. In the meantime, Ghost and Castle will be my retro doom rock of choice. I NEED more cowbell!

Related posts:

1. In Solitude – The World. The Flesh. The Devil. Review
2. Castle – In Witch Order Review
3. The Living Fields – Running Out of Daylight Review

So here’s an old record that has been out since June (so I guess it’s not old, but in the world of reviewing that’s a motherfucking eternity). I’ve been meaning to get to it and I just really haven’t had the time or level of mental stability to do it. But now that we’re on a more even keel and the urge to kill is lessening a bit, I’ve been able to come back to this one. And boy am I glad I’ve come back to this one. Because as I said when I reviewed their EP: Djerv is something that is actually truly cool and unique.

By now you’re all probably familiar with Agnete Kjølsrud, who of late has done guest vocals for Solefald and Dimmu Borgir (and even has a video with the latter band). She fronts Djerv with her unique and dynamic vocal approach. Djerv also sports Erlend Gjerde (Wardruna) and Stian Kårstad of Trelldom as the band and they offer what I would say is one of the most unique approaches to hard rock that I’ve heard in a really long time. I commented in my previous review that Djerv sounded a bit like alternative rock mixed with black metal and Djerv doesn’t change the approach. The previous EP is included here, which helps, but the new tracks here also show off this dynamic and unique approach.

So what does that even mean? A mixture of alternative rock and black metal? Well, musically it can be pretty simplistic and chordy as one would expect. It kind of reminds me Elastica or The Breeders and that early 90s chick rock in a sense, except its denser, heavier and way more interesting. A great example of this is the track “Ladder to the Moon” which was also featured on the Headstone EP, it takes that sort of grungy vibe and then throws double kick under them just adding a bit of a more metal sensibility. On the other hand “Only I Exist,” one of the new tracks, has guitars that sound like they could be on a Trelldom or Taake record, only without the blast. The true is same of “Abmuse,” but after the intro where you could’ve expected the croaks of a corpse-painted and evil Norwegian, instead you get the dynamic and fantastic vocals of Agnete.

Sometimes it is the band that makes the vocalist good, but sometimes it’s the vocalist that makes the band good (think System of a Down). In this case, while the band is good and the music is interesting, it is Agnete’s dynamic vocal approach which ranges between punk rock raw grrl kind of stuff and smooth, beautiful, nuanced vocals that really show off her range and ability that make the music work in an ostensibly “hard rock” or “alternative rock” setting. Djerv can wander into the creepy and the dark and bring it back around all because they have a serious talent on their hands vocally and she is the ribbon that ties this package together.

Finally, while Djerv isn’t exactly the heaviest metal you’ve ever heard, it’s raw enough to keep you interested and it’s actually something your non-metal friends might even dig. I certainly never anticipated some of the comparisons I’ve made while listening to this record, but I don’t see this as drawback. Instead, Djerv‘s dynamic approach is a boon. They keep shit interesting and the music is fun and engaging while being heavy and crunchy at times and still sounds downright malevolent at other times. Djerv is a great record and I strongly recommend that you run out and pick this up. It’s out everywhere (except the US? But certainly you can find it via online stores like The End Records or something) and it’s worth giving a shot.

Related posts:

1. Djerv – Headstone EP Review
2. Solefald – Norrøn Livskunst Review
3. Dimmu Borgir – Abrahadabra Review

One of my favorite albums from 2010 was Black Earth by obscure Norwegian black thrashers Byfrost. Hailing from the very same town as the mighty Immortal, it was hardly surprising they borrowed heavily from their better known neighbors for the musical direction of their debut. Although it was shamelessly derivative of Abbath and Co., it was also highly enjoyable blackened thrash loaded with vicious, razor sharp riffing. Since I had such a good time with that debut, I was obviously expecting good things from their second crusade Of Death. I would even say it was one of the most anticipated releases on my list for this year. Now that I’ve had some time with Of Death, my first reaction is that of disappointment. Perhaps my expectations were too high and while the music here is good indeed, its not up to the standards set by Black Earth. There’s a strange sense of musical ambivalence that overcomes me during some of the material and it feels like they lost their magic touch at times during the writing sessions for this album. Now, before you get the idea this is a bad album, it isn’t at all. There’s a lot of solid, heavy, ugly thrash with a pronounced black metal vibe to be found on Of Death. It’s just not quite as good as I hoped it would be after such a rabble-rousing debut opus. That damn sophomore jinx strikes again!

Things get off promising with “May the Dead Rise” and the familiar Immortal-themed thrash attack sounds great, as do the Abbath-like vocals of HeavyHarms. For a power trio, they create a whirlwind of chaos and the riffing by HeavyHarms is savage and memorable throughout. The riff phrasing is pure Immortal at times (1:07) but goes off-kilter and gets experimental too, even reminding of Voivod here and there. Things get even better with “Eye for an Eye” which is a ginormous stormer with all the cold, Nordic black riffing one could ever ask for. This is the kind of material that had me salivating all over Black Earth and I eat it up faster than zombies eat brains. Both “Buried Alive” and “Of Death” keep the positive momentum going and while neither are as good as previous material, both are solid and nasty (“Of Death” sounds a lot like something off Abbath’s I project).

Things start to slip with “Full Force Rage” which does indeed rage but it feels generic and stale for some reason I can’t quite pinpoint. Similarly, “Shadow of Fear” leaves me cold (not in the good way) and the six minutes of experimental  and bizarre backward chanting during “Sorgh” left me annoyed. They redeem themselves for a righteous ode to viking-era Bathory with “All Gods Are Gone” replete with big, epic riffing and this is exactly the type of material I was hoping to get in larger quantities (it sounds a lot like the Demonaz album).

At just over thirty seven minutes, Of Death goes by very quickly and somehow feels incomplete when it ends. Between that and the issues with the back half, it left me feeling a little unsatisfied with the overall experience. The same cannot be said for the production by Hebrand Larsen and Ice Dale of Enslaved (who also guest on several tracks). The mix is great and the guitars have an icy, nasty bite throughout. They opted not to go for a low-fi black metal muddle and that really helps the precision thrash riffing stand out and seize attention. Likewise, the vocals are situated well alongside the guitar and it all sounds like a metallic home run. 

Although Of Death isn’t the monster I was hoping for after Black Earth, its a worthwhile album and one that will grow on you with repeat spins. I’m hoping they can keep the aggression intact while sharpening their writing a bit more the next time out. I would still recommend this to fans of blackened thrash and Immortal fans in particular. They try some new things here and partially break from the Immortal-clone category but their legendary neighbors remain the primary reference point for their sound. Let’s just call it Immortal-lite for now and hope for a better tomorrow.

Related posts:

1. Things You Might Have Missed 2010: Byfrost – Black Earth
2. Things You Might Have Missed 2011: Balfor – Barbaric Blood
3. Demonaz – March of the Norse Review

Every now and then I find myself sweating a new release and sincerely worrying a band may have already seen its best days. This is one of those perspiration inducing albums. After three platters of excellent progressive metal that reminded me of the halcyon salad days of Fates Warning and Queensryche, Pagan’s Mind really screwed the pooch hard with their last release, 2007′s God’s Equation. Ditching nearly all of the things they had working for them in favor of a stripped down and more commercial approach, it was one of those albums that leaves fans befuddled, bewildered, betrayed and generally in an foul humor (I won’t go into the David Bowie cover, but it was bullshit ass!). With my confidence and fanboydom thus shaken and stirred, I didn’t know what to expect from these Norwegian metallers. Would it be a return to the prog-tastic spacey glory of their Enigmatic Calling and Celestrial Entrance works or a dash further down the path toward commercial oblivion ah la Krokus (yes, Krokus damn you, they were good once!). After much consternation and intestinal distress, I can report their fifth album, Heavenly Ecstasy is way better than their prior misstep, though it doesn’t fully return to their previous levels of excellence.

After only a few seconds of listening to Heavenly Ecstasy, it becomes apparent Pagan’s Mind saw the need to make a return toward their previous proggy sound. However, they sought a balance between that style and the linear, stripped down sound from God’s Equation. While I would’ve preferred a complete about face, this is a happy compromise and things could have been much worse. What we end up with is an album loaded with immediate, SUPER melodic, polished, classy metal that walks the line between the traditional and power genres. The band’s secret weapon is the amazing vocals of Nils K. Rue. This guy has a huge and powerful voice with a great tone and style. He’s one of the best metal vocalists and I wish he did the Russell Allen thing (sing in fifty different bands) since I can’t get enough of the guy’s vocals. He takes quality songs like  “Eyes of Fire” and “Intermission” and elevates them in a way few other singers could. He’s just that good. He shines on every track here, whether its the Queensryche Operation Mindcrime era styling of “Walk Away in Silence,” the huge chorus during straight up rocker “Intermission” or the big, emotional epic “Revelation to the End,” Rue delivers the goods (he even tosses in harsh vocals and screams here and there). What made me breath the biggest sigh of relief is the return to quality songcraft. While only half of God’s Equation was good, all the songs here are solid and some are exceptional (“Intermission” and “Revelation to the End” are the show stoppers).

Also in full force is the guitarwork of Jorn Lofstad. Mr. Lofstad has a knack from writing some high energy, catchy riffs and he can also deliver majestic and beautiful solo work when called upon. There’s plenty of that on offer here. Even when his riffs are more pedestrian, Rue’s vocals carry the songs just fine. On a far less positive note, Lofstad also unveils some decidedly nu-metalish riffing on several songs (“Eyes of Fire,” “Into the Aftermath,” “Master’s Voice”) and I don’t like that. No sir, not one bit! While it’s brief and doesn’t infest the songs to a high degree, its there, waiting like some loathsome disease and it must be isolated and eradicated! Get on that immediately Jorn. Of course, the Pagan’s Mind sound wouldn’t be complete without the omnipresent keyboards of Ronny Tegner and he does his job here, creating rich textures and moods.

While these guys probably aren’t going back to the righteous style of their early works, I can live with this middle ground. Hell, an album of high class metal with power and prog overtones is something Steel Druhm will never shake a stick at. If you abandoned ship after God’s Equation, I’m here to tell you, its safe to sail once again. If you never heard these guys, this is good place to start but their older stuff is superior. Check it out just for the vocals alone. A welcome semi-return to form.

Related posts:

1. Lance King – A Moment in Chiros Review
2. Flotsam and Jetsam – The Cold Review
3. Symphony X – Iconoclast Review

Have you ever wondered what a group of Norwegian black metal musicians might sound like if they played greasy biker rock? Well wonder no more, just hunker down with a case of brews and Chrome Division. Featuring Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir) on guitar and members of Old Man’s Child and Ringnevond, Chrome Division delivers something like a drunken mixture of ZZ Top, The Misfits, Venom and Lynyrd Skynyrd.  There’s nary a cold, icy riff to be found on their new album 3rd Round Knockout and instead you get rowdy, raucous, ribald and very adolescent rock/metal that’s actually exceedingly well done. This is well written, catchy,  fun and highly addictive stuff and it even leaves behind much of the Motorhead worship found on their earlier albums. Its an alcohol fueled party album that virtually forces you to pop open a cold one as you listen. How can anything that drives you to drink be bad?

Opener “Bulldogs Unleashed” is thrashy, noisy and very immediate. You get raspy, whiskey soaked vocals, sharp, smart rock/metal riffing and lyrics that revolve around stale beer, strip clubs and loose women, all with tongue firmly planted in cheek. New vocalist Athera (Susperia) has a great biker tough growl and Shagrath and Ricky Black lay down a plethora of memorable licks (check out the cool riffing at 1:36 on). From there its one party metal monster after another and ALL are catchy and rockin. The first big moment comes with the raise-your-glasses drinking metal of “Join The Ride” which lurches unexpectedly into poignant southern rock and somehow does both equally well (here’s where I point out that any Norwegian band convincingly pulling off southern rock deserves some props). Also of unexpectedly high quality is the rough rock of “Unholy Roller,” the bluesy bayou swagger of “The Magic Man” and the total metal injection of “Zombies and Monsters.” I would be remiss if I didn’t mention their cover of the oft-covered “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” The way they throw themselves into this classic country-western song with so much abandon makes it pretty damn irresistible (although it’s plenty silly too).

It’s a dead heat between the vocals and the guitars for what makes 3rd Round Knockout work so well. Athera really goes balls out on the mic and despite the surprising variety of styles Chrome Division tries their hand at, he manages to do them all justice and then some. Shagrath and Ricky Black let it all hang out guitar-wise and their riff and lead work brings to mind the best moments of Fireball Ministry and Black Label Society. Every single track has its own merits and this truly is a cohesive party/drinking album of high quality. No filler, no wasted space, just the hits.

Whether or not this album clicks with you will depend on how serious you need your music and lyrics to be and whether or not you have a sense of humor. If you don’t have one, you best steer clear of this boozy train wreck. If this album had an I.Q. it would be sub-moron and it should come in a beer stained container. It’s knuckleheaded neanderthal metal with few if any redeeming social qualities but hey, that’s so fucking metal isn’t it? I proudly support Norwegian dudes playing American biker metal mixed with southern rock, country western and the blues. If you don’t, then you simply don’t know how to party. Now where’s the beer and stripper I was promised?

Related posts:

1. Devil – Time to Repent Review
2. Pagan’s Mind – Heavenly Ecstasy Review
3. DC4 – Electric Ministry Review

Ulver is one of the greatest metal bands ever. If there were a “Big 4″ for 90s metal, Ulver would be one of them because those first three records, Bergtatt, Kveldssanger and Nattens Madrigal (for the uninitiated) are absolutely essential Norwegian black metal records (obviously Kveldssanger isn’t black metal per se, but it is still an awesome record). But, of course, that same experimental drive that pushed the band into black metal also pushed them out of it, and Garm has been very critical of the scene since leaving it. That said, Ulver is also like Katatonia or Anathema in that their post-(extreme) metal music has been widely accepted by metalheads largely because of the already existing cred. But I get the feeling that War of the Roses will try that patience.

War of Roses continues the band’s experimental movement beyond black metal and also beyond their critically acclaimed Blood Inside and Shadows of the Sun. At this point, I’d just call them experimental rock or post-rock or… whatever, this isn’t metal. What it is, however, is a slightly orchestrated tracks which verge on ambient most of the time. While some of this is very cool, like the beginning of the track “Providence,” this record is more miss than hit. The aforementioned track spirals downard quickly into wailing, but breathy and quiet singing which feels weird, out of place and generally annoys the hell out of me. Another major miss is the final 14 minute talky track “Stone Angels,” which while poetically interesting is not much more than that and after the first listen I had trouble getting through it again.

Also, I’m really always impressed by how awesome Garm’s voice is in metal (he is hands down my favorite black metal vocalist and one of my favorite clean vocalists if you consider his work in Arcturus and Ulver), but it really doesn’t feel like it works very well in the lighter stuff. He has such a blunt, forceful tone and absolutely no vibrato, which creates a very strange feeling in the slower, more delicate pieces because it’s like painting with a cudgel. It’s like he doesn’t have shades or nuance, he just has louder and softer.  This really is a drawback from music that may really benefit from a highly emotive voice.

That said, there is some good stuff on here. I like the opening track “February MMX,” and the stretch from “September IV” to “Island” is enjoyable atmospheric rock with IDM underlay that really works in the context of the music. Everything here moves slowly and there’s even the occasional malevolent feeling, but largely the music is just pretty chill. “Island” is where Garm sounds best, and the mix is very cool. The song writing reminds me of indie bands I dare not mention here, but needless to say it’s almost like the softer side of Porcupine Tree or Anathema. The use of soundscapes and flutes and chirping birds definitely gives an Anathema feel at the end, as well. Heck, even the track “Providence” has some awesome parts, once the annoying vocals disappear.

Unfortunately, though, some good moments and three great songs are not enough to save War of the Roses for me. Largely I ended up bored or annoyed while listening to this record. It’s also very difficult to say to whom this record would appeal. It could appeal to fans of Ulver‘s later stuff, but I was a fan of the band through the Silence EPs and I’m not particularly taken by this. Blood Inside and Shadow of the Sun fans might dig it, but they might also feel let down. And so I’m left with the impression that Ulver has once again done what they have done many times before: isolated their fanbase. They’ve turned it into an art, by now. Now if only they’d make a black metal record to really piss off the fans who like War of the Roses.

Related posts:

1. Petrychor – Dryad Review
2. Nàttsòl – Stemning Review
3. Falkenbach – Tiurida Review

Progressive metal isn’t an easy place to be. Let’s face it, much of the world of progressive metal is a tussle between an old guard of old fans (the Neanderthals of Metal) who really like bands that sound like Dream Theater, Queensryche, and so forth, and then there’s kind of everyone else. It’s disparate, difficult to define and often pretentious as hell with little logic as to what is in fashion with which group. This is the natural outcome of genrefication, in my opinion, and part of that is a question of where a band can actually progress to. You’re either not heavy enough or you’re too heavy and you never please anyone. Few bands ever really manage to fall outside of these well-worn ruts in the road, but there are some fantastic bands in those ruts—Above Symmetry is one of those bands.

Above Symmetry (formerly Aspera) is not like much of the progressive metal that’s coming from Norway (which is where they’re from incidentally), but instead they sound a lot like Symphony X. This will not be the last time I say that—because Above Symmetry sounds like Symphony X. Like, almost exactly like Symphony X. The music is great, heavy and riffy. The band is tight, with great keyboards and a lead guitarist that is just a hell of a player. The guitars and keyboards work together really well and are balanced out by a very excellent rhythm section. Like Symphony X, the writing is intelligent with excellent transitions, good dynamic movements, beautiful choruses and solid hooks litter every song. The choruses are amazingly catchy and will definitely get stuck in your head, and yet the arrangements of the songs are still progressive enough to make you feel nice and superior to your buddies who listen to non-prog bands. On top of all of that the record is beautifully produced—done by the marvelous Jens Bogren (Opeth, Ihsahn, Symphony X, etc.)—everything is neatly organized, tight as hell and the tone is really fantastic.

OK, so what are the problems? Well, I suspect that you probably already sense an issue. When the band’s bio says that the band “quotes bands like Pagan’s Mind, Pain of Salvation, and Symphony X” it’s actually a really nice way of saying “Above Symmetry sounds like progressive metal, you know, progressive metal like you’ve heard before.” And while this is good in some ways, it feels comfortable, it also draws the listener back from the tracks thinking “Huh, don’t I know that riff?” Another major weakness is the vocalist. Unlike many progressive bands, singer Atle Pettersen isn’t a straight up bad vocalist. Instead, he’s a poseur. His performance on the record is spotty because he is at his roots a talented, choir boy singer who is trying his hardest to sound rock ‘n roll. Something his voice doesn’t have—and something that makes him a unique voice in my opinion. In a genre overrun with Rob Halford, Bruce Dickenson and Geoff Tate wannabes, Pettersen has a clean, clear voice that is strong and recognizable without needing to fake balls. Unfortunately, for whatever reason he has decided that in order to be a rock vocalist he has to have a wail and it makes him sound weak and silly, not tough and strong like he intends.

Another interesting point, which drops this record down a bit for me, is that the lyrics are not good. The Steve Harris School of Lyrics Writing is apparently still open in Scandinavia and whoever is writing the lyrics for Above Symmetry has taken all his notes directly from these guys. There is no subtlety, hardly any poetry and nothing remotely new or interesting in them. Lyrics in metal tend to range between the unfortunately bad and the passable, rarely ever being good, and for Above Symmetry, a reading list of good poets and lyricists might be in order. To be frank, I can understand why so many power and progressive metal bands have begun writing thematically (stories, concept records, etc.) because this record which seems a bit more personal, is really just filled with rock clichés.

In the end, however, Ripples indicates what I see to be a bright future for this band of Norwegian youngsters. This is their debut record and they make a really good show of it with catchy tunes, smartly written tracks and they’re tight, tight, tight. One hopes that they begin developing some personality, working on convincing their vocalist that he isn’t Russel Allen and keeps fighting on. These guys have a bright future ahead of them if they can keep it together.

[Disclaimer: This record is a re-issue of Aspera - Ripples, but the band has changed their name. I like these guys enough to re-post this so that people know that it's coming out, but it's the same record, so I just re-issued my review.]

Related posts:

1. Aspera – Ripples Review
2. Scar Symmetry – The Unseen Empire Review
3. Scar Symmetry – Dark Matter Dimensions Review

This is an odd one indeed. Basically, Sarke is a side project for Thomas Berglie (Old Man’s Child, Khold) and he handles all the instruments here. He recruited Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone) to do the vocals and together they released Vorunah in 2009 and now they’re back with Oldarhian. Although both men come from black metal backgrounds, Sarke is not a black metal band. Instead they play a mix of traditional heavy metal, Cemetary, Tiamat and new Darkthrone with some extra punk tossed in for good measure. The music is very stripped down, simplistic and not exceptionally heavy. At least for Nocturno, this material isn’t a big departure since it’s similar to Darkthrone albums like Circle the Wagons and F.O.A.D. Keeping their sound fairly consistent with the Vorunah album, Oldarhian offers more of their basic metal-punk fusion and while it has some enjoyable, rocking songs, it doesn’t completely work for me as a whole.

Things start off solidly with “Condemned” which has a greasy, raw, punky sound. Nocturno delivers some amusingly gruff vocals and sounds like Lemmy after a particularly rough night out on the town. It has a simple, garage band, under-produced charm and it’s actually a pretty rocking tune. Sarke’s riffs are super simple and no frills but they get the job done. After a few spins I realized this reminded me of  really old Voivod, like their “Condemned to the Gallows” track from the old Metal Massacre compilations in the early 80s. Follow up “Pilgrim of the Occult” is equally rocked out with a memorable lead riff, cool atmospherics and brisk pacing. Nocturno’s vocals here remind me a lot of Tiamat‘s Johan Edlund on the Wildhoney album. Things continue to work well on songs like “Pessimist,” “Passage to Oldarhian” and especially the raucous “Flay the Wolf.” However, by the middle point of the album, things start to lag as the boys of Sarke starts to explore more doomy, somber moods. Tracks like “Captured,” “Novel Dawn” and especially “Burning the Monolith” are low in energy, feel too drawn out and languid. By the time Oldarhian is two-thirds over, things are feeling pretty old(arhian) and tedious (although things end on a high note with “The Stranger Brew”).

The big issue is the one-note style being employed here by Sarke. It’s so painfully simplistic and straight forward that there isn’t much going on musically to engage the ear. When they keep things lively and energetic, it works just fine. When they start to go slower, things quickly become boring. The way the album is structured, that happens around the midway point and the last half is more of a chore to get through. That said, the first half is catchy and enjoyable with some truly fun moments of punk inspired metal.

Production-wise, Oldarhian sounds rough, unrefined and DIY. It isn’t as lo-fi as primitive black metal albums but it’s certainly lacking  the usual studio niceties and polish we’re accustomed to these days. I personally like the rough sound and mix since it fits what they’re doing quite nicely. This is a very simple, meat and potatoes concept and the lo-fi sound only helps to emphasize that (as does the stark album cover).

If you found yourself enjoyable the style Darkthrone adopted in the past few years then this may appeal to you. It’s devoid of black metal but it’s heavy enough in a off kilter, punk metal way. I enjoyed half of the album but just can’t get into the slower, moodier stuff. Consider it a mixed bag and sample accordingly.

Related posts:

1. Darkthrone – Circle the Wagons Review
2. Iskald – The Sun I Carried Alone Review
3. Nadiwrath – Nihilistic Stench Review

Reviewing albums like this is how I pay my debt for getting the Amon Amarth review. My inbox will become a wasteland of the very worst metalcore, deathcore, screamocore and whatever soulless rubbish Angry Metal Guy can hurl at me in an Oden-like rage (thank God I didn’t ask for the upcoming Amorphis review). As part of my community service, I’m here to enlighten you about Norway’s Insense and their fourth album Burn in Beautiful Fire. If you never heard of them, these guys play third-rate metalcore with all the emo/screamo pap that goes along with that craptastic style. Their bio says Anders Fridén of In Flames thinks they’re the next big thing to hit the scene. Well, if this is what Anders thinks is good music, that explains why In Flames has sucked so thoroughly since Colony. All apologies and respect to Mr. Fridén but even by metalcore standards this is super shitty and irritating. It’s boring,  annoyingly unoriginal and painfully below average in every aspect. I even hate the freaking album cover.

Let’s start with the negatives shall we? Vocalist/guitarist Tommy Hjelm is not a good vocalist. His screaming is annoying and grating and not in a cool “metal” way. His clean singing is quite poor as well. He clearly isn’t the only reason this album is bad but he sure isn’t helping either. Next, the band is apparently laboring under the misapprehension that riffs that go chugg-chugg-chugg-chugga-chugga are what the public wants in large quantities. To that end, they made enough for everybody to have seconds and bring some home for later. Songs like “Death for Me, Death for You” and “Surviving Self Resentment” are utterly nondescript and forgettable metalcore numbers. When they get heavier and thrashier as with the title track and “Perversion,” things don’t improve much either. The bulk of the material here is completely devoid of anything that would make me want to hear it again.  It’s just tough guy chest thumping with the obligatory poppy clean choruses (what a shocker right?). The sheer weight of the chug-chug abuse alone is enough to sink this album several times over.

Now for the positives (this will be quick). In a few songs Insense throws out some interesting ideas and guitar work. It’s not enough to save the songs but it suggests some potential they can hopefully harness in the future. “Overrated” has interesting moments at 1:30 and decent solo work and the title track has some interestingly discordant harmonies throughout. ”Alone in a Crowd” is the sole highlight (so to speak) and it’s a much better written track that conveys some genuine emotion despite it’s mindlessly formulaic metalcore approach.

This is yet another in the seemingly endless line of tedious core releases. Unless you’re the most determined metalcore completist ever, there’s absolutely no reason to get this album despite what In Flames thinks about their potential. It’s been done and done much better by pretty much everybody else out there. Instead, take the band’s own advice and burn this in beautiful fire, it might smell nice. ‘Nuff said.

Related posts:

1. The Haunted – Unseen Review
2. Artas – Riotology Review
3. Architects – The Here and Now Review