FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
If Skandinavisk Misantropi translates to Scandinavain Misanthropy, does that mean that Skitliv has hatred towards their own kind, or does it portray the hatred Scandinavians have towards the human race in general? This album presents a number of considerably solemn questions as it evokes the feeling of grim dissatisfaction.
DoomDogs is a fair solid slab of thud-rock. I’d go so far as to say that, from the opening bombardier riff of “Fight the Greed”, DoomDogs is a notch or two above a lot of doom records I’ve subjected myself to lately.
Hellbound readers, remember Natalie Zed? Natalie was our big grand prize winner back in January, taking home more than 50 CDs + and shortly after she received her huge box ‘o CDs, Ms. Zed asked us over at Hellbound HQ if we’d be interested in running reviews of her winnings if she did postcard sized reviews of the albums. How could we say no?
So, without further adieu, here is Natalie’s second installment in what Hellbound likes to refer to as “Postcards From Natalie Zed”…
Unleashed’s tried and true formula is a simple yet very effective one: big, meaty old school death riffs, songs that engage audiences instead of challenge, and loads and loads of good, old fashioned Viking shtick, thicker and tackier than Mackintosh toffee. It’s been done to death to the point where Unleashed couldn’t be more predictable, but from 1991’s seminal “The Dark One” to 2004’s brilliant return to form “The Longships Are Coming”, this is one band where we’re totally willing to ignore their lack of new ideas, and simply relax and have fun.
In less talented hands, the 90 minute concert film that constitutes the centerpiece of Alive would come off as a sloppily arranged mess, but director/editor Ian McFarland’s footage is so well-shot and so tastefully edited that we can’t help but forgive him for making the whole experience a touch disjointed.
Adrien Begrand reviews the brand new live DVD/CD collection by Sweden’s technical death metal innovators Meshuggah.
There is nothing truly bad about We Are The Void, but there is nothing that makes the album standout from the band’s strong discography.
Klagopsalmer is a surprisingly warm production in spite of its black metal core. That also means that, despite the band’s dark, depressive, even suicidal reputation, the record is not nearly as nihilistic or grim as you might expect.
Welcome to the second installment of the snarky, irreverent world of Rimshots, reconstituted for the online world that is Hellbound.ca. Enjoy them, because I know I didn’t. After suffering through this crop of crap, all I have to ask is: Sean, dude, what did I ever do to you?!
With a sound rooted more in earlier bands like Bathory and Venom rather than later Norwegian cuts, both Nifelheim and Devil’s Force are blasts of thrashy black metal that stick to a plan and rarely deviate.
Mr. Death will appeal to old school death metal follows of Dismember, Grave and Entombed and is definitely worth searching out.