FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Not without the requisite controversy among the black-metal community, once again it appears Darkthrone is determined to carve their name in the big stone book of metal/punk crossover, as another of those rare-treat bands who can appeal to both the ‘airies and the baldies at the same time. There’s just that matter of their tr00-kvlt fans having a hard time with them putting out anything that doesn’t sound once more like Ravishing Grimness.
Leaden and imposing while still agile and heated, Black Eye Blues isn’t redefining the world of hardcore overall but it’s still bold, inspired and original enough to be stunning.
This Blue Record goes from heavy to melodic to acoustic and back, offering something for all fans of heavy rock; from Priestess to Pentagram, Angel Witch to Acid Witch, Kansas to Jerusalem…
A solid offering that never slips below expectations, El Rostro De La Muerte admirably strives to create some elbow room between Exodus’ Pleasures Of The Flesh and Testament’s The New Order.
It has been a very long time since music like this sounded so energetic; on No Guts, No Glory, Airbourne rock out like true believers and they have the chops to back up their ambition.
The end result is a raw, almost desperate affair brimming with stellar riffs, engaging caterwauls and an adrenaline-pumping pace virtually absent since thrash’s formative years.
While it’s questionable whether the band haven’t left behind one set of stereotypes only to embrace another, what isn’t questionable is that Imperium Dekadenz have produced an awesome album that is one of the best that the black metal genre has to offer so far this year.
All in all, Charred Walls… is a solid piece of all-out metal from a seasoned group of players who fit really, really well together.
The very recently released Arsis album, Starve for the Devil manages to fast and provide guitar parts that are memorable. The vocals are good and growley sounding but listening closely the words are almost understandable.
The concept of the covers album is a risky one. Nothing wrong with slapping one on as a B-side or extra track. But to propose a whole album of covers often begs the question, “What? Have they run out of their own material already?” When you decide to make the cover album an ongoing series, you run the risk of self-parody; Six Feet Under are getting dangerously close to that point with Graveyard Classics III.