Haken – Aquarius
I am totally blown away. Haken is the best thing to happen to progressive metal in many, many years. Hailing from England, this relatively young band has unleashed a masterpiece.
England
Umbah – Trilobeth
Trilobeth doesn’t offer much of in terms of a focused style, but its seeming adaptability and multiplicity are its strengths. It’s a release that is a musical tribute to our technological and frenzied reality.
KEVI METAL’S RIMSHOTS v.2 #3
The music world is filled with similar smoke and mirrors acts. We’re told over and over and over again that so-and-so’s new album is the one that’ll re-define the genre. How many times have you heard in the last couple years that this-and-that’s “stunning” comeback album is “highly anticipated” and their best yet? Better than Bonded by Blood? Not bloody likely! The lies haven’t stop piling up since the music industry released its ad campaign for Elvis’ second record and this month’s Rimshots lifts the veil, cuts through the crap and saves you some money and/or hard drive space.
Savage Messiah: Insurrection Rising
The full-length debut from UK’s Savage Messiah, Insurrection Rising is a decent cut of thrash metal that ultimately doesn’t transcend its sub-genre.
STAFF PLAYLISTS: October 2009
Find out what HELLBOUND’s contributors are listening to going into the month of October. Each writer has submitted their Top 5 list and have an option to list a book and a film they are into right now too.
Moss: Tomb of the Blind Drugged
Despite being an overall disappointing collection, the latest EP from Southampton, UK, sludge/drone doom metal band Moss immediately gets points for two reasons.
Esoteric: The Maniacal Vale
This album is fantastic. Is Esoteric progressive doom? It is certain they are capable of gravitating towards this, but experimental? Definitely.
Viatrophy: s/t
The debut album from England’s Viatrophy offers an enjoyable collection of melodic death metal tracks that only get better as things progress.
Anaal Nathrakh: In the Constellation of the Black Widow
It takes just a few seconds for In the Constellation of the Black Widow to erupt into a blistering frenzy, and the bombastic chaos drives through to the end with few interruptions. The U.K. duo has produced a hurricane of sound, with a whole spectrum of throat-wrenching vocal eviscerations, thundering blasts, grinding riffs, and lightning-speed leads.
Anaal Nathrakh: In the Constellation of the Black Widow
In The Constellation of the Black Widow begins with a head-first charge into the listener’s gut. England-based Anaal Nathrakh’s latest album is just over half an hour of black metal-tinged grindcore that barely stops to take a breather, and it ends just as chaotically as it begins.