  _______ __                     __      __                      ___ 
 |   _   |  |--.----.-----.-----|__.----|  .-----.-----. .-----.'  _|
 |.  1___|     |   _|  _  |     |  |  __|  |  -__|__ --| |  _  |   _|
 |.  |___|__|__|__| |_____|__|__|__|____|__|_____|_____| |_____|__|  
 |:  1   |                                                          
 |::.. . |                                                          
 `-------'                                                          
                   _______ __                      
                  |   _   |  |--.---.-.-----.-----.
                  |.  1___|     |  _  |  _  |__ --|
                  |.  |___|__|__|___._|_____|_____|
                  |:  1   |                        
                  |::.. . |                        
                  `-------'                        


   CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, Saturday, August 3, 2003, Issue #64
                   http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com


Co-Editor / Founder: Gino Filicetti
Co-Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo
Contributor: Adrian Bromley
Contributor: Brian Meloon
Contributor: Paul Schwarz
Contributor: Aaron McKay
Contributor: David Rocher
Contributor: Matthias Noll
Contributor: Alvin Wee
Contributor: Chris Flaaten
Contributor: Quentin Kalis
Contributor: Xander Hoose
Contributor: Adam Lineker
Contributor: Adrian Magers
Contributor: James Montague
Contributor: Jackie Smit
Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault

The   individual   writers   can   be   reached    by    e-mail    at 
firstname.lastname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com.                            
     (e.g. Gino.Filicetti@ChroniclesOfChaos.com).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Issue #64 Contents, 8/3/2003
----------------------------
* Chats
-- Nevermore: The Greater Goal Achieved
-- Tomahawk: Shooting the Breeze Mit Mr. Denison
-- Dysrhythmia: Tradition Be Damned
* Albums
-- Amongst the Swarm - _Crowning the Defeated_
-- Arcturus - _The Sham Mirrors_
-- Beneath the Ashes - _Nailed to Your Ruins_
-- Blessed - _Last Breath Before the Flesh_
-- Children of Bodom - _Hate Crew Deathroll_
-- Circle Takes the Square - _As the Roots Undo_
-- Crematorium - _For All Our Sins_
-- Cumchrist - _Cumplete_
-- Darkthrone - _Soulside Journey_ / _A Blaze in the Northern Sky_ /
                _Under a Funeral Moon_ / _Transilvanian Hunger_
-- Disfear - _Misanthropic Generation_
-- Ditch - _The Sound of Liverpigs Dancing_
-- Ed Gein - _It's a Shame_
-- Elend - _Winds Devouring Men_
-- Exterminator - _Mirror Images_
-- Farmakon - _A Warm Glimpse_
-- Golden Dawn - _Masquerade_
-- Horfixion - _Instigators of Chaos_
-- Inner Helvete - _Total Bloodshedding Devastation_
-- Killing Joke - _Killing Joke_
-- Laibach - _WAT_
-- Meshuggah - _Nothing_
-- Mütiilation - _1992-2002: Ten Years of Depressive Destruction_
-- Mütiilation - _Majestas Leprosus_
-- Mystifier - _Profanus_
-- Nevermore - _Enemies of Reality_
-- Opeth - _Damnation_
-- Pathos - _Perdition Splits the Skies_
-- Prong - _Scorpio Rising_
-- Rakoth - _Tiny Deaths_
-- Satanic Warmaster - _Opferblut_
-- Satyricon - _Volcano_
-- Strommoussheld - _Behind the Curtain_
-- Throcult - _Soldiers of a Blackened War_
-- Throne of Chaos - _Pervertigo_
-- Vinterriket - _Winterschatten_
-- Vomitor - _Bleeding the Priest_
* Demos
-- Aramathea - _Of Darkest Dreams..._
-- Kill by Inches - _Kill by Inches_
-- Outcast - _The Source of All Creation_
-- Pica Fierce - _A Spiral of Violence_
-- The Evil Cell - _The Evil Cell_
 - The Evil Cell - _The Evil Cell II_
* Gigs
-- Coming Back Alive and Kicking: Sepultura and Stamping Ground
-- Raining Classics on a Lacerated London: Slayer with Lamb of God
-- Unleashing True Carnage: Six Feet Under supported by Obscenity
-- They Came For Us All: Anthrax with Kill 2 This
-- Marching on to Greatness: Mastodon and Labrat

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                          _, _,_  _, ___  _,
                         / ` |_| /_\  |  (_ 
                         \ , | | | |  |  , )
                          ~  ~ ~ ~ ~  ~   ~ 


          T H E   G R E A T E R   G O A L   A C H I E V E D
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                CoC talks to Jeff Loomis of Nevermore
                           by: Jackie Smit


How many times have you heard a band's forthcoming  effort  described 
as "heavier, but more melodic"? This  commonly  used  combination  of 
adjectives (I stopped counting at thirty) has  during  the  last  few 
years served more to warn fans of  impending  drivel,  than  actually 
stir up some excitement for a record. Always  the  exception  to  the 
rule however, Seattle's Nevermore are actually able to  say  this  of 
their forthcoming album, _Enemies of Reality_, and still  hold  their 
heads high. Having steadily been releasing a succession of  excellent 
records since 1995,  _Enemies  of  Reality_  is  quite  simply  their 
greatest and most well-rounded accomplishment to  date.  What  better 
time then to catch up with main songwriter/guitarist Jeff Loomis than 
on the eve of its release?                                            

CoC: Well, Jeff -- let me say first of all that I've had the  advance 
     of the new record for about two weeks now and it's awesome.           

Jeff Loomis: Thanks.

CoC: As much as I enjoyed the previous Nevermore albums, I always got 
     the feeling that you were capable of and were  actually  working 
     towards something bigger. Do you feel  that  you  have  achieved 
     this on _Enemies of Reality_?                                    

JL: Definitely. I think that there are some  fundamental  differences 
    on this  album  from  the  last  that  helped  us  achieve  that, 
    especially in that the songs are a bit shorter and  there's  only 
    nine on the record. I don't think that we wanted  to  do  another 
    sixty minute epic, because I think it kind of gets to  the  point 
    where you're sitting there listening and thinking "Man,  is  this 
    ever going to end?". This album is really fast and to the point.  

CoC: The songs also sound as though you paid them much more attention 
     and in general the whole album feels a bit more well-rounded.         

JL: I agree, and I think that it basically comes  from  just  getting 
    better as a songwriter over the years, you know what  I  mean?  I 
    don't really think we follow any set  path  or  whatever,  and  I 
    never pre-plan anything;  I  usually  just  press  record  on  my 
    eight-track in my home studio and just come up  with  whatever  I 
    can and then pick out the best stuff at the end of the day.       

CoC: Did you handle most of the writing for this album again?

JL: Yeah, I usually write the brunt of  the  music  and  then  Warrel 
    handles all of the lyrics, and it was the same for this album.        

CoC: You had to cancel quite a large part  of  your  2001  tour  with 
     Savatage because of the events of 9/11. Did that reflect in  any 
     way on how _Enemies of Reality_ came out?                        

JL: No, I mean, maybe we were a little angry at the time or whatever, 
    but these are all just really personal bits of poetry we came  up 
    with ourselves and that didn't have anything to do with it.       

CoC: The new album does sound a lot angrier than  _Dead  Heart  in  a 
     Dead World_ though -- where did this extra rage come from?            

JL: I don't know...  <laughs>  Like  I  said,  I  don't  really  plan 
    anything. I mean, things like the war in Iraq and stuff like that 
    made me worried about stuff like  the  band's  safety,  since  we 
    travel all the time, but after a while I  just  started  ignoring 
    it, because I'm not really a very political person. I think  that 
    a lot of it comes just purely from  inspiration  from  the  stuff 
    I've been listening to and it might also have a lot  to  do  with 
    this Kelly guy we used to produce the album instead of Andy.      

CoC: He did a really good job, by the way.

JL: He did an excellent  job!  I  think  that  Kelly  was  trying  to 
    approach recording us in a different sort of way.  With  Andy  we 
    sort of had to take a building block approach and we would  spend 
    so much time on every little thing, whereas Kelly  would  set  up 
    the whole band and we'd play a lot of the songs live.  So  really 
    what you're hearing is the live aspect of Nevermore. Of course  I 
    would add three other tracks of guitars later on, but in the  end 
    everything came together and made for a  very  good  album.  Also 
    with Andy we'd have to do all the instrumental parts first and do 
    all the vocal bits last, and to tell you the  truth  it's  not  a 
    really good idea doing that,  because  the  vocals  tend  to  get 
    really burned out. After every time we had completed one song  on 
    this new album, Kelly would bring Warrel  in  and  do  the  basic 
    vocal tracks, so we'd have one song, one  vocal,  one  song,  one 
    vocal... And basically  we'd  have  Warrel  singing  through  the 
    duration of the album.                                            

CoC: That also probably gave his voice time to rest between recording.

JL: Oh yeah, and it's really important  when  you're  recording.  You 
    can't blow your voice out, because you'll be screwed.                 

CoC: Now, this is the second time that Nevermore recorded as a  four- 
     piece. Have you guys ever given any  thought  to  replacing  Pat 
     O'Brien?                                                         

JL: Well, Pat's in Cannibal Corpse now and I  don't  think  that  his 
    heart was really into the style of music that we wanted to do  to 
    begin with. I mean, I was living with him  at  the  time  and  he 
    would literally wake up every  morning  and  listen  to  Cannibal 
    Corpse. <laughs> And I think that all of us are really happy that 
    he got into Cannibal, because it's his dream band.  As  for  Tim, 
    our other guitar player -- I think he just had  other  priorities 
    at the time. He got married and he was always into  aviation,  so 
    he's now actually flying planes for  a  living.  Basically  right 
    now, it's just easier for us to go on as a four-piece, especially 
    in the studio. I can tighten up everything  pretty  well  in  the 
    studio and also business-wise it's easier for  us  to  work  this 
    way. And we take someone with us when we go on tour anyway. Right 
    now it's going to Chris from Jag Panzer who'll be coming out with 
    us when we play in Europe and the States in a couple of months.   

CoC: There are quite a few songs on Nevermore where there's an almost 
     death metal-type feel to the riffs.                                   

JL: Yeah, definitely. I actually started off in a death metal band in 
    Wisconsin, where I'm from, and I think that there's almost always 
    been an influence. And I think that you can hear that  especially 
    on the second song, where  there's  almost  a  Morbid  Angel-type 
    harmonic bit going on in the middle section. I think it's kind of 
    cool that Warrel can actually sing  over  that  and  not  do  the 
    typical death metal growl. That's why I actually stopped  playing 
    in bands like that, because I thought that the vocals  were  very 
    restrictive in a sense. I like vocalists that can sing nowadays.  

CoC: Did Warrel have any vocal training?

JL: I believe he did. As far as I know it was from this  guy  by  the 
    name of David Kyle, who  actually  taught  a  lot  of  people  in 
    Seattle who did, you know, this falsetto stuff  and  things  like 
    that. I think in the early Sanctuary days,  his  voice  was  much 
    higher and over the years it's sort of evened out a  bit  into  a 
    kind of mid- range to the point where it suits our  stuff  really 
    well.                                                             

CoC: You  mentioned  the  live  aspect  of  this  album  earlier  and 
     Nevermore does have the reputation of being quite the performers 
     -- do you think your records or your live shows  form  the  most 
     important element of the band?                                   

JL: I think definitely the live experience is where it's  all  really 
    at for us. I much prefer playing live to being stuck in a studio, 
    because that tends to kind of suck most of the time.  In  a  live 
    environment you have all the  people  really  in  your  face  and 
    you're able to just really let go and go off into another  world. 
    And it's really inspiring to play live -- actually it's the place 
    where I'm most inspired.                                          

CoC: So, what's been  the  most  inspiring  Nevermore  gig,  in  your 
     opinion, so far?                                                      

JL: Well, there's been so many, but off the top of my head  I'd  have 
    to say the Dynamo festival in 1995. We had just started out as  a 
    band and we played in front of like 80,000 people and to play  to 
    such a large crowd is just indescribable. We went on at noon  and 
    I've never played in front of such a big crowd before; it  really 
    looked like just a vast ocean of people. It was pretty intense.   

CoC: Do you have a job outside the band?

JL: <laughs> Yeah, at the moment, I think we all have to work because 
    we're right in the middle of the re-signing  process.  I  try  to 
    keep myself busy all the time --  I  teach  guitar  to  students. 
    Warrel and Jim are both really killer chefs and Van probably  has 
    the best job out of all of us -- he works for Nintendo.           

CoC: Have you recorded any bands in your home studio yet?

JL: I did, actually. A couple of months ago I recorded a death  metal 
    band out of Seattle and it came out  really  cool.  I'd  like  to 
    actually do more of that, but it's really hard finding the time.  

CoC: Nevermore are often quite unfairly lumped into the  power  metal 
     genre -- does this bother you guys at all?                            

JL: Yeah, a little bit.

CoC: So how would you describe yourselves to people who haven't heard 
     you yet?                                                              

JL: Well, I think we're an ever-changing band, which makes it  really 
    hard to say. We have so many different styles that come  together 
    in this band that it's really hard  to  say,  and  it's  probably 
    impossible to categorize. I think we get a lot of the power metal 
    references because Warrel sings,  but  to  me  power  metal  just 
    sounds a lot happier as opposed to our stuff.                     

CoC: Well, you also don't sing about demons and dragons  and  wizards 
     either...                                                             

JL: <laughs> Yeah, dungeons and dragons, demons jumping out of the PA 
    -- that's not us at all. I  can't  really  put  any  tag  on  us, 
    because from album to album you never know what you're  going  to 
    get with us. It's always ever-changing.                           

CoC: Now, you're obviously pretty happy with how _Enemies of Reality_ 
     has turned out. In your honest opinion, what do you feel is this 
     album's potential?                                               

JL: That's a hard one to predict. You know, it's about a  month  away 
    from coming out, but to tell you the truth, I think it's going to 
    be our best one yet. You've got to  be  optimistic  about  things 
    like this or you sit at home, shaking and wondering what's  going 
    to happen. I think some people might freak  out  because  of  the 
    difference in recording sounds --  I  mean  Andy  Sneaps  was  so 
    sleek, whereas this one's focusing on the rawer approach that  we 
    can get. I do look forward to seeing what  people  think,  but  I 
    definitely believe that this will be our best-selling  album.  We 
    have always outsold every successive album, so we've pretty  much 
    always been going up.                                             

CoC: What are your touring plans for 2003?

JL: Well, we'll be coming to Europe with Arch Enemy in September  and 
    then after that we'll be hitting the states  with  Dimmu  Borgir, 
    Children of Bodom and Hypocrisy. I think it's cool to have a show 
    like this, because most of the time when you go  to  the  States, 
    there'll be four death metal  bands  playing  and  it  just  gets 
    really boring. I really like it when there are different bands on 
    a bill, because it just keeps things interesting, you know?       

CoC: You actually toured with Dimmu Borgir in 2001 -- do they get  up 
     to any crazy antics on the road?                                      

JL: Oh man, those guys are just so much fun. They really know how  to 
    party and they're big fans of older styles of metal, like we  all 
    are, and they're really cool guys under all the demon-stuff  they 
    put on.                                                           

CoC: As heavy as _Enemies of Reality_ is, in the current  marketplace 
     one could easily imagine a couple of those songs  on  radio  and 
     Nevermore actually becoming quite a big act  commercially.  Have 
     you guys ever given thought to touring with any bigger bands?    

JL: I guess if the chance ever came  up,  we'd  definitely  take  it, 
    because it would bring so much more publicity for us, but at  the 
    moment we're sort of more  attached  to  the  underground  bands. 
    We've always been going out with bands from Sweden like Opeth and 
    Soilwork and it usually makes for a really good bill.             

CoC: But at the same time a band like Metallica  is  claiming  to  go 
     back to the old-school, yet they're taking Linkin  Park  out  on 
     tour with them. Wouldn't it be great if they could actually  put 
     their money where their motor mouths are and take  a  band  like 
     Nevermore on the road with them?                                 

JL: That would be amazing, because we'd be playing  in  front  of  so 
    many new people and it would bring us so much  publicity,  and  I 
    think we need a break like that. I mean,  something  similar  has 
    happened with Shadows Fall, who are going to be  playing  at  the 
    Ozzfest, so congrats to them. It would really be great to be able 
    to do a high-profile tour like that to get us  going.  One  thing 
    that has been very positive for us is  that  we're  going  to  be 
    doing a video at the end of July for the title track off the  new 
    record and with Headbanger's Ball being back to TV in the States, 
    it could work out really great for us.                            

CoC: So, any last words for Chronicles of Chaos readers then, Jeff?

JL: Well, I'd like to thank the fans for waiting two and a half years 
    for us to bring out a new album. You  know,  fans  are  the  most 
    important thing for us and we're really looking forward to coming 
    out on tour very soon, so be there!                               

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                 SHOOTING THE BREEZE MIT MR. DENISON
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              CoC interviews Duane Denison of Tomahawk
                           by: Jackie Smit


Tomahawk (for those of you who have lived under the  secluded  safety 
of a rock formation for the past few years) is  the  veritable  super 
group featuring  such  auspicious  members  as  Kevin  Rutmanis  (The 
Melvins) and the vocal talents of 'little-known' Mike  Patton  (Faith 
No More, Fantomas, etc.). However, far from  being  a  Patton  vanity 
project, Tomahawk is actually the conception of  one  Duane  Denison, 
better known to some as the guitarist for seminal rockers  The  Jesus 
Lizard. With a fantastic new record running under  the  moniker  _Mit 
Gas_ fresh on the shelves and a fair amount of  European  tour  dates 
lying ahead of them,  I  was  given  the  privileged  opportunity  to 
discuss all things  Tomahawk  with  Mr.  Denison  from  his  home  in 
Nashville.                                                            

CoC: Starting with the new record: I found that _Mit Gas_  is  a  far 
     more accessible and often more commercial record, as opposed  to 
     the first album that took quite a while to  actually  sink  into 
     the listener's conscience thoroughly. Did you guys approach  the 
     writing and recording of the album any differently?              

Duane Denison: I don't  think  that  there  was  anything  inherently 
               different, except  that  on  _Mit  Gas_  some  of  the 
               material had  actually  been  played  live  before  we 
               recorded it, which obviously wasn't the case with  the 
               first album. But  other  than  that,  there  wasn't  a 
               different mindset or anything like  that  --  I  mean, 
               you basically make  something  up  and  see  what  the 
               other guys think of it. And there  wasn't  much  of  a 
               difference in actually recording the album  either  -- 
               both records were basically played live in the  studio 
               and mixed and completed in about two and a half weeks. 

CoC: So with you being Tomahawk's  main  songwriter,  what  primarily 
     influenced you in writing the album?                                  

DD: Well, too many things to say, really. You know,  I  really  write 
    stuff all the time and quite possibly  you'd  hear  some  of  the 
    influence coming through from stuff I'd been listening to at  the 
    time, like Radiohead or, lately, stuff like Twilight  Circus  and 
    Dub Sound -- again, I don't know how much of that came through on 
    the record, but it's a possibility, if you know what I mean.      

CoC: Well, those are pretty atmospheric acts and generally _Mit  Gas_ 
     has a far more tangible sense of atmosphere than the first album.     

DD: Yeah, definitely. I think the fact that we  had  played  together 
    much more as a band when the album was recorded also  contributed 
    to that, because it basically gave us more of an idea of what  we 
    were capable of. And that obviously  gave  us  more  of  a  group 
    instinct and really a group sound, which was maybe  missing  from 
    the debut record.                                                 

CoC: Now, from what one hears about Tomahawk, one sort  of  gets  the 
     impression that the band was started as more of a  side-project, 
     as opposed to a full time band. Do you guys treat is as such?    

DD: Well, I don't, because this is my main thing right now, and  when 
    we're working or when we're touring or  rehearsing  or  recording 
    everyone gives 100%. Obviously the other people have other things 
    that they do as well, but with this group I write the bulk of the 
    material and kind of initiate everything, so that  doesn't  place 
    as much stress on them. I think that Tomahawk sort of gives  them 
    the opportunity to really just let loose and not  have  to  worry 
    quite so much.                                                    

CoC: Tomahawk obviously gets a  lot  of  attention  because  of  Mike 
     Patton's involvement -- does this  ever  bother  anyone  in  the 
     band? I mean, I'm thinking  particularly  of  you  as  the  main 
     songwriter in the band.                                          

DD: I think that obviously everything Patton does is going to  get  a 
    lot of attention and his involvement in the band may  well  be  a 
    large reason why we're having this interview. But  on  the  other 
    hand, people make their contribution to the  group  in  different 
    ways and it's not as though I am the  sole  owner  of  the  group 
    anyway. People are always going be interested in everything  that 
    Patton does and in this band,  probably  more  so  because  as  a 
    frontman you are automatically seen as the band's centre-piece -- 
    the same as with people like Bono or whoever. Most of the time if 
    you ask him about it he'll say: "Hey, this  isn't  my  band".  He 
    himself is aware of the situation and so it never really gets  to 
    the point where it becomes a problem.                             

CoC: At the same time, do you think that he treats Tomahawk with more 
     seriousness than he would something like Fantomas?                    

DD: No, I think that he treats it just as seriously as  Fantomas,  in 
    the same way that Kevin treats it just as seriously  as  Melvins. 
    When we're together we treat it as the only thing  that  matters, 
    which is important because we spend a lot of  time  together.  We 
    just spent six weeks on the road. We're coming to Europe soon and 
    then after that we might go to Australia  and  New  Zealand,  and 
    then afterwards we'll probably get together and work on some  new 
    songs. I mean, we really are together about five months of  every 
    year, and that's a lot of time -- you can be really productive in 
    that time if you do your homework  and  you  are  able  to  bring 
    something substantial to the table. It also  gives  us  time  off 
    from each other though, because when you're together for too long 
    you can get tired of each other and the formality wears off. So I 
    think that we have a really healthy situation right now as far as 
    that is concerned.                                                

CoC: So, are you guys all good friends or is it  more  of  a  working 
     relationship?                                                         

DD: I'd say that we're  all  friends  to  varying  degrees.  I  mean, 
    different people like doing different things and we'll  hang  out 
    with each other from time to time. Maybe someone would like to go 
    to a restaurant, while someone else might want to go to a bar. We 
    do different things together. So, we  kind  of  accommodate  each 
    other in various degrees and it works out real well.              

CoC: Judging by what you guys wrote on the  Ipecac  Records  website, 
     you're obviously expecting the album to do quite well. Have  you 
     been happy with the reception so far?                            

DD: Sure, but I always want more. I want to  go  triple  platinum,  I 
    want to win the Nobel Prize, I want to drink champagne  with  the 
    president of France,  I  want  to  drink  vodka  with  the  prime 
    minister of Russia. <laughs>                                      

CoC: Now, Tomahawk has been on tour in support of  _Mit  Gas_  for  a 
     while already -- have there been any incidents  similar  to  the 
     Mike Patton / security guard urination fiasco of the Astoria  in 
     2002?                                                            

DD: Fiasco? What fiasco? <laughs> That was the greatest publicity coo 
    of all time. Nothing happened. Anyway, I  don't  know  --  maybe, 
    maybe not. Maybe I'll get arrested. Maybe people  will  find  out 
    that John Stanier is a sexual predator. Maybe Kevin Rutmanis will 
    be charged for impersonating a human being.                       

CoC: What's your opinion on the current state of music?

DD: It depends. I think that the independent label circuit  seems  to 
    be doing pretty well, because almost any type of music these days 
    can find its place in the scene or the market  somewhere.  People 
    are getting hooked  up  well  enough  through  the  Internet  and 
    they're able to be exposed to  a  wider  variety  of  stuff,  and 
    obviously they're also able to get their  hands  on  a  lot  more 
    stuff. As far as popular music goes, it's still dominated by  the 
    worst low-level common denominator music, and  that's  just  that 
    way things go. There was a time, about ten years  ago,  when  you 
    could safely expect something good to come off a major label, but 
    that doesn't really happen all that much anymore. Queens  of  the 
    Stone Age and Radiohead are exceptions in  that  case,  but  it's 
    pretty rare. Things go in cycles though -- people can say rock is 
    dead, but it just goes through changes like  everything  else.  I 
    mean heavy metal and rock were hybrid forms of music since  their 
    inception, and I don't see any kind of an end in sight as far  as 
    the creative aspect  is  concerned.  Again  coming  back  to  the 
    Internet, it's literally just opening so many  doors  and  making 
    things possible for so many  bands  that  a  lot  of  people  are 
    struggling just to keep up with the technology.                   

CoC: So does Tomahawk mind if their music gets distributed on the web?

DD: Well, I don't mind if it's getting done  through  Internet  radio 
    or something like that,  but  when  people  can  download  entire 
    albums... that's just wrong, you know. It's theft of intellectual 
    property. When people play the song on the radio it's great,  but 
    when someone can just download for free what  you  put  time  and 
    energy and money into doing and just disseminates it for you  and 
    doesn't give you the chance to do what you would like to do  with 
    it -- that's just wrong. What it also means for record  companies 
    though is that they have to put more effort into  presenting  the 
    CD as a product. Taking our record as an example -- have you seen 
    the artwork?                                                      

CoC: Yes, it looks great.

DD: Well, it's because people download so easily  that  you  have  to 
    give people more of a reason to buy your work, and maybe  one  of 
    the ways to do that would be to take  more  trouble  with  things 
    like the artwork and the presentation.                            

CoC: Is the work ethic at Ipecac any different from what you've  been 
     used to before?                                                       

DD: No, it's actually very similar to when I was on  Touch  &  Go.  I 
    mean, the business area of things is a bit smaller,  but  I  like 
    the fact that if I have a question or whatever, I can just go  to 
    someone and ask them and get it solved, where on a  bigger  label 
    you can't really do that. So, from that angle it's  really  good. 
    And looking at some of the shows that we've played  and  how  the 
    label marketed that to the people -- who in  turn  came  out  and 
    really appreciated what we did -- it's really nice  to  be  on  a 
    label that is considered to be an ascending force in music.       

CoC: Are you planning any side-projects at the moment?

DD: I do local things here and there in Nashville, but nothing major. 
    I recently played guitar on a Johnny Paycheck album and  I  do  a 
    bit of session work here and there. There's  a  couple  of  other 
    stuff in the pipeline, but nothing that's really definite yet.  I 
    don't really want to say too much about that yet. We might record 
    later on in the year.                                             

CoC: Is it going to be Duane Denison's death metal project?

DD: <laughs> No, you'll see.

CoC: So, ultimately, where do you want to take Tomahawk?

DD: I don't really have any goals. I'm just sort of getting the  ball 
    rolling and looking where it takes me. I think  right  now  we're 
    definitely doing what a band  should  be  doing,  in  that  we're 
    evolving and getting better at what we do. The  first  album  was 
    really sort of just us getting our feet  wet,  and  we've  played 
    quite a lot of shows since then and basically improved  to  where 
    we are on _Mit Gas_. So, yeah -- I don't have any goals.  I  just 
    want to evolve and continue to be  something  that's  interesting 
    and enjoyable for us as well as the audience.                     

CoC: Well, it's been great talking to you, Duane. Any last words?

DD: Eat buffalo, drink whiskey and get ready for Tomahawk!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                T R A D I T I O N   B E   D A M N E D
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
            CoC chats with Kevin Hufnagel of Dysrhythmia
                           by: Jackie Smit


One of the unwritten laws of modern-day music (even in the supposedly 
open-minded realms of metal) is that a vocalist's primary  role  lies 
in being the band's centre-piece -- the gatekeeper, if you will,  for 
the group's identity. Very rarely will this law be broken,  and  even 
more rarely will it be ignored  successfully.  Enter  Dysrhythmia:  a 
surge of pure, undiluted, unconventional musical  expression,  intent 
on turning every norm and tradition on its head -- and judging by the 
hypnotic dirge of their Relapse debut  _Pretest_,  pretty  damn  good 
at doing so. Operating  sans  vocals,  their  mixture  of  math-rock, 
ambience, noise and dense, cascading, almost film-like  overtures  is 
unique and powerful enough to  convey  the  band's  intended  message 
without the traditional, force-fed assistance of  lyrics.  The  prime 
force  behind  this,  one  of  2003's  most  surprising  efforts,  is 
guitarist Kevin Hufnagel -- a man who knows all too well about having 
to prove oneself to a cynical audience.                               

CoC: Instrumental acts -- apart  obviously  from  people  like  Marty 
     Friedman, Joe Satriani  and  so  on  --  aren't  a  particularly 
     common thing in modern-day metal. What sparked  the  idea  among 
     yourselves to do something this unconventional?                  

Kevin Hufnagel: With the exception of one band, I've always played in 
                unconventional-type bands, and half of them have been 
                instrumental, so I guess this is the  kind  of  music 
                that interests me most as a  musician.  I  enjoy  the 
                challenge of creating a piece of music that can stand 
                on its own, convey emotion  and  be  interesting  and 
                memorable all at once. I think our band  has  nothing 
                to do  with  a  lot  of  other  "instrumental  metal" 
                like the artists you mentioned.  Our  music  is  more 
                concerned with dynamics, rhythm,  tension  and  flow, 
                rather than writing simplistic  song  forms  to  solo 
                over, if you know what I'm saying.                    

CoC: Relapse Records is the  first  label  to  sign  you  to  a  deal 
     exceeding distribution -- did you find yourself confronted by  a 
     lot of scepticism from other labels when you approached them?    

KH: Dysrhythmia never really submitted our music or recordings to any 
    other labels. I would hear from friends in other bands, who  were 
    signed, that they would play our music for their labels and  they 
    would all say "tell them to call us when they get a singer". It's 
    really awesome that Relapse decided that they wanted to work with 
    us and it was certainly something I never expected.               

CoC: So how did the deal with Relapse come into being?

KH: We played a show in December 2001 here in Philly  with  Dillinger 
    Escape Plan and everyone from Relapse was there in the  audience. 
    We went over very well that night with the crowd  and  they  were 
    impressed by us, especially being a local band,  I  guess.  There 
    were also a few people  at  Relapse  who  were  Dysrhythmia  fans 
    already for a few years, so that's how we got noticed.            

CoC: On your website (www.dysrhythmiaband.com)  you  mention  several 
     musical influences, which include  avant-jazz  and  indie  rock. 
     Outside of music, what would you cite as the key  influences  in 
     the writing and construction of _Pretest_?                       

KH: A lot of times everyday life works its  way  into  our  songs.  I 
    think living in a major city like Philadelphia,  the  tension  of 
    city life and seeing  all  the  urban  decay  in  parts  of  town 
    influenced songs like "Bastard" and "Annihilation" parts 1 and 2. 
    I'm also a huge movie buff and watch tons of  obscure  films  and 
    extreme cinema. I don't know how much that really influences  our 
    music, consciously, though.                                       

CoC: Because of the absence of a vocalist in your band, do  you  feel 
     like Dysrhythmia still provides you with an adequate platform to 
     express attitudes and emotions that are personal to you, or just 
     general things that you want to get off your chest?              

KH: Yeah, I do. Playing is a great release for  me,  it's  a  way  to 
    vent. I don't consider myself very good with  words,  personally, 
    so expressing myself  through  my  instrument  is  important  and 
    essential to me. Sometimes a song title might clue you in on what 
    the song may be about or inspired by though.                      

CoC: So what are the key feelings that you feel you've  expressed  on 
     _Pretest_?                                                            

KH: Certainly a lot of pent-up frustration in songs  like  "Catalogue 
    of Personal Faults" and "Bastard". More melancholy feelings in  a 
    song like "Touch Benediction". Songs like "My  Relationship"  and 
    "Running Shoe of Justice" are more upbeat-sounding, they make  me 
    feel good. <laughs>                                               

CoC: You've just come off the Contamination tour,  where  you  played 
     with bands like Mastodon and  Cephalic  Carnage.  What  was  the 
     reaction like for  Dysrhythmia,  given  that  you  differ  quite 
     vastly from the aforementioned acts?                             

KH: The reaction was extremely positive for the most part. I think  a 
    lot of people were pleasantly surprised, and  we  were  not  what 
    they were expecting at all.                                       

CoC: Do you feel as though you need to adopt a different approach  to 
     performing live, because you don't have a vocalist?                   

KH: I think it's cool that there isn't any one  person  standing  out 
    front and centre. When we're performing it's very intense and  we 
    aren't reserved at all in a live setting, and I hear we  are  fun 
    to watch too.                                                     

CoC: _Pretest_ often sounds to me as though it could have been pulled 
     from a movie score. Is that something the band  have  considered 
     doing?                                                           

KH: I never thought about that with this band. I occasionally  record 
    experimental / ambient guitar music on my own -- though  recently 
    not as much as I used to -- and I always  thought  that  kind  of 
    stuff would lend itself very well to a visual medium. It would be 
    awesome if someone decided to use  some  Dysrhythmia  in  one  of 
    their films.                                                      

CoC: So if you were offered the chance, what would the ideal movie be 
     for a Dysrhythmia score?                                              

KH: I don't know... <laughs> Maybe a Japanese Yakuza  film  or  David 
    Lynch if he remade "Howard the Duck".                                 

CoC: Tracks like "Annihilation" 1 and 2  create  an  almost  thematic 
     feeling, which runs throughout the album. Is this just a case of 
     reading too much between the lines, or is that what you  had  in 
     mind when you did the record?                                    

KH: There's definitely no theme running through the record,  although 
    if that's what you thought  from  listening  to  it  then  that's 
    cool. Originally we had the idea  of  starting  the  record  with 
    "Annihilation" 1 and ending with 2, but the way we  do  it  live, 
    with the two of them segueing into each other, sounds so good  we 
    decided to keep it that way.                                      

CoC: What are your aspirations and ambitions for Dysrhythmia?

KH: I try to keep them very  simple.  Most  importantly,  I  want  to 
    continue to grow musically as a band, to explore  some  different 
    territories, and keep it fresh and interesting. Of course I  want 
    to keep expanding our following. This means lots of hard work and 
    touring. I can  see  our  efforts  starting  to  pay  off  slowly 
    already, but at the same time I would love to see  it  grow  much 
    further.                                                          

CoC: Well Kevin, thanks a lot for the talk. Any last  words  for  the 
     Chronicles of Chaos massive?                                          

KH: Come see us live. Cheers!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                       _, _,  __, _,_ _, _  _,
                      / \ |   |_) | | |\/| (_ 
                      |~| | , |_) | | |  | , )
                      ~ ~ ~~~ ~   `~' ~  ~  ~ 


Scoring:  10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed
           9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended
           7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities
           5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
           3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into
           0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs!


Amongst the Swarm - _Crowning the Defeated_
by: Aaron McKay  (7 out of 10)  (Skeptic Productions, 2002)

A scaled-down, heavy study in underground  metal  mayhem  awaits  the 
conflicted soul brave enough to dare a spin of  Amongst  the  Swarm's 
debut effort, _Crowning the Defeated_. There are no half-assed beats, 
cuts or chops found  on  this  aggressive  conflagration  of  musical 
effigy. Guitars nearly run wildly unchecked while held in balance  by 
the furious  beats  of  this  offering's  seven  totally  devastating 
tracks. Strained, hoarse vocals communicate the tortured  message  of 
considerable damage AtS lays  on  the  listener  without  mercy.  The 
American MidWest has little to offer in the vein of what  this  five- 
piece serves up: it's dark, restrained, but  nearly  uncontrolled  in 
its hard-ass, riffy approach. "My Place of Rest" and  "In  Your  Time 
of..." will speak volumes  to  what  I  am  telling  you  here.  Some 
suggestions might include either upping the intensity or, preferably, 
cultivating the "yang", as in Yin and Yang, and let the dominance  of 
AtS's catchy bass-severity wreak  havoc  on  the  perception  of  the 
listener. Also, while Amongst the Swarm lays a heavy mix of  hardcore 
and Swedish death metal out like a concrete super highway, delivering 
a strong message one way or the other between these two genres (mixed 
appropriately with all  the  tight  breaks  found  on  _Crowning  the 
Defeated_) would help absorption of Amongst the Swarm's style. Absent 
these things, AtS could very well be on their way to ascending to the 
throne they seek, from which they could crown whomever they please... 

Contact: http://www.harakiri666.com/skeptic/


Arcturus - _The Sham Mirrors_  (The End Records, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis  (9.5 out of 10)

It has been a full  five  years  since  the  amazing  _La  Masquerade 
Infernale_ (the only activity since from the Arcturus camp has been a 
remix album, which received a lukewarm  response)  so  one  could  be 
forgiven for thinking that the Arcturus concept was dead and  buried. 
It was therefore  a  pleasant  surprise  when  this  album  seemingly 
appeared out of the blue last year. _The  Sham  Mirrors_  is  a  less 
eclectic album then _LMI_ and  considerably  more  accessible  --  as 
borne out by reports last year that some of the songs off this  album 
would be used in upcoming episodes of MTV's "Sorority  High".  It  is 
also less chaotic then its predecessor and as a  result  it  is  more 
focused, with the songs being tighter and flowing  more  easily.  The 
quality of Arcturus' output is in no small part due to its  revolving 
door policy of musicians, who include various members from the  cream 
of Norwegian  black  metal.  The  most  well-known  members  on  this 
excursion include Trickster G. Rex (aka  Garm,  Ulver,  ex-Borknagar) 
whose distinctive  voice  continues  to  improve  with  each  passing 
year and on _TSM_  provides  the  performance  of  a  lifetime,  even 
experimenting with a falsetto. The Trickster declines to use  typical 
black metal screams  (the  black  metal  vox  on  "Radical  Cut"  are 
provided courtesy of Ihsahn (ex-Emperor)) or his trademark  monk-like 
chanting, which I do miss. A fitting  swansong  as  unfortunately  he 
will no  longer  be  providing  vocals  on  future  Arcturus  albums. 
Also contributing is long-time member  Hellhammer,  (Mayhem),  widely 
regarded as one of black metal's most talented drummers. Fortunately, 
he has no plans  to  abandon  Arcturus.  Keyboardist  Sverd  produces 
some amazing passages -- just listen  to  the  mesmerizing  intro  of 
"Star-crossed" for evidence that he is truly one of  metal's  premier 
keysman. An astounding album that will not be  to  everyone's  taste, 
but for those who enjoyed _LMI_ this will be a worthy successor.      

Contact: http://www.theendrecords.com


Beneath the Ashes - _Nailed to Your Ruins_  (State of Grace, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (8.5 out of 10)

From Sacramento, California comes five-piece Beneath the Ashes. Being 
one of the bands on the State of  Grace  roster,  it  won't  surprise 
anyone that stylistically BtA is a hardcore band pur sang.  Which  is 
not strange, if you consider that band members from  BtA  have  their 
roots in many other hardcore bands, such as Embrace the End,  Drowned 
in Silence and Bury My Heart. On _Nailed to Your Ruins_ they  display 
a very refined form  of  tech  hardcore  that  shows  the  experience 
they've built  over  the  last  years.  With  a  fitting  razor-sharp 
production, the guitar riffs come out crystal clear  on  top  of  the 
pounding drums. The bass provides a darker edge to the music, and the 
vocals  --  even  though  not  outstanding  compared  to  the  direct 
competition  --  is  enjoyable  and,  even  more  important,  a  good 
complement to the music. Some of the tracks on this album  have  been 
released before ("Eastern Kansas Love  Song"  and  "Open  Eyes",  for 
example) but they have been re- recorded in order to sound  like  the 
rest of the material. _Nailed to Your Ruins_ is  an  album  that  has 
been perfected enough to make it stand  out  from  the  rest  of  the 
hardcore albums being dropped on the scene lately. A supporting  tour 
accompanies the release of this album, so keep  your  eyes  on  their 
website for dates.                                                    

Contact: http://bta.darkvisionsmedia.com


Blessed - _Last Breath Before the Flesh_  (Independent, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis  (7 out of 10)

Blessed might be an acceptable name for a  Christian-orientated  act, 
but for  a  metal  band  --  whose  listenership  is  largely  either 
indifferent or openly  hostile  towards  Christianity  --  this  must 
surely be one of the most efficient  ways  of  killing  a  burgeoning 
musical career! The three songs on this MCD fall  squarely  into  the 
brutal death metal genre -- a musical style seemingly  at  odds  with 
their chosen moniker. All three songs are suitably  aggressive,  well 
written and performed well enough, with several memorable hooks. This 
is a pleasant enough (relatively speaking!) listen, but this  musical 
style has been done numerous times before and while  the  undemanding 
death metal freak will  be  more  than  satisfied,  the  more  casual 
listener may want something more.  However,  since  these  are  songs 
composed by an emerging band with only  one  previous  MCD  to  their 
name, the coming years may very well see Blessed transforming into  a 
death metal band to be reckoned with.                                 

Contact: http://go.to/blessed/


Children of Bodom - _Hate Crew Deathroll_  (Spinefarm, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis  (7.5 out of 10)

Children of Bodom are a good example of bands  that  inspire  extreme 
reactions in metal fans worldwide. One school of thought derides them 
as irritating, commercial metal, while others  love  them  for  their 
uncomplicated, catchy riffs and overall  'happy'  sound.  _Hate  Crew 
Deathroll_ will not affect this division in any meaningful manner, as 
it can hardly be considered substantially different from any previous 
release by Alex Laiho  and  company.  There  are  some  less  obvious 
differences in comparison with previous releases, however:  _HCD_  is 
easily their heaviest outing ever and the  keyboards  are  infrequent 
and less overbearing in comparison  to  previous  albums.  Highlights 
include the album's first single, "You're  Better  off  Dead",  which 
lacks the anthemic power of a "Hate Me!" but still remains a powerful 
and infectious song. Song titles are  atrocious  --  titles  such  as 
"Triple Corpse Hammerblow" and "Lil' Bloodred Riding Hood"  might  be 
acceptable on the debut of a young band, but wha t excuse, if any, do 
these veterans of three previous albums have? Even their cover  image 
shows their answer to Eddie, the Grim Reaper, in a cheesier pose than 
ever before. For those few who are  not  familiar  with  Children  of 
Bodom, if you hated Dimmu Borgir's _Stormblast_ or  anything  by  Old 
Man's Child because of their uplifting sound, then stay far, far away 
from _HCD_.                                                           


Circle Takes the Square - _As the Roots Undo_  (Robotic Empire, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (9.5 out of 10)

One of the weirdest hardcore bands I've ran  into  lately  is  Circle 
Takes the Square. I wouldn't go as far as to call them geniuses,  but 
they do have an edge I hadn't heard  before.  Imagine  multi-layered, 
multi-rhythmic, frenzied hardcore with evil black metal vocals, clean 
singing, spoken parts, weird guitar tricks and noise parts. Or as  an 
analogy, think of Dillinger Escape Plan doing black metal  whilst  on 
acid. _As the Roots Undo_ is without  doubt  my  favourite  noisecore 
album of the year, giving the buyer good value for their  money  with 
songs clocking around six to eight minutes (total running time of  44 
minutes) and excellent off-beat artwork -- hopefully they'll  include 
the lyrics in the booklet. Instead of rambling on about this album, I 
can only urge you to go out and buy it as soon as it hits the shelves 
-- unless you lack a sense of humor and like your music to be linear. 
If you want to be on the safe side, there's an MP3 of  the  album  on 
their website.                                                        

Contact: http://www.rockstudio.com/circle/


Crematorium - _For All Our Sins_  (Prosthetic Records, 2002)
by: Aaron McKay  (6.5 out of 10)

Some moderately interesting style mixtures  poke  at  your  attention 
span like an annoying sixth-grader on Ritalin with this offering from 
Los Angeles' Crematorium. A pretty well kept secret, this  five-piece 
is hard-hitting to be certain, but  in  this  largely  metal  climate 
today, this outfit even finds a way to  hold  their  own.  Pound  for 
pound, Crematorium strikes out on their own with the hardcore /  punk 
/ metal fusion found throughout _For All Our  Sins_.  A  few  samples 
supplement the offering only enough  to  pique  interest,  while  the 
thirteen tracks wear down your perception thin  like  a  prostitute's 
mattress. Minor Threat fans will appreciate Crematorium's efforts  in 
the field of well-crafted tough-guy music. Daniel's vocals  are  damn 
fine in their  ability  to  command  instantaneous  respect  --  true 
underground through and through. While occasionally these  guys  seem 
like professional race car drivers  --  squealing  their  wheels  and 
going in vicious circles while expending  a  tremendous  a  mount  of 
wasted energy -- songs like the fanatical "Life:Sick" offset most  of 
the other less-than- impressive instances sometimes found on _For All 
Our Sins_. "A Disconsolate Winter Landscape" provides a Morbid Angel, 
"Desolate Ways"-type feel to the general atmosphere  of  _FAOS_,  but 
"Carved From Deceit" has to be the pentacle of Crematorium's  vision: 
it thrashes strong while staying fiercely true to  their  underground 
sound. There's  a  lot  to  be  learned  from  Crematorium's  extreme 
L.A. homegrown raw delivery,  but  lacking  a  certain  individuality 
profoundly inhibits this band's upward climb out of obscurity.  Catch 
a line and cop a hook, Crematorium is a small  fish  in  a  big  pond 
right now. Who wants sushi?                                           

Contact: http://www.prostheticrecords.com


Cumchrist - _Cumplete_  (Unmatched Brutality Records, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis  (7 out of 10)

Cumchrist are a  supergroup  of  sorts  with  members  from,  amongst 
others, Cianide and Gorgasm. As implied by  the  rather  dumb  title, 
this is a compilation of all unreleased studio material from the past 
two years, and with several new tracks tagged on. As can be  gathered 
from the rather silly band name, Cumchrist are a goregrind band  with 
a black sense of humour, much like A.C.  or  Blood  Duster,  combined 
with the Christian-hating dogma of black metal. Some samples are also 
used, but not excessively. Cumchrist are  saved  from  being  a  mere 
'song title' band through some strong and  catchy  material.  Indeed, 
this could have been one of to be one of the better albums I've heard 
recently from this genre. Unfortunately, the short playing time -- 18 
songs in 18 minutes, including several additional  hidden  tracks  -- 
makes it hard to 'get' into the songs and to really enjoy the CD. The 
brevity of songs has not prevented classic status being  accorded  to 
D.R.I.'s self-titled album and Napalm De ath's first two albums,  and 
there are undoubtedly listeners out there who will  love  _Cumplete_. 
But just as the brevity of the songs  on  the  aforementioned  albums 
prevent this listener from really enjoying them, I am also unable  to 
truly appreciate this album.                                          

Contact: http://www.unmatchedbrutality.com


Darkthrone - _Soulside Journey_ / _A Blaze in the Northern Sky_ /
             _Under a Funeral Moon_ / _Transilvanian Hunger_
by: Pedro Azevedo  (no rating)  (Peaceville re-issue, 2003)

For some time now Peaceville has been releasing a series  of  quality 
re-issues, all of them coming out  in  either  low-price  digipak  or 
slipcase format, and occasionally with some kind  of  bonus.  In  the 
process they have also re-issued a few albums that were  perhaps  too 
recent at the time to avoid annoying fans, but apart from that I find 
Peaceville's recent re-issue policy very commendable -- competing  in 
today's  world  of  readily  accessible  albums  in  MP3  format  and 
overpriced commercial releases by offering something extra at a lower 
price.                                                                

These four Darkthrone albums in particular stand out in said  series: 
not only do the digipaks look much more  stylish  than  the  original 
format while retaining their "trueness", these  re-issues  also  come 
with an exclusive video interview with Fenriz and Nocturno Culto  and 
remastered sound. The interview is divided into four chunks of ten to 
fourteen minutes each, with each part  dedicated  to  its  respective 
album -- starting off with the old-school Scandinavian death metal of 
_Soulside Journey_ (1991)  and  continuing  with  the  genre-defining 
black metal triumvirate of _A Blaze  in  the  Northern  Sky_  (1992), 
_Under a  Funeral  Moon_  (1993)  and  my  favourite,  _Transilvanian 
Hunger_ (1994). Bearing in mind the elevated status these albums  all 
enjoy to some extent, I shall not linger  on  describing  the  music. 
Suffice to say the results of the digital remastering  are  good  and 
unobtrusive: all the records have come out  sounding  stronger  while 
keeping their original character despite the slightly different  mix. 
(My copy of _A  Blaze  in  the  Northern  Sky_  carries  an  annoying 
background noise, however, and while I initially assumed it was  just 
a faulty promotional disc, I have since been told about an apparently 
similar problem on a commercial version.)                             

As for the snowy outdoor interview bonus, despite being filmed with a 
handheld camera, the recording quality and video  encoding  are  good 
enough for the band's grim purposes. The interview itself consists of 
the two aforementioned individuals questioning each other  in  turns, 
resulting mostly in monologue; it generally remains interesting,  but 
not overly memorable. For anyone who doesn't already own the original 
versions of these classics and has an interest in Darkthrone or black 
metal in general, this is a fine opportunity: the quality  packaging, 
low price, good remastering and added  video  bonuses  should  prompt 
them to dig into their pockets without hesitation and embellish their 
collection considerably.                                              

Contact: http://www.peaceville.com


Disfear - _Misanthropic Generation_  (Relapse, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (8 out of 10)

Those not familiar with Disfear should be ashamed  of  themselves  -- 
you probably have been hiding under a rock for more than  ten  years. 
Starting out as yet another Discharge inspired Dis-band from  Sweden, 
they released a monumental  debut  album  back  in  1992  along  with 
producer Tomas Skogsberg. In the years, Disfear  became  one  of  the 
only real survivors of the Dis-scene, and even  though  many  line-up 
changes plagued the band, they kept on going until they were  dropped 
from Osmose Records in 1998 -- at which point they  had  incorporated 
ex-At  the  Gates  vocalist  Tomas  Lindberg  in  the  band.  Instead 
of calling it  quits,  the  band  had  five  years  to  work  on  new 
material, and Relapse  made  them  an  offer  they  couldn't  refuse, 
resulting in  _Misanthropic  Generation_.  Swedish  hardcore  in  its 
purest form, _Misanthropic Generation_ is a maturation, modernization 
and perfection of Discharge's music from back in  the  '80s.  With  a 
blazing pace, Entombed-ish guitar/bass riffing  meeting  the  banshee 
vo calism of Tomas,  supported  by  wickedly  groovy  Motorhead-style 
drumming -- masturbation for  the  mind,  one  might  call  it.  Well 
adapted to the sound of the new millennium, the twelve songs on  this 
album (mostly clocking around three  minutes)  are  a  firm  reminder 
of the past  as  well  as  an  excellent  look  into  the  future  of 
hardcore: _Misanthropic Generation_ is  a  must-have  for  those  who 
loved Discharge way back as well  as  those  who  claim  to  have  an 
interest in the Swedish hardcore scene.                               

Contact: http://www.disfear.com


Ditch - _The Sound of Liverpigs Dancing_  (Brown Trout Records, 2002)
by: Adrian Magers  (2.5 out of 10)

I have unconditional respect for any band that goes out of their  way 
to not sound like anyone else. However, that doesn't mean that  every 
overtly weird act should be held in a higher regard than other bands. 
I'm sure  Ditch  will  find  a  dedicated  fanbase  within  different 
departments of rock music, but something makes  me  doubt  metalheads 
will be  into  what  they're  doing.  That's  not  to  say  that  all 
headbangers will hate Ditch, but I'm willing to bet the  music  found 
on _The Sounds of Liverpigs Dancing_ would rub the average CoC reader 
the wrong way. The music exhibits elements that are hard to  describe 
in words (a basic synopsis of the music of Ditch is something like  a 
more alternative Clutch with more variety); something which the  band 
should be commended  for,  but  that  doesn't  mean  they  should  be 
automatically liked. Ditch probably realize this.                     

Contact: http://www.ditchtv.com


Ed Gein - _It's a Shame_  (Hex Records, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (6 out of 10)

Although the name would make you suspect you're dealing with a  death 
metal band, it's actually hardcore this Syracuse, NY  three-piece  is 
producing. _It's a Shame_ features eight songs,  all  clocking  under 
two-and-a-half minutes. One of the songs is a noise-piece ("...And by 
the Best I Mean the Worst"), and  the  last  song  clocks  at  almost 
twelve minutes -- of which nine minutes consist of  silence  followed 
by a small bonus (demo?) part. Unfortunately, there's not much that's 
inspiring to tell about _It's a  Shame_.  The  production  is  pretty 
cheap for a non-demo, which is especially audible in the  tinny  drum 
sound -- although all the instruments  suffer  from  it.  Vocals  are 
absolutely average, and most of the songs are just that as well, with 
the exception  of  "Nice  Shoes...  Wanna  Fuck",  by  far  the  most 
refreshing song of the album. With killer competition (check out this 
month's Beneath the Ashes), Ed Gein has to make more of an effort  to 
draw a bit of attention to themselves -- havin g the name of a serial 
killer as a band name just doesn't cut  it  anymore  these  days.  To 
quote the title, it's a shame indeed.                                 

Contact: http://www.ed-gein.cjb.net


Elend - _Winds Devouring Men_  (Prophecy Productions, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (9 out of 10)

"Ils m'entourent, les gémissements  de  la  Mort."  Five  years  have 
passed since _The Umbersun_, yet its final words  still  echo  in  my 
mind. Now Elend have at last  returned  with  its  successor,  _Winds 
Devouring Men_, and both enthusiasts and detractors  alike  of  their 
"Office des Ténèbres" trilogy should heed this warning: 21st  century 
Elend is significantly different from last century's. I am one of the 
enthusiasts of  the  band's  earlier  work,  having  been  especially 
impressed by the chilling _Les Ténèbres du Déhors_ and  the  infernal 
_The Umbersun_. Both were remarkable concepts, and while in hindsight 
the former suffered from some shortcomings in its  execution  (though 
for those who enjoyed it at the time it made little difference  given 
the impact of the album), the latter was much tighter.                

But forget the first  two  albums,  _Leçons  de  Ténèbres_  and  _Les 
Ténèbres du Déhors_, for _Winds Devouring Men_ has little  in  common 
with them (apart from the fine packaging quality it shares  with  the 
latter). It is instead as much a follow-up to _The Umbersun_ as it is 
closer to Dead Can Dance. The atmosphere is still very  dark,  albeit 
not quite so hellish, while the introspective,  tragic  setting  also 
remains; but the music is often more tranquil and melodic,  and  also 
structured into shorter pieces. There are plenty more changes to take 
in, though: most of the vocals are male, either clean sung or spoken; 
a string ensemble is used instead of synths; the  booming  percussion 
Elend toyed  with  at  one  point  on  _The  Umbersun_  is  exploited 
a bit further;  and  the  band  has  also  dived  into  the  creative 
manipulation of noise and nearly industrial atmosphere in some points 
to complement the music. While the overall result  sometimes  reminds 
one of a very dark Dead Can Dance, Elend still  occasionally  deliver 
their descent- into-hell sequences (minus the old  screaming),  which 
they achieve using slightly different elements than usual.  It  still 
remains very impressive, though the Dead Can Dance  influences  would 
have benefitted from a few more of those passages being included. The 
emphasis has  shifted  a  bit  more  towards  tranquil  melodies  and 
melancholic atmospheres, whilst experimenting with the aforementioned 
elements in order to keep the band's sound moving  forward  --  quite 
likely a wise choice,  considering  things  couldn't  get  much  more 
hellish than _The Umbersun_ without alienating anyone who's not  into 
noise to a considerable extent.                                       

It is perhaps  unavoidable  to  feel  somewhat  disappointed  by  the 
decrease in female  vocals,  but  the  sheer  excellence  of  several 
passages (violin on "Charis", piano on "Under War-Broken  Trees"  and 
atmosphere on "Winds Devouring Men" are just  a  few  examples),  the 
subtle intricacies sprinkled throughout the album, and the authentic, 
full-bodied  and  highly  atmospheric  sound  Elend   have   achieved 
guarantee a very satisfying experience. After all these  years  Elend 
remain a very talented and unique band, while _Winds  Devouring  Men_ 
is consistently well rounded, distinctive and simultaneously soothing 
and brooding. It  wasn't  an  easy  task  to  create  a  sufficiently 
different yet worthy successor  to  _The  Umbersun_,  but  Elend  has 
succeeded in doing so.                                                

Contact: http://www.prophecyproductions.de


Exterminator - _Mirror Images_  (Independent, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis  (7.5 out of 10)

Exterminator is a  thrash  band  originating  from  Belgium.  _Mirror 
Images_ opens  and  closes  with  straightforward  thrashers  --  the 
influence of bands such as Dark Angel, Slayer  and  the  other  usual 
suspects can clearly be heard. They have a  strong  retro  influence, 
yet are not afraid to  incorporate  more  'modern'  elements  (modern 
insofar as their use in metal only came to  be  accepted  within  the 
last decade) such as keyboards, female vox  and  spoken  sections  -- 
suggesting that perhaps the band have been  listening  to  Cradle  of 
Filth. Still, there are far worse bands to be influenced by! The best 
song is easily "Bitter End", a touching number dedicated to  deceased 
members of the vocalist's family; the personal connection  imbues  it 
with an emotion lacking from the other songs, which consider religion 
and touch on socio-political issues. The ordinary  thrash  songs  are 
competent but generic; however if Exterminator write more songs  like 
"Bitter End", they may yet make a truly excellent albu m.             

Contact: http://listen.to/exterminator/


Farmakon - _A Warm Glimpse_  (Earache / Elitist, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (6.5 out of 10)

One would hope that the boys in Farmakon have a  high  tolerance  for 
criticism, because even a casual listen to _A Warm Glimpse_  provides 
substantial evidence to  fuel  certain  accusations  that  the  young 
Finnish band  dipped  their  creative  toes  in  the  Opeth  well  of 
prog/death a tad too often for press and fans alike to merely  regard 
the (currently) high-flying Swedes as  a  casual  influence.  Indeed, 
Farmakon emulate their heroes to such an extent that only the trained 
ear will distinguish  "My  Sanctuary  in  Solitude"  or  "Mist"  from 
anything found on _Blackwater Park_ or  _My  Arms,  Your  Hearse_  -- 
right down  to  the  distinctly  underdeveloped  Mike  Akerfeldt-like 
vocals of Marko Eskola.  It  is  only  on  the  rarest  of  occasions 
that Farmakon interrupt their plagiaristic dirge  with  a  pleasantly 
old school thrash attack  or  a  series  of  almost  Mr  Bungle-esque 
eccentricities -- the latter sounding cringingly  misplaced.  So  why 
the 6.5 score then? Well, as much as their  shameless  copying  of  a 
superio r act  irks  me,  Farmakon  are  undoubtedly  a  tremendously 
talented collective of musicians, and  derivative  as  they  may  be, 
there are some truly enjoyable tracks on this record -- not least  of 
all the stunning opening number, "Loosely  of  Amoebas".  However,  I 
should hope that when the time comes round for their sophomore outing 
they would have discovered a more unique and distinguishable sound.   


Golden Dawn - _Masquerade_  (Napalm Records, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis  (7.5 out of 10)

Golden Dawn has only released one other album, _The Art of Dreaming_, 
prior to  _Masquerade_  --  and  this  was  way  back  in  1996!  The 
intervening years have seen a  dramatic  shift  in  style,  as  while 
_TAoD_ was comfortably grounded in the symphonic  black  metal  genre 
(albeit with some unusual and experimental passages), _Masquerade_ is 
an intriguing melting pot of styles: Baroque-style  keyboards,  black 
metal blastbeats, and chugging Iron Maiden riffs  can  all  be  found 
somewhere on this relapse, often within the same  song.  _Masquerade_ 
tends most strongly towards goth metal -- and like virtually all  the 
artists of this nature signed to Napalm, there  is  a  woman  on  the 
cover, albeit showing less flesh then many others. But  this  is  the 
only cliché regarding this CD.  Clean  vocals  predominate,  sounding 
like a midpoint between the atonal black metal  style  clean  vox  on 
_TAoD_ and the baritone rumblings of your average goth band. Remnants 
of their blackened heritage still  remain  through  the  o  ccasional 
screamed vocal and intermittent blastbeats.  A  worthy  follow-up  to 
their debut.                                                          

Contact: http://www.goldendawn.at


Horfixion - _Instigators of Chaos_  (Galy Records, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis  (7.5 out of 10)

Horfixion are a Canadian band performing  a  mixture  of  thrash  and 
death metal,  and  have  performed  with  bands  of  the  calibre  of 
Cryptopsy and Kreator. The production on _Instigators of Chaos_ could 
be better, but considering that  the  band  recorded  this  album  by 
themselves, independent of any label (Galy Records  is  merely  their 
distributor), then the level of production is  perfectly  acceptable. 
However, it does tend to make the music sound  the  same  throughout, 
though careful listening reveals that this album is  actually  fairly 
varied. The vocals are  shouted  in  a  modified  death  metal  style 
that is vaguely decipherable. The best  song  is  "Le  Retour  de  La 
Grande Faucheuse", sung in their native  French  and  showcasing  the 
guitarist's classical  training  through  an  acoustic  fingerpicking 
intro. There are some interesting moments on _IoC_, but the  listener 
will have to decide whether it is worthwhile to purchase  this  album 
based on personal taste.                                              

Contact: http://www.horfixion.com


Inner Helvete - _Total Bloodshedding Devastation_
by: James Montague  (5.5 out of 10)  (Ordealis Productions, 2003)

I don't think most black metal bands set out with the goal of sending 
their listeners into giggling fits, but that was my reaction  when  I 
first heard the perilously thin guitar sound  and  ridiculously  low, 
processed vocals that form the core of Inner Helvete's approach.  But 
having gotten over the sheer absurdity of their "music"  (and  I  use 
the term very loosely), I found something  strangely  alluring  about 
this Portuguese trio.                                                 

It cannot be disputed that in taking certain aspects of  black  metal 
to wild extremes, Inner Helvete stand out as a  unique  entity.  They 
have also managed to create quite the  infernal  atmosphere.  The  LP 
sleeve (this is limited to 500 vinyl copies and will never be pressed 
onto CD -- get with the program, people!) is an immaculate conception 
of beheaded Christians and dancing demons amidst  the  eerie  reddish 
glow of hell's innermost dungeons. And by placing six ambient  tracks 
of whipping, torture and various  evil  doings  in  amongst  the  six 
proper black metal tracks, the band continually reinforces  the  idea 
of eternal torment and pain.                                          

In this environment, the thin guitar and bizarre vocals start to make 
sense. While the LP comes with an elaborate lyric sheet, the vocalist 
makes no attempt to actually recite  the  verses  --  rather,  it  is 
simply a demonic groan ringing in the ears of the damned. The  guitar 
riffs are simple and  very  noisy,  almost  sending  the  music  into 
ambient territory with their constant drone. The  end  result  is  an 
album that can be very effective and atmospheric if one can turn  off 
their cynical side. Personally, I almost feel ashamed of  this  album 
and at times have considered it too ridiculous to warrant  a  serious 
review. But somehow, somewhere, there is a hellish element within the 
noise that is captivating.                                            

Contact: inner_helvete@hotmail.com


Killing Joke - _Killing Joke_  (Invisible, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (8.5 out of 10)

Granted, I've never been a connoisseur of Killing Joke. I've tried to 
listen to a couple of their more 'famous' albums, but the only  thing 
that stuck with me was their excellent hit-song "Love Like Blood". So 
when I received this promo, I was quite surprised  about  the  course 
that the reunited Killing Joke (their last album is from  1996)  have 
taken. If you're looking for poppy elements, there are quite  few  of 
those on _Killing Joke_ -- the band have  reverted  back  to  playing 
cold, mechanical industrial music with a very modern  production.  No 
poppy vocals here either; instead you find raw, deep vocals  that  at 
times come close to a death metal grunt. The whole  album  is  pretty 
much recorded in mid- and up-tempo, the bass and guitar sound is very 
clinical and Dave Grohl's  drumming  is  accurate  and  very  static, 
perfectly adding to the atmosphere. The closest reference I can  give 
to _Killing Joke_ is Morgoth's swansong _Feel Sorry for the Fanatic_. 
More than once am I reminded of song s from that album,  except  that 
Killing Joke is taking a less complicated path in  songwriting  --  I 
wouldn't say the songs are as one-dimensional as those by  Rammstein, 
but they're definitely in-between the two. Even though  there  aren't 
any songs on this album that are sub-par, I'd like to name the  fast- 
paced "Asteroid", the melancholic  "Blood  on  Your  Hands"  and  the 
almost black metal-ish combo of "Dark Forces"  and  "The  House  That 
Pain Built" as my favourites. Killing Joke 2003  have  proven  to  be 
extremely adept and versatile in capturing the zeitgeist  with  their 
music. Hopefully this album will be picked up by the media as well as 
the public; it's well deserved.                                       

Contact: http://www.killingjoke.com


Laibach - _WAT_  (Mute, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (7 out of 10)

Reviewing a Laibach album is always a tough bitch. Laibach have  been 
around for ages (since 1979, to be  precise)  and  from  their  debut 
album _Nova Akropola_ (1985)  to  their  last  effort  _Jesus  Christ 
Superstars_ (1997)  there  has  been  little  progression  musically. 
Laibach's ever so bombastic, atmospheric, industrial  and  nihilistic 
music has progressed almost exclusively in the production  department 
-- which is quite obvious with _WAT_, as  it  features  a  clear  yet 
harsh  sound  that  Rammstein  would  envy.  Laibach's  trademark  of 
adapting (I'm consciously avoiding the word "covering") famous  songs 
and molding it into their trademark style has produced killer  tracks 
such as "Opus Dei", "Sympathy for the Devil", "The  Final  Countdown" 
and of course the _Let It Be_, _Nato_ and _Jesus  Christ  Superstars_ 
albums. However, on _WAT_ there isn't a single adaptation  in  sight. 
The thirteen songs on this album  are  not  just  original  material, 
they're also very closely connected lyrically; _WAT_  is  L  aibach's 
fiercest protest against capitalism to date. Perhaps that is also the 
reason for making _WAT_ the most stripped-down  Laibach  album  ever: 
most of the songs are very basic,  making  the  album  a  far  better 
soundtrack for an all-out war than Rammstein  could  ever  dream  of. 
_WAT_ will find its way to the leftist part of  the  dance/industrial 
scene, no doubt. Rammstein fanatics with  an  IQ  higher  than  their 
shoe-size should give this a try as well, especially considering  the 
relatively one-dimensional nature of this album. Other than  that,  I 
don't think Laibach will attract a different crowd  with  _WAT_,  but 
then again, I don't think they ever intended to.                      

Contact: http://www.laibach.nsk.si


Meshuggah - _Nothing_  (Nuclear Blast, 2002)
by: Jackie Smit  (6 out of 10)

"Meshuggah -- a death metal band from Norway", exclaims uber-annoying 
ignoramus Jack Osbourne, and at  this  very  moment  one  can  almost 
feel the publicists  at  Nuclear  Blast  start  to  salivate  at  the 
possibilities that this free publicity could hold not only for one of 
their most promising acts, but also for their bankbooks.  And  so  it 
has come to be that the magazines that once scorned Meshuggah are now 
sweeping under the carpet their many slurs, insults, sneers  and  all 
manner of derogatory review, now  showering  the  band  instead  with 
catchphrases along the lines of the "next big thing". Similarly, kids 
who would never give  the  Swedes  the  time  of  day,  are  suddenly 
claiming to have loved them "since  the  beginning".  Not  that  they 
don't deserve some attention, mind you.  If  anyone  has  paid  their 
dues, Meshuggah certainly has in spades. While a bit lazy as  far  as 
putting out records is concerned, they are a phenomenal live act  and 
have a sterling back catalogue under their belt -- mos t notably  the 
fantastic _Destroy Erase Improve_ effort, which  in  all  honesty  is 
still miles  ahead  of  its  many  imitators.  I  find  it  decidedly 
bewildering though that more care was not taken in  the  construction 
of what surely has to be the most important record in  their  career. 
Indeed, for the most part _Nothing_ is far more lacklustre than it is 
excellent -- tracks like "Closed Eye Visuals" and  "Organic  Shadows" 
not much more than  exercises  in  sheer  monotony,  a  test  of  the 
listener's endurance more than anything else. At the same time,  this 
elevates the impact of a song like "Straws Pulled  at  Random",  with 
its incredible closing melodic break,  to  even  greater  level,  and 
underlines the notion that Meshuggah are capable of so much more than 
they have offered us. While still  avoiding  anything  even  remotely 
approaching a conventional rhythm, Meshuggah  have  slowed  down  and 
paced their music far more evenly than  in  the  past.  Where  before 
they'd flutter through several different bea ts and polyrhythms  over 
the course of a few minutes, most of  the  tracks  on  _Nothing_  are 
built around individual,  tardigrade  grooves,  from  which  it  very 
rarely deviates. Compounding this crippling flaw is their  persistent 
overuse of single-note chugging -- no doubt a means to show off their 
custom- made eight-string guitars, but  sadly  rendering  proceedings 
even more lifeless. With its few  excellent  exceptions  aside,  this 
record is ultimately so soul-drainingly boring  that  simply  staying 
awake until its conclusion would be challenging for all but the  most 
hardened Meshuggah fan.                                               


Mütiilation - _1992-2002: Ten Years of Depressive Destruction_
by: James Montague  (7.5 out of 10)  (End All Life, 2003)

Mütiilation. End All Life Productions. 666  copies.  Double  LP  with 
poster. Vinyl only. For those who were  born  yesterday,  this  means 
eBay paydirt. That will probably take care of about 500  of  the  666 
available copies, and I hope the buyers choke on them. For people who 
buy rarities for humbler reasons such as musical interest, read on.   

While  the  title  may  indicate  some  kind   of   "Greatest   Hits" 
compilation, this is in fact a collection  of  material  from  demos, 
live performances and other impossible-to-find stuff, making  it  the 
ideal gift for people like me, who wasn't quite "with it" in 1992 and 
refuses to  pay  $100  for  a  scratchy  demo  tape  from  an  online 
entrepreneur. The first two tracks are from the  _Rites  Through  the 
Twilight of Hell_ demo ('92)  and  show  the  band  in  its  infancy, 
playing raw Venom-based blackened thrash, with  incompetent  drumming 
and extreme, painful howling over  the  top.  This  style  noticeably 
developed over the ensuing year, as evidenced by the next four tracks 
from the much-improved _Ceremony of the Black  Cult_  demo.  This  is 
where the band's trademarks -- slow, discordant dirges and despondent 
arpeggios -- started to rear their ugly heads.                        

A keyboard version of "Dawn of the  Fallen  Angel"  comes  next,  and 
appears to be the one previously unreleased track on the compilation. 
It is certainly a worthy addition -- a moody, dark organ  piece  with 
vomitous vocals perverting it to kingdom come. This leads us into the 
compilation's highlight, three  tracks  from  the  sublime  _Satanist 
Styrken_ demo from 1994. By this stage the  musicianship  (especially 
the drumming) had progressed from near-ineptitude to agreeable  black 
metal spontaneity and looseness.  This  allowed  the  band  to  fully 
establish  "the  Mütiilation  sound"  --  haunting,  almost  romantic 
melodies enshrouded in a blur of utter loathing of  oneself  and  all 
around. These perfect songs have convinced me that _Satanist Styrken_ 
is one of the finest demos ever released, so if you must venture onto 
eBay with copious amounts of hard-earned, try to direct your  efforts 
in its direction.                                                     

The second LP starts with a cover of  Bathory's  "Rite  of  Darkness" 
from  a  '94  promo.  Meyhna'ch  does  a  pretty  accurate   Quorthon 
impression, and the song evokes the '80s spirit quite nicely -- which 
of course makes the song far too upbeat for  a  Mütiilation  release! 
But it is very brief -- barely over a minute long. Unfortunately, the 
second LP continues to throw disappointments into the mix, as it then 
regurgitates "Dawn of the Fallen Angel", this time the metal  version 
that previously appeared on Drakkar  Productions'  1997  compilation, 
and which drew severe criticism from me at the time for its contrived 
feel and horrid machine-generated blast beats. The noisy B-side track 
from the _New False Prophet_ single, a raw mix  of  the  title  piece 
from the  ultimately  pedestrian  _Black  Millennium_  CD  (this  was 
pointless...) and a cover of Venom's "Possessed"  from  the  _Destroy 
Your Life for Satan_ cassette round out a rather ho-hum side C.       

Side D chronicles something many of us  probably  never  expected  to 
hear: a live Mütiilation performance, from the Under  the  Black  Sun 
festival in July 2001. Thankfully, the setlist includes one song each 
from the legendary _Vampires of Black Imperial Blood_ and _Remains of 
a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul_ albums, plus  an  old  demo  piece,  but 
frustratingly, they took  two  of  the  five  tracks  from  the  less 
interesting and more readily available _Black Millennium_. As for the 
more pertinent question  of  performance  quality  --  well,  despite 
Meyhna'ch's oh-so-impressive  ability  to  scream  "Desecrate  Jesus' 
Fuckin' Naaaame!!!" in introducing an old song,  the  performance  is 
competently played but nothing to write home about. There is a reason 
why many of us never expected to hear Mütiilation in concert: because 
this just  isn't  festival  music.  I  can't  really  picture  myself 
standing in a  mosh  pit  with  sweaty  Marseille  metal  fans  while 
listening to a band that has always created such an  atmosphe  re  of 
bitter solitude. Nor would I ever expect to hear  the  vocalist  yell 
"Come on! Come onnnn!" in the middle of a song, but there it  is  for 
all to hear... The live tracks are good to have as a curiosity piece, 
but aren't exactly a highlight of this band's work.  The  vocals  and 
drums are also far too loud in  the  mix,  drowning  out  the  band's 
trademark noisy ambience and sublime guitar melodies.                 

Although the second LP is a little underwhelming, this compilation is 
worth having for the first disc, a marvellous collection of  inspired 
demos. A gatefold cover full of ugly  photos  of  Meyhna'ch  is  also 
something of a bonus, I  suppose.  Overall,  this  compilation  makes 
a very  nice  souvenir  of  Mütiilation's  decade-long  tour  through 
Miseryville and Suicide Planet.                                       

Contact: eal@wanadoo.fr


Mütiilation - _Majestas Leprosus_  (Ordealis Records, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis  (7.5 out of 10)

What separates Mütiilation from the Darkclones -- and they are legion 
-- is that no other grim black metal band succeeds in recreating  the 
same sense of anger, despondency and hatred best demonstrated on  the 
underground classics _Vampires of Black Imperial Blood_ and  _Remains 
of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul_. _Majestas LeprosusL_ is  not  unlike 
Meyna'ch's (Mütiilation's sole member) previous  full-length,  _Black 
Millennium_; in fact it is so similar, it could easily  be  from  the 
same studio  session.  Then  again,  Mütiilation  is  a  graduate  of 
the Marduk School of  Musical  Experimentation  and  Progression,  so 
for Meyna'ch to release a  comparatively  innovative  album  --  like 
Dodheimsgard did with _666  International_  --  is  highly  unlikely. 
_Majestas Leprosus_ conforms  rigidly  with  the  trademarks  of  the 
genre: trebly, grim production,  the  bass  guitar  and  double  bass 
drums are practically indiscernible,  and  so  on.  The  guitars  are 
characteristically raw, with the riffs more focused than on p revious 
releases. However, the album tends to be quite repetitive:  there  is 
very little variation in tempo, and most songs  are  simply  four  or 
five minute  blasts  of  black  metal  noise.  Although  this  is  an 
improvement over _Black Millennium_, _Majestas Leprosus_  will  sadly 
not stand the test of time as did _Vampires of Black Imperial Blood_. 

Contact: http://www.ordealis.com


Mystifier - _Profanus_  (Crash Music, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (3 out of 10)

To be perfectly frank, I have never been a  big  fan  of  Mystifier's 
retro black/death, and no matter  how  positively  I  have  tried  to 
approach their latest effort, I doubt that my dislike for  them  will 
dissipate any time soon. _Profanus_ showcases a collection  of  songs 
more suited to a  demo  predating  1992.  It  blends  together,  with 
virtually no exception, every single metallic cliché you can possibly 
imagine, and then  somehow  manages  to  spawn  something  even  more 
profoundly mundane and laughable in the process. At times  it  sounds 
like an elaborate joke -- witness the tone-deaf power metal vocals on 
"Beyond the Rivers of Hades" or the dismally performed "Superstitious 
Predictions  of  Misfortune".  Elsewhere  "Je$$us  Immolation"  [sic] 
manages to be virtually the only surprise on the  record,  by  having 
lyrics that make the work of  Glen  Benton  seem  genuinely  thought- 
provoking in comparison. Once in a  while  a  decent  lead  or  semi- 
interesting melody manages to wade through the muck, but for the most 
part I seriously doubt  that  the  world  would  have  been  deprived 
of much, had Mystifier  and  their  dismally  produced  fourth  album 
disappeared straight up their own Satanic arses.                      


Nevermore - _Enemies of Reality_  (Century Media, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (10 out of 10)

Two  and  a  half  years  separate  _Enemies  of  Reality_  and   its 
predecessor, the brilliant, if somewhat flawed, _Dead Heart in a Dead 
World_. In that time, a lot has changed in the world of heavy  music. 
Bands like Korn no longer unload units in the ludicrous numbers  they 
once did, older bands like  Metallica  and  Anthrax  are  once  again 
making headlines, and the  metal  world  in  general,  it  seems,  is 
craving something different. And if _Enemies of Reality_ is  anything 
to go by, then they need search no further than Seattle's  Nevermore. 
Retaining  the  traditional  values  of  heavy  metal  while  staying 
unpredictable and sounding fresh would be no easy feat for any act to 
accomplish, but it is one that  Nevermore  achieves  with  an  almost 
intimidating level of ease. Opening with a statement of intent in the 
form of the record's title track, one is immediately  struck  by  the 
album's rawer  and  less  polished  sound  --  provided  courtesy  of 
Queensryche / Dokken producer Kelly Gray. Not only does this  bolster 
the band's brutality -- at times taking  them  to  near  death  metal 
heights of heaviness -- but, more essentially, it serves to highlight 
and underline vocalist Warrel  Dane's  melodic  swells  with  greater 
clarity than ever before. In further contrast  to  previous  efforts, 
_Enemies of Reality_ presents a far more measured,  well-rounded  and 
well-structured album, every track moulded and shaped to  perfection, 
stripped of any excess filler. Nevermore's succinct approach is  made 
all the more effective by their incredible knack for balancing melody 
and  heaviness  --  a  prowess  they  demonstrate  with  particularly 
breathtaking skill on "Ambivalent" and "Never Purify". Simply stated, 
the more I listen to this record, the more deserving  of  encomia  it 
becomes. Essential in every sense of the word, it is one of a  select 
few efforts to literally contain absolutely no discernable flaws, and 
possibly the most exciting prospect it creates lies in how  Nevermore 
will go about creating a worthy sequel.                               

Contact: http://nevermore.tv


Opeth - _Damnation_  (Music for Nations, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (8.5 out of 10)

_Damnation_, the second half of Opeth's ambitious twin album project, 
is likely to surprise those who expect an  entire  album  of  typical 
Opeth acoustic bits sewn together. Although there is a fair amount of 
variety to be found here, Opeth consistently manage to avoid  falling 
into said trap. They seem to  have  approached  the  making  of  this 
tranquil album from an  interesting  angle,  which  becomes  apparent 
right from the opening chords of excellent  opener  "Windowpane"  and 
onto the intriguing yet powerful  "In  My  Time  of  Need".  At  this 
stage the warm melancholy of the  music  is  nearly  mesmerizing,  as 
_Damnation_ captivates the listener in a smooth, almost intimate way. 
It certainly doesn't sound  anything  like  some  left-over  acoustic 
interludes from previous albums,  or  even  the  product  of  a  band 
struggling to meet its promise of a near-acoustic album. Instead,  it 
comes  across  as  honest  and  inspired  --  the  sound  of  a  band 
comfortably expressing itself in a different but nonetheless adequate 
form.                                                                 

Back to the album, "Death Whispered a Lullaby" may not be as great as 
its predecessors during  the  acoustic  sections,  but  the  haunting 
distorted guitar work that twice  takes  the  lead  achieves  a  much 
increased impact  through  its  contrast  with  those  quieter  bits. 
"Closure" then goes into a more rhythm  based  approach  that,  while 
entertaining, seems vaguely out of place in the album. "Hope  Leaves" 
passes by in a pleasant but not  particularly  stirring  manner,  and 
introduces "To Rid the Disease": a slowly evolving guitar line and  a 
memorable chorus weave their way into a fine  piano-lead  conclusion. 
The electric guitar soloing of "Ending Credits" is  sorely  misplaced 
for the most part; not a bad track in itself by  any  means,  but  in 
spite of boasting a superb passage, a lot of the song is hardly  able 
to match the overall melancholy of the album. The subdued  "Weakness" 
finishes the disc  in  a  passable  way,  which  contributes  to  the 
unfortunate fact that _Damnation_ is one of those records that starts 
off extremely well but fails to either peak later on or even stay  at 
the same level. At its best, throughout virtually all  of  the  early 
section of the disc and only occasionally in later stages, the  music 
can be quite wonderful, carrying  a  deep  sense  of  melancholy  and 
keeping the listener comfortable through  many  a  rainy  day.  About 
midway through the album interest starts to wane, however, and  while 
there aren't any bad tracks as such on the  disc,  _Damnation_  never 
quite recaptures the brilliance of its first few songs.               

The first half of this project, _Deliverance_, was a very good  album 
with some cracking moments, but in the  wake  of  classics  like  _My 
Arms, Your Hearse_ and _Blackwater Park_ (not to mention  the  band's 
earlier work), it failed to conquer the crown of Opeth's discography. 
_Damnation_, on the other hand, plays in an entirely different league 
and cannot be objectively compared to the band's  previous  work.  It 
proves Opeth's outstanding quality once again, though  it  ultimately 
falls short of fulfilling all its immense potential. It also lacks  a 
stronger connection to _Deliverance_ for this dual  release  to  gain 
some more meaning beyond the  similar  packaging  and  close  release 
dates, but remains a very worthwhile record  in  its  own  right.  In 
addition to some excellent tracks,  _Damnation_  leaves  the  promise 
that Opeth are likely to create another masterpiece next time around: 
if only they can put together an hour long album that's  as  good  as 
the best thirty minutes from each  of  these  two,  then  _Blackwater 
Park_ will be under a very serious threat.                            

Contact: http://www.opeth.com


Pathos - _Perdition Splits the Skies_  (Intolerant Messiah, 2003)
by: Adrian Magers  (6 out of 10)

_Perdition Splits the Sky_ opens in a most promising way with "Toward 
the Precipice", an enchanting violin part woven into a  clean  guitar 
and double bass drum filled instrumental. For  the  next  thirty-some 
minutes Pathos alternates between some very choice riffage and a  bit 
of material that seems to fall flat on its face. Fortunately for  the 
listener, the former occurs much more often than the latter. The band 
tends to indulge in a most technical form  of  brutal  death,  citing 
Cryptopsy as a major influence. However, since Pathos seem to try  to 
avoid overdoing strange timings and playing,  and  strike  a  balance 
between raw musicianship  and  songwriting  talent,  there's  a  good 
chance they could appeal to death heads  of  all  kinds.  The  CD  is 
definitely not  without  its  flaws  though.  The  vocals  are  quite 
disappointing, sounding rather awkward and monotonous  for  the  most 
part, and  occasionally  some  of  the  songs  seem  to  go  nowhere. 
Basically something worth an  occasional  listen  for  the  a  verage 
person into  extreme  music,  and  good  investment  for  those  into 
technical death metal.                                                

Contact: http://www.pathoskills.com


Prong - _Scorpio Rising_  (Locomotive Music, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (6 out of 10)

Like many others, I was anxious to hear Prong's return to the  scene. 
"Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" and "Rude Awakening" are all-time 
favourites of mine -- as is the whole _Cleansing_ album, actually. So 
I eagerly listened to _Scorpio Rising_, banging my head  and  jumping 
around. And I listened again. And again. And then it dawned upon  me: 
I still hadn't memorized any  of  the  songs,  I  found  no  personal 
favourite, I couldn't even separate  most  of  the  songs  from  each 
other. Giving the album a couple more  spins,  I  had  to  stress  my 
earlier conclusions even more. I'm very glad to  see  Prong  back  in 
action, if only for their excellent live shows, but _Scorpio  Rising_ 
is not worth the wait. Average songs,  average  songwriting,  average 
vocals; _Scorpio Rising_ is an album that does  fit  into  the  Prong 
catalogue and might come out sounding good in comparison  to  Prong's 
early albums, but after all these years you'd  expect  them  to  have 
learned a thing or two, that they would show some p  rogression.  I'm 
not asking to be  surprised  with  a  killer  song  like  the  two  I 
mentioned before, but _Scorpio Rising_ becomes hard to enjoy after  a 
few spins. Sorry.                                                     

Contact: http://www.prong-23.com


Rakoth - _Tiny Deaths_  (Earache / Elitist, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (7.5 out of 10)

Past experience has taught me that when a bio describes a band as  an 
"eclectic journey", it is an almost  dead  cert  that  an  additional 
adjective along the lines of "utterly pompous rubbish" is applicable. 
It is perhaps my disregard for the pretentious dribble of  acts  like 
Darzamat, then, that makes Rakoth's second outing such  an  enjoyable 
surprise. Bombastic in every sense of the word, Rakoth's music  lends 
itself to no  conventional  description,  incorporating  elements  of 
black metal, classical, folk, trip-hop  and  even  film  scores  into 
their densely atmospheric odes to musical  experimentation.  Although 
these dramatically polarised influences at times  fail  to  blend  as 
seamlessly as one would prefer,  they  form  the  basis  of  Rakoth's 
captivating appeal and undoubtedly  showcase  a  drastic  improvement 
over their debut record. "Dawn" recalls the rich and captivating feel 
of Eastern European folklore -- a subtle  journey  through  countless 
emotions and moods. "Trust This" could easily have been the sound  of 
The Chemical Brothers crashing the party --  an  almost  OTT  electro 
interlude, which Rakoth amazingly manage to pull off. "Horizon" is  a 
breathtaking piano-led monologue -- the melodic drive of which  could 
easily have been lead-in to a Tori Amos number -- while  the  closing 
and title track is an excellent example of the exciting force  Rakoth 
could likely develop into. This is by no means a perfect  record,  as 
there are  times  when  the  plodding  tempo  and  seemingly  aimless 
progression just becomes a bit too much.  But,  if  anything,  Rakoth 
have succeeded where many others fail miserably and by the  looks  of 
it, could yet be responsible for some truly spectacular music.        


Satanic Warmaster - _Opferblut_  (No Colours Records, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll  (7 out of 10)

Finally Satanic Warmaster have released what for me was  one  of  the 
most anticipated black metal releases of 2003. Still stunned  by  the 
ferocity of their debut _Strength and Honour_, the much slower _Black 
Katharsis_ EP released earlier this  year  left  me  wondering  which 
stylistic path these  Finns  might  pursue.  Well,  the  picture  has 
become somewhat clearer now: _Opferblut_ brings  back  the  speed  of 
_Strength  and  Honour_,  but  with  the  melodic  approach  used  on 
_Black Katharsis_. What I personally miss, however,  is  the  totally 
over-the-top aggression  and  blunt  hammer-to-the-head  approach  of 
their debut. The simplistic mid-tempo sections, with  their  slashing 
riffs (which were one of the highlights of the debut),  do  not  make 
much of an appearance. The same can be said about many of the faster, 
more aggressive parts with their obvious _De Mysteriis dom  Sathanas_ 
influence. All of this has given way to  what  in  my  opinion  is  a 
somewhat exaggerated focus on minor key melodies, and  the  ov  erall 
impact of _Opferblut_ is a lot less devastating and  certainly  below 
my expectations. While Satanic Warmaster  have  developed  a  clearly 
distinguishable identity and are still raw  and  underground  to  the 
bone, _Opferblut_ sounds too  carefully  calculated  and  consciously 
structured and has a disturbing tendency to lose much of its  initial 
appeal after five or six listening sessions.                          


Satyricon - _Volcano_  (Capitol Records, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis  (8.5 out of 10)

This must have come as a disappointment to  the  grim  corpse-painted 
brigade (that is,  if  they  hadn't  abandoned  Satyricon  after  the 
release of _Rebel Extravaganza_) as this was released  by  --  shock! 
horror! -- a major label (at least  in  Scandinavia).  But  the  more 
cynical of our readers can put all  thoughts  of  "Sell-out!"  behind 
them: daytime rotation on MTV is still a very long way off. The scorn 
and contempt that characterized _Rebel Extravaganza_  have  not  been 
diluted one iota by their signing to a major label, and Satyr remains 
as angry, vitriolic and aggressive as before. I did  honestly  expect 
some experimentation with clean vocals, but none are to be  found  -- 
Satyr is content to stick with his characteristic rasp. Of course the 
production far exceeds that of his early days, and  will  predictably 
draw more scorn from the aforementioned self-named defenders of  true 
black metal. Although similar in  sound  to  its  predecessor,  _RE_, 
_Volcano_ is a considerably less complex affair . The best  track  is 
undoubtedly the punchy "Fuel for Hatred";  the  catchy  hook  ensures 
that this song is the most likely candidate for a single (should  one 
be released; a promo video has already been made). On  the  downside, 
the album closes with the fourteen minute long "Black Lava"  --  some 
liberal editing would have greatly improved this overlong  nightmare. 
One can debate  endlessly  whether  _Volcano_  is  black  metal,  but 
ultimately, what does it matter?                                      

Contact: http://www.satyricon.no


Strommoussheld - _Behind the Curtain_  (Avantgarde Music, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (8 out of 10)

With so many fundamental trademarks in  common,  it  should  come  as 
no  surprise  to  see  the  marked  increase  in  black  metal  bands 
utilising the cold, mechanistic venom of industrial  in  their  work. 
But where bands  like  Aborym  and  Red  Harvest  focus  on  unhinged 
rage, Poland's Strommoussheld instead  explore  the  more  bombastic, 
operatic side of the spectrum -- with surprisingly enjoyable results. 
An album that seemingly  gets  better  with  each  successive  track, 
_Behind the Curtain_ is a bold collection of experimental,  dark  and 
impressively structured malice, at  times  hinting  at  records  like 
Samael's  _Ceremony  of  Opposites_.  The  swirling  fourteen  minute 
epic that is "Restless Souls" stands  out  as  the  record's  primary 
highlight, and aptly pinpoints the  three-piece's  immense  potential 
and keen sense of melody and  depth.  Unfortunately  let  down  by  a 
production effort that at times lets the music sound a little thin -- 
when it's striving to be anything  but  --  Strommoussheld  know  and 
rely heav ily upon their  aforementioned  strengths,  blending  their 
influences with the subtlety of seasoned veterans. Even on  the  rare 
occasions when a section appears a  tad  drawn  out  or  when  Maels' 
spoken vocals become annoying ("Deception" being a fine example), the 
band manage to easily make up for such flaws by  throwing  enough  at 
the listener  to  keep  him/her  hooked.  If  anything,  _Behind  the 
Curtain_ provides ample proof that Poland  is  capable  of  producing 
more than just death metal.                                           


Throcult - _Soldiers of a Blackened War_  (Crash Music, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (6 out of 10)

Upon listening to Throcult's latest, heavily Naglfar-inspired effort, 
I learn  that  this  band  has  in  days  gone  by  opened  for  such 
prestigious and high-profile acts as Type O Negative and Anthrax.  At 
least that's what their bio says, and if it's true (and I'm  sure  it 
is), then one should tip one's hat to them for not letting a taste of 
the big league motivate them to head  for  more  socially  acceptable 
musical pastures. Indeed, it is hard to  imagine  any  of  the  seven 
tracks on offer here serve as a lead-in  to  something  on  Type  O's 
latest.  The  only  problem  is  that  for  every  moment  of  sheer, 
exhilarating viciousness and enjoyment you'll get from  this  record, 
you'll be playing  "where  have  I  heard  that  riff  before".  "The 
Uprising", for instance,  is  equal  parts  excellence  and  recycled 
Dissection, while "Eclipse of the  Blood  Moon"  borrows  shamelessly 
from just about every semi-decent melodic Swedish  black  metal  band 
you care to mention. That said, Throcult are certainly a  very  tight 
and proficient unit, with drummer Jeremy Portz  doing  an  especially 
commendable job.  And  for  all  their  references  to  other  bands, 
Throcult do show some very promising potential,  particularly  during 
the grim bombardment of "Hunted". While _Soldiers of a Blackened War_ 
is far from being a spectacular album, at the very least it leaves us 
with the promise that the future may well herald some impressive work 
from this Stateside sextet.                                           


Throne of Chaos - _Pervertigo_  (Spikefarm / Century Media, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis  (8.5 out of 10)

It is often tempting for the critic to simply slot bands  into  neat, 
pre-determined categories such as technical death or symphonic  black 
metal. But on occasion, an album will be  released  which  will  defy 
such easy classification. _Pervertigo_ is  one  such  album.  A  wide 
range of influences make their presence felt -- encompassing  a  wide 
range of genres, including heavy metal, death metal and rock  --,  as 
well as bands such as  Dream  Theatre  and  In  Flames,  yet  without 
sounding generic or a copy of  any  other  band.  Some  of  the  more 
unimaginative critics might lump Throne of Chaos together with fellow 
Finns Children of Bodom and Kalmah, but apart from mixing heavy metal 
with death, they have nothing else in common. The range of influences 
might account for the somewhat schizophrenic nature  of  _Pervertigo_ 
-- the lyrics are somewhat dismal, yet the music is often  uplifting. 
The album is infused with  memorable  hooks  and  melodies,  and  the 
powerful clean vocals provided courtesy of  Nikla  s  Isfeldt  (Dream 
Evil) driven by a clear and strong production are  amongst  the  best 
that  I've  heard  from  any  band  that  also  uses  growls.  Highly 
recommended.                                                          


Vinterriket - _Winterschatten_  (Ketzer / Desolate Landscapes, 2003)
by: Quentin Kalis  (7 out of 10)

Although _Winterschatten_ is only Vinterriket's  second  full-length, 
it follows on a seemingly endless litany of EPs and split EPs  --  in 
fact, I  would  be  extremely  surprised  if  there  is  an  act  out 
there who has actually released a larger  number  of  split  EPs!  On 
_Winterschatten_, Vinterriket continues to  expand  his  (this  is  a 
one-man act) sound through incremental changes to his  characteristic 
melancholic ambience. The first few songs are black metal based,  and 
Vinterriket even  attempts  some  black  metal  style  vox  (possibly 
for  the  first  time).  However  the  vox  and  guitar  are   vastly 
subdued and keyboards/synths dominate the mix. The remainder  of  the 
album consists of more conventional  ambient  songs,  representing  a 
continuing departure from the repetitive simplicity of early  Mortiis 
and latter- day Burzum. This is a somewhat  tepid  release;  although 
his experimental and adventurous spirit shines  through,  this  album 
simply does not live up to the quality he has proven capable of  deli 
vering in previous releases.                                          

Contact: http://www.vinterriket.com


Vomitor - _Bleeding the Priest_  (Metal Blood Music, 2003)
by: James Montague  (8 out of 10)

Formed by ex-members of relatively well-known local bands like Gospel 
of the Horns and Spear of Longinus in 1998, Vomitor is yet another in 
a long line of Australian metal veterans  who  cling  to  their  '80s 
vinyl collection and spit out some strong, uncomplicated death  metal 
with an enviable  level  of  skill.  About  the  only  surprise  with 
_Bleeding the Priest_ is that it's  available  on  CD,  because  this 
album reeks of  intransigence  and  inflexibility,  to  paraphrase  a 
certain sword- wielding black metal luminary. Basically, if you  know 
what bands like Gospel of the Horns sound  like,  you  know  what  to 
expect from Vomitor. Still worth owning? You bet your metal  arse  it 
is.                                                                   

Like all the better death/thrash bands from the Great Southern  Land, 
Vomitor love to throw extensive guitar leads over  their  traditional 
thrash chords, which ensure that the music has direction and  a  form 
of expression -- a voice, if you will. The  songs  are  predominantly 
focused on instrumentation, with reverbed throaty shouts  like  those 
of old Celtic Frost popping up occasionally  and  unobtrusively.  The 
production is true to form -- gritty and raw,  but  every  detail  is 
audible enough and well balanced. The tempo is  generally  high,  the 
energy levels immense.  This  is  great  drinking  music,  and  would 
absolutely slay in a live setting, so get out and see these  guys  if 
you get the chance -- they can truly whip up a frenzy, not to mention 
some impressive leads and riffs.                                      

Is there really any reason to go on? If you love the Aussie style and 
can't wait for the next Deströyer 666 album, then you can't go  wrong 
with _Bleeding the Priest_. If on the  other  hand  you  think  metal 
needs to get with the times and embrace freestyle jazz as a matter of 
course, then rest assured that this isn't the band for you.           

Contact: http://www.geocities.com/vomitr/

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                        __, __, _, _  _,  _,
                        | \ |_  |\/| / \ (_ 
                        |_/ |   |  | \ / , )
                        ~   ~~~ ~  ~  ~   ~ 


Scoring: 5 out of 5 -- A flawless demo
         4 out of 5 -- Great piece of work
         3 out of 5 -- Good effort
         2 out of 5 -- A major overhaul is in order
         1 out of 5 -- A career change is advisable


Aramathea - _Of Darkest Dreams..._
by: Adrian Magers  (1.5 out of 5)

Aramathea is a one-man black metal project based out  California,  an 
unlikely place to breed  those  who  enjoy  contributing  to  a  most 
foreboding and grim form of expression. The sound  presented  on  _Of 
Darkest Dreams..._ blends parts of raw traditional black  metal  with 
atmospheric keyboards, but instead of utilizing and expanding musical 
boundaries, Aramathea tends to stick in one place.  Both  brutal  and 
melodic black metal rely on song structure and transition,  and  this 
is where the CD falls flat on its face: the music doesn't  soar  into 
blitzkrieg riffs, nor does it descend into dramatic melodic passages. 
It just drags along, without anything memorable about the songs. Most 
of the guitar work is just repetitive  strumming,  and  although  the 
style tends to add an atmospheric touch, after several minutes of the 
same riff one tends to become bored with a song.  Overall  this  band 
seems rather self-absorbed and unprofessional, something that  sounds 
more like a basement or garage hobby th an a serious act.             

Contact: http://aramathea.metalpatrol.com


Kill by Inches - _Kill by Inches_
by: Adrian Magers  (2.5 out of 5)

Kill by Inches  is  a  decade  old  groove-based  rapcore  act  based 
from New York. One might  think  it  unfair  that  a  band  would  go 
long unnoticed only to end up  seeing  their  form  of  music  become 
somewhat trendy  and  have  to  struggle  against  appearing  overtly 
mainstreamed. However, this three-piece have little  to  worry  about 
in that department:  their  blend  of  hardcore,  metal  and  hip-hop 
features uniqueness and attitude that MTV-friendly  rap  rock  lacks. 
However, it's unlikely that they'd strike a chord with most  seasoned 
metalheads. So far only Kill by Inches' NYC brethren  Biohazard  have 
appealed to the core of the metal scene with rap-flavored undertones. 
The band definitely have commercial potential, but with  the  current 
slow resurfacing of underground metal even that may be  in  jeopardy. 
However, since the band's  survived  ten  years,  and  put  out  four 
releases, they've proven that they go on  despite  trends  in  music. 
This fact in and of itself could be the greatest  determining  factor 
in Kill by Inches' potential success.                                 

Contact: http://www.killbyinches.com


Outcast - _The Source of All Creation_
by: Pedro Azevedo  (3.5 out of 5)

Thrash metal is hardly a novelty these days -- even with the  renewed 
popularity it currently enjoys -- and Outcast focus  a  lot  more  on 
keeping their music dynamic than they do on trying  to  innovate.  On 
track one the listener is heavily reminded of Vader for more  reasons 
than  just  the  half-shouted,  half-growled  vocals,  but  over  the 
remaining three tracks miscellaneous thrash classics weave their  way 
into Outcast's sound. The band performs each track with  considerable 
conviction but not much flair: a few of the riffs are  a  bit  stale, 
though some better passages and the band's  evident  enthusiasm  help 
make up for that. The production is a cut above average  for  a  demo 
and the playing is tight,  indicating  that  Outcast  are  intent  on 
pushing the band forward. Overall, Outcast are far from breaking  any 
new ground, and I'm not sure they'll ever strive for that, but as  an 
unpretentious thrash band they've made a very  decent  start  in  the 
demo world with _The Source of All Creation_.                         

Contact: http://outcast.music.free.fr


Pica Fierce - _A Spiral of Violence_
by: Adrian Magers  (3.5 out of 5)

Pica Fierce is an impressive up-and-coming four-piece and serve as  a 
sort of sampler of European metal. Within the three songs featured on 
_A Spiral of Violence_ the listener is treated to a carefully blended 
recipe of a Gothenburg-centered sound that incorporates bits of prog- 
metal, thrash, power, and even a few hints  of  melodic  black.  Pica 
Fierce manages not to sound like a  half-baked  concoction  of  their 
influences; rather they take early melodic Swedish metal and run with 
it. Good transitions and song structures  definitely  work  in  their 
favor, and will make them an even more  enjoyable  listen  if/when  a 
full-length comes out. The only  complaints  are  minor,  such  as  a 
somewhat tame guitar tone, vocals sounding as if they've been  placed 
on top of the music instead of fusing with the instruments, and other 
easily amendable production qualms. Overall though, the sound quality 
is excellent for an independent band. Although the band isn't playing 
a groundbreaking form of music, the y have a  sound  that  sets  them 
apart slightly, and are worth a  listen.  Since  many  copies  of  _A 
Spiral of Violence_ were unfortunately stolen, the band  has  offered 
downloads of the three tracks on their website.                       

Contact: http://www.picafierce.com


The Evil Cell - _The Evil Cell_
The Evil Cell - _The Evil Cell II_
by: Quentin Kalis  (3 / 3 out of 5)

The Evil Cell embodies a range of styles. For example,  _TEC_  opener 
"Just Out of Reach" starts with a Santana-like riff before  venturing 
into Atheist-esque old school death metal. Elsewhere, "The Grind" off 
_TECII_ is strongly influenced by industrial, while a  cover  of  Led 
Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" adds a rock flavour to the mix.  But  all 
this is mere background noise for the  true  focus  of  these  demos, 
namely sole member Eric Sperr's considerable guitar  playing  skills, 
as the two demos abound  with  leads  and  virtuoso  guitar  playing. 
Surprisingly, there are a few moments of self-deprecatory humour. The 
drumming on both demos is low  key,  repetitive  and  actually  quite 
boring, probably so as  to  not  detract  from  his  guitar  playing. 
Individually, most of these  songs  are  pretty  good  (barring  "The 
Grind"), but played back to back the demos simply  do  not  flow  and 
sound somewhat disjointed. Clearly, Sperr  is  comfortable  with  the 
guitar; however some  more  attention  needs  to  be  paid  to  t  he 
songwriting process.                                                  

Contact: http://www.theevilcell.com

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                            / _ | / _ (_ 
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      C O M I N G   B A C K   A L I V E   A N D   K I C K I N G
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Sepultura, Stamping Ground and Atreyu, London Astoria, 13 July 2003
                           by: Jackie Smit


Max Cavalera was not Sepultura. He was 25% of a very talented musical 
collective, who recorded  some  classic  albums,  but  as  the  album 
credits will forever state in black and white, he was not their  sole 
songwriter, nor, as the Soulfly records prove,  their  most  talented 
member. The  almost  deafeningly  vocal  contingent  who  declared  a 
post-_Roots_ Sepultura deceased have never been able  to  get  around 
this fact, and as tonight proves, never will. While _Against_  was  a 
somewhat disappointing record, both _Nation_ and  _Roorback_  contain 
some of Sepultura's best and most inventive work to date;  without  a 
doubt a far cry from the nu-metal blatherings of the Soulfly efforts. 

By the sound of the rapturous ovation afforded the Seps as they  make 
their way to the Astoria centre stage this evening, mine  is  not  an 
isolated view. So deafening is the applause, and so absolutely  mind- 
blowing the performance that follows, that one  could  almost  forget 
the impressive efforts of the two opening acts.                       

Atreyu, first to tantalize  the  punters  tonight,  blend  old-school 
Maiden-esque melodies with admirably performed  hardcore  aggression. 
They may be young and possibly quite  nervous,  but  they  thankfully 
also have a clear understanding of stage activity  as  well  and  not 
only are we treated to a fair amount of jumping  and  cavorting,  but 
we also get  to  bear  witness  to  some  thoroughly  classic  unison 
headbanging as they blast through the excellent "Vampire's Lament".   

Stamping Ground are always a  reliable  addition  to  any  bill,  and 
though coming across as decidedly more docile  than  in  my  previous 
encounters with them, they nevertheless throw one  hell  of  a  show. 
Debuting new material off their forthcoming record, they  come  close 
to shattering the Astoria's foundations with a blistering version  of 
"Officer Down" -- complete with an accompanying "wall of death"  from 
the audience. It may be some twenty years down the line, but there is 
no doubt in my mind that Stamping Ground have the ability  to  become 
Britain's answer to Slayer.                                           

Back to Sepultura though,  and  tonight  they  are  on  a  form  that 
defies any reasonable  praise.  Mixing  in  old  fan-favourites  like 
"Refuse/Resist", "Propaganda", "Necromancer", "Troops  of  Doom"  and 
"Inner Self" with storming renditions of newer material like  "Leech" 
and the daring U2 cover of "Bullet  in  the  Blue  Sky",  their  show 
is only made  so  much  the  better  by  the  fact  that,  for  once, 
the Astoria's sound  is  almost  miraculously  perfect  tonight.  The 
crystalline thud of Igor Cavalera's inventive beats  ripples  through 
the frantic audience like tidal waves as they explode into one of the 
most frenzied mosh- pits I have ever seen when the opening  dirge  of 
"Attitude" explodes through the PA. And to be honest,  Derrick  Green 
sounds nothing short of fantastic. No matter how well Max  Cavalera's 
mighty roar used to suit the Sepultura sound,  Green's  voice  has  a 
superior range and enough aggression to strip the paint off a car  at 
ten paces. Of course, the fact that his sheer size could intim  idate 
an entire Tolkien Orc army into running for cover adds no end to  his 
dynamic stage presence.                                               

Like Slayer just days before, Sepultura are faultless tonight, and by 
the time "Come Back Alive" and "Roots Bloody Roots" close the show, I 
-- and the great majority of Sepulfans in attendance --  barely  have 
enough left in us to stand up straight. Truly, if this is  the  sound 
of a band on the decline, then 99% of metal acts may as well cash  in 
their chips and call it a day.                                        

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               RAINING CLASSICS ON A LACERATED LONDON
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Slayer and Lamb Of God at the London Astoria, 8 July 2003
                           by: Jackie Smit


With  the  promise  of  never-before  aired  oldies  and  some   less 
frequently played favourites attracting the throngs to a reunion with 
the undisputed gods of metal, the air of excitement in  (and  around) 
the Astoria tonight is almost overpoweringly palpable.  Add  to  this 
that the opening act happens to be one of metal's  hottest  and  most 
promising properties right now, and one can't help but frown  at  the 
fact that two lone female security guards man the front barriers when 
Virginia's Lamb of God hit the stage.                                 

Plagued by a  distorted  bass  sound  that  often  drowns  out  their 
intricate trash-core riffing, Lamb of God -- in particular front man, 
Randy Blythe, who takes to the  stage  looking  like  a  psychopathic 
beach-bum -- nevertheless get things going with far greater skill and 
ease than Ellis did when opening for Slayer in this venue  exactly  a 
year ago. Songs like "Ruin" and "As the Palaces Burn" are  absolutely 
crushing, with Blythe's voice sounding  even  more  threatening  here 
than it does on record. Keeping things short and to the  point,  Lamb 
of God know not to outstay their welcome and close  proceedings  with 
"Black Label" after about 25 minutes,  almost  certainly  having  won 
themselves a decent  number  of  new  fans  with  their  uber-intense 
display of metallic prowess. No matter  how  cynically  you  care  to 
approach the topic, this band is definitely set to (deservedly) be  a 
big name sooner rather than later.                                    

Of course, there are few names as prolific and  revered  as  that  of 
Slayer. Arguably the remaining member of thrash's "Big Four" that can 
hold their collective head highest  and  proudest,  the  Slayer  live 
experience is not so much a show  as  it  is  a  grand  event.  You'd 
certainly be able to number on one hand the amount of acts  that  can 
elicit such a crowd roar as to virtually overpower  the  face-ripping 
viciousness of the opening number -- coming to us tonight in the form 
of "Disciple". Venue security is immediately stepped up, as "God Send 
Death" and "War Ensemble" follow, the audience now nothing more  than 
a human tumble dryer  stretching  from  wall  to  sweat-soaked  wall. 
Reliable stalwarts like "Seasons in the  Abyss",  "Dead  Skin  Mask", 
"Hell Awaits" and "The Anti-Christ" force the assembled mass to  draw 
on energy they didn't know they had in them, but it  is  when  Slayer 
delve further into their back catalogue and start throwing  out  such 
rare  renditions  as  "Post  Mortem",  "Jesus  Saves  ",  "Altars  of 
Sacrifice" and "Necrophobic" that the true carnage begins. Tom Araya, 
as ever, seems genuinely moved by the crowd's  overwhelming  response 
and when Slayer finally end the night with the dual assault of  "Post 
Mortem" and "Raining Blood", it  is  fair  to  assume  that  whatever 
tickets were still available for the following night will be sold out 
within a matter of minutes to the countless fans who'll want to  take 
in another night of this madness.                                     

You can argue all you want about the quality of  their  post-_Seasons 
in the Abyss_ efforts, and you can even go as  far  as  to  say  that 
Slayer are past their prime (though a  few  thousand  people  in  the 
London Astoria tonight will strongly disagree with you). But  as  far 
as live shows are concerned,  no  one  can  come  close  to  matching 
Slayer's intensity, stage presence and  sheer  bludgeoning  ferocity. 
They have been hailed  the  greatest  live  act  by  countless  media 
sources and polls, and to quote a phrase "they are that  damn  good". 
Truly, if you ever only see one live band in your life, do yourself a 
favour and make that band Slayer. No matter what your persuasion, you 
will not be disappointed.                                             

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            U N L E A S H I N G   T R U E   C A R N A G E
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Six Feet Under and Obscenity play the Camden Underworld, London
                             7 July 2003
                           by: Jackie Smit


The Chris Barnes-led death metal juggernaut that is Six Feet Under is 
an entity that is equally worshipped and reviled in extreme  circles. 
At the same time, very few of their detractors have managed to  fault 
their live show -- which makes the prospect of  seeing  them  in  the 
intimate surroundings of the Underworld a very attractive one indeed. 

First things first though: Germany's Obscenity take to the stage to a 
huge ovation and immediately kick off with a track off  their  latest 
_Cold Blooded Murder_ opus. Despite  their  best  efforts  though,  a 
snafu on the part of the soundman  results  in  the  drum  and  vocal 
levels virtually completely overpowering the thrash/death riffage  of 
tracks like "Bleed for Me". Much to their credit however,  they  make 
the best the out of difficult situation and come  up  trumps  --  the 
crowd even baying for more when the Germans head backstage.           

In stark contrast, Six  Feet  Under  sound  just  about  perfect  and 
deliver  the  goods  many  times  over  with  a  menacingly   intense 
performance. Curiously drawing  heavily  from  their  much-criticised 
_Haunted_ debut, they  ignite  proceedings  with  "Silent  Violence", 
before driving the pit into a frenzy with "The Day the Dead  Walked", 
"Suffering in Ecstasy", "No Warning Shot" and  "Nonexistence".  Chris 
Barnes' vocal performance is quite honestly  awe-inspiring:  audible, 
very deep and devoid of some of the more eccentric  absurdities  that 
have confounded detractors and fans alike  in  the  past  --  several 
examples of which can be found on their last _True  Carnage_  record. 
Similarly, Barnes' undeniable stage presence and charisma is the fuel 
for much of the madness that takes place on the  floor  tonight,  his 
generally  pissed-off  attitude  making  the  songs  seem  even  more 
intense.                                                              

As an added bonus we're treated to two numbers  off  the  forthcoming 
_Bringer of Blood_ effort, and although it's a little hard  to  judge 
properly, they do sound very promising.  The  title  track  is  aired 
first: a curious blend of almost Red  Harvest-like  atmospherics  and 
_Warpath_-era SFU, while "America the Brutal" is a punked-up beast of 
a song that wouldn't sound out of place on Six Feet Under's  arguably 
strongest collection to date, _Maximum Violence_.  Either  way,  both 
serve to aptly whet my appetite for the release of the record when it 
hits stores in September.                                             

Closing with "Victim of the Paranoid" and "Beneath a Black Sky",  Six 
Feet Under go some way toward proving that they  are  easily  one  of 
death metal's most exciting and  enjoyable  live  acts  --  which  is 
something the genre needs a lot more of at the moment.                

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               T H E Y   C A M E   F O R   U S   A L L
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     Anthrax and Kill 2 This at the London Astoria, 4 July 2003
                           by: Jackie Smit


Having played in a band myself many moons ago, I  am  left  wondering 
after Kill 2 This' lacklustre set  whether  I  would  have  preferred 
incessant booing and jeering (not that I ever got any), as opposed to 
the completely oblivious deadpan stare that  the  audience  give  the 
Manchester metallers tonight.  Underlined  by  the  fact  that  Dimmu 
Borgir booming from the PA rouses a greater response than they manage 
to do for the duration of their entire set, Kill 2  This  could  very 
probably have stayed in for the  evening  and  saved  themselves  the 
trouble.                                                              

To be fair, their set starts off well -- satisfyingly heavy,  tightly 
played hardcore. However it is when tracks off  K2T's  atrocious  new 
record, _mass.[down]-sin(drone)_ are aired that  things  go  horribly 
awry. Seemingly desperate to win  over  the  mainstream  herd,  their 
cleanly sung, overlong doldrums are a  far  cry  from  the  promising 
potential of their earlier  aggro-core.  Tracks  like  "Circles"  and 
"Frame by Frame" literally have punters yawning  and  ultimately  the 
only truly great idea they implement this evening  is  to  end  their 
stint shortly after the first projectiles start hitting the stage.    

Anthrax, on the other hand, can virtually do no wrong. Touring on the 
back of arguably their strongest  recording  since  _Sound  of  White 
Noise_ -- and certainly one of the better "comebacks" of 2003 -- they 
immediately fill the venue with a sense of triumph as they kick  into 
the gear with a face-rippingly heavy rendition of "What Doesn't Die". 
They may be twenty-year veterans of the metal scene, but they perform 
with the exuberance and unbridled enthusiasm of a  young  act  who've 
been given their first big break  --  bassist  Frank  Bello  being  a 
particularly impressive sight as he relentlessly hurls himself across 
the stage, never remaining static for even a second. Drawing a highly 
fan-friendly setlist from their vast back catalogue, older songs like 
"Caught in a Mosh" and "NFL" appear to  have  aged  very  gracefully, 
even if they prove how juvenile the Anthrax lyrical  prowess  was  in 
their formative years. Newer tunes like the forthcoming Keanu Reeves- 
endorsed "Safe Home" and "Black D ahlia" also go down a storm, but it 
is (somewhat surprisingly) the dual pairing of "Bring the Noise"  and 
"I'm the Man" that most definitely causes  the  decidedly  old-school 
crowd to wreak havoc on the Astoria floor.                            

Unfortunately not all is perfect tonight, however: a cringingly  out- 
of-tune guitar causes the  intensely  atmospheric  "Black  Lodge"  to 
sound very confused, and of  course  there's  always  the  matter  of 
favourites left unaired. But, as I'm  sure  the  sweat-drenched  mass 
that makes their exit at 22:30 to make way for (in Scott Ian's words) 
"the gay camp attack" will  attest,  tonight's  show  provides  ample 
proof that Anthrax are miles away from running out of  steam  anytime 
soon.                                                                 

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           M A R C H I N G   O N   T O   G R E A T N E S S
           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Mastodon with Labrat @ Camden Underworld, London UK, July 1, 2003
                           by: Jackie Smit


Tuesday, July 1st, 2003 has hardly been what I would call a good  day 
leading up to my arrival in Camden Town at around 8pm. Running on two 
hours' sleep -- thanks to my slow-witted housemates' insistence  that 
their television remain at top volume until the early  hours  --  and 
with an eight hour work day and a hellacious commute on Hell's answer 
to public transport behind  me,  I  head  in  the  direction  of  the 
Underworld's box office window, politely state my name and  tell  the 
woman in charge that I am on the  Relapse  Records  guest  list.  She 
briefly scans through a blizzard of paper printouts  and  shakes  her 
head. "Should I write my name  down,  in  case  you  didn't  hear  me 
correctly?", I  offer,  knowing  that  my  foreign  accent  at  times 
confuses the more mentally challenged citizens of the United Kingdom. 
She ignores me and just shakes her  head.  Desperately  fighting  the 
urge to unleash a salvo of expletives  that  would  make  every  last 
layer of make-up on her haggard face peel, I ask whether it would  be 
possible for me to check the guest list  to  see  whether  or  not  a 
mistake has been made -- I do after all have an e-mail  in  my  inbox 
confirming that I need not pay the £10 admission  fee  for  tonight's 
performance. "You can't and you're  not  on  the  list,  okay!",  she 
scowls and as patient a man as  I  am,  I  am  now  overcome  by  the 
virtually irrepressible urge to go make like The  Rock  and  lay  the 
smack down on her pasty behind. Indeed, were it not for the fact that 
Mastodon's _Remission_ record is one of the truly great  releases  of 
2002, this live review may well never  have  been  written.  I  fully 
empathise with the fact that the  slack-jawed  troglodyte,  that  has 
just been (somewhat unsurprisingly) rude to me, has a job to do,  but 
there is such a thing as class. And to prove  mine,  I  will  refrain 
from using my position as writer for the greatest  webzine  on  God's 
green earth to call her several  paragraphs  worth  of  unmentionable 
names, instead quoting Matthew Broderick  in  "Ferris  Bueller's  Day 
Off" and saying:  "It's  understanding  that  helps  people  like  me 
tolerate people like yourself."                                       

So, with my hard-earned slapped begrudgingly on the counter, I  enter 
the venue just as local noise-niks Labrat are about  to  start  their 
set. I last saw these guys open for Strapping Young Lad, and on  that 
particular evening they played quite possibly one of the worst sets I 
have ever had to endure. It is therefore ironic that  in  my  present 
state of mind, they actually end up sounding infinitely better. While 
I still don't care much for their  punkified  Cryptopsy  /  Dillinger 
Escape Plan concoction, the band does have an  undeniable  amount  of 
talent and potential -- of  particular  note  being  the  efforts  of 
drummer Nathan, who absolutely shines  on  "Clint  Eastwood  Is  Well 
'Ard". The aforementioned potential also comes strongly to  the  fore 
on closing tune "Two Pigs Fucking", and Labrat leave me thinking that 
there may well be a decent band hiding beneath their amusingly  cocky 
exterior.                                                             

Few bands in the underground currently enjoy the level  of  adulation 
that has flooded the world of Atlanta's Mastodon  in  recent  months. 
And  from  the  first  note  to  their  opening  attack  of  "Crusher 
Destroyer" it is made abundantly clear that they not only  intend  to 
justify the hype, but to leave it lying in the dust. Their  tri-vocal 
approach demands action from every stage-front member --  which  each 
serves up by the truckload, never once seeming any less intense  than 
a full- squadron air siege. Even more admirable is the fact that they 
somehow manage to sound even better on stage than they do  on  CD  -- 
their performance not only watertight, but bathed in an  added  layer 
of atmosphere that  bands  with  ten  times  Mastodon's  profile  can 
only dream of. Slower numbers  like  "Ol'e  Nessie"  leave  even  the 
most mosh-hungry punters mesmerized, while  "Shadows  That  Move"  is 
heavy enough to  outweigh  the  impact  of  a  mid-scale  earthquake. 
There  is  honestly  nothing  that  can  be  faulted  with  tonight's 
Mastodon experience -- from their performance, through to their crowd 
interaction, they are quite simply fantastic from start to finish.    

And with a blistering rendition of "March of the Fire  Ants"  ringing 
fresh in my ears, I'm smiling again.                                  

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            W H A T   W E   H A V E   C R A N K E D ! ! !
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gino's Top 5

1. Judas Priest - _Point of Entry_
2. Judas Priest - _Hell Bent For Leather_
3. Judas Priest - _British Steel_
4. Judas Priest - _Screaming for Vengeance_
5. Judas Priest - _Defending The Faith_

Pedro's Top 5

1. Weakling - _Dead As Dreams_
2. Elend - _Winds Devouring Men_
3. Insomnium - _Into the Halls of Waiting_
4. Corporation 187 - _Perfection in Pain_
5. Solefald - _In Harmonia Universali_

Brian's Top 5

1. Spawn of Possession - _Cabinet_
2. Novembre - _Classica_
3. Ron Jarzombek - _Solitarily Speaking of Theoretical Confinement_
4. Canvas Solaris - _Spatial / Design_
5. Behold the Arctopus - _Arctopocalypse Now... Warmageddon Later_

Paul's Top 5

1. Clandestine Blaze - _Fist of the Northern Destroyer_
2. Sorhin - _Apocalysens Angel_
3. Venom - _Welcome to Hell_
4. Bestial Warlust - _Vengeance War 'Til Death_
5. Pink Floyd - _Wish You Were Here_

Aaron's Top 5

1. Madder Mortem - _Deadlands_
2. Gorgoroth - _Twilight Of The Idols_
3. Pig Destroyer - _Prowler in the Yard_
4. Tyrant - _Legend_
5. Trouble - _Trouble_

Quentin's Top 5

1. Moonsorrow - _Kivenkataja_
2. Ancient Rites - _And the Hordes Stood as One_
3. Golden Dawn - _Masquerade_
4. Satanic Warmaster - _Opferblut_
5. Cradle of Filth - _Damnation and a Day_

James' Top 5

1. Deströyer 666 - _Terror Abraxas_
2. Mr Bungle - _California_
3. Mr Bungle - _Mr Bungle_
4. Vlad Tepes / Belketre - _March to the Black Holocaust_
5. Sargatanas - _Knights of the Southern Cross_

Jackie's Top 5

1. Exhumed - _Anatomy Is Destiny_
2. Arch Enemy - _Anthems of Rebellion_
3. Immortal - _Battles in the North_
4. Myrkskog - _Superior Massacre_
5. Danzig - _7:77 I Luciferi_
 
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                      __, __, ___  _, _ _,   _,
                      | \ |_   |  /_\ | |   (_ 
                      |_/ |    |  | | | | , , )
                      ~   ~~~  ~  ~ ~ ~ ~~~  ~ 

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DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles  of  Chaos  is  a  FREE  monthly  magazine  electronically
distributed worldwide via the Internet. Seemingly endless interviews,
album reviews and concert reviews encompass the pages  of  Chronicles
of Chaos. Chronicles of Chaos stringently emphasizes all varieties of
chaotic music ranging from black and death metal to  electronic/noise
to dark, doom and ambient forms. Chronicles  of  Chaos  is  dedicated
to the underground and as such we feature demo reviews from all indie
bands who send us material, as  well  as  interviews  with  a  select
number of independent acts.


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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #64

All contents copyright  (c)  1995-2003  by  individual  creators  of 
included work. All rights reserved.
All  opinions  expressed  herein  are  those  of   the   individuals 
expressing them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of  anyone 
else.                                                                

