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



       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, December 7, 2003, Issue #68
                  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 #68 Contents, 12/7/2003
-----------------------------
* Chats
-- Arch Enemy: The Rebellion Is Rising
* Albums
-- Akercocke - _Choronzon_
-- Alchemist - _Austral Alien_
-- Arkhon Infaustus - _Filth Catalyst_
-- Backyard Babies - _Stockholm Syndrome_
-- Behemoth - _Antichristian Phenomenon_
-- Bongzilla - _Gateway_
-- Cavity - _Supercollider_
-- Countess / Megiddo - _Orgasmatron_ / _The Hammer_
-- Cryfemal - _Raising Deads, Buring Alives!_
-- Daemusinem - _Daemusinem Domine Empire_
-- Daylight Dies - _No Reply_
-- Deathwitch - _Violence Blasphemy Sodomy_
-- Demonized - _Demonized_
-- Devolved - _Technologies_
-- Eternal Lies - _Spiritual Deception_
-- Funerus - _Festering Earth_
-- Ginger Leigh - _10 Stories, 10 Lies_
-- Ginger Leigh - _A True Life Story_
-- Graveland - _The Fire of Awakening_
-- Haste - _The Mercury Lift_
-- Hatebreed  - _The Rise of Brutality_
-- Homo Iratus - _Knowledge... Their Enemy_
-- Immersed in Blood - _Killing Season_
-- Kralizec - _Origin_
-- Leviathan - _Leviathan_
-- Malmonde - _Malmonde_
-- Manegarm - _Dodsfard_
-- My Minds Mine - _Scenes of the Complete Annihilation
   of This Planet_
-- Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_
-- Nephenzy Chaos Order - _Pure Black Disease_
-- Neuraxis - _Truth Beyond..._
-- Noctiferia - _Per Aspera_
-- Planet Killswitch - _You Don't Matter_
-- Regurgitate - _Deviant_
-- Schizoid - _Covered in Metal_
-- Six Feet Under  - _Bringer of Blood_
-- Skinless - _From Sacrifice to Survival_
-- Sulaco - _Sulaco_
-- Summer Dying - _One Last Taste of Temptation_
-- The Legion - _Unseen to Creation_
-- Uhrilehto - _Viha Ja Ikuinen Vitutus (Hate Eternal)_
-- Vacant Stare - _Vindication_
-- Various - _Japanese Assault_
* Demos
-- Cwn Annwn - _Cwn Annwn_
-- Twytch - _Hatred_

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

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

            T H E   R E B E L L I O N   I S   R I S I N G
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
           CoC chats with Christopher Amott of Arch Enemy
                           by: Jackie Smit


It seemed  an  unlikely  proposition  after  the  release  of  1999's 
_Burning  Bridges_  opus,  that  Sweden's  Arch  Enemy  would  in   a 
relatively short period of time ascend to the peak that they have  at 
our present point in time. Indeed, an even more  improbable  scenario 
circa the late nineties, was that this band would transcend the ranks 
of standard death metal and begin a flirtation  with  the  mainstream 
that now sees them within a hairsbreadth of taking extreme  music  to 
the masses. But, as the overwhelming response to their latest record, 
_Anthems of Rebellion_, and the praise garnered from  such  respected 
stalwarts as Slayer and Hatebreed (with whom they currently  share  a 
bill on the US Jagermeister Tour) would indicate, Arch Enemy are very 
much a band whose time has come. Christopher Amott -- one half of the 
creative nucleus that powers the band -- is hesitant to take much  of 
this with any semblance of seriousness though, preferring instead  to 
joke about the band's arrogance having gotten them to the point where 
they are today. Yet, one listen to  _Anthems  of  Rebellion_  reveals 
that not to be the case.                                              

CoC: _Anthems of Rebellion_ hints -- to myself at least -- that  Arch 
     Enemy chose to shift away from a lot of the traditional Swedish- 
     style melodies they were using toward  a  more  old-school,  and 
     almost Carcass- style approach. Would you agree?                 

Christopher Amott: Carcass? I think that has more to do with  Michael 
                   [Amott]'s riff style really, which is inspired  by 
                   things like Rainbow and Deep Purple. But the album 
                   is definitely more aggressive, which I think had a 
                   lot to do with the arrangement of the  songs  this 
                   time round. We certainly tried to make the songs a 
                   bit more straightforward, where  in  the  past  we 
                   would make a conscious effort to incorporate clean 
                   and progressive stuff into a lot of the songs. But 
                   we always try to do something  different  on  each 
                   album, and with this record  we  added  the  clean 
                   vocals, the keyboards and  the  down-tuned  stuff. 
                   Also, this was the first record where we  actually 
                   did pre- production, so it ended up being a lot of 
                   hard work. At  the  end  of  the  day,  we're  all 
                   extremely pleased with how _Anthems of  Rebellion_ 
                   came out. I mean, as far as  I'm  concerned,  it's 
                   everything a heavy metal  album  should  be.  It's 
                   very dynamic and very diverse. We always  try  and 
                   mix in various influences ranging from progressive 
                   rock, to death, to thrash, to black  metal.  We're 
                   music fans all of us, and we listen to  a  lot  of 
                   stuff. Probably the most die-hard death metal  fan 
                   out of all of us would be Angela. Whenever we  get 
                   off stage and we're in the bus, she always insists 
                   listening to Morbid Angel or Deicide or  whatever, 
                   while the rest of us just want to relax and listen 
                   to some seventies rock. <laughs>                   

CoC: I'm saying this purely as a compliment -- I was never much of an 
     Arch  Enemy  fan  and  I  was  very  impressed  by  _Anthems  of 
     Rebellion_ despite being quite sceptical. Do you feel that  this 
     record has the potential to convert many more to the Arch  Enemy 
     cause?                                                           

CA: Yeah, definitely. It's not something we  really  think  of  while 
    we're recording, but you always want a good reaction. When you're 
    recording, you're just basically lost in whatever  you're  doing, 
    and I haven't yet had the chance to listen to  and  compare  this 
    with earlier stuff; but it could definitely turn  on  a  few  new 
    people, I think.                                                  

CoC: Arch Enemy has been getting a lot of press attention, especially 
     after Angela joined -- did this  increased  profile  place  more 
     pressure on you to deliver the goods this time round?            

CA: <pauses>  Not  really.  We  just  do  our  thing.  We  write  for 
    ourselves, and of course we want to  sell  albums  and  sell  out 
    shows -- all bands want that; they'd be lying if they  said  that 
    wasn't the case. But we've never really had to compromise, and we 
    just play whatever comes naturally. Maybe we're  just  not  fussy 
    enough. <laughs>                                                  

CoC: It also strikes me how much more  settled  Angela  sounded  this 
     time round.                                                           

CA: Definitely. We played over a hundred shows in support  of  _Wages 
    of Sin_, and plus, she now has a  different  technique  that  she 
    uses. She went to a vocal coach, who changed how she breathed and 
    how she projected her voice. And I think  that  she's  also  more 
    settled in on a personal level. I mean, she was always  ready  to 
    give 100%, so there's never been a problem with that, but she has 
    definitely gained a lot of confidence.                            

CoC: Did Arch Enemy employ the same songwriting process that you have 
     before for _Anthems of Rebellion_?                                    

CA: Pretty much. It's usually Mike and myself that  write  the  basic 
    riffs, and then there's a lot of jamming that basically moulds it 
    to where it becomes an Arch Enemy song. And really, anything  can 
    inspire us -- maybe it's something new that we just  heard  or  a 
    film that we saw; anything, really...                             

CoC: Speaking of hearing new music  --  what's  the  most  impressive 
     thing that you've heard recently?                                     

CA: I have to tell you that I have the musical taste of an old man. I 
    like  the  last  In  Flames  album  and  the  new  Nevermore  was 
    really good. But it's strange  nowadays,  because  bands  are  so 
    categorized. I mean, you have twenty bands playing one  style  of 
    power metal and twenty others playing one style of  death  metal. 
    Everybody has to be in the same vein and I  think  that's  really 
    boring.                                                           

CoC: And do you feel that Arch Enemy has transcended these categories?

CA: Well, I hope so. I  suppose  bands  like  Nile  or  Rhapsody  see 
    themselves  in  the  same  light,  and  I  don't  know  if  we're 
    especially original. But, anyway -- we try.                       

CoC: So, out of all the different shows  and  festivals  that  you've 
     played during the last year,  what  stands  out  as  a  personal 
     highlight?                                                       

CA: Well, there's been so many, I don't really know, to be honest.  I 
    think that Download was really cool. We had a big crowd there and 
    the vibe was excellent. The two shows we played with Iron  Maiden 
    in Europe were amazing as well. I'm a  huge  fan  of  theirs,  of 
    course, and to meet Bruce Dickinson and just see the whole Maiden 
    stage production in action was incredible.                        

CoC: Would you hope to see Arch Enemy moving into a  more  theatrical 
     stage production in the future?                                       

CA: Well, we're all big fans of that and we do our best shows on  big 
    stages. We like running around and  making  fools  of  ourselves. 
    It's cool playing in clubs as well -- I mean, any show is cool as 
    long as the fans are enjoying themselves.                         

CoC: I remember seeing you  open  for  Opeth  at  the  [London]  Mean 
     Fiddler last year and you did seem a bit claustrophobic on  such 
     a small stage.                                                   

CA: A little, yeah -- we like to be able to move around.

CoC: So, looking at the present-day metal scene -- what do  you  feel 
     sets Arch Enemy apart from the rest of the pack?                      

CA: I don't know... arrogance?  <laughs>  We  get  accused  of  being 
    arrogant all the time, but seriously though, I do feel that we're 
    a bit different and I  do  think  that  we  offer  something  for 
    everything. There's the  technical  playing  for  the  musos  and 
    there's the heavy stuff for the  metalheads.  There's  a  lot  of 
    stuff for people to sink their teeth into.                        

CoC: Christopher, it's been great talking to you.

CA: Thanks. We'll be on tour quite extensively in the upcoming months 
    and I hope that we'll see a lot of you out there.                     

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

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

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!


Akercocke - _Choronzon_  (Earache , 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (8.5 out of 10)

I'm not a fan of Akercocke. Or shall I rephrase that  and  say:  I  - 
wasn't- a fan of Akercocke. To me the hype surrounding the  massively 
lauded _Rape of the Bastard Nazarene_ effort was very much a case  of 
the emperor's new clothes, and after witnessing the band performing a 
decidedly droll set in support of Cradle of Filth earlier this  year, 
my opinion was virtually  set  in  stone.  That  is,  until  I  heard 
_Choronzon_.                                                          

What is instantly appealing about Akercocke this time round is  their 
overt eagerness to, for lack of a more appropriate phrase, boldly  go 
where no death metal band has gone before.  Instead  of  relentlessly 
blasting away and attempting to copy peers  like  Nile  and  Krisiun, 
they have  opted  instead  to  forge  ahead  into  bleaker  and  more 
atmospheric territories with a clear nod given to classical music and 
the early '80s gothic dabbling of bands like Bauhaus. In this  sense, 
the epic "Leviathan" stands out as perhaps the record's finest moment 
-- a  coming  together  of  every  strength  that  this  London-based 
collective possesses: the  superb  baritone  of  Jason  Mendoca,  the 
skintight drumming of David Gray and the band's  undeniable  penchant 
for conjuring melodies that are truly steeped in darkness.            

Not everything on _Choronzon_ screams perfection however. While  they 
have definitely made several leaps forward in  terms  of  songwriting 
and composition, songs like "Becoming the Adversary" are brought down 
by the band's enduring habit of splicing together sequences  of  pure 
genius with the kind of  residuary  scale-shredding  that  should  by 
all rights have  remained  on  the  cutting  room  floor.  The  sheer 
overpowering impact of tracks like "Enraptured  by  Evil"  more  than 
compensate for these minor flaws however,  and  with  another  superb 
production job by Neil Kernon adding the final ingredient to  musical 
cauldron, I'd think it's safe to say that Akercocke are well on their 
way to the next level.                                                


Alchemist - _Austral Alien_  (Relapse Records, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (9 out of 10)

Blending various influences into a veritable musical stew is becoming 
an increasingly common departure point for a lot of modern-day  metal 
bands in the noughties. Truth  be  told,  with  the  number  of  acts 
nicking riffs, beats and ideas from each other with gay abandon these 
days, it's almost starting to feel as though I'm repeating myself  in 
my reviews; but such is the  nature  of  the  beast,  and  thankfully 
Australian psychedelic space-metallers Alchemist don't so much  steal 
as tint their sound with the likes of Fear Factory,  Strapping  Young 
Lad, early U2, and Killing Joke. The end-result is a truly gratifying 
and  atmospheric  piece  of  work,  defined  by  such  highlights  as 
"Solarburn", "Letter to the Future" and "Alpha  Capella  Nova  Vega". 
Never simply the tally of their influences though,  Alchemist  inject 
every song on this eleven-track opus with ample doses  of  undeniable 
and all-important  X-factor,  making  _Austral  Alien_  a  thoroughly 
exciting and adventurous prospect, and quite simply seminal in  every 
sense of the word.                                                    


Arkhon Infaustus - _Filth Catalyst_  (Osmose Productions, 2003)
by: Adam Lineker  (4 out of 10)

As soon I picked this up off of the pile I knew what I  was  in  for, 
simply because I have seen this record  dozens  of  times  over.  The 
hybrid demon cyborg naked woman  glared  up  from  the  front  cover, 
glazed over in  devilish  red  and  black  and  surrounded  by  evil, 
uninspired fontage. The message was clear: abandon hope  all  ye  who 
listen. Seeping out of the  speakers  in  a  mess  of  thuds,  _Filth 
Catalyst_ is a fine  example  of  mindless  death  metal  slush.  The 
waspish, underpowered production completely buries  the  vocals  into 
the mix, and the useless whispering that Arkhon Infaustus have deemed 
essential to their message doesn't help  proceedings.  I'm  sure  the 
lyrics are nice and blasphemous,  but  that  failed  to  convincingly 
carry music a long time ago.  Arkhon  Infaustus  do  come  across  as 
suitably malevolent, creating riffs  that  are  vaguely  menacing  in 
tone, so there is a semblance of atmosphere amid the hissing  racket. 
Yet even the better riffs are blended into each  other  and  the  few 
notable melodic figures are squashed. At best _Filth  Catalyst_  hits 
us with some coherent breaks; at worst, it bogs down into a  mire  of 
repetitive, generic tosh. Nothing has any real  impact,  although  it 
feels like Arkhon Infaustus are trying  in  earnest  to  create  some 
urgency. For their  efforts  they  manage  to  create  a  resemblance 
of enthusiastic aggression  but  no  real  dynamism.  Each  motif  is 
monotonously beaten to death in the 4by4 trap;  _Filth  Catalyst_  is 
the work of yet another band that are too happy to  come  up  with  a 
riff in the 4/4 time signature, repeat it four times over,  and  then 
start the process over again with  a  new  figure.  Arkhon  Infaustus 
really need to learn that  each  riff  they  commit  to  tape  is  an 
important one, and to cease relying  on  sounding  darker  than  some 
other bands that play this music. They  will  undoubtedly  get  along 
with the support of a cult audience that care  little  for  invention 
and look  for  nothing  more  than  a  nasty  vibe.  Good  for  them. 
Personally, _Filth Catalyst_ has added nothing to my life that scores 
of similar bands haven't already vexed  me  with.  Come  and  get  it 
people, this is like, really evil scene-metal.                        


Backyard Babies - _Stockholm Syndrome_  (BMG, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (7 out of 10)

With their  1993  _Diesel  &  Power_  release,  the  Backyard  Babies 
immediately placed themselves in my favourite  band  list;  and  they 
stayed there for a while, gradually slipping down  with  every  album 
that came out. It wasn't until their 2001 album  _Making  Enemies  Is 
Good_ that I found myself actually enjoying a Backyard  Babies  album 
again. Even though stylistically they almost performed  a  180-degree 
turn, their songs  rocked  and  rolled.  _Stockholm  Syndrome_  is  a 
logical continuation -- I'd almost say more  of  the  same.  Sounding 
even more accessible,  commercial  and  especially  safer  than  ever 
before, I fear that BMG has a little more control  over  their  music 
than I'd want to believe. Some of the songs, like  "Earn  the  Crown" 
and "Say When", have a little bit too much hit potential for me,  and 
there's  too  many  moments  where  the  Backyard  Babies  sound  too 
much like what you've  heard  before  and  elsewhere.  Even  with  my 
disappointment at the band's loss of identity,  _Stockholm  Syndrome_ 
is a decent album that will satisfy most listeners. Me,  I'm  popping 
in my old copy of _Diesel & Power_ instead.                           

Contact: http://www.backyardbabies.com


Behemoth - _Antichristian Phenomenon_  (tour-EP, 2001)
by: Xander Hoose  (no rating)

Even though this was released back in 2001, I still decided to review 
it for the sake of completeness (and the fact that it  seems  to  pop 
up in stores now  and  then).  Basically  a  tour-EP,  _Antichristian 
Phenomenon_ contains a few album songs  ("Antichristian  Phenomenon", 
"Malice" and "From the Pagan Vastlands").  However,  there  are  some 
extras that make  the  EP  worth  listening  to:  four  cover  songs, 
the first being Sarcofago's "Sathanas",  then  David  Bowie's  "Hello 
Spaceboy", followed by Morbid Angel's "Day of Suffering" and Mayhem's 
"Carnage" to top it off. Recording quality is very  good,  no  crappy 
demo sound. Especially "Hello Spaceboy", a very unusual  song  for  a 
death metal band to cover, is worth a listen.  The  other  three  are 
rock-solid covers that don't differ too much from their originals. If 
you can find this EP and are a nut for  cover  songs,  _Antichristian 
Phenomenon_ is good value for your money.                             


Bongzilla - _Gateway_  (Relapse, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose  (6.5 out of 10)

Since _Gateway_ was  never  properly  reviewed  in  our  magazine,  I 
couldn't resist the urge to at least write a few lines on this stoner 
rock bible for fucked up dopeheads. Okay, okay, forgive me  all  that 
cliché, but the fact is that  Bongzilla  is  still  making  the  same 
twisted stoner music they've been playing for years  and  years  now. 
Topically challenged as they are, they still  pray  to  the  almighty 
green leaf (songtitles  include  "Greenthumb",  "666lb  Bongsession", 
"Keefmaster", "Hashdealer") and have even  adapted  fitting  artwork, 
goa-style. For those who haven't checked this album out yet, do so if 
this review has made you curious. For those owning most of the  other 
Bongzilla albums: shit bro, you'll like this one as well, just  don't 
expect any form of renewal.                                           


Cavity - _Supercollider_  (Hydra Head (reissue), 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (10 out of 10)

Dating as far back as 1999, _Supercollider_ was the  album  that  put 
Cavity on the musical map. Showing off virtuosity and style  in  such 
an excellent way that they outranked stylemates  Bongzilla  and  even 
Eyehategod, they unfortunately  never  received  the  attention  they 
deserved due  to  improper  distribution  by  Man's  Ruin.  Now  that 
_Supercollider_ is being  reissued,  almost  five  years  later,  one 
cannot deny that it is still a hell of an album that  outweighs  most 
of its competition. Sounding like Ministry at its peak meeting  Black 
Sabbath at its darkest, the songs screech, churn and writhe their way 
into your brain, leaving a lasting  impression  that  is  not  easily 
replaced. The album is an intriguing listen from  beginning  to  end, 
something that cannot be said of Eyehategod and Bongzilla. Even  more 
important is that even  though  the  original  release  wasn't  badly 
produced, the new rich and dense production that Hydra  Head  applied 
to this album is absolutely killer and makes the musical  originality 
of Cavity even  more  noticeable.  If  you  don't  own  the  original 
release,  _Supercollider_  is  an  absolute  must.  If  you  consider 
yourself a sludge fanatic, you'll particularly fancy this reissue due 
to the superior sound  quality  and  the  bonus  track.  Either  way, 
_Supercollider_ is a winner.                                          


Countess / Megiddo - _Orgasmatron_ / _The Hammer_
by: James Montague  (6 out of 10)  (Decius Productions, 2003)

Finally, after  much  blood,  sweat  and  tears,  Decius  Productions 
managed to get these two stalwarts from the Barbarian  Wrath  stables 
to contribute a song each for this little collector's item. Any self- 
respecting metalhead will know that the song titles "Orgasmatron" and 
"The Hammer" can only mean one thing --  yes,  this  is  a  Mötorhead 
tribute. A bit of old-school fun, and recorded  on  45rpm  vinyl  for 
good measure.                                                         

Countess kicks off with the song covered by  so  many  in  the  past, 
including big  names  like  Sepultura  and  Satyricon.  Matching  the 
former's effort would be formidable, though  the  atrocity  that  was 
Satyricon's cover of "Orgasmatron" could be  seen  as  relieving  the 
pressure on Countess. But that's a rant for another day. This song is 
actually perfectly cut out for Countess, the quirky, ultra-simplistic 
blackish metal band from Holland. Playing the basic guitar leads  and 
mid-paced rock tempos  in  a  somewhat  humorous,  somewhat  deranged 
manner, Orlok (the sole member of Countess) pays worthy homage to the 
British metal godfathers.                                             

Megiddo is a sterner, more serious  band,  and  so  "The  Hammer"  is 
played in a no-nonsense fashion. With  faster  drumming  and  noisier 
black metal guitar shredding, the song is over in a  heartbeat.  Wham 
bam and thankyou ma'am, quick and professional like Krusty the  Clown 
recording sound clips for his latest talking doll. This Canadian band 
is much in the vein of very early  Bathory,  and  as  such  is  quite 
unremarkable. The cover falls very  much  in  the  good-but-not-great 
category, leaving Countess clear winners in this little head-to-head. 

Contact: http://www.deciusproductions.com


Cryfemal - _Raising Deads, Buring Alives!_  (Oniric Records, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll  (1 out of 10)

Despite a promising album title (always remember: bad grammar = true) 
_Raising Dead, Buring Alives!_ is without a  doubt  the  worst  black 
metal record I've heard this year. The album in its entirety consists 
of an obviously out of control, terribly  annoying  drum  machine  in 
permanent overdrive (mostly at  twice  the  speed  of  a  fast  Anaal 
Nathrakh track  or  else  executing  random  rhythm  changes)  and  a 
completely synthetic sounding guitar that leaves  the  impression  of 
being handled by a lobotomized guitar student receiving one  electric 
shock after the other -- plus some extremely distorted vocals. Oh,  I 
almost forgot: there's also some occasional keyboards with a  totally 
laughable sound. Yeah, this is fast, this is weird, this doesn't make 
any sense at all, but this also happens  to  be  total  crap,  and  a 
corpse-painted, fire-spitting figure on the cover doesn't make this a 
black metal record. Guys, get rid of your computer, go back to  black 
metal boot-camp, or else start recording your farts.                  


Daemusinem - _Daemusinem Domine Empire_
by: Xander Hoose  (7 out of 10)  (Cold Blood Industries, 2002)

Eight tracks, forty minutes of pure black metal --  that's  what  you 
get when you buy _Daemusinem Domine Empire_. In those forty  minutes, 
you won't experience many surprises, but the music is very fast-paced 
with excellent guitar work and satisfying drumming.  Whether  or  not 
you like the vocals will be a different question, as  I  can  imagine 
them not being to everyone's liking -- they  weren't  to  my  liking, 
anyway. The militant lyrics are also quite immature, unless you get a 
hard-on for Roman themes. Nonetheless,  if  you  want  a  no-nonsense 
shit-kicking black metal album that hasn't gone  for  the  commercial 
approach, check this one out.                                         


Daylight Dies - _No Reply_  (Relapse, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose  (8 out of 10)

Where the doom scene is still pretty much dominated by European bands 
(Opeth,  My  Dying  Bride,  Katatonia)  there  have  been  occasional 
exceptions worth mentioning from  the  American  continent.  Daylight 
Dies have received much credit for their 2001 album _Sign_, and  they 
have returned with a follow-up that shows once more  there's  quality 
to be found in the States. _No Reply_ is a very clean -- almost crisp 
-- but sombre and atmospheric recording, taking on  the  approach  of 
earlier My Dying  Bride.  Songs  haven  been  written  and  performed 
without any feeling of 'haste' to them; riffs and  melodies  flow  by 
gently even in the midtempo sections of the album. Strangely  enough, 
the vocals don't really fit the bill. The  raw,  sharp  vocals  don't 
carry any emotion in them, creating an empty texture  that  shouldn't 
have been there. Deep, clean vocals would have fitted this album much 
better, especially when playing more than a few  songs.  Nonetheless, 
_No Reply_ is a very decent album  that  will  satisfy  fans  of  the 
previously mentioned bands and should definitely not go unheard.      

[Pedro Azevedo: "Much like Rapture before them, Daylight Dies harvest 
 inspiration from mid-era Katatonia, with the likes of _Brave  Murder 
 Day_ and the _Sounds of Decay_ EP clearly  having  had  considerable 
 influence on the making of _No Reply_. Armed with strong production, 
 some really good riffs and emotional melodies, and  competent  raspy 
 vocals, Daylight Dies show enough songwriting  skill  to  make  this 
 hour long record very enjoyable. Not the most original of  releases, 
 but definitely worth looking into if  you  feel  the  aforementioned 
 influences seem promising."]                                         


Deathwitch - _Violence Blasphemy Sodomy_  
by: Jackie Smit  (6 out of 10)  (Earache / Wicked World, 2003)

Note to journalists: Deathwitch don't give a fuck what we think. This 
is, quote unquote, the  slogan  emblazoned  across  the  front  cover 
of _Violence Blasphemy  Sodomy_;  a  collection  of  expletive-laden, 
pedomorphic anthems featuring such choice numbers as  "Blood  Sucking 
Fuck", "Coffin Fornicator" and my  personal  favorite,  "Fuck  Off  & 
Die". While  musically  this  record  is  definitely  not  the  worst 
thing I have ever heard in my  life  (well-performed,  albeit  fairly 
unimaginative old-school death metal), it is the poorly delivered and 
infantile ramblings of frontman Terror that grate. "I  don't  give  a 
fuck / Fuck you fucking leaches / I hate you /  I  hate  everything", 
read the opening lines to "Total Morbid", one of  the  record's  more 
lyrically thoughtful and intelligent  moments.  But  as  the  subject 
matter gradually degenerates to even more base-level dross, musically 
the album manages to churn out  a  number  of  engaging  moments,  in 
particular the mid-tempo onslaught of  "Violence  Blasphemy".  Still, 
this style of death metal has been done and done well countless times 
before -- a prime recent  example  being  Destroyer  666's  excellent 
_Terror Abraxas_ EP -- and ultimately there is nothing  to  recommend 
Deathwitch over such infinitely more deserving acts.                  


Demonized - _Demonized_  (Osmose Productions, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll  (4.5 out of 10)

Too many releases, too many bands doing exactly the same thing  in  a 
sub-standard fashion, too many labels releasing superfluous albums -- 
even if the guys in Demonized might be sincere and  true  metalheads, 
this is just  another  album  that  falls  into  this  category.  Why 
should anyone waste his money buying another  second  or  third  rate 
combination of Angelcorpse and Krisiun? I've heard  this  album  five 
times and can't remember anything but the  absence  of  triggers  and 
myself being completely surprised that such extreme music  can  leave 
me totally unimpressed, lethargically sitting through it just for the 
sake of doing my duty before I can think about reviewing it. This  is 
another extreme metal equivalent of music that usually gets played in 
elevators to provide some background noise until the ride is over  in 
a couple of seconds. As dedicated to metal as the members of the band 
might be, it's painfully average stuff like this that truly kills the 
enjoyment of music and even makes me crave for a  100%  crap  release 
because at least there'd be something remarkable about  it.  I  don't 
think that zero points is really the  worst  rating  the  CoC  system 
allows; it's rather something between four and five.                  


Devolved - _Technologies_  (Copro, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose  (6.5 out of 10)

Australia's Devolved have a moderately unique take  on  death  metal, 
melting it into somewhat  new  forms  with  their  hardcore-ish  Fear 
Factory vocal style and smooth technical drums / riffing.  Uniqueness 
does  not  imply  quality,  however.  Even  though  the  concept   of 
_Technologies_ -- creating  a  metal  version  of  Rage  Against  the 
Machine -- is praiseworthy, it is important to be backed  by  capable 
musicians in order to achieve  your  goals.  However,  the  triggered 
drumming sounds like it's straight  from  a  drum  computer  and  the 
guitar / bass combo is mediocre at  best.  The  usage  of  electronic 
elements hasn't been  pushed  to  its  full  effect,  with  only  the 
occasional beat here and there. The vocals are above average and  the 
song structures are interesting, but right now  there  are  too  many 
downsides to _Technologies_ to make the album worth remembering.      


Eternal Lies - _Spiritual Deception_  (Arctic, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (7.5 out of 10)

We all know how Sweden is the one and only  birthground  of  all  the 
famous technical death metal bands with the buzzing guitar  sound  -- 
Dismember, Eucharist, In Flames, Soilwork... add to this list another 
one, Eternal Lies. The intrinsic problem  this  band  is  faced  with 
is that the  scene  is  still  crowded  with  capable  bands,  making 
competition very hard. With _Spiritual Deception_, Eternal Lies  have 
at least given it their best shot. The songs  are  pretty  memorable, 
the music is tight as a teen girl, the vocals are kicking (though not 
very special) and even the artwork is above average. 42 minutes is  a 
bit on the long side, though; after about  30  minutes  I've  already 
heard enough, but _Spiritual Deception_ is by no  means  a  waste  of 
your money.                                                           


Funerus - _Festering Earth_  (Ibex Moon Records, 2003)
by: Adrian Magers  (8 out of 10)

Funerus is kind of like a kick-ass old school death metal  jam  band. 
Bits of old Deicide and Obituary are presented  alongside  a  groove- 
based guttural assault. Guitars  are  low  and  crunchy,  vocals  are 
bellowed, and everything's driven by pounding rhythms.  The  band  is 
probably most known for featuring Incantation founder  and  guitarist 
Jim  McEntee  (also  featured  in  the  band  is  the  aforementioned 
Cleveland-based act's skinsman Kyle Severn). However,  it  should  be 
noted that Funerus is a very separate entity from  any  other  group, 
and can prove their worth with or without  any  big  names  enlisted. 
Funerus started in the early '90s, but after lying dormant  for  many 
years they've returned in full force. _Festering Earth_ is the band's 
manifesto, and is sure to  impress  those  whom  enjoy  the  original 
Floridian circle of this particular form of music.  It  combines  the 
early genre standards with a few elements very much akin to  many  of 
Sweden's Entombed-inspired metal bands. Probably the best thing about 
_Festering Earth_ is its ability to take each song  through  so  many 
different tempos and feelings:  from  mid-pace  sludge  to  thrashing 
blurs and back, Funerus completely command their music in a way  that 
shows off their collective musical experience and wisdom. For a short 
time you can get the pre-release version of this  album  (limited  to 
only 500 copies) from the band's website;  I  advise  all  interested 
parties to act immediately!                                           

Contact: http://www.funerus.com


Ginger Leigh - _10 Stories, 10 Lies_  (RLM, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose  (7.5 out of 10)

How does  one  define  originality?  The  question  rises  from  time 
to  time,  when  coming  upon  certain  albums.  Ginger  Leigh's  _10 
Stories, 10 Lies_ is one such  album.  Continuing  the  electronic  / 
industrial onslaught  of  previous  albums,  _10  Stories,  10  Lies_ 
contains thirteen songs that are unique in  many  aspects  but  share 
great similarities with other artists on the  other  side:  when  one 
listens to the middle-eastern  percussion  and  the  scraping  beats, 
break-genius Muslimgauze comes  to  mind.  However,  Muslimgauze  has 
always limited his experiments, whereas  Ginger  Leigh  takes  a  far 
wider spectrum of noises and sounds  and  integrates  them  into  his 
music. Ranging from passive drones to hyperactive industrial walls of 
sound, there is enough for the listener to experience and enjoy. I am 
a little discontent with the production, though: a  somewhat  heavier 
mix wouldn't hurt the songs at all.                                   

Contact: http://www.gingerleigh.com


Ginger Leigh - _A True Life Story_  (Masuno, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (8.5 out of 10)

Continuing where  he  left  with  _10  Stories,  10  Lies_,  _A  True 
Life Story_ is a more  nuanced  journey  into  the  realms  of  harsh 
electronics, subtle hums and devastating feedback  by  Ginger  Leigh. 
The album has a more aesthetic feeling to it  when  compared  to  _10 
Stories, 10 Lies_, the compositions are better, and there is a better 
balance between loud and soft. Having a somewhat cleaner  mix  causes 
the songs to seem more vivid; there  isn't  much  that  Ginger  Leigh 
and Muslimgauze have in common,  because  of  the  entirely  opposite 
direction Ginger Leigh is moving in.  The  tracks  on  _A  True  Life 
Story_ are more song-oriented, and are very melodic even in all their 
electronic harshness compared to Muslimgauze's anti-melodies. _A True 
Life Story_ is not for the faint of heart, but then again,  it's  not 
for the breakcore-addicts either: the album contains too  few  brutal 
beats and has too many passive moments. For those who appreciate  the 
subtle shades of industrial, _A True Life Story_ is definitely  worth 
checking out.                                                         

Contact: http://www.gingerleigh.com


Graveland - _The Fire of Awakening_  (No Colours Records, 2003)
by: James Montague  (9 out of 10)

A return to form for Graveland? Maybe not for people like myself, who 
thoroughly enjoyed Darken's work even as he sucked the adrenalin from 
the beast, with the sedate _Memory and Destiny_ rating as one  of  my 
favourites. But for those who thought the band would never rediscover 
the epic rage of _Thousand Swords_ or _Following the Voice of Blood_, 
this latest LP will be a pleasant surprise.                           

It's all in the titles, you see. _Memory  and  Destiny_...  obviously 
the fella was in a state of deep nostalgia  for  that  one.  But  now 
we've found the  _Fire_,  realised  through  more  powerful,  driving 
guitar lines. I must emphasise the word  "driving"  --  these  guitar 
riffs are like a relentless push, a wave of horsemen urging you,  the 
Pagan warrior, into the fray. Keyboards have definitely taken a  back 
seat now -- they  still  pop  up  occasionally  to  express  Darken's 
longing for the glory days, but his _Awakening_  is  no  longer  just 
spiritual, it is also physical. Thus the guitars bear  the  brunt  of 
his rediscovered anger, and the vocals have perked up too -- recently 
just a bitter old croaker, Darken is now growling  and  screaming,  a 
vitriolic drool splattering his mighty  warrior's  beard.  A  further 
throwback to the days of _Thousand Swords_ is the lyrics -- no longer 
dreaming of the splendour of ancient times, Darken is now happy  just 
to slay all those fuckin' Christians. The blood of Yahweh  will  once 
again slake the battlefield, and all is well in  the  land  of  Pagan 
fantasists!                                                           

Still retaining his rare knack for a stirring folkish melody,  Darken 
has given himself a timely reminder  that  Graveland  is,  first  and 
foremost, a metal band. _The Fire of Awakening_ sits proudly near the 
top of an extensive and magnificent repertoire, and should be a  sure 
thing for anyone who appreciates folk-influenced black metal.         

Contact: http://www.vinlandwinds.com/graveland/


Haste - _The Mercury Lift_  (Century Media, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (7 out of 10)

Hardly a day seems to pass by where a  new  record  isn't  advertised 
using  trendy  marketing  buzzwords  like  "diverse  influences"   or 
"inevitable musical evolution".  These  being  particularly  favoured 
descriptive slogans among the emo and increasingly fashionable  post- 
hardcore crowd, Alabama's Haste are no exception for the  most  part. 
From time to time however, they do reveal the  knack  for  penning  a 
good tune or three, ultimately making _The Mercury Lift_ a distinctly 
more attractive offering than anything you'd hear by the likes of the 
highly overrated Funeral for a Friend or Hell Is for Heroes. Like the 
melodic bastard-child of Snapcase or the ugly cousin of  Boysetsfire, 
_The Mercury Lift_ is an uneven listen; brilliant at  times,  hinting 
at the staleness of yesterday's underpants at others.  Certainly  the 
likes of "With All the Pride & Dignity  of  a  Drowning  Summer"  are 
excellent examples of how effectively no-frills hardcore and  melodic 
breaks can combine. Lamb of God's  D.  Randall  Blythe  even  pays  a 
welcome visit to the vocal box on the bone-jarring "God Reclaims  His 
Throne". Yet Haste often miss the mark in terms  of  consistency  and 
effective song construction. Likewise, the production job lacks bite, 
and although showing off the band's obvious  talents  with  admirable 
clarity, fails to do their dynamic approach justice.  For  what  it's 
worth however, one should take solace in the fact  that  tracks  like 
"Force Is Always an Option"  hint  at  Haste  becoming  a  bona  fide 
contender in contemporary heavy music within the next few years.      


Hatebreed  - _The Rise of Brutality_  (Universal Music, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (8.5 out of 10)

For many, Hatebreed's pummeling 2002 effort _Perseverance_ underlined 
with fierce determination the fact that the Connecticut-based quartet 
were  without  a  doubt  the  meanest  pack  of  rottweilers  in  the 
underground hardcore yard. Yet, as powerful as  it  was,  there  were 
moments when _Perseverance_ suffered badly from downright monotony as 
characterized by a glut of superfluous  grooves  and  downright  lazy 
songwriting. To be honest, I was more or less expecting a  repeat  of 
both past glories and mistakes on album three, and it is ironic then, 
that a band who peddle such unequivocal and  forthright  music  could 
actually succeed in surprising me. From start to finish, _The Rise of 
Brutality_ displays a distinctly matured and improved act  delivering 
their finest moment to date; but those expecting to hear any sort  of 
departure or diversification should think  again,  because  from  the 
moment that "Tear It Down" thunders its way on to  the  speakers,  it 
will be evident that the record is very much set to live  up  to  its 
title. Indeed, _The Rise of  Brutality_  is  even  heavier  than  its 
predecessors and, if it were at all  possible,  Jamie  Jasta  and  Co 
sound more menacing than ever. The album showcases a far tighter  and 
more focused Hatebreed than ever before, with songs  like  "A  Lesson 
Lived Is a Lesson Learned" and "Voice of Contention",  stripped  bare 
of any excess filler and made all the more effective by incorporating 
hooks that could rip the face off an unsuspecting listener at  twenty 
paces. Elsewhere "Beholder  of  Justice"  carves  a  groove  of  such 
sludge-like  density  that  it  almost  becomes  overwhelming,  while 
"Confide  in  No  One"  concludes  the  album  at  perhaps  its  most 
satisfying peak. _The Rise of Brutality_ is not for everyone, and  if 
you're hungry for melody and dynamics you'd be well advised to search 
elsewhere; but for those yearning to hear an  album  of  truly  heavy 
music that would make the likes of  Fred  Durst  soil  his  oversized 
trousers, it is most definitely an essential purchase.                


Homo Iratus - _Knowledge... Their Enemy_  (Arctic, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose  (8.5 out of 10)

Much like Relapse, music label Arctic has also started releasing  ten 
minute long EPs of their artists.  While  this  trend  still  remains 
questionable, at least _Knowledge... Their Enemy_ is fitted with  two 
video tracks along with the four  audio  tracks.  Homo  Iratus  plays 
solid, uncompromising death metal with great similarities to Six Feet 
Under, except for  the  fact  that  these  guys  do  have  a  capable 
vocalist. Four songs are not enough to base much of a  judgement  on, 
especially since I haven't heard their debut album, but as far as I'm 
concerned they're doing a  fucking  good  job.  The  Sepultura  cover 
("Roots Bloody Roots") wouldn't have been  necessary,  as  their  own 
material sounds better. People who've bought  the  _Human  Consensus_ 
album can skip this EP, as two songs are from that album. I  wouldn't 
be surprised if either Metal Blade or Relapse would try to sign  this 
band, and that in itself might give you good  enough  a  clue  as  to 
whether or not you want to hear this EP.                              


Immersed in Blood - _Killing Season_  (Arctic, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (8.5 out of 10)

I really can't say why I like _Killing Season_ so  much,  but  I  do. 
This debut album by Immersed in Blood, a band risen from the ashes of 
Inverted, isn't something spectacular or original. In  less  than  30 
minutes, we are treated to some fast (and I mean -fast-) death  metal 
songs not unlike Malevolent  Creation,  Immolation  or  Dying  Fetus. 
There is a great deal of virtuosity,  even  though  it's  not  always 
pushed to the limits. Then again, the album has an excellent flow  to 
it that makes you want to bang your head into the  walls  and  scream 
your lungs out of your body. The blast beats are so tight  it  almost 
provokes an epileptic fit, with a lot of  attention  to  the  vicious 
sounding hi- hats. If you're interested in  something  violent,  this 
will be your thing.                                                   


Kralizec - _Origin_  (Maquiavel, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (7.5 out of 10)

Some bands stick to tried and true formulas when it comes to creating 
music; others choose to take more chances. Canadians Kralizec  belong 
to the  latter  category:  their  amalgam  of  hyperblast,  symphonic 
bits, melodic passages, ultra-low  grunts,  blackened  screaming  and 
even Akercocke-like clean singing sees  them  mixing  some  seemingly 
unmixable elements. Propelled by a  decently  operated  drum  machine 
(though still just a drum machine, in the sense that the album  would 
have benefited from a good human drummer), Kralizec do a  better  job 
of creating interesting music from all these elements than one  might 
expect.  The  music  is  mostly  fast  blackened  death  metal,  with 
occasional keyboards and intricate  guitar  work,  as  well  as  dual 
low/high-pitched vocals. The production sounds a  bit  thin,  but  it 
does allow all the instruments to shine through admirably, and  there 
is certainly plenty going on most of the time to  keep  the  listener 
occupied. Though even the clean singing is well incorporated into the 
music, the quality of the album is somewhat  uneven  --  some  really 
good passages alternate with rather more generic ones and a couple of 
failed experiments. Still, the band is quite  proficient  technically 
and shows some good songwriting ideas; in  addition  to  the  unusual 
mixtures that make up _Origin_, there is plenty of  quality  material 
to be found (especially "Oceano Nox" and "Kralizec"  early  on),  and 
the disc flows reasonably well. _Origin_  should  be  an  interesting 
choice for anyone into this kind  of  metallic  experimentation,  and 
Kralizec a band to watch out for in the future.                       

Contact: http://www.kralizec.ca


Leviathan - _Leviathan_  (The Judas Cradle Productions, 2003)
by: Aaron McKay  (3 out of 10)

Purposefully driven music with a well-defined direction in  mind  has 
always been a big selling point for me. Danzig's material, both  with 
his band, Danzig, as well as the Misfits, have been a  staple  in  my 
listening repertoire for some time now. Leviathan approaches music in 
this same vein with this self-titled debut, but somewhere there is  a 
disconnect in the chosen approach on this  release.  Vocally,  it  is 
hauntingly similar to Glenn Danzig's style and the music is similarly 
rhythmic (like a heart-beat),  but  strangely  absent  life,  to  say 
nothing of vitality. That said, ironically  enough,  the  third  cut, 
"Love Eternal", from this  seven-track,  nearly  twenty-eight  minute 
debut EP, is their strongest song on the  entire  effort.  The  bass, 
compliments of Chris Gardiner, is very much as I like it: expansively 
demonstrative. While  impressive,  it  is  showcased  without  proper 
exposure. What I mean by that is, for example, Gardiner's talents are 
far too hidden within Leviathan's circles. In other  words,  let  the 
bass shine through more. The seven songs on this  offering  by  these 
New Yorkers are of a certain "boxing match in slow  motion"  quality, 
but, try as you might, there is little on this  disc  from  Leviathan 
that would even begin to approach any kind of T.K.O.  Named  after  a 
giant biblical sea monster, Leviathan's name might lead a  person  to 
believe rapture is upon us when, in all actuality, the band flounders 
more like a minnow in the savage ancient seas.                        

Contact: http://www.judascradle.com


Malmonde - _Malmonde_  (Osmose Productions, 2003)
by: Adam Lineker  (6.5 out of 10)

It is important to maintain an optimistic perspective  on  the  years 
ahead to preserve one's sanity, but if bands like Malmonde are to  be 
believed then the future  is  a  dark  and  freezing  place  full  of 
machines that glint  under  eerie  lights.  Malmonde  offer  us  some 
catchy, mechanistic guitar work that is offset by ethereal and  cyber 
keyboard moods. They succeed in creating a cold,  otherworldly  tone, 
and this vibe remains constant throughout the opus. On top of this, a 
bilingual  vocalist  swings  between  sinister  growls  and  mournful 
wailing in accordance with  musical  progression;  there  is  nothing 
special here, but he is competent enough at both vocal styles.  Aside 
from creating an effective sonic landscape to perform in,  Malmonde's 
greatest strength is their ability  to  pen  immediate  heavy  riffs, 
though placed as they are in this music, they  often  sound  akin  to 
focused nu-metal figures (thankfully without the DJ and rid  of  weak 
attempts to be down with the kids yo). The  riff  work  provides  the 
musical bone structure, while keyboards merge melody  and  atmosphere 
into a central  stylistic  feature.  However,  while  some  of  these 
keyboard touches are  quite  inventive,  the  ethereal  figures  come 
across as somewhat functional. I feel that Malmonde's biggest failing 
is their lack of variation: the music conveys  the  desired  imagery, 
but it is too repetitive, with the band often returning  directly  to 
previously used riff progressions. The consistency of tone  makes  it 
difficult to differentiate between songs; "World of Silence"  vaguely 
stands out, but it gets the  remix  treatment  and  suddenly  becomes 
cursed with mundanity. Malmonde offer us a  record  that  effectively 
displays their inspirations, but shows a real need  for  progression. 
It is a well-executed attempt, but the result is rather unsatisfying. 

Contact: http://www.malmonde.com


Manegarm - _Dodsfard_  (Displeased, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (6.5 out of 10)

A long time ago I wrote a review of the first Manegarm album when  it 
came out. I remember being impressed with  the  black  metal  assault 
displayed by these guys, even though I wasn't  a  big  fan  of  black 
metal. _Dodsfard_ is  Manegarm's  third  album  already.  Upon  first 
inspection, the folk part has received much more attention, something 
I'm not completely happy with.  While  increasingly  turning  into  a 
Vintersorg-style band, the heavy and aggressive side of the  band  is 
occasionally undermined by almost  cheerful  folk  nonsense.  I'd  be 
the last one to  say  a  band  shouldn't  try  out  new  things,  but 
stylistically, I think this juxtaposition doesn't do the  album  much 
good. The clean Viking-style  vocals  don't  really  cut  it  for  me 
either. Thankfully,  there  are  enough  songs  left  that  are  just 
downright vicious motherfuckers to ensure _Dodsfard_ is by no means a 
waste of money.                                                       


My Minds Mine - _Scenes of the Complete Annihilation of This Planet_
by: Xander Hoose  (6 out of 10)  (Amenta, 2002)

My Minds Mine has been around since  1995  and  they're  still  going 
strong -- sorry, -grinding- strong.  Twenty-four  tracks  in  a  mere 
twenty minutes; we've heard it before. The problem this  time  around 
is that we've heard it done better before. Please  guys,  the  sloppy 
production and lack of any memorable songs do not justify carving yet 
another notch on your bedpost. A prime example of the right  approach 
can be found on the last Pig Destroyer album, for  instance;  variety 
and tightness are not overrated. If  My  Minds  Mine  would  spend  a 
little more time in the studio and try to raise their own standards a 
little, creating something really fresh and aggressive, I'd  love  to 
give them the benefit of the doubt. For now, a meagre 6 out of 10  is 
all they get.                                                         


Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_  (Season of Mist, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll  (8 out of 10)

Looking  at  bands  like  Gorelord  or  Wurdulak  and  the   somewhat 
irritating fraternization of Necrophagia members with Norwegian black 
metal has- beens, it became quite easy to write off Killjoy  and  his 
gang. With Anselmo out of the band and the other members involved  in 
projects that either never released anything (Eibon) or were  located 
deep in mediocrity territory, I just didn't see it coming -- and  the 
crushing impact of _The Divine Art of Torture_  almost  did  blow  me 
away through the windows of my living room. Gone are  the  meandering 
song structures; trimmed away  is  the  fat  generated  by  too  many 
breaks; and riffs that fail to totally crush  simply  have  not  been 
given a place on _TDAoT_. Whereas in the past Necrophagia have  often 
tried to put a bit too much into individual  songs,  this  time  they 
rely on simplicity, and the result is devastating. My description  so 
far might give you the picture  that  Necrophagia  have  just  become 
simpler and groovier and lost the atmospheric part  of  their  sound; 
but that is not the case, thanks to the totally  effective,  haunting 
keyboard parts that Sigh's Mirai has added  to  the  grooving  mayhem 
of Fug and Frediablo's  twin  guitar  attack.  Add  Killjoy's  insane 
vocals and a production that is as close  to  achieving  the  perfect 
balance between clarity and total  heaviness  as  it  gets,  and  you 
have a headbanger's wet dream  of  a  record.  Even  if  due  to  its 
simplicity the immediate appeal of _TDAoT_ might wear off after  some 
time, Necrophagia's achievement of being able to  throw  all  ballast 
overboard and just let it rip in  the  studio  without  losing  their 
trademarks is simply  admirable.  Furthermore,  in  my  opinion,  the 
inclusion  of  keyboards  makes  them  sound  even  cooler  and  more 
horror-film-like than ever.                                           


Nephenzy Chaos Order - _Pure Black Disease_
by: Aaron McKay  (4.5 out of 10)  (Baphomet / Red Stream, 2003)

Despite the rating, these guys have a fair amount  working  in  their 
favor. How's that? Details, you say? Well, for starters,  these  guys 
aren't about a lot of talk. "Put up or  shut  up"  seems  to  be  the 
Nephenzy Chaos Order philosophy,  probably  written  in  blood  above 
their urinals at home. Without a doubt, this five-piece is as raw  as 
a battlefield flesh wound. In no  way  are  they  new-comers  to  the 
scene; Nephenzy Chaos Order (or NCO for short) have skills stretching 
as far as the likes Pain and Nifelheim. One  can  analyze  things  to 
death (NCO's forte), but this style of black metal is to be absorbed, 
not picked apart and dissected. "Mental Aggression" is  easily  NCO's 
power- hand on _Pure Black Disease_:  it  combines  the  strength  of 
Himinbjorg and a somewhat riffier Gorgoroth. If this type of  musical 
direction found on "Mental Aggression", or even the harsh  attack  of 
"Insomnia", were to be stretched across the other eight  tracks,  NCO 
would have discovered the holy grail of the the black metal scene  -- 
that being a certain discerning  originality.  As  things  turn  out, 
they have  not.  Stained  and  bland  for  the  most  part  on  _Pure 
Black Disease_, NCO combine  all  the  right  ingredients  for  their 
more-evil-than-thou cauldron o' decay, but ultimately fail to deliver 
the enticing allure of imagination.  Nothing  from  nothing  and  all 
things being equal, Nephenzy Chaos Order is  vocally  and  moderately 
musically mystifying, yet hollow in their approach. When all is  said 
and done, NCO is admittedly ripe with all the redeeming qualities few 
on the black metal scene seem to have -- now let's have  a  few  more 
cuts specifically in the vein of "Mental Aggression", gentlemen.      

Contact: http://www.oblivioncreations.com/~nco/pages/main.html


Neuraxis - _Truth Beyond..._  (Morbid Records, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (8.5 out of 10)

It seems like this is Montreal  extreme  metal  month  for  me,  with 
Neuraxis  coming  along  together  with  fellow  countrymen  Kralizec 
looking for a review. While  Kralizec  are  on  a  Portuguese  label, 
Neuraxis are on a German one --  but  there  is  a  certain  kind  of 
extremity they have in common, though Neuraxis are much closer to the 
Canadian masters of extreme metal, Cryptopsy. Benefiting from a  full 
but clear  production,  the  band's  attack  scores  highly  both  in 
terms of impact and technicality. Though very  likely  doomed  to  be 
branded  a  Cryptopsy  clone,  Neuraxis  are  a  talented  band,  and 
despite the similarities they do have a style of  their  own  --  the 
melodies running through all the brutality on brilliant opener "...Of 
Divinity" and the variation on second track "Impulse" prove just that 
within the album's first few minutes. What's more impressive is  that 
hardly a track goes by without a  couple  of  memorable,  distinctive 
passages; the album is a joy to listen to, and delivered  with  great 
impact. The band members all seem very skilled (including  a  drummer 
of the Flo Mounier school) and there's plenty of hooks and  breakneck 
changes amidst the hyperblasting. To illustrate just how much I enjoy 
this album, the only Cryptopsy studio album I find even  better  than 
this is their legendary _None So Vile_. I don't know where these guys 
have been hiding, but you should do yourself a  favour  and  pick  up 
this outstanding piece of metallic extremity.                         

Contact: http://www.neuraxis.org


Noctiferia - _Per Aspera_  (Arctic, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (9 out of 10)

Even though the title seems to suggest a black metal band, Noctiferia 
doesn't really fit into that category if you dismiss the vocal style. 
_Per Aspera_ is by definition a technical death metal album,  and  by 
this  I  am  referring  to  Morbid  Angel's  style  of  death  metal. 
Noctiferia have their homebase in Slovenia,  but  the  production  of 
_Per Aspera_ is far better than most albums from Eastern Europe.  The 
sharp guitar sound makes the album a delight to  listen  to,  because 
_Per Aspera_ features many riffs that would make  more  famous  metal 
bands jealous. Even though the music itself might  not  be  original, 
the displayed skills  are  frightening  and  they  show  considerable 
talent in writing atmospheric songs that  stand  out  by  themselves. 
Although I'm not much of a black  metal  lover,  the  snarling  vocal 
style did not irritate me even for a second, as it seems to  fit  the 
music well. _Per Aspera_ is a small jewel; if you're lucky enough  to 
find it, you will end up giving this one many a spin in the good  old 
player.                                                               


Planet Killswitch - _You Don't Matter_  (Independent, 2003)
by: Adrian Magers  (9 out of 10)

An impressive blend of  metal,  electronics  and  general  weirdness: 
Planet Killswitch perform music that I would  describe  as  Ministry, 
Coal Chamber, Slayer, Hatebreed, Chimaira,  Skinny  Puppy  and  KMFDM 
all thrown in a  blender.  The  band  employs  three  distinct  vocal 
styles from three  different  members  of  the  band  (death  growls, 
goth-tinged grumbles and distorted  wails)  and  a  generally  unique 
sonic presentation of the band's bitter  lyrics.  Topics  range  from 
governmental control to society's ills, and so forth. My one  problem 
with the album is that some of the tracks, like "Bleak" and  "Killing 
Machines",  sounded  better  on  their  demo  CD  _The  Scum  of  the 
Planet_ (recorded when  the  band  was  known  as  just  Killswitch). 
Maybe it's just me, but it seems  that  something  was  lost  in  the 
re-recording. Aside from this, there are no other flaws  I  can  pick 
out.  Planet  Killswitch  is  easily  the  midwest's  most  promising 
underground industrial metal band, and in my opinion one of the  best 
unsigned acts in the country. I have a feeling PKS may be a love/hate 
affair with  few  opinions  in  between  the  extremes;  but  if  you 
like crunchy metal laden with  industrial  scraps  and  bits,  Planet 
Killswitch is sure to please.                                         

Contact: http://www.planetkillswitch.com


Regurgitate - _Deviant_  (Relapse, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (9.5 out of 10)

Woot! I love this album. I wasn't all too sure about the latest Nasum 
album; I felt like something  was  missing.  I  still  find  it  hard 
to pinpoint what that  "something"  is,  but  I  can  tell  you  that 
Regurgitate has it. No less than  27  songs  of  bitching  grindcore, 
fast and vile like  a  rabid  dog  on  acid,  with  excellent  vocals 
(high-pitched screams versus low growls), songs that flow  into  each 
other, an excellent mix where especially the bass and drums provide a 
killer combination... this whole album breathes  "buy  me!".  If  you 
like energetic music, if you like Cephalic Carnage and Nasum, if  you 
haven't heard this album yet... what are you still doing  here?  BUY, 
BUY, BUY!!!                                                           


Schizoid - _Covered in Metal_  (D-Trash, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (6.5 out of 10)

Raised on metal, yet a full-time practicing digital  hardcore  freak, 
Canada-based Schizoid has circumvented the trap of being torn between 
two worlds  by  combining  them  both.  _Covered  in  Metal_  is  not 
unique, but still definitely special: covering  old  metal  songs  by 
transforming them into a digitalized fusillade is something you won't 
hear every day. On _CiM_, Schizoid presents us his view on Dead World 
("Cold Hate"), S.O.D. ("Chromatic Death / No Turning Back"), Suicidal 
Tendencies, Biohazard ("Thorn"), Anal Cunt, Candiru, and  many  more. 
Even though I really like most of the industrial renderings of  these 
songs, I also have to say that it could have been  done  better.  The 
album sounds like a home-made product, with  a  weak  mix  and  over- 
represented high  tones,  while  the  vocal  parts  aren't  all  that 
impressive either. Teaming up with another metal-loving noise  artist 
would probably have resulted in a more professional  sounding  result 
-- but then again, maybe my standards have been set to high with  the 
latest Venetian Snares releases. If you're into  weird  stuff,  don't 
hesitate to buy this album.  If  overall  music  quality  is  a  very 
important factor, however, make sure you give  this  album  a  listen 
before buying it.                                                     


Six Feet Under  - _Bringer of Blood_  (Metal Blade, 2003)
by: Jackie Smit  (4.5 out of 10)

With the  amount  of  media  attention  lavished  --  arguably  quite 
undeservedly -- upon Six Feet Under in recent months gone by, it  was 
virtually a given that _Bringer of Blood_ was going to turn out to be 
either sheer class or unabashed hype. Indeed, after seeing Barnes and 
his not-so-merry crew tear it loose at the London Underworld  earlier 
this year, I  was  personally  anticipating  something  not  so  much 
remarkable, but most definitely... well, better than this. One  could 
blame Metal Blade Records for allowing Chris Barnes  to  languish  in 
the producer's seat, or you could point the finger at Barnes  himself 
for turning in one of the most amateurish and weak vocal performances 
witnessed for some time. Regardless, _Bringer of Blood_  falls  short 
of expectations on several counts. "Sick in the Head" opens the album 
on a decidedly tepid note, whilst  "America  the  Brutal",  with  its 
droning  anti-war  chorus,  sounds  like  Six  Feet  Under  making  a 
half-hearted stab at recording a punk tune,  and  inevitably  falling 
flat on their faces. Elsewhere, tracks like "Ugly" and  "Murdered  in 
the Basement" go some way toward redeeming the album slightly, but at 
the same time heighten one's amazement at the fact that the same band 
could have recorded the album's  shockingly  poor  title  track.  The 
truth of the matter is that 2003 has already played host to many more 
creative and outstanding death metal releases (Misery Index, Krisiun, 
Zyklon and Morbid Angel to  name  a  few),  and  amidst  such  vastly 
superior talent, Six Feet Under are at best an afterthought.          


Skinless - _From Sacrifice to Survival_  (Relapse, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (7 out of 10)

Skinless has always been one of the less  interesting  bands  on  the 
Relapse label, mostly because the band lacks identity. Just being out 
there between Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation  and  Dying  Fetus 
doesn't automatically mean people will buy your album -- you'll  need 
something  unique  to  stand  out  from  the  crowd.  Where  Skinless 
previously tried to "stand out" with painfully not funny lyrics, they 
have now dropped the humor. Instead, on some songs you will find some 
clean rock vocals somewhere in the background. Please  don't  ask  me 
why, because it immediately degrades the  songs,  making  you  wonder 
"what the...". On the positive side, _FStS_ is quite a varied  album, 
something that can't be said for some of the competition,  making  it 
easier to listen to the album as a whole. Some of the songs are  very 
simple and straightforward, disregarding technicality  in  favour  of 
groove ("Miscreant", for instance), so this album  will  probably  do 
well with Lamb of God fans. _FStS_ isn't a bad album;  it's  actually 
quite okay if you're into brutal death, but  I  still  prefer  seeing 
these guys play live. That's where they really do stand out.          


Sulaco - _Sulaco_  (Relapse, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (8.5 out of 10)

It's almost becoming a common thing for Relapse to  introduce  a  new 
artist by releasing a 3- or 4-track sampler as a teaser for  a  full- 
length album. Sulaco has been signed pretty recently and  this  less- 
than-15-minute EP is a good indication that Relapse will  be  further 
exploring their hardcore/noisecore direction. Sulaco plays this style 
expertly, but unlike labelmates Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge or 
rivals Drowningman, their style is very straightforward. You'll  find 
breaks and blast beats throughout the album, no worries, but  there's 
just no surprising element to give the songs  extra  value.  I  guess 
with the proper promotion, Sulaco can become one of the bigger  bands 
in the scene as long as Relapse is backing them.                      


Summer Dying - _One Last Taste of Temptation_  (Independent, 2003)
by: Adrian Magers  (8 out of 10)

Summer Dying are easily one  of  the  best  unsigned  American  bands 
right now, and  I  can  say  this  without  any  doubt  in  my  mind. 
This band will be signed, and  probably  could  have  already  picked 
a label  from  the  overwhelmingly  positive  response  generated  by 
the band's debut full length  _Beyond  the  Darkness  Within_.  Their 
resume is impressive, having opened  for  Children  of  Bodom,  Dimmu 
Borgir, In Flames, Moonspell,  Cannibal  Corpse,  Killswitch  Engage, 
Shadows Fall, Incantation, The Haunted, Nevermore, Hypocrisy,  Lacuna 
Coil, Witchery, Dying  Fetus,  The  Crown  and  more  nationally  and 
internationally respected bands.  They  were  voted  the  number  one 
unsigned band at the Online Metal Awards. So does this band  live  up 
to their reputation?  Their  growing  fanbase  would  answer  with  a 
resounding 'yes'. The music is very well put together, managing to be 
catchy without sounding  mainstreamed,  and  angry  without  sounding 
anything but genuine. Overall the band most akin to  their  brand  of 
metalcore is Darkest Hour, but fans  of  Shadows  Fall,  Unearth  and 
Poison the Well would do well to keep an eye and ear out  for  Summer 
Dying. In just two short years they've practically made it to the top 
tier of regional band success. The word of Summer  Dying  has  spread 
fast through the metal underground, and for good  reason.  Hearing  a 
young band like this that has such  a  fully-formed  sound  is  quite 
refreshing. Impressive -- and it seems this is only the beginning.    

Contact: http://www.summerdying.com


The Legion - _Unseen to Creation_  (Listenable Records, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll  (6 out of 10)

If you're into recent Marduk but wish they'd be a lot more technical, 
and you enjoy the clinical, Emperor-derived black meets  death  metal 
of Zyklon or Myrkskog, then Sweden's The Legion should interest  you. 
_Unseen to Creation_ is the ultimate album to bridge the gap  between 
yawning along to either of the above mentioned bands. Putting it into 
a CD changer set to random play mode together with _World  ov  Worms_ 
or _World Funeral_ will surely do the trick of notably prolonging the 
time until either release gets boring. The  quality  might  be  lower 
during the Legion tracks, but they won't  substantially  disturb  the 
flow.                                                                 

Let's move on to a German lesson  now.  In  the  former  GDR,  people 
referred to restaurant food which had the purpose  of  filling  one's 
stomach rather than  be  especially  tasty  as  "Saettigungsbeilage". 
An "at  least  you'll  get  yourself  stuffed  side-order"  would  be 
the somewhat crude  translation.  "Markslon"  fans  take  note,  your 
Saettigungsbeilage is ready for consumption now, served with a clean, 
professional Abyss production,  totally  average  screeching  vocals, 
excellent technicality but  nearly  nonexistent  songwriting  skills, 
wish-we-were-black-metal leanings and -- fucking  necrotrueness,  can 
there be a better  selling  point?!  --  the  current  and  certainly 
talented Marduk drummer among all the norsecore madness.              

Contact: http://www.legion.nu


Uhrilehto - _Viha Ja Ikuinen Vitutus (Hate Eternal)_
by: Xander Hoose  (4.5 out of 10)  (Cold Blood Industries, 2001)

The band logo not being very recognizable and the album  title  being 
followed by the words "Hate Eternal", one could easily  mistake  this 
for a new album by Erik Rutan. It is  not,  however,  and  not  by  a 
longshot. Compared to the skills displayed by Hate Eternal, Uhrilehto 
sounds like  a  demo  band,  and  even  without  this  comparison  my 
judgement wouldn't be any less harsh. While they claim to play  music 
in the vein of old Rotting Christ and Samael, they can only  wish  to 
possess that little spark of songwriting quality. Musically, _Viha Ja 
Ikuinen Vitutus_ isn't that bad, just very uninspired. The  keyboards 
sound cheap, the drumming is bad, but the guitar work makes up for  a 
lot. This is only for the real fanatics; the rest of you should  stay 
clear of this album.                                                  


Vacant Stare - _Vindication_  (Copro, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose  (4 out of 10)

A lousy attempt  at  throwing  uninspired  nu-metal  at  unsuspecting 
buyers. Check out A Perfect Circle, Thorn.Eleven,  Underground  Union 
or Number One Son instead of giving this poop a listen.               


Various - _Japanese Assault_  (Relapse, 2003)
by: Xander Hoose  (7 out of 10)

Continuing the _Assault_ series that Relapse has been  bringing  into 
the market for the last three years now, this time  it's  up  to  the 
Japanese bands to show us what they've got. Japan is well  known  for 
the most fucked  up  bands  (C.S.S.O.  as  their  best  known  export 
product), so I had really high hopes for this comp. My enthusiasm was 
a little tempered after the first few spins, because there's  nothing 
really wicked or surprising. On the other hand, if you're  into  fast 
fucking grind (Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Nasum style), the album has an 
excellent kick-off  for  you:  Senseless  Apocalypse  treats  you  to 
fourteen songs averaging one minute each,  crazy,  fast  and  insane. 
Muga's tracks are much slower  and  darker,  reminding  me  of  older 
Swedish crustcore bands. Realized make up for another big part of the 
album, with another fourteen songs; however, they  sound  less  clean 
and technical than Senseless Apocalypse and the  vocals  are  a  huge 
disappointment. Closing act  Swarrrm,  however,  get  the  award  for 
standing out the most: this death/grind act takes  Brutal  Truth  and 
Converge influences and twist them into their own take on the  genre. 
The haunting twin vocals give the music an extra touch. Of this band, 
I hope to hear a full-length release as soon as  possible;  they  are 
without a doubt the most promising band on the compilation.           

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                        ~   ~~~ ~  ~  ~   ~ 

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


Cwn Annwn - _Cwn Annwn_
by: Aaron McKay  (2 out of 5)

With such an atypical and interesting band name, as well  as  hailing 
from the mid-west, Cwn Annwn (pronounced coo-nah-NOON) was a  band  I 
was interested in checking out. This quartet from Minnesota came into 
being around  1998  and  now  finds  themselves  in  the  desperately 
difficult position of climbing out of relative obscurity to more of a 
professional status. The most recent attempt  in  accomplishing  this 
task was done by way of a three track demo at Echo Bay Studios in New 
Hope, Minnesota; I understand that Echo Bay has been responsible  for 
producing acts like Living Colour and Elvis Costello. Be that  as  it 
may, Cwn Annwn's new demo needs  an  angle.  Not  without  direction, 
this band has ability, but seems  lacking  in  the  "musical  vision" 
department. This demo is well done, yet leaves the listener absent  a 
hook for their form/style. Naming themselves after the Welsh  "hounds 
of hell", on first impression Cwn Annwn paints a vivid  word  picture 
of a severe thrash metal outfit, but musically burns a bit  too  rich 
in the gas/oil mixture. These guys have a lot of drive throughout the 
disc complete with well-timed speed and nice breaks. The  vocals  are 
sung in a clean, understandable style, yet sounding a lot  like  they 
are still too close to their garage  band  roots.  The  mostly  hyper 
riffs of "Feral Ferocious" start things off.  "Grey  Streak"  follows 
next with a ghostly touch of the surreal, thumping bass and the  most 
stirring mix of breaks on this effort -- my  favorite  of  the  three 
songs. Last is "I Used to Give  a  Damn",  sounding  very  much  like 
Nuclear Assault screwing around with Metallica's gear  in  the  _Kill 
'em All_ era. The CD came complete  with  a  radio  edit  for  "Feral 
Ferocious" and a radio edit and alt ending for "Grey Streak". I  will 
be listening, hopefully soon, for a longer and  more  mature  venture 
from these guys. There is something here that just needs  to  connect 
and we'll have another Flotsam and Jetsam on our hands, and that'd be 
a -good- thing from where I stand.                                    

Contact: http://www.cwnannwn.com


Twytch - _Hatred_
by: Aaron McKay  (4.5 out of 5)

Whether it's school, work or just life in general, sometimes you just 
gotta outwardly vent some frustrations. When that time comes,  as  it 
does for us -all-, Twytch has got your back. This Massachusetts five- 
piece is about as professional as they come without the  restrictions 
of a major label pulling "creative control" strings like you're  some 
damn marionette. Angry,  tough  and  hostile,  with  an  unmistakable 
method to their intense sound, this outfit has a lot going for  them. 
What's more, Twytch is brutal in their approach, but with the all the 
timing of a precision Italian race car.  With  a  heavily  influenced 
drive, all the members pull together on this effort with the untapped 
energy of a thousand Hatebreed fans. This six-track effort  comes  in 
at 22 plus minutes in length. After a few times through _Hatred_  you 
feel like you've been trapped in an industrial strength  cement-mixer 
with a half a dozen iron mallets. The thick, enriched chops  on  this 
disc are simply amazing and truly infectious. The  single  obligation 
to a specific task in the band dynamic seems to allow these  guys  to 
develop and concentrate solely on their respective  part  within  the 
band. Matt McChesney's clean and strained  "tough  guy  core"  vocals 
are utilized with incredible  proficiency  all  throughout  _Hatred_. 
Lyrically, the discontent  on  this  effort  manifests  itself  as  a 
vitally engaging element to Twytch's energetic display of aggression. 
Isaias Martinez and  Tony  Zimmerman  provide  the  twin  riff-packed 
guitar assault, whereas Joe Martinez's bass thunders out the low  end 
with all the stability of a tectonic plate shift. Some percussionists 
just keep time, but Brian Joyce's  drum  talents  vibrate  throughout 
_Hatred_ like a propeller on an aircraft carrier  --  the  effect  is 
jaw-dropping. As was mentioned earlier, Twytch has it all  going  for 
them, especially if "Hatred" and track six, "Swallow  the  Stitches", 
is the direction they continue to explore. Call their sound  whatever 
you want, Twytch has all the pieces put  together  for  an  explosive 
career.                                                               

Contact: http://www.twytch.com

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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. Drudkh - _Forgotten Legends_
2. Disfear - _Misanthropic Generation_
3. Mythos - _Pain Amplifier_
4. Carcass - _Symphonies of Sickness_
5. Judas Priest - _Rocka Rolla_

Pedro's Top 5

1. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
2. Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_
3. Drudkh - _Forgotten Legends_
4. Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_
5. Neuraxis - _Truth Beyond..._

Paul's Top 5

1. John Coltrane - _The Ultimate Blues Train_
2. Impiety - _Skullfucking Armageddon_
3. Gospel of the Horns - _Eve of the Conqueror_
4. Craft - _Terror Propaganda_
5. Nehemah - _Light of a Dead Star_

Aaron's Top 5

1. A Canorous Quintet - _The Only Pure Hate_
2. Pest - _Desecration_
3. Grievance - _Grievance_
4. Fortid - _Voluspa Part I / Thor's Anger_
5. Hatebreed - _The Rise of Brutality_

Matthias' Top 5

1. Mourning Beloveth - _The Sullen Sulcus_
2. The Crown - _Possessed 13_
3. Necrophagia - _The Divine Art of Torture_
4. Hate Forest - _Purity_
5. Demoncy - _Joined in Darkness_

Quentin's Top 5

1. Impiety - _Kaos Kommand 696_
2. Graveland - _Blood of Heroes_
3. Zyklon -_Aeon_
4. Moonspell - _The Antidote_
5. Melechesh - _Sphynx_

Adam's Top 5

1. Blaze - _Silicon Messiah_
2. Nightwish - _Century Child_
3. Tool - _Aenima_
4. Entombed - _Clandestine_
5. Opeth - _My Arms, Your Hearse_

Adrian Magers' Top 5

1. 16volt - _Skin_
2. My Ruin - _The Horror of Beauty_
3. Iron Maiden - _Powerslave_
4. Thorn Garden - _Various Demos_
5. Dimmu Borgir - _Death Cult Armageddon_

Jackie's Top 5

1. Zyklon - _Aeon_
2. Myrkskog - _Superior Massacre_
3. Alchemist - _Austral Alien_
4. Sick of it All - _Life on the Ropes_
5. Paradise Lost - _Symbol of Life_
   
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                      | \ |_   |  /_\ | |   (_ 
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Web Site: http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com
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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.


HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
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You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time  by  sending  an
e-mail to  <Subscribe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>  with  your full name in
the subject line of the message.

You may unsubscribe from Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
blank e-mail to <Unsubscribe@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.

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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #68

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.                                                                

