              __                                          _
            ,'_/ /7  _   _   _    () __ /7 __ __    _   ,'_7
           / /_ / \ //7,'o| / \/7/7,','//,'o/(c'  ,'o| /_7
           |__//n_///  |_,'/_n_/// \_\// |_(/__)  |_,'//
                           __
                         ,'_/ /7  _   _   __
                        / /_ / \,'o|,'o| (c'
                        |__//n_/|_,7|_,'/__)


       CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, October 25, 2000, Issue #49
                   http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com

Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley
Copy Editor / Contributor: Pedro Azevedo
Assistant Copy Editor / Contributor: Paul Schwarz
Contributor: Brian Meloon
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk
Contributor: Aaron McKay
Contributor: David Rocher
Contributor: Alex Cantwell
Contributor: Matthias Noll
Contributor: Alvin Wee
Spiritual Guidance: Alain M. Gaudrault

The   individual   writers   can   be   reached    by    e-mail    at
firstname@ChroniclesOfChaos.com ("firstname" must be replaced by  the
respective writer's  first  name,  e.g.  Gino@ChroniclesOfChaos.com).

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

      For  more  Chronicles  of  Chaos  information,  check  out  the
      Details section at the end of this issue.

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

Issue #49 Contents, 10/25/00
----------------------------
* Editorial
* Loud Letters
* Deadly Dialogues
-- Morbid Angel: Ageless Angel of Annihilation
-- Lux Occulta: Re-Constructing a Pocket-Size Universe
-- The Berzerker: Chaos Unleashed From "Down Under"
-- Exhumed: Gory Details From the Exhumed Cult
-- Unmoored: Simmering in Greed
-- Doro: Calling out to Her Fans
-- Opprobrium: Making a Name for Themselves
* Independent Interrogations
-- Anaal Nathrakh: Necro Lives!
* Album Asylum
-- Alchemist - _Organasm_
-- Ancient Ceremony - _Synagoga Diabolica_
-- Atomizer - _The End of Forever_
-- Aurora - _Devotion_
-- Azrael - _Mafia_
-- Bernard Edwards' Project Homicide - _Bernard Edwards' Project
                                        Homicide_
-- Beseech - _Black Emotions_
-- Blackend - _Mental. Game. Messiah._
-- Burning Inside - _The Eve of the Entities_
-- Burzum - <demo LP bootleg>
-- Corpus Christii - _Saeculum Domini_
-- Crimson Moonlight - _Eternal Emperor_
-- Various - _Critical Mass_
-- Various - _Electropolis Volume II_
-- Dark Age - _Psychotic Side_
-- Deep - _Pieces of Nothing_
-- Desaster / Pentacle - _(Desaster) In League With (Pentacle)_
-- Discordance Axis - _The Inalienable Dreamless_
-- Drowningman - _Rock and Roll Killing Machine_
-- End It - _End It_
-- Ephel Duath - _Phormula_
-- Extol - _Undecieved_
-- Figure Four - _No Weapon Formed Against Us_
-- Funker Vogt - _Maschine Zeit_
-- Various - _Gateway to Hell 2: Tribute to Slayer_
-- Gold fur Eisen - _Kein Morgan_
-- Haemorrhage - _Loathesongs_
-- Hateplow - _The Only Law Is Survival_
-- In Aeternum - _The Pestilent Plague_
-- Into the Sunless Meridian - _Into the Sunless Meridian_
-- Iron Maiden - _Brave New World_
-- Isis - _Celestial_
-- Jane Doe 69 - _Snakeskin_
-- Jester's Funeral - _Quicksilverlight_
-- Various - _Jump in the Pit -- A Tribute to Testament_
-- Juno Reactor - _Shango_
-- Killing Machine - _Killing Machine_
-- Various - _King Diamond Tribute_
-- Kreuzfeuer - _Blut fur Blut_
-- Lesser Known - _Higher Levels_
-- Liber Spirituum - _Frugativi et Appellativi_
-- Mark D - _The Silent Treatment_
-- Martyr - _Warp Zone_
-- Metalium - _State of Triumph -- Chapter Two_
-- Mortification - _10 Years Live Not Dead_
-- Myopia - _Concentration of Suffering_
-- Mythological Cold Towers - _Remoti Meridiani Hymni -- Towards the
                               Magnificent Realm of the Sun_
-- Nightingale - _I_
-- Nocturnal Rites - _Afterlife_
-- Opera IX - _The Black Opera (Symphoniae Mysterioeum in
               Lauden Tenebrarum)_
-- Ordained - _The Second Coming_
-- Origin - _Origin_
-- Physicist - _Physicist_
-- Point of Recognition - _The Admiration of a Son_
-- Postmortem - _Storm Force_
-- Quo Vadis - _Day Into Night_
-- Redeem - _A Diadem of Beauty_
-- Various - _Root of All Evil 2000 2nd Anniversary Sampler_
-- Rotten Sound - _Still Psycho_
-- Scariot - _Death Forlorn_
-- Society's Burden - _Ten Tales From Hell's Trailer Park_
-- Somnus - _Awakening the Crown_
-- Soulfly - _Primitive_
-- Soulless - _The Darkening of Days_
-- Steve Von Till - _As the Crow Flies_
-- Symphony X - _V_
-- The Fallen - _The Tones in Which We Speak_
-- The Haunted - _The Haunted Made Me Do It_
-- Tierra Santa - _Tierras de Leyenda_
-- Walhalla - _Firereich_
-- Various - _World of Pain -- A Tribute to Sepultura_
-- Wumpscut - _Bloodchild_
-- Yattering - _Murder's Concept_
-- Zemial - _For the Glory of UR_
* New Noise
-- Bealiah / Unevil Hopes - <split demo>
-- Erase - _Plastic Soul_
-- Lucifer - _Watching the Christians Burn_
-- Torment - _Torment_
* What We Have Cranked
* Details

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

                      _____)
                    /       /) ,            ,      /)
                    )__   _(/   _/_ _____     _   //
                  /      (_(__(_(__(_)/ (__(_(_(_(/_
                 (_____)

                         by: Gino Filicetti


     The pressure is on, folks, but the  unstoppable  CoC  staff  has
been furiously working  hard  to  recapture  our  title  of  "MONTHLY
ezine".
     Although this issue finds itself  in  your  inbox  more  than  a
little tardy, rest assured that we already have material for CoC  #50
completed, and that we'll be releasing that  issue  as  soon  as  the
material is assembled and proofed. That should find us in  the  early
weeks of November, after which we will  most  assuredly  reclaim  the
FIRST of each month as our official release date.
     I know that most of you are grateful enough that  Chronicles  of
Chaos even exists, let alone that we release issues  regularly  every
month. But this is something that we've let slip in the past year and
I believe it is our DUTY to get this magazine out to  everyone  in  a
quick and timely manner.
     So please bear with us as we ascend the mountain  of  commitment
once again and make our promise to you that Chronicles of Chaos  will
become as reliable as the winter frost in Norway.
     Before I go, I thought I might bring it to everyone's  attention
that we have just recently surpassed the 3000 subscriber  mark!  This
marks another milestone in the 5+  year  lifespan  of  Chronicles  of
Chaos. However, these last 1000 subscribers have taken  almost  twice
as long to find CoC as the first 2000.  Does  this  mean  that  we've
plateaued as an ezine? Does this mean that there are  no  longer  any
extreme music enthusiasts out there that aren't already subscribed to
CoC? You can bet your ass the answer  is  a  resounding  NO  on  both
counts.
     But to reach our next milestone of 4000 subscribers, we need the
help of each and everyone of our readers. We need your help to spread
the word, to tell the world of CoC, to help us turn this  ezine  into
an Internet phenomenon: the largest and  most  respected  non-profit,
non-commercial and unrelenting ezine in the world.
     So get posting on your message boards, chatrooms,  IRC  channels
and even your dusty old Fidonet BBSes. Direct everyone to our website
at http://www.ChroniclesOfChaos.com where they can now  subscribe  to
our ezine mailing list (where they will get the entire issue  of  CoC
in their mailbox every month) or our notification mailing list (where
they will get small email notices of new issues every month).
     We can't do it without your help. Go forth and spread  the  word
of CoC like it's never been spread before.

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

                 M""MMMMMMMM                         dP
                 M  MMMMMMMM                         88
                 M  MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP    dP .d888b88
                 M  MMMMMMMM 88'  `88 88    88 88'  `88
                 M  MMMMMMMM 88.  .88 88.  .88 88.  .88
                 M         M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8
                 MMMMMMMMMMM

     M""MMMMMMMM            dP     dP
     M  MMMMMMMM            88     88
     M  MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
     M  MMMMMMMM 88ooood8   88     88   88ooood8 88'  `88 Y8ooooo.
     M  MMMMMMMM 88.  ...   88     88   88.  ... 88             88
     M         M `88888P'   dP     dP   `88888P' dP       `88888P'
     MMMMMMMMMMM

This is the column where we print those lovely  letters  our  readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled  wrong,  you  can  rest  assured  that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here, e-mail it to <mailto:LoudLetters@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>.
All  letters  received  will  be  featured  in  upcoming  issues   of
Chronicles of Chaos.


Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2000
From: Andrew Lannen <andrewc@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Poor Review Technique

    I've been a CoC reader for quite a while now,  and  rely  on  its
reviews for hints about what albums  are  must  tries  and  which  to
avoid. Unfortunately, Aaron McKay's terrible review of Running Wild's
_Victory_ is the low point thus far for CoC.
    It's not that _Victory_ is a good album. It deserved a 3  out  of
10, along with a scathing critique  of  the  subpar  songwriting  and
lackluster drumming. Instead  of  an  intelligent  critique,  though,
McKay spent the entire review taking cheap shots  at  the  lead  band
member's name, the band they did a cover tune of (what's  wrong  with
the Beatles anyway?), and who they toured  with  several  years  ago.
Nothing but mindless bashing unworthy of a  quality  zine  like  CoC.
What else could be expected when the opening  sentence  mentions  how
much the reviewer hates this style of metal?
    _Victory_ is Running Wild's ELEVENTH studio album since 1984, and
they have maitained a consistent quality that most bands  only  dream
about. Is it beyond McKay to treat them with the respect that they've
earned over the years? I suggest that the next time he gets a CD from
a genre of metal he intensely dislikes, he should kindly pass  it  on
for someone else to review.

Andrew Lannen


Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000
From: Ax <Xul@phreaker.net>
Subject: Response to csarcher@hotmail.com

> alla xul (CoC #45)--duh, metal is Satan and God is  a  weak  little
> bitch. Hail Satan! YARRR!!! What a misanthrope.

Bullshit

> alla xul (CoC #46)--like reading his previous letter, only funnier.
> He attempts to  slay  RayRuenes@aol.com   by   "ridiculating"   his
> "intellectual mumbelings." You should talk. Learn how to spell.  Is
> that foreign to you?

If you read the letter again you will see that he was the one  trying
to ridiculate me by various completely uninteresting  and  irrelevant
intellectual speculations. As for my english, yes it sucks  but  that
is also completely uninteresting. And yes again, english  is  foreign
to me.

> Well, there you have it. The argument that won't  die  away.  Well,
> I've got the definitive answer...LET IT GO ALREADY! JUST LISTEN  TO
> THE MUSIC AND DON'T TRY TO SEE ANY DEEPER MEANING  IN  IT  THAN  IT
> ALREADY HAS!

Look, the fact is metal=!christianity. Metal is  not  really  satanic
but it sure as hell does not have anything to do with christianity  i
dont see how that is so complicated to grasp, perhaps it  is  because
most people do not realize what christianity is. Another thing i dont
really understand is why there, as soon as two (or more) people start
arguing in any public forum  there  is  always  lots  of  pacifistic,
generalizing idiots that starts interfering with posts like 'you guys
are so silly blablabla', what exactly do you hope to accomplish  with
such posts? I think i prooved my points pretty good. What  you  wrote
in  that  letter  is  just  generalizing  and  missinterprenting  the
original posts and then adding your own uninteresting conclusions. If
you have a problem with people having an argument then you can simply
ignore them instead of trying to flush them out with posts  like  the
above.

/Ax


Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000
From: "Cody" <saiwat@win.bright.net>
Subject: Metal fest

Hello,

Just found out ezine surfing around and wow keep up  the  good  work.
This year was my first metal fest and it blew me away. I live only  4
hrs away from it but just started to get into death/black metal so  I
was kind of a outsider walking around with my white  NIN  shirt.  One
band you forgot to point out was Babylon whores. They put on a killer
show and won me over big time as a fan. Just before them  "The  Fall"
where not bad but only playing three songs didn't give me much chance
to get into them. I also was wondering which one your writers was the
one trying to pick chicks up in line for the Mayhem autographs?

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                 |   | |  _` | |  _ \   _` | |   |  _ \  __|
                 |   | | (   | | (   | (   | |   |  __/\__ \
                ____/ _|\__,_|_|\___/ \__, |\__,_|\___|____/
                                      |___/


      A G E L E S S   A N G E L   O F   A N N I H I L A T I O N
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             CoC interviews Steve Tucker of Morbid Angel
                           by: Aaron McKay


     Here's some background. It is fairly  well-established  that  my
growing up in the "Sunshine State" has impacted my musical  penchant.
Therefore, being exposed to a lot of the  juggernauts  that  comprise
the Florida death metal scene made its mark. I sure won't insult your
intelligence by listing off the scene's pioneers. Let's just leave it
at: Morbid Angel concerts were a regular attraction for me. Off hand,
I can remember answering with my attendance Morbid Angel's particular
beacon of brutality more than just a few times. Due to the time frame
I lived in Florida, I was inherently thrilled to bear witness to  the
band's _Alters  of  Madness_  through  _Domination_  era.  Incredible
times.
     Presently and admittedly, I have never had the privilege to  see
Steve Tucker perform with the band, so  getting  the  opportunity  to
discuss Morbid Angel  with  Mr.  Tucker  more-or-less  completed  the
circle. Our discussion was detailed, open and frank, with a startling
surge of enthusiasm on both our parts. I had too many  questions  and
just so precious little time -- after all, there is -a lot- going  on
in the Morbid Angel camp.
     I  told  Steve  I  thought  this   new   album,   _Gateways   to
Annihilation_ [reviewed in this issue], was the  Morbid  Angel  album
they were preparing  their  whole  careers  to  release.  "Excellent,
man!", Steve rings in. "Thanks! We just  wrote  it  from  our  heart.
Three words I would use to sum up this album  are  dark,  passionate,
and  vibe.  That's  what  this  record  consists  of."  He  goes   on
enthusiastically: "I think this record is extremely passionate and  I
think that shows. I  think  that  is  something  that  you  instantly
recognize: the passion. The vibe gives a constant flow of energy  and
it's amazingly dark." I highly doubt anyone having the  privilege  to
hear _Gateways to Annihilation_ could argue with anything said there.
Really.
     Before I got to the intricacies of  Steve's  vocal  approach  on
this record, I probed around for some of his  influences.  "Slayer!",
he issues forth with no hesitation. "Slayer  made  me  want  to  play
music. When I heard the early Slayer, it just  set  me  off.  I  went
berserk. It started for me with Slayer."
     Now here is the point that I bet you  guys  didn't  see  coming;
what about vocal inspiration, Mr. Tucker? Araya? "No, man -- it'd  be
like Ronnie  James  Dio."  Surprised?  I  was,  too.  Listen  to  his
rational, though. "It is a matter of power", Steve instructs. "I know
that a lot of people won't understand  me  comparing  what  I  do  to
Ronnie James Dio, but there is a definite correlation -- it is  about
power." I sure can see what Mr. Tucker is saying here. Morbid Angel's
worshipper of the man on the silver mountain emphatically  continues:
"He's brutal. I mean he's not death metal, but still one of the  most
powerful people I think I have ever heard  sing  in  my  life."  That
seems like enough of an endorsement and reason for me.
     Now lyrics. You had a lot to do  with  them  for  this  release,
right, Steve? "I wrote them all except  for  "Secured  Limitations","
Tucker affirms. "These are my words. They come from me.  People  have
asked me, "Vocally, you sound a lot different on this record. Why  is
that?" -- I wrote these words, man."  He  continues,  "When  you  are
writing passionately about things that you feel passionate about,  it
comes across as passionate." This is ever so evident on this  record,
my friends. I don't think Socrates could have said it any better.
     The drumming; A perfect punctuation to the material presented on
_Gateways to Annihilation_. "We spent a lot of time  on  drums",  the
group's bassist informs me. "We spent more time on drums than  Morbid
Angel has -ever- spent on drums." Yea? How long? "Two straight  weeks
on drums", comes the reply. "That's unheard of. Usually  it  is  like
four or five days. We did sixty  takes  of  some  songs.  [The  band]
thought it meant everything." Well, Mr. Tucker, it  shows.  You  know
Pete is capable  of  an  eight-armed  blast  machine  offensive,  but
instead Mr. Sandoval's caged  furor  is  force  like  none  other  on
_Gateways to Annihilation_. You'll have to hear it to believe it.
     Trey's got another vocal effort on this one,  too.  Is  there  a
threat lashing Trey's vocal efforts from "Invocation of the Continual
One" (_Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_) to "Secured Limitations" on this
release? "We did some cool effects to Trey's voice to  make  it  seem
super-seething", Steve tells me. "Trey wrote the lyrics and showed me
the song by singing it. I was actually listening to his  track  [with
Trey singing] and singing -my- track and then played  them  back.  It
was like, "Holy shit! This sounds incredible.""  Most  certainly,  if
you liked "Invocation of the Continual One", you are in for a special
treat with "Secured Limitations".  In  addition  to  Mr.  Azagthoth's
improvisational guitar soloing on this album, his vocal effort  makes
his contribution nearly priceless.
     Now, Erik Rutan; one of metal's hardest working souls. "He wrote
the music for the last song, "God of the Forsaken", and  "Awakenings"
that comes in before the song "I"", Steve Tucker states. "Erik is  an
important part of Morbid Angel. There was a lot of  shit  surrounding
_Formulas..._, but Erik did every single show for  _Formulas..._.  He
was there. I mean, I have never done a single show with Morbid  Angel
without Erik."
     I have to  say  that  members  of  my  fellow  press  corps  who
prematurely proclaimed the demise of this band due to David Vincent's
departure and Erik Rutan's  less-than-direct  participation  on  some
past Morbid Angel releases really messed-up in light  of  what  Steve
Tucker just filled me in on. Honestly like this is what I  live  for.
That and maybe music like _Gateways..._.
     Furthermore,  Steve  elaborates,  "Right   after   we   recorded
_Gateways..._, Erik went off to record the Alas album [one of his two
side projects -- Aaron] in New Jersey. Erik is a very important  part
of this band and one of my very best friends."
     ""Ageless, Still I Am" is a song that I don't think  people  are
going  to  get  the  first  few  times",  the   formidable   frontman
elaborates. "There are some things going on in  that  song  that  are
really, really obscure  things  that  Morbid  Angel  has  never  done
before." He's right, folks. I've gotten something out of that song...
-nay-, the whole album, -every- time I listen to it.  If  you  are  a
Morbid Angel fan like I am, I'll say this, I am buying  another  copy
of _Gateways to Annihilation_ -- one for my apartment and one for  my
truck. I wouldn't want to be caught either place without a copy if...
no!, -when- I get to needin' some potent death  metal.  As  of  right
now, I dread the thought of having to  choose  between  _Gateways  to
Annihilation_ and Venom's _Resurrection_ for my album of the year!

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

                RE-CONSTRUCTING A POCKET-SIZE UNIVERSE
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                CoC interviews Jaroslaw of Lux Occulta
                          by: Pedro Azevedo


Even though when Poland is mentioned the mighty Vader may be the band
that  will  come  to  most  metalheads'  minds,  others  inside  that
geographical  area  are  worthy  of  attention.  And  ever  since   I
discovered Lux Occulta when  their  painfully  doomy  debut  _Forever
Alone. Immortal._ [CoC #18] came out in 1996, I  knew  they  had  the
potential to create some highly remarkable music. And they have  kept
doing so. The talented symphonies of 1997's _Dionysos_ [CoC #29] have
led to the band's greatest musical achievement to date,  last  year's
excellent _My Guardian Anger_ [CoC #48], an album  which  once  again
displays Lux Occulta's ability to  create  tightly  woven  albums  in
which music, lyrics and imagery all play important parts.  Musically,
the aggression is still all there, their skill seems  ever-increasing
and creativity appears to be more abundant than ever as  Lux  Occulta
prepare to record their fourth full-length  album.  Representing  the
band that has been producing the most interesting  music  in  Eastern
Europe to have reached my ears, vocalist Jaroslaw answered an  e-mail
questionnaire that should allow  you  to  find  out  more  about  Lux
Occulta.

CoC: You have come a  long  way  since  your  debut  _Forever  Alone.
     Immortal._, during which you seem to have forsaken some  of  the
     doom and anguish in your music in favour of greater dynamics and
     symphonic arrangements. Do you agree? Would you say  there  have
     been changes in your musical objectives,  in  what  you  try  to
     express through your music?

Jaroslaw: Well, everything changes, that's life.  And  since  we  are
          alive, so is our art. I don't know if it's good or bad, but
          we get bored quite quickly with music.  You  see,  we  were
          really  into  these  gloomy,  somehow  ascetic  sounds   on
          _Forever Alone. Immortal._; we were into doom and primitive
          black metal back then. But some day we discovered that  two
          guitars  and  a  never-ending  amount  of  instruments   in
          keyboards can be used  in  a  bit  more  complex  ways,  we
          discovered Cradle of Filth -- no, I'm not ashamed to  admit
          that -- and Emperor. That was when _Dionysos_ was  created.
          But after the recording of _Dionysos_, a few  months  later
          we realized that this kind of symphonic black metal has its
          limits as well. You can hear them in  all  these  so-called
          symphonic black metal albums that the underground is  still
          full of. That's why with _My Guardian Anger_ we decided  to
          go even further, not to limit ourselves to  metal,  not  to
          look  upon  so-called  big  ones  of  the  genre.  We  have
          incorporated some jazzy elements  to  our  music,  we  have
          experimented with music and the sound. But  the  result  is
          the most aggressive and extreme album in  our  discography.
          And the less boring one, I'd say! <laughs> And we will keep
          on going in this direction, I can promise that.

CoC: _My Guardian  Anger_,  your  latest  full-length  release,  does
     indeed see the  band  stepping  forward  into  more  avant-garde
     experimentation in your extreme metal -- which in my opinion now
     has more of a death metal tinge than a black  metal  one  as  it
     used to as well. Do you agree? If so, what caused this?

J: I'm not sure if there's much death metal on _My Guardian Anger_. I
   mean, maybe some guitar lines, some of the vocal parts, but that's
   all. I guess the new stuff will have even more of that, but still,
   it won't be a death metal album. What  caused  these  changes?  No
   reason, really. We hardly ever think about our music, we just play
   it. I guess we did our best on the  symphonic  black  metal  field
   with _Dionysos_ and that's why we moved towards a more progressive
   style on _My Guardian Anger_. And we keep on evolving.

CoC: All of your three full-length albums so far are based  on  quite
     distinctive sets of subject, lyrics and artwork  --  the  change
     from  your  debut  _FA.I._  to  _Dionysos_  having   been   very
     noticeable, and  the  same  again  between  _Dionysos_  and  _My
     Guardian Anger_. Do you consider them as concept albums,  or  do
     you just create each of them around a certain different subject?

J: Yes, that's how we used to work so far. All of the above mentioned
   albums are more or less conceptual ones. I just liked this way  of
   working with lyrics, and since I always enjoyed concept albums  by
   other artists as well, I thought it would be interesting  to  come
   up with something like that. But I'm not sure if the next  one  is
   going to be a concept album too, I still have to consider all  the
   pros and cons.

CoC: Were you especially satisfied with one particular album, on  the
     whole: music, lyrics and  artwork  working  together  especially
     well?

J: It must be the last one. We have even  changed  our  nicknames  to
   make them fit to the whole concept of _My Guardian Anger_. But  of
   course we've made a good job on _Dionysos_ as well when  it  comes
   to the correspondence between the lyrical concept and the artwork.
   That's what I always try to achieve: to make  an  album  become  a
   piece of art by all  means.  Of  course  the  music  is  the  most
   important thing, but it's not the only thing that  counts.  That's
   just why I'm a little bit afraid of this MP3 stuff. Not  that  I'm
   afraid of losing money because of pirate downloads,  because  when
   it comes to bands like ourselves it's a great way of promotion  --
   maybe the best one. What I mean  is  that  when  you  have  a  Lux
   Occulta album downloaded on your hard drive, that means  you  only
   have one part of it, maybe some 70% of what it's all about. But  I
   hope there are still some people who  care  about  such  "useless"
   things as lyrics and artwork.

CoC: Both the front and back covers of _My Guardian Anger_ are  quite
     remarkable, in my opinion. What do they mean to you?

J: The front cover. I already had the album title, the lyrics and the
   idea of Tarot cards [for each of  the  band  members]  inside  the
   booklet, but I didn't know what to put on the front  cover.  There
   were some ideas of some angel image, but it would be too simple  a
   choice with this title. And the other day I met Jacek, the guy who
   painted most of the Vader covers. He showed me his works and there
   was one picture between these predictable  born-to-be-metal  album
   cover pictures that really grabbed my attention. It was this naked
   man, kneeling in front of Cosmos with the knife in  his  hands.  I
   thought it would be a perfect illustration of what I wanted to say
   with this album... And the back cover. Well, I think of it  as  of
   some bitter pill to swallow. Some people say  it's  tasteless  and
   maybe they are right. But you know, the message behind  the  album
   is something like "I am a proud human being,  I  can  destroy  and
   create worlds"... and the back cover was meant to  be  kind  of  a
   question mark put at the end of this sentence.

CoC: I also found your representation of  the  band  members  through
     those Tarot cards quite curious. Did everyone  just  choose  his
     own different card without any conflicting options? I mean,  how
     representative of your personalities are they?

J: No conflicts at all. To be honest,  I  expected  some.  I  thought
   everyone would like to be Death  or  Magician;  but  no,  everyone
   agreed with the card I've chosen. Yes, I have chosen all of  them,
   simply because I'm the one in the band who knows most about Tarot,
   occultism and the meaning behind it all.  They  trust  me  totally
   when it comes to these things, as much as I  trust  them  when  it
   comes to music, if you know what I mean. Of course  I  wanted  the
   cards to be very representative of our personalities  as  well  as
   the whole concept of the album. Some of the  choices  were  pretty
   obvious to me, some more difficult (like Martin  being  The  Sun),
   but I think I've succeeded anyway.

CoC: The phrase "Re-construction of one pocket-size universe with the
     patchwork method" that you applied to _My Guardian Anger_  makes
     sense considering the variety of material contained therein  and
     the way it flows; but again, what does it mean to you?  And  how
     successful would you say that re-construction was?

J: Well, the above mentioned phrase is the key to  understanding  the
   album. It's about destroying the links  to  the  outer  world  and
   choosing the way of creation... It says that we all can  be  gods,
   at least to some extent, and we should use the power that we have,
   even if we're destined to fall. In my opinion, the act of creation
   is more important  than  its  result;  the  road  itself  is  more
   important than the place it leads to. My personal  re-construction
   of my own pocket-size universe is not finished yet,  but  if  your
   question is about the album itself, I think  it  came  out  pretty
   good.

CoC: This time you seem to  have  tried  to  bring  in  a  myriad  of
     elements into your music, much more so than in previous  albums,
     despite their considerable variety. Where is it  that  you  draw
     inspiration from to create such music?

J: Lots of different inspirations, not only the musical ones. I think
   the music we play is first of all the reflection of  who  we  are,
   our twisted personalities, our dreams and fears. This  is  like  a
   fundament on which we built the Lux Occulta style. But  of  course
   then comes the music we listen to. We are  all  into  extreme  and
   original metal, we all  enjoy  bands  like  Morbid  Angel,  Opeth,
   Nocturnus, Emperor, Nile, Samael (with the exception of _Eternal_,
   which is pretty boring, I'd say), Master's Hammer,  Phlebotomized,
   Sigh, Forgotten Silence, Kobong (last three being one of the  most
   underrated bands in the history of extreme music). But we're  also
   into David Bowie, Sisters of Mercy,  Faith  No  More,  Portishead,
   Massive Attack, Apollo 440... Some jazz  and  classical  stuff  as
   well. We're very open-minded when it comes to music we  listen  to
   and sometimes we "borrow" some  ideas  from  non-metal  bands  and
   transform them into metal. I guess that's one of the  things  that
   makes our music interesting and fresh.

CoC: You have also released a collection  of  miscellaneous  material
     titled _Maior Arcana_, which I haven't heard yet; what  does  it
     consist of?

J: It's our only demo _The Forgotten Arts_  remastered,  as  well  as
   supposed-to-be-vinyl-EP _Maior Arcana_ stuff, consisting of a  new
   version of "Love" from the demo, a song called "When Horned  Songs
   Awake" (it always kills live, but I don't like the studio version)
   and two covers. One of them is  Danzig's  classic  "Heart  of  the
   Devil" and the other "Burn", an oldie from  Sisters  of  Mercy.  I
   wrote my own lyrics to the second one, which are inspired  by  the
   church-burning accidents [I wonder  if  he  meant  "incidents"  --
   Pedro] in Norway in the early '90s. I guess _Maior Arcana_,  being
   a half-priced CD, is a good purchase for  fans  --  but  for  fans
   only. I guess it wouldn't be wise to begin with that one if  you'd
   like to know what Lux Occulta is about.

CoC: I believe you have left  your  old  label,  Pagan  Records,  and
     signed with Portugal's Maquiavel Music; is  that  correct?  What
     motivated this change after such a long stay  with  Pagan?  What
     are your expectations for this new deal?

J: As I said before, we like changes. Changes are always  good,  they
   help you to look upon everything you did before from  a  different
   perspective. We have signed to Maquiavel  Music  because  we  feel
   they're able to push us on another level. Maybe not  in  terms  of
   sales, because it's up to the fans after  all,  but  in  terms  of
   professional promotion and distribution.  You  know,  we're  doing
   very well in Poland, we're maybe second to Vader here, but  that's
   Poland only. We're almost unknown abroad and I  believe  that  our
   music is good enough to do something more. We  also  believe  that
   Maquiavel Music would be able to send  us  on  an  European  tour,
   which was too difficult for  Pagan  Records.  Anyway,  it's  quite
   possible that Pagan will still represent us in Poland.

CoC: What are your plans for the future now? Are  there  any  details
     you can reveal about your next album yet?

J: Our main and only goal at the  moment  is  to  record  the  fourth
   album, tentatively called _Mother and the Enemy_. I hope we'll  be
   able to do that in February 2001. All I can say at the  moment  is
   that the new stuff will be much more  advanced  on  the  technical
   side than _My Guardian Anger_, more extreme, but  also  much  more
   experimental. We'd like to set our own standards  in  metal  music
   and I guess this time we're able to do that. And when the album is
   recorded we will think about  some  touring.  We've  been  already
   asked by Rotting Christ to support them on  their  journey  across
   Europe, and I guess that would be great. But nothing's certain  at
   the moment.

CoC: Is there anything else you would like to mention  before  ending
     this interview?

J: Thank you for your support. Be prepared for our fourth  coming  in
   2001, we're going to steal your souls...  Anybody,  feel  free  to
   visit our website. Some sections are still under construction, but
   I hope you'll find it pretty interesting and  informative  anyway.
   There will be some MP3s soon available for free, so all of you not
   familiar with Lux Occulta, download them to your  hard  drive  and
   enjoy.    And     you     can     always     contact     me     at
   <mailto:luxocculta@poczta.fm>. Magick. Freedom. Art.

Contact: http://luxocculta.rockmetal.art.pl

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  C H A O S   U N L E A S H E D   F R O M   " D O W N   U N D E R "
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                     CoC chats with The Berzerker
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     When one thinks of the fastest  and  most  brutal  records  this
year, there is no doubt that many fingers will  point  to  Australian
band The Berzerker and their self-titled release for Earache  Records
[CoC #47].
     The debut release paints a horribly vivid picture of  our  world
and the state in which we live. Just look at song titles like "Pain",
"Massacre" and "Cannibal Rights" and  you'll  understand  just  where
these weirdoes are coming from. Throw on top of that blasting  drums,
violently charged vocals, ungodly industrial rhythms and ear-piercing
guitar riffs and the chaos just goes, um, berzerk. I'm sure  you  get
the picture.
     When asked about his take on society and how he  plans  to  help
elevate it from the depths that it has  fallen  into,  head  guy  The
Berzerker answers: "It is not designed to  add,  it  is  designed  to
take. To take the diseased shell of the  mundane  human  rituals  and
habits that exist on this planet and destroy them to reveal  a  being
with  a  greater   purity   than   man.   Some   achieve   this   via
self-mutilation, drugs or violence. We achieve a more intense  result
in the form of music. My disgust with humanity was not something that
I was born with; it stems from my many years of being  let  down  and
disappointed with the performance of almost 100% of the humans I have
encountered throughout numerous countries  on  this  planet.  But  my
views on humanity are best described in the lyrics of the first  song
on the record, titled "Reality"."
     There are a few elements that  make  _The  Berzerker_  an  album
truly worth a listen and, in this case, a look. While  bombarding  us
with gabba-fueled industrial death ditties from  Hell,  the  outcasts
from society that make up The Berzerker are presented  with  gruesome
skin-like masks and an atrocious appearance. Aren't they afraid  that
they could be called a gimmick band, lumping them in with  the  likes
of Gwar or Slipknot?
     "The Berzerker has not been created to change people's  opinions
or views", comes the reply. "Our philosophy is a simple one, and that
is to unite  worthy,  like-minded  beings,  beings  who  are  honest,
motivated and self-driven to do the things they say they will. It  is
to create a sub-race somewhere on this  planet  where  we  can  exist
without being surrounded by inconsiderate beings and to be given  the
rare opportunity to have the utmost respect for the  others  who  are
chosen  to  surround  us.  The  human  form  conjures  up  images  of
complacency, therefore the human form will be avoided."
     And what of The Berzerker's thoughts on the debut disc? What  is
more important for the band, the lyrics or the music? "There is not a
single area of The Berzerker that overpowers any other. They all must
have an equal amount of my attention. At the present moment  (as  the
album is finally complete) the live shows, continual expansion of the
band's image and general awareness of The  Berzerker  is  my  current
focus. The Berzerker is much more than a band, an artist,  or  simply
as music. The Berzerker involves almost all  aspects  of  life  on  a
physical level and spiritual level. My goals are very  extensive  and
encompass many different aspects of life. More  information  on  this
topic will be revealed at an appropriate time."
     He continues: "This quote should sum up  my  opinion  about  the
album: "Embalming is essentially a process designed to present a dead
human  individual  in  the  most  natural,  lifelike   attitude   and
appearance possible. Anything which detracts from the  appearance  of
naturalness will lessen the success of the embalming  operation.  And
in the strictest sense of  the  word,  any  result  which  is  not  a
complete success must be regarded as a failure.""
     So just where do these ideas and  themes  stem  from?  Are  they
taken from real life or just spur-of-the-moment thoughts inspired  by
certain situations? Berzerker says: "The topics are not  a  conscious
decision by myself. All the themes are based purely on facts.  If  my
attention is brought to an event I think is worthy of The  Berzerker,
we will encompass the event and all of the heightened  emotions  that
were involved  in  the  particular  event.  We  chose  the  name  The
Berzerker in relating to the "berserk" or bare-sark  Norse  warriors.
The physical appearance of the berserk was one calculated to  present
an image of terror. The  berserker  was  thought  not  only  to  have
assumed the ferocity of an animal, but  also  to  have  acquired  the
strength of the bear. By the 12th  century,  the  berserk,  with  his
Odinic religion, animalistic appearance, his inhuman frenzy upon  the
battlefield,  and  terrorism  within  the   Scandinavian   community,
disappeared. The berserk, like his patron deity Odin, was  forced  to
yield to the dissolution of Pagan society and the advent of the White
Christ", he notes.
     "The Berzerker [band], as it stands today, is the  most  natural
form  of  extremity  known  on  this  planet.   And   being   as   no
performance-enhancing drugs are  used  at  any  time,  including  the
recording process and the live performances, this holds true  to  all
sides of the debate on what is truly extreme."
     These guys are extreme -- to the max.

Contact: http://www.theberzerker.com

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 G O R Y   D E T A I L S   F R O M   T H E   E X H U M E D   C U L T
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                 CoC talks to Matt Harvey of Exhumed
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     Gee, I wonder what Exhumed's new disc,  titled  _Slaughtercult_,
will be about? Daisy-filled fields? Beautiful songs  about  love  and
inspiration? Perhaps a song about the wonderful  world  we  live  in?
Don't count on it, people.  With  song  titles  like  "Slave  to  the
Casket", "Funeral Fuck", "Dinnertime in the Morgue" and "A Lesson  in
Pathology", Exhumed are back and they are here to fuck things up more
than they already are. All in the name of gore!
     The one thing that has always impressed me about Exhumed is  the
fact that the band (rounded out by  vocalist/guitarist  Matt  Harvey,
guitarist Mike Beams, drummer Col Jones and new bassist Bud Burke, ex
of Pale Existence) has always been about what they want.  They  write
what they want to. They play how they want to. As long  as  they  can
fuck things up and make things as gorified as possible, then  all  is
good in the Exhumed camp.
     Matt Harvey agrees. "We do what we  want  to  do  and  we  don't
conform to anyone. We do what we want and we put what we want on  the
front cover. We don't place a nice piece of artwork  on  top  of  the
brutal music within. I hate those bands that do that or put on photos
to rationalize a justification of singing about rotting  corpses.  We
know at the end of the day that a rotting  corpse  is  just  that,  a
fucking rotting corpse. We just don't care. I guess  it  can  all  be
summed up in one sentence: we don't give a fuck!"
     And with such putrid images of blood  and  body  parts,  severed
limbs and death sequences adorning their album covers, what  sort  of
flack or censorship have they attained thus far? "Oh  yeah,  man.  We
get a lot of shit about what we are doing and to tell you the  truth,
we don't really deal with it. We don't care what  people  really  say
about Exhumed, good or bad. There are always people out there  saying
that it is "juvenile and stupid", and you know what? It  is  juvenile
and stupid. Who cares? We are just having  a  good  fucking  time.  I
don't care what people say, as long as they don't  say  we  are  just
"okay". I want people to either hate what we are doing  or  love  us.
People that think we are just "okay" piss me off and make  me  wonder
just where we went wrong." He laughs.
     "We are just fans of music and  we  just  can't  get  enough  of
metal", explains Harvey. "I think the main reason why  we  all  enjoy
playing in Exhumed so much is that we want Exhumed  to  be  the  band
we'd like to see. We sit around smoking and drinking beer and saying,
"What kind of band do I want to see?" Or "What kind of  record  do  I
want to hear and have it kick my ass?" That is what  we  strive  for,
and will continue to strive for, with this  band.  That's  the  whole
secret, man. It isn't anything fancy. We just want to  play  straight
up death metal that is fast and brutal as fuck."
     Ah  --  that  would  explain  the  reasoning  behind   Exhumed's
passionate throat grabbing sessions with each release. These guys  go
for the jugular and won't leave until your  blood-soaked  corpse  has
stopped convulsing. These are sickos at work and they mean business.
     "I just want people to get a lot out  of  what  we  do.  To  let
people know that we are paying respect to the bands that inspired us,
but doing it the way Exhumed was meant to do it. You know, it  is  us
playing the music and you can tell where our roots are  coming  from.
We just keep it messy and full of gore."  He  adds:  "I  think  death
metal in general, I'm talking  the  whole  genre,  has  become  quite
cautious and so overproduced and clean. We aren't about that. Exhumed
didn't use drum triggers or computer  editing.  We  went  in  to  the
studio, sung into the microphones and played our music  and  this  is
the result. Deal with it."
     Those who hear the Exhumed record will no doubt hear the raw yet
symphonic wails of  aggression  take  shape  into  a  sonic  wall  of
intensity. Thanks  in  part  to  Nasum  frontman  Mieszko  Talarczyk,
Exhumed has presented a much fuller sound  to  digest,  though  still
chock-full of all those gory details. About working with Mieszko,  he
says: "We wanted a really clear sound, but not a clean and safe  one.
He is more like a punk producer and that is what makes him  so  good.
It is like the best of both worlds, a raw in-your-face sound that has
metal riffs played with clarity and it just brings out the fierceness
of it all. We really saw eye to eye on a lot of things, and  we  knew
what he was all about, seeing that  we  are  Nasum  fans.  He  wasn't
afraid to push us to try harder too. I'd be playing my part and  he'd
turn to me and say, "I thought we were making a death  metal  record.
Why are you playing like a pussy?" <laughs> Then I'd go back and play
it again until I got it the way he saw it to be.  He  pushed  us  and
totally whipped us into shape as a band."
     Besides the gore aspect of Exhumed, the band  has  also  changed
quite a bit over the years in terms of a revolving door of musicians,
each time out adding a unique feel to the  sound  and  style  of  the
band. How does Harvey feel about  all  of  the  band  member  changes
throughout their existence? How do things stay intact?  "<laughs>  We
have been through a lot of changes, but  it  has  been  worth  it,  I
guess. All of the members now have been with the band for a while and
we are all contributing to the record. We have had a lot  of  line-up
changes and I think that is just because me and Col are  a  bunch  of
pricks. We want things our way. We want Exhumed to be  A-B-C  and  if
you want D-E-F then you can fuck off. It is so funny to hear  all  of
these bands that have line-up changes go and say,  "This  guy  was  a
jerk and we couldn't work with him." Yeah, right. Those guys  in  the
band are probably assholes. You have to be an asshole to do this  and
get things done. If you are not part of the solution,  then  you  are
the problem. It is that simple."
     He finishes: "Like I said, I'm an asshole about a lot of  things
and Exhumed means a lot to me. I am this way because Exhumed  has  to
be a certain way. If it isn't the way we want it to be, then why  the
fuck do it then? Plus, being an asshole is fun."

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                 S I M M E R I N G   I N   G R E E D
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
            CoC interviews Christian Alvestam of Unmoored
                            by: Alvin Wee


All but the most  dedicated  fans  of  the  Swedish  scene  would  be
familiar with  this  band's  poorly  promoted  album  _Cimmerian_.  A
blessing in disguise perhaps, for the seriously sub-par debut to sink
into obscurity: Unmoored are back with  a  major  overhaul,  and  the
stellar _Kingdoms of Greed_ attests to the band's new-found  prowess.
While a similarly improved promotion isn't quite  expected  from  the
label, the very quality  of  the  music  should  garner  considerable
attention from discerning critics and fans alike. I  hooked  up  with
main man Christian Alvestam in the hope of gaining some insight  into
the remarkable new opus...

Christian Alvestam: Well, let's  start  by  saying  we're  more  than
                    satisfied with the  final  result.  I  personally
                    sacrificed  a  great  deal  in  the   making   of
                    _Kingdoms of Greed_, so now that it turned out as
                    well as it did, it really is a relief. The  album
                    was recorded at Studio Abyss under  the  watchful
                    eye of producer Tommy Tagtgren, which  means  the
                    production is of highest quality. In contrast  to
                    _Cimmerian_, _KoG_ is more  of  a  concept  album
                    lyrically, dealing  with  all  those  bittersweet
                    desires that form our  lives.  As  goes  for  the
                    music, it's faster and more intense than  on  the
                    debut.  It's  still  as  dynamic  and  varied  as
                    _Cimmerian_, though.

CoC: You're still a relatively new name in the scene,  but  you  guys
     have been pretty active in the past. Surely there's some history
     to share?

CA: When we started out back in the late winter of '93, I don't think
    we really had any goals in the strict sense of the word. However,
    in '94 we recorded our first "official" demo  called  _Wood-Chuck
    Tune_ and it was generally very well received. From that  day  we
    all started taking Unmoored more  seriously,  encouraged  by  the
    great response. As for goals, recording  an  album  suddenly  had
    become one. It took us three demos, _Wood-Chuck  Tune_  included,
    to finally get signed in the Summer of '97: a two-album deal with
    the Singaporean label Pulverised  Records.  After  finishing  the
    recording of our debut album at Sunlight studios, we  immediately
    started working on some new material. We made a couple  of  songs
    with Nicke still being  a  full-time  member  (our  drummer  back
    then), but we soon realized his limited drum skills,  along  with
    his decreasing  interest  in  the  band  in  consequence  of  his
    personal problems at the time, would put a spoke in our wheel. We
    simply didn't want to jeopardize what we had going,  so  we  gave
    him  an  ultimatum.  Either   you   concentrate   on   the   band
    wholeheartedly or you  give  notice.  He  chose  the  alternative
    last-mentioned. We also felt like we had taken Unmoored as far as
    we could go with the sound  established  on  _Cimmerian_  without
    starting to repeat ourselves  musically.  So  with  the  help  of
    drummer Jocke Pettersson, co-producer of _Cimmerian_, we tried to
    take Unmoored one step further. Did we succeed? Well, the  answer
    to that can be found on _Kingdoms of Greed_. Feel free  to  check
    it out!

CoC: Either I'm imagining things or some of you  have  bands  on  the
     side, don't you? Jocke's with Thy Primordial, that's for sure...

CA: Both me and Jocke are  involved  with  several  other  bands  and
    projects besides Unmoored, while Rickard and Tobbe aren't.  Solar
    Dawn, Trone and Supernaut are some of the constellations  I  play
    with when I'm not practising the guitar  in  Unmoored.  Jocke  is
    also a member of Thy Primordial, Retaliation and Kids  Are  Sick,
    to mention a few.

CoC: You mentioned Nicke "putting a spoke in your wheel" due  to  his
     waning interest. Was the unsatisfactory  debut  album  a  direct
     cause of this trouble? Or were you just trying to appeal more to
     the fans with _Kingdoms of Greed_?

CA: When Nicke declared his resignation, our rehearsals  consequently
    stopped. I then started writing new material completely on my own
    in view of the situation. All of a sudden  there  was  no  longer
    anybody placing obstacles in my way. Back when Nicke still was in
    the band, we often had to compromise in the writing process,  you
    see. Always having to simplify everything so  that  he  would  be
    able to play the songs. Considering this, I don't think it's hard
    to understand our development, or  our  shift  in  sound  as  you
    prefer to call it. It consequently has nothing to do with  trying
    to enlist more listeners or anything. We've  simply  removed  the
    missing link, that's all.

CoC: So what exactly instigated this shift in sound? Why choose  this
     specific genre of  technical  death?  It's  a  fine  example  of
     integrating  melody  with  aggression  in   the   true   Swedish
     tradition, don't you think?

CA: First of all, we didn't choose to play in this  style.  This  was
    just something that came to be once we started  writing  the  new
    material with Nicke being out of the picture and all.  You  know,
    "cause and effect". As for the mixture of melody and mayhem,  the
    challenge in trying to get these two elements  working  with  one
    another  is  in  itself  the  source  of  inspiration  generating
    creativity. I simply need this defiance in order to be productive
    of new material.

CoC: It's interesting to know what  state  of  mind  you're  in  when
     composing  this  duality  of  passions.  Also,  I   guess   your
     influences wouldn't stray too far away from the realm  of  death
     metal?

CA: I write new music all the time, no matter what frame of mind  I'm
    in. You can say composing kind of works the other way around  for
    me. Creating new stuff makes me  feel  good,  whatever  temper  I
    might  be  in  right  before  picking  up  the  guitar.  As   for
    influences, let's put it this way: bands that we've  really  come
    to dig throughout the years are Cannibal Corpse, Deicide,  Morbid
    Angel,  Obituary,  Testament,  Vader,  Bolt   Thrower,   Carcass,
    Emperor, At the Gates, Entombed, Dismember, Hypocrisy, Eucharist,
    Dissection and Edge of Sanity, to mention a few.

CoC: I personally feel  the  standard  of  lyrics  in  the  scene  is
     abysmal, but you seem to handle some  unique  issues  with  your
     writings. What do you usually try to portray? Do you feel  there
     is a disadvantage when  the  listener  cannot  hear  the  lyrics
     clearly like in normal singing?

CA: I'm not trying to spread any message with my lyrics or  anything.
    I pretty much just  write  down  my  own  thoughts  and  opinions
    whenever I see, hear or read something interesting  that  affects
    me in one way or another. I don't think not hearing every word in
    a song is something that works against you,  since  the  listener
    then has to read the lyrics in order to make out what the  vocals
    are all about. This way you're reaching out to  the  listener  in
    more ways than one.

[The highlight of _Cimmerian_ had to be  the  final  track,  entitled
"Final State", a sensitive, emotional "ballad", heavily  angst-ridden
and self-searching. "Final State Part  II"  made  its  appearance  on
_KoG_, once again proving a remarkable experience  with  the  emotive
singing and hugely memorable leads. I tried to get to the  bottom  of
the obviously deeply personal lyrics.]

CoC: The "Final State" songs are very  interesting...  they  seem  to
     reflect your personal experiences. Is this a sort  of  catharsis
     for you, to get it out of your system? Care to share it with us?

CA: The "Final State" songs are by far  the  most  personal  ones  to
    date. If I told you what they were about lyrically, it  would  be
    like giving away the end of a movie before  seeing  it.  I  think
    lyrics in general work better this way -- unanalyzed, that is.

[The blatant piss-taking of the track "Now and Forever" on the  debut
album upset me for some time; it seemed to ridicule  the  imagery  of
the extreme black metal scene. My annoyance would probably have  been
unfounded had the music been less hardcore-ish and immature. Needless
to say, I confronted Christian.]

CoC: In the song "Now and Forever", you're taking  the  piss  on  the
     image/lifestyle of "evil"  black  metal  bands.  As  a  die-hard
     purist myself, I can't help wondering: how serious are you  with
     these lyrics, and why do think this way?

CA: Well, the lyrics for "Now and Forever" are written in the vein of
    irony, my friend, so take them with a pinch of salt.  All  I  did
    was try to mix some humour into a view of  life  that  in  a  way
    fascinates me, that's all. As goes for extreme imagery,  it's  OK
    by me. I frequently practise upon it myself.

CoC: In the light of the band's  new  musical  direction,  the  lyric
     takes on a more meaningful slant... OK, back to your music. Many
     newer Swedish bands are moving in the same direction: to  become
     more technical, more thrashy, etc.. Don't you feel lost in  this
     flood? How do you intend  to  differentiate  Unmoored  from  the
     horde of similar bands?

CA: You don't have to be the most original band in the world in order
    to write interesting songs, you know. We do what  we  do  and  if
    someone has a problem  with  that,  too  bad.  All  the  bands  I
    mentioned earlier in this  interview  work  as  an  inexhaustible
    source of inspiration for us in some way.

CoC: Indeed. While not earthshakingly original, _KoG_ is  outstanding
     in its sheer complexity and maturity, and I hope it'll do better
     this time. What's the future going to be like, then?

CA: Since our contract with Pulverised is drawing to a close with the
    release of _KoG_, we'll probably start looking for a new label in
    time. As goes for promoting our new album,  we'll  definitely  be
    trying to do so through some live shows  this  fall.  Nothing  is
    scheduled yet, though.

CoC: You're going to leave Pulverised?  Not  surprising,  considering
     how poorly _Cimmerian_ was promoted! But they're  essentially  a
     good label, I think...

CA: When _Cimmerian_ was released back in 1999,  Pulverised  suffered
    from really severe financial problems. Unfortunately,  this  came
    to affect our promotion and  consequently  our  sales.  Hopefully
    this will not be the case with the promotion of _KoG_, especially
    now that Pulverised have managed to get  their  economy  back  on
    track again.

CoC: OK, to finish up here, tell the readers why  they  should  waste
     their money on another Swedish album...

CA: Well,  first  my  compliments  to  you,  Alvin,  for  your  shown
    interest. For the rest of you, check out _Kingdoms of  Greed_  if
    you like it brutal and melodic at the same time. You will not  be
    disappointed!

Apparently promotion for this has been exemplary, with larger  labels
like Copro taking over distribution overseas.

Contact: Pulverised Records, P.O. Box 109, Yishun Central,
         Singapore 917604, Singapore
         mailto:pulverised@pacific.net.sg
Contact: mailto:unmoored@hotmail.com
         http://members.tripod.com/unmoored/

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            C A L L I N G   O U T   T O   H E R   F A N S
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          CoC talks to Doro
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     It has been a long time since Doro Pesch released  a  record  in
North America. Ten years, to be exact. Now with a US deal (with  KOCH
Records) and definite interest from over here, once again the  German
rock goddess can showcase her goods. It also helps  that  her  record
sounds pretty good as well.
     "This record has so much meaning for me",  starts  Doro  with  a
thick, but easily understandable German accent. "There are a  lot  of
great songs on this record as well. There are a couple of songs  from
the _Love Me in Black_ record [1998], which was  only  released  over
here in Europe, that I put on this disc as  well.  Originally  I  was
going to re-record the tracks and needed permission to do so.  I  was
uncertain if they would grant me such permission.  Eventually  I  got
the  permission  and  I  really  felt   that   songs   like   "Pain",
"Terrorvision" and "I Give My Blood (Dedication)" had to be  included
with this release. We just fixed up the songs in the studio and  they
sound so alive and  so  vibrant.  Much  more  so  than  the  original
recordings."
     So seeing that she had seen success  over  the  past  decade  in
Europe, what kind of album did Doro want to put  out?  Was  there  an
idea to win over North American fans? What was the mindset for _CTW_?
     "I wanted to have a modern record, but still have it full of the
roots of where I came from. I just wanted  a  really  live  recording
that had a lot of variety. You know. Everything from really hard rock
songs to spiritual songs and even onto ballads. I just felt that this
record had to have a lot of variety. I just needed to showcase a  lot
of emotions here on the disc."
     While Doro's new disc does  have  a  few  tracks  from  European
import  records  on  it,   there   are   also   a   few   interesting
collaborations. Those collaborations include works  with  Lemmy  from
Motorhead ("Love Me Forever" from Motorhead's _1916_ disc and  "Alone
Again") and working with guitarists Slash (Slash's Snakepit,  ex-Guns
'n' Roses) and Al Pitrelli (Megadeth, ex-Savatage). As well, Doro has
placed a rocking cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" on _CTW_.  She
explains the ideas and how they came to be.
     "Those songs mean so much to me. I love the ones that Lemmy sang
on and the ones Slash played on. They just added more to the  record.
I just wanted to make sure that the record was  just  full  of  songs
that had good positive energy. I was  just  looking  for  this  vibe,
because I have always felt that if you give out good vibes, the  fans
will return the good vibes."
     Since the mid-'80s, Doro had made a name for  herself  with  the
"wizards and warriors" influenced act Warlock. Though the  band  only
saw moderate success, they had made a name for  themselves  and  once
Doro parted ways with the band for her first release,  titled  _Force
Majeure_, her  fans  from  Warlock  had  come  along  for  the  ride.
Regardless of being non-present over here in North America, Doro  has
still maintained a career in Europe. What keeps  it  going  after  so
long of slaving away in this business?
     "My secret is the strong fan base. I never gave up  and  decided
to pack it in after  so  many  failed  attempts  at  getting  records
released over there. I just never gave up and  always  gave  my  best
effort. If you try your best and give  everything  you've  got,  then
people will eventually hear what you are saying and respect that."
     "I'll tell you", she adds, "after so many years  of  working  on
records and almost getting them released in  North  America  and  the
deals falling through, that is so heartbreaking. I  think  a  lot  of
things brought those problems on for me  in  the  early  '90s.  First
things changed in the music industry and a lot of bands playing music
like I did just went away. I mean, if you weren't from Seattle,  then
you didn't have a chance at all -- when "grunge" hit all  my  friends
in bands and even myself got dropped from  our  labels,  and  it  was
terrible. And it was tough to get anything going. You  couldn't  even
get anything, regardless of the type of record, because people wanted
one thing and didn't listen to what you were providing them  with  or
giving them a chance. The change  in  music's  climate  at  the  time
really made it a hard sell for what I was doing at the time. I really
thought my music was something that the American market would want to
hear, but in the end, it was never to be. And it  was  heartbreaking.
It seems like I am getting a second chance here with _CTW_."
     As the years have gone on for Doro, her  appreciation  for  what
she does has grown. She is in love with music and all that comes with
it. Her passion runs deep. "This is a 24 hour a day  thing  for  me",
she notes. "I don't really have a family or a private life. It is all
about the music for me and I don't think  it'd  work  any  other  way
really. Creating music and being so sure of what you  are  doing  and
believing in it takes a lot out of you and you are always on  the  go
doing stuff. Stuff like fighting for ideas and your  style  and  just
trying to keep the name out there. I am just so proud to be  able  to
do all of this and now that we have the deal in  North  America  with
KOCH, I have been given the opportunity to make  an  impression  once
again. I'm very excited."
     Other than a successful appearance at this  year's  March  Metal
Meltdown, it has been a -long- time since Doro toured North  America.
She is itching to get back on this soil and tour. "It  has  been  too
long", Doro says with a long sigh. "I am totally  excited  about  the
possibilities of coming over and playing there live. Playing live  is
what I was born to do. Writing music and making records is  fun,  but
get me on stage and I go wild." She finishes: "The climate  seems  to
be a bit better now for my style of music. I just want fans  to  know
that I care and that I'm going to come over to North America and just
rock hard and have fun."

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       M A K I N G   A   N A M E   F O R   T H E M S E L V E S
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
            CoC chats with Frances M. Howard of Opprobrium
                          by: Adrian Bromley

     A few things have changed for  death  metal  act  Incubus.  Most
notably their name.
     Now called Opprobrium, a change needed due  to  the  alternative
rock band Incubus now owning the  name  (more  on  that  later),  the
Louisiana-based, Brazilian born squad  have  returned  to  the  metal
scene after a long absence. Their solid and well-received  debut  for
Nuclear Blast, titled _Beyond the Unknown_, is but a metal memory and
the band knows this. With a new name, pent up aggression  and  strong
songs, Opprobrium plan on making a name for themselves once again.
     The call comes in late one night from  singer/guitarist  Frances
M. Howard after one failed attempt earlier on the night  to  hook  up
with him. I'm glad he has called back, because without him explaining
the band's return to metal, there is no story.
     "We have just been living out our regular lives  since  we  left
the scene", Howard offers about himself and his  brother,  Opprobrium
drummer Moyses M. Howard. "We tried to put out a record in  1994.  We
tried to re-release our first  record,  called  _Serpent  Temptation_
[1988, on Brutal Records] with me handling the vocals  [the  original
release featured then singer/bassist Scot W. Latour -- Adrian] but it
never came out. My brother and I went to Brazil for  vacation  a  few
years back and that is where we met Luiz [Carlos], our guitar player.
We also discovered we had lots of fans down there and it inspired  us
to go back and try to start this again.  It  gave  us  [the  band  is
rounded out by bassist Andre Luiz Oliveira -- Adrian] an appreciation
of what we had had before and inspired us to work on new material. We
just wanted to get back that metal sound and vibe we had  lost  after
so many years of not doing music."
     So what happened with  the  name  Incubus?  And  why  does  that
alternative rock band go by the name now?  "It  is  kind  of  funny",
snickers Howard. "We were in the record store just looking around and
we saw a band with the same name and laughed. After we found out  all
of the legalities for all of this, we knew that  changes  had  to  be
made. We thought that we had rights to the name, but  after  four  or
five years of not releasing material under that name, someone has the
rights to take it. Plus, back then we didn't even trademark the name.
We just wanted to have fun and just go out and play rock 'n' roll. So
now we have chosen the new name for the band,  Opprobrium,  and  have
already trademarked the name too. We are playing by the books now."
     "The name is great for us, I think", he says. "It has  a  little
bit of mystique. I am really happy with it and I am hoping that  with
a new name and attitude for all of this, things will  start  to  work
out for us once again."
     Talking about the new record, it is quite  obvious  that  Howard
wanted to have his band's return be a triumphant one.  His  care  for
the material and the production is apparent. Everything needed to  be
just right. "I was very apprehensive about doing  all  of  this  over
again. The writing, the studio -- all of it.  It  took  a  couple  of
beers to just get me settled in and going about recording and writing
again <laughs>, but seriously, we really made a strong effort on this
recording. There was a lot of pressure to  really  make  this  record
representative of what we are about  right  now.  To  add  even  more
pressure, Markus Staiger [head of Nuclear Blast]  was  there  in  the
studio with us. That definitely added more pressure."
     "I had a hard time getting the vocals down", admits Howard about
problems that arose in the studio. "It was just  a  struggle  to  get
things going, but the producer who helped  us  --  Harris  Johns,  he
really made an effort to help me get things back on track. He coached
us through the singing and it helped out a lot. I  think  the  vocals
sound great."
     Having really been out of the metal music scene  for  more  than
five years now, and seen it unfold as a fan, how  has  Howard  viewed
the music scene over the last few years and where it has come to?  "I
think a lot of the old bands out there  who  are  still  playing  and
making records just don't have the fire anymore. I don't really  want
to name any bands, but I think those bands know who they are. It's  a
shame, really. I mean, I think a lot of older bands just go out there
and make music and not really give it their all. It has been  a  long
time since our release and we know we have to give  it  our  all.  We
can't just go into a recording half-ass. We need to make a  statement
here. Why should bands that have been around for a long time not show
it? If you have the experience, go for it. That is our attitude right
now."
     Continuing on, he says: "Things have changed  so  much  nowadays
with all of the information  we  are  receiving,  and  so  fast.  The
Internet is an amazing way for bands to  let  the  world  know  about
them. It has changed so much since we started way back in 1986.  Man,
if we had what we have now back then, we'd be famous." He laughs.
     "We just wanted to be able to express ourselves with  music  and
go out and play live", says  Howard  of  the  underlying  reason  for
returning to metal music. "We just wanted to be able to get our music
out there, obviously under a new name, and just have doors  hopefully
open up for us. I'd love for us to do a song for a soundtrack  for  a
horror movie. That would be cool, but  obviously,  we  just  have  to
worry about this new record and trying to make a name  for  ourselves
all over again."

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                       N E C R O   L I V E S !
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
           CoC interviews V.I.T.R.I.O.L. of Anaal Nathrakh
                          by: Pedro Azevedo


When I found Anaal Nathrakh's demo inside my  mail  box  in  Portugal
some time ago [CoC #43], I  was  certainly  impressed  by  the  sheer
ferocity of the music contained therein. One detail  went  unnoticed,
however: they were from Birmingham. Having moved to the charming town
of Warwick (England) by the time I received the band's _Total Fucking
Necro_ CD [CoC #48], looking at  their  contact  address  I  suddenly
realized I was now living less  than  40  kilometres  away  from  the
dwelling place of this relentless musical entity. Of  what  relevance
this is to this interview is questionable, since  I  still  opted  to
communicate with the band via e-mail (I was unable  to  record  phone
conversations at the time). However, having  visited  Birmingham  and
having found it a rather lacking  in  amiability  and  somehow  harsh
itself compared to most of the other places I've been to in  England,
the fact that Anaal Nathrakh's  so-called  "necro  metal"  came  from
Birmingham started making more sense to me. Then  again,  the  band's
extreme disenchantment with mankind in general  is  hardly  bound  by
such frontiers; read on if you wish to find out more.

CoC: What was it that originated the  formation  of  Anaal  Nathrakh?
     What made you want to convey such a level of aggression  through
     music?

V.I.T.R.I.O.L.: Originally, we met through other bands, and ended  up
                performing  in  an  old  band  together.  We've  been
                friends since then, several years now,  and  we  have
                always shared something of a musical  vision.  So  it
                was quite natural for Anaal Nathrakh to come out  the
                way it has -- we just made the music that the two  of
                us thought music  should  sound  like.  In  terms  of
                conveying such massive aggression, Anaal Nathrakh  is
                a vent, it lets out some of the sound  that's  in  my
                head.

CoC: Though you haven't made any lyrics available (that I  know  of),
     the liner notes on the CD certainly indicate  you're  less  than
     happy about this world. Would you like to expand on that? Is  it
     more about mankind and civilisation itself, or  about  humanity,
     the human condition and existence?

V: Our lyrics will never  be  made  available.  In  sentiment,  Anaal
   Nathrakh is an expression of the blackest part of our  psyches.  I
   have none of the pretensions of people like  Dead,  the  guy  from
   Mayhem who killed himself. He seemed to think he was some sort  of
   non-human creature inhabiting this planet by mistake or something.
   I'd put it more like Anaal Nathrakh displays a certain  viewpoint,
   a very disturbed one, but a viewpoint nonetheless; it's an  outlet
   for it -- it runs as follows: mankind is the source of some of the
   most ridiculous  stupidity,  the  most  unadulterated  deceit  and
   barbarism imaginable. Surely there is plenty to be less than happy
   with there. Civilisation has, despite its  achievements,  produced
   types of people that make  me  feel  physically  sick  with  their
   pettiness, their arrogance, their blindness, their lack of  scope.
   If the human condition is one of being eternally  confronted  with
   the philosophical "other", and  being  made  to  continually  feel
   disgust, if existence is synonymous with an ever present repulsion
   and hatred for the "life" that seethes everywhere before  us  like
   some tumour, does it really come as a surprise  that  some  people
   should feel less than happy  about  this  world?  No  master/slave
   dialectics, no self affirmation implied by  the  act  of  killing,
   just repulsion and a desire to be rid of presentations of  "life".
   Even further, despite  already  to  a  greater  or  lesser  extent
   wallowing in its own repugnance, mankind  amounts  to  a  disaster
   waiting to happen. A race of idiots, fucking idiots, that  invents
   moralities and religions  to  defend  inbred  prejudices  that  it
   doesn't  even  perceive,  let  alone  understand,  and  to  divert
   attention from the fact that it feels incapable of existing on its
   own justification. And further than  this,  that  were  it  to  be
   capable of existing on its own as some members of the species seem
   to be, it would still be totally  incapable  of  a  single  truly,
   radically original thought. It's  not  hard  to  see  how  extreme
   misanthropy would result from  a  viewpoint  like  that.  However,
   there's a sick enjoyment taken in bathing in the shit. A  perverse
   medium is struck between out and out hatred for  your  fellow  man
   and revelling in the filth, like taking joy in a horrible disease.
   I would go on, but I tend to get carried away. Maybe it  sounds  a
   bit of an insane perspective, but so be it.

CoC: You are from Birmingham, home of Black Sabbath and Napalm  Death
     -- has that had any influence on you?

V: If that means "Are Black Sabbath and Napalm  Death  influences  on
   Anaal Nathrakh?", the answer is definitely no. In the  sense  that
   all people are to a greater or lesser  extent  products  of  their
   environment, I suppose it's inescapable.  It's  true  that  people
   from our background would be hard pushed to experience  the  world
   in the same way as people from  vastly  different  backgrounds  --
   that's one reason why I find it  somewhat  ridiculous  that  bands
   from the Southern hemisphere would want  to  try  to  emulate  the
   Norwegians, for example, but still, they have  tried.  A  lack  of
   originality, I suppose. Can you believe I once  heard  of  a  band
   from down there trying to call themselves nordic  nationalists  or
   some such? Flipping idiots. Coming  from  what  is  essentially  a
   deferential, non-affluent industrial background  cannot  help  but
   make  a  person  who's  got  a  lot  of  rage  anyway  even   more
   misanthropic. In that sense, Birmingham does  have  an  influence,
   and perhaps that's something that contributed  to  the  bands  you
   mentioned as well.

CoC: Where does the name Anaal Nathrakh come from? And  what  is  the
     origin of that opening sample in which you can hear it?

V: The sample's from the film "Excalibur", a film about the Arthurian
   legend. The phrase "Anaal Nathrakh" is  from  the  charm  used  to
   awaken the Dragon, which in the context of the film is a  sort  of
   omnipresent, extremely powerful force that can be  bent  to  one's
   will in part, but is vastly destructive. We thought that fitted in
   with what we wanted to achieve when we started  the  band.  It  is
   also thought by some that biblical  references  to  Leviathan,  or
   elsewhere to "the great dragon", are among the only references  to
   devils that cannot be resolved as  simple  linguistic  corruptions
   and the like, such as Beelzebub merely  originating  from  a  very
   old, semi-benevolent god.

CoC: How satisfied are you  with  what  you  have  achieved  so  far,
     musically and in terms of production? I understand you had  some
     difficulties with the production for both of your demos, but the
     final result still worked for me. What changes can we expect  to
     find in your new material sound-wise?

V: I personally am quite satisfied. Musically, I would not work  with
   anything I did not believe in, and  the  results  appear  to  have
   touched many people in the way we wanted. We  have  had  excellent
   reactions from some very interesting people, and it  looks  likely
   to continue. The production so far has been  naturally  very  raw,
   but I think it gets the point across: problems or otherwise.  It's
   not as if Anaal Nathrakh  is  about  transparent  clarity  in  its
   acoustic sections -- this is about fucking  insane  violence!  The
   new material is much better sounding, much "better produced",  but
   I defy anyone who hears it not to feel the harshness. Overproduced
   Cradle of Borgilth this is not.

CoC: What about the music itself? How do you think it will evolve  in
     the future?

V: Our new material is extremely savage, more  so  than  our  earlier
   songs, and I think that will continue. I know it will. It has  to.
   There is also a disturbing current in some of our music, and I see
   that  getting  more  pronounced.  More  of  a  refinement  than  a
   progression as such. More elements might be incorporated, but only
   in such a way as they fit in with our vision  of  Anaal  Nathrakh.
   Compromising, wimping out, keyboards and female singing  etc.  are
   NOT on the fucking cards...

CoC: What was it about Mayhem that made you want to cover  one  track
     of theirs on each of your demos? What other bands  do  you  feel
     Anaal Nathrakh is related to in some way?

V: I remember hearing _De Mysteriis dom Sathanas_ for the first  time
   -- I bought it the day it came out, in fact. That was a long  time
   ago, some seven years or so, but I can still listen  to  it  today
   and get a real sense of "the Mayhem  feeling"  --  I  don't  think
   virtually anything  else  I've  heard  can  do  that.  Maybe  it's
   something to do with a certain mystique that undeniably surrounded
   the band back then. I think there's a certain relation  in  spirit
   between Anaal Nathrakh and bands like  Darkthrone  and  Gorgoroth,
   but really we don't tend to consider outside influences very much.
   We concentrate on the feeling we're trying to convey.

CoC: Now that your two demos have been released on CD,  what  is  the
     band planning to do in terms of future releases? And what's  the
     situation label-wise?

V: We have just (as in today, September 13th) finished the  recording
   of our new material. A whole album of the most  necro  metal  ever
   heard, and it's good. Very good. So we are going  to  take  it  to
   labels and tell them we don't need money to pay for  recording  an
   album, we  just  need  them  to  release  what  we  already  have.
   Hopefully a decent label will realise they can get somewhere  with
   the material and sign us up. We've had some contact  with  certain
   labels, and I am confident something will present itself.

CoC: Any plans of getting Anaal Nathrakh to play live in front of  an
     audience? What's the story behind the band you do play live  in,
     Mistress?

V: Anaal Nathrakh live isn't out of the question. Were  we  to  find,
   most importantly, a drummer who could  play  our  set  live,  then
   maybe. At the moment we're unlikely to be  getting  the  likes  of
   Hellhammer,  so  for  now  it's  a  possibility  rather   than   a
   likelihood. It would be cool, but unless it  was  just  right,  we
   wouldn't do  it.  Mistress  is  unrelated  to  Anaal  Nathrakh  in
   anything other than the vocals being  extreme.  I  have  got  into
   trouble    in    the     past     because     of     being     too
   unpredictable/abusive/violent at gigs. Maybe it's a good idea that
   Anaal Nathrakh don't play live at the moment after all... With  AN
   it would be more focused though. I'd like to see it live myself.

CoC: Care to leave a message for our readers?

V: Be aware that we are not about to  quit,  compromise,  dilute  our
   vision or anything else, for anyone. And we are not  about  to  go
   away. Anaal Nathrakh is coming... Only death is real.

Contact: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dbanger/

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                   _____  .__ ___.
                  /  _  \ |  |\_ |__  __ __  _____
                 /  /_\  \|  | | __ \|  |  \/     \
                /    |    \  |_| \_\ \  |  /  Y Y  \
                \____|__  /____/___  /____/|__|_|  /
                        \/         \/            \/
              _____                 .__
             /  _  \   _________.__.|  |  __ __  _____
            /  /_\  \ /  ___<   |  ||  | |  |  \/     \
           /    |    \\___ \ \___  ||  |_|  |  /  Y Y  \
           \____|__  /____  >/ ____||____/____/|__|_|  /
                   \/     \/ \/                      \/

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!


Alchemist - _Organasm_  (Displeased, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (8.5 out of 10)

"Thinking-man's metal" is what I would call this enchanted, celestial
outpouring of cerebral material. Australia's Alchemist  wafts  freely
on an interesting flight through fogs of  Neurosis  blown  though  at
times by breezes of Voivod and Cynic (_Focus_). Even though  none  of
the CD's more than fifty minutes of  challenging,  fourth-dimensional
music is colorless, my personal preference would be to take it all in
at one sitting. For instance, tracks two, three, and four are  dubbed
the "Evolution Trilogy", comprised of, in order, "The Bio  Approach",
"Rampant Macro Life" and "Warring Tribes -- Eventual Demise". As  the
three-part title might suggest, Alchemist  lays  out  a  concentrated
version of multi-celled life's (people?,  animals?)  progression  and
decline. A choice track that instantly grabbed my attention was "Tide
in, Mind out". Creating  mood  softly  but  consistently,  this  song
glides effortlessly on the  listener's  memory  through  passages  in
their mind. Typical throughout _Organasm_, and "Tide in, Mind out" in
particular, vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Adam  Agius  interjects  a
chemist's blend of clean, hostile, and death metal growls.  With  the
damn  fine  participation  of  Roy  Torkington  (guitar),  John  Bray
(bass/keyboard)  and  Rodney  Holder  (drums),  it   is   no   wonder
Alchemist's  line-up  hasn't  changed  in  seven  years;  one  simply
shouldn't fix a machine  that  isn't  broken.  This  being  my  first
awakening to the dream Alchemist concocts, I sure as hell  intend  to
mix myself up a potion of their earlier amalgamations, starting  most
likely with their _Jar of Kingdom_, if possible. It's always best  to
start with a formula's first ingredient.


Ancient Ceremony - _Synagoga Diabolica_
by: Pedro Azevedo  (6 out of 10)  (Alister Records, September 2000)

Opening with  a  short  but  effective  mood-setting  intro,  Ancient
Ceremony deliver the follow-up MCD/album hybrid  to  _Fallen  Angel's
Symphony_ [CoC #38]. A band that has  gone  through  several  line-up
changes in recent times, Ancient Ceremony certainly have the merit of
having kept going, led by vocalist Chris  Anderle;  but  even  though
_Synagoga Diabolica_ is by no means a bad release, I  feel  the  band
needs to find something that will make them stand out from the  crowd
more effectively in  the  future.  The  half-thrashy,  half-symphonic
blackened  metal  they  present  on  _Synagoga  Diabolica_  lacks   a
significant  part  of  the  flourishes  that  made  _Fallen   Angel's
Symphony_ more attractive,  whilst  for  the  most  part  failing  to
compensate for that with remarkable improvements in other areas.  The
average cover of Metallica's "Creeping Death" that closes the  record
does little to help things. The  music  on  _Synagoga  Diabolica_  is
quite listenable and indicates that the band may be getting ready  to
release a very worthy follow-up, but as Ancient Ceremony head towards
their third full-length album (counting this one  as  an  MCD),  they
need to cause a greater impression next time.

Contact: http://www.ancient-ceremony.de
Contact: http://www.alister-records.de


Atomizer - _The End of Forever_  (End All Life, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee  (7 out of 10)

Taking off from  countrymates  Destroyer  666  and  Bestial  Warlust,
Atomizer do much to add to an outsider's impression that retro-thrash
is all the Aussie hordes are capable of coming up with. No  more,  no
less, for the music is disappointingly  bland  considering  the  hype
worked up by the label for this release. Generic rock 'n' roll-tinged
thrash riffage combining with even more  typical  black  metal  vocal
rasps  don't  make  for  much  reviewing  material  in  the  wake  of
precedents Bewitched and Inferno (who  nonetheless  don't  rise  very
much  above  the  same  banality).  However,  the  sheer  energy  and
liveliness of tracks like "Somebody's Gonna Die Tonight" do get one's
head moving a little, the pummelling brutality of Sud's drums warring
deliciously with the razor-sharp hooks of Justin's riffing.  Adopting
a tongue-in-cheek rock 'n' roll  ethic  benefits  the  music  with  a
rollicking groove lacking in the more "serious" bands (read: Suicidal
Winds), which partially saves the record from  joining  the  heap  of
discarded retro-madness-era Necropolis releases. By the  same  token,
the lyrics take this "fuck you, we're evil"  sensibility  a  tad  too
far: phrases like "When I burn your house down just for  fun  /  Yeah
that's fuckin' evil" don't do much  to  help  the  already-precarious
situation. On a positive  note,  musicianship  seems  to  be  of  the
highest calibre, the band's tightness contributing much to the energy
of the record. Rather than taking the  typical  lo-fi  approach,  the
production team's choice of crystal clear instrumentation also adds a
punchiness to the material that adds much to the  energetic  playing.
Kudos to End All Life for a highly impressive layout: this vinyl-only
release boasts a glossy gatefold cover  with  great  cover  art,  and
opening it reveals glorious full-color photos of the band with lyrics
printed alongside, presented with a brilliance  and  clarity  as  yet
unrivalled in the industry. Surely this ranks alongside  one  of  the
most appealing pieces in terms of packaging, surprising for  a  label
renowned for obscure B&W affairs, which explains the relatively  high
print run  of  666  hand-numbered  copies  --  an  impressive  number
considering EAL's tendency to sell-out  their  limited-to-100  titles
even before their official release.  On  the  whole,  Atomizer  don't
quite match up to the more established acts Down Under,  but  neither
are they to be put  aside  as  failures.  Until  their  next  effort,
Atomizer can't quite hold a candle to my favourites Swordmaster,  but
most old-school headbangers won't  be  disappointed  with  this  very
promising outing at all. Not many copies left as usual, but write to:

Contact: End All Life, B.P. 4, 86 281 St. Benoit Cedex, France
         mailto:eal@wanadoo.fr


Aurora - _Devotion_  (Serious Entertainment / Voices of Wonder, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (9 out of 10)

From Denmark comes a band who very seriously threatens to become this
year's best musical surprise for me. Unafraid to take chances in  the
technical department (much  like  Dark  Tranquillity  did  with  _The
Gallery_),  Aurora  also  add  elements  that  bring  to  mind   such
remarkable bands as Opeth and At the Gates. Interested yet?  However,
don't expect to find a copycat band here though, as the  material  on
_Devotion_ does not lack Aurora's very own style throughout.  Beneath
some sensual cover art lies a record in which Aurora produce  intense
and emotional music, backed by very technical and distinctive  guitar
work and drumming -- technical, but never losing  sight  of  what  is
relevant and what is superfluous -- and vocals that are  both  varied
and very adequately intense  and  emotional  themselves.  Their  song
structures go far beyond the average three or four minute long chorus
repetition routine  as  well,  which  together  with  the  impeccable
production helps turn _Devotion_ into the excellent  record  that  it
is.

Contact: http://www.aurora.ms
Contact: http://www.seriousentertainment.dk


Azrael - _Mafia_  (Locomotive Music, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee  (7 out of 10)

Despite an increasing number  of  bands  breaking  out  from  obscure
scenes like Peru, Singapore and even Lithuania, Spanish  heavy  metal
seems reluctant to leave its cloistered scene  untouched  by  foreign
hands. Bands like Tierra Santa, Mago de Oz and Ankhara all deserve  a
level of recognition  far  above  the  adoration  received  in  their
homeland; for Azrael the case seems to be no different,  despite  the
two fairly well-received albums behind them.  Moving  away  from  the
almost glam-rock sensibilities characterizing  the  earlier  efforts,
_Mafia_ stands the band  in  better  stead  to  be  accepted  by  the
speed/power  metal  crowd  overseas,  the  only  obstacle  being  the
characteristic Spanish stubbornness (or lack of  ability?),  refusing
to write in anything  other  than  their  native  language.  A  small
setback, considering the quality of material on offer here: lovers of
old-school HR/HM will warm to Azrael's somewhat nostalgic delivery of
'80s-obsessed  heavy  rock-made-metal.  The   ballad   "Vendiste   Tu
Propia..." hints at the band's comfort in the  mellower  realms,  but
rippers like "Vuela"  and  "Atrapado"  (see  the  language  problem?)
dispel any doubt about their metalness.  Progressive  touches  litter
the album sparsely, with odd time signatures  and  dissonance  thrown
into the mix, not to mention the blazing fluidity of the solos... All
adding up to a quirky originality that admittedly takes some  getting
used to, but once sucked in, it's a ride well worth paying for. While
not the most brilliant thing to come out of Spain since flamenco (the
honor belongs to Tierra Santa), Azrael do serve up some  considerably
mature and solid material, enough for me to urge the more adventurous
to go in search of this album at import dealers, or possibly Sentinel
Steel in the US. Last minute: news is just in that there's an English
version of the album out there...


Bernard Edwards' Project Homicide - _Bernard Edwards' Project
                                     Homicide_
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 out of 10)  (Emerald City, September 2000)

Few bands out there have been able  to  mix  the  style  of  multiple
bands, but leave it up to psycho-freak Bernard Edwards and his  scary
henchmen to do so on this release. The  band  pays  homage  (steals?)
from such diverse freakoids as Kiss, King Diamond and  White  Zombie,
while adding their own dash if insanity. The music of  BEPH  is  more
like a battlefield of  ideas  and  sounds,  as  well  as  soapbox  of
beliefs, that really scatter out onto the music fans but does  little
to draw interest. Of note, drugs get a big  push  here  as  the  band
offers total support for the green leaf. God bless him. Other than  a
few notable numbers (i.e.  "Broken  Bones",  "Another  (Nail  in  the
Coffin)"), BEPH stands out as nothing  more  than  a  really  gung-ho
group of guys trying their best to make  music,  when  all  they  are
doing is repeating what everyone has done before them.

Contact: Emerald City, P.O. Box 3919, Hollywood, CA 90078, USA


Beseech - _Black Emotions_  (Pavement Music, July 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (6 out of 10)

How do you rate an album that can as easily get quite pleasant on one
track as it can really get on your nerves on the next? Well,  Beseech
do just that with _Black Emotions_. The nice and  soft  acoustics  of
"Little Demonchild" or the  somewhat  doomy  "Ghoststory"  and  "Neon
Ocean" achieve most of the former, whilst the excessive goth-isms  of
questionable quality that pervade a significant part of the  rest  of
the album achieve most of the latter -- I can certainly live  without
stuff like "Velvet Erotica" and its ilk. Besides the band's new-found
goth influences causing changes to  the  overall  style  and  use  of
electronic elements, the vocals also vary quite a bit. In addition to
female vocals, the male vox range from  a  goth-like  style  to  some
sections that remind me of Tiamat and some of mid-era Paradise  Lost.
For those to whom  a  heavy  dose  of  goth  elements  is  especially
welcome, _Black Emotions_ is likely to become catchy  and  enjoyable;
for all others, however, this is a lot more likely to be  a  hit-miss
affair, and in my case they are just about able to reach  a  positive
rating.


Blackend - _Mental. Game. Messiah._  (Massacre, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell  (7.5 out of 10)

Wearing the influence of the rich thrash history  of  their  homeland
directly on their collective sleeve, Germany's Blackend come crashing
down upon the forces of "nu-metal" with a CD  that  could  have  been
released twelve years ago but sounds great today. If I may name  drop
(it is, after all, the only resort of the non-creative music critic),
it  sounds  to  me  that  Testament  and  Kreator  played  the   most
significant roles in shaping these  young  minds,  and  to  a  lesser
extent Sacrifice. Also, many of  the  parts  seem  to  sound  like  a
non-depressive Nevermore. One thing that sets  them  apart  from  the
rest for sure would be the cleanly sung, but heavily accented  vocals
of Michael Goldschmidt. Of course, for a band to play this particular
kind of music, it is  required  that  they  have  a  proficient  lead
guitarist, and Blackend have that base covered with no problem. Their
music is very listenable, not overly technical, and they  even  throw
some Machine Head grooves in there. This is the kind of  thrash  that
_...And Justice for All_ took to a higher level, forever raising  the
bar for quality metal with intelligent lyrics. This CD is  for  metal
people, and I am doubtful that it would be accepted by the  backwards
red baseball hat crowd at all.

Contact: Massacre Records, Rauheckstr 10, D-74232 Abstatt, Germany
         http://www.massacre-records.com


Burning Inside - _The Eve of the Entities_  (Still Dead, 1999)
by: Aaron McKay  (5.5 out if 10)

This CD  was  generously  provided  to  me  by  my  good  friend  and
colleague, Paul Schwarz. Having  read  Paul's  interview  with  Steve
Childers [CoC #48], I  was  anxious  to  take  a  listen  to  Burning
Inside's _The Eve of the Entities_ for myself. Consequently, when Mr.
Schwarz offered the review of this album to me, I was naturally  very
open to the idea. As you might ascertain from my rating, this release
caused more than a little grief for me. I fought as hard  as  I  know
how to burrow myself within Burning Inside's  bombastic  fortress  of
technical speed/death metal. I had very little success, obviously.  I
could appropriately term Burning Inside a "copper glided gem". What I
mean by that is, in essence, Burning Inside is a  precious  stone  of
members like Richard Christy (Death / Control Denied /  Iced  Earth),
Steve Childers (Black Witchery) and  Mike  Estes  (Acheron).  All  of
these people and their other work  I  enjoy  immensely.  The  group's
obvious mastery of their instruments were seemingly covered over with
a less than valuable coating to diminish their luster. What happened?
Too musically technical? Yes, possibly that's it, and -not- like  the
technical metal I relish in some At the Gates or A  Canorous  Quintet
pieces. I am thinking more along the lines of questioning  where  the
band's "hook" is. What is to draw the listener into Burning  Inside's
offering here on _The Eve of  the  Entities_?  Where  does  the  band
separate itself from the herd of other groups playing the  very  same
kind of material? Richard Christy's drumming is a good retaliation to
my questions and this point qualifying  _TEotE_'s  for  most  of  the
points furnished to them in my rating. (I  think  that  any  of  Gene
Hoglan's work with his vast catalog of  bands  would  be  more  of  a
favorite of mine, however.) I was hoping that the combined efforts of
some of the talented musicians in BI mentioned above could  influence
this release favorably, but it didn't, in my opinion. Some time  ago,
I was exposed to BI on the Full Moon compilation  _Tribute  to  Hell:
Satanic Rites_ [CoC #42] and even some covers since then like on  the
King Diamond and Mercyful Fate tributes. Unfortunately, these  turned
out to  be  mostly  forgettable  covers  and,  worse  yet,  BI's  own
material, while loosely appealing, isn't  too  much  better.  Broadly
speaking, the artwork on _The Eve of the  Entities_  is  professional
and very metal in appearance. Eleven tracks of indisputable  sounding
musical apocalypse, with an impressively stacked  CD  inlay  complete
with lyrics. All nicely done right down to  the  outro,  "Everlasting
Sleep". (More atmospheric soundscapes like that track worked into the
rest of this offering would  be  a  very  welcome  addition.)  Before
closing, there are a couple of things that I would like  to  mention.
First off, Jamie Prim's sandpaper-dry  vocal  approach  in  some  way
escapes my ability to define it, but it ultimately fails to "fit"  BI
absolutely, in my view. As I pointed out, I can't tell  you  why  the
vocals by Mr. Prim seem "off-center", and they are  not  annoying  by
any means; just simply ill-suited. Kind of like forcing  a  dodecagon
into a round hole; it would probably work, but  why  would  you?  Or,
better yet,  like  having  Chuck  Billy  from  Testament  around  the
_Demonic_ era pick up the vocal duties for Daniel Corchado  or  Craig
Pillard in Incantation; Mr. Billy could sure  pull  it  off,  but  it
isn't a solid match, I wouldn't think. My second and  final  point  I
wanted to make is: I spent a good portion of my life  living  in  the
midst of the Florida scene, which is where BI  hails  from.  It  goes
against everything I want to believe that  Burning  Inside  isn't  as
good as I would hope  they  could  be,  but  I  cannot  in  all  good
conscience laud this band for the reasons mentioned above. I  suppose
there is always next time...


Burzum - <demo LP bootleg>  (Vinyl Maniac, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee  (7 out of 10)

Another in the series of bootlegs put out by  Vinyl  Maniac  Records,
this nice affair  seems  to  have  adopted  the  name  _Ragnarok_  in
underground circles, and consists of  Grishnack's  1991  instrumental
rehearsal/demo as well as other rare tracks. Burzum maniacs and  avid
completists might be intrigued by the rareness of  these  recordings,
but the lack of vocals  on  an  entire  side  might  deter  the  less
dedicated  listener.  Like  most  other  bootlegs   of   instrumental
rehearsals (Mayhem's _From the Darkest Past_, etc.), the music  often
lacks the solidity and presence of the full recording, especially  in
the case of Burzum's straightforward simplicity. What is a  brilliant
play  of  minimalist  creativity  on  the  debut  album  becomes  too
bare-bones, overly stripped-down, and loses its  tenuous  grip  after
the first track or two. The impressive quality of the recording  does
much to help things, though;  in  fact,  this  is  one  of  the  most
impressive translations of demo-material in recent years.  While  not
exactly  crystal-clear,  little  seems  to  have  been  lost  in  the
transfer, and the quality of  the  vinyl  ensures  that  the  bootleg
doesn't end up sounding typically worse than  the  original.  Side  B
more than makes up for the preceding blandness, and  opens  with  "Et
Hvitt Lys Over Skogen", a previously  unreleased  studio  track  from
1992. The monotonous, simplistic music needs no further  description,
save to say that fond memories of _Aske_-era sentiments are  invoked.
Varg's  characteristic  screams  penetrate  the  heavily  atmospheric
layers, inimitably combining the vastness of  cosmic  space  and  the
closeness of dank woodlands in a single sprawling, barren soundscape.
The difficulty of maintaining such a heavy  atmosphere  over  such  a
long track isn't apparent in  the  skilful  hands  of  Vikernes,  and
although  I've  never  really  been  a  fan  of  Burzum,  the   sheer
songwriting technique required here cannot but inspire a vague degree
of awe. Fans born too late lamenting the altered version of  "A  Lost
Forgotten Sad Spirit"  on  the  Misanthropy  releases  will  probably
relish the original DSP recording presented here. Apart  from  slight
production  differences  and  perhaps  niggling  alterations  in  the
delivery, this doesn't strike me as being any vast  improvement  over
the already killer Misanthropy version. All in all,  this  isn't  the
most essential of bootlegs, although the great production and  layout
deserves a mention here. True fans will probably want  to  send  away
for  this  unique  and  (possibly)  unprecedented  release  of   this
material.

Contact: No Colours Records, Postfach 32, 04541, Borna, Germany
         (30DM + postage, $20 should cover it.)


Corpus Christii - _Saeculum Domini_
by: Pedro Azevedo (7 out of 10) (So Die Music / Division House, 2000)

Having been quite impressed by the brutality displayed on their _Anno
Domini_ demo [CoC #40], I was looking forward to this CD  release  by
Corpus Christii. Fast, brutal  and  raw  black  metal,  propelled  by
synthetic percussion and devoid of all melody and  embellishments  is
what this duo produces. And despite the mediocrity of lyrics and song
titles and the vastly unfriendly (to put it mildly)  production,  the
fact is that _Saeculum Domini_ still works  quite  well  for  me.  It
takes quite a bit of getting used to  (headphones  -not-  recommended
this time) and its 41 minutes do  tend  to  become  tiring,  but  the
record has some personality of its own and plenty of strength if  you
look at it from the right perspective. Certainly  not  an  album  for
those looking for intricate symphonic elements or  Abyss-like  sound,
but nevertheless a strong,  very  underground-sounding  release  that
lives up to the uncompromising, harsh promise set by their demo tape.

Contact: http://www.divisionhouse.com


Crimson Moonlight - _Eternal Emperor_  (<Independent>, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell  (7 out of 10)

_Eternal Emperor_ is the debut disc from Sweden's newest creators  of
frozen black metal, Crimson Moonlight. Too bad there  are  only  five
tracks (two of which are keyboard instrumentals), because we only get
a slight glimpse of what this band is and  is  not  capable  of.  The
production is quite good for an indy release, but it is a  bit  below
par in the drum sound -- not that they sound bad, but it  is  obvious
that there was not a lot of money spent on trying to make  everything
sound perfectly slick. The three tracks that  are  not  instrumentals
feature a lot of keyboard work  within  them,  but  are  impressively
brutal at the same time. Heavy, double bass driven black metal is the
music of choice for Crimson Moonlight, and they are  off  to  a  good
start. Also, as a humorous aside, I have to tell you that one of  the
group members' name is Pilgrim. I said "member".

Contact: Crimson Moonlight, c/o Simon Rosen,
         Gransefall, 571 94 Nassjo, Sweden
         mailto:bloodsign@hotmail.com


Various - _Critical Mass_  (Metropolis, October 2000)
Various - _Electropolis Volume II_  (Metropolis, October 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (7.5 and 8 out of 10)

As I have brought to your attention before, this label  has  gathered
some competent bands together and formulated a very respectable label
dating back twenty years. These two compilation discs are  two  truly
befitting examples. Mind-broadening and  empirical  material  can  be
heard from most of the listed  groups;  thirteen  cuts  on  _Critical
Mass_ and fourteen on _Electropolis Volume II_.  Some  more  familiar
bands to me like Funker Vogt and Wumpscut [see reviews  elsewhere  in
this issue] have songs on both discs joined by  better  known  groups
like Front 242 and Front Line Assembly on _Electropolis  Volume  II_,
but _Critical Mass_ suffers a bit from Front 242's absence. _Critical
Mass_ is, in all fairness, a specially priced label compilation aimed
at adjusting you financially and musically to Metropolis Records in a
reasonable manner. _Critical Mass_ supplied a couple of new groups to
me worthy of particular mention. The highly meticulous techno-beat of
VNV Nation on their song "Rubicon" is both soothing  and  thick  with
linear musical techniques. Very compelling. Not all  that  much  less
groove-oriented, but mostly more emphatic and enveloping, is Diary of
Dreams' "Butterfly: Dance!".  Also,  Decoded  Feedback,  Velvet  Acid
Christ and Crocodile Shop present  some  intense  cuts  on  _Critical
Mass_.  _Electropolis  Volume  II_  is  my  favorite   of   the   two
collections. The heavily wavy Mentallo & The Fixer's  "Murders  Among
Us" was the first to draw me in proceed  by  a  positively  developed
track listing hitting highlights like Ikon's  "Triumph  of  My  Will"
(unreleased),  Kevorkian  Death   Cycle's   "Eclipse"   and   Project
Pitchfork's  "Temper  of  Poseidon",  the  latter  being  one  of  my
favorites on either of these releases. While you are able  to  derive
more than enough nutrition from these  electro-treats,  I'd  maintain
there is  a  lot  more  techno-sustenance  here  than  empty  "dance"
calories. Savor the delicacy!


Dark Age - _Psychotic Side_  (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

The one thing that you will always see me point out  about  Latin  or
South American bands is the heart and soul they put into their music.
Metal music means so much to these people, whether they  play  it  or
just listen to it. Listening to  Chile  quartet  Dark  Age,  you  can
easily take note of their love for the music they make. The music  is
rich in sound and production. The music here may just, for  the  most
part, be  the  meat  and  potatoes  of  metal  music,  but  it's  the
presentation that counts. Sure Dark Age play metal music  that  draws
from the classic '70s/'80s era of metal, but add their  own  take  on
things, most prominently the gruff Entombed-like vocal sounds and the
everflowing rhythm of down-tuned guitars that help showcase a  modern
metal attack. The guys rock hard, and there is no doubt  in  my  mind
they will progress as the years go on, but right now  Dark  Age  have
yet to hit the right groove. There is a lot on offer here,  just  not
enough to make them heads and  tails  above  the  rest.  Choice  cut:
"Stolen Sanity".

Contact: P.O. Box 51627, Correo Central, Santiago Chile
         mailto:info@darkage.cl
         http://www.darkage.cl


Deep - _Pieces of Nothing_  (Pavement, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (7 out of 10)

What I enjoy the most about this group, I think, is  how  they  break
down the music. Sometimes there will be a nice open, airy passage  in
a track, then guitars fill in and fade off  to  allow  the  drums  to
exhibit themselves.  Many  combinations  of  Deep's  instruments  are
utilized within a  song  and  not  always  simply  having  just  both
guitars, bass, vocals, and percussion simultaneously.  This  is  used
very well right from the very beginning on  "Hear  Their  Own".  This
approach adopted by the  band  sure  creates  a  nice  sound.  Jerome
Hoofnagle maximizes his range from a parched whisper to a  full-blown
grated death growl, which is also impressive.  This  being  my  first
foray  into  Deep's  world  and  never  having  heard  their  initial
full-length effort, _The Reach  of  Envy_,  I  can  understand  Logan
Mader's (Machine Head / Soulfly) interest  in  producing  _Pieces  of
Nothing_. I sometimes think I can hear  some  of  the  influences  of
bands such as Machine Head and possibly a Sentenced  injected  Misery
Loves Co. with a dry rasp death  shred  vocal  style.  After  getting
picked up by King Diamond for a tour, I doubt Deep will need too much
help making it into even bigger, better known metal circles. I  might
suggest as a piece of constructive criticism that Deep might want  to
add a touch more diversity to their  ventures;  sometimes  tracks  on
_PoN_ -can- sound pretty samey. Lyrically speaking,  relatively  deep
(pardon the pun) with meaning and the production is truly solid, too.
The attention surrounding Deep is warranted indeed. Pick  up  _Pieces
of Nothing_ and immerse yourself.


Desaster / Pentacle - _(Desaster) In League With (Pentacle)_
by: Alvin Wee  (10 out of 10)  (Iron Pegasus, 2000)

"This strictly limited vinyl is  a  result  of  a  strong  friendship
between Pentacle and  Desaster  and  their  respect  for  each  other
throughout the years!" And that quotation on the sleeve aptly sums up
the nature of this intriguing 10", each band performing one  original
song and one cover of the other  band's  material.  Makes  for  great
headbanging, considering that both bands are already stalwarts of the
underground. Desaster kick off proceedings with the  Pentacle-written
"A Serpent in Bloodred", the brutally pummelling  drum-intro  setting
the stage for a riff-fest of terrifying insidiousness -- anyone  with
an ounce of metalized blood  won't  be  sitting  still  by  now.  Not
surprisingly, the track doesn't sound unlike Desaster's own material,
which merely attests  to  the  band's  versatility  throughout  their
previous releases. Racing ahead  at  breakneck  speed,  these  German
thrashmeisters launch into  yet  another  drum-intro,  heralding  the
start of "Hell-Born". While not as  merciless  as  the  first  track,
"Hell-Born" boasts a more controlled, melodic groove that still  rips
the head off most "retro-thrash" bands, with the wildly flaring  solo
and Okkulto's inspired "blasphemic death-throat" brimming with  sheer
ferocity. Pentacle waste no time in introducing Desaster-penned "In a
Winter Battle"  with  a  typically  Frost-inspired  riff  and  Wannes
Gubbels ever-tormented throaty rasps. Desaster are evidently the more
melodic songwriters of the two,  littering  the  music  with  tuneful
background leads(?) and infinitely catchy riffs. Certainly  the  most
memorable track on this record, and no less brutal  for  its  melodic
nature  and  lengthy  nature.  "Soul's  Blood"  showcases   more   of
Pentacle's straight-ahead brutality, the crushing riffs and ferocious
drumming leaving this poor reviewer battered and mangled after a mere
minute of aural  hammering.  Certainly,  Pentacle  uphold  the  Dutch
death-metal scene's notoriety for sheer heaviness and brutality. Most
American bands touted for their extremity would be hard-put  to  even
brush the standards of  intensity  on  offer  here.  This  incredible
tribute to the old days of metal  is  available  in  a  picture  disc
German pressing, a pink-vinyl Euro version, as well as a  black-vinyl
American release, and any one of the three is highly recommended  for
all true aficionados of old-school metal who aren't afraid to risk  a
sore neck. No idea where the US version can  be  obtained,  but  Iron
Pegasus can be reached at:

Contact: P.O. Box 1462, 56804 Cochem/Mosel, Germany


Discordance Axis - _The Inalienable Dreamless_
by: Paul Schwarz  (9.5 out of 10)  (Hydrahead, July 2000)

Mmmm... oh sorry, I'm supposed to be writing the  review,  aren't  I?
Well, I've been here for  more  than  forty-five  minutes  trying  to
figure out how to get the  sheer  compacted  musical  brilliance  and
-brutality- of Discordance Axis over in words; the disc  is  spinning
for the third time in a row and I'm still not sure I can  put  across
quite how damn awesome and -addictive- this album truly is. The  only
reason I've listened to it in times equalling dozens rather  than,  I
don't know, many -gross- this Summer is that it's been on a tape with
the new Iron Maiden album. Try to  imagine  Brutal  Truth,  Dillinger
Escape Plan  and  Drowning  Man  mixed  together,  with  skin-slicing
screams for vocals; take  away  the  fretboard  scaling  and  sincere
quieten-downs (it  seems  DI's  world  is  always  distorted...)  and
replace it with an almost excessively direct approach, and you should
have a rough approximation of what the searing twenty three minute  /
seventeen track ride of _The Inalienable Dreamless_ has in store. And
it will quickly hook a seriously painful barb in your mouth, reel you
in a bit, and mercilessly draw you struggling  and  drowning  through
its troubled waters time and time and time again. Mesmerising in  its
extremity,  deeply  affecting,  shockingly  brutal  and  loaded  with
insanely tight percussion fused with  molten,  grinding  guitars  and
vocals, DI are headed for the top three of the  year's  best  albums,
and I'm not sure if the combined forces of Cryptopsy, Immolation  and
Napalm Death will be able to pull it down even a notch.


Drowningman - _Rock and Roll Killing Machine_
by: Adrian Bromley  (9.5 out of 10)  (Revelation, September 2000)

Could there be a better band out there?  Maybe  so,  but  Burlington,
Vermont hardcore/noisecore/metal act (leaning heavily metal,  if  you
ask me) Drowningman are one of the strongest acts out there nowadays.
Their last recording, the  sonically  powerful  EP  _How  They  Light
Cigarettes in Prison_, was punishing. The new  disc  is  even  -more-
punishing. Blistering guitar  riffs,  hardcore  momentum  and  vocals
(crazed and melodic) spill out at you in  a  feverish  pace,  leaving
little time to get out of the way. These guys could easily crush  any
band live -- and I'm willing to put money on that. Choice cuts: "When
People Become  Numbers",  "This  Year's  Most  Fashionable  Signs  of
Weakness" and "The Truly Dangerous Nature of a Man Who  Doesn't  Care
If He Lives or Dies". Man, those are great song titles.


End It - _End It_  (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Now this is the way I like these six-song EPs to sound:  dirty,  fast
and without a care in the world. Gritty rock 'n' roll  metal  machine
End It don't do much fancy guitar work or sprinkle  any  melodies  on
this batch of  material,  which  features  a  pretty  good  cover  of
Entombed's "Out of Hand". Kind of like a mix between The Obsessed and
maybe Motorhead, throw in some chug-chug  Entombed  riffs/vocals  and
you've got an idea where these bastards are coming from. As you might
expect,  the  songs  are  pretty  short,  rarely  going  beyond   the
three-minute mark. I was sold after the rough opener "Skull  Issues".
To put it in simpler terms: End It came, saw and conquered.

Contact: 180 Rosetta Auburn Hills, MI 48326, USA
         mailto:endit@angelfire.com


Ephel Duath - _Phormula_  (Code666, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (8 out of 10)

These Italians try to stretch the  boundaries  of  creativity  within
black metal in a manner somewhat akin to some of Solefald's  efforts,
though using very different processes. Leaving  behind  the  Solefald
comparison -- for it serves only to  illustrate  a  certain  apparent
similarity of purposes (innovating with very avant-garde black metal)
-- Ephel Duath  use  everything  from  strange  tempos  and  baffling
guitars to unusual  keyboard  work  to  concoct  a  mixture  of  both
successful and somewhat disjointed sequences  throughout  _Phormula_.
Some passages manage to be simultaneously innovative  and  enjoyable;
some  others,  however  innovative  they  may  try  to  be,  end   up
subtracting a bit from their respective track's overall value.  There
is a feeling of weirdness throughout the record that  can  either  be
quite challenging or rather infuriating depending on the listener  --
as far as I'm concerned, it depends on the -day- itself:  although  I
do like it, this is not a record I'd listen to any day. Nevertheless,
the drum machine is well used and the band seems to have enough skill
to match most of their experimentation, and despite  some  less  than
perfect passages, _Phormula_ still scores  quite  high  in  both  the
experimentation and enjoyability  departments,  which  is  always  an
achievement.

Contact: http://www.code666.cjb.net


Extol - _Undecieved_  (Endtime / SolidState, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell  (8 out of 10)

After repeated listens to _Undecieved_,  Extol's  second  full-length
offering, I still cannot pinpoint the exact emotion I have about  it.
You see, Extol is my favorite band, and therefore they cannot  escape
being judged more carefully than most music that comes my way.  Allow
me to comment upon the music first and foremost. On one  hand,  I  am
excited that they have achieved such a level of technical  brilliance
as foreshadowed on their previous EP _Mesmerized_ [CoC #42],  and  as
made evident on _Undecieved_, but the songs on  this  album  are  not
very -easy- to listen to, because they require concentration from the
listener just to follow along with them. The album  is  full  of  mad
scales and melodies, but most are dark and depressive, as are many of
the main riffs, especially the conclusion of the title track and  the
whole of "Shelter". On the other hand, all of the  technical  playing
takes quite a bit away from the black metal aspect of the band, which
managed to shine through brilliantly despite all of  the  scales  and
melodies present on their previous full-length  _Burial_  [CoC  #34],
but more importantly makes it sound less Norwegian, and that is  just
not a good thing. However, power is one thing certainly not  lacking,
as drummer Pete Sandoval, er, I mean David Husvik hammers  away  with
reckless precision, and the first three tracks  are  among  the  most
powerful songs the band has written. Extol  have  never  been  either
black nor death, but have always combined the two with great success.
I propose that in years to come, _Undecieved_ will be looked upon  as
their "death metal album". With twelve tracks in all, including three
instrumentals (one of which  is  actually  a  guest  appearance  from
Sanctum), a few lengthy,  wah-soaked  leads,  and  several  beautiful
Grieg-esque orchestrated passages to break things  up  a  bit,  Extol
actually do succeed in translating every ounce of  energy  that  they
possess in  a  live  setting  onto  the  plastic,  which  is  a  rare
accomplishment indeed  (in  part  due  to  the  extremely  clear  and
powerful production, another accomplishment  seeing  as  how  it  was
self-produced by the band). Regarding the vocals, lead vocalist Peter
Espevoll  has  gained  much  strength,  and  has  also   successfully
diversified his vocals much more than in the past. He's got the death
growl thing down, he's mastered the black metal rasp  (although  with
much more ferociousness and conviction than most),  but  he  is  also
adding some twists and turns tweaks to his sick craft,  as  witnessed
in "Of Light and Shade" (1:55 to 2:18) and the "vomiting" that occurs
on several words in "Inferno", as well as other various  occurrences.
Guitarist Ole Borud has also stepped up to the mic on several  tracks
with a singing voice  not  far  removed  from  the  style  of  Fate's
Warning's Ray Alder, which is obviously an impressive feat  and  adds
something totally unique to this band. All in all, _Undecieved_ is  a
brilliant metal creation that will indeed withstand the test of  time
(at least in my collection), but Extol's greatest work is still ahead
of them.

Contact: Solid State Records, P.O. Box 12698, Seattle, WA 98111, USA
Contact: Endtime Productions, P.O. Box 17142,
         SE-402 61 Gothenburg, Sweden
         mailto:endtime@durling.com
		  

Figure Four - _No Weapon Formed Against Us_  (Facedown, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell  (8 out of 10)

These youngsters from Winnipeg have whipped up one heck  of  a  debut
album on the fledgling Facedown Records. Don't ask me what  a  Figure
Four is, but I can tell you that they are an extremely tight hardcore
band, full of energy, fury and  passion  for  their  craft.  I'm  not
exactly sure about their ages, but I saw them live not too long  ago,
and I can assure you they still have some years of  school  ahead  of
them. Their sound is a combination of all things East Coast  hardcore
with a strong Sick of it All influence, which I  imagine  they  would
humbly deny, but I'm telling you they are -that- good. There must  be
some kind of strong hardcore scene in  or  around  Winnipeg,  because
these guys have obviously had some sort of strong influence  on  them
regarding all facets of the band; their music, their image and  their
live show. I hope these guys continue in  the  path  that  they  have
chosen, because they are too good not to.

Contact: mailto:figurefour204@hotmail.com


Funker Vogt - _Maschine Zeit_  (Metropolis, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (7.5 out of 10)

Not having had as long of a career as,  say,  Wumpscut,  Funker  Vogt
nonetheless  pulls  their  own  sizeable  weight  in   the   electro,
stripped-industrial movement. I've grown to appreciate this band more
and more ever since _Maschine Zeit_ was brought to my attention by  a
good friend awhile back. An authoritative convergence and an  unclean
vocal style were two primary factors attracting me  to  Funker  Vogt.
Bruising  dance-esque  drop  beats  litter  the  nearly  sixty-minute
soundscape on _Maschine  Zeit_  making  it  terribly  interesting  to
listen to through all of the release's wavy textures. Some background
worth mentioning might include  Funker  Vogt's  participation  in  at
least  eight  compilations  since  beginning  in  1995.  Also,  as  I
understand it, the group acquired their name from a close  friend  of
Gerrit Thomas (synth / programming /  backing  vocals),  one  of  the
band's two members. This friend is/was a radio operator in the German
armed forces. The word for his position  translates  into  German  as
"Funker".  Excellent,   thought-provoking   lyrics,   yielding   some
glistening gems such as "Nuclear Winter" and the chorus on  "Maschine
Zeit". Not nearly as adventurous as Wumpscut, FV  has  a  bare  charm
particular to them individually. I might have hoped for another layer
or two in _Maschine Zeit_'s  core  sound,  but  this  is  a  personal
preference, I believe, and it sure as hell isn't a reason not to  let
Funker Vogt attach itself to your curiosity and  worn  its  way  into
your collection if you're receptive.

Contact: http://www.metropolis-records.com
Contact: http://www.funker-vogt.com


Various - _Gateway to Hell 2: Tribute to Slayer_  (Dwell, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (6 out of 10)

Having never heard the original  _Gateway  to  Hell_,  I  could  have
possibly gone with a 7 or maybe a 7.5 out of 10  on  this  follow-up,
but I must confess that _Gateway to Hell_ is still the better of  the
two, in my opinion. Why do I say this? The first  tribute  to  Slayer
displayed near perfect works, as you might recall, from Dark  Funeral
("Dead Skin Mask"),  Monstrosity  ("Angel  of  Death")  and  Sadistic
Intent ("Necrophiliac"). This one boasts a  few  favorites  as  well,
like Angel Corpse's  cover  of  "Kill  Again",  Abigor's  version  of
"Crionics" and of course Incantation's reworking of "Hell Awaits"  is
next to sublime. I will give an honorable mention to Cephalic Carnage
here pertaining to their  interpretation  of  "Jesus  Saves".  I'm  a
newcomer to the Cephalic Carnage fan-fold, but their effort  on  this
tribute does nothing but further my favorable impression of the band.
Where I was most pleasantly surprised  was  on  this  CD's  excellent
production; it was clear, unblemished and it truly made an  enjoyable
listen. If you are a sucker for tributes and/or clamor for everything
that is Slayer, I'd be of the opinion that you might want  this  one,
too.


Gold fur Eisen - _Kein Morgan_  (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9.5 out of 10)

Things just happen. Life is so full of surprises; sometimes  you  are
prepared for them and sometimes you are not. You just  deal  with  it
and hopefully in the end you come out better for what you  have  been
faced with. Doing Chronicles of Chaos for the  last  five  years  has
been a very exciting time for me.  Not  only  because  of  the  great
friends I have made doing this (props going out to  all  of  the  CoC
staff!), but also coming in contact with some of  the  coolest  bands
out there -- whether they are mainstream-sounding or just so  bizarre
that a simple review would do it no justice. Such is  the  case  with
German four-piece Gold fur Eisen, a truly remarkable band that  seems
to elude any real genre tagging but still sound so familiar in talent
and ideas. The music, a  radiating  bombshell  of  metallic  riffing,
oddball vocals and just plain lunacy, is a six-song release that just
shakes the foundations of what music should be about. Just letting go
and seeing where it all ends up. No need to follow  trends  or  stick
with a certain sound. Gold fur Eisen are about making music and doing
it in such a manner that others'  thoughts  (good  or  bad)  make  no
impression on them. I have listened to this disc the most this  month
of reviews and I still do not get bored from it. Maybe it is just the
free-flowing spirit of ideas or the fact that the band  sings  solely
in German? I don't know, but I'm infatuated with this  band  and  I'm
hoping that I still feel this way a year from now, 'cause this is too
neat to lose sight of. Hats off to Gold fur Eisen  for  providing  us
metalheads with a truly sincere mindfuck.

Contact: Gold fur Eisen, PF 1011413, 17019 Neubrandenburg, Germany
         http://www.goldfuereisen.de


Haemorrhage - _Loathesongs_  (Morbid, September 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz  (4 out of 10)

The pure simplicity of many of the minute long death grinders covered
herein, and the fact that they differ  little  from  their  originals
even  in  playing  style,  essentially  leaves  Haemorrhage's  covers
sounding flat and pointless. The songs are never as good,  and  never
better, just very much the same as the originals. So why bother  with
them? Do you need a worse version of a good (or sometimes average...)
grindcore/death tune? I doubt it.  Elsewhere,  the  band  attempt  to
cover Suicidal Tendencies (revealing that they lack  considerably  in
knee-length  socks  and  hardcore  attitude)  and  UFO  (to  odd  but
uninteresting effect). Entombed and Carcass are the  most  well-known
names from Haemorrhage's musical turf covered here and  the  more  or
less average tracks chosen are  executed  in  a  workmanlike  manner,
exemplifying  their  inherent  pointlessness  while  displaying  that
Haemorrhage have none of the flair of their predecessors. All  round,
a well played waste of time and money, and it's an MCD.


Hateplow - _The Only Law Is Survival_  (Pavement Music, August 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (8 out of 10)

With ex-Suffocation drummer Dave Culross replacing the deceased Larry
Hawk, Hateplow (a project that is helmed by  Phil  Fasciana  and  Rob
Barret of Malevolent Creation)  certainly  guaranteed  an  impressive
rhythmic backbone  for  _The  Only  Law  Is  Survival_.  And  indeed,
following  some  rather  impressive  cover  art,  the  onslaught   is
merciless as the  band  unleashes  some  devastating  death/grind  of
remarkable quality.  Not  only  does  their  musical  delivery  reach
unusually high levels of aggression,  but  the  technical  skill  and
precision one might expect from looking, for example,  at  Malevolent
Creation's _The Fine Art of  Murder_ is here as well. There is also a
certain level of similarity between _The Only Law  Is  Survival_  and
_The Fine Art of Murder_ during some of the slower sections, which is
expectable given the current Hateplow line-up. Some  punk  influences
on a couple of tracks seem rather excessive  to  me,  however  and  I
don't think they fit too well  with  the  hyperspeed  brutality  that
dominates most of the  album,  but  fortunately  they  seldom  appear
during _The Only Law Is Survival_. Meanwhile, the production, if  you
listen to the record loud enough, does a good job of  keeping  things
simultaneously brutal and clear.  Not  a  groundbreaking  album,  but
certainly one that pushes some things quite close to their limits  at
times. A thoroughly enjoyable slab of brutality.


In Aeternum - _The Pestilent Plague_  (Necropolis, August 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (6 out of 10)

Here we go: another devilishly elegant slab of CD lawlessness,  a  la
In Aeternum style, that is nearly impossible to review plausibly. I'm
reminded here of The New Yorker and Harper's magazines columnist E.B.
White,  who  was  known  for  his  essays  lightly   satirizing   the
complexities of modern life and once professing, "Analyzing humor  is
like dissecting  a  frog:  nobody  really  enjoys  it  and  the  frog
generally dies as a result." I feel the same way about  analyzing  In
Aeternum's newest release, _The Pestilent Plague_. My score  on  this
review fluctuated greatly depending on many things  ranging  from  to
-who- it was I had just finished listening -- to -what- time of day I
was again spinning this disc. I compromised and gave  _The  Pestilent
Plague_ the median score between my highest and lowest point  values.
I'll say this, In Aeternum has  numbed,  refined  and  chilled  their
sound somewhat since 1998's _Forever Blasphemy_, which I freely admit
wasn't my favorite effort. The  frozen  maturity  of  _The  Pestilent
Plague_ may have something to do with Tommy Tagtgren's assistance  at
the Abyss Studios, but I attribute it more to In Aeternum in  general
and more-than-likely the slot they had opening for Immortal of  their
European tour, but this is simply  conjecture  on  my  part.  I  hear
points of view that tie In Aeternum comparatively to Angel Corpse and
Dissection (both great losses to the metal community), but I  do  not
share that opinion. If I would permit the bridging of these bands  in
my own mind, In Aeternum would sure suffer in the bronze  slot  after
the aforementioned powerhouse groups. Use your best  judgement  here,
readers; In Aeternum is certainly brutal  and  chilling  death  metal
with a new found petrified sound, but not a lot of meat to  keep  you
returning to the bone to gorge upon.


Into the Sunless Meridian - _Into the Sunless Meridian_
by: Alex Cantwell  (0.5 out of 10)  (Near Dark, 1999)

I thought that I would be in store for  some  great,  artsy  European
metal with  a  name  like  Into  the  Sunless  Meridian,  but  I  was
disappointed to find that it is but a solo project of some guy  named
Mikael from New York. Drat. Mikael conjures  up  a  weak  attempt  to
bring back the glory days of thrash, with severe leanings  towards  a
Mercyful Fate sound (he even does a cover of "A Corpse Without  Soul"
and throws horrible King Diamond vocal renditions into several  other
songs). The material on this release was recorded from 1994 to  1997,
so there is no real consistency or good musical  flow,  and  in  most
parts the guitar sound leaves a lot to be desired. In  summary,  this
is a demo in disguise that someone at Near Dark, while suffering from
temporary insanity, decided to press onto disc.

Contact: Near Dark Productions, Box 40, 860 30 Sorberge, Sweden
         mailto:dreamweaver@telia.com


Iron Maiden - _Brave New World_  (Capitol, May 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz  (6 out of 10) 

To unearth my reasons for reviewing this "high  profile"  release  in
CoC's hallowed "underground" pages, look up my  review  of  Pantera's
_Reinventing the Steel_ [CoC #48], insert  classic  as  an  adjective
where appropriate, amplify influence factor by at least tenfold,  and
change the decade from the nineties to the eighties. On another note,
be assured that the timing of this review  is  not  just  down  to  a
perpetually hectic schedule and a two month visit to  Argentina,  for
much as I was disgusted enough on first listen  to  not  be  able  to
finish the entirety of _Brave New World_ past track six, I have since
given it repeated spins now totalling in excess  of  twenty.  I  have
"lived" with this record, and as an Iron Maiden fan.
In the words of _BNW_'s final song, there is a thin line between love
and hate, and Iron Maiden's comeback with Bruce Dickinson -- back and
happily exercising the air-raid siren --  exemplifies  perfectly  how
possible it is to love and hate  the  same  group  of  musicians,  to
differing  degrees,  over  nearly  seventy(!)   minutes   of   music.
Especially after repeated  spins,  love  is  definitely  the  initial
emotion evoked by Iron Maiden's twelfth offering.  "The  Wicker  Man"
(the album's single and video) is assuredly  _BNW_'s  finest  moment,
despite  being  overlong,  excessively  anthemic,   and   repetitive;
symptoms of the album's ultimate downfall from start  to  finish.  It
isn't surprising to find that Adrian Smith took the greatest part  in
the creation of this stomping opener, though it's unfortunate that he
ripped off Judas Priest's "Running Wild" -- opening riff =  identical
-- to do so. From here on it proves to be a bumpy  ride.  "Flight  of
the Navigator" has its moments  but  is  ultimately  maybe  a  little
pretentious; the title track is  cleanly  structured  and  adequately
evocative  but  no  classic;  "Blood  Brothers"  combines  _Load_-era
Metallica with Manowar and its first chorus enters after 40  seconds:
need I say more?;  "Mercenary"  is  nothing  but  cannon  fodder.  It
terminated my first listening of _BNW_, and after repeated spins  the
wholly overlong "Dream of Mirrors" --  and  its  totally  excessively
repeated chorus -- fails to evoke any other desire in me.  After  the
flat "Fallen Angel" and god-awful "The Nomad" have dragged  by,  "Out
the Silent Planet" proves to be the only other song on _BNW_  that  I
can  happily  listen  to  all  the  way  through.  It  injects   some
-pleasantly-  anthemic  and  powerful  riffing  laced  with  pleasant
melodies and boasting a -pleasingly-  catchy  chorus.  "A  Thin  Line
Between Love and Hate" then closes things off in distinctly lukewarm,
unspectacular style.
It feels strange to advise a band with  years  of  experience  behind
them  and,  we  assume,  megatons  of  talent  still  in  them  about
arrangement and song selection, but  at  a  rough  estimate  I'd  say
Maiden could've cut _Brave New World_ down to about half  (discarding
the fat of inadequate songs and unnecessary repetitions) and come out
with a better and eminently more -listenable- album. You see, _BNW_'s
greatest  asset  is  that  it  is  Iron  Maiden  who  made  it.   The
musicianship and melodic sensibility  is  present  and  correct,  and
Bruce Dickinson, though maybe not -as- spectacular as on certain past
releases, is nonetheless still in possession of some  of  the  finest
lungs in the metal world. Many other bands (see current Century Media
and Nuclear Blast rosters for details) would probably have  performed
_BNW_  a  lot  worse,  more  obviously  exposing   its   considerable
shortcoming. However, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Maiden
have released an album which, by their standards, is verging  on  the
diabolically bad and not just merely the so-so level of witnessed  in
Bruce's final early nineties days with the band. A  Maiden  album  is
not necessarily a good album -- though the weakness of _BNW_ is  hard
to understand  considering  the  high  quality  and  sheer  metalness
Dickinson's last solo offering, 1998's _A Chemical Wedding_ -- I hope
the band collectively remember that for next time. Honestly  speaking
though, I don't think Maiden will ever again make  an  album  that  I
will feel the need to own.


Isis - _Celestial_  (Escape Artist, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (9 out of 10)

The work of Isis has always been  met  with  critical  acclaim,  from
their _Mosquito Coast_ EP a few years back onto their _Red Sea_  disc
for Second Nature last year and up until now. _Celestial_ is a strong
statement from a band that thrives on noise, aggression and  lack  of
conformity. The sounds of the new disc pile upon us like a major  car
crash, burying us beneath a heaping pound of abstract  sounds,  doomy
sludge-like guitars and ample feedback. The music of _Celestial_ is a
wake-up call to the power and intensity that Isis has  been  able  to
capture on disc  ("Glisten"  and  "Collapse  and  Crash"),  but  more
noticeably live. The disc rocks from start to finish and  Isis  don't
hold punches. Wallow in pain as Isis torture you to their sounds  and
visions. Hard to swallow, but worth digesting.  Isis  leave  no  weak
links on _Celestial_. Are we all  ready  for  Isis?  Let's  hope  so,
'cause I'm pretty sure these boys are still stockpiling emotions  for
the long haul.


Jane Doe 69 - _Snakeskin_  (<Independent>, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (6 out of 10)

Too bad Jane Doe 69 still can't shake off  some  more  of  their  own
influences most of the time. They seem  to  jump  from  influence  to
influence throughout the majority of this second  MCD  of  theirs  --
Machine Head, Sepultura, Korn: it's all here. Boasting very competent
production and playing, _Snakeskin_ is, if regarded independently  of
everything else that's going on  in  the  music  industry,  a  strong
record that does show considerable potential. But when a  band  tends
to  remind  you  too  often  of  some  other  bands'  most   peculiar
characteristics, things begin to take  a  turn  for  the  worse,  and
that's the case with JD69. Much like _Scars_ [CoC  #48],  _Snakeskin_
shows that the band still needs more creativity of its  own,  instead
of  creativity  that's  constantly  being  tainted  with  excessively
obvious influences. They have improved since their previous  release,
and still look like they can evolve into something  more  interesting
in the future, but there still seems to be quite a bit to  change  in
their musical approach before that happens.

Contact: http://www.janedoe69.cjb.net


Jester's Funeral - _Quicksilverlight_
by: Adrian Bromley (8.5 out of 10) (Black Arrow / Point Music, 2000)

I have got to hand  it  to  this  German  power/heavy  metal  quintet
calling themselves Jester's Funeral. Not only does the band  have  an
incredible amount of mystique and  imagery  making  up  their  record
packaging, they have got a solid and truly powerful sound to go along
with  it.  From  the  opening  chords  of  "Jester's   Empire"   onto
"Traveler", "Eternal Is the End" and "Astrocry", the band  keeps  the
listener interested. Whether it be the strong  guitar  riffs  or  the
melodic choruses, Jester's Funeral easily wins  you  over  with  each
track as it plays. With shades of Blind Guardian, Iced Earth  and  at
times even old  Metallica,  Jester's  Funeral  helps  paint  a  fresh
picture on a genre of music that has been known  to  go  stale  on  a
regular basis. Not  this  time,  as  _Quicksilverlight_  is  truly  a
champion-like effort.

Contact: mailto:contact@jestersfuneral.de
         http://www.jestersfuneral.de


Various - _Jump in the Pit -- A Tribute to Testament_  (Dwell, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell  (7.5 out of 10)

Testament has been a strong force in the world of metal, even as  far
back as when they were frequenting such places as Ruthie's  Inn  when
they were known as Legacy. With the exception of Metallica, Testament
are the only other living witness to  the  once-burgeoning  Bay  Area
thrash scene, and have  continued  to  have  staying  power  for  the
duration of their existence. _Jump in the Pit_ offers the chance  for
some underground bands to pay tribute to a band that  still  matters,
and generally (and surprisingly) fare pretty well. Of course it  must
be taken into consideration that this  is  Testament  the  bands  are
covering, so obviously the vocal performance is going to be of  great
importance, and then they have the lead work of  Alex  Skolnik,  Eric
Peterson and James Murphy to contend with! Opening the disc, Fury  do
a bang-up job of "Dog Faced Gods",  and  their  vocalist  sounds  the
closest to Chuck Billy of all the  bands  on  the  disc.  Wasteland's
version of "Time Is Coming" is right-on  musically  and  features  an
almost black metal vocal performance, but suffers a bit in the  areas
of guitar sound and production. Prototype and Scary  German  Guy  get
right down to business on "Into the  Pit"  and  "Face  in  the  Sky",
respectively, adding in some quick double-bass and great  lead  work.
Cold turn in a fairly powerful  version  of  "Perilous  Nation",  and
Ultimatum's version of "Sins of Omission" is  quite  impressive,  and
even as they took a bit of creative licence with the  beginning,  the
leads, a bridge and the ending, it has  the  uniqueness  of  sounding
like a Testament song, as well as a  Ultimatum  song.  (Also,  as  an
aside, I had the privilege of playing bass on  this  track  with  the
guys, since it was my suggestion for them to do the song, but I swear
my minimal contribution in no way has  an  impact  regarding  what  I
think of the song or the CD itself -- but I sure think the bass sound
could have been better!) Horror of Horrors, however,  does  not  fare
well with their take on "Return  to  Serenity",  turning  in  a  weak
guitar performance and a vocal performance that is just plain bad. On
the other hand, Catch 22's vocalist really gets into "Trial by Fire",
even throwing some power metal screams in there, and their  additions
to the original leads and complete reworking of the middle section of
the song are quite good. Blackend thrash away on "Practice  What  You
Preach" with great skill and musical dexterity, but the vocalist  has
a -very- thick German accent and takes some getting used to.  Closing
this tribute are Delusion and Habeas  Corpus,  who  tackle  the  high
speed ragers "Ride" and "Nightmare", respectively, both with success.
This is a good tribute, methinks,  because  the  bands  rise  to  the
challenge of playing some difficult music, and paying their  respects
to a band that has had a direct influence on  their  sound,  and  the
track selection is very close to what I would ask for personally.

Contact: Dwell Records, P.O. Box 39439, Los Angeles, CA 90039, USA
         http://www.dwellrecords.com


Juno Reactor - _Shango_  (Metropolis, October 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (8.5 out of 10)

This label is making things pretty easy -- most of their artists  are
completely enjoyable and easy  to  appreciate.  Juno  Reactor  is  no
exception. About three years ago, the band had a brief stint  on  Wax
Trax / TVT for their _Bible of Dreams_ release, their  fourth  album.
Since the band's formation in the early 1990s, it would  appear  that
experience has been  a  kind  teacher  to  Ben  Watkins  and  Stephan
Holwick,  Juno  Reactor's  two  current   collaborators.   _Shango_'s
inspired trance-techno sound has  been  meticulously  combed  into  a
truly  sanctified  listening  experience.  A  fine  working   through
complicating their techno approach with  samples  and  dubbing,  Juno
Reactor has mastered the term "trance" with _Shango_. By "trance",  I
certainly do not mean boring.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  the
truth. "Trance" in the sense of your first beer of the evening  after
a long day of laboring outdoors. I also  feel  celestial  vibes  from
this effort like watching a Pink Floyd laser light show at  mid-night
in late July. The band's potential has not  gone  unnoticed,  either.
Having tracks appear on movies such as "Lost in  Space"  and  "Mortal
Kombat", among others, Juno  Reactor  now  stands  on  the  brink  of
releasing the musical score for "Beowulf", which, I understand, stars
Christopher Lambert. Furthermore, former  Billy  Idol  guitarist  and
ex-Atomic Playboys pioneer, Steve Stevens, entwines his  considerable
skill to the first cut off of _Shango_, "Pistolero". The song, though
not my  favorite  on  this  release,  gives  the  listener  a  nearly
exclusive gaze inside Mr. Stevens's expansive talent while  flavoring
JR's track with a Spanish flair and zest. I mention these things only
because I felt an undercurrent within myself  swelling  with  outrage
that I had not realized JR before this point in my life. As  you  can
see, their talents have been utilized in many  great  ways  prior  to
_Shango_. This newest offering would be a fine place to  jump  inside
Juno Reactor's soaring  macrocosm  to  cease  your  endless  drifting
through the cosmos of merely adequate bands seemingly  polluting  the
atmosphere recently.


Killing Machine - _Killing Machine_  (Candlelight, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6.5 out of 10)

I'll admit, after the first listen of  the  opening  title  track,  I
thought this record was going to just stink to high heaven. The  over
the top progressive metal style vocals, the wanker  guitar  solos  --
Killing Machine was showcasing all of these signs big time. Then came
track #2, "Judgement Day", and my fears had subsided somewhat, as the
band had toned down things a bit, and  got  real  gritty  with  their
playing as the disc went on. With members of W.A.S.P.  (drummer  Stet
Howland and bassist Mike Duda), guitar player  Peter  Scheithaur  and
ex-Loudness singer Michael Vescera making up the pack,  it  is  quite
easy to write this off as a "super group" of sorts.  Well  it  isn't.
Far from it, my friends. Even though the band shakes things up a bit,
I can't seem to  get  past  the  wanker-like  guitar  solos  and  the
Slaughter-like (early '90s rock band) vocals of  Vescera.  This  also
sounds a bit cliche as it unfolds. A rocking debut for sure,  but  it
is more "miss" than "hit".


Various - _King Diamond Tribute_  (Necropolis, July 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (7 out of 10)

Ranging from King Diamond's  plentiful  back  catalog  stretching  to
pick-up 1985's single "No Presents for Christmas", covered  extremely
well by Exhumed, through my favorite  KD  album,  _Them_,  to  1998's
_Voodoo_ release. I'm not sure I have to labor  on  the  impact  King
Diamond has marked on metal's malleable surface,  so  suffice  it  to
say, Necropolis's decision to pull this tribute off was a classy one.
What isn't so classy  is  Ancient's  cover  of  "Halloween"  on  this
offering. Now, being a fan of _Svartalvheim_ and _Trolltaar_, this is
no effortless criticism for me to make. "Halloween" was  much  better
on _Fatal Portrait_ and should have been  left  there,  untouched  by
Ancient here. Now, that out of the way, most of the other covers  are
fair and pretty well done.  Of  this  next  tier  of  groups,  Fallen
Empire's version of "The Exorcist" (_Voodoo_) and the  unsigned  band
Enthrall doing "The Portrait" are arguably the best of the batch. The
standouts on this tribute are staggering. Dark Funeral's  version  of
"The  Trail"  (from  my  least  favorite  KD  album,  _The  Eye_)  is
walloping. This track can also be found on DF's EP _Teach Children to
Worship Satan_ [CoC #48] (again, quite a  bovine  title  for  such  a
great EP). Anyway, moving on, as  I  brought  up  earlier,  Exhumed's
cover of  the  single  "No  Presents  for  Christmas"  is  arresting,
humorous and tormenting all at the same time, but Agressor's take  on
"Welcome Home" from _Them_ is truly my favorite song on  this  eleven
track tribute to one of the most (if  not  -the  most-)  recognizable
faces in metal. A worthwhile compilation here if  anything  mentioned
in the lines above strike a  chord  with  you  or  if,  for  whatever
reason, you've just pulled yourself out of the primordial  morass  of
radio bullshit.


Kreuzfeuer - _Blut fur Blut_  (Endzeit Klange, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee  (8 out of 10)

While Germany remains the undisputed land of melodic power metal  and
the like, more extreme forms of metal  have  been  festering  in  the
Teutonic depths. Sadly, the quality of such  has  been  questionable,
with even the more  successful  names  like  Nagelfar  and  Moonblood
hardly making a dent  on  the  international  underground,  with  the
exception of certain non-musical achievements (read:  Absurd)  making
relative headlines. As such, it's rare to come across a  German  band
not entirely motivated by anti-Semitic sentiments. Kreuzfeuer  remain
an enigma despite my repeated attempts to analyse the  driving  force
behind  them.  A  direct,  simple  description  is  in   order:   the
surprisingly professional layout belies the nature  of  this  obscure
private pressing, and suggests a slab of brutal,  war-obsessed  death
metal. The music, however, is a total shock, opening with  a  strange
chant leading into a catchy, almost cheerful play of rollicking riffs
and whimsical(?) synth, a greater surprise coming in the  form  of  a
"Hallelujah"  chorus!!!  The  purist  in  me  dismisses  such   metal
irreverence as pure sacrilege; the actual effect  is  more  appealing
than it sounds on paper, and a few more spins  is  all  it  takes  to
start me (secretly) humming along. The sheer  tongue  in  cheek  mood
seems to pervade the entire album, the  mostly  merry,  catchy  tunes
clashing bizarrely with  the  pensive,  sombre  lyrics.  Rather  than
detract from the effect of  the  album,  this  jarring  juxtaposition
serves to drive home the message with an irony as  yet  unmatched  in
the genre. Heavy metal riffs war  with  guttural  growls  and  highly
memorable solos, creating melodic soundscapes most Gothenburg  clones
would do well to learn  from.  The  very  talent  for  crafting  pure
foot-tapping melodies song after song is incredibly obvious  in  just
one listening, and to dismiss this band as a mere  joke  (which  they
are, in their own unique way) is to miss  out  on  one  of  the  most
interesting bands to come out of the  German  underground  in  recent
years. The fate of such an experimental  piece  of  work  is  already
decided: like most other  over-the-top  progressives,  this  band  is
likely to languish in relative obscurity.  Most  listeners  would  be
tempted to label Kreuzfeuer as  a  meaningless  "fun"  band,  but  it
doesn't take much to realize the  potential  of  this  highly  unique
record. Distribution  and  promotion  is  obviously  a  problem  with
records like this (this review copy was obtained for  my  own  distro
through a supplier), and  therefore  obtaining  a  copy  might  prove
difficult. I highly recommend the more  adventurous  to  contact  the
band directly.

Contact: mailto:tattoo@01019freenet.de


Lesser Known - _Higher Levels_  (LKE Entertainment, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

There has always been something very  likeable  about  the  frenzied,
hard rocking work of Windsor, Ontario act Lesser  Known.  I  mean,  I
give them points just for being from my birthplace, but  there  is  a
bit more than that to all of this. I think the reason why I like  the
band is their ability to have melody mesh well with a cool groove. It
doesn't work all the time, which is why  I  give  this  four-song  EP
somewhat low marks, but they do hit a stride and those are  the  ones
worth mentioning. Opener "This New  World"  (there  is  also  another
version at the end of the EP) is good, but weak in my books  compared
to the hard-like feel of "Hell Ya!" and the ultra-rockin' "Underdog".
I guess this EP is good as a segue  between  their  last  solid  disc
_Inner Beast_ and whatever else  they  have  ready  to  roll  in  the
future. At least these guys have their act  together  and  are  still
going strong after some years. If they didn't  have  that  going  for
them, I'd have sent them applications for McDonald's.


Liber Spirituum - _Frugativi et Appellativi_
by: Adrian Bromley  (4 out of 10)  (<Independent>, August 2000)

I hate to start things off in the red, but here goes: this is one  of
the worst releases I have heard in terms of production. The sound  is
just so muffled and sometimes the guitar solos fade  in  and  out.  I
know this death metal (though blackened at times) charge is geared on
punishing the listener with severe blows bestowed upon  us  by  their
righteous words and musical onslaughts, but the weak production turns
what could have been a promising killing machine into a muddled  pool
of noises. Yawn! I admit the intensity is  there  (tracks  "Fuck  You
Christ (Ancient God of Lying and Betraying)" or "The Law of Forbidden
(Occult Art of Seduction and Manipulation"), but Liber Spirituum  end
up shooting wide as the disc carries on. Too bad, as this  sucker  is
full of hate.

Contact: P.O. Box 17-03-774, Quito, Ecuador
         mailto:jcmaqhe@uio.satnet.net


Mark D - _The Silent Treatment_  (Lunasound Recording, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (7 out of 10)

At its best sounding almost like what could have been the  soundtrack
to some booze-drenched Tarantino-like movie, this solo release by the
man who's worked as producer and bass player for the Melvins  in  the
past is a strange yet appealing disc. One can often almost picture  a
small, darkened hotel room with worn-out curtains filtering  some  of
the light from a neon sign shining  in  the  night  outside,  in  the
middle of some desert-like American location, and...  well,  you  get
the picture, and I'll try to  avoid  writing  a  cliche-ridden  novel
instead of a review. The music on _The Silent Treatment_ can  equally
sound quite depressed or present you with a bouncy bass line;  varied
but mostly sombre vocal styles are combined with a heavily  distorted
guitar sound courtesy of engineer Joe Barresi (Kyuss, Monster Magnet,
etc.) and dark atmospheres. Things can indeed go from  rather  sombre
and depressed all the way to groovy stuff,  but  both  are  generally
well achieved on _The Silent Treatment_; the mixture may  not  always
work entirely well, but  despite  being  a  rather  excessively  long
record,  the  overall  result  and  atmosphere  is  still  reasonably
interesting.

Contact: mailto:luna@ettnet.se


Martyr - _Warp Zone_  (<Independent>, 2000)
by: Brian Meloon  (10 out of 10)

The year 2000 has been an  incredible  year  for  fans  of  technical
metal. This year has brought not  only  the  long  awaited  debut  of
Spiral Architect [CoC #48],  but  also  the  Listenable  re-issue  of
Theory  in  Practice's  _The  Armageddon  Theories_  [CoC  #46],  the
reformation of Watchtower, and now Martyr's  second  offering,  _Warp
Zone_. This album improves on their debut _Hopeless Hopes_ in  almost
every way possible. While their  debut  was  very  Death-ish  in  its
approach, _Warp Zone_ could better be described as  Spiral  Architect
meets Meshuggah, with the occasional Death influence. While it's  not
quite as technical as Spiral Architect, it makes up for this by being
much more original.  Their  music  is  extremely  complex,  switching
tempos and riffs often throughout each  irregularly-structured  song.
They utilize a variety  of  riff  styles,  changing  from  chunky  to
intricate to melodic and back again at a rapid pace.  While  some  of
the riffs are somewhat derivative, there are a  number  of  excellent
original ideas thrown around, and the songs are structured in such  a
way that it remains fresh and interesting. The playing  is  excellent
on all counts, and even the guitar solos are well done.  Even  though
each member's parts are very technical, the group is very tight.  The
production  is  excellent:  very  heavy  and   crystal   clear.   The
songwriting is a little disjointed at  times,  and  occasionally  I'm
left scratching my  head  wondering  "Why'd  they  do  -that-?",  but
overall it's quite good. This is absolutely  essential  for  fans  of
technical metal, and fans of original  and  innovative  metal  should
check it out as well.


Metalium - _State of Triumph -- Chapter Two_  (Pavement, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (3 out of 10)

I feel there is very little room in music for outfits like  this  and
what meager space remains is more than adequately filled by Manowar's
back catalog. Metalium is "triumph metal" (whatever the  hell  -that-
means),  so   hence   the   title   of   the   release.   Formulated,
paint-by-numbers  metal  is  about  all  you  can  expect  with  this
follow-up to Metalium's first effort, _Millennium  Metal  --  Chapter
One_. Boy, something  tells  me  I  am  glad  I  missed  that  effort
altogether. _State  of  Triumph_  forces  images  of  Europe,  _Final
Countdown_ era, meets Journey meets Lillian Axe or Styx into my mind.
The three points this CD did  manage  to  accumulate  come  from  the
mature separation between instruments; there is a heavy  emphasis  on
clear musical distinction. That Metalium do impressively. Also  there
is a screen saver program on this disc. This, at least, is  something
different from the "flying through space" and  "3D  maze/pipes"  that
seem to be everywhere because of Windows. Celebrate  triumphantly  by
buying another disc like classic Manowar. One  can't  go  wrong  with
_Kings of Metal_, _Sign of the Hammer_ or if you -must- have the word
"triumph" in the title, _The Triumph of Steel_  just  isn't  too  bad
either. As for _State of Triumph -- Chapter  Two_,  some  things  are
better left unwritten.


Mortification - _10 Years Live Not Dead_  (Metal Blade, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell  (6 out of 10)

This is the third live release from these  Aussies  that  most  metal
people love to hate. No matter what your opinion  is  of  this  band,
though, you have to admire their persistence, and especially that  of
lead man / bassist / vocalist Steve Rowe, as his bout with  leukaemia
has brought him close to death many times over the  past  few  years.
Mortification has always had a unique sound, somewhat grounded in the
style of Sodom and Kreator, and over the years  has  morphed  from  a
thrash/death outfit to death/grind and back to thrash, but have  been
moving towards a more "classic metal" sound since  the  formation  of
the current line-up, which is rounded out by Lincoln Bowen on  guitar
and Keith Banister on drums, who have both been  in  the  band  since
1996, making the longest lasting Mortification line-up ever. The lead
off track is a  new  song  entitled  "Dead  Man  Walking"  about  the
leukemia struggle, and is fairly powerful but nothing to  write  home
about. There is also a medley done in the way that Metallica combines
a slew of old songs together (a technique which I  absolutely  abhor)
and  includes  bits  from   "Lymphosarcoma",   "Destroyer   Beholds",
"Distarnish Priest" (during which Steve commands everybody to  "jump"
-- gack!), and "Love Song". Besides the inclusion of  those  "songs",
the furthest they go back into  their  catalogue  for  this  disc  is
"Mephibosheth" from 1995's _Primitive Rhythmn Machine_  [see  CoC  #3
for Gino's less than  glowing  review  of  that  album].  The  weaker
moments of this performance include "Chapel  of  Hope"  and  "Liberal
Mediocrity", as they are not energetic enough songs to be included in
a live Mortification performance,  if  you  ask  me.  The  highlights
include "Buried Into Obscurity", "Martyrs", "Peace in the Galaxy" and
"Hammer of God", which to me made the disc worth owning.  Because  of
the current style of music that Mortification is doing, besides their
hardcore Christian supporters who gobble up everything the band does,
I'm not sure who their audience is, and  it  is  evident  that  their
impact on the secular music scene has been lessening over  the  years
(even though they have enjoyed a healthy amount of European  exposure
courtesy of Nuclear Blast over the last eight years), as I don't know
one single metalhead who is not a Jesus freak that  would  even  give
them the time of  day.  But  as  this  live  CD  testifies,  that  is
certainly not due to their lack of musical talent, but rather to  the
hostility aimed at Christians in general in the metal scene.


Myopia - _Concentration of Suffering_  (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Okay... since the disc has been finished, there  have  been  changes.
Singer Dave "The Butcher", who is on the disc,  is  now  out  of  the
band, and there have been some other changes in the band. Fuck!? Good
thing I visit their website and  check  the  news  frequently.  Guess
we'll have to wait and see how this affects the band live and on  the
next  recording.  As  for  the   recording   in   my   hand,   titled
_Concentration of Suffering_,  this  is  definitely  a  powerful  and
well-executed slab of brutal death metal. This West  Coast  act  have
really done their homework in terms of applying a real congruent  and
sickened style  to  their  sound.  The  music  oozes  with  intensity
("Onward to  Extinction"  and  "Salvation  in  Death")  as  the  band
steamrolls through 24 minutes of mayhem. Strong production and a real
professional attitude may just get these guys noticed.  If  you  like
brutal death metal, then let these Canucks rock your world!

Contact: 1137 Renfrew Street, Vancouver V5K 4C1, Canada
         mailto:myopia666@crosswinds.net
         http://www.crosswinds.net/~myopia666/


Mythological Cold Towers - _Remoti Meridiani Hymni -- Towards the
                            Magnificent Realm of the Sun_
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)  (Somber Music, August 2000)

It is nice to hear music that has been laboured over for a long time.
When one hears music like this, it becomes quite  apparent  just  how
much this music means to the artist. The hard work and  determination
pays off in the end  as  we  are  presented  a  wonderful  and  truly
magnificent  work  of  music  to   digest.   The   Brazilian   outfit
Mythological Cold Towers have no doubt worked extra hard to fine-tune
their dark epic sound and style with _RMH_, a neat little  expedition
into the darkened world of epic metal, but with a real South American
folklore twist. The vast use of folklore sounds, magnificent keyboard
work adding harmony and the  solid  guitar  work  enhance  the  vocal
delivery of singer Samej as the music of MTC flows effortlessly  into
a marvellous ride of emotions and sonic wonders.  These  guys  really
know how to play music -- not just as musicians, but as believers  in
the power of music. Get swept away by songs  like  the  title  track,
"Glorious  Traces  of  the  Fall  of  Tahuantinsuyu"  and   "Colossal
Megalithic Monument". MTC know exactly what buttons to push  to  draw
us in.

Contact: Somber Music, P.O. Box 2089, Osasco, SP 06114-990, Brazil
         mailto:somber@albnet.com.br


Nightingale - _I_  (Black Mark, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7.5 out of 10)

The third  instalment  of  superstar  producer/musician  Dan  Swano's
project Nightingale is easily his most accessible. Strong rock / prog
rock harmonies, catchy hooks and solid beefed  up  production  (great
use of keyboards) make this release a great listen from "Scarred  for
Life"  onto  "Remorse  and  Regret"  and  the  closing   instrumental
"Breathing". For all of you  Swano  junkies,  lyrics  for  all  three
Nightingale releases are here. While Swano  may  have  left  Edge  of
Sanity and gone his own way with Odyssey, it is  quite  obvious  that
his love for rock / prog rock lies  deep  in  his  veteran  heart.  A
worthy purchase for fans of his work.


Nocturnal Rites - _Afterlife_  (Century Media, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

This band, even though they are primarily a power/melodic metal  act,
can sure turn up the juice when need be. I'm talking deafening  roars
of metallic ecstasy. While the  new  disc  titled  _Afterlife_  is  a
definite continuation of Nocturnal Rites' material, it doesn't really
offer much diversity or groundbreaking work. A lot of the music  here
is very same sounding, a far cry from their  diverse  and  definitely
pounding 1998 record _Tales of Mystery  and  Imagination_.  Nocturnal
Rites is still going strong (check out numbers like "Hell  and  Back"
and "The Devil's Child"), I just think the band didn't really try too
hard to add another rung to their ladder of creativity here.  I  have
to give  them  credit,  though,  as  the  production  is  frightfully
crystal-clear from start to finish. I'm a little bummed  out  on  how
the overall record unfolds, but I'll let die-hard fans  of  the  band
make the final judgement call.


Opera IX - _The Black Opera (Symphoniae Mysterioeum in
            Lauden Tenebrarum)_  (Avantgarde / Dwell, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (4 out 10)

From what I am to gather about Opera IX (signed to Italy's Avantgarde
label and licensed to Dwell), the band composes a sound-quest through
cold occultism. _The Black Opera_ is, from all  accounts,  a  concept
album  dealing  with  a  spirit  warrior  campaigning  for   mystical
knowledge within the spheres of evil. Now, here's what I hear vocally
on _The Black Opera_: Dawn Crosby of Fear of God pre-_Toxic  Voodoo_.
Good? Yes, not too bad. Actually, Opera IX is fronted  by  Cadaveria,
and  not  Ms.  Cosby,  of  course,  but  the  comparison  is   easily
established within a minute or two on the first listen. The riffs  on
this disc are plenty catchy and ferociously rhythmic, but I found  it
difficult to swim through the atmosphere  this  band  was  trying  to
fashion. I'm not opposed to this occult ambience generally, and Opera
IX's effort, while mature, is simply not a  favorite  of  mine.  That
said, if it -is- something you relish, add a  couple  of  points,  at
least. As for the positives, this group has  no  trouble  fabricating
mood even through  the  somewhat  entangling  Cadaveria/Crosby  vocal
issue I mentioned earlier; plenty of character on _The Black  Opera_.
Another sure plus is Opera IX's cover  of  Bauhaus's  "Bela  Lugosi's
Dead", which I have on reunion double  disc  _Gotham_  from  1999,  I
believe. Supreme choice for this band. The entire  CD  clocks  in  at
just over fifty-one minutes and, like I said, if you delight in murky
plunges through the depths of female-fronted vocal concept occultism,
Opera IX is right up your alley. For me, it's  definitely  a  one-way
road -- the other way.


Ordained - _The Second Coming_  (Sinternational, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7.5 out of 10)

Sounding like a really down and  nasty  (even  vicious)  garage  rock
band, Virginia  act  Ordained  manage  to  score  points  with  their
infectious choruses, singer The Reverend's tantalizing vocals and the
downtuned guitars and hard-hitting rhythm  section  bringing  up  the
rear. While the music might be typical hate-filled  ditties,  spurned
on  by  aggressive  cries  and  sinister  Sabbath-like  riffing,  the
surprising winning factor here is Ordained's ability to  add  emotion
and atmosphere to the songs. Each song has its own emotion, but still
each song is given 100% attention (i.e. "Beloved", "Destroyer" and "I
Am the One") as it blares out of your speakers. A  little  bit  shock
rock, a little bit rock 'n' roll and a whole lot of devil worshipping
seems to help fuel Ordained's  need  to  get  their  message  across.
Message received, guys.

Contact: 5621 S. Greenfield Drive, Portsmouth, VA 23703, USA
         http://www.ordained.net


Origin - _Origin_  (Relapse, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8.5 out of 10)

There seems to be a lot going on  within  the  confines  of  Origin's
sound and style. Lots of brain-bashing, that  is!  From  the  opening
assault of "Lethal Manipulation" onto the deadly crossfire of "Mental
Torment", the members of death/grind act Origin have set out to  rape
us of our hearing and any sound intelligence that we might have  had.
Pummelling and unthoughtful of  what  happens  to  us,  Origin  came,
conquered and left us crippled in a pool of our own vomit and  urine.
Pleasant thoughts these are not, but neither  is  Origin.  Damn  fine
music to wreck your mind to.

Contact: http://www.origin.tsx.org


Physicist - _Physicist_  (HevyDevy Records, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

Listening to Devin Townsend's new project Physicist (following  other
great projects like Ocean Machine, Infinity and of  course  Strapping
Young Lad) is like watching magician  David  Copperfield  making  the
Statue of Liberty disappear. I'm left asking: how the fuck does he do
it? Record after record, Townsend and his  crew  of  metallers  (most
notably skin smasher Gene Hoglan) just push the envelope  further  by
meshing truly powerful melodies with severe  riffage  and  detonating
forms of aggression. Loud, but no doubt a beautiful and  jaw-dropping
result. No doubt this is Townsend's most extreme trip  yet  into  the
wonderful world of metal music, but he does his best to  make  it  as
pleasant a trip as he possibly can. While my fave project of  his  is
still SYL, this fucker delivers the goods. By the way, Devin, I am in
total awe of the track "Death". WOW!

Contact: P.O. Box 153, Maple Ridge, B.C. V2X 7G1, Canada
         mailto:hevydevy@home.com
         http://www.hevydevyrecords.com


Point of Recognition - _The Admiration of a Son_  (Rescue, 2000)
by: Alex Cantwell  (8 out of 10)

If this is SoCal Hardcore, I  want  more.  Point  of  Recognition  is
-extremely- metal, but has plenty of hardcore  elements,  and  enough
sing-along choruses to please any shaved head. These  six  young  men
have done very well for themselves with this, their debut. PoR  slams
out fast one-two punches most of the time, but the mid-tempo material
is just as heavy,  and  most  times  more  emotional.  The  music  is
top-notch new school hardcore, and the production is  crystal  clear.
One unique thing that sets them apart for sure is that they have  two
vocalists: one who uses the traditional hardcore  shouting,  and  one
who is closer to the black metal register. Some would say that it  is
totally unnecessary to have two vocalists in a hardcore band,  but  I
think it adds an incredible  dynamic  to  the  chaos  that  the  band
themselves churn out, and it sounds really cool when they  trade  off
every other vocal line.  Another  advantage  that  PoR  have  on  the
competition is the ability to  write  great  riffs,  and  _TAoaS_  is
packed with them. I recently saw these guys live,  and  it  was  like
witnessing an explosion of power and emotion,  and  unfortunately  as
good as this CD is, in no way does it capture the excitement  of  the
band in a live setting.

Contact: Rescue Records, 1075 Bay Blvd., Suite A,
         Chula Vista, CA 91911, USA


Postmortem - _Storm Force_  (Morbid Records, June 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (3 out of 10)

Postmortem's  attempts  at   a   sort   of   watered-down,   somewhat
electronically tinged "death 'n' roll" fall quite short of ever being
successful in the duration of this MCD. _Storm  Force_  is  mostly  a
collection of uninspired riffs, very poor vocals, annoying electronic
sounds, mediocre use of a drum  machine  and  a  remarkable  lack  of
ability to  stand  out  and  seize  your  attention.  The  result  is
redundant and uninteresting both for the absence of musical direction
and its lacklustre execution. Well, at least they  seem  to  give  up
their attempts to get people dancing early on the MCD, so most of  it
is at least a relief -- even if a somewhat mediocre one -- after  the
start of the record. Of course variety can be a good thing, but in my
view Postmortem need to make up their mind as far as what style  they
want to play and then actually try to be good at it. Overall, this is
a rather redundant collection of material  that  generally  fails  to
present any real reasons why it should be noticed.


Quo Vadis - _Day Into Night_  (<Independent>, 1999)
by: Brian Meloon  (8 out of 10)

Quo Vadis are a Canadian band, and this is their  second  full-length
album, following up their 1996 debut, _Forever..._.  Their  brand  of
thrash is straightforward and somewhat melodic.  That  is,  it's  not
completely dominated by catchy hooks, but  rather  incorporates  some
melodic elements into a standard thrash  setting.  A  good  reference
point would be the last three Death  albums,  though  Quo  Vadis  are
generally faster, heavier and more technical.  However,  their  music
isn't overly complex: generally, the  songs  are  based  upon  a  few
distinct  riffs  which  are  incorporated  into  a  fairly   standard
structure. As with most records, there are good and not-so-good riffs
here; and the risk you take in basing a  song  around  a  handful  of
riffs is that none  of  them  is  good  enough  to  carry  the  song.
Unfortunately, that's what happens for a few songs here,  as  I  find
some of the riffs less-than-inspired. But the playing is  very  good:
technical and tight. The production is excellent as  well,  with  the
exception of some of the guitar leads, which sound a little cheap  in
comparison to the rest of the music. At their best ("On the Shores of
Ithaka"), these guys are excellent. If the whole album were  as  good
as that song, this would be absolutely essential. As it  is,  it's  a
good album that will be enjoyed by fans of fast and heavy thrash.


Redeem - _A Diadem of Beauty_  (Sofa, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell  (9 out of 10)

Remember from my review of Zao's _When Blood and Fire Bring Rest_  in
CoC #34 when I prophesied that many new hardcore  bands  would  adopt
the use of black metal vocals? Probably not, but  I  really  did  say
that(!), and with the release of Redeem and Point of  Recognition  my
prophecy has only begun to unfurl before you. Redeem  is  sick.  They
take the most depressive feelings and pent-up  aggressions  and  turn
them into anthems of rage that fall somewhere around the  ever-fading
line that exists between hardcore, grind, noisecore and death  metal,
but yet they are the kind of band who will not be  limited  to  those
grounds, as evidenced in the  instrumental  "The  Dayspring  From  on
High". Being from New Jersey certainly must have its advantages  when
it comes to the metalcore/noisecore scene, as there are so many bands
within this genre from the area. Redeem seem to  be  a  ball  of  mad
energy that can barely be contained on a disc, and their  riffs  just
reach out and grab you, pulling you square into the face of  vocalist
Keith Lenox while he rips your head off  with  very  personal  lyrics
performed in the sickest hardcore vocal manner ever known to man.  In
my opinion, the strongest musical influence  on  these  lads  is  not
hardcore, but Slayer -- every song is full of riffs that could easily
find a home on any Slayer record, and you can  imagine  how  cool  it
must sound to have that  element  translated  into  non-over-produced
hardcore statements. No? Then run out and pick this  up  and  try  to
prove me wrong, Jack. Up the xHCx!

Contact: Sofa Records, 4643 Kendrick St., Philadelphia, PA 19136, USA
         mailto:sofarecord@aol.com


Various - _Root of All Evil 2000 2nd Anniversary Sampler_
by: Aaron McKay  (9.5 out of 10)  (Root of All Evil, 2000)

Probably one of the finest compilations I have in my possession. Like
the Wolf release on No Fashion not long ago [CoC #48],  here  is  yet
another example of never judging a CD's content on its cover. If  you
did, you might opt for a  more  flashy  casing  like  the  new  (very
killer) In Flames effort, but then you would miss out on some of  the
finest tracks on a sampler I have heard in awhile. While  most  bands
on Root of All Evil are moderately new to me, Lorde  of  All  Desires
performed at the Metalfest one year that I attended. Being  my  short
term memory is a lot  better  than  my  long  term  memory,  I  can't
remember a lot about Lorde of All Desires, unfortunately. What I  can
tell you is their song on this compilation, "Diablerie's Course",  is
ferociously impressive. Some other bands I can't fathom why I haven't
checked out before are Theatre of the Macabre, Aesma Daeva (intensely
powerful and frighteningly beautiful metal) and Opaque. This  sampler
washes over the entire gambit  of  music  genres  Root  of  All  Evil
oversees.  For  instance,  Opaque  have  metal  and  rugged  hardcore
qualities like a catchier Madball  or  Biohazard  that,  in  Opaque's
case, is truly appealing. Also, bands like Somnus provide  a  somber,
exquisitely cavernous  black  metal  approach  to  the  scene,  while
Walhalla [see the review of _Fireich_ in this issue] tackle the whole
black metal style with touches of infectious death metal  injections.
This sampler has it all, no doubt about it.  Plan-E's  "My  Skeleton"
has a kind of wispy, clean Godflesh  sorrowful  vocal  slant  to  it,
while their form is more of a straightforward  metal  heaviness.  The
glassy,  unhinged  semi-muted  buzz  feel  of  Carrier  Flux's   "The
Collective Part 3 -- Attack" is  genuinely  hypnotizing.  Rock-steady
low bass riffs like Sleep meets Geezer Butler abound plenty on "Hexe"
from The Unholy. Brick gives the Root of All Evil compilation a taste
Cannibal Corpse infused Cianide while Reverend Porky Bunge  fills  in
the Anal Cunt slot in the roster. Two tracks from Impaler  appear  on
this disc:  "Under  the  Dirt"  and  "Speed  Thrills".  If  you  look
elsewhere in this issue, I have a review that goes into a touch  more
detail  regarding  Impaler.  "Under  the  Dirt"  is  infinitely  more
groove-oriented with an extremely wise  use  of  tough-sounding  drum
smacks throughout the track. Like I  indicated  earlier,  a  superior
sampler. With eighteen total cuts, this is a premium package.

Contact: http://www.rootofallevil.com


Rotten Sound - _Still Psycho_  (Necropolis / Deathvomit, July 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (4 out 10)

I think I might rename the first four words above No Shit  --  _Still
Harebrained_. All this band's points  came  from  the  second  track,
"Ignorance", track five, "Lack  of  Awareness",  and  the  multimedia
clips of the band live this MCD comes with. For the brief time during
the  above  mentioned  songs,  I  was  able   to   gloss   over   the
shaving-off-your-asshair vocals in favor of Rotten Sound's determined
rhythm and tempo variances and none of that "too fast" to  "more  too
fast" shit either, as could be said about cuts one, three  and  four.
This brings me to the only tune not yet mentioned, six. Track six  is
a cover of Carcass's "Reek of Putrefaction". I  enjoy  hearing  bands
tip their collective hats to inspiring bands, but not in this case. I
have no points and took no points away for this due to the prominence
of Carcass, but RS's version isn't even playing the same game as  the
original, let alone in the same ballpark. As you  might  be  able  to
ascertain, Rotten Sound draws influence from Napalm Death and Extreme
Noise Terror. But like the comparison to Carcass,  RS  isn't  yet  to
this echelon. This is nearly a waste of sixteen and a half minutes of
your time, but there are some not-so-dim spots to _Still Psycho_.


Scariot - _Death Forlorn_  (Demolition Records, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)

This is just one of those weird records that come out of nowhere  and
at first kind of impresses you, but then after  numerous  listens  it
loses its charm. The band  in  question  here  is  Scariot,  a  weird
melding of progressive metal vocals, strong guitar riffing and  death
metal grunts helping lead the charge. I know  what  you're  thinking:
"What the fuck?" Don't worry. You're not alone. Comprised of  members
from Blood Red Throne, In the Woods..., Carpathian Forest  and  Trail
of Tears, Scariot loses its charm in the sense that  it  is  offering
too much, too fast. The styles of music change  at  breakneck  speed,
leaving metal fans scurrying to find out  if  their  CD  has  skipped
discs. The musicianship is the most obvious characteristic that seems
to dominate here, with Scariot showcasing some fancy guitar licks and
song arrangements throughout. Too bad the ideas didn't meld  together
too strong or this would have been a kick-ass record.

Contact: Scariot, c/o Daniel Olaisen, Dronningensgt 38,
         4610 Kristiansand, Norway
         mailto:peisapaa@c2i.net


Society's Burden - _Ten Tales From Hell's Trailer Park_
by: Adrian Bromley  (5 out of 10)  (<Independent>, August 2000)

Once you get  past  the  rather  downscaled  production  of  the  new
offering from  Society's  Burden,  you  can  sort  of  get  into  the
doom/sludge/stoner state of things. Sludgy guitars, gritty vocals and
a real downright dirty ambience  spurts  out  from  the  material  of
Society's Burden as they play along, rarely breaking  free  from  the
hypnotic drive of the heavy music (check out "Betta  Run"  and  "Cast
Out"). The production is just plain lousy, but that is  kind  of  the
beauty of it all. The production just attaches itself to the  already
loosely played numbers,  at  times  morphing  them  into  a  crushing
metallic gravy train of emotions. I can get down to this, but not  on
a regular basis. I guess it is also the awful production that kind of
turns it off from listen to listen. Take caution if you're  going  to
scope this CD out.

Contact: P.O. Box 1208, Ramseur, NC 27316, USA
         mailto:societysburden@mailandnews.com
         http://www.societysburden.com


Somnus - _Awakening the Crown_  (Root of All Evil, 1999)
by: Aaron McKay  (7 out of 10)

It may be a little old, but surely it is still consequential.  Having
got this not all that long ago, I  wanted  to  be  sure  to  have  it
reviewed to share with the CoC community not later than  this  issue.
Great stuff to be uncovered on _Awakening the Crown_. No drab Satanic
doldrums  or  trite  black  metal  extracts,   just   heavily   laden
atmospheric enchantment a la trolls, wilderness and mystical  dreams.
Kind of refreshing. Reminds me somewhat of what little I know of  the
game Dungeons and Dragons. Song titles like "A Calling of Arms", "The
Alchemist"  and  "Lair  (of  the  Wendol)"  may  give  you  the  same
impression, too. Even before I got my hands  on  this,  I  had  heard
Somnus' "Season in the Abyss" tribute to  Slayer  on  Dwell  Records,
_Gateway to  Hell_.  Soft  keyboards  occasionally  haunt  tracks  on
_Awakening the Crown_. Vocals are gruff and stressed, but  clear  and
understandable. Interesting arrangements play a big role  in  Somnus'
style and approach. Not that anyone has asked me, but if they did,  I
might be inclined to mention utilizing the  bass  a  bit  more  could
pound home the objective on some tracks.  My  personal  favorite  cut
from _Awakening the Crown_ has to be "Beyond the Shores", a wonderful
male/female voice volley at times making  the  song  move  swimmingly
along with evanescent ease. Strong effort.

Contact: Somnus, P.O. Box 81379, Cleveland, Ohio 44181, USA
Contact: http://www.rootofallevil.com


Soulfly - _Primitive_  (Roadrunner, September 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (8 out of 10)

After  the  exorcism  that  Max  Cavalera  displayed   on   Soulfly's
self-titled debut disc, I was beginning to wonder how he'd be able to
top that effort. Well, metal fans, he has.  On  Soulfly's  new  disc,
Cavalera leads his troops through a wind tunnel  of  experimentation,
metal riffs and bombastic cries of aggression as Soulfly  once  again
leads their fans onto soulful groupings of material.  _Primitive_  is
full of songs with a message and lots of substance, a kind of book of
reality and life itself, which punish our  ears  but  keep  our  feet
tapping. Cavalera is not afraid to venture  out  from  the  realm  of
metal music (though at the same time keeping it metallic) to bring an
air  of  originality  to  the  work.  Case  in  point,  the   bizarre
collaboration with Sean Lennon ("Son Song"). Who'd have thought in  a
million years this would happen? But it did, and it works quite well.
Other collaborators include Corey Taylor (#8  from  Slipknot),  Chino
Moreno from the Deftones and Slayer's Tom Araya, all lending hand  in
support of Cavalera's quest for his musical  vision.  Some  might  be
expecting the Soulfly record to be geared towards the Ozzfest  crowds
-- it is no doubt for fans of that ilk --,  but  this  is  definitely
more of a metal record than some might expect. Just listen to  opener
"Back to the Primitive" and it might just make you give  a  damn  for
Soulfly in 2000.


Soulless - _The Darkening of Days_  (<Independent>, August 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley  (7 out of 10)

Ohio act Soulless have definitely got a  solid  groove  going.  Their
death metal groove mixed with  vibrantly  aggressive  (yet  coherent)
vocals is definitely worthy of praise as it rarely changes  up  much,
thus allowing the listener to headbang along to the disc without  any
drastic momentum changes. From start to  finish,  _The  Darkening  of
Days_ aims to please with its crushing death metal  vocals  and  hard
hitting drive. If there was any setback, and usually there is  within
this genre, it is the somewhat simple  production  that  comes  along
with their violent outbursts. It just seems  too  standard  sounding.
Had the production been a little more cleaned up, I'm pretty sure the
songs would make more of an impact. Just my two  cents,  folks.  This
still hits fast and hard. Choice cut: "Turn".

Contact: Soulless, c/o Chris Dora, 6110 Bradley,
         Ave. Parma, OH 44129-2218, USA
         mailto:chrisdora@webtv.net


Steve Von Till - _As the Crow Flies_  (Neurot Recordings, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo  (8 out of 10)

Neurosis member Steve Von Till  goes  solo  with  this  home-recorded
album of minimalist, sombre, acoustic music. In addition to using his
own deep, tranquil voice, he also plays acoustic  guitar  and  piano,
whilst  some  guests  (including  Kris  Force  from   Amber   Asylum)
contribute with other instruments, such  as  cello  and  violin.  The
music has an overall sense of  calmness,  and  the  tranquil,  sombre
beauty throughout the record is as likely to  be  deeply  appreciated
and absorbed by some listeners as the album's minimalism is likely to
lull  some  listeners  to  sleep.  Soothing  and  very  adequate  for
melancholic rainy days, _As the Crow Flies_ is an unpretentious album
that does not pander to any trends and does not try  to  make  itself
especially marketable  in  conventional  ways;  and  as  far  as  I'm
concerned, that makes it all the more attractive.  Granted,  this  is
not a record I'll be listening to several times  a  day  or  anything
like  that,  but  it  still  definitely  is  one  whose  quality  and
personality ensure that I'll be enjoying  it  whenever  the  time  is
right.


Symphony X - _V_  (Metal Blade, October 2000)
by: Brian Meloon  (9 out of 10)

Symphony X return with their aptly  titled  fifth  full-length  album
(well, sixth if you count the greatest  hits  comp  _Prelude  to  the
Millennium_), and it proves to be their strongest effort  yet.  While
their previous albums were more song-based, this one flows from  song
to song as one continuous work. This allows the band more freedom  in
contrasting motives and ideas between songs, and allows them to  move
away from standard song structures. In fact, about half of the  songs
are more like instrumental interludes or  introductions  than  "real"
songs, but they're often much more than simple keyboard  pieces.  The
band's style hasn't changed very much since their debut; all  of  the
Yngwie-isms and Egyptian references you'd expect are still there. But
they've expanded their influences a little bit, including  influences
from the likes of Kansas, (symphonic)  movie  soundtracks,  and  some
classical piano (Chopin, e.g.). I even hear some parts  which  remind
me of a less over-the-top Bal Sagoth. As you'd expect, the production
is great, the playing is excellent, and the vocals  are  great.  Even
more impressive is the restraint shown by the band members in playing
what's appropriate instead of showing off. While there is no sparsity
of flashy playing, it doesn't dominate the disc either.  Perhaps  the
lyrics could be a little better, but other  than  that,  it's  really
hard to find a weakness in this album. Fans of  the  band's  previous
works should enjoy this, as should most  other  fans  of  progressive
metal.


The Fallen - _The Tones in Which We Speak_
by: Adrian Bromley  (6 out of 10)  (<Independent>, August 2000)

Right off the bat, I'm thinking to myself, "These guys are so  easily
classifiable. They are a thrash metal band that play thick riffs  and
contain menacing vocals. What else is left to say?" Then  I  thought,
"Is it going to be that easy to write this review? I need a few  more
listens." After numerous more spins, I came to the  same  conclusion,
but I did have a lot more respect for The Fallen, for  paying  homage
to the thrash metal heroes of years past but  still  trying  to  make
their music come off a bit more varied. While the riffs are heavy  as
fuck and the solos would make any guitar fan take note,  in  the  end
The Fallen speak the same "tones" that many metal fans  have  already
issued to us die-hard metal fans. Some of us just get sick and  tired
of hearing rehashed stuff,  you  know?  I  think  in  the  end  their
influences will shine more than their attempt to take their music  to
another level. As  Metallica's  James  Hetfield  used  to  sing  with
conviction: "Sad but true..."

Contact: 26701 Quail Creek #190 Laguna Hills, CA 92656, USA
         mailto:thefallen@home.com


The Haunted - _The Haunted Made Me Do It_  (Earache, October 2000)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)

What do you do when you have a solid debut album  met  with  critical
acclaim and then after  touring  and  playing  out  two  key  members
(singer and drummer) leave? What the fuck do you think  you  do?  You
regroup, revamp the sound and go for it. That  is  exactly  what  The
Haunted  did  when  they  lost  members  after  the  successful  rise
following their self-titled debut disc for Earache. In  comes  singer
Marc Aro (ex-Face Down) and drummer Per Moller Jensen (ex-Invocator),
two new factors in the ever-growing metallic strike of  The  Haunted.
The vocals are heavier, the sound more intense and the rhythm section
is to die for. Who says change is bad?  The  new  disc,  titled  _The
Haunted Made Me  Do  It_,  helps  the  Swedish  act  reinforce  their
importance in the realm of metal music. With a blistering assault  of
thrashing metal music that shows off the definite At the  Gates  vibe
that has become such a stable part of the sound (seeing that the band
initially was formed by ex-AtG members), the band forges forward with
a truly dynamic crunch of metal music. While paying homage to  thrash
heroes of the past with the new disc, they are also easily paving way
for some new modern styles and sounds. Check out  tracks  like  "Bury
Your Dead", "Hollow Ground" (the  best  track!)  and  "Silencer"  and
you'll see just why you should invest your  time  and  money  in  The
Haunted. Pick this up, fuck shit up and go crazy. Just tell  everyone
The Haunted made you do it.


Tierra Santa - _Tierras de Leyenda_  (Locomotive Music, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee  (9 out of 10)

Mention Tierra Santa in a group of Spanish metalheads and you'll hear
no end of it; say the same to anyone outside the country and  chances
are you'll get blank stares. Heroes in their  homeland  and  all  but
zeroes (dare I say this?) outside it, TS certainly deserve a ton more
than what they've got in return for last  year's  godly  _Legendario_
album. Those who know the band can't help but worship their brand  of
old-school, ultra-melodic  true  metal,  and  the  lukewarm  response
they've received outside the Spanish-speaking world has been  dismal,
to say the least. My expectations for this album never did  run  very
high: expecting it to top a modern classic like _Legendario_ would be
akin  to  hoping  for  another  _Seventh  Son..._.  Locomotive  Music
responds with notably stunning packaging: a triple fold-out  digi-pak
in lavish color and a clear tray, a classy booklet and a  beautifully
printed  picture-CD  sets  the  medieval  tone  for   these   Spanish
swordsmen. The requisite epic intro  leads  into  the  characteristic
Maiden-worshipping twin-guitar attack of  the  title  track,  Angel's
fiery cries cutting an authoritative swath  through  dense  waves  of
bass and florid guitar lines. Weak in  the  knees  from  the  initial
assault,  we're  led  through  another  typical  anthem  before   the
highlight of the album: a two part epic saga of piracy, in  the  true
Running Wild tradition, lyrics apparently credited to  one  "Jose  de
Espronceda (1808-1842)". A rollicking adventure on the high seas, _La
Cancion del Pirata_ leaves no doubt about the band's ability to craft
subtle yet  catchy  melodies  that  just  go  on  and  on,  adding  a
considerable measure to  the  similar  structure  of  Running  Wild's
epics. The second part proves even more captivating as the privateers
slip into mellower jerkins for a variation on the first theme. Seldom
does metal get this atmospheric... Thanks  to  the  thematic  artwork
behind each printed lyric,  we  are  never  quite  lost  despite  the
unfamiliarity of the language; tales of pharaohs and  mummies  abound
in suitably "Egyptian" melodies, Sodom and Gomorrah gets  a  lashing,
and even the Tower of Babel gets a mention. Remarks  have  been  made
about having to adapt to the strange-sounding language,  nevertheless
I couldn't  imagine  it  in  any  other  language:  the  fiery  music
complements the language perfectly, in the same way  Master's  Hammer
would sound wrong in any other language than Czech. Needless to  say,
the music  is  of  a  consistently  high  quality,  and  without  the
benchmark _Legendario_, this would rank as the greatest Spanish album
ever. As it is, this band demands  a  place  in  any  self-respecting
metalhead's collection, and this album should serve as  an  excellent
introduction to these Spanish sorcerers.


Walhalla - _Firereich_  (Root of All Evil, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (8 out of 10)

I can't decide if this is simply balls-out aggressive metal or  black
metal. Very spectacular in its diversity -- style crossing back  over
itself in an ever-elusive genre pinpointing  exercise.  Whatever  the
band calls itself and whatever you deem it necessary  to  dub  it,  I
like Walhalla's style.  Rock  steady  beats  thick  with  groves  and
excellent  guitar  work  sounding  similar  at  times  to  Witchery's
_Restless & Dead_, especially in the vocal  area.  Members  from  Thy
Serpent,  Soulgrind  and  Gloomy  Grim  form  an  iron  nucleus   for
Walhalla's  explosive  reactions.  Seek   out   the   second   track,
"Helldivizion" about the  two  minute  mark  for  some  catchy  vocal
blasting and infinitely crunchy guitar that loops back again  in  the
song toward the end of the track. Also, the opening  to  "Warsong666"
(the cut immediately following "Helldivizion") is  awe-inspiring,  as
is the song's chugging progression.  The  tempo  inches  faster  with
tacks like "Black Cross Burning", "Winterfuhrer" and  most  certainly
"War Over Norland". The most interesting  aspect  to  this  inaugural
full-length effort from Finland's Walhalla is the hidden cut  at  the
end of track ten, "Firereich". Let me say when  hearing  this  effort
for the first time in my  truck  coming  back  from  a  long  weekend
vacation, I about drove into the ditch with electrified laughter  and
enjoyment. Not many  bands  have  the  balls  to  record  Bon  Jovi's
"Runaway", let alone do a killer job at making it sound like inspired
black and old school thrash metal.


Various - _World of Pain -- A Tribute to Sepultura_  (Dwell, 1999)
by: Alex Cantwell  (7.5 out of 10)

Surprisingly, although this compilation  features  underground  bands
only, 11 out of 14 tracks are actually very good  representations  of
the  power  held  by  the  Sepultura  originals.  There   are   small
differences in the covers versus the originals here  and  there,  but
overall these bands should be commended for their performances.  Here
are some of the highlights/lowpoints. Things get off to a great start
with Pain Corporation, who  make  "Slave  New  World"  sound  like  a
Swedish death metal song, with a very interesting take  on  the  lead
guitar parts. Terminal Plan do a charged-up version  of  "Propaganda"
with dark death growls and  the  fastest  double-kick  this  side  of
Demolition Hammer, and Crematorium's take on "Arise" rules. Vore slow
"Inner Self" way down from the original speed and seem to get off  to
a bad start, but it grows on you as the song progresses, so  much  so
that by the end I was headbanging like a  fool.  Decay  of  Salvation
play a severely downtuned and uninteresting  version  of  "Troops  of
Doom", and their chords in the opening segment are completely  wrong!
The band that I was in while in high school did  a  better  cover  of
this song ten years ago -- next! Rise, Abhorrent, and Turning of  the
Gears turn in covers  of  "Primitive  Future",  "Clenched  Fist"  and
"Desperate Cry" respectively, and their songs  sound  good,  but  are
just a bit more raw and unrefined than some of the others.  Mystifier
and Enter Self dip way back  into  the  Sepultura  catalog,  as  they
attempt  to  revamp  "Morbid  Visions"  and  "The  Curse  /   Bestial
Devastation" respectively -- proving that some things are better left
alone.

Contact: Dwell Records, P.O. Box 39439, Los Angeles, CA 90039, USA
         http://www.dwellrecords.com


Wumpscut - _Bloodchild_  (Metropolis, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay  (9 out of 10)

Probably one of this year's most prominent  and  personally  relevant
releases. As to not shade the review any, this is my  first  exposure
to Wumpscut. Most of you realize my tastes lean toward the death  and
black aspects of metal, so for this group to sponge my interest  like
it did lends a fair amount of credence to the possibility of  opening
new doors to varieties of expansive listening for me. I have probably
spun this disc more than any other promo I've reviewed in a very long
time -- if ever. The Wumpscut sound is so a propos to  whatever  mood
or time of the day seems to dominate at the very moment you slide  in
a CD. Make no mistake, Wumpscut has little  or  nothing  to  do  with
metal; techno/industrial is the force to be reckoned with  here.  I'm
moderately unsure of the terms "techno" and "industrial", as a whole,
but they do seem to identify Wumpscut nearly perfect. This might  not
need mentioning, but  Wumpscut  is  focused  by  along  the  beam  of
outstanding German electronic artists; in this case, Rudy  Ratzinger.
As a stab at the band's sound, let's just say that I whipped  out  my
copy of Hanzel und Gretyl's _Ausgeflippt_ and found it massively less
satisfying now in light of _Bloodchild_. About as close as I can  get
is a ham-handed comparison to labelmates Funker  Vogt.  This  is  the
primary reason comparisons  mostly  fail  to  accomplish  their  task
adequately  of  giving  the  listener/reader  a  parallel  basis  for
judgement. Even the Funker Vogt contrast is not up to par due to  the
fact that FV is less languid and casual than Wumpscut's  leaden  beat
and approach. I won't get into the entire history of the  group,  but
it does stretch back to the very early nineties with some releases on
other labels until 1996, when the impressive Wumpscut was  picked  up
by Metropolis Records. The group has a solid number of efforts  under
its belt, and even though I only have ten  cuts  from  _Bloodchild_'s
new double CD compilation, complete with re-issues  of  some  of  the
group's earliest material with  rarities  and  a  special  multimedia
track for computers, I still find myself  in  awe.  It  goes  without
saying, the complete _Bloodchild_ must be -astounding-! My  new-found
impression and interest in Wumpscut won't make writing my Funker Vogt
review   very   easy.   I'd   certainly   urge   you   to   head   to
www.metropolis-records.com and find at least one way to  expand  your
musical horizons -- with Wumpscut's help, of course.

Contact: http://www.insania.com/wumpscut/index.html


Yattering - _Murder's Concept_  (Season of Mist, 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz  (8.5 out of 10)

Tagging  _Murder's  Concept_  simply  as  "-Very-  brutal  &   -very-
technical Death Metal (sic) from Poland with a big fat sound. Need we
say more?" actually seems to have been a  bit  unfair  of  Season  of
Mist. For though both these qualities are more than  attributable  to
Yattering, their music is not  worthy  merely  of  the  attention  of
anti-progressive stalwarts. The fact that many fans of  brutal  death
(much of the SOD-reading faction for example) may reject Yattering as
mere noise and go back to wanking over the new Deicide is  definitely
to the band's credit. Though  not  melding  technicality  into  their
music as  inspirationally  or  brilliantly  as  Cryptopsy,  Yattering
nonetheless combine skull-smashing sound and percussion with jaggedly
unusual riffing and jarring, non-linear arrangements. Admittedly, you
have to listen pretty closely for _Murder's Concept_  not  to  merely
blur into itself, but if you are sitting  comfortably,  then  as  the
record progresses and your mind adapts itself to Yattering's pace and
style, you are treated to a mind-bendingly warped and twisted musical
experience. The lack of coherent song structures  or  music  that  is
possible to follow does make _Murder's Concept_  more  of  an  oddity
than a record which will see repeated spins in your  stereo,  but  it
does  not  divert  from  the   achievement   it   represents   on   a
musical-dissonance level, nor from the appeal it will have  to  those
of you craving something which is really, truly and purely fucked.


Zemial - _For the Glory of UR_  (Iron Pegasus, 2000)
by: Alvin Wee  (10 out of 10)

Finally!!! After ages of obscure existence, Greek black  gods  Zemial
have eventually graced our eager ears with a re-release of their only
full length album (long deleted and  hardly  ever  seen  at  all)  on
equally-cult label Iron Pegasus. The traditional Greek style needs no
introduction,  let  it  suffice  to   say   that   lovers   of   _His
Majesty..._-era Varathron will not be disappointed with Zemial's more
dynamic sound on _FtGoU_. Blending  the  epic  qualities  of  Rotting
Christ with the hook-laden simplicity of Varathron and the atmosphere
of Necromantia, this piece of Greek history surely ranks  among  _Non
Serviam_ and _Crossing the Fiery  Path_  as  a  definitive  piece  of
Hellenic metal. A cut-and-paste montage of sorts,  the  album  boasts
cuts ranging from a single '97 track "Nocturnal Witch", a  rollicking
riff-monster to say the least; slightly older material from  '92/'93;
and a true bonus: the two tracks from their legendary _Sleeping Under
Tartarus_ 7" EP. Despite the apparent chronological discontinuity  of
the  material,  nothing  seems  out  of  place  at  all,   even   the
instrumental piece doesn't seem out of place in the least. A tad thin
at eight tracks, _FtGoU_ nevertheless satisfies  immensely,  and  the
hankering for more at the end can hardly be considered a fault of the
album. Iron Pegasus has never attempted to hide the fact  that  their
releases pander to collectors' whims, and this  release  in  three(!)
separate formats drives the point home. While the picture LP  version
of 100 numbered copies (in a picture sleeve!) may well be sold-out in
the usual short time, the  normal  vinyl  (333  copies)  and  the  CD
versions should still be up for grabs. A classic  like  this  doesn't
come round very often, and no effort should be spared in getting hold
of it.

Contact: Iron Pegasus, P.O. Box 1462, 56804 Cochem/Mosel, Germany.
         CD costs $15 worldwide, which is a bargain for such quality!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                 __                    __      _
              /\ \ \_____      __   /\ \ \___ (_)___  ___
             /  \/ / _ \ \ /\ / /  /  \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
            / /\  /  __/\ V  V /  / /\  / (_) | \__ \  __/
            \_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/   \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___|

If you have a band, don't forget to send us your  demo,  including  a
bio,  if  you  want  to  be  reviewed.  We  accept  demos  either  on
traditional   media    or    MP3     format.     E-mail     us     at
<mailto:Demos@ChroniclesOfChaos.com>  to  know  which  is  the   most
appropriate postal address for you to send your CD or tape,  in  case
you are sending one, or to indicate the location of  a  website  from
which we can download the MP3 files  of  your  entire  demo  (but  do
NOT send any files attached to your e-mail).

Scoring:   ***** -- A flawless demo
            **** -- Great piece of work
             *** -- Good effort
              ** -- A major overhaul is in order
               * -- A career change is advisable


Bealiah / Unevil Hopes - <split demo>  (3-track / 5-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley  (**--- / **---)

Going into this split demo, I was thinking these  are  two  different
bands teaming up to get some exposure and maybe turn  fans  onto  new
styles of music. Man, was I wrong. Both Bealiah (from parts  unknown)
and  Unevil  Hopes  (from  Russia)  play  almost  the  same  kind  of
atmospheric music, with  a  touch  of  keyboards  and  some  darkened
ambience thrown in. The music  sounds  like  something  Burzum  would
attempt to do, but not even  half  as  interesting  as  Burzum  could
conjure up. The only saving grace of this demo is Beliah's  emotional
offering called "Untitled". Hopefully these bands will broaden  their
sounds a bit more so next time I hear them I can have something  more
pleasing to say. Slow, moody and for the most part boring.

Contact: Unevil Hopes, 28/4 Marata, St. Petersburg 191040, Russia
Contact: Turbulence Records, P.O. Box 1496,
         JKB 11014, Jakarta, Indonesia
         mailto:thtudg@centrin.net.id


Erase - _Plastic Soul_  (5-track MP3 demo)
by: Paul Schwarz  (***--)

_Mental Overload_ sees this  typically  muscular  mid-paced  metallic
hardcore act, suited up with a decent production, strut  their  stuff
in somewhat typical genre style, but thankfully with enough  elements
--  like  melody  and  dynamics  --  to  keep  them  clear   of   the
insomnia-cure levels Backfire!/BF!, in my opinion, reach.  Ultimately
though, Erase neither concentrate pure aggression as well as Stampin'
Gorund or  line  a  truly  brilliant  musical  vein  like  Vision  of
Disorder, and despite a few pleasantly unusual  Death/Carcass  hybrid
solos, the band at this point show no unusual amount of promise.

Contact: http://www.mp3.com/erase/


Lucifer - _Watching the Christians Burn_  (8-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (***--)

Lucifer is a death metal band from Maryland, USA. This is their first
full-length release. Their  music  is  straightforward  death  metal:
nothing fancy or particularly innovative. Their main weakness is  the
lack of a real drummer. While I generally have no problems with  drum
machines, the key to their proper use is  in  making  sure  that  the
drums don't get boring and repetitive. And that's what's  wrong  with
this album: the drums are too straightforward  and  very  repetitive.
The thing that makes this all the more unfortunate is that the  riffs
are generally average to good, but the repetitive drumming  and  song
structures combine to really drown out any  interest  that  the  band
manages to create. The guitar work is very good and  even  moderately
technical. The guitar solos aren't particularly good, but they  don't
ruin the music either. If the music even had the level  of  diversity
that the vocals do, this would be a much better recording. The vocals
range from death vocals to shrieky black vocals, and  are  very  well
mixed up (both interspersed  and  overlayed).  While  the  actual  CD
packaging is quite good, I must say that their  bio  sheet  has  more
errors in it than I was expecting. Guys: if you want people  to  take
you seriously, put a little more time into your bio  sheet.  Overall,
this isn't bad for a demo, but these guys aren't quite ready for  the
big leagues just yet. With some work on making their songs and  their
drum programming more interesting, they could be ready for  the  next
level.

Contact: Lucifer, P.O. Box 49, Goldsboro, MD 21636, USA
         mailto:acc@lucifernet.com


Torment - _Torment_  (4-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon  (***--)

Torment are a thrash band from Sydney, Australia, and this  is  their
second demo. They are a professional outfit, playing  straightforward
'80s thrash, with almost a punk feel at times. The band  that  popped
into my mind while listening to them was Nuclear  Assault  (the  song
"Brainwashed", to be precise). Ultimately, they're not  treading  too
much new ground, but what they're doing, they're  doing  quite  well.
The songs display a good variety of tempos and styles, so they aren't
overly  repetitive  or  boring.  The  music  is   semi-melodic;   not
hook-based, just straightforward  thrash  with  some  melodic  guitar
lines. The playing isn't too bad, and they have some nice ideas.  The
rhythm guitar and bass work is good, and the drumming  is  competent.
Unfortunately, the guitar solos aren't very good;  they're  weak  and
amateurish in comparison to the rest of the  music.  There's  nothing
flashy in the music, which means that attention is focused  upon  the
vocals, which are the album's weak point. The vocalist simply  shouts
the lyrics in a monotone style. This is passable on some  songs,  but
on others, he tries to carry a tune, which doesn't  work  because  he
has basically no range.  In  addition,  the  lyrics  could  use  some
improvement. The production is a  little  weak:  somewhat  faded  and
tinny, but passable. If you're in the mood for late '80s thrash, this
would be a good choice, and it's nice to see bands still playing this
style.

Contact: Torment, 88 Bridge Road, Westmead N.S.W. 2145, Australia
         mailto:dunks@torment.com.au 
         http://www.torment.com.au

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

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


Gino's Top 5

1. Nasum - _Human 2.0_
2. Tool - _Undertow_
3. Nirvana - _Unplugged in New York_
4. Kiss - _Double Platinum_
5. Immortal - _Damned in Black_

Adrian's Top 5

1. Rotting Christ - _Khronos_
2. Nile - _Black Seeds of Vengeance_
3. Soulfly - _Primitive_
4. The Haunted - _The Haunted Made Me Do It_
5. earthtone9 - _arc'tan'gent_

Brian's Top 5

1. Martyr - _Warp Zone_
2. Inner Strength - _Shallow Reflections_
3. Apocrypha - _The Forgotten Scroll_
4. Dark Tranquillity - _Skydancer_
5. Miscreant - _Dreaming Ice_

Alain's Top 5

1. Dying Fetus - _Grotesque Impalement_
2. Discordance Axis - _The Inalienable Dreamless_
3. Assuck - _Misery Index_
4. Hellnation - _Fucked Up Mess_
5. Summoning - _Stronghold_

Adam's Top 5

1. Carpathian Forest - _Strange Old Brew_
2. Rotting Christ - _Khronos_
3. Allersellen - _Neuschwabenland_
4. Pungent Stench - _Dirty Rhymes And Psychotronic Beats_
5. Blood Duster - _Yeest_

Pedro's Top 5

1. Aurora - _Devotion_
2. Thy Serpent - _Death_
3. Lux Occulta - _My Guardian Anger_
4. The Crown - _Deathrace King_
5. Hateplow - _The Only Law Is Survival_

Paul's Top 5

1. Nile - _Black Seeds of Vengeance_
2. Drowning Man - _Busy Signal at the Suicide Hotline_
3. Autopsy - _Fiend for Blood_
4. Public Enemy - _Fear of a Black Planet_
5. The Ravenous - _Assembled in Blasphemy_

Aaron's Top 5

1. Morbid Angel - _Gateways to Annihilation_ (advance)
2. Dark Tranquillity - _Haven_ (thanks, Adreas!)
3. Cathedral - _Soul Sacrifice_
4. Tool - _Undertow_
5. Alas - _Engulfed in Grief_

David's Top 5

1. Finntroll - _Midnattens Widunder_
2. Resurrection - _Embalmed Existence_
3. In Flames - _Clayman_
4. Cadaver / Carnage - _Hallucinating Anxiety / Dark Recollections_
5. Exhorder - _The Law_

Alex's Top 5

1. Hank Williams III - _Risin' Outlaw_
2. Morrissey - _Vauxhall and I_
3. Extol - _Undecieved_
4. Ultimatum - _The Mechanics of Perilous Times_ (advance)
5. Pestilence - _Testimony of the Ancients_

Alvin's Top 5

1. Monstrosity - _In Dark Purity_
2. Mercyful Fate - _Shadow Nights_ (bootleg)
3. Moonblood - _Blut und Krieg_
4. Overdrive - _Metal Attack_
5. Opus Forgotten - _Demon of Destruction_

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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #49

All contents copyright 2000 by individual creators of included  work.
All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing
them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.

