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Written by Liu
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Tuesday, 15 September 2009 15:39 |
Relapse
"Any Voivod is better than no Voivod."
The above is the mantra that many Voivod fans have been uttering since the untimely death of band founder Denis "Piggy" D'Amour in 2005. I have a big problem with that statement, namely because as far as I'm concerned, Piggy was Voivod and thus far, the Piggy-less material has been largely a stain to the great Voivod name.
Allow me to state that I consider myself a big Voivod fan. I think that Killing Technology is one of the greatest thrash albums ever conceived, Nothingface is one of the most unsung "progressive" albums ever (or whatever you wanna call it) and can and will discuss at length the merits of The Outer Limits and why it is the best thing the band has ever done. I'm no Johnny-Come-Lately who has discovered the band yesterday.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 September 2009 17:02 |
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Read the full review [Voivod - Infini]
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Moss - Tombs of the Blind Drugged |
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Written by Philip
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Tuesday, 08 September 2009 19:28 |
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Rise Above Records I'd like to say "Now here's a band that needs no introduction..." but I think that's not true. I think it should be true, however, because Moss' form of painfully crushing drone/funeral doom is something to be marveled at and talked about and known about. Moss is a doom/drone band from the UK that creates some of the most nauseatingly heavy, dark, and disgusting music I've ever heard. Take the dark, droning excellence of Sunn O))), the occult, Lovecraftian horror-inspired alternate-universe-inducing greatness of Electric Wizard, and the atmospheric characteristics of the furthest depths of Hell, plus a whole bunch of downers and visions of plagues and death, and you've, more or less, got Moss. Tombs of the Blind Drugged is perhaps the most appropriate title for this EP (how this manages to be labeled an EP while clocking in at 40 minutes is a mystery to me) because it depicts the exact sort of imagery and atmosphere that should accompany this unforgiving musical experience. The cover art helps, too. Guitars are tuned down low enough to rupture your lungs, and each riff is played slow enough and with enough exaggeration and emphasis that each slow second of this album has a towering significance that must be absorbed in full to really feel the tremors of horror that resonate so loudly. Your head must be in this music to fully benefit from its effects.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 September 2009 22:17 |
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Read the full review [Moss - Tombs of the Blind Drugged]
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Pest - Rest In Morbid Darkness |
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Written by Philip
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Tuesday, 08 September 2009 18:45 |
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Season of Mist
In their 12 years as black metal juggernauts, Pest have always kept it true. Here, with Rest in Morbid Darkness, they continue to keep it true with the sounds of raw and violent black metal from below the depths of Earth. Having always taken much from the likes of Darkthrone, Bathory, Nifelheim, and other pioneers of this grim, dirty and unpolished form of Scandinavian black metal, Pest have made a name for themselves in the underground and it's their mission to keep it simple, ugly and harsh. This ritualistic killing spree from 2008 has Pest's brand of hateful black metal written, or rather carved, all over it. As soon as the guitars, vocals and drums all strike in 40 seconds into the first track, it's clear this is still the same band, the same black metal warriors not trying to reinvent a genre, but they're keeping the tormented and untamed spirit of black metal alive with guitars that (I know it's cliche' but it is so glaringly true, here) buzz like chainsaws in a subterranean den of beasts. The guitars often find themselves accompanying the drums, it seems, for the blasting can go on for what may seem like a small eternity and overpower what is going on with the guitars. But this is not typical, and often the riffs alone become the focus. The riffs are simple enough to accent the music whenever it needs it, as Necro's roars can carry this music to the level it wishes to reach - bestial, if such a level can be attained or even described. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 10 September 2009 20:52 |
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Read the full review [Pest - Rest In Morbid Darkness]
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The Gathering - The West Pole |
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Written by Liu
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Sunday, 23 August 2009 16:43 |
Psychonaut Records
The Gathering without Anneke van Giersbergen. It's an idea I still can't quite wrap my head around. My adoration for the band's former angelic songstress is such that I haven't even bothered to check out the two albums The Gathering released prior to Anneke joining the band. But Anneke's split in 2007 forced my hand, realizing that sooner rather than later, the band will have to find a replacement for someone who I still think is irreplaceable. Now in 2009 they have done just that, recruiting former Octavia Sperati vocalist Silje Wergeland into the vacant spot and The West Pole is the band's long awaited return.
The West Pole furthers the ongoing musical evolution of The Gathering. If you're still hoping that the band will go back to their earlier doomy metal sound, then you'll just be disappointed again. The Gathering is long past the point of catering to those who wish to pigeonhole them into any narrow definition and in my opinion, they weren't ever all that "metal" to begin with. Sure, they had their heaviness, but their nuances, atmosphere and emotion really elevated them from everyone else in that genre. The Gathering is a rock band and always have been.
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Last Updated on Sunday, 23 August 2009 17:49 |
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Read the full review [The Gathering - The West Pole]
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