Ideamen - “May You Live In Interesting Times” (2009)
I don’t like this very much. New era cabaret music mixed with pop music, closest comparisons I could make would be Dog Fashion Disco or Dresden Dolls (but with male vocals). Quirky and offbeat, but not good. It has parts I like, but overall it just doesn’t appeal to me, interesting as it is at times. I really don’t like the vocals much either- they make me think a little of Mike Patton in the Faith No More days, but someone else as well. They also seem like they’re trying to hard to be funny/ quirky- if it doesn’t just happen, it’s not as good.
Deep Sleep - “Paranoid Futures” 7”ep (2009)
Straight to the point hardcore and punk, a little like the early Black Flag singles. They write some good songs with catchy hooks that don’t outlive their punkness. I like the little flourishes they throw into the songs- yeah, they’re short ass punk songs, but show a lot of excellent musicianship, changes, and nice touches. This is their 3rd ep.
Saviours - “Accelerated Living” (2009)
These guys used to play doom, but (as with a lot of bands lately) have amped it up a bit, and went thrash. They make me think a bit of excel now, but a little more thrash metal in the sound, not as much crossover. Pretty driving songs, with lots of double bass and crunchy rhythms- very old school sounding progressions (with lots of guitar harmonies- very excellent guitar work in the classic jamming but not showing off sense) on here. I don’t know if getting a new member (the guitarist from Watch Them Die) had anything to do with the style change, but they sound born to play this stuff. I would have liked it better with harsher vocals (maybe that‘s the thing that makes me think a lot of Excel- the vocals), but this is still good.
Dark Funeral - “Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus” (2010)
Dark Funeral usually has a song or two I really like on each album (on this one it’s Declaration of hate) but overall I find them generally pretty boring. Mostly very fast overproduced black metal without much personality or anything to make it interesting at all. They do a couple of slower songs, but it’s 85% super fast blasting with very little bass or deviation from their formula, so all the songs kind of sound alike and run together. They definitely need some original touches to make them stand out a bit- they don’t have to get less extreme, just do something to spice it up a little. It actually doesn’t sound as bad in small doses- they should put out more eps. Less time to lose your interest.
Dee Dee Ramone/ Terrorgruppe split 10”ep (2002)
Dee Dee was of course and original member of the Ramones and their bass player, who wrote a large amount of their music (even after he left the band). His solo stuff was always a bit b-grade, tho, partially because of the production and partially because it needed a bit if polishing (a good producer would have made his stuff awesome). Still this split features one of his best songs (Horror Hospital) and then a average one.
Terrorgruppe play pop punk/ punk rock that’s a cut above. I don’t care much for most pop punk, but these guys are in the small percentage that I actually like (maybe because they are as much punk as pop). They do an awesome tribute to Dee Dee (who died in 2002) on here with the catchy 3 chord song Dee Dee (in which they recycle the breakdown in We’re a Happy Family for cool effect), plus a live song that’s ok but unremarkable.
Claire Voyant - “Lustre” (2009)
This is a very mellow album- very Cocteau Twins, mixed with a little bit of The Birthday Massacre. Soft, ethereal electronics with a smooth female voice make dreamy pop music. Not really my thing- maybe if it was darker (or weirder- a little more avant garde or offbeat), but it's not (the Cocteau Twins, who this sounds closest to, were a lot darker than Claire Voyant). It picks up a little towards the halfway mark (and the songs are a bit better too), but still is pretty unexciting.
Goreaphobia - “Mortal Repulsion” (2009)
These guys used to play pure blasting death metal, along the lines of old Suffocation and Immolation. They put out two classic 7”eps in the early ‘90s and then broke up. Members went on to join and/ or form several black metal bands (such as Blood Storm, Incantation, and Absu). Now they’re back together, and playing a much more black metal sounding style than the death metal they used to do. It still has a strong death metal influence, but this is definitely black metal- the dark, infernal progressions and hideous vocals are just the beginning. Kind of like a more death metal version of Marduk or old Dark Funeral, they probably should have changed their name if they were going to sound nothing like their old band, but I guess that’s their prerogative. Either way, it’s still really good.
Blood Red Throne - “Souls of Damnation” (2009)
This is the band formed by Tchort (from Emperor), however they sound nothing like Emperor. This is their 5th album. The last album I had from them was their first one, which was pretty decent death metal but nothing too special. This one is a lot better- still (mostly) fast death metal, but with much more interesting song structures and some awesome bass guitar playing that really stands out. Not many death metal bands display the bass up front like this, and it makes this album sound sick and original. The production is a little too clean and sterile, which robs the drums of some of their power, but other than that I don’t have any complaints. They have the twin vocal style- one gutteral and one more high pitched and shrieky. I like when they both sing at the same time.
Human Disorder - "Ugly Modern Aggression" (1999)
Well, I found this in the dollar bin at a record store, and you get what you pay for. This takes me back to a time when every other band played nu metal- there were hundreds of them. And for every huge one, there were tons of Primer 55's, Crossbreed's, Dope's, Slaves On Dope's, etc etc. These guys fall right in there- they throw in a big Pantera influence as well. But it can't save them Thankfully this sound is dead, and hopefully there won't be a resurgence soon.
Shining - "Blackjazz" (2010)
Don't get these guys confused with the black metal Shining (who starts all their album titles out with Roman numerals), these guys do mix some black metal into their sound, but it's a small percentage of the wide variety of influences they have on display. This is pretty interesting, avant garde stuff that mixes industrial, progressive, doom, noise and yeah, some jazz in with the black metal. Sometimes it gets to be a bit much, but overall it works and I like it. Features guest vocals from Grutle of Enslaved on a couple of tracks (including a cover of 21st Century Schizoid Man). The vocals range from whispers to croaks, and there's some Zorn-esque sax screeching in the background of several songs. Extreme metal just keeps expanding.
I don’t like this very much. New era cabaret music mixed with pop music, closest comparisons I could make would be Dog Fashion Disco or Dresden Dolls (but with male vocals). Quirky and offbeat, but not good. It has parts I like, but overall it just doesn’t appeal to me, interesting as it is at times. I really don’t like the vocals much either- they make me think a little of Mike Patton in the Faith No More days, but someone else as well. They also seem like they’re trying to hard to be funny/ quirky- if it doesn’t just happen, it’s not as good.
Deep Sleep - “Paranoid Futures” 7”ep (2009)
Straight to the point hardcore and punk, a little like the early Black Flag singles. They write some good songs with catchy hooks that don’t outlive their punkness. I like the little flourishes they throw into the songs- yeah, they’re short ass punk songs, but show a lot of excellent musicianship, changes, and nice touches. This is their 3rd ep.
Saviours - “Accelerated Living” (2009)
These guys used to play doom, but (as with a lot of bands lately) have amped it up a bit, and went thrash. They make me think a bit of excel now, but a little more thrash metal in the sound, not as much crossover. Pretty driving songs, with lots of double bass and crunchy rhythms- very old school sounding progressions (with lots of guitar harmonies- very excellent guitar work in the classic jamming but not showing off sense) on here. I don’t know if getting a new member (the guitarist from Watch Them Die) had anything to do with the style change, but they sound born to play this stuff. I would have liked it better with harsher vocals (maybe that‘s the thing that makes me think a lot of Excel- the vocals), but this is still good.
Dark Funeral - “Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus” (2010)
Dark Funeral usually has a song or two I really like on each album (on this one it’s Declaration of hate) but overall I find them generally pretty boring. Mostly very fast overproduced black metal without much personality or anything to make it interesting at all. They do a couple of slower songs, but it’s 85% super fast blasting with very little bass or deviation from their formula, so all the songs kind of sound alike and run together. They definitely need some original touches to make them stand out a bit- they don’t have to get less extreme, just do something to spice it up a little. It actually doesn’t sound as bad in small doses- they should put out more eps. Less time to lose your interest.
Dee Dee Ramone/ Terrorgruppe split 10”ep (2002)
Dee Dee was of course and original member of the Ramones and their bass player, who wrote a large amount of their music (even after he left the band). His solo stuff was always a bit b-grade, tho, partially because of the production and partially because it needed a bit if polishing (a good producer would have made his stuff awesome). Still this split features one of his best songs (Horror Hospital) and then a average one.
Terrorgruppe play pop punk/ punk rock that’s a cut above. I don’t care much for most pop punk, but these guys are in the small percentage that I actually like (maybe because they are as much punk as pop). They do an awesome tribute to Dee Dee (who died in 2002) on here with the catchy 3 chord song Dee Dee (in which they recycle the breakdown in We’re a Happy Family for cool effect), plus a live song that’s ok but unremarkable.
Claire Voyant - “Lustre” (2009)
This is a very mellow album- very Cocteau Twins, mixed with a little bit of The Birthday Massacre. Soft, ethereal electronics with a smooth female voice make dreamy pop music. Not really my thing- maybe if it was darker (or weirder- a little more avant garde or offbeat), but it's not (the Cocteau Twins, who this sounds closest to, were a lot darker than Claire Voyant). It picks up a little towards the halfway mark (and the songs are a bit better too), but still is pretty unexciting.
Goreaphobia - “Mortal Repulsion” (2009)
These guys used to play pure blasting death metal, along the lines of old Suffocation and Immolation. They put out two classic 7”eps in the early ‘90s and then broke up. Members went on to join and/ or form several black metal bands (such as Blood Storm, Incantation, and Absu). Now they’re back together, and playing a much more black metal sounding style than the death metal they used to do. It still has a strong death metal influence, but this is definitely black metal- the dark, infernal progressions and hideous vocals are just the beginning. Kind of like a more death metal version of Marduk or old Dark Funeral, they probably should have changed their name if they were going to sound nothing like their old band, but I guess that’s their prerogative. Either way, it’s still really good.
Blood Red Throne - “Souls of Damnation” (2009)
This is the band formed by Tchort (from Emperor), however they sound nothing like Emperor. This is their 5th album. The last album I had from them was their first one, which was pretty decent death metal but nothing too special. This one is a lot better- still (mostly) fast death metal, but with much more interesting song structures and some awesome bass guitar playing that really stands out. Not many death metal bands display the bass up front like this, and it makes this album sound sick and original. The production is a little too clean and sterile, which robs the drums of some of their power, but other than that I don’t have any complaints. They have the twin vocal style- one gutteral and one more high pitched and shrieky. I like when they both sing at the same time.
Human Disorder - "Ugly Modern Aggression" (1999)
Well, I found this in the dollar bin at a record store, and you get what you pay for. This takes me back to a time when every other band played nu metal- there were hundreds of them. And for every huge one, there were tons of Primer 55's, Crossbreed's, Dope's, Slaves On Dope's, etc etc. These guys fall right in there- they throw in a big Pantera influence as well. But it can't save them Thankfully this sound is dead, and hopefully there won't be a resurgence soon.
Shining - "Blackjazz" (2010)
Don't get these guys confused with the black metal Shining (who starts all their album titles out with Roman numerals), these guys do mix some black metal into their sound, but it's a small percentage of the wide variety of influences they have on display. This is pretty interesting, avant garde stuff that mixes industrial, progressive, doom, noise and yeah, some jazz in with the black metal. Sometimes it gets to be a bit much, but overall it works and I like it. Features guest vocals from Grutle of Enslaved on a couple of tracks (including a cover of 21st Century Schizoid Man). The vocals range from whispers to croaks, and there's some Zorn-esque sax screeching in the background of several songs. Extreme metal just keeps expanding.
