Reviews
After four years of silence, Dokken has returned this year with a new album. The album entitled “Lightning Strikes Again” and the title fits perfectly to this occasion because of the previous not so good, even bad releases of the band that now have returned with a very good album.
\r\nI believe that Xasthur is one of those bands that either you will love them blindly or you will hate them for life! Well, I suppose I am somewhere in between and the reason is that their Burzum-esque atmosphere gives many points to my sympathy for them but their less competent and ultra-atmospheric approach plus the fact that I was always thought that they were extremely overrated never really got me into crossing that line of neutralism to the area of their devoted fanbase.
\r\n"Landscapes Of Disease And Decadence" is the debut from Sjodogg a band featuring members from Norwegian acts, Enthrall, Crest of Darkness, and The Flesh. Their music lies in black metal territories with many fast and furious parts, eerie acoustic passages and even some strange almost experimental arrangements all that wrapped up in a dark, severe atmosphere.
\r\nPaths of Possession are from Tampa, Florida, they play death metal but what’s more important they have a famous growler in their ranks, Cannibal Corpse’s frontman George Fisher, a.k.a Corpsegrinder. While the new album "The End of the Hour" was once again produced by the widely known and esteemed Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Vital Remains).
Ecliptic is a trio from Germany that recently has released a demo cd entitled “Mysteriium Cosmographicum” featuring five compositions that have been recorded in the past.
\r\nFollowing the amazing Diabolical Symphony of 2006, swedish Steel Attack come back with a new album named Carpe Diend, which has the difficult task to sound equally good as in their the previous one. But do they succed? Well, at first, in this release we notice the very disturbing voiceovers as this disc is a Massacre promo and every 90 seconds we listen to an annoying message. Secondly, and after getting over the irritating voiceovers, we notice the great production that Mike Wead has done, who is known from his work with Mercyful Fate and King Diamond.
\r\nNastrond is a band of the swedish Black Metal scene and it’s been active or many years. Those two gentlemen have been around since 1993 and this album is their late task. It is the best proof of no matter how many years may pass, musicians with no talent won’t write good songs. Muspellz Synir is a totally boring, uninspired and terrible album, the only goal of which is to eat up some of our precious time. Pointless screaming, untuned guitars trying to sound evilish, lost notes here and there, awful production and stipple sound compose the mess called Muspellz Synir.
\r\nBritish Bossk, return with their new, second EP which contains only 2 tracks and has duration almost 20 minutes. I am not fond of modern Post (Rock/Hardcore/I do not know what other) situations and unfortunately this EP here, has a robust dose from such things. Fortunately however, beyond them it hides also an unexpected atmospheric beauty, which springs mainly from the beautiful melodies of both acoustic guitar, and electric
\r\nWhat can we say about Manilla Road…? Whatever we say will be minimal, so it is better to go directly, to the things that have to do with their new album. To be honest, I do not remember which consecutive full length album this is, but as far as I can remember it must be their thirteenth. Voyager is an album that personally made me feel tired in a way. I am in position however to know that the fans of the band, will remain satisfied from the album as it reminds a little Mystification but also Out Of The Abyss.
\r\nOphiolatry is a Brazilian satanic death metal band formed in 1998 although "Transmutation" is only their second full length album on Force of Satan Records/Regain records. \r\n