Sigh - Hail Horror Hail (1997 Black/Avant-Garde)

Sigh - Hail Horror Hail


For people hearing a song from this recording for the first time, a likely reaction would be "What the hell is going on"? Don't worry, that's normal, the japanese masters of black metal even give you a little warning on the back of the CD: "Every sound on this album is deliberate and if you find that some parts of the album are strange, it isn't because the music in itself is strange, but because your conscious is ill-equipped to comprehend the sounds produced on this recording." Indeed, this is a very theatrical work, half movie horror soundtrack, half thrashy and evil black, but it's ALL genius. This, in my opinion is the best album in Sigh's career, and one of the best albums in Japan's history of metal. From dreary piano pieces, to epic orchestrations and even odd electronic fusion elements, what you've got here is a genre-busting piece of music. Whether you like keyboards in metal or not, you cannot deny Mirai's genius here. With such excellent layering and playing one might think that the man has more than 10 fingers. Of course, Shinichi's guitar work and Satoshi's drums are nothing to be reckoned with, though they're not doing anything really that extreme on this album. If you like things that go unabashedly outside the norm in metal, you will like this masterwork by Japan's Sigh.

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Amorphis - Black Winter Day (Doom/death 1995)

This is a video, not an album.
Enjoy.

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (Death 1989)

Morbid Angel - Altar's of Madness


I've never been much of a Morbid Angel fan. It's not because the music isn't good (as far as death metal goes, it's top class), and it's not because the band sucks (extremely talented people, even for extreme metallers), it lies in the sole fact that my personal whims, whatever they may be, never allowed me to fully grasp onto Morbid Angel's music and love it like it should be loved. When I rediscovered Altars of Madness a few days ago, that changed all that.
This record is explosive.A mix of thrash and screaming death metal makes this record one of the most brutal listens you can find. Blasphemous lyrics abound, both memorable and evil, ready to crush your soul and make you sing along with the chorus at the same time. One of the highlights of this album is the superb guitar and drum work by Pete Sandoval, Richard Brunelle and Trey Azazgoth; unfortunately, David Vincent's bass work is pretty low in the mix here, but his superb vocals are right on top.
All in all, this is a pretty great record, though it might take some time to grow on you. But if you're already into old school death or thrash, and want something brutal and vicious, this is the album for you.


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Sabbat - History of a Time To Come (Thrash 1988)

Sabbat - History of a Time To Come


I know that I already posted about a Sabbat album here once this week, but I figure I might as well do it again, and this time do the review, however short it is, myself. Sabbat's first album is much the same as their second album was, albeit a little bit more structured due to the fact that it's lyrics are not passed between different "characters" as done by Walkyier. The riffs are insane, and the time changes perfect, and the songs more apt to incite a headbang than most thrash albums. Granted, it doesn't pass Dreamweaver in epic bombastics, but this IS a Walkyier era Sabbat album, so you're going to be sure to get your listen's worth.

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Saint Vitus - Born Too Late (Doom 1987)

Saint Vitus - Born Too Late



Review from www.amazon.com

This album marks the transition between the Reagers era, and the Wino era, at vocals. Without question, the band was different with each--but great, and always still Vitus. This is probably the slowest, and most basic, of their material. Born too Late may be the truest doom of Vitus' era (except for their self-titled first album), which is saying a lot, since it's all unarguably "true." It pounds, it depresses, it bemoans, it laments. It seldom strays from simplicity musically, and yet, for all its simplicity, there is much going on. The wah-wah pedal and fuzzed (almost static-like)guitar bits really comes into their own here (a later Vitus trademark), creating an absrasive (as opposed to dreamy) pschedelic/noise influence. It's basic, primitive, but very memorable. Because of these aspcts, if one listens carefully, he or she can see the slightest of Hendrix influences here, even though overall, this is a poor man's Sabbath, hungover and slowed down.

Lyrically, this piece of art definitely epitomizes the feeling of the outcast, the forgotten, the sullen. Whereas a lot of metal lives off anger, this expresses enough indignation to offer signs of life, but teeters ever so close to the edge of total resignation. Every time I hear it, and then read these guys are from LA, I picture guys living in rat-infested apartments off skid row in the dingiest part of town, lost in the 70s, and finding just enough work to keep from going over the edge. This isn't exactly intended as a compliment, but it is to say, they are authentic, genuine, and they feel what they are singing about. If LA is the home of glam rock, these guys are anti-glam, and not self-consciously so; they simply ARE. They are average in talent, but excel at "creating a vibe"--and their sincerity resonates in every dragged out note, every moaned phrase. Simply put, Vitus is for the downtrodden, but not the weak.

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Razor - Shotgun Justice (1990 Thrash)

Razor - Shotgun Justice


Review from www.classicthrash.com


Razor's music took another step forward on this album that may well be one of the fastest and most intense thrash metal releases ever. These songs feel like abrupt sonic attacks at your face; the immense speed makes even simple riffs sound like small explosions in a row. I rarely pay any special attention to the rhythm section unless there's something wrong with it, but this album is an exception as the awesome drum work by Rob Mills essentially breathes new life to the music. In the vocal department there are considerable differences when compared to Razor's earlier works, as Bob Reid was introduced as the new singer here, but his rough voice fits the new songs just perfectly. The lyrics are now filled with even more extreme violence and pure hatred against society and cheaters in the music industry and personal life. Shotgun Justice is definitely not an easy album, far from it, but it is guaranteed to give you a total listening experience.

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Primordial - Storm Before Calm (2002 Celtic/Black)

Primordial - Storm Before Calm


Review from www.metal-observer.com

I am extremely shocked at the disappointing reviews that "Storm Before Calm" has received on this site, bearing in mind that I have heard this album be named the best of 2002 and I have read praising reviews in EVERY other 'zine I have come across that has reviewed this the fourth full length album by Ireland's very own masters of Pagan Metal PRIMORDIAL.

The only criticism I have noted in any other review is that this time around PRIMORDIAL have taken a more direct and aggressive approach which some feel has lost them a lot of the emotive qualities that they had in earlier releases (TMO Brother Thomas is in this group of people). To those people I feel I must point out that they have not lost emotion, rather they have gained even more but this time the emotion is more violently expressive and not as hidden and subtle. You just have to read the lyrics and the descriptions to believe that PRIMORDIAL mean business and are fully committed to everything they stand for and I can't help but be impressed how they, unlike many grandiose bands, manage to come across as true and powerful without becoming MANOWAR (synonym for "cheesy").

The guitar riffs blast away and are backed by an outstanding percussion performance which displays various different tricks and some nice Celtic tinged rhythms that stop this from becoming a boring blasting affair. The vocals as usual are impressive in their range and their mighty conviction as Nemtheanga ranges from a fantastic Black Metal shriek to nice passionate clean vocals and subtle whispers.

The variation in tracks here is also what is impressive as PRIMORDIAL have now chiselled themselves out their own little spot in a fading Black Metal genre. Other bands would be well advised to learn from PRIMORDIAL as to how to add more dimension to an album to make any message be it political, religious or simply mythological seem more lifelike, diverse and powerful. The first track "The Heretic Age" opens the album with an unexpected blast of music to catch you off guard. The band then progress to range from blistering Black Metal styled rhythms to Doomish sounding leads (very MY DYING BRIDE in their styling) to spoken work vocals in the final track layered over soft and subtle music.

What BATHORY invented in their Viking Metal epics influenced millions and doubtless PRIMORDIAL were one such band that have been effected by the historic patriotism of the Viking Metallers as they themselves now have adapted this and combined it with their own cultural and historical roots to create the most fantastic blend Pagan and Celtic Metal which expresses the ferocity of the ancient people and the beauty of the land perfectly.


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Keep Of Kalessin - Armada (2006 Black)

Keep Of Kalessin - Armada

Review from www.voidexpression.net


It’s a somewhat rare instance when a black metal act can employ crystal clear production and execution without sacrificing its vitriol and bile, but the extremely under-rated (though that is quickly changing) Keep of Kalessin have accomplished just that here on their third album. It’s kind of surprising that the band have hidden beneath the “mainstream” metal surface for this long, being fronted by who became one of Satyricon’s live members and having genre heavy-hitters such as Attila and Frost doing time in the band in the past, but all that is about to change as Armada has catapulted them into the international spotlight, and for good reason! This is an absolute beast of an album, taking all the best parts of progressive symphonic and raw traditional black metal and integrating them seamlessly with some of the best production you will hear on a metal album this year. There are also several instances of blasting thrash and brutal death influences scattered throughout, and enough technical twists and turns to keep you thoroughly entertained. The drumming is intense and on-point and the fast tracks can pretty much do no wrong, though the slower, more anthemic, tracks in the middle of the album can get a little dull upon repeated listenings. New vocalist Thebon is not afraid to go all over the map, and has the skills to do pretty much everything to at the very least an acceptable level. Album opener “Crown of Kings” sees him flowing between blackened shrieks, aggressive clean bellows, and deathened growls with what seems like little effort, and “The Black Uncharted” highlights his stellar singing voice and thrashy shouts. The track also features some well-done, slightly Latin, acoustic passages that surprisingly flow right along with the rest of the track. Without the slower middle third of the album, this would be a damn near perfect modern black metal masterpiece, and hopefully the next few albums will see these guys continue to improve.

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God is dead...

... And we have killed him. Hello, this is my metal blog. I listen to mostly thrash and old death metal, but from time to time you'll find progressive or particularly good albums from other genres posted here. I hope you enjoy the albums I post. Don't be afraid to request an album from me. Chances are, I can get it, and won't deny your request, unless you just ask for something that I particularly don't like. From time to time I will post a review of my own, but as you can see from my review of Alice In Hell (if you can call it that), I'm not very good at organizing my thoughts. I write music, not articles about it. But, I will try my best to keep up with a blog, and if there is any problem, or if any albums get deleted from MegaUpload, drop me a line at

Hellionheathen@yahoo.com

Master - And On The Seventh Day, God Created... Master (1991 death/thrash)

Master - On The Seventh Day, God Created... Master




Review from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=363752


One of the problems with looking back on a musical genre from a perspective years or decades removed from the core of the movement itself is that subsequent developments tend to obscure both a genres origins and threads within a tradition that died out without offspring. As a result, interesting and deserving albums often get lost in the shuffle as reviewers reflect on those albums most "influential" upon later achievements. Death metal pioneers Master are among those who have been shortchanged as a result of that phenomenon, and their 1990 masterpiece (pun intended) On the Seventh Day, God Created...Master remains a fascinating exploration both of the genre's roots and of spaces it might have occupied had different paths been taken.

There are a couple of things that leap out immediately to even the casual listener. The first is the seeming primitivism of the music, with songs consisting of relatively brief, bludgeoning pieces driven by relentless rhythms, cyclic riffs and simple melodic hooks. The second is the realization that someone is playing some seriously insane, brilliantly constructed leads. In this case, that someone is Paul Masvidal, far exceeding anything he ever achieved with Cynic.

Beneath the surface simplicity, lies a creative spirit that at once recalls the primal birth of death metal (which Master was both present for and very much a driving force behind) and points the way to what the genre might have become. Very apparent are the genre's hardcore roots, Master here eschewing the Slayer-derived technical architecture that came to dominate most "modern" death metal in favor of structures that would not have been out of place on Discharge's landmark Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing release (there are even a few appearances of the infamous D-beat). Within the unrelenting storm of brutal repetition, the music's core meaning is encoded, a sheer primal rage dripping from thunderous cycles of power chords and the open throated roar (again the hardcore influence) of vocalist and chief songwriter Paul Speckman. To this, Master adds moments of ponderous reflection where songs collapse into a sort of high decibel dirge, an innate sense of how to tease melody from the infernal depths of dissonance, and the aforementioned Masvidal solos (and it cannot be overemphasized just how much these rip). What emerges is something that belies its own apparent crudity, becoming not so much a statement of blind anger or stymied alienation, but a masterful declaration of violent intent.


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Paradise Lost - Shades of God (1992 Death/Doom)

Paradise Lost - Shades of God



Review from www.metalstorm.ee

After the monumental and utterly influential for the gothic/doom metal scene of the 90s "Gothic", Paradise Lost parted ways with Peaceville Records and signed a contract with the rising Music For Nations. The number of their fans had grown and everyone was waiting for the third official release of this shrouded by darkness UK band. Finally, "Shades Of god" saw the light of day back in 1992.

The compositions have become groovier and less complex whereas the guitars sound heavier keeping an intense sense of doom (am I the only one that finds in "Shades Of God" a Black Sabbath touch in the guitars at times?) bearing the exceptional signature of Greg Mackintosh. Nick Holmes' grunting voice is still there, yet not so deep as it was back in "Lost Paradise" and "Gothic", but without losing in emotion and expression. The suffocating dark atmosphere that only Paradise Lost know how to evoke unleashing grey emotions of bleakness and decadent melancholy in the air is always there, helped this time by a much better production, drowning the listener in a sea of oblivious tears under the secret eye of the "shades of god"…

… that opens with a monumental song, "Mortals watch the day". The guitar work is stunning paving the way for Holmes' grunting voice to interpret lyrics of pure desperation filling your heart with freezing emotions. The album flows with "Crying Eternity" and "Embraced", this one in a bit faster mood, in a doomy way with slow guitar riffing, accompanying rhythm section and Nick Holmes' expressive grunts; but still, only Holmes' grunts can't make a song great. After a great opener and two just good compositions, "Daylight torn" comes to raise the interest of the listener to high levels. Holmes' ecstatic grunting voice harmonizes wonderfully with the inspired guitar riffing while at times beautiful-sounding acoustic guitar chords paint the soundscape with bitter colors enriching the desperate dark atmosphere.

"Shades of god" flows wonderfully with a masterpiece, "Pity the sadness", and Mackintosh burns the shrouds with his flaming guitar as some acoustic parts evoke a serene melancholic feeling in the air at times whereas Holmes grunts ecstatically filled with anger and pain coming straight from his heart, expressed straight from the throat. Sadness and grief knock the door at your darkest hour as "No forgiveness" starts echoing and shadows surround you; the mourning guitar riffing and Holmes' grunting voice evoke a distressing atmosphere as the rhythm section holds tight the song. "Your Hand in Mine" follows and clear vocal experimentations in a gothic vein make their appearance at times. The guitar riffing is fabulous and ranges from slow guitar ideas to distressing guitar solos paving the way for Holmes' haunting interpretation.

The album flows with "the World Made Flesh", a mid-tempo groovy composition with exceptional atmosphere-evoking guitar work and Holmes' grunts strengthening the feeling of dismay that floats in the air leading "Shades of God" to its end in the most appropriate way, with a real masterpiece of inspiration and emotion, "As I Die". The rhythm section evokes a dying pulse in the air whilst the guitar work is stunning and deeply inspired harmonizing in a perfect way with Holmes' interpretation with every single word he utters being a final dying vision.

"Shades of God" back in 1992 was an album showing the soundscapes that Paradise Lost would explore in the forthcoming future with "Icon" and "Draconian Times", at a primary phase though, but also having a connection with the glorious recent past, a fading one. A must-have for all the Paradise Lost fans and not only!

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Sabbat - Dreamweaver (1989 Thrash)

Sabbat - Dreamweaver


Review from www.classicthrash.com

Sabbat's Dreamweaver is a true magnum opus, an epic concept album based on the novel The Way Of Wyrd which tells an intriguing, mythical tale that takes place in the pre-Christian England. The lyrics could easily fill two or three ordinary albums, but despite the extensive lyrical content this album doesn't feel tedious at all, thanks to the intense delivery. Here Sabbat refined their genuine style ever further and the result is no less than the pinnacle of British thrash metal. Martin Walkyier's rapid vocals are as solid as ever, and the hypnotic songs demand the listener's absolute attention, sounding like nothing else out there. Due to its complexity and strong thematics, Dreamweaver may not be an easily accessible album for most people, but those seeking something else than your standard thrash metal should find this one extremely rewarding.


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Annihilator - Alice In Hell (1989 Thrash)

Annihilator - Alice In Hell


Before the unwanted power metal vibes, the silly lyrics of something like Never, Neverland, or the utter failure of their later works, Annihilator was an incredibly promising thrash band, threatening to blow the big three out of the water. With the stellar line up of relatively unknowns, and guitarist Jeff Waters, this album is one of the standing triumphs of what thrash should have, and could have been.
The CD starts off with your staple acoustic intro, and due to this you might think that this album is your standard thrash debut: But you'd be wrong. After a short acoustic intro, the song Alison Hell starts off, with some of the most memorable riffs in my knowledge. Randy Rampage pulls out some insane vocals here. Truth be told, he's not an incredible thrash vocalist, nor the most original, but the quality of riffage here is such that his in your face style of thrash vocals fit the mood perfectly.
Welcome To Your Death (WTYD) is your standard fast thrasher, again, with memorable riffs and insane work by the rhythm section. The next song, Wicked Mystic, is more of the same, almost sounding like they're playing WTYD backwards to you. Next up is Burns Like A Buzzsaw Blade, with a headbanging classic heavy metal sounding intro, that then goes into an utterly brutal song about rape. Word Salad was the least memorable song on the album for me, but is still pretty good. The album wraps up with two stellar thrashers by the name of Ligeia and Human Insecticide, the latter being nearly the best song on the album.
All in all, this is one of my favorite albums, and if you like thrash, or heavy metal at all for that matter, you need to check out this album. Annihilator's Alice In Hell has stood the test of time, and due to a mix of instantly likeable songs and brutal composition, will continue to stand on it's own as the best work of the Annihilator discography.



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