Soulfly - “Conquer” [Roadrunner] … a more solid and less experimental outing–the sixth for Max Cavalera’s brainchild–boasts the same lineup as 2005’s Dark Days … still lots of variation, from the first trio of thrashers (1 feat. David Vincent of Morbid Angel and 2 has Dave Peters of Throwdown) to the downtempo dirge of ‘Touching the Void’ which is dedicated ‘To Black Sabbath’ … French dub artist Fedayi Pac contributes to 9 & 10 … Note:  there is some residue from the Cavalera Conspiracy project, released earlier this year … 11 is an instrumental … FCC clean disc … Try 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 10 … 2008Jul29 [...read more]

  Left to Vanish - “Versus the Throne” [Lifeforce] … Deathcore may be the saturated subgenre of the decade, but that doesn’t mean a band can’t work well within their palette … it’s basically a balancing act, and they’re not perfect, but good when they hit … you can’t much decipher the screams and growls, but they are FCC OK, which is quite the opposite of similar bands like Suicide Silence and The Acacia Strain … meanders quite a bit in the 2nd half, with short (mostly boring) Pelican-esque instrumentals and an acoustic bonus track (6,9,11) … Try 1, 2, 4, 5 … 2008Jul22 01. [...read more]

  Gigan - “The Order of the False Eye” [Napalm] … named after a creature that Godzilla once fought (what’s with Extreme Metal bands and Japanese monsters?), the trio truly sounds otherworldly–or at the very least comprised of more members–when this brutal psychedelic cacophony erupts into your ears … the bastard seed of a Hate Eternal, Voivod, and Cynic three-way (you figure out how!), it’s as challenging as it is engaging, and certainly worth your time … the first half is more interesting than the latter and the 21+ min track 9 a noisy, atmospheric, instrumental oddity … FCC OK … Try 1, *2*, [...read more]

Bigelf - “Cheat the Gallows” [Custard] … somewhere at the crux of Beatles hooks,King Crimson’s innovation, Pink Floyd’s (late 70s) delivery, and Black Sabbath’s riffing, this band was spawned … I don’t necessarily see em as the second coming of teh awesome (which many apparently do), but it’s good to hear retro done cleverly and with gusto … they really are best when they rock out; their extended suites can get ponderous … FCC: 7 … Try 1, *2* … 2008Jul22 01. Gravest Show on Earth 02. Blackball 03. Money, It’s Pure Evil 04. The Evils of Rock & Roll 05. No Parachute 06. [...read more]

Neuraxis - “The Thin Line Between” [Prosthetic] … fifth album from this Montréal-based Technical Death Metal quintet … for all their time changes, polyrhythms, and brutal vox, they have a strong grasp of melody, which anchors the listener through all the chaos … lyrics often address the quest for knowledge and ultimate truth (often admitting futility) and mankind’s destiny … the mix is excellent, nothing feels drowned out, and the drums sound especially powerful (not clicky) … 7 is an instrumental … FCC OK … Try 1, 3, 5, 10 … 2008Jul16 01. Darkness Prevails 02. Wicked 03. Versus 04. [...read more]

  Daylight Dies - “Lost to the Living” [Candlelight] … North Carolina natives concoct more somber Doom on their third album … very good, especially considering most of this genre’s luminiaries are found in Europe, be it Sweden (Opeth, Katatonia, Tiamat) , Portugal (Moonspell), or all those in the British Doom scene … themes of futility, loss, and bleakness are dominated by the rich roar of Nathan Ellis … acoustic and electric dynamics are often used for additional texture, and for the first time, we have clean vox from bassist Egan O’Rourke … FCC OK … Try 1, 3, 9 … 2008Jul15 [...read more]

Equilibrium - “Sagas” [Nuclear Blast] … Symphonic Black Folk Metal from Munich, sung entirely in their native German … appropriately (and necessarily) manages to balance its rich sonic palette rather well … the quality of this sophomore release may elevate them to the level of comtemporaries like Finntroll … FCC OK … Try 2, 3, 6, 7, 12 … 2008Jul08 01. Prolog Auf Erden 02. Wurzelbert 03. Blut Im Auge 04. Unbesiegt 05. Verrat 06. Snüffel 07. Heimwärts 08. Heiderauche 09. Die Weide Und Der Fluß 10. Des Sängers Fluch 11. Ruf In Den Wind 12. Dämmerung 13. Mana

  Destinity - “The Inside” [Listenable] … dense and nuanced French Death Metal, similar to Gojira, only with more prominent keyboards … vox are typically growled with full, even tones and are often understandable … theStrapping Young Lad influence is strongly present, particularly in *6*, which also has a nice orchestral midsection … FCC: 2,4,5 … Try *1*, 3, *6*, 7, 10 … 2008Jul07 01. My Senseless Theory 02. Murder Within 03. Thing I Will Never Feel 04. Still Remember 05. A Thousand Falling Skies 06. Inhuman Corrosive Report 07. Ready To Leave 08. Enemy Process 09. Escaping Reality 10. The Inside

This is Matt Longo with Mind Over Metal interviewing Warrel Dane. Thank you for joining me today, Warrel … I really appreciate it. Thank you for having me. You’ve got a long, storied career spanning well over two decades: from the early stuff with SERPENT’S KNIGHT, to SANCTUARY, and now NEVERMORE … why was this the right time for a solo project? Cuz I hooked up with the right people at the right time. I always wanted to do stuff that was more Rock or… whatever it is, and Pete [Wichers] was the right person to do it with. [...read more]

At The Soundawn – “Red Square: We Come In Waves” [Lifeforce] … it’s good to hear Italian Metal crafting music closer to Cult of Luna, early Shai Hulud, Neurosis, and Tool … a Hardcore urgency flows through most tracks, but the expansiveness and experimentation that comes with it is most welcome (dig the sax on the opening track) … as with any band doing this style, it can get self-indulgent, but this is a most promising EP overall … FCC OK … Try 1, 3, 6, 7 … 2008Jul01 01. Slight Variations 02. Submerged 03. One Day Before 04. [...read more]