Rating: 2.5/5

Colonel Blast are amongst a new breed of Metal bands that does not adhere to genres, but reminds us why that kind of shorthand is useful. I wish them luck, identity, and perhaps a promotion some day; at least ‘Brigadier Blast’ would be alliterative.

Warpath – “Damnation” [self-released] … There’s a lot of amazing notable things about this band/album:  they’re 21st century British thrash metal that doesn’t suck, with big names like James Murphy (Testament, Death) behind the mastering, yet are not signed to a label.  The only thing that needs work are the vocals, which are delivered nearly identically throughout the album, similar in tone to Anthrax. But that’s a minor point, cuz you don’t often get an end product of this caliber so early in a band’s career (their only other proper release is 2005’s Cataclysm EP).  FCC OK … Try [...read more]

Obscura – “Cosmogenesis” released February 17, 2009 on Relapse When a band has ex-members of Necrophagist (Grossmann and Muenzner) & Pestilence (Jeroen Thesseling) in their ranks and takes their name from a Gorguts album, one should expect some high caliber technical death metal. On their Relapse debut, the German quartet expertly delivers with the kind of virtuosity that makes one reflexively kowtow.  Cynic is channelled as well, from the space themes right down to use of vocoder (2, 7, 8). There’s even use of folk rhythms in places (3), and occasionally unfurl a truly elastic bass (4) amidst the [...read more]

Tombs – “Winter Hours” released February 10, 2009 on Relapse This is the album you’d want to create if you dropped acid while standing on a frozen lake and stared at the sun until your eyes burned black. Frenetic tremolo picking and blast beats imported from corpse-painted inhabitants of Norwegian fjords coexist comfortably with the post-hardcore elements of American bands like Isis, and a certain kindred spirit in the psychedelic sludge of Seattle’s Lesbian.  This Brooklyn trio is a formidable new force in Relapse’s roster with this impressive full length debut that also boasts mastering by Alan Douches and [...read more]

Castrofate – “Cataclysmic Insanity” released February 4, 2009 by Cataclysmic Metal Records Often regarded as a solo project by Dan Castro (who still writes the lion’s share of material), the NY/Jersey group is now a solid quartet, and ambitiously attempt a concept album for their sophomore release. It’s lyrically quite straightforward, not leaving much to the imagination, but their riffs and melodies can be quite memorable (see 1, 4). The vocals aren’t bad either–a good formula with a little Dave Mustaine and a lot of Chuck Billy. The second half gets kinda odd, with a bluesy track (appropriately titled [...read more]

Goblin Cock – “Come With Me If You Want To Live” released January 26, 2009 by Robcore Records It’s easy to pass off this innuendo-riddled, fuzzed-out & reverbed, self-aware stoner metal as silly satire, but anyone that says that hasn’t listened to the music. They’ve got a Kyuss essence (right down to the Dungeons & Dragons connections) with that retro-modern touch that The Sword wields, but their chainmail doesn’t cover their funny bones, worn proudly on their sleeves. Like their first album Bagged and Boarded, the lyrics are written in runes, so I’m only half sure it’s FCC OK. [...read more]

Wino – “Punctuated Equilibrium” released January 26, 2009 by Southern Lord The guitar giant and relatively unsung living legend, who garnered much respect and notoriety with Sabbath-worshipping doom metal bands like The Obsessed and Saint Vitus, finally releases his first solo effort in his 30+ year career.  Comprised of tunes both new and decades-old, the album’s spirit creates a biographical framework of Wino himself. This spirit is fleshed out with a great rhythm section in the form of Jon Blank (Rezin) & Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch, The Bakerton Group), with strong production from J. Robbins (Jawbox). An absolutely addictive listening [...read more]

The Bakerton Group – “El Rojo” [Weathermaker] If you’ve ever wanted to know what Clutch would sound like if they did away with vocals and followed their instrumental muse while channeling Hawkwind, this is your album. With help from Per Wiberg (Opeth) on keyboards and even an alto sax player named Raven on a couple of tracks (4, 10), it’s a groovy, funky, jazzy outing full of riffs that would not be out of place in anything their alter-egos concoct. I initially felt that there were plenty of interesting moments, but without as high replay value, due largely in [...read more]

Iron Fire – “To The Grave” [Napalm] … In order to combat the glossiness of much power metal, a band has to do one of the following: play faster, or embrace the darkness. The Danish quintet does both, and also tends toward battle themes, so anyone that enjoys the genre has plenty to like about these guys.  The keyboards are a bit too lilting at times (3, 11), but do add the right atmosphere in places (4). I reviewed a copy with voice-overs, so I had a hard time with all but the first four tracks, but I do [...read more]

Satyricon – “The Age Of Nero” [Koch] … Black n’ roll is becoming more prevalent these days, using more accessible song structures to reach a broader audience beyond the “kvlt.”  This seventh album was written by Satyr in a godforsaken cabin somewhere in the mountains of Norway.  It was brought to sunny L.A. and recorded/mixed by “Evil” Joe Baresi, with Satyr helming production.  The warmth Joe brought to bands like Kyuss and Saviours is not allowed to melt a drop of Satyricon’s icy exterior; clarity and balance are what’s at work here, accentuating the subtle palette in which the [...read more]