The Faceless - “Planetary Duality” [Sumerian] … whatever “-core” this band once embodied has since been replaced by Tech Death in spades, further embracing forefathers like Necrophagist (read: no breakdowns) … they have also clearly been listening to Cynic, evidenced in their artwork, lyrics, and use of vocoder … still trying to find their niche on their second release, they were wise to ramp down the keyboards on this album, but should consider doing away with–or improving–the clean vox … 3 and 8 are instrumentals … FCC OK … Try 1, 2, 4, 5 … 2008Nov11 1. Prison Born 2. The Ancient Covenant [...read more]

Robot Lords Of Tokyo - “II: Whiskey, Blood & Napalm” [RLOT] … riff-heavy Southern stomp that sounds a lot like Corrosion of Conformity and a little like Clutch, which makes sense, since they got their name from the latter’s “10001110101” … their lyrics are a bit less cerebral than either of those bands, and more about rawkin’ fun … the main midtone vox are sometimes punctuated with a throaty, growled backup, which helps the better tracks (1, 4) … it may be shamelessly hooky, but when a band nails their formula, you can only fault them so much (like with, say, the rehashed [...read more]

Cynic – “Traced in Air” [Seasons of Mist] … the legendary Floridians reunite after 15 yrs for their followup to 1993′s Focus: one of the templates for Jazz-Metal fusion … with 3/4 of the lineup intact (guitarist Jason Gobel is not here) they have deftly recorded a logical progression from their debut … thematically similar (spirituality, transcendence, etc) with all the dynamism expected … there are some changes, particularly in the vocal dept, where the vocoder is scaled back (giving the clean vox a Porcupine Tree sound) and death growls are now minimal and complimentary … a veritable force of nature, chronicling [...read more]

  Bloodbath - “The Fathomless Mastery” [Candlelight] … following the release of their promising EP Unblessing The Purity earlier this year comes one of the most devastating releases of 2008 … this third full-length features their strongest lineup to date for the Swedish supergroup:  half Opeth, half Katatonia, and new guitarist Per Eriksson (ex-21 Lucifers, ex-Genocrush Ferox) … lyrically cynical, blasphemous, and misanthropic (which can get kinda tiresome) but the music is among the finest and most frightening Death Metal you’re likely to hear these days, with an engrossingly rich production … FCC: 4 (end) … Try 1, 2, 5, 6 (w/ Christian [...read more]

Viking Skull – “Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey” [Candlelight] … everything about this band smacks of self-parody, starting with their name and the title of this, their 3rd album, and wrapping up with a 6:41 drinking song (9)… they’re down with the three solid S’s of Metal: Southern, Sludge, and Sabbath, with vox that sound like what happens when you down razorblades with Black Tooth Grins … features new guitarists after their former founding members decided to focus on Raging Speedhorn … guaranteed grooves, hooks, and fun, but lacking innovation … FCC: 9 … Try 2, 3, 4, 6, [...read more]

  Darkthrone – “Dark Thrones and Black Flags” [Peaceville] … the infamous duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto return to deliver more “tr00” “kvlt” Norwegian Black Metal … well, sort of … this, their 13th album, is more in the tradition of 2007’s F.O.A.D., with heavy Punk and Trad Metal influences, plus it’s likewise graced with Dennis Dread’s artwork … while they may be looking backward as they write these new songs, one thing hasn’t changed:  grimy, uneven, low-fi production (depending on your viewpoint, this will either please or frustrate) … overall, it’s okay at face value, with a [...read more]

Akimbo - “Jersey Shores” [Neurot] … drawing inspiration from the string of shark attacks that terrorized New Jersey in the summer of 1916, this Seattle trio goes to great lengths to expand their sonic palette on their sixth album (the first since leaving Alternative Tentacles) … they feel loose–even improvisational– hearkening back to early Black Sabbath, but with the noisy ferocious groove of homestate ilk like the Melvins … they may be as brutal and delicate as the waters that spawned these tales (even bookending the album with ocean sounds), as they ebb and flow through these haunting tracks … they best achieve [...read more]

  Abigail Williams – “In The Shadow of A Thousand Suns” [Candlelight] … after frequent lineup changes, the formerly-Phoenix/now-NY-based sextet has done many things right for their first full-length … first, they more deeply embrace Norwegian Symphonic Black Metal, and forego any Metalcore ties they had on the Legend EP, which felt forced when executed … second, prior to enlisting Samus on battery full time, they called on powerhouse Trym Torson (Emperor, Zyklon) for all but three tracks (3, 8, 9) … third, James Murphy (Testament, Dragonlord) is behind the production, mixing and mastering (plus a guest solo on [...read more]

  Enslaved - “Vertebrae” released October 21, 2009 on Nuclear Blast A blacker, grander execution with more progressive leanings when compared with most other Swedish death metal that invokes the Viking spirit, like the savage thrash of Unleashed or the gruff melodic hooks of Amon Amarth. What we do get from the 17-year veterans is an excellent choice of sonic textures throughout, with the vocals alternating between soothing tenors and venomous rasps, which altogether makes for an interesting and daring listening experience that would likely please Opeth fans. Check out the folky backbeat on 5.   FCC OK. Try 1, 2, 3, 5 [...read more]

Pro-Pain - “No End In Sight” [Regain] … more melodic branches emerge from the Hardcore roots the NYC quartet planted nearly two decades ago … starts strong, and reaches into some interesting territory (3 is kinda “Oi! Oi!” and 4 is Power Metally), but the second half of the album, which includes the inflammatory tracks about war (10) and God (9) get tiresome … FCC: 1,6,10 … Try 2, 3, 4 … 2008Oct14 01. Let The Blood Run Through The Streets 02. Halo 03. Hour Of The Time 04. To Never Return 05. Where We Stand 06. Phoenix Rising 07. [...read more]