REVIEWS
January-February 2007
MOONSORROW (FIN) - "V: Hvittety" CD'07 (SPIKEFARM)
I've been waiting for this album quite some time, as I was truly curious to experience the new Epic Folk Viking Metal sample created by the Sorvalli brothers! If I take a look back to recent history of the band, especially to the last two CDs, "Kivenkantaja" was a genius one, while "Veriskeet", released two years ago, has been less powerful than the previous, probably due to the fact they've already reached the maximum execution level till that particular moment. I used to believe that we'll get to listen to a new Black Metal sample, yet I've lacked certainty in what concerns the specific approach. Now, I can tell for sure that the two tracks of the album, of an approximately 30 minutes length each, enhance a less Epic and bombastic Viking Metal, oriented towards a rather experimental Black Metal, more complex and intricate as ever before. It is an excellently conceived and performed material, with killing guitar riffs, abundant keyboard and exquisite multiple vocals - starting with the normal ones, going through martial, all the way to the aggressive ones, specific for Norse Black Metal. I wouldn't say it's MOONSORROW's best album, yet it is the most technical for sure. Moreover, I wish you to know that, along various influences from "Twilight of the Gods"/BATHORY, the new MOONSORROW is, finally, a Viking version for "Heart of the Ages"/IN THE WOODS... The extra long intro of the first track, saliently resembles, in structure, the legendary Norwegian album, so you really have to delight yourselves with these Finns music! It would be false for us to say they've plagiarized another bands, yet it is obvious that their entire background is rooted in concept alike the ones I've mentioned above.
LONGING FOR DAWN (CAN) - "A Treacherous Ascension" CD'07 (GRAU)
The new album of the one who manages an Ambient label in Canada seems darker than the previous one, but it keeps the same leaden Funeral Doom Metal approach! There are solely four tracks, pretty long ones, both depressing and hopeless. The throaty voice fails into saving the atmosphere, already compromised by the melodic line, as the only elements are the elongated guitar riffs and the extremely slow battery. I wouldn't say that the new four sequences are better than the former ones released on "One Lonely Path" in 2005, as the musical valences seem to be the same ones, the approach is identical and the sound is repetitive. Anyway, this music certainly lacks the mighty accents of the Finnish Slow Doom (THERGOTHON for instance), but it unveils some elements reminding the genius WINTER or DISEMBOWELMENT. We are dealing with several minutes of pleasurable audition, yet there is nothing impressing about it.
MAEL MORDHA (IRE) - "Gealtacht Mael Mordha" CD'07 (GRAU)
I've written about "Cluain Tarbh" debut some months ago and I remember it wasn't salutary. That Irish mix of Folk with Doom Metal was totally lacked in musical line, as the mingled sonorities seemed to be constructed from broken pieces, at all harmonized. Unlike the first album, "The Madness of Mael Mordha", it is a better conceptualized and performed work, seemingly even more atmospheric. Still, the normal voice is quite weak, trying to imitate frames of SOLITUDE AETERNUS in its slow sequences. As for the rapid interludes, only the guitars reach the high performance, while the rest of instruments are negligible. I find the idea of extracting elements from the Irish traditions and transposing them into Metal an excellent one, so that this Gaelic Doom Metal is however pleasant. Maybe it isn't as enjoyable as CRUACHAN, but the distance between them is not essentially that great. Perhaps the Epic dimension is more pronounced on this particular release, crayoning a warlike shadow to the sound, one that reminds me MANOWAR. "A Window of Madness" seems to be the best track, as the instrumentation reveals an excellent Metal execution. In my opinion the rapid tracks are better than the Doom ones, and I guess this would be a good path to follow in the future because the dynamic approach suit them at the most. Moreover, if the voice would be exercised and refined more, we could expect more pleasant surprises from them in the future.
KEEN OF THE CROW (US) - "Hyborea" CD'07 (GRAU)
These Americans are braced to MORGION band (a drummer and a bass player) and I recall that "Premonition" MCD has been well received by the American press especially, even though it seemed a modest material to me. Now we have eleven well conceived tracks, quite long, full of melody, atmospheric, somewhere at the limit between Doom and Death Metal! The guttural voice, specific for the American bands approaching this particular music style, shows us from time to time the ability to turn normal, scarcely reminding me of Aaron (MY DYING BRIDE). The five Americans do not bring anything new, original or innovative! There is solely an elaborated Doom Death Metal, quite neat and diversified, one that can be compared with the first NOVEMBERS DOOM's works. With all the respect for this style's fans, "Hyborea" turns us back to the bygone times when MY DYING BRIDE or PARADISE LOST dominated the underground Metal scene! Well, I was expecting a step ahead though!
ENSIFERUM (FIN) - "Victory Songs" CD'07 (SPIKEFARM)
This is another album that many were eager to listen to, another exquisite material for those fascinated by Epic Folk Viking Metal! Battle Metal may be a better description for it! After two excellently executed albums during more than eight years of activity on the scene, Markus Toivonen's band has experienced major changes in what concerns the members, there was even a rumor about putting an end to it. Well, consequently to an anniversary DVD (ten years of existence), the new ENSIFERUM formula releases a MCD and we are now dealing with a new material, damn fine conceived and interpreted! Heavy, Folk, Melodic, Atmospheric or Viking Metal, throaty voices along choral ones, extremely martial; there are Speed Metal sequences, explosive guitars, bursting battery, a transcendent atmosphere created by the keyboard that enhances the grandiose traditional line, plus particular instruments indispensable for mature bands aiming to ingeniously compound Metal with Folk: bag-pipe, kantel, nyckelharpa or bodhran. It is by far one of the best albums of the genre and, even though the Epic dimension is shadowed from time to time by the Heavy Metal one, the entire album is to be considered an extreme one, as Petri Lindroos aggressive voice is unstoppable during the nine tracks. Therefore, placed on the stylistic verge of bands like SONATA ARCTICA, FINNTROLL or TURISAS, ENSIFERUM certainly is the headliner of this bombastic music style: Battle Metal! And, if I take a moment for a better reasoning, I would come into revealing that the album's title is utterly significant for a truly beautiful work. I would have rated it at the maximum if the Dark scent would have had been valued mightier...
PUISSANCE (SWE) - "Grace Of God " CD'07 (EQUILIBRIUM)
Few albums have enraptured me lately! This particular CD is an incredibly inspired one, full of charm, deserving all your attention, despite the mixture between Industrial and Gothic that is not original. Even though there are plenty of Martial-Pop or Neo-Classical elements in the music of the two, comparing to the previous Soderlund and Moller's works, these eight compositions enhance the voices, the melodic line and the atmosphere. Saying that Martial Industrial can sound bombastic and melancholic at the same time seems odd to me too, but trust me, that's the exact experience when listening to it! The voices are calm and saturated in expressivity, the choral effects unveil a particular beauty, and the entire album oscillates between a DER BLUTHARSCH or IN SLAUGHTER NATIVES but it has a more martial tonality, plus there are certain scents of DERNIERE VOLONTE or the recent ROME. It's a pity that this duet hasn't succeeded into getting a more serious offer from CMI, so that they've been swinging during their ten years of activity via Fluttering Dragon or Regain, and now came to the point of starting on Portuguese land. The previous albums "Let Us Lead" and "Back in Control" have been reedited now at Equilibrium, in a much more elegant version. An extraordinary album, maybe not as imposing and dynamic as the former ones, yet full of harmony and unique atmosphere. So, after an excellent Black Metal album released ten years ago under the name PARNASSUS, Fredrik Soderlund has now created a new masterpiece, this time a Gothic Industrial one.
KHVARENA (FRA/ITA) - "The Spirit Rises Of God " CD'07 (PROJEKT)
I admit that every single sonority that brings DEAD CAN DANCE in my mind conquers my interest more than everything else. Even though we are dealing with a debut, the band members are real professionals, some of them known to me for quite a long time. Therefore, Jeanne and Fabrice Lefebvre (RAJNA) decided to release another Ethno project and co-opted Francesco Banchini, the talented Italian reputed for several collaborations, for example GOR and ATARAXIA. I cannot describe you how majestic and mystic can be the audition of instruments like clarinet, saz, zurna, bendir, riq, derbouka, santoor, medieval flute, tampura, udu, crotal, bouzouki all together! Beside that, we have two hallucinating voices, reciting lyrics of a Persian poet from the X century! The contrast of these two excellent voices assay into enlivening Lisa & Brendan, and they succeed into a fairyland atmosphere, through a more festive and ritualistic approach comparing to the one of DCD. It is a journey within the Middle East, towards the faraway origins, maybe even ours, completely transcending the present! If you wish, I've always said that RAJNA lacks the accent on a masculine voice. Well, choosing to collaborate with Francesco seems inspired to me and I sense a great future under this particular banner! We can solely remark true musicians, professionals, passionate, talented and inspired ones! If Ethno Heavenly voices interests you, do not miss KHVARENA! The digipack has a particular beauty, so we are definitely dealing with a collection piece!
SAMMATH (HOL) - "Dodengang " CD'06 (FOLTER)
Once again Black Metal, this time presented in a more professional form. Jan Kruitwagen is the leader of this band since 1994 and he has now released the third album, the first one I am listening to. I could rate it as Furios Black Metal after a first audition, but relistening to it uncovers me also an elegantly conceived melodic line, even if it is structured on an excessive guitars' speed. I cannot figure out why, but the bass is hardly heard, while the guitars and the drums are the key elements of the sound; the demonic voice hasn't impress me at all...perhaps due to the fact it is common, linear, and lacked in contrasts, inflexions or tonalities turnovers. There are certain influences from Norse Black Metal and GEHENNA, NAGLFAR or DISSECTION are resembling bands as far as the style is concerned. We have a fine virtuosity, a correct approach, so we can spot that SAMMATH is one of the best quality Dutch bands, especially that there is a second drummer giving me the feeling of a drum-machine. Therefore, we have a quality, yet unoriginal Grim Raw Black Metal. SAMMATH could be an interesting band for the future if the mixing will be done better, the voice will turn more inspired, and if they'll focus more on rhythm turnovers. I still wonder: has Koos Bos, the drummer, performed in CARCASS years ago? Damn killing drumming style he has!
BATTLELORE (FIN) - "Evernight " CD'07 (NAPALM)
After three albums that I haven't rated encouraging, the Finns bring a major stylistic transformation, even if the conceptualization remains the same. The new approach, Epic Fantasy Metal, is in fact a bombastic Gothic Metal, with a mighty throaty masculine voice (reminding me of ENCHANTMENT), executed by a new member, the same one that performs in EVEMASTER, and also some feminine pleasant and dilettante voice, and that's all it is to this release. Obviously, the new BATTLELORE sounds better than the old one, within which the normal masculine voice was far too common and didn't add an extra value to the sound. I sense a Darker BATTLELORE, a more atmospheric and rhythmic one, not necessarily a more melodic one too, yet it pleases my ears, especially for the fact that they've given up the trendy orientation of most Finnish bands, delirious for Tolkien, and so they've succeeded into recovering their national identity and are now mixing Metal with Epic or Folk, all in a Heavy or Power Metal version. Even though BATTLELORE's orientation returns to the 90's Gothic, this very album is one to be listened, one time for sure. Nothing new, nothing interesting, just another Atmospheric Gothic Metal album!
GALAR (NOR) - "Skogskvad " CD'06 (HEAVY HORSES)
It seems that WINDIR has been a powerful inspiration for the new Norwegian Viking Black Metal bands. Since the beginning I've been shocked by the cover, dignifying nature, not the glacial landscapes especially, yet the firs are on the first line once again. These two's music sounds quite fine, we have throaty voices (pretty amateur I'd say) and also normal, even martial ones, resonating at their most on the acoustic fragments, slower and very atmospheric. In rest, Black Metal in the Northern style, quite rapid, cursive, sounding very good for a debut, both as structure, interpretation and mixing. We also have piano and keyboard but, surprisingly for me, they are slightly used if compared with other bands of the genre. If I am to drag a conclusion, I can say that the guitars and the battery sound quite fine, the vocal arrangements are very well conceived but modestly interpreted, and the much quested originality isn't one to be neglected even if bands like MANEGARM or WINDIR could have stand for inspiration. Anyway, we are dealing with an intelligent Viking Metal album.
TRAIL OF TEARS (NOR) - "Existentia " CD'07 (NAPALM)
Ronny Thorsen has turned inept for sure! After a remarkable 1998 debut, "Disclosure in Red", the band hasn't been able to create another album at the same level, despite the three albums released at Napalm. There have been several departures, Helene Iren's being the most significant. Co-opting Kjetil (GREEN CARNATION) brought some nervousness to the vocal interpretation and that would be all. Moreover, from a Doom Death Metal scenting Gothic, the band came to the point of presenting us in 2007 the fifth album self-labeled as Dark Gothic Metal. If you ask me, it's a stupid mix of Dark, Atmospheric, Gothic and Power Metal, as far as the instrumentation is concerned, while the voices reveal a strange mixture of Gothic, Dark and Progressive. There's no substance in that masculine voice! I really couldn't understand why have they chosen that multitude of voices: feminine, masculine normal + throaty + progressive essaying! Emmanuelle Zoldan's voice is at its most, there are various remarkable inflexions giving a pleasant aura to the dominant sound, plus there is an abundant keyboard! Besides that, nothing except disappointment! It seems the most perforce album, mingling everything that crossed the mind of the band members, yet the final result is a confusing material. With all the respect for my friend Ronny, all his efforts were in vain. Maybe the shock he had a month ago, when he found himself alone in the band as being left away by all the others coming to the point of questioning about dissolution, will turn out positive: some say what doesn't destroy you, might make you stronger. Let's see what will Ronny create in the future, because his debut and the vocal part he has done for the third TRISTANIA cannot went unnoticed in the history as exquisite performances!
THE STONE (SER) - "Magla " CD'06 (FOLTER)
It is obvious that this is the best Serbian band, in the Black Metal approach! If I'm not mistaken, this is the fourth album of the band. They've used to perform under the name STONE TO FLESH, and their debut "Some Wounds Bleed Forever" is the best known. My disillusionment is that, after three true Black Metal releases, the Serbs (maybe Macedonians?!!) brought nothing new in their approach, just the same well executed guitar riffs, grim voice, melodicity now and then, plus a nice sounding battery without impressing the lister in a particular way. This is my sense over a technically irreprochable album, yet one turning tedious after two consequent auditions. Too bad, I was waiting for a diversification of the sonorities, certain new elements, maybe even avantgardist ones. This work hasn't satisfied my expectations, maybe the next one will.
FOREST OF SILENCE (HUN) - "Philosophy Of Winter " CD'06 (CANDLELIGHT)
After ten years of this project's activity, Winter succeeded into debuting, and what label was he able to find! There have been three demos released so far, yet the 2001 "Eternal Winter" one, was the most promoted, probably being the main link towards Candlelight. For those not knowing yet, Winter used to be SEAR BLISS's keyboardist, moreover, on this solo project there have been invited two members of the famous Hungarian band (Andras and Zoltan), which signed with the British label too. Winter also participates in other musical projects, like: INFERNAL, ARUD, NEFARIOUS, SATANIK ART. Still, what have we got on this particular project? Atmospheric Dark Black Metal, using a voice very similar to the one in SEAR BLISS, meaning a straining, even Evil one, moreover there is a powerful guitars noise, Raw alike and not very rapid, plus a bombastic keyboard. To me it didn't sound neither original nor remarkable, so there's no need for other words regarding it. This album will probably get some attention due to its asimilation to the SEAR BLISS project.
AUTOPSY (US) - "Horrorhammer " CD'07 (TYRANT SYNDICATE)
Consequently to six albums released in over twelve years of activity, Chris Reifert, Danny Coralles, Clint Bower and Joe Allan have done a new work, this time at Nocturno Culto's (DARK THRONE) label. What were you expecting from these Americans except a damn violent, yet technical approach, something alike AUTOPSY? I have no idea how many "affected" persons are out there around the world, passionated for such sonorities, yet, if there are any, I am sure they'll devour this album! It disengages a fantastic energy and it's completely distructive!
SVARROGH (BUL) - "Kukeri " CD'06 (HEAVY HORSES)
Yes, this is a 100% original project! Yet, I doubt it suffices. Dimo Dimov is a truly talented musician, known from projects like HATRED DIVINE or VISZERAL. The stylistic approach is an odd one, a mixture of harsh Black Metal and ritual Neofolk, uncovering pure traditional Bulgarian music influences. The instruments are traditional too, the Folk fragments are quite superb, yet they often get interrupted by superaggressive sequences; the normal voice suddenly turns into a violent one, and the alternance continues on all the eleven tracks. These turnovers seemed copy-paste like to me, but probably this is the result Dimo wished for. I understood that's the third album so far, yet unfortunately for me it's just the first one to listen to, so I cannot compare it with the rest. Knowing that this is a solo project, you can easily imagine that Dimo plays all the instruments and this is to be felt at the end of your audition, as the diversified and complex sound unveils a syntetic, maybe even artificial dimension. It is an interesting sound, yet uncomplete. There are also to be discovered some passages of martial voice, a low tonality but imperious one, alike the ones performed by Castor/GOD. You should listen to this over Danubian project, at least out of curiosity!
