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Saturday, November 02, 2002
"DownTheSun (Self-Titled)"
by
Bill Vogel III
November 1, 2002 A.D.
Kansas City's DownTheSun has cut a brutal reputation for itself in the Aggro Metal scene. Their self-titled debut [Roadrunner Records] is fiery display of Midwestern aggression. Fusing Sludge and Aggro, the result is total, brilliant mayhem.
Somewhere between Mudvayne and Slipknot is where DownTheSun makes their sound. Heavy, sludgy guitar blasts pour like molten iron through raging, precise rhythms. The growled vocals explode inside this sublime chaos with a guttural perfection.
Tracks of definite excellence include "We All Die," the ferocious "Medicated," "Scapegoat," the crushing weight of "Revelations," "Eye Confide," and "Pure American Filth." There is no quiet place to hide in DownTheSun's world. It's all hostility here.
In summary, DownTheSun kills. This is Sludge/Aggro Metal at its very best. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: 36 Crazyfists, Killswitch Engage, Ill
Nino, Mudvayne, Dry Kill Logic, No One,
Slipknot, Murderdolls, Stone Sour,
Lifer, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION. Piece.
Email at: StrangeAeons@compuserve.com
Copyright 2002.
Courtesy of Stranger Aeons Magazine.
W.B. Vogel III 3:53 PM
Friday, November 01, 2002
"'Genesis' by Rotting Christ"
by
Bill Vogel III
November 1, 2002 A.D.
The epic and powerful masters of Black Metal mayhem, Rotting Christ, have unleashed their next onslaught on the hopes of humanity. Titled "Genesis" [Century Media Records], it is as esoteric as it is intense. It stares long into the sublime abyss.
The vocals are a shrill growl, worming through frenzied guitar assaults and atmospheric passages of blackened melancholia. It's surreal and beautiful-even adding Benedictine style chanting at times. This is a tenebrous journey into the heart of pure evil.
The best tracks include the manic "Lex Talionis," "Ad Noctis," "Quintessence," and the primal "Release Me." Darkness knows thy name...
Overall, this is yet another killer opus by Rotting Christ. This album is not the genesis of their greatness, but is the continuation of it. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Samael, Borknagar, Dimmu Borgir,
Emperor, Master's Hammer, Cradle Of
Filth, Immortal, Mayhem, Absu, Order
From Chaos, Satanic Slaughter, Aeon,
Serpent Obscene, Antaeus, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION. Piece.
Email at: StrangeAeons@compuserve.com
Copyright 2002.
Courtesy of Stranger Aeons Magazine.
W.B. Vogel III 6:01 PM
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
"'The Mantle' by Agalloch"
by
Bill Vogel III
October 30, 2002 A.D.
From the darkened depths of an abyss where beauty is forged from the pristine shadows arises the surreal beauty and bombast of Agalloch. Their third opus, "The Mantle" [The End Records], is as eclectic as it is powerful. Combining a diverse spectrum of styles into a unique, intense experience, Agalloch has fashioned an amazing brand of Avant-Garde Blackened Death Metal.
Strangely, the overall feel is somewhat akin to fusing Pink Floyd and Emperor into a cataclysmic force. Elements of Gothic, Black, Death, and Avant-Garde Metal dance within the unreal beauty. Clean, Goth vocals are pierced by shrill, shrieking growls, intermingling with synthesizers, acoustic guitar, electric roar, and ferocious rhythms.
The most incredible tracks include "In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion," the bizarre brilliance of "...And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth," "Odal," "The Hawthorne Passage," and the poetic glory of "You Were But A Ghost In My Arms." Agalloch is as savage as they are sublime.
Overall, Agalloch has a glorious darkness that truly shines. This album illustrates that fact perfectly. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Burzum, Arcturus, Kovenant, Mayhem, Love
History, Green Carnation, Mental Home,
Dimmu Borgir, Nokturnal Mortum, Mistigo
Varggoth Darkestra, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION. Piece.
Email at: StrangeAeons@compuserve.com
Copyright 2002.
Courtesy of Stranger Aeons Magazine.
W.B. Vogel III 6:50 PM
Tuesday, October 29, 2002
"'Bless The Martyr, Kiss The Child' by Norma Jean"
by
Bill Vogel III
October 24, 2002 A.D.
Some of the most brutal Metalcore around is created by the band Norma Jean (formerly known as Luti-Kriss). Their new opus, "Bless The Martyr, Kiss The Child" [Solid State Records], is as insane, powerful, and introspective as they come. Norma Jean makes it as direct as it is epic.
Mixing elements of Hardcore, Grind, and Noisecore, the Norma Jean sound prods and pushes at the edges of extremity. Syncopation drives the music forward as the main impetus-uniting shrill, growled vocals and clean howls with throbbing rhythm blasts, discordant guitar barrages, acoustic splashes, and philosophical lyrics. This is brutality.
The most killer of these bruising tracks include "Creating Something Out Of Nothing Only To Destroy It," the ferocious rage of "Organized Beyond Recognition," "Memphis Shall Be Laid To Waste," and the fierce "The Shotgun Message." It's all aggression here.
Overall, this is a seriously amazing slab. Norma Jean has a future ahead of them to destroy. And it's going to be a sight to behold. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Hatebreed, Dead To Fall, Darkest Hour,
Today Is The Day, Luddite Clone, Burnt
By The Sun, Dillinger Escape Plan,
Unearth, I-Defy, Hoods, Atreyu,
Bloodlet, All Else Failed, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION. Piece.
Email at: StrangeAeons@compuserve.com
Copyright 2002.
Courtesy of Stranger Aeons Magazine.
W.B. Vogel III 11:47 AM
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