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Thursday, April 17, 2003
"'Here To Save You All' by Backdraft"
by
Bill Vogel III
April 17, 2003 A.D.
It amazes me that the best Southern/Retro Metal I've heard in ages is from a Swedish band. The 2002 album, "Here To Save You All" [Lunasound Records], by Backdraft is just that. They do it the old-fashioned way....
Backdraft has a very Bluesy, Heavy Rock style that is fresh but classic. Clean, deep vocals slither across thick, gnarled slabs of guitar roar. The drumming is solid, and powerful. The result is fiery, canorous chaos.
The best of these tracks include "Devil's Hand," the dynamo "Wicked Man," "See You Burn," and "Hillbilly Blues." Backdraft goes all-guns-blazin' into the fight.
Overall, Backdraft is very good. Devotees of this style of Metal will not be disappointed in this opus. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Raging Slab, Masters Of Reality, Fu
Manchu, Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age,
Sir Hedgehog, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION. War.
Copyright 2003.
Courtesy of Stranger Aeons Magazine.
W.B. Vogel III 1:07 PM
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
"'Astronomicon' by Without Face"
by
Bill Vogel III
April 16, 2003 A.D.
Been looking for something a little different? Well, this is it. The band Without Face is one unique beast, and their 2002 opus (EP) "Astronomicon" [Earache Records] is as serene as it is serrated. Without Face has an ethereal, epic quality.
Their would best be described as Neo Celtic/Gothic Death Metal with some Classical elements. The vocals are of three types-clean, female Celtic/Gothic; clean, male Gothic; and shrill growls (used less frequently). Keyboards, violins, and other Classical instruments are used throughout.
The best cuts include the atmospheric angst of "The Violin Of Erich Zann," "Talamasaca," and the surreal "Weird Places." Without Face is not brutal, but they are dark, heavy, and good.
In summary, Without Face is one killer, eclectic Neo Celtic/Gothic Death Metal band. This one pushes the edges. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Darkseed, Entwine, Acid Bath, My Dying
Bride, Evanescence, Anathema, Paradise
Lost, Babylon Whores, Aion, Cemetary,
Diabolique, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION. War.
Copyright 2003.
Courtesy of Stranger Aeons Magazine.
W.B. Vogel III 12:06 PM
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
"'When The Kite String Pops' by Acid Bath"
by
Bill Vogel III
Tuesday, April 15, 2003 A.D.
One of the truly greatest Metal bands ever has to be the Kenner, Louisiana outfit Acid Bath. Sadly, they are no more. But their genius, and legend, lives on.
Their 1994 debut, "When The Kite String Pops" [Rotten Records], is a true masterpiece. So why do a review so many years later? Because greatness never gets old, it transcends the oblivion fated to the trendwhores.
Acid Bath changed my life forever, making my darkness sublime. Combining darkly poetic, aggressive lyrics with a multitude of musical styles-including Death Metal, Gothic, Doom, Grind, Hardcore, and Swampcore-they were masters of metallic dirge.
Dax Riggs vocals could fluidly shift between a mournful Gothic drone and a harsh, shrill Death growl. Dax's voice was incredible, having a subtle brilliance twisting between dark power a soulful imperfection. And lyrics were intensely poetic.
All of the songs are chaotic marvels. "The Blue" is a Psychedelic/Doom Death monster. The groove is fierce. The lyrics state, "The sun burns on, it reminds me of you, the slit wrists of the sky, bleeding into the blue, we twist beneath forever."
Another one of my favorites is "Scream Of The Butterfly." It's an extremely bleak Gothic piece that uses sorrowful, somewhat discordant acoustical instruments along with the electric abysm. Dax's voice in a clean, deep howl sings, "A tear spills down her cheek, stillborn songs of a dead dreamer, hymns of the needle freak, with sunlight in her hair she smiles like she don't care, her dreams are liquid blue."
Acid Bath's lyrics are beautiful, grotesque, horrific, and savage.
Other great songs here include the woeful, yet psychotic "Finger Paintings Of The Insane," "Jezebel," "Cassie Eats Cockroaches," and "The Bones Of Baby Dolls."
In summary, Acid Bath is not for the timid. Clarity, and beauty, often demand brutality. ...As the sky bleeds into the blue. Stay savage. Farewell.
Related Bands: Agents Of Oblivion, Blood Duster, Goatwhore,
Sourvein, Grief, Atreyu, etc.
Keep the faith, and the AGGRESSION. War.
Copyright 2003.
W.B. Vogel III 4:55 PM
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