All customer reviews by Joel B.
Posted on: January 27, 2018
In Flames - Battles
The band incorporated even greater usage of electronics than they did on previous albums, it's especially noticeable on the album's second single, The Truth. The track is probably the most radio friendly song In Flames have ever produced, with the prevalent presence of children choir in the chorus.
Posted on: November 8, 2017
Cannibal Corpse - Red Before Black
Red Before Black is a terrific Cannibal Corpse record. Taking the best aspects of the bands sound from such works as Torture and Evisceration Plague, the album presents a truly evil tinge throughout its brutal composition. Everyone in the band is sincerely on point, and in particular with the instrumentation, displays a nice range of style and sound. Red Before Black is a work that proves how a band can build upon their structure, stretching out their talents, while keeping to their core artistry. Cannibal Corpses 14th record is a terrific release that will please fans looking for horrifying death metal and pure brutality.
Posted on: November 3, 2017
In Solitude - Sister
Sister has more in common with Sisters of Mercy than it does Mercyful Fate. While this observation would have had most proverbially sweating (including yours truly), In Solitude naturally progressed into this new frontier excellently. The movement into gothic rock territory seems like it was an incredibly smooth transition, and really not that surprising given Pelle hmans low register and the groups signature brooding atmosphere. The sound of Sister is obviously a wonderful progression for In Solitude. The opening He Comes, an acoustic introduction, slithers around hmans ritualistic voice with a familiar texture that the bands previous records hold, though seen under this new lens. Although just one of the eight cuts, the song shows the band shedding its skin yet paying homage to In Solitudes primordial roots.
Posted on: October 30, 2017
Kreator - Violent Revolution
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Kreator/Violent Revolution - Review - 98%
Jordan Rosser13, May 23rd, 2014
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Over the course of the dreaded 90s, Kreator endured an era of experimentation, line up changes, and a decline in both popularity and profit. However, the new millennium brought with it a new Kreator, and a new album which completely shifted things back into their favor. From the classic Kreator styled artwork, to the savage, barbaric beat down inside the music, this album destroys any naysayer in sight and puts Kreator back into the thicket of thrash metal glory.
One of the more obvious things about this album is that Kreator took a faster, more streamlined approach and employed the use of their old destructive antics once more. The production quality of this record is excellent and really brings out the true sound and character youd expect from these metal veterans. All instruments are audible and the sonic assault here is almost unparalleled by even more modern records. The guitar tone is crushingly heavy and songs like Reconquering the Throne and the title track showcase their intensity along with Ventors legendary drumming. The vocals were a bit deeper and raspier on this record than any of their past efforts and they really compliment the bands sound well, there is also a fair amount of vocal range present on this record utilized by Petrozza as well as many different styles. For example, the song Replicas of Life begins with clean vocals and then it morphs into a high pitched scream before finally descending to a low, guttural yelling.
Posted on: October 5, 2017
Chimaira - The Age Of Hell
The entirety of The Age of Hell also sounds like a single, claustrophobic unit with Mark Hunter shut in the middle of it all. The electronics and keyboards are quite prominent, but instead of using them to augment the riffs or just add noise like previously, they fill up the spaces behind the slower riffs and create a creeping miasmic atmosphere of paranoia, isolation, and menace. This suits the lyrics and vocals much better than on the faster, more straightforward songs, since it gives the dark intentions a setting and seriousness that finally makes sense. As such, this actually plays almost like a solo album, with a single personality emanating different aspects of its degradation from one distinct location, a little like Trent Reznor achieved on the better Nine Inch Nails albums. However, the band dont quite make this effect last throughout the album and the first half ends up much stronger than the second, because there is a relapse into the bands more familiar style.
Posted on: September 7, 2017
Testament - Low
Song for song, this album is a predictable and logical successor for the bands previous work with a few occasional surprises. In keeping with the more intense vocal style brought out by the onslaught of death metal in the early 90s, Chuck Billy takes a few occasions to release some toneless barks of the Chuck Schuldiner persuasion, and the overall heavier and darker guitar tone sounds like it took a few cues from Human along with the 2 Exhorder albums that everyone heard in Panteras early 90s work. The obvious candidates for solid, mid-tempo heaviness include the title song, Shades Of War and Chasing Fear, while a few songs including the frenetic riff fest Dog Faced Gods, the instrumental shred fest Urotsukidoji and the Pantera on steroids speed fest Ride take the metronome up several notches.
Posted on: August 30, 2017
Vomitory - Carnage Euphoria
'Carnage Euphoria' is their 7th full length effort, and while it may not have the same shock factor that I felt first listening to a few of their past works, the quality is undeniable. "The Carnage Rages On" is a fast opening track which hardens the arteries but didn't throw me over the edge. It took the second track, "Serpents" to do that, grinding with menace across several Left Hand Path-worthy grooves dippsed in Slayer sauce. "A Lesson in Virulence" starts with a barbaric old school death/thrashing, Rundqvist bass plodding along with the perfect distortion as the band alternates between further Swede melodi-grind and some slower grooves perfect to sate any violent impulse. "Ripe Cadavers" lets the war drumming roll right into another of those d-beat/Hellhammer deathstyle rhythms which are so rarely pulled off with an air of menace. Not the case here. "Rage of Honour" is a little more pure grind, I heard a little Rotten Sound, or rather Napalm Death. "The Ravenous Dead" is one of the best tracks on the album, totally rocking out with some great death/doom rhythms and a bridge of pure evil. Other fist fucks include "Deadlock" and "Possessed", performed with exhilirating speed and callous brutality. "Great Deceiver" ends the album with an epic and evil flair to its opening melodies, with some sick verse rhythms.
Posted on: August 26, 2017
Paradise Lost - One Second
Paradise Lost is known as one of the greatest pioneers of the doom and gothic metal genre, among other legendary doom and gothic bands like My Dying Bride†¦and with good reason!
With “One Second† they have proven once again that they are a pure force of doom that is here to stay. This album contains a brilliant combination of mysterious keyboard harmonics and electronic sounds. The keyboards have a type of sound that will make you want to become one with the music. The guitars have very special effects that will also draw the attention of the listener. Many people don’t understand the doom and gothic genre, but it is when you pay attention to the smaller and more special details that you realize the ultimate uniqueness. Paradise Lost has certainly passed this “uniqueness test† if I may call it so. You just have to listen to the guitars and keyboards to realize this.
The bass also complements this very special sound of the guitars and keyboards especially in the intro of “Another day†. Like Opeth, Paradise Lost always has lyrics with deep philosophical content. You can rest assure – the lyrical content on this album is definitely not garbage!
Posted on: August 20, 2017
Obscura - Retribution
Retribution is based in blasted brutality like a lot of other, cruder death metal of the last 15 years, but the difference here is that they drew upon the jazzier, progressive chord arrangements redolent of forebears like Death, Atheist and Pestilence in the early 90s. I'd liken it to Chuck Schuldiner having written a record for Brazil's Krisiun, or Morbid Angel going all cosmic with a more scientific, adventurous theme rather than that of grotesque eldritch horror (though Retribution is lyrically more personal than its followup). Perhaps a meatier-clad Mithras is also a viable comparison. At any rate, you'll recognize a lot of the techniques, in particular the drumming, but these are imbued with some more atmospheric phrasing, chugging and squealing reminiscent of commonplace US brutal death metal, and even some cleaner vocals to balance out the rather indistinct post-Chuck growls here that would probably flee my mind entirely if not for the contrast they create when sustained against the busier music. But lots of the chug riffs feel like those spidery Morbid Angel crawls of yesteryear, and though there are some calmer and more atmospheric passages dowsed in harmonies, a lot of the tremolo picked passages feel pretty bland with the blasting...I'm just glad they break these up often enough that Retribution doesn't grow totally dull.
Posted on: July 31, 2017
Decapitated - Nihility
Nihility† is the sophomore release by Polish technical death metal band Decapitated. And on this album, they pretty much live up to the “technical† aspect. There are so many complex riffs and weird time changes going on, it kind of scrambles your brain and amazes you. But it’s not just the guitar riffs that impressed me: I’d say the star of the show is their late drummer, Vitek. I was amazed at how fast he could play on their album “Winds of Creation†, and he continues to live up to my expectations on this album. His drumming style mainly consists of blast beats and fast double bass with some drum fills here and there. He’s no Tim Yeung or Derek Roddy, but he was definitely one of the best drummers around. He will be missed.