Showing posts with label thrash metal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thrash metal. Show all posts

22 December 2011

Skaut - "Mind Asylum" [EP]

Thrash is not original. And so what? (9/10)

La musique de SKAUT s'appuie sur des rythmiques guitare en béton méga-armé et un mélange de mélodies et de violences. La basse, loin de se contenter de soutenir la guitare, trouve sa place en tant qu'instrument à part entière. Le batteur, avec un jeu typé metal par excellence, martèle le tout avec efficacité. Une voix alternant tour à tour des passages chantés, hurlés façon hardcore ou encore bien grave de chez Cavalera&Co.

La musique de SKAUT pourrait se définir par un mélange intéressant de plusieurs styles. Nous avons opté pour une "étiquette" Power-Thrash suite à différentes opinions de la part du public nous ayant vu en live ou écouté notre démo. Power-Thrash pour des riffs guitares sans concessions et pour nos influences les plus communes (Sepultura, Metallica des débuts, Slayer etc).

après une année 2005 marquée par des problèmes ralentissant sérieusement le groupe (vols de matériel, départs de musiciens), SKAUT va repartir au complet dès cet été et s'enfermer pour proposer du nouveau début 2006.

This is a really great quality offer from the no-longer-existing band Skaut. This is another example of the simple truth that it is not enough to be good to get a contract with "professional" record labels. Thank gods, nowadays you may publish your music yourself and screw morons from the recording industry mafia.

What? Music? Oh yes, music. The music is great. Professional level powerful thrash metal. Just check it out - not much to add, as everything works on this album like it should. People complain it is not original, but wait a minute! Hasn't thrash metal already been invented? OK. So now nobody should play it anymore, because "it is not original"? This is so stupid. You can complain some act is not original if it obviously mimics another band. But what is wrong with playing genre music? What about classical music? Shouldn't it be recorded anymore, because it is not original?

Skaut does not copy anyone - they just play typical thrash metal. They do it professionally, with style, power and energy. They are great at it. And they deserve praise for that.

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28 March 2011

Skneepa - "Racecourse Demo"

A significant progress, but I still hope for more (7/10)

We are an unsigned thrash/groove/hardcore metal band from a small town called Hexham, twenty miles West of Newcastle, England. We take our name from the ancient Greek adjective meaning "As drunk as a Lord", pronounced with a silent 'k' (we reckon). (F.Y.I - Spelled differently, and pronounced 'pur', it also means "clit" in Icelandic (Cheers, Eli Roth)). We grew up together listening to Pantera, Metallica, Maiden ... and so many others, and found Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and Slipknot (again, to mention but a few) along the way. Now we're all grown up, and we've got something we'd like you to hear. If you like it, let it show. Thanks to all for listening. P.S. SIGN US!! We're young, fit and keen, and the music is mean. .... You can download all our tunes for free from ..Skneepa Bandcamp.. or from our ..last.fm page.

Strange. It seems that this band has two accounts on Jamendo, each with one (different) demo: If the time between publishing of both demos (only 4 months) relates to the distance between their recording, it would mean that the vocalist worked really hard. As you can see in my review of the other demo, I consider him to be the weakest link in the otherwise solid metal chain. This time he managed to restrain his desperate croaks to the point where they are almost bearable.

The rest of the band is quite good, production is acceptable for a demo, so I'm going to give this recording 7/10. It is still rating on credit, considering the not-completely-eradicated croaking of the singer. But both tracks are entertaining and deserve recognition. If the vocalist completely abandons this laughable "scary" manner of singing, the future should be bright. So this is definitely the act worth putting on a watchlist.

By the way, I just love the cover. It is gloomy and disturbing, but without using all the worn-out metal motifs. Well done!


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[Artist's Myspace]

24 March 2011

Skneepa - "Demo"

The Tale Of A Scary Singer (5/10)

We are an unsigned thrash/groove/hardcore metal band from a small town called Hexham, twenty miles West of Newcastle, England. We take our name from the ancient Greek adjective meaning "As drunk as a Lord", pronounced with a silent 'k' (we reckon). (F.Y.I - Spelled differently, and pronounced 'pur', it also means "clit" in Icelandic (Cheers, Eli Roth)). We grew up together listening to Pantera, Metallica, Maiden ... and so many others, and found Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and Slipknot (again, to mention but a few) along the way. Now we're all grown up, and we've got something we'd like you to hear. If you like it, let it show. Thanks to all for listening. P.S. SIGN US!! We're young, fit and keen, and the music is mean. .... You can download all our tunes for free from ..Skneepa Bandcamp.. or from our ..last.fm page.

Chapter 01. Pop Song
Growling is a very difficult technique. What a pity the majority of death metal acts are not aware of this simple fact. Because of its extremity, it is very easy to cross the border between brutality and self-parody. Skneepa crosses this border on each track, but most notably on this one, what is very unfortunate, because if not for this funny croak, it would be a really cool thrash/death metal piece.

Chapter 02. Parallell
Nice metal piece. The pitiful growling is less intrusive on this one, so the result is bearable (but could have been great).

Chapter 03. Broken Glass
Dear singer - never, I repeat, NEVER try to sing a ballad again. Satan forbid. Your "clear" singing is more scary than your pitiful growling. A dull melody and annoying banging on hi-hats in the background don't spoil this track much more in these circumstances.

Chapter 04. This World Is Mine
Very fine, disturbing and energetic duel between the left and the right stereo channels in the beginning of the track is soon wasted because of... Anybody wanna guess? Right. Here comes the funny croaking again. Ouch! All this very solid work of the rest of the band throughout the track destroyed by the vocalist. What a pity.

The moral of this story:
Replace the singer, guys, or send him on a singing (and growling) course or something.


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[Artist's Myspace]

22 March 2011

Abralcor - "Abralcor" [EP]

Primeval chaos unleashed (10/10)

Beware! By clicking on "Play" you are letting primeval chaos to enter your room. It will struck you like a ten ton hammer, with powerful guitars, machine gun drums, angry growling and totally crazy ideas. Ideas such as combining death metal with samples from French soap opera (or something like that).

The first track "Nympho Man" starts with samples of arguing couple with some "elevator music" playing in the background. And then we hear a crack of a whip, followed by a scream. And the guitar arrives.

These songs sound so fresh, so unorthodox, these guys play with such a power and lack of respect for any rules that I was immediately sold. This is great - and I want more!

If you still don't believe these guys are totally crazy, see their cover of some eurodance shit by Haddaway. As you see, they mixed their cover with the original video showing Haddaway and his dancers. 8-0 I don't know what they usually smoke, but it has to be strong.



If you still want more, you'll find other songs on their Myspace profile. Enjoy.

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[Artist's Myspace]

20 March 2011

Mesentery - "Behind Windows"

Producer kills the death metal star (7/10)

Mesentery is Death Metal like Six feet under, Bolt Thrower, Heaven Shall Burn, Cataract with a mid tempo invasion with smashing riffs. For more details go to: www.mesentery.com.nu

This album is better than the debut Jamendo album on every aspect except the most sucking one - production.

When you listen to it on a good equipment, it sounds as if mikes were on the outside of the recording studio, while the band played somewhere in the basement. The sound is muffled and unselective. Just terrible.

If not for this issue, I'd give 8 or even 9 points out of 10. It's generic death metal, but the melodies are good, the band is full of energy, even drums are OK this time. They even changed the cover artist and you can look at it without getting sick. In fact the cover is exceptionally good for a death metal album, as it breaks this stupid notion that a heavy metal cover art has to be full of monsters, warriors, profanity, blood, gore and "scary" lettering. Well done.

But everybody with sensitive ears may consider skipping this one, because of bad production. (What?! Metal heads with good hearing? Come on!). ;-P

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[Artist's Myspace]

10 March 2011

Mesentery - "Blood Rain"

Nice death metal (7/10)

Mesentery is Death Metal like Six feet under, Bolt Thrower, Heaven Shall Burn, Cataract with a mid tempo invasion with smashing riffs. For more details go to: www.mesentery.com.nu

Nice death metal - not a masterpiece, but highly listenable generic work.

It is very melodic, without losing heaviness. Growling is not overused like on so many death metal albums - you can even sometimes recognize the words! ;-)

There are some cons, of course. First of all, production sucks - the mix is flat, without any space. The sound could also be better. And the drums are quite bad - for example, check out these hi-hats in the beginning of the first track - yuck! Fortunately, when the other instruments join in, drums melt in the background and stop being annoying, if only one doesn't try too hard to listen to them.

So the key to this recording is to enjoy the pure power of melodic death metal, without analyzing too much (see all these 10/10 reviews).

By the way - the designer of the cover art should be nailed to the cross for his/her crimes against the good taste (it has nothing to do with the naked female but rather with the picture being totally kitschy).

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[Artist's Myspace]