Disposable music reviews

Originally published in ‘zine issue #22, 1999

Deicide Serpents of the Light
(Roadrunner)
Let me preface this by saying that I love Deicide. But for some reason I found this newest release quite boring, so I decided I would make a little checklist to see if I cound pin down the source of the sucking. Here goes: Glen Benton’s sick vocals—check. Steve Austin’s relentless double bass—check. The Hoffman brothers’ psycho lead breaks—check. Satan in the lyric sheet—check. Good riffs—OOPS! I knew they left something out.
(by J.R. Hayes) ■

Divine Regale Ocean Mind
(Metal Blade)
If you can imaging Geoff Tate singing for a slightly more aggressive Yes, then you’re on the right track. Ambitious arrangements, exceptional musicianship, and a versatile vocalist make this a very worthy exercise in progressive metal. Those who absolutely must have aggression in their metal should steer clear, but open-minded metalheads who respect musicianship and well-written songs should give it a try.
(by J.R. Hayes) ■

Grip Inc. Solidify
(Metal Blade)
With this album Grip Inc. has proven to me that it is one of those few metal bands that actually improve with age. They have taken me by surprise with a record that is filled with interesting riffs, thoughtful arrangements, strong vocals and (of course) absolutely watertight drumming. This is a classy, well-crafted album of modern power metal that I like more and more every time I hear it.
(by J.R. Hayes) ■

Iggy And The Stooges Raw Power
(Columbia)
Having been originally released in ’73, this album is to punk rock what the first Black Sabbath album is to metal. This remastered edition proves that it is possible to improve upon perfection. Everything is clearer, heavier, and yes, more out of control than a fat woman in a candy bar factory. The Iguana himself oversaw this reissue and he has made sure that a little bad production will no longer inhibit his pummeling of your poser ass.
(by J.R. Hayes) ■

In Ruins Four Seasons of Grey
(Metal Blade)
One of Metal Blade’s more recent signings, I could’ve sworn that these guys were either of Greek or Swedish origin, with a sound somewhere between more recent Rotting Christ and those flooding out of Gothenburg. The songs are good, if occasionally wandering, and actually this band would be quite at home on a label like Holy Records, with its emphasis on atmosphere rather than go-for-the-throat riffing. I’ve listened to it twice and find it memorable and enjoyable, despite the way overplayed goth/vampire subject matter, especially considering they’re from Pennsylvania, land of the Amish.  How bout a concept album about something a little bit closer to home, like butter chums and the evils of electric ovens? Anyway, it’s pretty good.
(by R. Mason) ■

Konkhra Weed Out the Weak
(Metal Blade/Die Hard)
The music itself, while as well executed as you might expect with James Murphy of Testament involved, is of the “death groove” variety—criminally simplistic riffs obviously inspired (by the money raked in) by bands like Biohazard, Machine Head and other useless “90s metal” bands with absolutely no interest in songcraft. It’s disturbing to see obviously talented individuals squander their abilities via completely trendy shit. Hopefully good sense will prevail and this piss poor excuse for a metal record will bomb.
(by R. Mason) ■

Labyrinth Return to Heaven Denied
(Metal Blade/Pick Up)
After having read about Labyrinth in Sentinel Steel awhile back, I was anxious to hear the stateside debut of a band that’s been dubbed as Italy’s answer to Helloween. This is well-constructed, wonderfully executed metal in the vein of Angra, Destiny’s End, and the aforementioned Helloween. Unfortunately much of the potential here is lost due to meandering, melodramatic acoustic passages, but when the Kiske/Hansen and early Fates Warning influences begin to shine through, it makes this LP worth­ while for any fan of the genre. Nice to see Metal Blade giving a chance to bands like this, as ifs the type of stuff that Europe eats up and the U.S. completely ignores. Hopefully that won’t be the case with Labyrinth.
(by R. Mason) ■

Mortification Triumph of Mercy
(Metal Blade)
Anytime you tear the ass out of a Christian metal band, everybody seems to think that you’re slagging it simply because it’s a Christian metal band. Well, ideology aside, this is one of the worst metal albums ever, and trust me, if Jesus were alive today, he would throw this on to laugh at on his way to a King Diamond show. The riffs are far, far beyond incompetent, the production is wire-thin and the lyrics … dear god, the lyrics … all I can say is, check out this little passage from the title track: “But if I could find a donor with identical stem cells, I could have a 25-40% chance of cure / Survival, 78% of sufferers never find a donor.” Yawn! What does he do for an encore? Grunt the fucking phone book? After listening to this record, I have formulated the following conclusions: this record is shit, anyone who says otherwise is a liar, anyone who spends money on this is an imbecile, and there is no god, because if there was, this terrible album wouldn’t exist.
(by J.R. Hayes) ■

Sam Black Church That Which Does Not Kill Us …
(Cringe Productions)
Although I’m ashamed to admit it, I must confess that a fair amount of head bobbing transpired over the duration of this album. I will also concede that SBC wields some pretty huge grooves and definitely has its own sound going on. However, the vocals, while unique and quite acrobatic, get irritating, and at some points just down­ right cartoonish. Lyrically, they’re about as heavy as an after school special and I think it’s important that you’re made aware of the line “shotgun justice and a buckshot squir­rel supper,” as well as a completely serious usage of the word “holler.”
(by J.R. Hayes) ■

Various Artists White: Nightmares in the End
(The End)
An excellent compilation of atmospheric death from The End Records. Standouts include Mental Home (that possesses the only singer in metal history who I can hon­estly say sounds like Snake from Voivod!) and Odes Of Ecstacy, who kick out a first­ rate goth opera tune. Oh, and the “most pretentious art-metal song title” award goes to Scholomance for “Toy: A Primrose Path to the Second Circle.” Yuck.
(by J.R. Hayes) ■


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