Originally published in ‘zine issue #24, 2000
Abscess Tormented
(Deathvomit)
I liked the last Abscess record on Relapse better, but this one is really cool because there’s a lot of elements of later Autopsy in it. I used to love Autopsy. The new album is really a cross between the two bands in sound. I enjoyed listening to the CD a great deal. Abscess has a breath of new life in it––for a while there I didn’t know if we were to hear from them again. It’s good to hear that they’re back.
(by Editor) ■
Blockheads From Womb … To Genocide
(Bones Brigade)
I’ll be blunt. This album really didn’t do it for me. When you add up the poor band name, poor production and the un-innovative music, it’s hard to give this CD higher than a 5 out of 10. I am not saying this release is all bad. I must admit I did enjoy certain vocal arrangements and the heavy-ass breakdown on track––oh crap, I forgot, the entire CD is one track! This could work if you are Mortiis or Tribes Of Neurot, but when the sleeve has 27 songs listed I want to be able to skip around––12:38 into the CD, there is a very memorable breakdown including lots of auxiliary drums, congas, etc. Moments like that and others including the use of a digeridoo and spastic vocals were the better aspects of this record. The lyrical content mainly relates to the loss of true animal instincts/qualities by becoming civilized. I thought that was interesting, but not enough for me to fall in love with this band. In the end, if you love some raw grind and you also like Roots-era Sepultura, then grab this record. Personally, I guess I’m not enough of a grindhound to get it.
(by J.C.) ■
Cathedral Endtyme
(Earache)
The new Cathedral album is hard to deny. The press was true: they’re back to the old doom sound, at least in part. They’re sidestepping the goofy material this time around to a large degree which works well with this material. Endtyme is dark, heavy as fuck and reliant on Sabbath as usual. They’ve used some interesting sounds on the new record to spice things up as well. They haven’t topped The Carnival Bizarre yet, but Endtyme is a strong record.
(by Editor) ■
Cock and Ball Torture/Libido Airbag split CD
(Bones Brigade)
The sublimely named Cock & Ball Torture deliver fairly run-of-the-mill goregrind, enjoyable if you’re a fan of the genre but certainly nothing too terribly unique. Libido Airbag (my fave band name since Anal Getaway) certainly raise the stakes in the unique department, employing a drum machine to complement their goofy goregrind style (similar to Krytosexual Cankroid, but better recorded). Overall, a pretty enjoyable split put out by the always impressive Bones Brigade.
(by R. Mason) ■
Deceased Up The Tombstones!!! Live 2000
(Thrash Corner)
Maybe I’m not the most objective person to review this CD. I was at the show from which this recording was taken. So it’s very interesting for me to hear how the record turned out. With the exception of the band’s first album, all their releases are represented here. There’s even a song from Deceased’s first demo, and to top it off a Saxon cover. Excellent and still-raw production help capture the energy of the performance. The growls from the audience, the irrepressible King and his between-song rants, the metal riffs churned out by the band … it’s all here. Buy or die.
(by Editor) ■
Lizzy Borden Deal with the Devil
(Metal Blade)
It’s amazing how many old bands are getting back together. What’s more amazing is that for the most part it’s bands who no one really gave a fuck about in the first place. I guess Lizzy Borden was fairly notorious back in the old Metal Blade days, releasing a few really good records before making a couple of fairly stinky, overblown ones. Now he’s back, with Joey Vera and a whole bunch of other talented guys in tow, and as a result, Deal with the Devil is a pretty good record. Lizzy’s vocals haven’t changed at all, and it’s obvious he’s trying to pick up where he left off. He does a more than adequate job of it. Solid production and great cover art to boot. If you’ve got a taste for old-school metal, this might do the trick.
(by R. Mason) ■
ML8R Records Roundup
Guardian The Yellow and Black Attack is Back
Philadelphia 2000 album
Bride Silence is Madness
Occasionally, when flipping through the black metal section at Tower just to laugh at the fat Europeans in clown makeup, I begin to wonder what exactly drives them to hate Christianity so much. Well, now I know. ML8R has for some incomprehensible reason invested quite a bit of time, money, and care into reissuing a handful of records that were pretty fucking god- awful in the first place. Before you assume I’m attacking this shit because it’s Christian, let me say I’m not. I have no problem with Christianity, and in fact, I really like Believer, and have been fortunate enough to witness them live on a couple of occasions. Guardian, on the other hand, dedicated an entire record to Stryper covers. Just the idea that there’s actually someone out there who finds this idea appealing (other than for comedic value) makes my balls shrink. Philadelphia (nice name) sounds like Anglo-metal underachievers Demon, if Demon was white trash losers who liked blowing up rats with C4 in the Winn Dixie parking lot. Bride is an interesting band because they apparently put most of their creative energies into coming up with highly improbable hair weaves, possibly as a tactic to confuse non- Christians. It worked on me; I was so busy trying to figure out the bass player’s hair that I never got around to listening to the CD. These are all completely fucking horrible and retarded examples of how bad Christian metal is. If I were Jesus, I’d be fucking pissed.
(by R. Mason) ■
Morbid Angel Gateways to Annihilation
(Earache)
Gateways to Annihilation (G.T.A.) marks the sixth official non-live, non-demo recording from the world’s most persistent death metal machine. This record marks a noticeable departure from the band’s previous songwriting style; the music has taken a more churning, rhythmic direction compared with material from Domination or Formulas Fatal to the Flesh. Rest assured, G.T.A. lacks neither aggression nor dimension. Plenty of blast beats and insanely fast double-kick drum passages still abound, as well as the trademark bombastic lyrics and abundant guitar solos. Fortunately, bassist/vocalist Steve Tucker has opted to omit the ancient Babylonian lyrical texts, which made an abysmal and retarded appearance on the previous album. The record was produced and engineered under the watchful eye of Jim Morris of Morrisound infamy. As dated as the “Florida Sound” may be, the only real production flaw I found was the miserable snare drum sound, which resembles a Casio drum sample running on half power. Special note must be made of the absolutely atrocious album packaging. I’m sure there is some knavery afoot here; the liner notes credit the wretched crayon drawings which adorn the insert and cover to none other than the mighty Dan Seagrave, death metal artist extraordinaire, whose extensive illustrative work has been proudly displayed by the likes of Gorguts, Hypocrisy, Entombed, and others. I applaud Morbid Angel’s sense of humor in including artwork so clearly generated by a Wesley Willis protégé and billing it as a Seagrave masterpiece. Bear in mind, the criticisms here are minor; G.T.A. is a great record, my favorite by Morbid Angel since Covenant. Some crusty old grind dorks (I won’t mention Richard here) expressed disappointment with the slower tempo of the record, which is a fair assessment. Personally, I find the change refreshing and don’t think that any band, including Morbid Angel, will ever be able to repeat the glory of Altars of Madness or Blessed Are the Sick. At any rate, even a lackluster Morbid Angel record far surpasses 99.9% of the abominable shit on the market masquerading as death metal.
(by Mark Sloan) ■
Pig Destroyer 38 Counts of Battery
(Relapse)
When you buy this record, which quite frankly you will be buying, grab some plastic gloves and a mop on the way home, because this CD will crush your head into a shapeless mass of mucous and pus (this is a good thing when dealing with METAL). This discography CD covers most of Pig Destroyer’s fun-filled releases, most of which I hadn’t ever had a chance to get my metal-loving mitts on before. It’s an interesting release because you can see how this three-man demolition unit has musically grown while at the same time still has kept the PD vibe going throughout their career. So next time you wake up in a cold sweat, covered in someone else’s urine and puke, and you need to hear some Pig Destroyer, simply reach for your newly acquired 38 Counts of Battery and rest easy, you bastard.
(by J.C.) ■
Sinner The End of Sanctuary
(Nuclear Blast)
If you’re unfamiliar with Sinner, it’s probably because most of their LPs have never made it to U.S. shores. It’s a shame, because we’ve been missing out on some top-of-the-line power metal. Generally, “German power metal” conjures up images of guys in fluffy pirate shirts using falsettos guaranteed to reduce one’s sperm count, but such is not the case here. These guys are firmly entrenched in the Judas Priest style of go-for-the-throat riffing and song arrangement that dispose of the unneeded prog noodling that makes Gamma Ray such a fucking bore. When I got this CD to review I listened to it for about three weeks straight, and I haven’t done that with a metal album since Painkiller. The End of Sanctuary is probably the best straight-up metal record I’ve heard in the past two or three years. Buy it!
(by R. Mason) ■
Various Artists A Fistful of Rock N Roll! Volume 1-4
(Tee Pee)
If you’re under the impression that the only “real” rock ‘n’ roll worth listening to these days is coming out of Scandinavia, you’d do well to check out these comps. Since there are simply too many good bands here to mention, I’ll just say that the quality of these comps, from liner notes to cover art to track selection, are absolutely top-notch and worth your dime, lovingly put together by Sal from Electric Frankenstein. Before you drop your hard-earned cash on the next Hellacopters record, consider giving one of these a go. I’ve personally been unable to stop spinning these since getting them for review, and I’m crossing my fingers I’ll get the rest of the series soon!
(by R. Mason) ■
The Worst Five Minutes Of Your Life demo
Short and sweet, hence the band name. While the five minutes that I listened to this tape were no comparison to a five-minute late night run-in at an assumed empty public bathroom, the 300 seconds were still pretty rough. If you’re into Spazz and alot of that fast crazy powerviolence hardcore/grind stuff with a hint of doomy metal, you’ll dig this ex-Army Of Darkness band. It’s short, very aggressive, with some totally off-the-wall vocals. Don’t step over your dying grandmother to get this, but if you have some extra bucks and a hankerin’ to get pummeled, write to them.
(by J.C.) ■
Photo: Lizzy Borden (courtesy Metal Blade)
