SEVEN WITCHES „Year of the Witch”
Jack Frosts Seven Witches plays straight up heavy fucking metal punters. Last years A Passage to the Other Side was one of the true classic metal albums of the year – it ripped from beginning to end.
CRADLE OF FILTH „Nymphetamine”
Cool songs: Nymphetamine Overdose, English Fire, Swansong For a Raven, Abstinthe with Faust
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CALIBAN „The Opposite From Within”
Cool songs: Ive Sold Myself, Certainty..Corpses Bleed Cold, My Little Secret, Diary of an Addict
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MINDSNARE „The Death”
As a straight up Metal head who was raised on classic the Metal of the eighties I shouldnt like Hardcore. However, past involvement in the music industry through radio and writing has given me exposure to the whole genre of heavy music Hardcore included.
DEMONOTHER „s/t”
With its iridescent green logo jumping out at you in contrast to its black background, new Aussie grindcore act Demonother make a particularly stark initial impression. For me, the album cover emanates some sort of otherworldly vibe and fortunately the bands music, whilst not quite of another planet, is suitably deranged.
AXIS OF ADVANCE „Obey”
There comes a time in my metal listening week where I crave something a little more filthy in sound. A lot of modern metal acts are incredibly spot-on with their musicianship and production values check out the tightness of the latest Lamb of God and Caliban all props to them.
ARKHON INFAUSTUS „Perdition Insanabilis”
Having released one of the better extreme black/death albums of 2003 (Filth Catalyst) the French quartet known as Arkhon Infaustus return with their next installment of psychotic malevolence. Always the provocateurs, particularly with their previous album covers, AI have surprisingly gone with something a tad more ambiguous this time around, almost to the point of let down.
VARIOUS ARTISTS „FENRIZ Presents The Best of Old School Black Metal”
Everyone one of us has put together his or her own best-of compilation, whatever the genre. Based purely on individual taste, and put together to please no one but you, the D.I.Y Best-of compilation will never die.
FEINSTEIN „Third Wish”
With its rather dodgy name and an album cover that sets metal art work back about 20 years, the prospect of reviewing this disc didnt have me overly enthused. Most metal folk are rather adept at judging a book (or in this case, a CD) by its cover it is an extremely important selling point for any metal act.
DEAD TO FALL „Villany & Virtue”
Chicagos Dead to Fall pretty much floored me with their 2002 debut Everything I Touch Falls to Pieces. Certainly it was one of the finest melodic death/metalcore albums of that year.