Metal Reviews

.... wiiiiiiiii ... glad too see i'm not the only one.... :o

I'm in good company on this site :twisted:

Well, a couple thoughts and noteworthy bands...

I noticed more than one person who didn't care for Deathspell Omega, and I have to say I don't either (I should clarify that I'm mostly talking from a "Si Monumentum..." perspective here). They do slightly remind me of Kvist (mostly in the riff/song structure area), but I find Kvist's music to be more interesting and varied. And it's more symphonic too.

And someone mentioned Limbonic Art a couple pages back, and for anyone who likes more "symphonic" bands, I'd definately give them a try. Their first couple of albums, "Moon in the Scorpio" and "In Abhorrance Dementia", are really good.

I don't like Mystic Forest, but in terms of (recent) raw sounding black metal with a classical / symphonic presence, give a listen to the band Hellveto. "In Arms of Kurpian Phantom" is really good. I haven't heard their newest release yet, though.

-Tyrion

Will do. I'll try to catch up with the suggestions when I can.

I think Hellveto and Mystic Forest are both good, Mystic Forest still on top. Ow and Kvist fucking owns DsO!!!

Not for amateurs - The Ichneumon Method (And Less Welcome Techniques) is, as far as my knowledge stretches, the most brutal and exhaustive release in Black Metal, Metal, and music as a whole. And I've heard Abruptum, Blut Aus Nord, Anaal Nathrakh, and several others.
The guitarwork is devastatingly precise, the drumming (automated) is uncomprehendable, the apocalyptic scene cultivated by the elements combined is alien and inhumanly brutal, and the vocals are the demonic entity, clawing relentlessly through the ensuing holocaust, relentlessly and unforgivingly pursuing you.

...anyway, the first track wastes little time in delivering the first chaotic blow; the following three are varied and intricate approaches to AoP's brutal onslaught, each offering new ideas and draining yet rewarding riffs, each breaking new ground, and each as devastating as the last; the fifth track is a man's distorted commentary of a world depicted as twisted and alien, at first an unwavering observer, slowly moving into the perspective of this world's doomed prey; the next two tracks are much in the style of two, three and four, offering brutal and innovative servings, though they're starting to set up for the finale; and track eight presents the unbearable core of perdition, furthest from convention, its offering is nothing short of final.

I came out of that onslaught a touch paler and feeling quite detached after first listen, but it naturally drew me back for repeated listens. Nothing else sounds brutal anymore - Hate Eternal, Aborted, Nile, Cryptopsy, Behemoth, even the supposedly intensely similar Anaal Nathrakh all became mere shadows of their previous brutality.
If anyone knows of an album which competes with this, I want to hear it.

Now THAT sounds interesting as hell!

Every AoP release is interesting, and scary as hell. Stalaggh is another post/industrial black group which just scares the hell out of you rather than making any musical statement.. I can't get enough of that type of stuff.

Cryptopsy doesn't sound brutal anymore? Sorry, but the only thing brutal about that album is the drums, which are automated, and let's face it... human drummers have outdone it. (Origin anyone?)

Haha, the drumming in The Ichneumon Method is inplausible by human drummers - for a human drummer to out-brutal it would be pretty difficult. I'll check Origin out, though.
I'm going to have to assume you've heard The Ichneumon Method, though I don't see how you could miss the brutality and sinister evil of it.

This field of Black Metal was leaving Cryptopsy and Hate Eternal behind since Anaal Nathrakh's The Codex Necro, I'm yet to hear anything in Death Metal that comes close to it.
But if you somehow comprehend it differently, what else can I say?


I've heard of Stalaggh, but I hever had the chance to check them out.
I have to disagree about making any musical statement, this subgenre has presented some of the most innovative riffs I've ever heard. It's a brutal onslaught, but it's highly rewarding in musicianship.

I've also been meaning to check Void out, their style is supposed to have some sort of relation to this subgenre.

Haha. Well, each to his own, I suppose my obsession with death metal and brutality founds my opinion, but I hope you enjoy Origin none the less.

BTW, I'm a black metal fan, but I find more interest in the raw, organic styles. For brutality, I turn to DM/DG. So that's where I come from. Again, to each his own.

Anaal Nathrakh isn't even that brutal or intense, more like incessant and uninteresting...not to mention tepid. The vocals are the only truly interesting/enjoyable thing about the band, and that's just because they remind me of Emperor, which then causes me to go listen to the real thing.

Then again, I feel about the same way about Origin, without the benefit of good vocals. They are plenty fast, but there is no weight to the music. Their ideas are as thin as they get.

What can I say, I'm not much for one-dimensional extreme metal.

Actually, I tend to be more of a Death Metaller too. I'm a big fan of Black Metal, I spent a big chunk of my time chasing up bands and reading about its history when I first really got into Metal, however for the most part I've preferred Death Metal. (Note the Suffocation avatar)
I just find Axis of Perdition, Anaal Nathrakh etc so much more brutal and intense than the Deathgrind greats, and they have this unnatural, inhuman feel to them which differs them from the Black Metal you're used to, and just drags me in.

Origin's awesome, BTW, though I don't see their drummer eclipsing Flo Mounier. It's about as intense as human drums get, which (understandably) doesn't reach that of the automated drumwork Axis of Perdition employs.


Anaal Nathrakh produce a few nice riffs, I happen to like the start of Submission Is For The Weak, though like most of the album that quickly degenerates into something relatively unexciting. AN weren't ever too exciting to me.
Axis of Perdition produce far more rewarding and intricate guitarwork, and manage to integrate the automated drums in without taking from said guitarwork.

But then, I suppose I'm only comparing the debut albums of the two, and The Ichneumon Method was released 2 years after The Codex Necro. Axis presented a ramarkable evolution from AN, in the same way that AN innovated the experimentations of Satyricon's Rebel Extravaganza from a further two years previously.

Origin's speed is PART of their personality, a trademark, and I'm afraid listening to an album of theirs 3x's doesn't cut it. You won't like something your memory can't contain in such a short outing, so you've eliminated any chance of giving it a chance. Excellent work missing out. They aren't one dimensional, they play varied tunes, but at a really fast speed. Familiarize yourself with the album, and let your mind work to drill some of the music into your head, because it can be hard to catch. But, I assure you, their speed is equal to Vio-lence's vocalist. Get used to it, and you might enjoy some of the coolest technical death in the world. That's my take, and I enjoy it.