Metal Reviews

Nile - Annihilation Of The Wicked

my first ever major rock/metal concert....

Well-done modern prog is hard to dig out these days. Shame Touchstone are splitting.

Saw them several years ago and all the singer did was bitch about how much the Ozzfest crowds hated them. Wasn't a big fan before, but was even less so after the gig.

NP:

Sorry husker, but I'd say In Flames after 2000 (being generous here) was utter garbage.

Still playing the new Nile, which is better than their last one, but nowhere near Annihilation of the Wicked or In Their Darkened Shrines.

In Flames did well until and including Whoracle. Even Whoracle had much flaws. I'm with North on this. In Flames have been utter nonsense since 2002, frankly told. Also, agreed on Nile. Yes I have changed my mind after further plays.

The olden times when In Flames had something to say.

When Mike Stanne was singing for them



Such a good debut! Almost as good as NSV, albeit not quite...

Yeah, love the bass sound on that one.

I've basically been listening to every MDB recording in countdown to the new release (except Like Gods and 34.78%...) and I'm more convinced that ever that while Turn Loose the Swans might have been their most important album, The Dreadful Hours was their very best one. Imagine my anticipation when the (universally exemplary) early reviews of Feel The Misery keep drawing comparisons to those particular recordings: "Plays like a modern Turn Loose the Swans" and "Their best full-length since The Dreadful Hours".

Haha, seems like most metalheads hold that view of In Flames and only like their old shit or disregard them completely.

It's a beaten debate, however, I think In Flames with an album such as "The Jester Race," registered themselves in the hall of the great "Gothenburg sound." In Flames never had a good vocalist. After listening to "Lunar Strain," I found Stanne's vocals highly annoying and the song-writing in elementary stages, and aptly so. Needless to say, Stanne became a vastly superior vocalist as DT progressed. In Flames' most mature work came with "TJR" and "Whoracle" following that, and fell from the scale of greatness thereafter.

I could never hate In Flames but they're easily the weakest of the bigger melodeath names and their current output is garbage. Worse than Soundtrack etc, even.

Np:



The most underrated Burzum album?

Pleasantly surprised with this album. Hearkens back to the blues-rock swagger of yesteryear with Tyler and Perry sounding more vital than they've been in years. A fine return to form for the 'smiths after the godawful pop-rock torture chamber that was Just Push Play.

Only one that, for whatever reason, doesn't get much attention. Still very good though.

Forss was good on Subterranean. Agreed on Stanne's In Flames vocals, but I can't agree with Whoracle being a great album. I'd call it very uneven, similar to Colony in that respect: put the best tracks from both to create one album and then throw the filler away.

It is, indeed. The chaos is charming and you can really hear everything that makes the subsequent albums great being worked out and coming together.

NP:



Suitably epic accompaniment as I order Friday night pizza!

Old Mornings Dawn was something of a return to form for me as Oathbound is the one Summoning album I never want to hear.

Not nearly as good as I'd hoped, but certainly not as terrible as some in the metal media have made it out to be. Christ Illusion still stands as the best modern day Slayer album with this new record falling somewhere between Diabolus in Musica and World Painted Blood. While King's riffs have admittedly become very formulaic and his lyrics downright dumb at times, it's the production that really pulls this thing down for me. Slayer has always been about the riff and the guitar sound on Repentless feels blunted and really lacking the power that could have elevated songs like Vices and Take Control into solid, new school pit movers. You should not be able to clearly hear the toms blasting over the guitars on a damn Slayer album! Repentless isn't a turd, but it just feels like a band coasting by on past glories and seriously lacking the aggressive vitality that had always been their calling card. Araya has made his feelings clear on his personal life and the state of Slayer, while King is clearly in need of Hanneman's help in the songwriting department. As much as I hate to say it, the band is no longer a musical force to be reckoned with, just another place for working stiffs to punch in on a time clock. Rated 68/100.