Gorgoroth - Black Mass Krakow 2004 (DVD)

by Jess Blumensheid

Four years after its expected release, Metal Mind has put out Black Mass Krakow 2004. The DVD highlights Gorgoroth's performance notorious for impaled sheep heads and naked human crucifixes. However, Gorgoroth live on video is less exciting than I expected. Three quarters of the footage is mundane shots of bullet belts and bobbing heads. The camera even fails to capture a nude model passing out from heat exhaustion, one of the DVD's most pivotal moments. Gorgoroth bring forth brisk sound, though. The band could dub the video with Twilight of the Idols - the sound is that good. They bolt through a nearly hour-long set with few breaks between songs. Most of the content comes from Antichrist, Under the Sign of Hell, and Twilight of the Idols.

According to vocalist Gaahl, this performance was never meant to reach the public. But when you promise fans an "amazing show with lots of pyro, gallons of blood, live crucifixion, and nude models," expect a television crew and unhappy officials at the show. Krakow couldn't handle it. Due to this over-the-top performance, Gorgoroth were accused of violating the Polish penal code that forbids suppressing religious views in a public setting. (Also noteworthy: Krakow was home to Pope John Paul II.)

But this product is far from being a documentary. A black metal band is best captured in its natural habitat. VBS' five-part series on True Norwegian Black Metal is a more journalistic documentation of Gorgoroth. Gaahl is equally vile without corpse paint and leather. VBS' journalists voyage in winter to Gaahl's house in the middle of nowhere to drink his wine, discover his paintings, learn his history, and discuss his wrath for humanity. This documentary doesn't show the Krakow performance in depth, but the tension between Gaahl and the reporters is far more unsettling.

Buy:
Amazon
The End

Black Cobra, Corpus Christii, Vader, and more

Up at Decibel, I have reviews of Blotted Science (new project of Ron Jarzombek), Devian (new project of Legion, ex-Marduk), and Rigor Sardonicous (slower-than-slow dooooom), as well as a feature on Portuguese black metallers Corpus Christii, whose recent record Rising is sick-sick-sick. The print version (#41, At the Gates cover) also has my live review of Neurosis/Earth/Saviours on NYE.

Black Cobra - Red Tide
Corpus Christii - Stabbed

At Metal Injection, I have reviews of The Great Deceiver (Tomas Lindberg's almost-nu-metal project), Polish behemoths Vader, mighty SF duo Black Cobra, Hot Topic pinups Bullet for My Valentine, and Strapping Young Lad clone The Arcane Order.

The latter's album is noteworthy, as it is a digital-only release in the US - from Metal Blade. CD's are available in Europe, but not in America. Metal Blade must have done a cost-benefit analysis and decided that CD's generally weren't worth manufacturing. Instead, the label has outsourced distribution to iTunes, Napster, et al., not even selling MP3's on its own site (yet). Metal Blade is the first major metal label I've seen do this - but I'm sure it won't be the only one.

Left Hand Path #011

Grave in the Sky

Left Hand Path #011 is up. This installment of Stylus' metal column is massive, featuring 38 album reviews and an interview with Chris Bruni of Profound Lore Records, easily the metal label of the year with top-notch releases by Alcest, Caina, Cobalt, Portal, Pulsefear, The Angelic Process, The Howling Wind, WOLD, and more. Bands reviewed in the column include Coalesce, Crimson Moon, Helloween, High on Fire, Nominon, Rosetta, Skeletonwitch, Sodom, Souvenir's Young America, Unearthly Trance, Yakuza, and many more.

My picks of the bunch include Colorado black metallers Cobalt, Israeli digital doom outfit Grave in the Sky, Polish old-school blackened death metallers Throneum, and oddball grinders Total Fucking Destruction, featuring Rich Hoak of Brutal Truth.

Cobalt - Blood Eagle Sacrifice
Grave in the Sky - Donnie Darko
Throneum - Exhibition of Abomination
Total Fucking Destruction - Warfinger

Behemoth - The Apostasy

Nergal seems like a tightly wound guy. The songs he writes for Behemoth are as efficient as they are epic, like a raging fire that he desperately tries to contain. The result is singular; with their Phrygian riffs and martial syncopations, Behemoth songs are instantly recognizable.

Inner Sanctum
Christgrinding Avenue

Thus, while the band's latter-day death metal records are its strongest in terms of identity and songwriting, they have a certain sameness. They're not the same, of course; Nergal has a gift for catchy riffs and vocal patterns, and Behemoth songs are more individually discernible than those of, say, Suffocation. But, overall, the band has operated within a very coiled sonic sphere.

That's not the case with The Apostasy (Century Media, 2007). It's a headphones record, a first for Behemoth in its death metal years. In fact, its black metal years come to mind, when Nergal would drop in a random acoustic guitar or female vocal out of nowhere. Sure, the songwriting was much weaker, but the unpredictability was charming.

Now Nergal's vision is fully formed, so instead of "charming," we get "textured." There's piano, brass, synths, choirs, a Warrel Dane cameo, even Tibetan monk samples. Therion this is not, though, as the mix is subtle and streamlined; the over-compressed mastering ensures no coloring outside the lines. Despite claims of being "organic," The Apostasy is massive and polished.

Downloaders lose out on liner notes that rival only Nile's Karl Sanders in verbosity. Once again, Nergal accompanies each song with an essay, and while his worldview is jumbled ("there are no gods beyond those made ov human flesh" stand next to invocations of Hekate, Belial, Kali, and other deities), at least it's heartfelt and rich.

I'd like to hear Nergal let down his hair, so to speak, and write a 12-minute epic that recaptures the atmosphere of his black metal days. However, that probably won't happen anytime soon with his control freak tendencies. The battering ram may have fancy ornaments now, but it's still a battering ram.

The Red Chord, Darkest Hour, Halford, etc.

The Red Chord

I'm moving from Berlin to San Francisco at the end of this month. This, combined with excessive travel (five trans-Atlantic crossings in six weeks, with five destination airports and way too much sleeping while sitting), has severely hampered my recent productivity.

The Red Chord - Tread on the Necks of Kings
Halford - Made in Hell
Year of No Light - Traversée

However, I've published a bit since my last update - dual reviews of Azalea City Penis Club/Robin Allender and Caina/Godheadscope at Stylus, as well as a review of Immolation and an interview with Year of No Light. At Metal Injection, I've reviewed The Red Chord, Darkest Hour, Halford, Mortuus, and Ion Dissonance, as well as a DVD of the Metalmania 2006 festival and a fine book by Keith Kahn-Harris.

Neurosis, Watain, Pig Destroyer, and more

Neurosis, upstairs @ GAMH, SF Photo by Brendan Tobin

It's been a while since my last reviews update. There's so much good stuff now, it's almost overwhelming! At Stylus, I've reviewed Cephalic Carnage, Neurosis, Pelican, and Pig Destroyer. At Metal Injection, I've reviewed Akercocke, Toxic Bonkers, N.I.L., Deadlock, Merciless Death, Thought Chamber, and Watain.

Neurosis - Water Is Not Enough
Watain - Sworn to the Dark
Akercocke - The Dark Inside
Pig Destroyer - Heathen Temple
Cephalic Carnage - Divination & Volition

The Neurosis album will make my year-end top three. Watain might get up there, too. Akercocke would have stood a chance if not for the horrible hack mastering job. Check out "The Dark Inside" for the drum 'n' bass part that drops into the song - random but cool.

Antigama, Throne of Katarsis, Get Thrashed, and more

Antigama

A bunch of new writing up - at Metal Injection, I've got reviews of Polish grinders Antigama, Norwegian black metal band Throne of Katarsis, and Los Angeles prog metallers Redemption, as well as interviews with Spanish band NahemaH and shredder Laura Christine from San Diego death metallers Warface.

Antigama - Neutral Balance
Naglfar - The Darkest Road
Stalaggh - Projekt Misanthropia (excerpt)

At Stylus, I've reviewed Rick Ernst's excellent documentary film, Get Thrashed: The History of Thrash Metal. I also have dual reviews of black metallers Naglfar/Nagelfar and the literally insane Diagnose: Lebensgefahr/Stalaggh. Stalaggh is hands down the scariest sound I've ever heard. Coil's Hellraiser themes, the original Omen soundtrack, Prussian Blue - all pale in comparison.

Eyehategod, Left Hand Path #007, Dark Tranquillity, and more

This recent quote from Frank Urbancic, coordinator of counterterrorism for the US State Department, got me thinking.

"This is not the kind of war where you can measure success with conventional numbers. We cannot aspire to a single decisive battle that will break the enemy's back, nor can we hope for a signed peace accord to mark victory."

It reminded me of Orwell's 1984, in which the world is perpetually at war. Here is an excerpt from the outlawed book within the book by Emmanuel Goldstein, the manufactured enemy of Big Brother.

"War, however, is no longer the desperate, annihilating struggle that it was in the early decades of the twentieth centary. It is a warfare of limited aims between combatants who are unable to destroy one another, have no material cause for fighting and are not divided by any genuine ideological difference... To understand the nature of the present war -- for in spite of the regrouping which occurs every few years, it is always the same war -- one must realize in the first place that it is impossible for it to be decisive."

That, in turn, reminded me of Eyehategod's "Peace Thru War (Thru Peace and War)," of which Lair of the Minotaur does a blistering cover on the For the Sick compilation, which I've reviewed for Stylus.


Lair of the Minotaur - Peace Thru War (Thru Peace and War)
The Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound - Occult Roots
Dark Tranquillity - The Lesser Faith


#007 of Stylus' Left Hand Path is up, featuring reviews of Akimbo, The Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, The Funeral Pyre, Gospel of the Horns, Mortuus, Necros Christos, Tyrant Throne, and Watain, among others. In the column, Stew Voegtlin interviews Israel-based black metal band Tangorodrim.

At Metal Injection, I've reviewed Chaotica by Behemoth, as well as new albums by Dark Tranquillity and Extinction of Mankind.

Nachtmystium has signed to Century Media?!

Sound of the Beast author Ian Christe has a new blog called Bang! Bang!. He's posting old demo tapes, and those of you who read his old Demo-Lition blog will remember how awesome that was.

Man, Polish metal week nearly polished me off. Remind me not to review 14 albums in a week (plus two more and a DVD for other sites) ever again. But I learned about a ton of cool Polish bands, including some I didn't write about. I hope you found some you liked, too.

North - Na Polach Bitew

Pamięć Przeszłości

Pagan
2006



Not only does the cover of Na Polach Bitew recall Graveland's Creed of Iron, Rob Darken contributed artwork to the release. Add the song title "Symbol of the Sun," as well as the fact that North appears on the upcoming Eastern Hammer split with Graveland and Nokturnal Mortum, and my NSBM alarm bells are ringing double-time.

Then again, I can't read the Polish lyrics, and pagan doesn't necessarily equal NS. So, until I see a translation of the lyrics, I'll comment solely on the music. North plays "pagan war metal" with a black metal framework. The seven tracks here are somewhat similar, with plentiful blasting, melodic tremolo picking, assertive growls and rasps, and an old-school Bathory feel. The production preserves rawness while retaining clarity, especially in the low end.

While the music would make a great soundtrack for battle, I really wish I understood the lyrics. I don't know if I should be fighting alongside or against these guys, or simply observing from afar. Every dollar/euro spent is a political decision, and I don't believe in uninformed political decisions. Thus, I won't recommend for or against this album. The music is good, and I'll leave it at that.

You can find this album at Pagan and Moribund.

Hermh - Eden's Fire

Eternalization

Pagan
2006



Symphonic black metal is one of my least favorite kinds of metal, with possibly only symphonic power metal faring worse. However, Poland's Hermh mostly avoids the "O Fortuna" pro wrestler fanfare that most of the genre seems like to me. Big keyboards lard up the mix, of course, but the guitars cut through with sharp tones and smart riffs. No such luck for the vocals, which feel merely functional.

Despite all this, the album is quite listenable, thanks to solid songwriting. I'll also grudgingly admit that the keyboards get interesting when they drop the string presets for piano ones. "Eternalization" wakes up near its end with Enslaved-esque chords; "Fear of Blood" has cool vocal harmonies. Fans of Dimmu Borgir et al. should snap this up at Pagan or Red Stream.

Non Opus Dei - The Quintessence

Gdy Imperium Upada...
Kolejny Obrót Koła

Pagan
2006


I must admit, this album took a while to grow on me. At first, it went by, feeling dreary and colorless. But after further listening, I realized that's not the case. Darkness has many hues, and what I mistook for dreariness turned out to be subtle, varied, and, yes, colorful.

Non Opus Dei has penned one of the darkest records I've heard in a long time; "doomy blackened death metal" could be one description. The Quintessence is a 46-minute tunnel of hushed whispers, alien rasps, and discordant harmonies dripping down the walls. Guitars, panned left and right, conjure up ringing dissonance that feels like raking knuckles across rocks. Gonzo from grinders Third Degree is on drums, and he finely balances grooves, fills, and blastbeats.

This is a deep, well-written record that requires investment, but pays off accordingly. It's available at Deathgasm and Red Stream.

Azarath - Diabolic Impious Evil

Anti-Human, Anti-God
Devil's Stigmata

Pagan
2006


It's tough not to laugh at song titles like "Baptized in Sperm of the Antichrist" or "Intoxicated by Goat Vomit," or an album title that essentially parses to "Evil Evil Evil." But Azarath brings the fucking hammer, which isn't a surprise given that Inferno from Behemoth is on drums and Trufel, from the criminally underrated Yattering (RIP), is on guitar. Add members of Cenotaph and Damnation, and you have one hell of a Polish death metal supergroup.

Hell indeed seems to be the focus, but no printed lyrics came with the promo. Perhaps that's just as well, since "For Satan My Blood" and "Goathorned's Revenge" seem self-explanatory. The music also speaks for itself. Behemoth can get a bit mechanical at times, so Inferno sounds quite uncaged here. The guitar work is smoking, with pick squeals and whinnying leads galore. I love how how the solo in "Devil's Stigmata" sounds like it walks into the room unannounced, though in reality the song drops a bar or two to feel that way.

In his book, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge, Keith Kahn-Harris talks about how much of extreme metal is about control. Death metal often feels like a gigantic clench, as guitarists furrow their brows with technicality. This album, though, feels like metallers taking breaks from their main bands and blasting out some jams. Energy pours from this record; it's available at Pagan and ISO666.

Yattering - Murder's Concept

Anal Narcotic
Damaged

Relapse
2000


Admittedly, Yattering didn't impress me much when I first heard them on 2000's Polish Assault (they were hit-or-miss, but the Assault compilations for various countries were brilliant ideas, and I wish Relapse kept doing them). Not long ago, though, I heard some clips that made me go apeshit so much that I bought all three Yattering studio full-lengths (not counting 2005's III, which was evidently a bizarre electronic experiment).

The Polish Assault tracks came from Yattering's first album, 1998's Human's Pain, which I discovered was extremely solid, perfectly executed, and balanced between technicality and groove.

But Yattering's keeper is 2000's Murder's Concept. This album makes me recall when I first fell in love with death metal in the '90s.

On one hand, the songs are extremely physical, with punishing grooves that induce headbanging, goat throwing, invisible orange-ing, or whatever you do when metal truly moves you. On the other hand, they're extremely weird - not Cryptopsy weird, but getting there. Songs barrel along with godlike riffs, then suddenly switch gears and rain down discordant harmonies, then chill out with brief, jazzy drum breaks before returning to crushing skulls.

The result is...ambient. Black metal may think it owns metal ambience, but, man, in an airplane, nothing cuts through engine noise like technical death metal. I just sit back and let odd meters and spiky dissonance twist around me; the effect is narcotic.

2003's Genocide is also fluent, but it apes Suffocation and lacks the same "magic." Sadly, Yattering recently split up, so its peak remains Murder's Concept. It's on sale at the moment at Relapse.

Lux Occulta - The Mother and the Enemy

Missa Solemnis

Metal Mind
2001



Holy album cover! Whoever decided that a boob could be a face has some serious issues. Once I get past that haunting mammary, The Mother and the Enemy is no less strange. The most recent album by on-hiatus Lux Occulta, it was evidently too weird for its drummer, who jumped ship during the recording sessions! The album is my first introduction to this Krakow band, and after several listens, I still don't know what to think. I've counted these ingredients thus far:

- Death metal with tons of twisting guitar runs
- Raspy black metal vocals
- Symphonic keyboards and industrial textures
- Trip hop beats for half the album
- A random acoustic jazz interlude
- Somewhat crappy, thin production
- Female vocals from a hot Polish model
- Two members of Decapitated in the last known lineup

Despite, or perhaps because of all this, the album is oddly intriguing. Maybe it was too much for its original label, who evidently cut and ran on it. Metal Mind reissued it this year, but, really, with a fresh remix/remaster (and perhaps a slipcase for decency's sake), it could be one of those WTF masterpieces from The End Records.

Until the band resolves its existential crisis, pick up this headscratcher/banger from CM Distro or Amazon.

Artrosis - Fetish

Fetish

Metal Mind
2001



Female-fronted goth metal is one of Poland's prime metallic exports, with Artrosis one of the leading lights. Since 1995, the band has released six studio full-lengths. Metal Mind recently reissued In Nomine Noctis (the English version of 1998's W Imie Nocy) and 2001's Fetish, which present interesting contrasts. Fetish wields loops and electronics beyond INN's moody pads, though those are abundant, too; the degree of experimentation isn't as radical as, say, recent Gathering, as the band retains its core of goth metal crunch.

But the production is smoother, the guitar tones are more varied, and Medeah's vocals achieve new levels of control. Fetish is that rare metal album where electronics mesh seamlessly with guitars (NIN's The Fragile comes to mind). Subtlety isn't a strong suit of goth metal, but Artrosis pulls it off here. You can find Fetish at The End.

Moonlight - Integrated in the System of Guilt

For Better Days (excerpt)

Metal Mind
2006



Moonlight has been around since 1991, but Integrated in the System of Guilt is my first introduction to the band. The album frankly blows me away. Just when I'm ready to write off anything vaguely goth, along comes this gorgeous blend of metal, rock, and electronics. Admittedly, the last two words are basically meaningless without context, and metal and electronics usually mix badly. But this Polish band has somehow managed to find a convergence that transcends mere coexistence and reaches singular identity. What intrigues me even more is the possibility of goth looking forward.

In recent years, the aesthetic has increasingly struck me as conservative and hidebound; old, minimal Cure feels much deeper to me than new, maximal Lacuna Coil. And while Integrated is basically powered by Intel (or Mac), it has life not only beyond, but because of its wires. This album is a headphone delight. Little textures and pulses fly around, sparkling and breathing, yet the guitars are surprisingly dry. Songs dare to go drumless ("Noom") and to top ten minutes in length (thrice). Cocteau Twins, Tricky, and Stolen Babies come to mind - all good things.

My only gripe? The lame artwork - it does no justice to this record, which would have easily made my Top 20 last year. Oddly, I haven't found any distro that carries it, but it's available at Amazon.

Closterkeller - Cyan

Cisza W Jej Domu

Polygram
1996



Another first encounter for me, Cyan is the phenomenal 1996 album by Closterkeller, perhaps the oldest Polish goth metal group, having formed in 1988. The band has much notoriety in Poland, but for whatever reason this has seems not to have translated outside the country. Perhaps this is due to its Polish lyrics, though three of its seven full-lengths are available in English versions.

Personally, I love hearing native tongues, as they always feel more sincere than transliteration. Anja Orthodox is the band's linchpin, and her vocals are powerful and dynamic. Evidently, the band's output has been likewise versatile, having explored pop and electronic realms.

Cyan sticks with metal and keeps keyboards to a minimum. The guitar work is rich, with lovely clean tones, and the production is refreshingly dry. In an age of terrible overcompression, the natural-sounding mastering is startling. Older albums really did sound better! Perhaps this one has too many songs, but it's a pleasure to hear. It's also very hard to find, but is so worth the effort.

Antigama / Third Degree / Herman Rarebell - The World Will Fall Soon and We All Will Die

Polish metal week grinds on, so to speak, with this 2004 three-way split on Selfmadegod, the big name in Polish grindcore. Let's face it, grindcore's typical 30 songs in 30 minutes can get old fast, so mixing up bands adds much-needed variety. Antigama, Third Degree, and Herman Rarebell are all key players in Polish grind, so this split is a good introduction to that scene.

Antigama - Questions
Third Degree - The Tolerance
Herman Rarebell - Aftermath

As the most well-known Polish grind act, Antigama leads off this disc with six tracks. The band doesn't reach the jazz-like complexity of its later releases (its new album, Resonance, on Relapse is absolutely crushing), though hints of it surface here. Songs churn like locomotives, but with strange angles and accents, as if machinery simultaneously undertook self-examination and forward movement.

Third Degree is more straightforward, but no less skull-cracking, with dark melodies bubbling up among clattering blastbeats. The band has just finished its second album, which should come out this summer.

Why any band would name itself after the drummer for the Scorpions is beyond me. But given Ed Gein and Tia Carrera, I suppose that any celebrity is fair game for a namesake. This Herman Rarebell, who is lending its singer to Third Degree, spews forth old-school grind with papa bear/little bear vocals and raw, hairy production.

You can find this split at Willowtip and Selfmadegod.

Squash Bowels - Love Songs

Searching for the Kill
Ruthless Rabble

Lifestage Productions
2005


I suppose the social value of a goregrind group called Squash Bowels naturally comes into question. However, this Polish band brings the urgh, and that's all I ask for. I have no idea what the band is growling and gurgling about, as no lyrics come with its most recent full-length, Love Songs, but the bloodsoaked artwork more than tells the story. No detours, no bullshit - just fierce, heavy grind that smoothly shifts through various feels, speeds, and vocal registers. A big plus is the production, which sounds both filthy and steely (transistor amps, perhaps?). This is, quite simply, grindcore done right. 15 songs, half an hour - pick 'em up at Emetic and Willowtip.

This Week: Polish Metal

This week is Polish metal week at Invisible Oranges! It's not intended as a definitive guide, as Encyclopaedia Metallum currently lists 1788 Polish metal bands (theoretically, a productive blog could focus on Polish metal alone). Instead, it's more a result of noticing that many albums on my desk happened to be from Polish bands.

The best initial resource for Polish metal is Justin's Polish Metal Page. While passionate and informative, it hasn't been updated since October '06, and even a basic MySpace perusal shows many good bands he doesn't mention. Thus, as with any thriving scene, Polish metal offers continuous exploration. I present some finds from mine this week, arranged by genre. Enjoy!

No Heaven Awaits Us - Irony of Pure Hatred

Hateback

Lifeline
2005



No Heaven Awaits Us plays metalcore the way I like it - heavy on the metal. No bullshit, no technical nonsense, just riff after righteous riff, with death growls and bulletproof production. I could do without the requisite lyrics about hardcore punk, but when metal does lyrics about metal, it's often awesome, so maybe I have a double standard! Slayer and older Metallica influences are always good things, and the traycard under the CD is a tribute to Bill Hicks, so this Polish band obviously has its heart in the right place.

Warsaw label Lifeline put out this EP, so you know what to expect - jawdropping packaging, with a beautiful, three-panel digipak and liner notes where each page is like friggin' museum art. New demos are up at the band's MySpace, and they sound great, so I'm plenty jazzed for its upcoming output. In the meantime, you can pick up this slab of all killer, no filler at Interpunk.

In Twilight's Embrace - Buried in Between

The Hollow Men

Lifeline
2006



Given the volume of music that I review, I sometimes attach post-it notes to albums with short descriptions for reference. I've labeled this one "generic metalcore," which must have been evidence of initial distaste. However, on further listening, I'll disagree. Sure, In Twilight's Embrace has the "Swedish riffs by a non-Swedish band" that immediately send me into allergic fits. But, really, they're not too prevalent, and once I get past them, I hear decent breakdowns, blastbeats and bits of good metal, and interesting chord voicings.

Sealing the deal for me is a nice, midpaced instrumental, which I really wish bands of this type would do more. Take away the "raspy young guy" screams, which are truly generic, and the band shows its true capabilities! The performances are ripping, the production isn't overproduced, and Lifeline turns in another to-die-for packaging job. Interpunk says this is for fans of The Black Dahlia Murder and Unearth, but this Polish band is so much better.

13th Draft - Where Do We Go From Here...?

Fallout

Lifeline
2006



I really shouldn't like 13th Draft, but I do. Emo is pretty much its third strike after metalcore, but I find this Polish band's debut EP oddly listenable. Mostly, it's because the singer has a strange stubbornness to soldier on with screams even when choruses beg for the requisite clean singing. There are some clean vocals, and they aren't bad, but they're brief and in such unusual places that I can't help but think, "Oh, those crazy kids!" As I get older, it becomes ever-weirder to hear music for which I am so obviously not the target audience.

That said, the teenager in me digs this stuff with only a small degree of shame. It's not necessarily bad for music to be "emotional," nor is it necessarily bad that it's overtly so. Besides, there's enough metal and dissonance here to appease my grown-up side (that bridge in "Fallout" is so like Rush's "YYZ"). Energetic performances, silly arrangements, and Lifeline's trademark amazing digipak-aging - where do we go from here, indeed. You can find this EP at Interpunk.

Sunrise - Cursed Not Alone

Sleepwalkers
Nightmare

Lifeline
2006


Alienacja's Blades Shall Speak had some of the fiercest deathcore I've ever heard, so I had to find out more about its label. Evidently, Lifeline Records put out its first six releases at once last March. Not only that, each CD came in a beautiful three-panel digipak, with gorgeous, full-color booklets and top-spine obi strips.

How could the label afford this??? Having the owner do most of the artwork probably helped, and maybe prices are just lower in Poland (see Metal Mind's recent spate of high-quality live DVD's).

Lifeline #1 features Warsaw's Sunrise, who existed from 1995-2006. Cursed Not Alone collects the band's first two full-lengths, 1998's Generation of Sleepwalkers and 2000's Child of Eternity. The latter leads off this disc, and it's cookie-cutter metalcore and Swedish melodeath. Even the band's MySpace admits it was a mistake.

However, Generation is another story; it sounds like another band. The fact that Sunrise sounded so different in two years suggests that Child was the product of premeditation and not organic change. Whatever the case, Generation kicks ass. The raw production sounds like it's gone through sweetening, with artificial sheen on the drums. The result sounds fine, though, and the performances are ferocious.

Stylistically, Generation is metalcore with touches of thrash (Slayer) and death metal (Carcass). While the overall approach is "core," some of the metallic riffs are monstrous. The gruff vocals are an acquired taste, but they work. In fact, they scare me a little, in a "wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley" sort of way. Cursed Not Alone comes with three videos - a well-done music video and two promotional trailers (in Polish and English). This is a total package, folks, a real labor of love. You can find it at Interpunk.

Fall Behind - Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Dead End Street
Between the Devil...

Lifeline
2006


Not only did Alienacja implode and Sunrise call it quits, Fall Behind also folded recently. Writing about defunct Polish metalcore bands somehow seems quite sad, but that's the breaks. As far as I can tell, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was the band's only album.

Truth be told, I don't like much of it. It's extremely harmonically conservative, a mixture of metalcore and Swedish melodeath that makes me want to punch people, and not in a good way.

But there are reasons why each time I hear this album, I make it all the way through. First, it has really earnest samples from Waking Life. I haven't seen that movie, and I've only heard horrible things about it, but soundbites from it give this album a sense of youthful defiance. Second, it has energy. It reminds me of how Darkest Hour (until its last album, anyway) plays metal, but with a scruffy vibe that comes from hardcore. These kids meant what they played; they weren't some corporate construct with swoop do's.

Most importantly, I hear potential. Hear those key modulations at 2:34 in "Dead End Street"? Cookie-cutter metalcore doesn't do that. It's more of a black metal move. The closing instrumental is also lovely and not typical metalcore. "In Colours" begins with indie rock/emo guitars that are kind of interesting. Even though I don't especially like the vocals, their inflections totally stick in my head.

In other words, these kids had the right instincts. They had good music in them. They just needed time to learn more scales. But they split and left an album that comes with amazing artwork that fits the "dehumanization of existence" theme. This CD is worth it for the liner notes illustrations alone. What were a bunch of kids from Grudziadz doing quoting George Bernard Shaw? Maybe I like this album more than I realize. You can find it at Interpunk.

Vader - Impressions in Blood

With Vader, you know exactly what you're going to get - straight-up death metal. That's indeed the case with Impressions in Blood (on Regain Records). However, don't write it off as just another Vader album; it's perhaps the band's best ever, for a number of reasons.

First is the drumming. "New" guy Daray has actually been on board since 2004's The Beast, when he filled in after longtime drummer Doc became injured during the recording sessions. Doc, of course, was an awesome talent - his performance on Litany is positively Lombardo-esque. His alcohol-related death at the age of 35 was tragic, but Daray has more than adequately taken his place. On The Art of War EP, Daray came into his own as a rock-solid, blindingly fast timekeeper. Impressions in Blood continues this trend; Vader has never sounded so tight.

Second is the songwriting. Vader has always been fast and brutal, but only in recent years has the band started writing truly memorable songs. This is mostly due to more tempo variations, with less reliance on balls-to-the-wall blasting. There's plenty of the latter here, to be sure, but there are also lots of midpaced sections that place the blasting parts in greater relief. "Predator" stays in half speed all the way through, and it's heavy as fuck. The riffs are catchy, the songs are compact, and Peter's vocals are as strong as ever. This is the sound of a well-oiled machine.

Third is the production. Vader's production values have gone up over the years, culminating in the huge-sounding Art of War. This album retains the same clarity and separation between instruments. A few symphonic interludes scattered throughout add depth. The mastering is a bit hot and compressed for my taste, but the songs have enough dynamics so this isn't a problem. Basically, if you liked The Art of War, you'll love Impressions in Blood.

Vader - Warlords
Vader - Predator

There's also a somewhat goofy video for "Helleluyah!!! (God Is Dead)." Those horns aren't so becoming on Peter.


This is easily Vader's best work in ages, so pick it up

@ Very
@ Amazon