Zarathustra19
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2006
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Hello head-fiers!
Let me start off this inaugural blog with a short introduction to the purpose of the Fresh Metal series I'll be writing. Regardless of how many people will read this, I plan to work my way through the collection of metal albums released in 2007 (and of course 2008 when they arrive) which are in my possession. I'll be starting with the A's, giving a fairly concise review, and moving on. Now, with that out of the way...On we go!
1. 7000 Dying Rats - A Season in Hell
This album is different to say the least. It can be categorized as being grindcore, but I've heard people refer to it as "Schizophrenic Noise Grind" (I hate over genre-fying music). 7DR bring to this release a very good sense of humor, never taking themselves too seriously through all the heavy mayhem they produce. Sound clips from 70's era cartoon shows and mock satanic rituals bely the sardonic nature of the music itself. The band even throws in a rap song they wrote themselves about the sweatiness of their drummer when they play a show. As for the quality of the music produced, it is very fast, loud, and hard. The vocals are almost throat-ripping, bringing a higher pitched sound to the brand of grindcore the band produces without reaching the typical pig-squeal sound many bands try to emulate. The guitars are very technical, and the bass follows along at the break-neck pace without a flinch. These guys are definitely skilled at what they do. Overall, I gave this album a 4 out of five. Some people might not be able to take the style 7000 Dying Rats, but they are nothing if not innovative and mold-breaking in the grindcore community. All too often we see mediocre bands trying to be the next Pig Destroyer or Cattle Decapitation, and failing miserably. 7000 Dying Rats keep their own image and style, which is a good thing to see.
2. Aborted - Slaughter and Apparatus: A Methodical Overture
Anyone familiar with Aborted will know their characteristic brutal style, filled with croaking and standard death vocals, intricate guitar work, crunching bass lines, and inhuman drumming. With their latest release, they have not failed to deliver on those fronts. The drumming is a little different, changing speeds often throughout songs, much as the rest of the music has. There are almost interludes to the brutality in the form of standard death time schemes. Vocally, Sven de Caluwé keeps his dual vocal styles completely intact, beginning most songs with the deep croaks of the cookie monster and bringing an almost In Flames-esque sound in the middle of things. All in all, I really enjoyed this album, its been at the top of my playlist for a while, only recently being replaced by my rediscovery of Sunn O)))'s "White 1". Aborted have been for years, and will remain, some of the best Death Metal practitioners out there. Their lyrics are typically filled with words most native English speakers couldn't define, and embrace subjects ranging from medical procedures to undertaking. A new development in the new album are the vaguely political songs Aborted have added to their repertoire. In the past, their songs have focused on death, gore, surgery, etc, but they have added a slight political edge to this album, especially in the form of "Avenious". Check this record out, it adds a new layer to Aborted's discography in more than one way. 4.5/5
3. Abusiveness - Hybris
I recently acquired this album by Poland's Abusiveness, and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised at what I found upon listening to it for the first time. Think Dimmu Borgir...got it? Now, take away the overly orchestral keyboards and replace them with subdued keyboards used behind scathing guitars using ALMOST excessive pick harmonics. Add a drummer who must have legs the size of trees and arms as thick as branches for all the speed he puts behind the drumming. Finally, take Shagrath's overly dramatic vocal style and imagine what he would sound like if he didn't try so hard to bring a gothic element to the music. What you would have is Abusiveness. The music they play is very technical, very professional, and surprisingly, very well recorded. When one runs into a black metal band one has not heard of, one typically expects to hear music which emphasizes the top end far too much with very little bass. Not so here, this sophomore album is delicious both through speakers and through my Sennheiser HD555's. If you can somehow find this band's album for order over the internet, do it. Yes, they may be too technical for "troo black metal" enthusiasts, they certainly are not "kvlt" enough for those who are loyal to the lo-fi, but they are a genuinely good band. 4.5/5
And as I have homework for class tomorrow morning, I think I'll leave it at three for the first issue. Enjoy Head-fi!
Let me start off this inaugural blog with a short introduction to the purpose of the Fresh Metal series I'll be writing. Regardless of how many people will read this, I plan to work my way through the collection of metal albums released in 2007 (and of course 2008 when they arrive) which are in my possession. I'll be starting with the A's, giving a fairly concise review, and moving on. Now, with that out of the way...On we go!
1. 7000 Dying Rats - A Season in Hell
This album is different to say the least. It can be categorized as being grindcore, but I've heard people refer to it as "Schizophrenic Noise Grind" (I hate over genre-fying music). 7DR bring to this release a very good sense of humor, never taking themselves too seriously through all the heavy mayhem they produce. Sound clips from 70's era cartoon shows and mock satanic rituals bely the sardonic nature of the music itself. The band even throws in a rap song they wrote themselves about the sweatiness of their drummer when they play a show. As for the quality of the music produced, it is very fast, loud, and hard. The vocals are almost throat-ripping, bringing a higher pitched sound to the brand of grindcore the band produces without reaching the typical pig-squeal sound many bands try to emulate. The guitars are very technical, and the bass follows along at the break-neck pace without a flinch. These guys are definitely skilled at what they do. Overall, I gave this album a 4 out of five. Some people might not be able to take the style 7000 Dying Rats, but they are nothing if not innovative and mold-breaking in the grindcore community. All too often we see mediocre bands trying to be the next Pig Destroyer or Cattle Decapitation, and failing miserably. 7000 Dying Rats keep their own image and style, which is a good thing to see.
2. Aborted - Slaughter and Apparatus: A Methodical Overture
Anyone familiar with Aborted will know their characteristic brutal style, filled with croaking and standard death vocals, intricate guitar work, crunching bass lines, and inhuman drumming. With their latest release, they have not failed to deliver on those fronts. The drumming is a little different, changing speeds often throughout songs, much as the rest of the music has. There are almost interludes to the brutality in the form of standard death time schemes. Vocally, Sven de Caluwé keeps his dual vocal styles completely intact, beginning most songs with the deep croaks of the cookie monster and bringing an almost In Flames-esque sound in the middle of things. All in all, I really enjoyed this album, its been at the top of my playlist for a while, only recently being replaced by my rediscovery of Sunn O)))'s "White 1". Aborted have been for years, and will remain, some of the best Death Metal practitioners out there. Their lyrics are typically filled with words most native English speakers couldn't define, and embrace subjects ranging from medical procedures to undertaking. A new development in the new album are the vaguely political songs Aborted have added to their repertoire. In the past, their songs have focused on death, gore, surgery, etc, but they have added a slight political edge to this album, especially in the form of "Avenious". Check this record out, it adds a new layer to Aborted's discography in more than one way. 4.5/5
3. Abusiveness - Hybris
I recently acquired this album by Poland's Abusiveness, and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised at what I found upon listening to it for the first time. Think Dimmu Borgir...got it? Now, take away the overly orchestral keyboards and replace them with subdued keyboards used behind scathing guitars using ALMOST excessive pick harmonics. Add a drummer who must have legs the size of trees and arms as thick as branches for all the speed he puts behind the drumming. Finally, take Shagrath's overly dramatic vocal style and imagine what he would sound like if he didn't try so hard to bring a gothic element to the music. What you would have is Abusiveness. The music they play is very technical, very professional, and surprisingly, very well recorded. When one runs into a black metal band one has not heard of, one typically expects to hear music which emphasizes the top end far too much with very little bass. Not so here, this sophomore album is delicious both through speakers and through my Sennheiser HD555's. If you can somehow find this band's album for order over the internet, do it. Yes, they may be too technical for "troo black metal" enthusiasts, they certainly are not "kvlt" enough for those who are loyal to the lo-fi, but they are a genuinely good band. 4.5/5
And as I have homework for class tomorrow morning, I think I'll leave it at three for the first issue. Enjoy Head-fi!
