ANTESTOR - OMEN

The one thing that prevents me from enjoying most black metal is that I miss the invitation. What I mean by that is the ability to get ‘inside’ the music, where it resonates within you and it touches a part of you. Most times it’s because I can’t get past the wall of sound, hence ‘the invitation.’ I fail to discern the melody (if it exists) or the lyrical content is obscured by the delivery. 

Antestor’s (latin for ‘call to witness) newest album is entitled Omen, and the invitation is there for me in DROVES. Whether it’s the subtlety (yes there is subtlety) or the haunting melodies (yes there are many rather disturbing melodies) this release just has IT. I don’t own any other Antestor albums so I was rather suspect of what I might be in for. After all, I’ve heard nothing but the praises of prior releases but without the ability to obtain them short of selling my car I decided to pass on obtaining them. 

So when Matt from Bombworks asked if I wanted to review I said “Sure. NO problem!” all the while crossing my fingers hoping that this would be a good album.

With a strength and boldness that few albums have hit me with, Omen is just phenomenal. Powerful and daunting, this album delivers on so many levels. Whether it’s the triple guitar attack of Bordevik, Stokstad and Buer; the sheer power of the rich lyrical content (faithfulness, personal forgiveness, betrayal, healing, and idols) or the rich production. 

The axe attack is simply powerful, creating a threating yet not overpowering wall of sound. The melodies of tracks such as Remnants, along with the stellar dynamics and almost progressive quality just blew me away. All Towers Must Fall delivers a mesmerizing ode to the brevity of life, while moving through several dynamic musical interludes.  Album opener Treacherous Domain set the tone for the music to be found within. When In Solitude starts I just wonder, “How can anyone play the guitar that fast?” However the speed of the rhythm parts just fascinates but the when the keyboards enter it takes everything to another level. Atmospherics can never be understated. Benighted delivers several riffs that just dominate along with textures that are totally unexpected.  Antestor have dubbed their brand of music ‘sorrow metal.’

The production is solid with a drum sound that screams of investment and dedication. Too often the drums end up sounding as if someone is playing old pots and pans, that is far from the case here; rich and deep are the tones of the drums. The bass and six string guitars share space in the mix with plenty of power to entwine them both. The vocal sound is sheer brutality for the most part provided by Ronny Hansen, who delivery encompasses the meaning of the word extreme. However I was more than able to following along with the lyric sheet (that invitation again).

Omen is the album that fans of Antestor have been waiting for, complex, strong, dynamic and bombastic. Prepare yourself to be immersed in one of the most stirring albums of 2012/2013. Strong windmill action which leads one to give this release a huge endorsement. Bombworks Records has delivered a gem!

9 axes

BRUTAL CROSS - SYMPHONY OF DESTRUCTION

Brutal Cross is a one man Extreme Metal extravaganza from Europe, Poland specifically. With a sound described as unblackened/death metal their Sanctus Gladius Records release entitled, Symphony of Destruction, is anything but tame.

This collection of 13 tracks seems to have a two fold purpose, first to inject the Light into a field of musical endeavor that is dominated by the darkness. Secondly to create a musical cacophony that should please anyone who wants their music intense and unabashedly extreme.

This is the second album by Brutal Cross, their first one was entitled Trilogy. One thing I noticed as I compared a few tracks from their first album to Symphony and it just seems to me that Symphony is not produced as well, a slightly rawer feel and depending on how important those elements are to you. However the sound quality is still acceptable but not as complete.  

The music on this release is pure black metal with the musical elements that define that genre; Extreme vocals, atmosphere over melody, and rawness over polish.  I was unable to hear a strong death metal influence here. From their Facebook page Brutal Cross, indicated several bands as likes which I’d infer also as influences, which includes fellow Polish unblack band Elggibor. Other bands mentioned are Crimson Moonlight, Pantokrator, Deuteronomium and Ultimatum.

If this sound like your cup of brew then snag yourself a copy of Brutal Cross’s, Symphony of Destruction. This might be a limited edition release so don’t hesitate but head over to the Sanctus store and grab one. A six axe review just because the production is slightly rawer, but the material is still acceptable.

6 axes

BABYLON MYSTERY ORCHESTRA - POINIUM CHEREM

Babylon Mystery Orchestra, a rather cryptic but intriguing name for a band so when I was asked if I’d like to review their latest album Poinium Cherem I answered in the affirmative. I had heard the name Babylon Mystery Orchestra in the various Christian Metal forums usually in a positive context, my intrigue was growing.

So when I received the CD some weeks back it came in a flood of other material so unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to dive in right away. I now realize that BMO is a one man band led by Sidney Allen Johnson.  Vocally he reminds me of David Johanson of The New York Dolls.  I’ve had some opportunity to sit with this disc and I have to say I was pretty disappointed.

The production elements are actually pretty good; the instruments have good clarity (I believe a drum machine was used). The packaging was pretty amazing for an independent release, exceptional quality.

It’s the songs that just don’t do it for me; too many of the songs seem to use the same arrangements and chord progressions. Destroyer, The Affliction, Apollyon and I Am an Artist, suffer from that. Devilution has a different tempo but the chorus falls into the same break downs as the aforementioned songs. Save for A Prophets Song the remaining tracks have the same challenges.

The are other Babylon Mystery Orchestra albums out there and I’ve only heard this one and I’m sure others will disagree with my take on this album, but from my point of view I would pass.

5 axes

INNER SIEGE - KINGDOM OF SHADOWS

American Heavy Metal is alive and well and thriving in a five piece outfit from Illinois called Inner Siege. These guys deliver bone crushing heavy metal with slight old school power metal overtones. No overbearing keyboards, just flat out soaring vocals with a powerful twin guitar attack and punishing rhythm section.

Kingdom of Shadows is the title of their debut platter, which is a solid offering of metal prowess. In their bio they list Kamelot, Dream Evil, Firewind, Symphony X and Pagan’s Mind as influences, so that gives a strong indication of where their stylistic heredity comes from. Upon first listen those influences stand out strong, but where a band like Dream Evil and Firewind live on anthemic chorus’s (especially Dream Evil) that isn’t really where Inner Siege is at. Perhaps this is where the Kamelot influence comes in.

This album of guitar driven heavy metal is well crafted and well executed. The performances are world class mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordstrom of Dream Evil. The vocals of Jeremy Ray will remind some of early Queensryche, but Ray is no Tate clone. The guitar work of Kevin Grose and J Prater simply shreds while the bass work of Ravn and drum precision of Wade Helm lock it all down tight. It goes without saying that the sound quality on Kingdom of Shadows is brilliant.

The promotional material provided by Roxx Records indicates that this is a concept album. Unfortunately because there isn’t a lyric sheet I’m somewhat at a loss as to what the concept is, I have my suspicions but without knowing for sure I’ll keep my speculation to myself. I do know this, it appears to be well thought out and developed.

Musically there is a lot of muscle here and it’s not relying on a bunch of blast beats to get the point across.   From album opener Warrior through the powerful closing track Sacrifice, Kingdom of Shadows is the real metal deal. The most easily accessible tracks include the galloping drive of Rider and the slug fest which is Children of Winter.

The leather jacket brigade should be lining up in droves to grab this one. One of the five best albums I’ve heard this year. One can hope that they will somehow tour their way out to the glorious state of euphoria which is California. Inner Siege, Kingdom of Shadows demands that you obtain a copy and enjoy the winter with the cold steel that is the musical precision within. 

9 axes

DIVINE INCARNATION - JUDGEMENT AGAINST THE NATIONS

Moving with the subtlety of a runaway locomotive the debut album by Divine Incarnation has arrived. (Actually it arrived a little while ago, but due to several delays this review is finally seeing the light of day…. Sorry guys!!). Judgment Against the Nations is the title of this metallic assault brought to us by Sanctus Gladius Records

Judgment Against the Nations is blackened/Thrash Metal that is long on bombast and short on any kind of subtlety, with upfront guitars and vocals that could scrape paint off a wall. Opening with what I think is the best track, The Return, you know what you're gonna get. Fast songs that have few changes but have lots of sledgehammer moments.

Other stands out tracks include, All Powerful One and The Only Way. These tracks have some solid thrashy death type moments, yet have a really strong old school vibe reinterpreted for today. The black metal influence is really strong on the 10 minute epic Indignation, for me tho I sorta got lost along the way.

There are really strong riffs on this album. The production is clean and brutal without being overproduced in the least. This band sounds like someone I’d hear in San Francisco at the Rock On Broadway, very underground and very raw. According to the liner notes these tracks were originally recorded in October 2009 and July 2010. Perhaps as two separate demo’s that have been put together for this limited edition release. If that is the case, the production elements are really quite good.

On their Facebook page they list their influences as,

Bathory, Celtic Frost, Emperor, Hellhammer, Immortal, Mayhem, Slayer. That I can believe! This is a limited edition disc so if you don’t already own one you might’ve missed out, but if brutal thrashing blackened death is up your alley; grab a copy of Divine Incarnation’s Judgment Against the Nations. You won’t be disappointed. 7 axes

ULTIMATUM - HEART OF METAL: 20 YEARS OF ULTIMATUM

“Neck Snappin’, Fist Pumpin’, Head Banging Heart of METAL!!” is the chorus to one of the greatest anthems to come out of the Metal underground. That song is the title of their 20th anniversary box set and separate compilation CD. Old school power metal masters Ultimatum have again contributed to the history of heavy metal as an art form and as artists with a distinctly Christian world view.

Ultimatum has reached a plateau that few bands have; they have been around for 20 years and still going strong. They’ve never been trapped in that album a year and tour grind that most bands fall into by default, however I’m sure that the guys themselves would love to have had that opportunity!

No, Ultimatum by and large has been a regional band which occasionally ventured outside the confines of the great state of New Mexico. Having played several larger festival shows over the course of their musical career including the Up From the Ashes festivals in Southern California, Extreme Mardi Gras also in Southern California, Cali-Stone and the big one, Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois. I was fortunate enough to see them in 2010 at Up From the Ashes 3.

However, even without the benefit of full fledged touring this group of dedicated and persistent musicians have garnered a fan base that is truly world wide. One of the benefits of the musical underground, from tape traders to file swapping. It’s because of the advent of the internet that has allowed this band to develop such a fanatical fan base.

Roxx Records saw the opportunity to do something special and indeed they have. Heart of Metal: Twenty years of Ultimatum is a fabulous collection of all things Ultimatum. This collector's box set came with three CD’s, one DVD, autographed pictures, stickers, guitar pick and patch, whew! Oh if I forgot, it all came in a very cool embossed box to hold it all!

Starting off with the center piece CD, Heart of Metal 20 Years of Ultimatum, this 18 song compendium of high octane metal madness covers the gamut of Ultimatum’s recording career. For many fans the highlight of this disc is the four new tracks, Blood on a Thousand Hills, Scattered (Body Parts), Hook Line & Sinker and Rip ‘n’ Tear. These four tracks are what Ultimatum is all about in a nutshell, screaming old school thrashy/power metal i.e. Metal Church/Exodus/Meliah Rage. (Not the Euro metal that somehow gets labeled power metal).

Blood on a Thousand Hills opens up with a driving riff that locks in and pulls the rhythm section along.(A live version is included on the DVD) Fast and furious through the verses they put the brakes on during the chorus, a pile driver in overdrive. Scattered (body Parts) is more riffy with a slight groove to it, that is until the chorus kicks in with its pure headbanging joy. Founder and lead guitarist Robert Gutierrez shreds throughout this tune, with some nice tasty lead work. Rip N Tear is another barn burner that just plows along with some very crunchy riff work, that time change before the solo smokes. However my favorite of the new songs is the slowest (?), I know I know…. But Hook Line and Sinker is AWESOME!! Mid tempo at best with a stellar groove, this is the type of song you just imagine rows of headbanger's going nuts, remiscient of Accepts Balls to the Wall video. Strong riffage with a brilliant chorus that Scott Waters just belts out, fabulous stuff. The guitar solo section is very Maidenesqe, lots of melody with a nice tempo change.

The other fourteen tracks are taken from throughout the Ultimatum catalog. Many of those tracks were voted upon by the fans themselves through an online poll. Even then several of the tracks were remixed just for this release i.e. Heart of Metal, One for All (taken from 2007’s Into The Pit). A remixed version of Locked In Chains comes from their 2010 album Lex Metallis. The drums seem to have a fuller and more natural sound this time.

Other featured songs are Crash Course, Temple of the Spirit from 2000’s The Mechanics of Perilous Times. Never, Puppet of Destruction and Gutterbox appear from 1998’s Puppet of Destruction. Darkest Void appears from their debut album Symphonic Extremities along with that albums title track. The 2007 version of Blink appears here also in a remixed form along with the 2008 version of Mortal Stomp.

This album isn’t just a greatest hits type collection as it features those special versions of these classic Ultimatum tracks. This is the only disc to be featured outside this box set, so if you were unable to purchase the entire box set you can still get this 18 song gem.

The second disc is entitled Before the Pit: Demo’s and Alternate Versions. Featuring material from 2007’s Into The Pit, this CD is like watching a painting being constructed or looking at the assemblage of film in the cutting room of some Hollywood studio. There are lots of rough mixes, which for an artist is akin to being able to ‘try before you buy.’ However the original four song demo of Into The Pit is included here; One For All, Heart of Metal, Deathwish and Blind Faith. This was used to secure their record deal with Retroactive. These versions to this ear sound more aggressive and a bit heavier than what eventually appeared on …Pit. Well worth checking out.

Several alternate mixes of songs appear here as well; Blink, Into the Pit and Heart of Metal as well. These versions are different than what appeared on the final album. Several rough mixes, where a song is in the middle of the production process but not quite finished are included, Blood Covenant, Blind Faith, and Into the Pit. These tracks are raw and offer very cool insight into how songs are arranged and brought into focus (could you imagine how many versions of Metallica’s song Master of Puppets there must be!?!?). I’ve always been fascinated by this somewhat tedious process of putting an album together, however there is just a certain energy to the studio process which is very different from a live performance. This is disc is for true Ultimaniacs only. Of special note is the remixed radio version of Heart Of Metal. This is the version which appears on Dale Huffman’s radio show Metal Pulse Radio, a cool intro and more delay and reverb for a rich radio sound.

The third disc to be included is a copy of their remastered 1998 album Puppet of Destruction. A review of this album can be found here on the White Throne web site. Puppet of Destruction review

Of special note to me is that the final disc a DVD which clocks in a nearly four hours of material. Two complete concerts are included their appearance at Extreme Mardi Gras in 2002 and their 2010 triumph at the Up From The Ashes Festival in Temecula, Ca. There is also a plethora of interviews, live show clips, back stage material and their now classic video clip for their anthemic track, Heart of Metal.

As a fan I always dig the behind the scenes type material, it just helps me to feel that much more part of what is going on with my favorite artists. The 2007 interview, which is included, is really a great slice of Ultimatum in 20 minutes.

Ultimatum: Heart of Metal – 20 Years of Ultimatum, is a classic box set. If you were fortunate to snag one you’ll treasure it as a cornerstone of the Christian Metal Movement, however if you weren’t then by all means pick up a copy of the single disc Heart of Metal. This is heavy metal made by metal fans who like it hard, grinding and powerful. Crushing guitars with bombastic bass and thunderous drums topped off by a gravely throated vocalist, what more can a metal fan want???

10 axes….

BIOGENESIS - THE RISE THE FALL THE REBIRTH

Before vocalist Chaz Bond joined Jacob’s Dream he was part of Biogenesis. Biogenesis put out one album way back in 2001 on Steve Rowe’s label, Rowe Productions. There was much hoopla as that album was a solid array of metal styles, myself I missed that album but I’ve heard about it non stop for years.

I enjoyed Chaz’s vocal work with Jacob’s Dream, so when I heard that he was going to put Biogenesis back together I was excited and anxious to hear it. The Rise The Fall The Rebirth is the title of this solid assortment of heavy metal chaos. There are groove elements, there are thrash elements, there are moody melancholic moments, throw some proggy stuff in there. Not to mention some traditional metal pieces and it comes out Biogenesis.

Chaz’s vocal performance is solid throughout. There are occasional thrash screams, growls and his trademark tenor vocal with plenty of grit. The musical performances are top drawer with exception skill and feel. Nevin Cline (drums) and Randy Walton (bass) lock together with surgical precision, both feeding off the other while holding down the back beat and groove.

But the songs are strong and don’t all fall into the typical verse chorus verse chorus solo. The melodies are haunting and infectious. It took me a time or two to lock in but once I did, some serious musical nirvana happening. Tracks like Hatred Seed or Point of Origin just bring the pain, while Angel is simply a drifty sorrowful tune of sheer genius. The more I listen to this release the better it gets.

The production elements are pretty solid, I’ve seen some complaints in the forums, but to my ears production is not the issue. The sounds are sweet and crunchy, but I think the album suffers from a lack of mastering. The bottom end gets a little too fat for my taste and would benefit from some cleaning up.

The Rise The Fall The Rebirth is heavy and crushing. This album really is a good one, it’ll make you raise your fist and yell. If you want something a little different then reach for this and be ready to bang yer head with power and passion.

7 axes