Atrox - Orgasm (2003)

Now we are back to the beginning of the alphabet and it is time to unveil another cd that was gifted me by my brother. This is, quite possibly, the first time I have ever listened, really listened, to this album - which I have owned for quite some time!

Norwegian band Atrox are classified as "Avante-garde". This is defined as "innovative and experiemental" - in other words, a wee bit weird. They formed in 1988, using the name Suffocation, but changed that when they realised there were other bands with the same name.  In the beginning they were death metal, but by this album (their 4th) they had inserted enough other interesting elements to give them the above classification.

Now, how to describe the album? Well, it is a cardboard digipack, with booklet inserted into a pocket. The cover is a darkly surreal piece of art painted by the vocalist herself, Monika Edvardsen. Somewhat Bosch-esque, it depicts numerous deformed and distorted characters assembled in rows and staring at the viewer - some are cute, others downright creepy - a round-headed, three-eyed pyjama clad child clutches a red toy rabbit; teo horse-headed men bear a pole, from which hangs two pairs of legs, connected at the waist; little imps and goblins cavort in surreal and grotesque glory. It is all rather beautiful. On the back of the case are depicted various caricatures of the band - Afrox, Hatrox, Ratrox, Flatrox, Batrox, Fatrox, whilst a little lizard in spectacles points out his favourite. Crazy, crazy stuff! Inside the booklet, the lyrics are printed in a scrawled font only slightly darker than the background, making them downright undecipherable.

We rage into the steam-rolling, heavy dealing that is "Methods of Survival" with its loud, determined bass and husky, knife-edged vocals, which soar into a softer swoop for the chorus.  Their sound has been described as similar to Meshuggah, a band that I am not familar with. About halfway through it shifts from the immense thunderous wall of power into something distinctly progressive in sound, with screeching vocals and a rhythm that reminds me rather of Ritual, but with a distinctly heavier backing.

"Flesh City" starts similarly heavy, with repetitive thrash and female and male vocals twisting and twining around each other. The rhythms jerk and tug, the drum and bass fading so the guitar can take over, then charging back in. Faster, faster. Then suddenly, almost a jazz-vibe as Monika's husky vocals come in. Chugging, charging rhythms, distortion. The illustration accompanying the lyrics to this piece are frankly somewhat disturbing - although I do like the witch-pig-on-a-broomstick (wearing a gas mask).

Twiddly rhythms, over hand-clap drumming and Monika's low vocals usher on a "Heartquake" which contains lyrics about "little death". I'm not really much good at any genre excepting metal, but I suspect this may have some lounge/jazz sound to it. Or potentially cabaret. I can almost imagine her lying on a piano, kicking her feet in the air and tracing shapes in the air with a feather or some other sort of long and slender device.

"How long to experience a heartquake, but oh so afraid it will end with a heartbreak..."

We are whipped and whirled into the maelstrom of "Burning Bridges", the lyrics of which (for some reason) feature first in the booklet. Raw-edged, filled with tension and drama. Slower, gentler moments interplay with the aggressive; tidy guitar rhythms intercepting the raucous. Then into tiddly, organic rhythms of creeping deceit and lurking imps in the shadows, laughing. Theatrical. A swarm of hornets.

Dramatic, slow; "This Vigil" brings with it an air of the uncanny. Chugging rhythms, interspersed with the croon of the synthesizers (or the moog?) which add an otherworldly, demented air to the wailing vocals. Dirge like bass-line, banshee howls.

Sampling and a springy rhythm usher us into "Tentacles". Organic-sounding guitars, dropping into heavier depths and soaring with the spectral voice of the synthesizer. Tangled and demented. Grabbing, twisting turmoil. Disconcerting, disjointed, sampling and a faintly eerie sense.

"Second Hand Traumas" begins with a more mainstream approach, fast, competent guitar fingering and a mighty bass-line. Vocals with a hint of the shrill. Then more into the complicated, switching tempo and chaotica controlled.

Solid, determined, "Pre-Sense" sets Monika's voice rising into a shrill determination above a more classically metal sound. Going into twiddliness, finding a pattern, then abruptly stopping, jerking rhythms, disconcerting. She really does reach some surprising pitches. Towards the end we draw to a conclusion. Or not. Stop... start... stop... pause... start. The eerie and disjointed nature is messing with me, and I'm not sure I can listen to it through to its eventual conclusion.

Like Swedish band Ritual, there is something about the abrupt jerkiness of the rhythms and the switching tempos that makes me feel ever-so-slightly queasy, like it is messing a little with my inner ear equilibrium.

Strange and beautiful, like the art, the playful with a darker edge, demented and quirky. I can see why my brother decided to give me this. It comes to me in tones of sepia, with shadows and darting light and little creatures that lurk in the shadows and reach out to pluck at your senses with spider-like fingers.

Yes, definitely "Avantgarde" is the best definition.

Rating = 7.5/10

Overkill - Horrorscope (1991)

Rising from the American Thrash metal era, Overkill hail from New Jersey. They are one of the most successful East Coast US metal bands and have released 16 studio albums, plus several live and EPs. Formed in 1980, they are still active today, although they have undertaken numerous line-up changes, their vocalist, Bobby "Blitz" has remained a constant.  
 
This is their sixth album. It is regarded as one of their defining moments and is their heaviest release, being more aggressive and darker than their earlier albums.

The cover folds out into a sort of poster, albeit one made up of printed squares. The front depicts their horned skeletal mascot - this time with hands, carressing a globe, in which screams a human face. The border is industrial, rivetted with skulls. The title, "Horrorscope" drips in bloody trails that are barely visible. One side of the fold out sheet holds the lyrics, the other band portraits and "Chaley" their winged, horned skull mascot.

It opens with the slow, technical chords of "Coma". Brooding, threatening, like stormclouds gathering on the horizon. Then they break, and we blast into the fantic, hectic strumming and Bobby "Blitz"'s distinctive half-scream, savage vocals.

"Infectious" begins with more chaotic strumming, racing, racing, galloping away headlong as Blitz's vocals snarl over it. Choruses are repetitive enough to sing (or scream) along, not that you feel particularly inclined. They're pretty much controlled, somewhat melodic, noise.

More racing guitars, and an intermitent drumming bring us our "Blood Money". Structurally similar to the preceeding tracks - fast, vocals like a vicious beast, intricate guitaring and some complex shredding in the solos as the guitarists war for dominance. Filled with pent-up aggression.
"Thanx for Nothin'" delivers more aggression; reflected in both the savage shredding and pounding drums, snarling vocals and savage lyrics:

"Thanks for nothin'. Yeah, I said nothin'. Next time better think. Think before you speak!"

 So angry... give me happy European metal any day.

Oooh, piano, a handful of notes, repetitive, like the soundtrack to a horror movie. The guitars roll over them, and still they persevere.  Giving it an eerie, otherworldlyness. Gone, the guitars have enveloped them. "Bare Bones" races at a breakneck speed, the drummer heading for wrist - or arm - injuries. Unrepentent. Furious.

Slower, more ominous, "Horrorscope" is the title track and was also the track selected for individual release. Technically competent. Intricate, jerky rhythms, the vocals are raw and ragged rasp. The chorus spat out like a threat:

"The change is here, the future clear - I can feel it com-ming!"

 Heavy rifts, pounding guitar. You know the drill. It's a "New Machine".

The instrumental "Frankenstein" is an epic powerhouse of duelling guitars, clashing with one another as they weave through the intricate chords.

"Live Young, Die Free". Fast, frantic. You get the idea. The drummer sure is getting qutie a workout!

Hardcore drumming, churning rifts. "Nice Day.... for a Funeral". Some nice slow bits, funereal, you might say.

And finally, we have a ballad - "Soulitude" brings the speed down and the vocals lower into a manner that is actually quite pleasing to the ear. Blitz can actually sing. So why doesn't he do it more often? Maybe he does on other albums. Even when it surges out of the singing and back into the screaming, it's with an emotional passion. It reminds me a little of Maiden, actually, except angrier.

Bit repetitive, bit too angry. Favourite songs are "Soulitude" and "Horrorscope", the others all tend to blur into one another and I can take 'em or leave 'em. The guitars are an almighty voice, Blitz's vicious snarling screams get a bit tedious after a time. I'd have to say, more than two tracks in a row just feels like... overkill.

I'm gonna rank it a 5/10.

Vicious Rumors - Welcome to the Ball (1991)

When I decided to review this album for V, I thought it would feel like a new cd to me - as I can barely remember listening to it. However, as soon as I put on the first track, it all came flooding back to me. By the second track, I remembered that their vocalist had died in a car accident (in 1995) which always made the song "you only live twice" particularly ironic.

Vicious Rumors are also considered a Power Metal band. However, unlike most of the PM genre that I listen to, they hail from America. This means that they are closer to thrash metal than the classically inspired PM of Europe. Like many of the US Metal bands of this style, they come from San Francisco's Bay Area, which seems to have inspired a goodly amount of heavier bands with (moderately) more melodic vocals. Musically, their stylings are quite complex and the vocals range from baritone to falsetto. Instead of the "happy sounding" metal of Europe, with strong fantasy elements and triumphant structures, they have gone more for the aggressive and intense.

Founded in 1979, VR released four albums before Carl Albert's unfortunate death (car accident) and made a tribute album for him, going on in his honour. They did experiment a bit with sound however, and suffer from line-up insatibilities. In 2006 they returned to their classic sound, and they are still active today.

The cover says it all, really - the title "Welcome to the Ball" is a phrase with duel meaning, in this case the large metal ball that is about to wipe out what could be a concert hall. The band photo reminds me rather of the Savatage ones, although that may be the permed hair which in this case appears in a variety of colours and various from intensely curly to slightly wavey. The men of this era seemed to have better hair than some of the ladies. Expressions range from glares to the slightest hint of a smile.

The album opens with the pounding, angry rifts of "Abandoned". This is the sort of song I used to play loud and mosh about to in my room when I was feeling angry, depressed and... well, abandoned. Albert's voice is not overly high, but has a razor-edged whine to it.

"You Only Live Twice" introduces a bit more melody into the vocals, as they surge alongside the pounding drums and the guitar plays in short bursts, before being permitted full reign. There is a nice versatility to the drum rhythms. Vocals are still at the same pitch, with the whine and occasional lilting rise. The chorus is nicely melodic.

Starting with some ominous beats, "Savior from Anger" promises to be a powerful thrash song. Vocals are faster paced with a bit of shouting and higher pitched anger. Albert's voice is a pleasant pitch, actually, never getting shrill (like say, King Diamond) and varying up and down from baritone to tenor. This song has political conotations and is (like many of 1991) focused around the conflict in the Middle East.

Another song with social-political conotations,  "Children" is a slower song with meaningful, thought-provoking lyrics, and in the chorus Albert's pleasantly low vocals rise into an almost-falsetto. The guitar and drums are simply in this song, implying that it is almost, kind of a ballad, and it fades into light guitar, vocal accompaniment and children at play.

"All the children are the heirs, taking what we give them..."

 Another slower song, "Dust to Dust" starts with aching guitar before another joins it and the two form a formidable wall. Vocals remind me of Dio - about the same pitch and with the same edge to them.

"Raise Your Hands" is another catchy piece with slower, rockier rhythms and  a rather catchy chorus. Good to shout along with!

"Strange Behaviour" is another solid metal number, with more shouted choruses and good rifts. Nothing outstanding.

Rather sinister girlish giggling begins the thrashing "Six Stepsisters" which has rather disturbing lyrics and races along at a rapid, almost frantic pace.

"I couldn't take it, her screaming like that. Six tortured souls in one body trapped.
They fight to control the thoughts of one brain. Blood thirsty kin one in the same."

Sex or horror? I'm not sure!

For some reason, "Mastermind" seems more familiar than the others. It has a nicely distorted chorus and politically orientated lyrics. Solid thrash metal with good vocals and strong rhythms.

Now it's time for a ballad - "When Love Comes Down" allows the sorrowful edge of Albert's voice a chance to reign, although at times it rises into frustrated and desperate.

The album concludes with "The Ends of the Earth" which pounds away with aggressive determination.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Vicious Rumours. They remind me of other bands of the era - Overkill, Forbidden, Testament, Exodus... many of these from the Bay Area Thrash Metal scene. (except Overkill, who were from New Jersey). Overall, more aggressive than their European counterparts. They have a goodly mix of the fast and the slower, and even a semi-ballad for good measure.

I'll give them 7/10.

Iced Earth - The Dark Saga (1996)

As you may know, I live in New Zealand. And New Zealand is pretty far from anywhere else, and our musical diversity/availability is not great. Nowadays the internet has basically superceded the need for music stores at all - with a combination of Amazon and Itunes putting many of them out of business or at least making them struggle for profits. Even before then, if you wanted the more obscure acts (which includes most European heavy metal) you had to either go to specialist stores or order them in specially. Becoming a true metal head became a dedicated feat. Since you could not discover new bands via the touch of a button, I instead resorted to good, old fashioned penfriends. At one point I had around six penfriends - there was Mikael in Sweden; Nathan in Wisconsin; Carl in Florida and Jeffrey in Washington state; also Howell in Utah and Tim in Auckland, NZ. Jeffrey is the only one I still have contact with - he now owns a fish store in Seattle and we have met up on two occasions - one being when he came to New Zealand, bringing with him a suitcase full of cds for me to listen to and the second being when, some ten years later, I finally made it to Seattle.

Anyhow, through these penfriends (except Howell, who was in prison and made beautiful art) I traded mix tapes and was given a few originals - Carl gave me all his Iron Maiden cassettes when he acquired them on CD. And Nathan, I think it was, gave me a handful of samplers he had received whilst working on a fanzine. This was one of these samplers. As such, I just have a cardboard sleeve and information that it still technically belongs to Century Media. I don't think they'll be wanting it back anytime soon. Besides, Nate may have reviewed it, but now I finally shall.

Iced Earth hail from Tampa, Florida, which seems to be home to many pretty heavy acts. At the time this was released, the vocalist was Matt Barlow. After the September 11 attacks, Matt decided that he wanted to do something more meaningful with his life, and eventually became a police officer, also joining the First State Force Band (composed of law enforcement people) which performed to schools and gave kids a positive message. His brother-in-law, Jon Schaeffer, is the guitarist of this band, and also performs in Demons and Wizards with Hansi Kusch of Blind Guardian. I am not sure who is the demon and who is the wizard!

This album is based on the comic book Spawn. It is described as more simplified and melodic than their previous stuff so lets see if that's true - not that I have any previous stuff to compare it with, although I'm pretty sure I've heard the song "Burnt Offerings" at least. Just not sure where it is! The cover is very comic-book esque - a ghoulish, skeletal figure, wrapped with chains and with tattered wings - or maybe a cloak. Fire rages in the background, yellow and orange against the purple background.

It opens with the title track "The Dark Saga" - haunting guitar beating ominously, whilst vocals loom over it. This is not an introduction, but more a summary track, as the narrator - Al Simmons - mourns how everything, all his deeds, have more-or-less backfired and ended it tragedy. After his death on the battlefield (due to a betrayal), he makes a deal with the devil to see his wife one last time. However, things do not work according to plan... He is sent back, certainly, but as a decomposing corpse, with a living cloak.
 
Barlow has a fine voice - with some nice, deep, low and strong, switching within a few lines to a higher, somewhat menacing snarl.

 From some website somewhere:

Barlow is most known for his dark, verismo tone and powerful highs. A high baritone, he is often confused for a much lower voice type due to his hefty dramatic timbre and gravelly delivery.

I'm jolly well going to teach myself about octave ranges!

"I Died for You" is another haunting number, in which the narrator grieves the life he has left behind and how his wife, his love, has moved on without him (it has been several years). Barlow's low vocals are quite chilling, and powerful, enough to make hairs rise on the back of your neck, even as he screams over himself.

I saw the movie shortly after hearing this album, and I wish it had been the soundtrack - that would have kicked arse. I cannot even really remember the movie, but it was over ten years ago. And according to my husband, not very good. I believe I thought "Iced Earth did it better".

A rather more aggressive number, "Violate" has the pounding drums and racing guitars, whilst over them Barlow howls forth the anger and wrath of the terrible clown, the Violator:

I'll beat you with your spinal cord, split your skull in two. I'll feast on your intestines, there's nothing I can't do. I'll rip your heart out of your chest, watch it beat as you cry. I revel in your agony. I violate and make you die!

The menacing "The Hunter" follows it up; slow and ominous it begins, the instruments swelling and surging into a stampede. From what I can gather, the Hunter is an angel sent after Spawn.

"The Last Laugh" is another brutal track, with slamming verses and raging drums.

Slower but no less brutal and dramatic, "Depths of Hell" allows Barlow's highly diverse vocal talents to take hold once more - with the low baritone intertwining with the menacing screams and raw edged howls. His despair is easily apparent in the tension and frustration of the music.

 With its ominous and brooding opening rifts, "Vengence is Mine" threatens just that. Raw, wild aggression. Short and savage, it is followed by the even more brooding "The Suffering Scarred". Slower, steady with haunting echoes of guitar floating like a savage caress above the beat. Barlow's voice is low and rich, filled with power - like Geoff Tate in his finer moments,

Heavy on the angst and self-accusation, "Slave to the Dark" is heavy with tortured vocals and dark instruments. It merges into the haunting and beautiful, sorrow-filled "A Question of Heaven".

This is a fine album, heavy and slow, filled with brooding and a healthy dose of self-loathing. The lyrics are haunting and there are some beautiful melodies. The atmosphere is tense, but resigned and slightly lost.

I rank it 9/10.

Watchtower - Control and Resistance (1989)

I began today on Operation: Preserve cassette tapes. A few months ago, I purchased this awesome stereo from Dick Smith: Philips AZ1852 (which I see are currently on special for $99, almost tempted to buy a second!). Now, the funky thing about this stereo - which is really rather similar to what they used to call a "Ghetto blaster" is that not only does it play cassette tapes, but it also has a slot to stick a USB stick in and records your cassettes as MP3s. Since I have approximately 3 times as many cassettes as I do CDs (and that's a LOT), this seemed an ideal way to salvage them before the rigours of time claimed them.

It was too late for some - a couple had already succumed to mould, including a Black Sabbath one I was looking forward to hearing again - and others - like my Non-Fiction album, are currently MIA. Luckily I already either own all the bands from that that I liked, or ripped them in a previous project involving headphone cables and Audible. I'm still using Audible, as it is easier to record the entire side of a tape and then divide it up rather then run back and forth hitting stop and record. Especially since there seems to be a delay, and if you push stop-then-record too close together it doesn't record. Also, if you let the cassette stop naturally, it doesn't seem to store it either. Nevermind, I didn't have the whole of "Sanity Assassin" on that cassette anyway - and I DO have it elsewhere.

Today, after several cassette rips, it claimed its first casualty:  Xentrix's "Dilute to Taste". Oh, it has been years since I've heard that horrible crackling and loss of sound that fortells the chewing of a cassette tape and makes you leap to the stereo and try to salvage it. I couldn't - I almost had to cut it to free it, but the stereo seems none the worst for wear and it's not like Xentrix are any good anyhow. I was only thinking of listening to it for "X". But it's not worth the pain that I will have to go through to listen through it!

Anyhow, ramblings aside:
Today's album is another that I first acquired on cassette tape but later purchased on CD for the kingly sum of $9.95 via Echo Records (RIP). It is, alledgely, a special import from Australia. But I guess noone wanted it, which is why it was so cheap. Good for me!

Watchtower are an 80s Thrash/Progressive Metal band from Texas. Their original vocalist, Jason McMaster, went off to join Dangerous Toys (a rather more glam act, alas, not sure what happened to our DT cassette) and they then obtained Alan Tecchio from Speed band, Hades (I have a Hades CD too, you'll eventually get it reviewed here). He later left to join Non Fiction (whose cassette I appear to have misplaced), was later replaced by McMaster, and then returned in 2010 before leaving again.
The cover is kinda nicely done - it's an illustration of a tower, and some arches, with a radiation sign upon them. Most of the cover is purplish-blue and scratched up, with the title being a stark red against it. The limited palatte is quice effective. It does, however, look very 80s. There's a rather cartoony, angry dog on the back. Lyrics inside, and a band illustration in which they all look very young and pretty, with their long, permed hair and posing. They look like they must be in their early 20s at most.

The comparison between American and European metal is quite interesting. Watchtower are loud and aggressive, with jarring, bold basslines, shrill-edged guitars and rapid pace. The vocals are high, a sort of shrieking-snarl*. Ultimately, Americans seems angrier. Their lyrics are more "real" too - dealing with real world social issues rather than the sword-and-sorcery approach of their European counterparts.

The album opens with the powerfully fast, "Instruments of Random Murder". It is based on the Tylenol Terrorist - in which batches of tylenol were laced with cyanide and caused the death of 7 people. Angry, aggressive and of rapid pace:

"We must question the motive of a killer
who kills without vengence, without apparent reason
and leaves death upon the innocent"

"The Eldritch" is epic and forboding. It was the first Watchtower song I ever heard - on the video compilation "Doomsday News". Intense vocals and possibly one of my favourite lines ever:

"Imagination overpowers reason."

Another hectic, frantic, angry song thrumming with tension is "Mayday in Kiev" which is about the Chernobyl Diaster of 1986. The lyrics are very mature with lines like:

"As deadly elemental isotopes spew into the biosphere"

I believe that is the only time I have ever heard "biosphere" in a song. I could be wrong on that though!

And what should we follow that up, but with a song about war and "The Fall of Reason". A slower more ominous start with some nice twiddly complicated guitar bits, adding to the disconcerting, slightly discordant feel. The structures are complex and intriguing.

"Control and Resistance" begins with irratic guitar intermingling with screaming-shrieking vocals. The tensions are high throughout this song, and it is very complex. Watchtower have achieved highily skillful, complicated progressive metal without the addition of keyboards, and without slowing the pace. I am impressed at the way they music weaves itself. I just wish the vocals were a little more variable.

Continuing with the serious themes, "Hidden Instincts" is about brutal crime.The song is equally relentless.

With an erratic beginning, "Life Cycles" settles into a rather smoother passages. I do like some of the messages of this:

"Like the lines on a biorhythmic chart, between the lows the beauty lies. Don't take your failures to heart."

Particularly appropriate since I've just suffered a (admittedly rather minor) blow to my artistic ego and am afraid I am soon to face a worse one.

The album concludes with "Dangerous Toy" a clamorous, cacophanous speed-infused song about not so much a toy as an electric chair. The music is almost like electricity, the guitars exploding up and down in their rifts, whilst Tecchio's shrill warble shrieks over them.

To conclude - a little too much in large doses. The music is complex, riotous and filled with interesting little "twiddly" bits and melodies. The vocals get on your nerves after a time, if only Tecchio could bring it down a pitch or two, perhaps more like he does nowadays. The lyrics are damned fine and quite intelligent, earning this a 6.5/10.

* Tracked down Alan Tecchio on MySpace - now he sings at a lower pitch and sounds more like Dio - great voice!

Viper - Coma Rage (1995)

This was kind of a bungled purchase by me. I had heard great things about Viper, whose vocalist was labelled as a "younger, more energetic Michael Kiske" and they were considered one of the early power metal bands.

So, I pounced on this album when I found it, bought it and brought it straight home and put it on.

And thought "What the?"

This is a punk album. Probably the only punk album in my collection. Certainly, the complex guitar rifts are still present but alas, Andre Matos (the vocalist) is not. He left before "Evolution"* leaving Pit Passerell to do the vocals for this one.

You might be suprised to find I kinda like this album, even if the original reaction was "this doesn't sound a thing like Helloween! Oh well, it's not half bad, actually."

For some inexplicable reason, my windows media player things it is "Angel's Fall First" by Nightwish. I have no idea why, I guess the metadata is just messed up.

Anyhow, the cover is kinda blah - a head, mostly in silhouette with a target directed at the forehead (like the ones you get with those scope rifles). It looks cheap. But the production of the album is actually pretty decent. The songs are really short too, so I'm gonna have to type real fast to summarise each one - or listen to them twice. Lyrics are kinda simple too.

We open with the rip-roaring "Coma Rage". A tumultuous and joyfully aggressive track. The drums race the guitars, whilst the Passerell bellows the lyrics:

"Coma rage gonna rise every day!"

Then it's time to chug and thrash "Straight Ahead", whilst the guitars churn their rhythms and Passerell shouts.

More churning and chugging and the shout of "GO" leads to racing drums, this time they're racing the vocals as we speed into a song about death, by drugs - "Somebody Told Me You're Dead". It seems oddly celebatory, but that might just be because it's so damned fast.

The next song is called "Makin' Love".
It starts with a spoken introduction:

"Hey Baby, wanna go out? Wanna go out Honey?"

(What's with calling the boyfriend "Daddy", that's just disturbing.)

Could it be a song about love? No wait, it's a song about STDs:

"Everybody around the world is getting sick, yeh. Makin' Love. Bad hearts bleeding!"

And another fast-paced, racin' punk song as we "BLAST!" into a riotous cacophany of tumbling instruments, with a surprising catchy chorus.

"God Machine" thrashes in at a more stolid pace. It's not nearly as frantic or riotous and is... anti-religion:

"I don't care what you believe if god machine can make me rich"

This evolution of Viper seem to be all about the negativity and the nihilism.

Another quicky, "Far and Near" has a relatively catchy, shouted chorus but doesn't really do too much for the imagination.

"The Last Song" offers something a little different. It starts slower, almost haunted, then the nihilism and anger floods in and engulfs it. The verses a slow, depressive, the choruses raucous and catchy.

Another rampant and angry, and rather masochistic song - "If I Die by Hate" proclaims:

"Will you forgive me? Bury me burn me alive. Enslave my brain. Blind my eyes, it's alright"

Another racin' punkish number with angry lyrics - "Day Before" is followed by the tribal sounding "405 South" which consists of nothing but drumming (on tribal-esque drums) with guitar whining over it.

"A Face on the Crowd" starts with slamming guitars and the bang-bang-bang of the drums. Vocals are distorted and somewhat interesting. Still angry, still violent. Nice bit of melody for one line of the bridge. Then it's thrash-bang into the shouted chorus.

Now for a song you'll all be familiar with - it's a cover of the "I Fought the Law". Which was not originally by The Clash, by the way. It's not a bad cover, and seems to have more energy and less anger than some of the other pieces.

And they saved the best til last - "Keep the Words" is an actual kinda ballad! Far more reminscent of the quality of "Evolution", although not quite on par as "Theatre of Fate." Pits actually has quite a sweet voice when he's singing, not shouting.

"I travel the world trying to get high. Now is the time to say 'Goodbye'."

Well, as far as punk/thrash metal goes, it's not bad. As far as Viper goes... it's weak compared to the power of "Theatre of Fate" and pales beside the thrash of "Evolution". This is more reminscient of the rather dull American thrash scene and lack in diversity and imagination.

So even though I said I kinda liked it - I'm still gonna only rate it 5.5/10. It's pretty average.
(I uped it by 1/2 a point for "Keep the Words")


* Hrm, I have "Evolution" on cassette, I shall have to compare it with "Theatre of Fate" (also on cassette), I haven't listened to it in a long time, and I didn't realise it didn't have Matos! I shall have to see if I can find them. I know where I used to keep them!

Morgana Lefay - Past, Present, Future (1995)

You will probably notice I have a lot of 1995/96 albums. This was because I now had my own disposible income. Not much, for sure, but since I was still living at home and not paying board - it allowed me to expand my collection. It is also about the time when I started buying mainly cds instead of cassette tapes.

Morgana Lefay began in Sweden as "Damage" but renamed themselves after the sorceress from King Arthur. Their sound is thrash style music - heavy, slowish rifts, but the guitars and vocals are more power with Charles Rytkönen have quite a higher pitched voice, with a somewhat sinister edge. He screams rather well. After self producing their first album, they released four with Black Mark, before dumping Black Mark and the "Morgana" and switching to Noise under Lefay. Presumerably this change was to enable them to break the contract.

This is a very attractive album, and comes with a poster. Due to a rather significant design flaw - the poster will not fit inside the CD cover and has to be stored separately. It contains the cover illustration on one side - an hourglass crackling with electric energy and covered in either spiderwebs or a finely woven silk. This is actually a "zoomed in" image from the cover of "Secret Doctrine", plus the lyrics to two of the "brandnew" tracks, and on the reverse is a bunch of band photographs, and their previous CD covers. I have three of their previous albums, but these were acquired much, much later.

One of the brandnew tracks, "Sculptures of Pain" is a powerful piece with desperation in the vocals and heavy rhythms.

I love the opening to "Lost Reflections" which is eerie and sinister.

"Locked in the attic, been here so many years, Shanna won't set me free..."

I still wonder who Shanna is. The music playing counterpoint to the snarled vocals is thin, spooky. Until... BOOM, it roars into a dramatic explosion of a guitar solo almost 3/4s of the way into the piece. It appears, being trapped in the attic, has driven the narrator quite insane...
Shanna had better watch out!
This is a cover of a Crimson Glory song.

Another haunting number, "Rumours of Rain" starts slow and sinister. It is taken from the album "Knowing Just As I", becoming increasingly frantic as the song progresses, before fading out to melancholy.

Then we walk the "Alley of the Oaks", take from "The Secret Doctrine". It is a menacing place to meander, filled with dark shadows and sharp teeth hidden in the gloom:

"Was there something behind me? What did move over there?"

"Battle of Evermore" is a melancholic number, starting with aching guitar chords and solemn vocals. It is from "Knowing Just as I". Not to be confused with the Led Zep song by the same name. The angels are at war.

"Angels fighting angels, Heaven is painted red. Crimson rain is falling..."

Another brandnew track, is a fantastic cover of "Voulez Vous" as Morgana Lefay pay tribute to Sweden's most famous band, ABBA. It's a fast-paced number, filled with energy and also rather amusing. I love heavy metal covers of pop songs.

"The Mirror" holds darkness and fear, hidden in ominous lyrics and solid beats. Taken from "The Secret Doctrine".

Aniother slow. melancholic and achingly sorrow-filled song is "Last Rites" - a song about being sent to the gallows. Also from "The Secret Doctrine". Dying alone, his fate is to feed the crows. We never find out his crime, not on this album, anyhow.

A fitting follow up - "Sorrow Calls" or rather, screams. This one is from "Sanctified". It starts slowly - as many of these tracks do, then builds and swells in frenzied desperation.

"Why?" Asks Rytkönen  in this slow, bittersweet number. The vocals are achingly mournful, almost lost. I think this is a song about the dissolving of a relationship. His voice is a little softer here, less raw around the edges, melodic and melancholic. From "Sanctified".

We conclude with another brandnew track - "Symphony of the Damned" an extravagant almost 10-minute track tinted with a range of bitterness, anger, desperation and despair - all of which Rytkönen's voice does very well. I cannot imagine him ever sounding truly happy.

This was the first Morgana Lefay album I owned, and in all honesty, probably the only one I really needed. The songs follow a similar structure - slow beginnings, bitter but sweet vocals, building into a heavier eruption of sound and with a strong atmosphere of the slightly sinister, slightly macabre. The lyics are also really interesting and, for the most part, completely audible. It contains two or three tracks from each of their previous albums and four that have not been on anything else, and is a rather nice "snapshot" of their career up to (and including) 1995.

I rate it 7.5/10.

Heavy Metal Genres (in brief)

I thought I would take this opportunity to actually offer some "education" in the various genres of Heavy Metal. You see, when I inform people that I listen to Heavy Metal, they immediately develop some rather biast pre-conceptions - that metal is not music, that the singers can't sing and that it is really just a whole lot of noise and no rhythm.

They are, of course, naive and ignorant of the great scale of the metal genre.

Heavy Metal is, as a genre, as encomposing as "Rock Music" or "Classical". And indeed probably has more sub-genres than both combined. Now, I am sure there are many hidden nuances and subgenres to Rap and House music as well, but as they have never proven to be of any interest to me whatsoever, I think it is in my best interests to just ignore them and leave them to their experts.

Not that I'm a metal expert, but I have had over 20 years auditory experience.

And my mother said it was "just a phase".

Firstly, when I say I listen to Heavy Metal - I do not mean all the subgenres. I do not like hardcore, or grindcore or anything that is too aggressive or sounds like the vocalist is trying to cough up their oesphagus or that the guitarists each have six arms and cannot hear what each other is playing. Despite the fact that their vocalist is a bird (literally, he's a parrot - and no, they don't perform live, he's recorded separately and then added into the music) I do not like Hatebeak. I do not like death metal either. Black metal amuses me in small doses and if it is not too serious (Cradle of Filth and Ancient are acceptable, and I rather like Sadness, for example).

But:

My interest mainly lies in the other half of the spectrum. The melodic stuff.

Now, there is quite a wide diversity amongst the melodic stuff too. Let me discuss the various SubGenres that you are likely to see referenced in my labels:

Note: These are my own interpretations, and may not quite be the same as those found on, say, wikipedia. This is because the metal genre is entirely too complicated and confusing and you need a degree in Heavy Metalogy to understand it properly. So consider this a summary.

Power Metal - This is the real creme de croppe - sophisticated guitars, occasional inclusion of classical instruments, usually the vocals have a slightly operatic edge. Themes are generally fantasy or historical or occasionally pseudo-religious. Bridges and choruses, often quite catchy, clever melodies. Generally feeling rather intense, powerful, almost like being caught in the middle of an epic scale D&D campaign battle. The sort of music that makes your heart swell fit to bursting and inspires you to run around your room, waving a ruler like it's a sword and putting the light fixtures at risk*.

Bands of that ilk:
Helloween (esp the "Keeper" years), Stratovarius, Edguy, Blind Guardian, Dragonforce, PowerQuest, Gamma Ray, Avantasia, a large proportion of my collection.

~ * ~ 

Progressive Metal - Similar to Power Metal, but with more synthesizers, a generally more "modern" vibe and lyrics about more mature themes such as politics or love.

Bands of that ilk:
Dream Theater, Queensryche, Angra, Rush.

~ * ~

Folk Metal - The addition of folk instruments such as fiddles, bagpipes, and things that I don't even know the names of. Songs that make you want to jump around and engage in various forms of, well, folk dance. Usually have fast, repetitive rhythms; catchy, repetitive lyrics and are overall pretty damned awesome. Topics generally about maidens of various humanesque species, rogues and vagabonds - or in Skyclad's case, serious political issues and far too many puns.

Bands of that ilk:
Skyclad, Elvenking, Phoenyx, Subway to Sally, Amorphis (some albums)

~ * ~ 

Doom Metal - Slow, heavy, ponderous - as though every beat is an effort. Vocals can be low and growling (doom-death) or almost operatci (awesome). Lyrics generally about death and dying - sometimes depressing, sometimes not as bad as you would expect. Sometimes violins and other maudlin classical instruments are incoporated to add to the general feelings of desolation.

Have the roots in early Black Sabbath.

Bands of that ilk:

Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Confessor, Anathema, My Dying Bride.

~ * ~

Symphonic Metal - Really complex structures, soaring instruments, intense emotions - basically, symphonic metal makes use of the many various "voices" of classical music to create not only a song, but a whole atmosphere. Not disimilar in some ways to Power Metal, but the lyrics are generally more sophisticated and they make more use of synthesizers. Often have female vocalists or female AND male vocalists.  Symphonic Metal bands are AMAZING live.

Bands of that ilk:

Nightwish, Alpine Fault, Epica, Therion, Rhapsody, Leaves Eyes.

Looking at Wiki, it appears that Symphonic and Power are VERY similar and many of the bands that I have rated as one, they have rated as the other. I believe trying to pigeonhole bands is probably a fool's game. But kinda a fun one. I'll just label things as both, okay?

~ * ~

Thrash Metal - characterized by heavy percussive beats and fast, hard riffs. Aggressive, churning music - often with intelligent and political lyrics.

Bands of that ilk:

Metallica, Megadeth, (early) Anthrax.

~ * ~

Speed Metal - heavy, fast and technically demanding metal - often with fairly complex guitar rifts and of a higher, faster pace than Thrash (above). Not usually as aggressive and can, in fact, be rather positive. European stuff tends to be "happier" than American, which still remains quite aggressive. Vocals generally higher pitched - sometimes screaming, shrieking or (my favourite) operatic. Later evolved into power and symphonic metal.

Bands of that ilk:

Paradox, (early) Rage, Running Wild. (oops, these are all German bands, heh), Toxik.

~ * ~ 

Polish Funk Metal - This genre never seems to feature on the more formal Metal Genealogy charts. Why, you might even think I just made it up! But, since I own a couple of CDs that cannot possibly be labelled as anything but PKM, here we go! This is a kinda funky  metal, undertaken by Polish bands with relatively broken english and off-beat attitures. A few years ago I got chatting to a Heavy Metal fan from Poland who was delighted that I actually knew something of the bands from his actual country. There are two other Polish metal bands that I know of - Turbo and Dragon, but neither of them are particularly funky.

Bands of that ilk:

Wolfspider, Acid Drinkers.

Okay, so mostly they're considered to be thrash bands. Spoil my fun *pouts*

But it's thrash with funk!

Okay, too tired to continue this for now - but stay tuned cos I will make updates as I add more genres in to my labels.

* But let us not speak of the "Manowar Incident"