WRUV Reviews

This Ending - “Dead Harvest”
Released March 2, 2009 on Metal Blade

This Ending was initially formed as A Canorous Quintet back in 1991 in Stockholm, part of the initial wave of Swedish melodic death metal bands. Though they came nowhere close to achieving the same fame as other members of the scene like In Flames or At the Gates, when they disbanded in the late ’90s, drummer Fredrik Andersson joined Amon Amarth and has stayed in their lineup ever since. This does not change the fact that this album appeals to just about every cliché surrounding melodic death metal, though. The catches in each song are repeated a million times too many (I get it, you like to say “trace of sin”) and there seems to be one rhythm used in every breakdown throughout the whole album. When they begin to play a “new” riff, you can play air guitar along to it before you’ve heard the song once. There are some strong points, though. 7 and 10 have some nice harmonies, 3 has a slow and quiet outro, and 6 has a very intense buildup. These things don’t save the album, though, and it falls into the abyss of standard melodeath bands.

FCC OK
Try 3, 6, 7

01. Trace of Sin
02. Parasites
03. Machinery
04. Instigator of Dead Flesh
05. Dellusionists
06. Army of the Dying Sun
07. Dead Harvest
08. Tools of Demise
09. Deathtrade
10. The Asylum

Rating:  

AFI-”Crash Love” single
release date September 29th, 2009 on DGC Records

This is a new single by AFI from their upcoming album Crash Love. The song starts out with a classic AFI feel to it and continues with tight drums, guitar and bass. About halfway into the song, it slows down, maintaining the same feel but with a bit of a gothic/dark feel. Mainstream, almost pedestrian for the style. You could play it but once it makes the charts (and it probably will), you would have done so for nothing. It’s ok and too polished to be crap. Unfortunately, since this is also played on the Buzz, we can’t/shouldn’t play it. Bummer as it’s a decent song.

Reverend Horton Heat- “Laughin’ & Cryin’ ”
released September 1st, 2009 on Yep Roc Records

The Reverend Horton Heat returns with their first new album since 2004. Described as a mixture of rock, country and punkabilly but the very mention of punkabilly is enough for me to check it out. “Drinkin’ And Smokin’ Cigarettes” starts out with a decent 50s rock and roll sound with the big bass and slicked back vocals. Think Stray Cats here. “Death Metal Guys” is sped-up and the energy is much like hot-rodders playing chicken on a dead-end road. Just a bit of country as well but it has a very nice 50s feel to it. “Crazy Ex-Boyfriend” follows the same vibe with more of that rockabilly goodness, invoking Gene Vincent at times. Very nice album that is worth giving it a spin if rockabilly/punkabilly is your thing.

FCC: None
Recommended Tracks: 1,3,6,11
RIYL: Cramps, Stray Cats, Gene Vincent, Nekromantix

Burnt By The Sun – “Heart Of Darkness”
released August 18, 2009 on Relapse

This is certainly the year for classic “metalcore” bands to resurface with new material. Coalesce and Brutal Truth both released excellent new material this year (and also on Relapse, no less), and the much-anticipated third album from this NJ quartet is no exception. You’ll not find any of the faux brutality that plagues our metallic world here, nor will you hear the kinda goofy lyrics (clever though they were) that BBTS would occasionally employ in the past. No, this is a band that has sounded their final battle cry and is using every second at their disposal to let us know that things are pretty messed up in the world right now, and there needs to be a reassessment of priorities. What impressed me was their ability to compose at greater length, even with multiple parts (7). And just in case that puts you off, the shortest track follows (8), with just as much gusto and dynamism, in case the detractors raised an eyebrow. Vitriolic blasts against modern society are rarely this interesting.

Oh, and watch for melanoma, people!

FCC: 6
Try 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9

01. Inner Station
02. Cardiff Giant
03. F-Unit
04. A Party to the Unsound Method
05. There Will Be Blood
06. Goliath
07. Rust /Future Primitive
08. Beacon
09. The Great American Dream Machine
10. The Wolves Are Running

Rating:

Anaal Nathrakh – “In The Constellation of The Black Widow”
released July 14, 2009 on Candlelight

Dredging grim melodies from a cold, dense din is a charge for the brave. The British duo is more than up to the task on their fifth album, their first for Candlelight Records. In certain respects, they remind me of fellow countrymen Mithras, with their use of several vocal styles, harmonized brutality, celestial themes, and two group members. However these guys are much more abrasive, but with just as much attention to detail. All instrument work is infectiously crafted by Mick Kenney, and the vocals are helmed by Dave Hunt (a.k.a. V.I.T.R.I.O.L.), who runs the gamut from unintelligible distorted barks to blackened rasps to soaring wails (the latter surface on 1, 3, 6, 7). A quick listen introduces mostly chaos, but multiple listens reveal the intricate shadows to the truly tenacious. This is the storm before the apocalypse.

A Best of 2009 pick!
FCC: 8, 9
Try *1*, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7

01. In the Constellation of the Black Widow
02. I Am the Wrath of Gods and the Desolation of the Earth Music
03. More of Fire Than Blood
04. The Unbearable Filth of the Soul
05. Terror in the Mind of God
06. So Be It
07. The Lucifer Effect
08. Oil Upon the Sores of Lepers
09. Satanarchrist
10. Blood Eagles Carved on the Backs of Innocents

Rating:

Beatallica – “Masterful Mystery Tour”
released August 4, 2009 on Oglio Entertainment

At last the world gets what it’s wanted for years, but has always been afraid to ask: a mashup band that blends the worlds of Metallica and The Beatles (actually, they formed eight years ago and this is their second LP, but that’s beside the point). The band is amazingly adept at innovating with the established material, especially considering the potential for utter lameness. Rather than simply ape these bands, or sing the lyrics of one over the music of the other, they amalgamate songs from both sides into something surprisingly fresh and damn entertaining. When you hear the accuracy in the musicianship–not to mention the best James Hetfield impression you’ve ever heard–you’ll understand why Lars Ulrich decided to back these guys in their battle against the cease-and-desist order from Sony/ATV. Absolutely worth the time for fans of either band and parodies of any kind.

FCC: 3, 4, 7
Try 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12

01. Battery of Jaymz and Yoko, The
02. Masterful Mystery Tour
03. Fuel On the Hill
04. And I’m Evil?
05. Everybody’s Got a Ticket To Ride Except For Me and My Lightning
06. Running For Your Life
07. Thing That Should Not Let It Be, The
08. Hero of the Day Tripper
09. Got To Get You Trapped Under Ice
10. I’ll Just Bleed Your Face
11. I Want To Choke Your Band
12. Tomorrow Never Comes

Rating:

DevilDriver – “Pray For Villains”
released July 14, 2009 on Roadrunner

If there’s one thing this band has going for them, it’s ramping up the heaviness with each album, playing faster and tighter without sacrificing the hooks that still make them accessible. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head, ex-Soulfly)–who also worked on the recent Gojira and Cavalera Conspiracy albums–it thrashes as hard as it grooves with a full, clear production. Dez’s voice is maturing well, his rich growl enunciating better than ever (and spouting lyrics with 50% less swearing). Though it may be their strongest album to date, it’s still not without flaw. The clichés can get a bit old (4, 11, 12) and some may not approve of their new use of synths in places (I think it adds much-needed dimension), but this shows that the band’s dogged desire to distance itself from the taint of their vocalist’s nü-metal past is staunchly unwavering.

FCC: 2, 6, 7, 9, 10 (we have clean versions)
Try 1, 2, 3, 5, 9

01. Pray For Villains
02. Pure Sincerity
03. Fate Stepped In
04. Back With A Vengeance
05. I’ve Been Sober
06. Resurrection Blvd.
07. Forgiveness Is A Six Gun
08. Waiting For November
09. It’s In The Cards
10. Another Night In London
11. Bitter Pill
12. Teach Me To Whisper
13. I See Belief

Rating:

sunn O))) – “Monoliths & Dimensions”
released July 7, 2009 on Southern Lord

Everything the Anderson-O’Malley duo has created leads to this point in their evolution, the seventh studio effort in a decade-long career. In addition to frequent collaborators Oren Ambarchi and vocalist Attila Csihar (Mayhem), there is a breadth of guest musicians throughout the album. A short list includes composer Eyvind Kang, Julian Priester (Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock), and Dylan Carlson (Earth), but there are around thirty in all. On the surface, one may think this daunting enterprise too unwieldy for mere mortals to control. I implore you, succumb to the cthonic shifts and tidal pulls. Total immersion has never been so necessary and so illuminating. Now clearly the masters of avant-garde doom, this is the new gold standard by which to judge.

A Best of 2009 pick!

FCC OK
Try *1*, *2*, 3, 4

01. Aghartha
02. Big Church [megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért]
03. Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)
04. Alice

Rating:

Jungle Rot – “What Horrors Await”
released May 19, 2009 on Napalm

Metal, like all music, evolves over time, but there are always stalwarts who adhere to the past. Jungle Rot is a good example of no-frills, old-school American death metal in the vein of Obituary, Deicide, and Six Feet Under. However, this band has built their career almost exclusively on the atrocities of war. This is the brutal music of front-line grunts–mouths full of grit, spit, and blood–unapologetically marching ever forward. There vocals are well enunciated, so the full effect of their music is driven that much deeper, and end up more memorable than one would expect (though a bit overdone at times, like when series of words end in “-tion” … yes, humans can die in many ways, we know). If you like death metal to feel like a punch in the guts, these are your guys!

FCC: 5, 7, 9, 14
Try 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12

01. Worst Case Scenerio
02. The Unstopable
03. Straitjacket Life
04. State of War
05. Two Faced Disgrace
06. End of an Age
07. Speak the Truth
08. What Horrors Await
09. Nerve Gas Catastrophe
10. Braindead
11. Atrocity
12. Exit Wounds
13. Invincible Force (Destruction cover)
14. Black Candle Mass

Rating:

Halford – “Resurrection Remastered”
released May 3, 2009 on Metal God Entertainment

Rob Halford endured some highs and lows in his years apart from Judas Priest. The 2wo experiment was pretty uneven and although Fight was more of a return to form, it was not until he assembled his eponymous band that the Metal God again aspired to full potential. This is the re-release of their debut album, featuring the tracklisting that had been previously available exclusively through iTunes. The first half is unchanged from the original track listing, but the second half includes the two Japanese bonus tracks from the 2000 release (9, 13) and a pair of new songs for this edition (11, 12). The latter are among the fiercest Rob has ever recorded, delivered with fervent panache and taut urgency. 6 is a duet with fellow living legend Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden). Essential listening!

FCC OK
Try *1*, 2, 3, 4, 9, *11*, 12, 13

01. Resurrection
02. Made In Hell
03. Locked and Loaded
04. Night Fall
05. Silent Screams
06. One You Love To Hate, The
07. Cyber World
08. Slow Down
09. Hell’s Last Survivor – (previously unreleased)
10. Temptation
11. God Bringer of Death – (previously unreleased)
12. Fetish – (previously unreleased)
13. Sad Wings – (previously unreleased)
14. Twist
15. Drive
16. Savior

Rating: