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Gyromatics website: http://www.gyromatics.com
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This CD confuses me a little bit. It seems to come from an American indie-rock background, with many of the songs sounding like semi-commercial radio tracks. And the vocals, well they are very laid back indeed for the most part, while going a little bit Rage Against The Machine on Just A Player. On And We Did they work really well and combine with the nicely syncopated rock drums to produce a really cool semi-ballad track with different moods. On Sweet Nothing though I don't think they work so well. I think I can see what they're trying to do with it, but it doesn't quite work for them. The vocalist seems at times to maybe not be overly confident in his vocals, or maybe just isn't annunciating properly or something, but this definitely brings them down at times. I get the feeling is could actually be a different vocalist on Sweet Nothing, which would explain why the rest of the CD sounds a lot better. I know they have had some of these tracks better produced since I received the CD, but I haven't had the pleasure of hearing the new versions. I suspect that they will be really quite good though, as the starting material is fairly strong. Forgetting all my relentless pedantry for a moment, this is really a pretty cool album. Definitely more for rock fans though, it won't do anything for your average Morbid Angel fan!! Verdict: High quality light indie-rock album. |
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Guttermouth website: http://www.xxx-guttermouth-xxx.com |
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Guttermouth are yet another in the Epitaph army of modern punk bands. And I have to say, they are actually a really good one too. I've been listening to this a few times now, and it gets better each time. It's what I'd call Polished Pop Punk. No, it's nothing like the Sex Pistols, but I'm sure you didn't think it would be. I don't really follow the scene these days so I can't compare it to many other bands, but I guess at times it's kind of a cross between the Offspring and Dropkick Murphys - I'm going to leave my comparisons there... It has lots of energy and short catchy songs - wasn't that what characterised the early punk stuff? Well they follow that part at least, but they can also play well, write well, pay lots of money for top quality production (I imagine), and of course rather than being from London they actually hail from California. Verdict: Forgetting about all that shit, this is just a
good album. Full stop. |
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Raging Slab website: http://www.ragingslab.com |
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I am curious as to why these guys are called Raging Slab, because it's basically heavy electric southern boogie-rock, with a metal influence. Oh yeah, and throw in a few cool effects here and there too - what album would be complete without that! Slab are veterans on the scene, with over 15 years together. Their experience, including support tours with Guns n Roses and Monster Magnet, and many albums, shows through on this very confident release. No kiddie band could EVER write music like this!! Judging by their biog, Raging Slab have been on a bit of a downer for the last 6 years, so I'd be very interested to hear their older stuff. This album is cool, so I'm guessing it may be a return to form. If not, the old stuff must be really cool! Verdict: Top quality nosh. |
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Theatre Of The Macabre
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According to the text on the back of this promo CD, TOTM are "what the US Black Metal audience have been craving for since they heard the European Black Metal wave hit our shores". So do they live up to this claim? Of course not. Building yourself up like that is only going to lead to disaster. Black metal is music made by Europeans for Europeans. It's not something that exports well, and it's not something that in my experience American bands can turn their hand to successfully. Trying to copy the European style just does not work, because it is European. To hear an American band trying to emulate it makes the whole thing even more ludicrous than it was to begin with. And if you're going to stick to the same formula, why bother? You certainly can't claim that it's what Americans have been waiting for if it's no different (and in fact worse) than the original. In this case, MADE IN AMERICA is not an endorsement... This sad effort is also lagging behind the current scene, deciding instead to copy the poorer old-skool BM that we have now thankfully evolved from. Yes there are still loads of bands doing that, but they are generally shit. More varied takes on the genre like Dark Tranquility offer a lot more to the listener. Verdict: Pants |
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Extreme Noise Terror |
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Most people will probably know what to expect from ENT, and I doubt this album will disappoint. I have not heard any of their other stuff recently so I can't really compare, but this album is expertly played and recorded. 10 short bursts of energy weighing in at just under 30 minutes. If you're looking for a quality intense noise-filled album, this one will likely satisfy your craving. It's tight, it's loud. Verdict: It does exactly what it says on the tin. |
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Gold Star / Sweet Nothing Nebula |
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Nebula are a great band, which is acknowledged by their growing acceptance in the mainstream press. Live, they are a full-on rock n roll experience, with the energy and enthusiasm to give the crowd exactly what they want - a flaming gong at the end of the set!! So the question really is, can they back this up with stunning album work also? I'd have to say the answer is a hesitant yes. While the riffs are all there, the overall production of the album doesn't put them across as well as it could. The song structures don't always seem to have been honed fully either, preferring to just let the same riff go on and on ad infinitum. To counter this though, I could also say that they experiment a lot on the album by bringing in different sounds and actually singing rather then the usual monotone thingy. Beyond, Giant, Travelin' Man Blues and This One are all excellent tracks with really interesting ideas in them. Certainly Travelin' Man Blues helps to bury their Fu Manchu comparisons. Before Instant Gravitation there's a cool pause-time chilled out instrumental to take you on a trip before getting straight back into what their known for. This is a really promising album, but there's definitely something holding it back from becoming a classic. It doesn't stop it being great, but it's there. Verdict: Hopefully a sign of great things to come... |
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Various |
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The name of the album shows a spectacular lack of imagination, as do many of the bands featured. How appropriate. Out of the featured thirteen tracks, only two have not been tackled in this magazine already over the past couple of issues - Daeonia with goth rock/metal tracks In Cimmerian Dreams and Angel For A Better Day. Despite not being particularly great tracks, they are not awful either, and comparatively pleasant to listen to. Apart from Daeonia and the interesting Peccatum also boasts the dubious talents of Zyklon, Failed Humanity and Christian Death. Killing Machine and Extreme Noise Terror complete the mediocre lineup. Verdict: I'm glad its over. |
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Sacred Sin
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Oh my god. I didn't think people still made music like this, or at least I hoped they didn't. Someone has still not realised we are not in the early 80s. This is 2001, where the futuristic sounds of Fear Factory rule. Futuristic? I think not. For fear of being taken seriously (and it's not often that happens), that was a joke!! The sad thing about Sacred Sin is that even in the 80s they would have been cheesy. It's kind of pseudo-scary thrash with widdly synthy guitars and keyboard (stylophone). Oh yeah, and at times ludicrous vocals (more ludicrous than the normal ones). And I just cannot forgive the appalling cover of Slayer's Evil Has No Boundaries. I'm proud to say I recognised it immediately from the intro and metre of the first line, but it's still an awful cover. They've ruined a classic song. Verdict: This sucks |
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