Emperor "Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire And Demise" (2001)

I was never too keen on Emperor's fourth and final full length album "Prometheus" but now that Ive given it a proper listen in recent weeks I have certainty grown an appreciation and fondness for it. Its not quite the calamity I remembered it as, in fact its a rock solid album but one where we hear the character of the band stretched further from its initial identity. Its not to surprising that the group split after its release, the bar had been set so high in the past they could easily go through the motions releasing albums, never reaching that same caliber again. "IX Equilibrium" held onto that original direction but maybe at a cost with the second half lacking. This album however makes to attempt to keep that original spirit intact.

"Prometheus" scales back on the immersive qualities associated with the band and transforms into a frontal beast of forward aggression and direct guitar work which makes for a thick and versatile rhythm section. The drums no longer aesthetic as a wall of cascading noise and more so the structured backbone for the guitar work to mingle its way between. Gone is the power chord shredding and simple progressions that defined their first record, the dexterous intertwined guitar work on "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk" is at full tilt here with practically every riff revolving around carefully worked overlapping guitars playing of one another. In the low end a lot of chug heavy and grooving picking rhythms define the albums crunchier side. Counter to that most riffs dance their way around the fret board with fast, noted leads and a lot of pinch harmonics, usually left to ring out over the next lick as the twin guitars work off one another in a back and forth manor. its chaotic, fast and wild but in a structured and expressive manor.

Around this aggressive whirl wind of lively guitars, varying degrees of symphonic synths jump in and out of the composition. They sound high fidelity, emulating real instruments rather genuinely. Like with the guitars they become an upfront part of the music, involved in and adding splashes of color and melody between the ever active guitars. Ihsahn's screams are decent, not much to marvel but have a decent tone to them, his clean vocals are particularly illuminating to the songs they grace, occasionally elevating to the King Diamond style seen on the last record.

It all adds up to a solid, memorable record with no particular stand out moments but a consistent adventure through the twists and turns in its fifty one minutes. The last track "Thorns On My Grave" is a step down production wise with awfully over compressed instruments playing at full intensity and continually peaking them mic. Clearly some sort of unnecessary demo track with an unlistenable quality blasting the music beneath into oblivion. A solid farewell from the band.

Favorite Songs: Depraved, Empty

Rating: 7/10

Cradle Of Filth "Dusk... And Her Embrace - The Original Sin" (2016)

What a surprise it was to see this release in my inbox. The original sin? When I saw the name I wondered, remix? remaster? This is actually a remastered release of the recordings made when the band where on the Cacophonous Records label. To my knowledge they recorded the album "Goetia" which had its master tapes erased due to the record label going bankrupt. It turns out they also recorded "Dusk... And Her Embrace" with the same band lineup as "The Principal Of Evil Made Flesh" and subsequently released "V Empire" instead to get out of that record contract. So now over twenty years later we get to hear what the bands magnum opus would of sounded like in 1995, unfortunately though this is remastered. It would of been far more interesting to hear it in its original state.

Musically almost everything is the same, the track listing includes "Nocturnal Supremacy", an alternative symphonic intro track, a few songs shuffled in the play order and "The Graveyard By Moonlight" is entirely different. A couple of song names are slightly different too and for the most part its the same beast, a lot rawer, rough around the edges but its biggest difference is in the synths, their tone and presence clearly indicate a different keyboard was used and for the most part they achieve the same atmosphere, however the tones are far less appealing and a little plastic and cheap in the mix. The overall chemistry in terms of production is nowhere near the 96 versions consistency in tone. That record gets all the subtleties right, where as here some instruments stick out like sore thumbs against others and in occasional moments the record fills a little thinned out when the keys are on their lonesome. On the flip side it has louder drums and a rocking bass guitar upfront in the mix, something the 96 release didn't have.

Lyrically and musically too there are quite a few moments to pick out that are slightly different, either with words, delivery or riffs. All of these seem better of changed however the bias of knowing its counterpart inside out highlights the subjective nature of music, these are still the same songs. Dani's vocals are between the two record as heard previously, still developing the trademark shrill scream and his growls still meatier and blunt. There are some additional guitar solo's that crop up too, sounding thrown in as an after thought, both musically and in terms of production, they feel stitched on to the songs and the ones that were dropped were rightly so, in this state they were quite lackluster. There's also a couple of "cringy" wolves howling samples thrown in too which were better left out.

Musing over all the differences it should also be said that sometimes the guitars sounded identical to the original and a lot of the gothic vocals, female and guest also didn't feel different in the slightest. Overall I think the fate which at the time may have felt cruel for the band, led them in the right direction. "The Original Sin" shows the bands best sound emerging from its embryonic state. It had found its inspiration in a gothic theme but had yet polished out the sound with the keyboards and in retrospect gained a lot from this polished and refined sound the band eventually came out with.

Rating: 5/10

Seeds Of Iblis "The Black Quran" (2013)

Seeds Of Iblis are an anti-Islam Black Metal group from Iran which I discovered when my curiosity had me digging around looking for Metal in unexpected parts of the globe. It shocked me at first but makes a lot of sense given some thought. In Europe and other regions dominated by Christianity we have rebellion in the form of Black Metal which is strongly rooted in anti-Christian values, so in a country where Metal alone wouldn't be seen as orthodox we have anti-Muslim's using the music as a weapon against the faith it thinks hypocritically of. Because of the bands location they are shrouded in mystery, supposedly consisting of two men and two women their identities are concealed for obvious reasons. It is also speculated they have ties to the French embassy who would intervene and protect them if ever their identities were compromised. What is more remarkable about this record is its existence more so than the music itself.

Background aside the music is what I was initially looking for and in "The Black Quran" we have a hellish Luciferian atmosphere of malicious, scornful abrasive aggression. Ferocious blast beats continually batter into waves of pummeling attack, clattering like machine gun fire. The use of drum machines gives them a rigidity and unapologetic ruthlessness. The guitars tone is gristle and thin adding a unsettling tone between the drums and evil ooh synths that continually descend through minor key arrangements. Vocally the assault is on two fronts. The Arabic Female vocals tie in the regional and religious background of the music, singing native chants in the moments where the black drops its intensity. When at full swing the Male vocals scream and howl in a menacing tone that drifts into the space of its heavy reverb. Its like the voice of a tormented demon reaching out from the darkness.

The band certainly achieved a notably dark aesthetic, it is undoubtedly the vocal aspects that give this record its merit and charm but for a single twenty minute song its structure unwinds rather quickly past the half way point. The first half is a continual battering of blast beats, howls and descending synths with Arabic chants in between. In the second half there's many atmospheric interludes and the return of the songs main riff in a reconstructed manor crop up but it starts to feel short of ideas and any direction for conclusion. It fizzles somewhat with the sound of burning fires which bring in an eerie and haunting piano that sees the final moments of the song out with a gloomy burial.

A very intriguing record with a fascinating background it unfortunately doesn't live up to the same heights musically but its aesthetic is so menacing and pungent it kept me interested in its lengthy span for a singular song. Its lack of climax through conclusion was disappointing but what it offers outweighs that let down. I should also mention this group is part of an "Anti-Islamic Legion", meaning there are more bands in this region actively rebelling against their imposed religion.

Rating: 4/10

David Bowie "ChangesOneBowie" (1976)

On my musical journey Bowie had always been a destination Id planned on visiting but given his recent and unfortunate demise it prompted to pick up some of his records, something about the cover and name of this one made me feel like this is where I wanted to start. The months rolled by and with every passing listen familiarity crept in but no true understanding of his acclaimed genius became apparent. Its not often I listen to Glam and Folk Rock, it made me release the nuances of music your accustom to makes it much easier to digest and understand. In recent weeks though many of these songs have really got into my head and I find myself singing along, which is a great sign. One thing that became swiftly apparent was a lack of concept, direction or theme, the inclusion of a live performance a little odd but the records flow stylistically shifts from an arty tone to Glam Rock with slight Country tinges on some songs. It hit me like a slap in the face when I looked it up online, its a greatest hits or compilation released in the midst of his acclaimed peak, the seventies.

So now I'm familiar with this selection of his songs but I more often prefer the album experience to understand the music and I don't have to many musings on this record either. With it not being what I'm used to its hard to find the words to express. One song that really stuck a chord with me was "Changes" with its lyric "Time may change me but I can't change time"... Deep and profound it gave me much to ponder over but then I thought "Ive heard this before!" and it hit me. Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit lifts the line on a track adding a "So fuck it" to the end of Bowie's introspective statement. My teenage self never found any meaning in Fred's butchering of the sentiment, or maybe I was to young to understand it.

To comment on a few other tracks, "Space Oddity" has quite the emotional progression as fictional astronaut "Major Tom" makes his way to the moon, slow, brooding and fragile strings build a subtle tension that blossoms into a moment of wonder with a shift of pace and inclusion of a flute lead, Bowie singing about sitting in a tin can. The guitar then brings a momentary groove to the track before enigmatic strings snap us back to the setting. Its scenic and quite the narrative song with a lot of charm. "Suffragette City" packs a punch with overdriven guitar riffs making quite the racket and jiving piano chords being played with force. Its fast, upbeat and climaxed by a tonal guitar solo in the middle of the track. I really enjoyed this and will continue to listen to more of Bowie's record. Next time it wont be a compilation.

Rating: 8/10

Abbath "Abbath" (2016)

If the grim corpse paint looks familiar that's because it is thee Abbath Doom Occulta of Immortal who's classic sophomore record "Pure Holocaust" I wrote about two days ago. That being said he is no longer part of the band, their split sounds like a messy affair with the musicians unable to agree on who should advance with the name. Abbath earlier announced that Immortal disbanded but later his former band mates Demonaz and Horgh stated this wasn't true. So now on his own this self titled debut could easily be considered an Immortal record given its style, written by the man at the heart of the bands sound. With Immortal also announcing a new record there are hints that some of the material on this record may of been intended for the bands 9th album.

In true Immortal fashion this record rumbles away with a consistent pace and tone. A fierce tone at that and its overall pace isn't as blinding but has its moments of accelerated intensity. The drums batter away with an almost Industrial quality to them. The hi hats muddy and buried, the symbols in general require a little focus to pick out behind loud and clicking, hollow base pedals that roll like a machine. The snare thuds with a thick and punchy tone while the tom drums make a thunderous presence with their heavy tone. It plays out cold and calculated with timed flurries of expression as rapid fills and drums rolls jump into the spaces between the battering beats.

The guitar work starts of imploring more groove eccentric riffs as discordant palm mutes chug away in the opening track. The arrangements that follow are often shorter, simple chord arrangements that fit one bar and interchange frequently with variations and a sense of progression than can easily return to previous riffs. Its chemistry with the drumming is brilliant, the cold and machine like percussion paired with short riffs create a sense of repetition and momentum that the song structures counteract. Each song locks you into its moment without feeling any sense of anticipation, but just a steady unraveling of its musical trajectory.

Abbath's vocals are rather commonplace for his style, a lack of reverb left them feeling a touch thin. They came across accommodating as opposed to having a commanding presence in the music. Not bad but not spectacular. The record plays out with a linear mood and a rigidity as it sticks to its guns. All of this adds up to consistency and although there is the use of war horns in one song and light synths in the back drop of another the record rests in a steady posture, cold, grim, full of might and ready for war.

Favorite Tracks: To War, Fenrir Hunts, Eternal

Rating: 7/10

YG "Still Brazy" (2016)

Two years back Compton rapper YG dropped his debut "My Krazy Life" which stirred up rave reviews, solid sales and featured a lot of big names including Kendrick Lamar. That's as much as I know about YG, I have the record but never got around to listening to it and I probably would of passed on this one if it wasn't for the promise of G-Funk era beats, something Ive never heard enough of. Unfortunately these beats were the only side of this record I genuinely enjoyed, as It can often be with Rap the braggadocios, violent, misogynistic lyrics don't carry as much weight when its not to your taste.

YG's flow, tone, delivery, all decent and steady but the lack of substance and meaning in his words was disturbing, most of what made an impact did so for the wrong reasons but looking at the positives he does have the knack for a good hook and catchy lines however replacing your c's with b's only goes so far before feeling like a gimmick. There's a lot of features too, big names like Lil Wayne and Drake, none of the guests made much of an impression either but I''m stuck in the 90s still. Its the track "She Wish She Was" that really gripes me on this record. Such a sexist and hypocritical statement holding double standards for men and women, slating a women's behavior for things they would celebrate in other songs, calling her a bitch for being a groupie while flaunting sleeping around in other tracks... Its a ludicrous song, not a topic I haven't heard before but not with such a lack of moral consideration.

It made a mess of a slamming beat and "Still Breezy" is loaded with them. As I mentioned this album revives the G-Funk sound in style, keeping it fresh and relevant, allowing modern Trap beats to swim in out between the tracks, giving it a great flow converging two styles together. The Funk baselines pop in with texture and density, accompanied with piano chords and swirly ghetto synths at times feels right out of Doggy Style. In fact there's quite a few tracks that are very reminiscent of Dr.Dre, especially his use of minor key chords.

Beyond these thoughts I didn't get to deep into this record. Its got a great instrumental vibe but the lyrics mostly drifted in one ear and out the other. I can't end it without mentioning the track "FDT", fuck Donald Trump. The sentiment of the track is musing, its not often gangster rappers get political but in its simplicity there's an sentimental message of unity between gangs either side of the border. Not what you might expect to hear.

Favorite Tracks: Twist My Fingaz, Gimme Got Shot, FDT

Rating: 5/10

Immortal "Pure Holocaust" (1993)

In the infamous Norwegian Black Metal scene Immortal were there from the beginning with a demo tape dating back to 91 and this release, their iconic, identity defining second record, coming a year before the global media exposure that came in light of the church burnings and murder controversy.  Not to be taken seriously, Immortal's image plays tongue in cheek to the seriousness of corpse paint and satanism within the scene. Although themes of demons emerge, Immortal's lyrics and atmosphere revolves around scenic fantasy and nature, the extremes of cold winter weather and war. Its a classic but flawed gem that gets merit for its blinding speed and grinding intensity. Its execution of atmosphere and vision is sublime however the record is rather one dimensional, sticking to a singular principle through the course of the record, however that purity to an idea is in itself rather charming.

 Starting with "Unsilent Storms In The North Abyss", a cracking song name, it takes all but eight seconds for the records lunging speed to pulverize as a blitzkrieg snare pummels down with a frighting blast beat. Its stride doesn't let up as the base pedals roll in with an endless momentum. The drumming is unsettled and astonishingly fast, more so for the time but the drums make up a large portion of the bands sound not just for its speed and intensity but its tone and texture too. The pedals are dense, the snare sharp and loose, the cymbals a indiscernible clatter. It all bleeds into a colorless haze of menacing force and power that is a constant persuasion alongside the other instruments.

Alongside the thunderous sound of the drums a thick drone of noisy, sharp distortion guitars paint the icy cold landscapes with their muddy presence. Unsurprisingly they match the whirlwind speed of the drumming with incredibly dexterous tremolo chord shredding that has power chords strumming at a ridiculous pace while they progress and transition through the motions. There's barely a lick of melody, occasional resemblances of a lead above the rhythm guitar and a short solo on "Frozen By Icewinds" that ads a momentary extra dimension to the sound, something that could of featured more. With its blinding speed, narrow, claustrophobic tone and messy, dissonant record the guitars are another cold layer of sound giving birth to a frosty and scenic imagination in their partial ambiguity.

Vocalist Abbath is very much the star of the show, songwriting, playing the drums and bass guitar too. The base mainly adds a warm undercurrent to the otherwise bleak tone, occasionally breaking to add a subtle melody. His vocal style is fantastic, despite being a little stark and laughable his gargling demonic calls play with the higher ranges and have a light growl about them. The delivery is key, always of its own accord and with some light reverb it jumps out from within the frosty cold wall of noise. Its best and most powerful moments come with volume raises and increased reverb for dramatic effect.

I could sing its praises all day and its short comings aren't complaints so much as observations where things may not quite play in their favor. Its a very linear listen, never steering far from the path, no break out moments or change of pace its a continual hammering down of pure darkness. Maybe with exception to "As Eternity Opens" inclusion of what sound like noise choir synths towards the end. The production style is charismaticly raw and unpolished, to the point of leaving in odd snare strikes and symbol clashes that peak the microphone. The band also implore the Darkthrone principle of sudden endings as the ringing distortions are interrupted by silence. These are things I'm not sure I like or not, but one thing is for sure this record is timeless and I adore it.

Favorite Tracks: Unsilent Storms In The North Abyss, The Sun No Longer Rises, Eternal Years On The Path To The Cemetary Gates
Rating: 9/10

Zeal And Ardor "Devil Is Fine" (2016)

Here's a record that pays tribute to the times, the internet age, a treat to spoil yourself and indulge in something rather unimaginable two decades ago. Much like IGORRR's genre blender from hell fusing Breakbeat, Baroque and Black Metal, Zeal And Ardor throw us at the mercy of genre mixing that comes up all aces. Its core theme is rooted in a dark satanic tone fronted through the blues, or more accurately the vocal origins which originated from slave songs. You'll hear emotion bluesy, gospel singing that collides with ferocious Black Metal and zealous electronic melodies. There's even a short Trap banger in the mix, chop and screwing the vocals, throwing in light organs between the spacious grooving beats and fluttery sampling.

 Starting with the title track, call-respond singing chimes out, the clank of slave chains rattle to keep tempo and peaking the microphone it creates a stunning authenticity, although I'm fairly certain this is original, not lifted or sampled. Some grizzly distant guitars drift in and out, rumbling beneath with a groan. "In Ashes" has the menacing guitar grinding a string as eerie, morbid calls are sung. Then the pedals come crashing in and swing the song into full tilt. Whats fantastic here is how the drums take a temperate and structured raising and lowering of intensity rather than blasting out typical Metal drumming patterns.

"Children's Summon" gives light to a xylophone lead that features individually on "Sacriegium II & III" with a playful lullaby, full of carefree wonder, not far from the sort of melody you might expect to hear on an Izioq or C418 record. The song itself sets its tone after a brief blasting of instruments and screams, satanic chants reign out and before long it all amounts to a rampant onslaught of menacing Black Metal peaked by a chirpy xylophone. "Blood In The River" brings back the main theme and expands on its evil undertone with more Black Metal and rash screams.

No moment here feels without purpose or intent, although its a short listen at twenty four minutes it serves itself just fine and leaves me yearning for more with every listen. These songs have been on repeat, they are short and sweet but infectious. Charming, dreamy melodies, furious Black Metal and bluesy slave songs, a strange and enigmatic combination that does everything so right despite sounding like a calamity on paper. Completely in awe of this record, wanting, waiting for more.

Favorite Tracks:

Rating: 8/10

Basement Jaxx "Remedy" (1999)

A recent revisit to this record takes me back to my youth. At the turn of the millennium London based House duo Basement Jaxx's debut burst onto the scene with heavy airplay rotation and music video promotion on MTV that ultimately landed this record in my lap. The nostalgia was strong but I found the retrospect hadn't changed my opinion much in the ten or more so years since I last gave it a spin. The singles are banging, classic Dance tunes that speak volumes but beyond them a rather varied inclusion of styles through sampling that doesn't always hit the same intensity.

 Behind almost every song a steady is baseline thudding away in unison with programmed drums shuffling through tight varied arrangements to lay down the Dance foundations to move and groove to. Sometimes a little drab and narrow they get rather bombastic on the livelier, upbeat numbers and around them the samples and instruments create a different atmosphere for each song, with flashes of Pop, Ragga, Big Beat, Downtempo, Dub, Synthpop, Techno, Hip Hop and Ambient in the last two tracks. The duo give the House sound an expansive flavor from track to track which can be a little hit and miss.

It really comes down to taste but for the most part I like a lot of tracks on this record. For me "Always Be There" stands out as a song more released with its slow build up creating a slow settling mood for its vocal feature to climax with rich, sunny strings and echoing reverbs shuffling back and forth. The opener "Rendez-Vu" is a timeless classic sampling Spanish guitars, delivering a hook with infectious strings and topping it with the opening vocal lead "dum dum dum" and "doo wop" siting no need for coherent sentences to sing along with a tune. Each song has its own chemistries and arrangements, most of them suffer from a little repetition once the song has shown all its tricks and I'm left feeling pretty much the same way as before. It has fantastic moments but is rather inconsistent in flow. The final tracks drift off as the wheels slow down and fizzle out.

Favorite Tracks: Rendez-Vu, Jump N' Shout, Always Be There

Rating: 7/10

Sithu Aye "Senpai" (2015)

Sithu Aye's latest release "Set Course For Andromeda" is an impressive one, a record of two halves, a set of remarkable collaborations and a singular song split into six parts. Left yearning for more I spotted this previously overlooked record on bandcamp. For a three track EP it really packs a punch and brings out the better qualities of Sithu's sensibilities for lead and melody, undoubtedly because of its anime inspiration. On one listen alone you can hear the influence, if you've ever watched Japanese animation the style of music that accommodates can be cliche, which had me wondering if these were covers but a little reading uncovered these songs were created with specific common theme in mind for each track.

These songs are radiant, uplifting and cheerful in a carefree way and the first song reflects this strongly with the inclusion of poppy electronic chords bustling away like a dance song. There's a strong emphasis on the lead melody which can scale fast soaring solos and playful quirky melodies. The second track "Senpai" is the records strongest and could easily be the opening theme for a show, you can almost envision the cartoons behind the music as it swings between its energetic guitar solos and main hook. Despite the now obvious Anime inspiration for this record, I just took the music for what it was and loved how bold and charismatic the themes in place were. Its only now that Ive put one and two together that I can see how well the two gel. Sithu comments that the record is cheesy but I have to disagree, I think its a brilliantly warm and fun record full of lasting substance!

Favorite Track: Senpai Please Notice Me!

Rating: 5/10

Havok "Time Is Up" (2011)

American Thrash Metal band Havok from Denver Colorado are part of the Thrash revival scene that's emerged in recent years. I caught them at Download Festival and picked up this, their second record, based on the inclusion of "D.O.A", dead on arrival, a song I remembered from their impressive live show. Just like you might wish for, Havok are a band that in the two decades since the genres peak haven't strayed from the path. They have however let modern production and Metal sound influence their aesthetic in terms of quality and clarity but when it comes to the music its as Thrash as it gets. Those years gone by have picked out the best attributes, techniques, riffs and thrown them together in what would undoubtedly been a masterpiece if released in the 80s. With crisp crunchy guitars and punchy drums Havok bring the best of the genre in what sounds to me like a cross between Slayer and Testament.

Starting with "Prepare For Attack" it doesn't take long for a blitz of base pedals and choppy temperate guitar riffs to raise the energy and create an atmosphere fit for circle pits and intense moshing. No messing around and straight to the point this album is forty minutes of pure Thrash and no filler! Without faulting from this path no song is particularly stands out or becomes truly remarkable, its strengths are in its continual consistency, never leting its foot of the gas. If you've got the iTunes edition there's an extra treat in store as the bonus track is a cover of Slayer's "Raining Blood" played with flawless precision at a higher tempo, a level of adrenaline maybe matched by the menacing riffs on "No Amnesty".

Each element at work is full throttle, the drums crisp, bold and punchy the snares gorgeous tone bursts through with a solid snappy punch and the pedals pack a meaty momentum as they loudly whirl swiftly like a mechanical backbone of brutality. They work intertwined with the palm muted and open string chugging guitars to create energetic momentum in the rhythm department. The guitars tone sounds squeezed with distortion as the fast choppy guitars shred away at fast speeds, when they break for cleaner leads the tone shows a softer side and I would say the lead guitars are most reminiscent of Megadeth guitar solos and sometimes vocally too. Singer Sanchez's narrow, throaty and slightly nasal voice has a classic vibe and in one song mimics the classic bellowing and high pitched scream of Tom Araya from Slayer.

In its purity the record often echos familiarity with classic bands of the era without encroaching their identity and the only thing besides production that sounds like a step forward are the gang shouts which slide into the fold brilliantly. All other aspects of the record are classic, no guitar technique or riff sounds far from the era but the recreational aspect plays it out to a stunning level. Extremely enjoyable record, as I said, would of been a classic if released in the 80s.

Favorite Tracks: No Amnesty, D.O.A

Rating: 8/10