Think Coldplay without of all the pretentious right-on bollocks via yer best goth releases. While the tracks are stripped down, they still somewhat grandiose. Anathema does this so well. The final track on this release is a taster for their new album, “Tales of the Unexpected”. If this is an example of what is to come, then it should be something spectacular.
If you have never heard of Anathema and like Opeth at their mellowest then seek out this CD. It might take a bit to get into, but it's rather rewarding. And to think it's just a bit of stop gap until their next “proper” release.
Khold: Hundre a Gammel
This bunch of death metal loons from Norway sing in their native language but still manage to get across their gritty, evil, and dark message. However in an interesting twist the band may call themselves black metal but its not the normal full speed ahead, grunted incoherent vocals and blast beat drumming. There is subtlety nuance and tunes on this release. In fact, quite a bit of the music on here is downright catchy. The lyrics incidentally are written by the frontman’s wife Hildr. I am not sure if this makes them any different than standard death metal fare, will have to ask my Norwegian mates.
In a way, while the vocals are death metally, the music is more mainstream metal and at times hard rock than the normal fare. You can hear an element of Therion in this band as well. You can well imagine this is what that band would sound like if they sung in their native language and dropped the female vocals. A track that really does the trick is “Kor”. If you are the type who does not care if your metal is sung in English then this might hit the spot. It's probably pretty hard to find non-English language death metal that is any more accessible than this.
Sothis: De Oppresor Liber
Hailing from the snowy wastes of Los Angeles this bunch do traditional synth laden European death metal as if they hailed from Northern Scandinavia. They do the whole corpse paint, gruff vocals, blast beat drums, and symphonic elements for extra creepiness. This is their debut full-length and I have to say that it does quite impress. This is definitely not your Morbid Angel/Slayer sonic kick to the head. It's far more subtle than that with breaks, keys, and all sorts of interesting elements. Just check out the impressive title track for instance.
Article comments
1 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
I am sure there will be blowback from my review of Metallica.
Actually, Marty, it was pleasant to read a review of the new Metallica that was pretty damn accurate.[Head & heart in the right place]You hit the nail right on the head... None of this material really grabs me.
These guys are not quite back to form yet. Once they completely ditch their 90's material, practice on their instruments & focus on Thrash, their next release should be one hell of a punch. Oh.. and Kirk needs to get rid of that freakin wah-wah pedal!!
Thanks for the heads up on East of Wall - It's real hard nowadays to release a progressive album without all the references to Dream Theater & Opeth(save for the new Cynic which will be f*cking awesome) but these guys keep it interesting & a bit original. The fact that it is an instrumental release is great!
2 - Chris Beaumont
Great stuff, as always, Marty!
Guppy, got to agree, some one needs to take that wah wah away from Kirk. Nothing like a metal tune with a hard rock solo in the middle.
Looking forward to Cynic. Have a promo coming soon, should be an interesting introduction.
3 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Chris..You lucky bastich! The demo I heard that had 2 new songs was damn good & your introduction is coming at a great time. Focus was a killer CD but the new stuff sounds a bit more progressive & the production is excellent.
The new guitarist/vocalist(growling),Tymon Kruidenier, is freakin awesome... I'm so psyched to get my hands on it. I'm gonna go out on a limb here: I think this album will be better than the new Opeth.