The Jasser Arafats – Condemnation
Violent Journey Records

Rating:

Written by Niek of Deathmetalbaboon.com

They’re Finnish, fast and furious. As original and unorthodox as their name is, as violent, raw and unpolished is their play. And that’s all in the good way. The Jasser Arafats have released their debut album on April 14th and it goes by the name of Condemnation. I was lucky enough to get it a few days earlier and have enjoyed it quite a few times since.

The album will cost you €9.90, or about $13.-, and for that money you will get nearly 35 minutes of uncompromised musical aggression. That’s precisely the main keyword when describing this album, ‘aggression’, as the intensity of the material is incredible. Condemnation is excellent material for when you need to let off steam or when you just want to headbang your brains out. It is not so good for when you’re behind the wheel, because speed tickets or lethal accidents will more than likely be your share.

The raw, heavy rhythm guitars and quick paced, sharp and nifty solos, the low-tuned bass work, the solid no-nonsense drumming that’s bass-drum-moderate for a change and the use of no other but loud, deep, grunting vocals make this an excellent Death-thrash release. Especially considering this is only their debut release.

My only critique is that the album could do with a bit more variation in song types. The few calm moments the listener is given make up only about a few seconds together, making the grand total quite a rush. Then again, 35 minutes isn’t all that long, so you won’t miss a relaxed moment unless you play the album three times in a row.

Give these guys some love, because they deserve it! And do play ‘em loud!

My favorite tracks: Stillborn and KAOS.

Solution .45 – For Aeons Past
AFM Records

Rating:

Written by Niek of Deathmetalbaboon.com

Solution .45 is the joining of forces of musical talents of several Swedish Death Metal bands, making this a genuine metal supergroup. The project was founded by masterminds Jani Stefanovic (Miseration, Essence of Sorrow, The Few Against Many, and many other bands) and Christian Älvestam, best know as the former Scar Symmetry multi-style vocalist half the metal world adores. With that in mind, it’s not a surprise that my (and anybody else’s) expectations for the group’s debut release were sky high.

Unfortunately, anticipation is a big spoiler, because expectations grow bigger and bigger in your head. Solution .45 knew this when they set out and so they must have had a pretty good amount of confidence in their own abilities that they would be able to pull this off. So, have they?

Well, not completely. True, the supply of musical talent within this group is indisputable, as are Älvestam vocal capabilities. The man can make any mainstream, popular or whatever other type musician feel like an utter zero and then seamlessly provide a bombardment of growling, grunting violence without blinking. And he knows it! That then is exactly the problem, as his clean vocals on For Aeons Past not infrequently tend towards sugar-pop, with too much scale singing and pitch changing. Beyoncé does it too and she annoys the hell out of me.

His growls and grunts on the other hand are superb as they’ve always been. And they come in countless subtle variations too, which is all the better. So, skip the ballad Lethean Tears and instead listen to the more violent tracks, such as Wirethrone. Much better!

Musically this album is very much virtuoso, yet well balanced, despite the fact that it often feels much too polished. There are more than a few cheesy, ‘kitchy’ melodies to be found, but the majority of tunes is quite appealing.

So, lose your expectations. Expect nothing and you’ll get a few not-so-good songs and a bunch of good ones. One of those is of course the more than sixteen-minute Clandestinity Now, which is an absolute masterpiece. That alone will justify your spendings on this release!

My favorite tracks: On Embered Fields Adust and Clandestinity Now.

Pycroptic – (Ob)Servant
Nuclear Blast Records

(4/5)

With their extreme mix of Death metal, Extreme metal, and Black metal, Tasmanian Technical Death metal band Psycroptic has released one of the elite Metal records of 2008 entitled Ob(Servant). This album has an incredible overall sound that presents utter brutality mixed with groove and pure intensity. Before listening to this album, I had never heard the term Technical Death metal used, but it certainly has its advantages to anyone who likes the Metal styles listed above. One thing I love is the insane speed of the double bass by Dave Haley throughout the album. I though I had heard fast double bass with Black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir, but I believe that Dave Haley has truly raised the bar for double bass speed in my book. Another great aspect of this band/album is Jason Peppiatt’s vocals. He mixes things up a lot by switching between growls, screams, and yells. Overall, I can say he got a great sound for the album. As far as everyone else goes, Joe Haley really holds up his end even though he is the only guitarist as Cameron Grant successfully fills in the rest of the sound. As an overall unit, this bands sound is extremely tight on this album. As an overall album, I was a bit sketchy with the sound at first, but after giving it a good listen, I can hardly stop listening to it! I really have no favorite tracks, but I do like the ones like “Initiate” (Track 9), “A Calculated Effort” (Track 2), and “Removing the Common Bond” (Track 5) that each measure 6:00 or longer. “Initiate” is the longest at 8:01 and it seems to go through the most musical “movements”. All in all, I suggest Ob(Servant) to fans of Extreme metal and Death metal as well as anyone looking for great brutality in a Metal album!

Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder God
Metal Blade Records

(5/5)

The kings of Viking metal are back and better than ever! Amon Amarth’s newest Metal Blade Records release, Twilight of the Thunder God, is amazing! I didn’t think it could happen, but Amon Amarth has proved, once again, that they can take themselves to a whole new level of awesomeness. The first thing I have to point out in this newest album is the use of guitar solos. I can honestly say that this is the first time I’ve ever heard distinct guitar solos as well as the beautifully written rhythmic patterns. This new addition really adds a whole new dimension to the material and helps separate this album from all the rest of Amon Amarth’s material. Another good point for this album is Johan Hegg’s vocals. Absolute brutality. That’s all there is to it. As far as overall tracks go, I have to say my two favorites are “Twilight of the Thunder God (feat. Roope Latvala of Children of Bodom and Sinergy)” (Title track/Track 1) and “Guardians of Asgaard(feat. Lars Göran Petrov of Entombed)” (Track 3). These two tracks really continue the true rhythmic style of Amon Amarth and also utilize the well placed guitar solos. As an overall album, I definitely love it and recommend it to anyone who needs to feel closer to the Vikings of old!

On a side note, I must say that the cover art for the album is the one of the tops from Amon Amarth as well. It definitely accents the overall feeling of the album.

Whitechapel – This is Exile
Metal Blade Records

(4/5)

You want gruesome, all-American Deathcore? Here it is! Just two tracks into Whitechapel’s newest album This is Exile, I could tell this album had what it takes to be a sick album! If I’ve said it once (or multiple times as it seems on this site), Deathcore and Death metal are by far not my favorite styles, but that may be changing with bands like Whitechapel and Carnifex. The overall level of brutality is THROUGH THE ROOF! The excessive amounts of blast beats always throw me off, but that is made up with the sickness of the other parts of the material. On top of the musical aspects, Phil Bozeman’s vocals are absolutely killer and accent the music very nicely. As far as the tracks on the album go, definitely check out “Father of Lies” (Track 1), “This is Exile” (Track 2/Title Track), and “To All That Are Dead” (Track 4). These three tracks are three small of examples of the true brutality that is Whitechapel! My advice to fans of Deathcore and Death metal is to get a copy of This is Exile as soon as possible and definitely check these guys out live; they are sick live!

Arsis – We Are the Nightmare
Nuclear Blast Records

(3.5/5)

If you are looking for another influential Death metal album coming from the East Coast, you better get your hands on a copy of Arsis’ newest release entitled We Are the Nightmare! With the skills of lead vocalist/guitarist James Malone, guitarist Ryan Knight, bassist Noah Martin, and sick drum master Darren Cesca all combined, We Are the Nightmare certainly scores high on the list of brutal Melodic Death metal albums I have heard as of late. There are quite a few tracks on the album that prove this over and over again, but there are a few specific tracks I would recommend over the others. These tracks include the likes of “Progressive Entrapment” (Track 7), “A Feast for the Liar’s Tongue” (Track 8), and the title track “We Are the Nightmare” (Track 1). Whilst these tracks are not ALL of the best, these are the ones I enjoy the most. “We Are the Nightmare” serves as a great intro to the album and starts off with its own great intro that builds beautifully into the song. When the song does hit, you know it! As far as “Progressive Entrapment” and “A Feast for the Liar’s Tongue” go, these two tracks are just heavy. Hands down. There’s no arguing that they show great variance and great examples of the more Death metal side of Melodic Death metal. Overall, this is a great album that I would suggest to any Death metal or Melodic Death metal fan, so if you fit into one of those categories, go out and grab a copy of We Are the Nightmare!

Carnifex – The Diseased and the Poisoned
Victory Records

(3.5/5)

No matter what you call Carnifex’s new album The Diseased and the Poisoned, one thing can be agreed on by everyone. This album is BRUTAL! Normally, Death metal and Deathcore products are not in my list of favorites, but Carnifex has shown that a little bit of variance can go a long way. One aspect that Carnifex brings to the table in The Diseased and the Poisened is their use of breakdowns. And when I say breakdowns, I mean “breakdowns so good they make you want to slap yo’ mamma!” Seriously, these breakdowns helped me get over the use of obsessive blast beats (which I normally don’t like), bringing a new element into this type of brutality. On top of the breakdowns and sick musical aspects, Scott Lewis’ vocals are on point and fit perfectly. I couldn’t ask for a much more perfect fit. As far as the tracks on the album go, I recommend listening to the title track “The Diseased and the Poisoned” (Track 6), “Innocence Died Screaming” (Track 5), and really, just about any other track on this album. I certainly recommend this album to any aspiring Deathcore or Death metal fan who is looking for something to scare the crap out of thier parents. On a more serious note, go get a copy of Carnifex’s The Diseased and the Poisened ASAP!

Synastry – Blind Eyes Bleed
Year of the Sun Records

(4/5)

Ok guys and gals in the Metal world, here we go again for our boys in Canada and at Year of the Sun Records! A new addition to the Death metal scene, Synastry, has made its mark on the current scene with their excellent debut album, Blind Eyes Bleed! The first thing that needs to be mentioned is their affective use of a, sort of, Industrial sounding effect that is implemented with the brutality of the progressive Death metal sound. Really, I think it sounds awesome! The Industrial effects are not overbearing, so Synastry isn’t and Industrial metal band, but they have included a decent amount of it to make their sound really unique. Unique is what I’m looking for! Musically, this four piece couldn’t have put much more into the album to make it any better of a debut. As far as vocals go, Jimmy Anastasopoulos blends perfectly with the music, and these four guys have really created a killer album. Another unique thing about the band is the fact that there are four guys with only ONE guitarist. Wow! This guy deserves flowers and handties for crying out loud!

It is rare to see this nowadays and I have found a place for these guys in my respect for bands like this because of how difficult it is to get a great sound with just one guitarist in the age of new Metal. As far as favorite tracks on the album, the one I really have to suggest is “Beast of Myself” (Track 5). the overall album is a great one, but “Beast of Myself” sticks out to me because it has a great heaviness and brutality to it, but at the same time, this is one where Synastry implemented the Industrial aspect very well. Once again, this entire album is good and this is a great start for this band. So, for all you Progressive Death metal fans, or fans of straight Death metal, grab a copy of Blind Eyes Bleed as soon as possible! Metal on!

Epicurean – A Consequence of Design
Metal Blade Records

(4/5)

With this re-release of 2006′s A Consequence of Design, Epicurean is hitting the Metal scene hard with this Melodic Death metal masterpiece! Although the regular screamed vocals by John Laramy are not all exactly my favorite, the clean vocals sound incredible and his sound definitely fits in with the rest of the band’s sound. As for the rest of the band, everybody sounds great on the album and there are obvious influences from bands like Opeth and some more Symphonic sounding bands like Epica. Overall, I really like what Epicurean has put together as far as sound and overall quality. As far as favorite songs go, I can’t really choose any for the mere fact that they all have something I really like about them. One thing I really like is the fact that there is another newer band out there writing songs over 5 and 6 minutes long. That always helps for a good change of pace when stuck in the monotony of 3 to 4 minute songs. If I had to mention a couple of songs to definitely check out, I’d have to say “Of Malice and Majesty”, “Anathema: The Gate Keeper”, and “To Cast the Mourning Shadow”. These three songs come later in the album, but they all show different styles and influences the band put into the music. As an overall album, I definitely love this album and recommend it to any Melodic Death metal fan!

Soilent Green – Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction
Metal Blade Records

(4.5/5)

Soilent Green is back from a 3 year writing period with a new album, and this album is a force to reckoned with! Compared to their 2005 release Confrontation, Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction has more Death metal influence with more quick and choppy sections that are heavily laden with blast beats provided by drummer Tommy Buckley (also the drummer for Crowbar). On top of the blast beats and other insane drum bits, the vocals laid down by Ben Falgoust (also the vocalist for Goatwhore) fit perfectly with all the music laid down and certainly resemble the stylings of his Goatwhore material. To take this chaotic piece of art to the next level, guitarist Brian Patton (also the guitarist for EyeHateGod) and bassist Scott Crochet (also the bassist for Hostile Apostle) both tear the roof down with their ever changing riffs of different Metal styles and even some Jazz and Blues influence thrown in. Ultimately, this album sows a great mix of the other bands these four guys play in, creating (as mentioned before) a beautiful work of artistic chaos. With all of these influences and sounds brought together, I’d have to give it up to “Mental Acupuncture”, “Antioxidant”, and “All This Good Intention Wasted in the Wake of Apathy”. Honestly, these three songs just stick out to me for their overall quality. The entire album is incredible and flows together perfectly, but those three just stick out a bit over the rest for me. Overall, if you’re looking to get into the New Orleans “Sludge metal” game, check out Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction on Metal Blade Records!