Category: Reviews Issue #2

Concert review: Paradise Lost, Sundown, Uncle Meat

Metallykon

Paradise Lost, Sundown, Uncle Meat

Venue: Zeleste, Barcelona
Date: 18 Nov 1997

English band Paradise Lost came to promote their last CD “One Second” and brought with them their clone band Sundown and the nearly unknown band Uncle Meat. Unfortunately, the Barcelona’s heavy traffic made me come late to the venue and thus I missed Sundown, whose show i was very looking for as it was their first time in Barcelona. Therefore I can only report Paradise Lost’s gig
At five minutes past22’00 a bizarre tune began and introduced the band. The gothicmetallers played as a perfect engine, with no mistakes. Their new look shocked a bit in the beginning, but their brilliant show made us forgive their new look; Greg looked like a woman with his new haircut. Besides I definetely missed Aaron’s famous helix hair when he bangs hos hair like a total freak (as he used to do). The set-list was mainly centered in their last CD’s songs, but also included classics like “Pity The Sadness”, “Remembrance”, “True Belief” or a magnificent “Embers Fire”. Out from their last CD they played “One Second”, “Blood Of Another”, “Say Just Words”, “This Cold Life”… The concert lasted 1h 20m and, after a short break, they kicked our asses with a killer “As I Die”, which finally was the last song. In a few words, a great concert that proved why PL have become so popular. You may like or not their last CD, but no one can deny that they play like a fucking Hi-Fi!!!
One last thing: Strangely enough Nick warned us that smoking causes cancer. OK, Nick, thanx, I’ll tell the world cos it seems to me that no one knows that, huh?



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Gorgoroth – “Destroyer” (ESP)

				

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El nombre de esat banda noruega de segunda línea está tomado del célebre libro de J.R.R. Tolkien “El Señor De Los Anillos”, referido a las mazmorras en las que el Mal crecía. Me refiero a esto porque tal nombre realemente encaja con la música de esta banda, que realmente son los hijos del gran cornudo!!!


“Destroyer” es un CD de 8 canciones con el típico sonido -mantenido a propósito, por supuesto- sucio y primitivo, alfgo que realemente se nota en canciones como ” Slottet I Det Fjerne” y “Bloodoffer” (que suenan a Ulver, más o menos), que no deja chance para pasajes más tranquilos, todo el CD es de una furia despiadada, agresivo de cabo a rabo, tanto en las canciones más rápidas (“Destroyer”, “Open The Gates”) como las más relantizadas (“Om Kristen Og Jödisk Tru”, con una batería extraída de la segunda guerra mundial o “The Virginborn”).


Este cuarto trabajo de esta banda es bastante lineal, aunque algunos detalles (como las voces de “Pa Slagmark Langt Mot Nord”, por ejemplo) lo hacen más entretenido. De hecho, el único punto flojo que le veo a este CD es su producción, un poco pobre (sé que ellos lo han querido así, ya sé que no son Arcturus!), que si mejorara significaría un aumento del valor añadido del álbum.


			


	


			
				


	

		
Bliss “Sin To Skin” (ENG)

				

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Massacre Records


England has a long and strong tradition concerning Gothic music and from that fertile soil new bands appear everyday. But this doesn’t mean that with quantity comes quality, and Bliss brings us the evidence. Formed in 1996, after two demos they got a deal with Swan Lake / Massacre for their first CD. “Sin To Skin” is another dose of boring english goth. The band itself calls it “heavy Depeche Mode” and they are truly honest because thair music is unstandablely heavy and boring as hell! And about the ‘Depeche Mode’ thing, DM is one of the worst bands worldwide, so it ain’t strange that Bliss just get  a 3 out of 10 as mark. The band is supposed to have influencies from Sisters of Mercy and Celtic Frost but they do not have the agility of the gods SoM nor the talent of Celtic Frost but a total lack of composing instinct instead. Bliss is definetely not a bliss (laughs, please!) for the music scene; so no probs if they remain in their island and never come to the mainland. We do not deserve to be tortured by these tipically brit dull and boring guys. Even Alex Krull (leader of german Death Metal band Atrocity)’s mastering doesn’t make it any worther).


If you’re a fanatic of bands like Depeche Mode or The Mission (which means you have no musical sense) you’ll probably like this CD, but if that isn’t your case you better off forget this CD and spend the 10 pounds it would probably cost you in booze, the election will be much better, believe me.


 


			


	


			
				


	

		
Intestine Baalism – “Anatomy Of The Beast” (ENG)

				

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Repulse Records


9/10


Maybe you don’t expect those short, little and weak persons known as “Japanese” to play extremely brutal Death Metal, but fuck, that’s exactly what these guys do not only play but also master! Formed back in 1991 and after a few lineup changes, this awesome Japanese outfit release their first full-length work, 40 minutes of catchy Death Metal melodies drowned into a sea of brutality. Some melodyc guitar-based lines bring oxygen to their brutal-Death Metal-styled songs, performed under cavernous growlings (along with some Glen Benton-like shoutings) and a grinding drumming. Their combination of brutality and melody is so well achieved that sometimes their music seems to be covers of Judas Priest performed by a Death Metal band! (Check the first riff on “Cannibal Sodom” for evidencies) This album is an authentic masterpiece of Death Metal with several song-shaped molnoliths such as “Anatomy Of The Beast”, “Blasphemy Resurrected” or “A Place Their Gods Left Behind”. The rising sun’ sempire hunts all wimps and trendies, and Intestine Baalism is the most suitable soundtrack for the Nippon massacre!!!


			


	


			
				


	

		
Xytras “Passage” (ENG)

				

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Century Media


Xytras? What the fuck is Xytras – I thought when I got the CD in my hands. I played it on the CD player and I realized what I was having: Samael’s last album “Passage” played with classical instruments! I couldn’t believe it, but in the end I had to accept the unskippable: swiss Metal band’s brainman Xy has arranged the successful last CD “Passage” and plays it with pianos, cellos and violins! The arrangement is done quite professionally, what proves Xy’s musical talent (apart of having been the producer of some other masterpieces like Rotting Christ’s last CD “A Dead Poem”, which surely has helped him to learn more on arrangements and production). The best song is probably “Ein Mensch im Kopf”, but the entire album (recorded in the Mountain Studios in Montreaux, Switzerland, and produced and mixed by famous guy Dave Richards, who has also worked with David Bowie and Queen) is absolutely worth listening and, for those who are into both Samael and classical music, a real must.


			


	


			
				


	

		
Bliss – “Sin To Skin”

				

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Massacre Records 


Inglaterra tiene una larga y fuerte tradición concreniendo a la música gótica y de su fértil suelo aparecen cada día bandas nuevas pero, como Bliss se encargan de demostrar, la cantidad no va pareja a la calidad. Formados en 1996, después de dos demos consiguieron un contrato con Swan Lake / Massacre para su primer CD. “Sin To Skin” es otra dosis de aburrido goth inglés. La banda lo llama “Depeche Mode heavy” y son de verdad sinceros ya que su música es tan pesada y aburrida como un infierno! Y sobre lo de ‘Depeche Mode’, los DM son una de las peores bandas que jamás han pisado la tierra, así que no es de extrñar que Bliss sólo condigan un 3 sobre 10. La banda pretendidamente está influenciada por los dioses Sisters of Mercy y los Celtic Frost, pero ni tienen la agilidad de los primeros ni el talento de los segundos; en su lugar tienen una falta absoluta de instinto compositor. Ni siquiera la masterización de Alex Krull de los Atrocity aporta nada a este CD.


Bliss no son para nada una bienaventuranza para la escena musical europea, así que no hay problema si se quedan en su isla y no vienen al continente en ningún momento; no merecemos que nos aburran unos típicos, angostos, aburridos y pesados británicos.


Si eres un fanático de bandas como Depeche Mode o The Mission (lo que significaría que no tienes ningún sentido musical), probablemente te guste este CD, pero si ese no es tu caso mejor olvidas este álbum y te gastas las 2500 pelas que te costaría en prive; la elección es mucho mejor, créeme.


			


	


			
				


	

		
Children of Bodom “Something Wild”

				

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Century Media 


Espoo is a finnish town known because its lake Bodom was the scenario of brutal serial killings during the 70s. But now Espoo will also be known because its lake brings now name to a band with a highly promising future: Children of Bodom.


Children of Bodom is what we would obtain if famous speed metal Stratovarius played a Black/Death style similar to Dark Tranquillity’s. Technically perfect and musically talented, Children of Bodom offers a fine mixture of classical Heavy Metal influences (over all, on the guitarwork, deeply touched by the golden fingers of Yngwie Malmsteen) with the extremity of modern Metal bands though they do not forget to add some different atmospheres (whether be they by adding organs or mediaeval keyboards) to bring colour to the album.


Killer song “Deadnight Warrior” (inluded in the 1997 Spinefarm compilation “Metallito”) opens an album that for 36 minutes (7 + 1 hidden “secret”) shows us that the classic ’80s Heavy Metal runs through their veins (Check their song “The Nail” as evidence: pure Motörhead!!!). Out in February.


 


			


	


			
				


	

		
Ouija “Riding Into The Funeral Paths”

				

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Repulse Records


6/10


Probably you’ve never heard of this brand new band, but it’s a new outfit worth listening to. Being born out of the ashes of Levial, after a promo they recorded in 1997 to be released as a mini CD through a small label that finally never edited it, they signed to well-working Spanish label Repulse Records for the release of this full-length album “Riding Into The Funeral Paths”.


Since its first song, the outbreaking “When The Sun Shall Die” till the bizarre finishing “Holocaust In Heaven”, Ouija drags us through their world of darkness, forests creatures, occult rites and fantasy by their Swedish-styled Black Metal. Their sound is quite similar to Dissection’s; guitars go agile yet not very fast, vocals are blacky and melodyc and though drums sound a bit soft (too soft in my ears), the feeling and atmosphere they create is quite dark and cold, in the typical nordic way. Spoken parts performed behind the guitar-based melodies, military drums rhythms and some other rrangements help to be drown in their world of hate towards the light.


I cannot end this review not speaking about this album’s real jewel, “Unbridled Transylvanian Passion”, a real killer song that would perfectly be able to appear in “Storm of the ligth’s bane”. Other remarkable songs are “Before A Possible Relapse” and “Crossing The Seventh Gate”. Defintely an unexpectedly good surprise.


			


	


			
				


	

		
Vader “Black To The Blind”

				

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Napalm Records


Rating 7/10


Polish well-known band Vader attack again with another dose of what they do best: pure Death Metal. “Black To The Blind” (title taken out from Alistair Crowley’s book “Book Of The Law”) means no novelty for the eastern deathmetallers. It is not worse nor better, it is more or less the same they have always offered the market, as brutal as ever. Here you’ll find a war machine that suffocates you since the beginning with “Heading For Internal Darkness” till the end with “Black To The Blind”. Guitars fly under a hammering drumming. An outrageous sonic massacre that, though lasts less than 30′, leaves you totally devastated. If the nazi army Wehrmacht was to sound like something, that would be called Vader. Peter (v/g), Mauser (g), Shambo (b) and Doc (d/samples) assures us that the eastern deadly blood still burns. As Unleashed says, hail to Poland!


			


	


			
				


	

		
Dismal Euphony – “Autumn Leaves”

				

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Napalm Records


Rating= 7/10


Never before a band’s name meant so much. “Dismal Euphony” announces a quality CD of sad sounds, and that’s exactly what we find on “Autumn Leaves”. Though they are Norwegian, do not expect a dose of cold Black Metal but a brilliant mixture of avantgarde, gothic, doom, metal and classical music styles. The songs are not easy to describe as they are so rich in instrumental differencies (guitars, organs, pianos, keyboards, acoustic guitars…) and changes of style (even industrial as in the beginning of “Splendid Horror” and on the last track) that labelling their music would be as hard as trying to capture a twisting snake. On the lyrics we find main singer Ole’s voice combining with Elin’s female vox. All very talentfully, as they definetely are not cacophonous but really euphonous!!! As an anechdotic point there is the last song, which is supposed to last 4:40 but, when this time is gone, after 3 minutes of complete silence, an acoustic guitar firstly and a piano secondly appear to give finally way to a distortion that makes the song last over a quarter of an hour. Bizarre, huh? Just like “Autumn Leaves” itself…