Reviews by carnage knowledge

Blu-Ray box set received as a birthday present. My rating (out of *****) for each self-contained episode:

Witching Time ***
The Thirteenth Reunion ****
Rude Awakening ***
Growing Pains **
The House That Bled to Death ****
Charlie Boy ***
The Silent Scream *****
Children of the Full Moon ****

Carpathian Eagle ***

Guardian of the Abyss ***

Visitor from the Grave ***

The Mark of Satan *

The Two Faces of Evil ***

If Metallica were from here in the UK instead of California, were devout Christians and bereft of songwriting chops, this might be the result.

Its not offensively bad, just boring, and does little to dispel the notion that 90s thrash was largely redundant.

Sweden's answer to 'A Blaze in the Northern Sky', replete with references to eternal winters, pagans, swords, cold winds and...blazes ruling the sky. Makes for a derivative yet solid and enjoyable listen.

Fun EP released on the back of the underrated 80s film of the same name. Like the movie, the first 4 tracks are vibrant and undemanding, and show the clown princes of punk's knack for catchy songwriting.

The last song is a cover of a rockabilly track that appeared on The Jetsons(?). It's a komplete and krappy waste of time, but you should check out this 'killer' release anyway, especially if you enjoyed the film.

Swedes second album including Anders `Blakkheim` Nystrom (Opeth, Diabolical Masquerade, Bewitched) is often considered the band`s best, though I`ve as yet only heard this one, reissued with `Sounds of Decay` as bonus (an EP`s worth of material released shortly after `Brave...` in the same vein, though not quite as strong).

`Beautifully flawed` is how seen this album described and it`s a pretty apt way of summing up my feeling towards it. The `sixth form poetry` lyrics as well as the occasional lapses in grammar and phrasing are likely attributable to the band`s young age at the time of release, as well as English not being their first language. These flaws give the album a naive charm, however, rather than severely hindering any of the 6 tracks. The musicianship is exemplary, as is standard with Swedish bands of this ilk, and the mature arrangements belie the band`s tender years.

`Brave Murder Day` was in the unenviable position of being released in the same year as releases such as `Aenima` and `Through Silver in Blood` and was overshadowed somewhat in the context of those more influential rock/metal releases. The album is tagged `melodic death` `doom`, and even `goth` but to my mind is actually an elegant mix of all these styles. It may not get the same play-time as the aforementioned albums, or even other 90s `death metal` standards in my household, but it`s introspective vibe, unique atmosphere and well crafted songs make it stand out, and is a release I`d be remiss in not recommending.

`Painkiller` is a milestone album for a seminal band, albeit one that has endured recurring criticism in the 20+ years since it`s release, much of it warranted. Firstly, this is a frequently cheesy album, one scan of the liner notes showing that it's not above shooting for the lowest common denominator lyrically, the `lightning in the dark/with a burning heart ` couplet being an obvious example; the band even stooping to `fire/desire` (groan) at one point - and these are not isolated among the 10 tracks. The infusion of `thrash` into the band`s sound resulted in `Painkiller` being the band`s heaviest release to date, though to many it was a contrived shift which attempted to chase some of the popularity and cred of bands like Slayer and Metallica. Indeed, the aesthetic the band adopt on `Painkiller` sounds rather self conscious in the context of the metal releases that preceded it, and perhaps the harshest comment I can make is that despite being released over a decade later, it hasn`t aged as well as the likes of `Stained Class` and `Sad Wings of Destiny`.

The good news is that `Painkiller` encapsulates much of why this band is held in such high esteem and has many of the hallmarks of a great Judas Priest album; Rob Halford`s soaring (and searing) vocals, the formidable Tipton/Downing axe-work, and not least Scott Travis, who is a force of nature behind the drums. There is a very good argument to be made for the line-up on `Painkiller` being the most talented the band has ever had.

The songs themselves are a tasty crop with only a few bad seeds. `Between the Hammer and the Anvil` and the blistering title-track are testament to what bloody good songwriters Halford & co are when they put the mind to it, while `Nightcrawler`, `All Guns Blazing`, and `Metal Meltdown` stay on the right side of things - these songs being cheese - albeit `tasty` cheese. I`ll forgive `A Touch of Evil` for nostalgic reasons, though `Leather Rebel` and `One Shot at Glory` are crimes against HM and best avoided lest the good name of this band be sullied. Overall, the quality-to-dreck ratio is a vast improvement over the 2 albums which immediately preceded it, which admittedly isn`t saying much.

`Painkiller` is not the greatest heavy metal album ever, nor is it even the best from Judas Priest, though many would argue with both these sentiments. To my mind it is an enjoyable but slightly hollow release from a band versatile and talented enough to produce quality music whatever path they choose to tread (and the band has changed stylistically several times since it`s inception). Sadly it was downhill after this.

Though never top tier, these Texans tech-thrash debut `Energetic Disassembly` was an enjoyable mix of Slayer-meets-Rush aesthetics, hysterical vocals and memorable songs which, while far fetched, covered themes having resonance in the current state of world affairs (war, oppression, nuclear meltdown).

The social commentary is upped on their second album; Chernobyl, criminal propensity and maintaining social order some of the subjects covered. The perceived shift toward a more `mature` approach enamoured many with the band, some claiming it superior to the debut. Truth is, I was never convinced by `Control & Resistance`, and rediscovering it years later brought back the bugbears I had when I first heard it; namely the pompous lyrics, the dearth of flair and energy and - with the exception of the title-track - the widdly and awkward arrangements. It`s almost as if the band were content to let the themes and commentary themselves do all the talking, rather than making an effort to craft some really good songs.

When a band as promising as Watchtower creates an album as mediocre as `Control and Resistance` it can only be considered a disappointment. I would point anyone interested in hearing this band to the aforementioned debut, as this superfluous sophomore release is destined to go in one ear and out the other.

Sounding like the musical account of an estranged voice stranded in Hell with the devil`s own choir, this album eschews conventional song structures and follows it`s own left hand path, the shouted vocals relaying themes of fire, blood, snakes and the underworld atop some very infernal sounding blackened death metal.

Standout for me would be the stark centerpiece `Circle of Elements` but the whole album is jarring, in a good way, and it`s a stretch to put into words just how malevolent this is. Alchemyst aren`t a band that strive to sound evil - they just DO.

That said, `Nekromanteion` isn`t for everyone, and due to it`s inaccessability (even in extreme metal terms) even those who DO jibe with this will probably find themselves playing it sparingly. Those with the inclination and patience to look past the murky exterior, however, will likely find a diabolical gem beneath.

This is a well played and atmospheric symphonic release with each of the 7 tracks having enough drive and fury to stop them sounding trite. It may lack the lyrical flair of Emperor (the most obvious comparison) and the Gollum-like vocals are definitely not to my taste, but the excellent musicianship largely masks these deficits and the album is a good stab at evoking the the trance inducing qualities akin to `Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk`.

A safe bet for aficionados of symphonic black metal.

Perhaps the biggest challenge the Texans had to face on this - their fourth album - is that `Pillars of Mercy`is such a brilliant opener it was always going to be a tall order to fulfil the promise of that first track - an `Angel of Death` for black metal. To the band`s credit, they are relentless in that pursuit and there are plenty of gems in the Slayer-with-Ishahn-on-vocals vein here to get get your teeth into - `From Ancient Times`and `Four Crossed Wands` spring to mind, but there is nary a duff track amongst them. As it turns out, Absu leave one of their best songs til last; `Stone of Destiny` is slower and has a more epic feel than the other songs on the album, even adding some high pitched Halford-esque vocals for good measure. Possibly the release`s most interesting aspect is the esoteric lyrical content, the liner notes containing a comprehensive lexicon of mythological terms.

Usually I`m not wild about bands who fall under the hybridized `black/thrash` banner as they often lack variation and atmosphere, and while some of that criticism can be applied here, Absu bring enough intelligence and flair to the table to be well above the norm. The band has a long and varied back catalogue which I have yet to check out, so only time will tell whether their other releases are as worthwhile. Regardless, `Tara` is a keeper.