Reviews by carnage knowledge

This album is often tagged `death metal` though is way more M-E-T-A-L than one might think based on band name, cover and song titles alone; the morbidity of the subject matter (the world being helpless in the face of a zombie outbreak) being largely accountable for that description.

For rabid underground 80s metal fans, musically this one is nigh on heavy metal heaven; think complex Mercyful Fate arrangements, off-kilter Voivod riffing (which effectively adds to the demented and weird atmosphere) as well as Venom`s Cronos who I daresay provided some inspiration vocal wise. First album Slayer would be another another good reference point - NWOBHM-infused & thrashy; sinister sounding but frequently melodic.

Fortunately for a concept album, Deceased head honcho King Fowley is a good story teller as well, though the release does succumb to the failing of that medium - namely there being too many tracks which serve to advance the overall storyline without necessarily being good songs in their own right. When the album is in all out flesh ripping mode - such as on `Night of the Deceased` and `Graphic Repulsion` it is as unstoppable as deadly as the undead monsters Fowley & co revere so much, though for my money the introspective and philosophical parts on `Fearless..` frequently sound ham-fisted and don`t work quite as well.

The other (rotting) bone to pick is that it's so bloody long - 70 minutes is nigh on film length and though it was probably intended to evoke a cinematic quality, (especially with the Romero samples scattered around the album) an hour of morbid metal might just too much for some.

Overall though, if you love zombies and metal half as much as these guys you`d be doing yourself a disservice by not checking this out as it`s a flawed - but happy marriage of the two and second only to the great `Luck of the Corpse` debut in the band`s back catalogue.

The first (and best) of the 2 compilations released under the `First Daze Here` moniker, this excellent set is some of the best Sabbath inspired US metal money can buy.

Metallica meets Dark Angel with King Diamond on guest vocals is how I would describe the vibe of this heavy and slightly quirky sounding late 80s thrash debut from the notorious NRR label. Well above average and more consistent than most releases from the same period, it only loses out on a higher rating due to it`s homogenity and distasteful employment of those high end vocals.

I`ve yet to hear `Apocalyptic Nightmare`, but album number 3 is tighter and more urgent than Necronomicon`s messy debut, `Black Frost` and `Skeletal Remains` (for example) giving the likes of Destruction and Violent Force a run for their money in the second division teutonic thrash stakes (I`m damning with faint praise a bit there).

I`m a sucker for 80s metal artwork, so an extra thumb up for the gnarly front cover, which got me spinning `Escalation` in the first place.

An mcd of leftovers from the `Dol Guldur` era, this 2 track 17 minute curiousity has no vocals proper, just Tolkien soundbites on top of keyboard passages repeated ad nauseum. The decidely cast-off quality material on this ep is toothless, underdeveloped and misses the trance inducing effect of the full lengths by a mile.

A superfluous release in my book.

The generic, indecipherable vocals, mindnumbingly tedious riffing and songs that do next to nothing to distinguish themselves from each other result in what is probably the worst metal release I have ever laid my ears on. On the bright side, it`s only an ep so I didn`t have to endure the boredom for very long.

The best album Celtic Frost never wrote (?) this was a highlight of 99`, a pretty barren year for quality metal. The title track is an absolute killer, and though long-ish and too derivative of Tom Warrior & co at times (ungh.....heyyyy!), (nearly) every other song crushes on this release, with it`s shrieking vocals, colossal riffs and sinister lyrics.

Credit once again to Terrorizer magazine for turning me onto this (largely unheralded) gem; my next stop = their debut.

OK debut from this Californian band of Armenian descent, which spawned the singles `Sugar` and `Spiders`. I looked for reference points whilst trying to pin down this album (tagged `alternative metal`) and found traces of Tool, Slayer, and (most markedly) Faith No More, but SOAD undoubtedly carved their own sound, this being an imaginative and varied effort in it`s own right. In someways I consider this the spiritual successor to `Angel Dust`, due to the off-kilter vibe and schizophrenic vocals, though the lyrics here are more happenstance and lacking the wit of Patton & co.

Serj Tankian is a capable and varied singer, though the `kitchen sink` approach to the vocals wears thin in parts, some of the OTT inflections throughout the album becoming irritating. On the upside, the short running time of each track suits the band down to the ground, considering the haphazard nature of much of the material (check out the stream of consciousness lyrics). Inevitably with 13 tracks on offer some are stronger than others, but there is enough diversity to keep things interesting even amongst the filler. At 40 minutes long, I can`t say the album outstays it`s welcome.

All told, SOAD`s debut is a fine effort, there`s just something insubstantial about the songwriting that stops from me wanting to hear more from the band. In any case it made an interesting diversion from the deluge of thrash, black and death metal cds I`ve been subjecting myself to recently and I daresay is superior to any of the crappy nu-metal outfits these guys find themselves compared to.

These Iron Maiden loving maniacs deliver harsh black metal with melodic flourishes. Recommended debut.

I bought this on the strength of `Rebellion` and ` The Dark of the Sun`, two excellent singles which appeared in video form on a GUN compilation tape I won in a competition through Terrorizer magazine about 12 years back. While these proved to be the album`s standouts, `The Truth` and `Culloden Muir` are powerful tracks that came close to leaving the same impact. Unfortunately, most of the remaining songs on ToW are too plodding or cheesy to get worked up about.

As a concept album about Scottish rebellion, I have no idea how historically accurate the whole thing is, but ToW`s best moments suggest it could have been a very good release given better quality control.

Chris Boltendahl`s unrefined vocals add to the rough charm of the band.