CHURCHBURN- S/T EP

A plodding, doom-soaked journey into the world of the riff awaits on this ep from Dave Suzuki
(Vital Remains) and Ray McCaffrey (Grief).  If you ever thought to yourself what you'd pour
from a blender after combining these two bands, you now have your answer.  Mixing traditional
doom riffage with Suzuki's hellish vocal assault is effective, at times it makes the hair on
your arms stand up.  Just three songs to be had, but it does whet the appetite for more.  A
dark, bleak journey from two very talented dudes.
You can check them out on facebook at facebook.com/churchburndoom, and check it out for yourself
here.

Back...

Resurrecting this corpse, so that I can return to writing about the music that I love.  I've been gone a long time, and am a bit rusty so I will need you to bear with me.  I will also be posting on hellbound.ca soon...

Check one... check....

In keeping with my current plan to stop being so damn lazy when it comes to my writing, I have decided to unearth this blog. Slowly, I will begin adding reviews and interviews will follow that. It feels good to be getting back to my metal roots, and I look forward to providing the 3 of you that read this my views on metal.

NILE- Those Whom The Gods Detest

There are some bands out there you know will not surprise you with a radical stylistic change. Nile is definitely one of them. They're a genre unto themselves, and please don't take this as a sign they are one-dimensional or boring, but the band continues to expand their musical soundscapes while remaining firmly in their realm of Egyptian-themed death metal. Those Whom The Gods Detest is jam packed with ferocious riffing, blast beats and the vibe their unique sound creates. Closing one's eyes, you are transported back in time to the Valley of the Kings, the tracks becoming more than mere songs but hymns to a forgotten past. From the relentless assault of "Permitting the Noble Dead To Descend To The Underworld" to the ominous "Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual In The Abandoned Towers Of Silence", featuring authentic Egyptian instruments and chanting, "Those..." never once takes it's foot off your throat. Nothing groundbreaking here, just one of the US's finest death metal acts with 10 tracks of complex, technical death with something more to offer the listener than tales of blood and gore. The Egyptian themes and top notch musicianship are why Nile continue to be one of the most popular death metal acts more than a decade since their emergence on the scene.

LOST WORLD ORDER offer latest album for free download

Thanks to the folks at Terrorizer for the tip on this, German thrasher Lost World Order are giving you the opportunity to snag their latest album (artwork too) for free here.

ARCH ENEMY- The Root Of All Evil

It was only a matter of time before this band took some of the best tracks of their back catalog and turned current vocalist Angela Gossow loose on them. The problem is, the band itself has altered it's approach to some of these songs, leaving a very hit and miss effort when all is said and done. The opener, Beast Of Man is good, but held up against the original sounds a tad over-produced and certainly lacking the immediacy and aggression of the first take. It's not that Johan Liiva was a better vocalist, it's that the band definitely (to these ears) changed with the addition of Angela, both to accommodate her style and just through natural progression. It's not horrible sounding in the least, but a bit of a step backwards compared with their other albums featuring Gossow. For die-hards, sure... I get this and they will love it no doubt. And the 3 live tracks kick some serious keister (they have the energy that seems to be lacking on the studio cuts). I don't hate the album, but I am glad I got it on sale, let's put it that way.

The worst week to be a metalhead...

In just a matter of days, we as metalheads will mark the passing of 3 very influential figures in the metal scene. Today is the 1 year anniversary of the passing of metal journalist supreme, Adrian Bromley. Known by many as 'the Energizer' or Mister Pink Bunny' for his unending enthusiasm and energy towards all things metal, Adrian left us far too soon, and his presence, not just in the Toronto scene but worldwide through his writing is sorely missed. Both Unrestrained! and Metal Maniacs have folded since his death. I never met the man, though I did exchange a couple emails with him once about him possibly buying some vinyl off me. Never happened, but I was always a great admirer of his writing. The man lived and breathed metal in a manner few ever have. RIP, Adrian.

Tomorrow is even tougher, as it marks the 5 year anniversary of the assassination of Dimebag Darrell Abbott, while performing on stage with Damageplan. I still tear up when I try to comprehend this happening. How could it have happened? 5 years later, we all still search for something that will help it make sense to us. Dime left a musical legacy that few can touch, he truly was an amazing guitarist. Say what you will about Pantera, Dime lived to play and party and he did both very, very well.

Later in the week is the anniversary of the passing of another fallen metal brother, Chuck Schuldiner of Death. More on that when we get closer to the date. Going to take some time to zazz up this blog a bit, get some links to sites way better than mine, etc. It's a work in progress as I basically start from nothing again. But I will say it feels good to be writing again, even if it's for myself.