Decrypt-Holy Erotic Rapture
(Forever Underground, 2003)

It’s nice going into albums having no idea what to expect. Your opinion will be based on the first notes, not what you’ve heard already. That said, Decrypt is fucking amazing! The first notes damn near ripped my head clear off. It’s been days since my first listen to this album and I’m still reeling.

I think it would be safe to call Decrypt a grindcore band. If I had to really sell the band short you could say they sound like a cross between Nasum and Macabre, with more then a hint of Cryptopsy thrown in for good measure. In other words, it’s crazy, all over the place, yet still very much memorable and well written. Sure, they blast as much as any bands, but it’s clear just as much thought went into the blasting riffs as went into the slower riffs that you can actually follow. The guitar riffs are where I hear the most Cryptopsy. There is a lot more going on then the average grindcore song. These aren’t three or four riff songs that are over in less then a minute. They actually have a bit more substance then that. Vocally is where I think the Nasum influence comes into play. The lower vocals remind me of Lord Worm, but the higher vocals totally remind me of the higher vocals in Nasum. So, like I said, they are fast, and extreme, but the music is well written and pretty damn original over all.

I really couldn’t complain about the production much at all. It’s loud and heavy and allows everything to be heard. I’m also impressed with how tight they managed to keep everything. A lot of bands seem to leave in mistakes, but from I can hear they don’t seem to drop any beats or notes. The only complaint that I could really think of is that it’s sometimes hard to hear the bass guitar. The guitar sound itself is so monstrous that it doesn’t leave much room for the bass. It doesn’t necessarily hurt the overall production though, just would have loved to heard a distorted bass cutting through the mix a little bit.

This is easily one of the best cds I’ve heard from an extreme band that I’ve heard in quite sometime. In a time when clones seem to be mainly what the scene in producing it’s awesome to see a band doing something unique having a record out there. If you are a fan of death/grind, this is one for you.

Diamond-Eyed Princess-Pagan Rite
(Aura Mystique, 2003)

I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't especially impressed with the band name. I guess it's a bit different then the norm, but still. After an entirly misleading opening intro of clean guitars and chanting vocals, the second song erupts into harsh black metal. It's been done hundreds of times before, and these guys definitely aren't bringing anything new to the genre. Is it still worth listening to? If you can't get enough harsh, and blasting black metal, then I guess it is. These guys definitely write strong riffs and play with enough urgency that you can't help but pay attention.

I'm not entirely sure but I think these guys use a drum machine. The drumming is incredibly precise, but due to the somewhat lacking production it's somewhat tough to tell if it is a drum machine or not.

Like I said earlier, these guys aren't doing anything new, but if you are into harsh black metal you'll probably want to give this a listen.

Dave Brockie Experience-Songs for the Wrong
(Metal Blade, 2003)

It's not every very often that you hear an album that's just downright fun to listen to. But this new album from DBE will have your sides splitting and you grinning from ear to ear from start to finish. It's surprising to because a lot of funny bands have terrible music, but DBE's music is extremely upbeat and catchy. The lyrics are of course retarded, but the music is great, energetic and rocking.

For those sensitive few out there that have a hard time taking jokes, you may want to stay as far away from this as possible. With song names like Hard for a 'Tard, and Should the Ugly Girl Blow Me? you aren't in for very PC friendly ditties. You aren't supposed to take it seriously. If you can't laugh at this album, you definitely need to lighten up a little bit. Repeat after me, it's just music.

Yea, it's funny. Yea, it's retarded. But even more importantly it's a damn good album that will have you rocking out as well as laughing your ass off. The raw punk energy that the band plays with makes the music just as exciting as the lyrics.

Darkest Hour-Hidden Hands of the Sadist Nation
(Victory, 2003)

I was pleasently surprised by So Sedated, So Secure, but Darkest Hour are coming into their prime and Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation leaves that album in the dust. This basically takes everything that we've come to expect from Darkest Hour mutliplies it by 10 and leaves you trying to find just exactly where your head flew once the album started playing.

Saying this is a high octane album doesn't even start to explain the intensity the band plays with on this album. They are faster then ever, and the slower parts are much more powerful. The songwriting has improved in leaps and bounds. It happens a lot in music where bands progress slowly, but these guys have come a long way in a fairly short amount of time. For the unitiated Darkest Hour plays high energy metal that owes a lot to the Swedish underground. You could almost say the band is a hardcore band, sure they don't really sound like it, but the attitude and vigour they play with is rarely seen in the metal scene.

One of the biggest surprises I found on this new album was that the band was using blast beats. It just adds so much more intensity to the band that it's ridiculous. Even more ridiculous when you consider that the band is already one of the most viciously energetic bands you will ever hear. If you go into this expecting a hardcore album you will definitely be let down. More so then anything the band has ever done, this is a 100% metal album.

The main thing that makes this album stand out from their previous albums is the amazing production. The band traveled all of the way to Sweden to record with Fredrik Nordstrom at Studio Fredman. Let me tell you, it was definitely worth the trip. This may just be one of the best sounding metal albums I have ever heard from an underground US band. Hell, this may just be the best metal album recorded by an American band I've heard in years. These guys have the Swedish style down better then the Swedes themselves. Darkest Hour are battering out songs with more pissed off agression then we've heard from Sweden in a long time.

If you are a fan of Darkest Hour chances are you already went out and picked this up. If you are, for some reason, waiting to check out this album smarten up. This is easily one of the best metal albums I have ever heard, and it shouldn't be taken for granted.

The Deal-Cutthroat
(Facedown, 2004)

This band totally takes me back to the days when I was first getting into punk music. The music was fast, fun and totally energetic. You don’t really hear many straight forward punk bands anymore and while this does combine a few genres, it reeks of the old school and has more in common with the 80’s then it does with the current scene.

The Deal’s sound could basically be summed up as a cross between punk rock, hardcore, oi, and rock n’ roll. Anything within the parameters of those genres works for the band. You have more mid-tempo songs with more of a rock or oi feel, while other songs kick up the tempo and remind me of early hardcore. Some of the more melodic sections remind me a bit of H20, but even that band was more of a throwback to the old school albeit mixed with some modern influences. I also hear a little bit of Sick of It All in a few parts as well. The Deal isn’t as heavy as NYHC, but they draw a bit of influence from it from time to time I’d say. This one I’d say would definitely appeal to fans of H20, Sick of It All, and Overthrow.

One of the main reasons I would recommend this band is the diversity. Within the sub genres of punk it’s hard to find a band that remains fresh from song to song. Most bands find a formula and stick with that for the entire duration of the album, but these guys pretty much change from song to song. It still has a unifying thread from track to track, but it would hard to say that this wasn’t a varied album.

I’m a huge fan of the production here. It has a raw, live sound but still sounds tight. The vocal performance is really brought out by the production. I would almost say that the vocals are a bit too out front at times. It doesn’t detract from the music, but I think the guitars could have been a bit louder though. Speaking of the guitars, I love the guitar sound. It’s powerful, yet isn’t overly distorted. Obviously these guys aren’t the heaviest band around, so they don’t need an incredibly monstrous guitar sound. This is the type of production more bands need to strive for. Full of energy yet, still tight and powerful.

While you could say this is more old school influence calling them just another old school band would be cutting them short. They do have some melodies and the vocal approach is a bit more modern. If a combination of punk, hardcore, oi, and rock sounds appealing to you, The Deal will probably be your new favorite band.

Death By Stereo-Into the Valley of Death
(Epitaph, 2003)


Death by Stereo are back with 13 tracks of heavy and pissed off hardcore punk. If you thought you knew what to expect, you really don't. This is the heaviest Death By Stereo have ever been. There is even some Swedish death metal style melodies and riffing. It's an awesome combination, hardcore mixed with skate mixed with a bit of thrash. It works and makes Death By Stereo an unique and original killing machine.

With a lot of albums these days they aren't good from beginning to end. They always seem to fall apart half way through. This album doesn't. From start to finish it destroys. The songs are well structured, catchy, and much more complicated at times then most punk rock songs. These gutarists know what they are doing and aren't afraid to show it. Another thing that band has going for it is the very interesting and unique vocal approach. The singer does scream a great deal of the time, but he also has a few more tricks up his sleeves. His clean singing voice is very unique, and once you get used to it, it really suits the music.

This album has a heavy, yet very live sounding production. They definitely took the time to get it sounding right and there is an incredible amount of energy to be found on the record. I'm assuming this may have had to do with the band recording the album themselves. It had to be a more relaxing enviroment.

This is an awesome hardcore release that deserves to be heard. This is definitely one of the best albums I have heard in a long time.

Deeds of Flesh-Reduced to Ashes
(Unique Leader/PHD, 2003)


Deeds of Flesh are back and while they really don't sound much different, they definitely are better then ever. This is definitely the best album the band has released so far, and it also has the best production the band has had so far as well. The bands style is basically blistering death/grind that never lets up. They are definitely Suffocation-like, but even more crazy and blast filled. This band has enough blasting to break even the strongest necks in the underground.

While I definitely enjoy the bands fast moments, they have great slower riffs as well. They do a lot to break up the almost constant blur this band travels at. Another thing that remains unchanged with the bands style is the energetic dual vocal assualt. The band usually uses a growl but they also use an ear piercing shriek from time to time as well. I'd say the band is a bit more melodic on this album, but still just as technical. Don't think Swedish melodic, just a bit more melody in some of the craziness. I do like the fact that this band is all over the place, but they possibly could be a bit catchier. Then again I really respect them for not using the typical song structuring that we are so used to hear.

I'd say that this album has a very clean production. I think the guitars could have been a bit heavier, but they are still very heavy. The guitars are very clean though and every little nuance in the riffs rings through clearly. The drums are easily heard as well, which is a good thing 'cause you'll be hearing that snare drum quite a bit.

Deeds of Flesh have been around for a long time and I've been a fan since Trading Pieces. They're definitely still on the right path, and haven't strayed even slightly over the years. I'd say that this is the bands best album so far, and this will please all death/grind fans.

Defecation-Intention Surpassed
(Nuclear Blast/PHD, 2003)

I have to admit that I don't really keep up to date with Nuclear Blast these days, but I was extremely happy to see that Mitch from Napalm Death took the time to write and record another Defecation record. Simply stated, this is a balls to the walls death/grind album that runs circles around most of the stuff you hear these days.

It's of little surprise that this sounds like classic Napalm Death. The main differences? You hear odd industrial touches throughout the entire album, and the vocals are much more high then what you'd hear in Napalm Death. You can expect mass amounts of blast beats and hardcore punk tempos, followed by some of the catchiest breakdown riffs I have ever heard. The only thing that makes me think this wasn't recorded in 1990 was the production, which is basically the only thing that ties this album in with the current state of death metal.

Like I said this has a very modern sounding production. I wouldn't say it's overproduced though. It's a fairly simple production, it just sounds amazing though. I'm fairly certain that they used a drum machine, but it sounds pretty convincing and doesn't take away from the music. They at least took the time to make sure that it sounds like a drum kit. Too many grindcore bands with drum machines use kits that sound like rap drumkits and it just doesn't sound right.

It's actually a bit disappointing that this album came from a member of Napalm Death. If he still feels the need to play music this raging and heavy why wouldn't he use Napalm Death as the outlet for it? I'm still a fan of new Napalm Death, but this is more along the lines of what I'd like to hear from the band. This one is definitely for fans of Napalm Death and Terrorizer, and of course those of you that liked the first Defecation album.

deftones-s/t
(Maverick, 2003)

It's pretty amazing to see how far The Deftones have come since they first entered into the extreme music scene. With this new album, I'm honestly still surprised by the fact that these guys are still on a major label. The songwriting is stellar, but the route the band has gone with their new material would make the average music listener just scratch their head and probably hit stop. I think they have come leaps and bounds from the earlier stuff.

I'm not sure if I'm crazy, but I think this album sounds like a heavier version of Hum. They have the same spacey guitars, and a very effective use of droning. Sure, it still sounds like the Deftones, and you can expect some of the standard Deftones stuff. Chino still sounds like Chino, and really puts in a strong vocal performance. I was surprised by how little screaming there was, but his clean singing has a very somber hopeless feel to it and it fits the sound of this record perfectly.

Quite possibly my favorite thing about this album is the production. You can tell that they recorded with a fairly large budget, and it does sound amazing, yet at the same time it's still has a rough live sound to it at times. The guitar sound is so thick at times that it's sickening. I don't think you could go any other route with the riffs in this band though, a weak guitar sound would just kill the momentum they create with some of the simple yet driving riffs.

A lot of people have been saying that this is a very predictable album, but I'm not very familar with the bands entire catalog so I couldn't really say. I think a lot of people may dismiss this band as just another mall metal band. Sure, they came out at the same time as the big explosion but these guys have come so far that they have left the other bands spinning in their own stagnant tracks.

Defyance-Transitional Forms
(Nightmare, 2003)


If there is one musical genre that is becoming stagnant it has to be power metal. I know there are true fans of the music that probably look past the fact that almost every band sound indentical but I sometimes have trouble doing that. I love Helloween, and Iron Maiden, but why on earth would I want to listen to countless bands trying to imitate these two bands and do a bad job of it? It's like most of these bands just steal the riffs from these two bands, wear tight pants, add some sweep picking masturbation, then top it with bad vocals and try to call it something new. I'm not fooled, and anyone else with a brain wouldn't be either.

Derketa-Goddess of Death
(Necroharmonic, 2004)

In a time when death metal seems to be all too worried about being as extreme and technical as possible, it’s nice to go back and hear some older bands playing primitive and raw death metal. I’m definitely a fan of newer bands, but to be honest, I don’t think it gets much better then early 90’s to mid 90’s death metal. A band from that time period that you’ve probably never heard of is Derketa, an all female death metal band.

Although a bit primitive, Derketa played doomy death metal with some of the sickest vocals ever put to tape. You hear more then a few nods to Black Sabbath, but they had some fairly unique ideas as well. When the band kicked up the tempo it was too around a thrashy tempo, and not much faster. This was before blast beats were used in many styles other then grindcore though. You could say that they were a pretty meat and potatoes metal band, but that is fine by me. They knew what they wanted to do and didn’t stray from that.

What you’ll find on this cd is the bands demo from 1991, tracks from the Begotten Son 7”, tracks from the Premature Burial, rehearsal tracks from 1989, and a few newer tracks for 2002. A grand total of 11 tracks. Surprisingly the newer tracks sound pretty much identical to the early stuff. The only different is possibly that the band is a bit tighter now. I guess they really were playing music that came naturally, otherwise I’m sure the sound would have changed over the years.

I would have liked to see a few more photos in the booklet, but that’s a small complaint as there is lots included. You’ll find all of the lyrics, the covers to all of the releases, a history of Derketa, and a few photos of the band. Fans of the band will definitely find everything in the booklet to be an added bonus. For those new to the band, you get the chance to catch up.

I’m sure this band was overlooked in it’s time. So any fans of primitive and doom influenced death metal owe it to themselves to track down a copy of this release. If you are like me and can’t get enough 90’s death metal, this is a mandatory purchase.

Descendents-Cool to Be You
(Fat Wreck Chords, 2004)

This is one of those albums that grows on you like a sponge. The first listen is good, but it’s not until the third or fourth that you realize how catchy and well written this album really is. You can’t really expect anything new, it does sound like The Descendents. You aren’t expecting these guys to go metal or anything are you? They sure as hell aren’t going to turn into an emo band either. It’s straight ahead catchy and very upbeat punk rock, and that’s it.

Musically this band has always been excellent, but I’ve always been a bigger fan of the lyrics. This album is no exception. Lyrics are tongue in cheek, funny and actually have a point underneath all of the humor, sometimes. I think the track “Merican is the stand out lyrically on here. I think it’s especially nice to hear a US band questioning things. Sure, it’s written from a humorous point of view, but it works.

The music is pretty much nothing new, but that works for me. You can expect simple power chord driven guitar riffs, the odd melodic guitar lead, and excellent walking bass lines at times. Honestly, I’ve never seen a huge difference between the music of The Descendents and All. After all, it’s the same people. I guess All is a bit more serious at times, but the bands are still pretty damn similar if you ask me.

I’m not a huge fan of the layout on this thing. I know it’s not that important, but it’s just a bit too overly simple for me. Then again it’s got Milo right there on the front, so there is no mistaking that this is indeed a Descendents record. Still, I would have liked maybe something a bit more exciting within the actual booklet. Anyone else ever notice that Milo kind of looks liek Hank Hill?

You just don’t hear enough bands playing music like this these days. It seems like every band now is crying or playing metal. It’s nice to see a band just playing straight ahead punk rock that doesn’t pay attention to the current trends. Not that I would have expected anything less from one of the best bands the genre has ever housed.

Despise-Confinement in Decrepitude
(Independent, 2002)

This is a fairly old promo cd, but man, this fucking rips and all fans of guttural and blasting death metal need to know about this band. They definitely wear their influences on their sleeves, you can hear Suffocation, Dying Fetus, Cryptopsy, and hints of much more. But it’s how all of the influences come together that make this band amazing.

The bands style utilizes a lot of slower groove riffs which gives the bands sound a New York death metal type sound at times. Other times the band is just straight ahead blasting. It’s actual pretty varied, without stepping too far outside of the death/grind box. The obvious exception is the techno remix song that they added to the end of this. Why they did this I’m not quite sure, it’s very out of place.

The only problem I really have with this band is the use of a drum machine. Yet at the same time it is very well programmed and you could mistake it for a triggered drum kit quite easily. It doesn’t sound anything like Mortician though. I’m a huge fan of Mortician, but it’s always been fairly obvious that they use a drum machine.

Fans of groovy and blasting death metal, this one is for you!

Destroying Divinity-Created
(Grodhaisn, 2002)

The first thing I noticed that for being a band that is very underground this album has amazing packaging and artwork. The music also impressed me quite a bit, which isn’t surprising because this band is from the Czech Republic and every band coming out of their seems to be amazing.

I’d say these guys are fairly typical sounding death metal. They have hints of Morbid Angel and Immolation, but they do have some fairly unique ideas running throughout their music. Every once in awhile a riff will come in and it’ll have you thinking that’s a bit different. It’s still very heavy, but it adds a lot to the music. I also hear a bit of black metal at times. To sum up this band I’d say, tight death metal with a hint of black metal and a knack for writing memorable riffs.

The production fits the style of music perfectly and even when things get hectic it still stays together. You might lose sight of the snare for a split second, but it definitely doesn’t hurt the band at all.

If you are a fan of death metal, check these guys out!

Dismember-Where Ironcrosses Grow
(Candlelight USA, 2004)

I guess it’s been awhile since a new Dismember album has seen the light of day. If I’m not mistaken Death Metal was their last album. Remember the days when Swedish death metal was fast, blistering and trash influenced? Well, Dismember does and still utilize this formula. They keep things simple and to the point on this album and create a raucous and vicious album that recalls the early days of their career.

Everything that made Dismember amazing in the past is present here. The roaring vocals, melodic yet still gritty guitar riffs, and the straight forward thrash influenced drumming. The band was I think trying too hard to revisit the old days with Hate Campaign, and Death Metal. This album sounds more natural to my ears. It sounds like this is the style they have meant to play, and things flow much more. There are even a few songs more similar to the slower moments in the bands catalog. The third song brings to mind Massive Killing Capacity, with the slower tempos and almost doom influenced riffing at times.

The only real difference between this album and the older material is a much cleaner production. It isn’t overproduced though. I found the albums that the band released on Nuclear Blast, to be a bit too overproduced, especially for Dismember. You have to have the gritty, and dirty guitar sound. It’s not as overwhelming as the older stuff, the guitar tone is a bit smoother, but it definitely has the same feel to it.

If you are a fan of old school death metal, and the early albums of Dismember, you’ll definitely want to check this out! It’s definitely a return to form for Dismember, and one of the best Swedish death metal albums to come along in a long time.

Down to Nothing-Save It For the Birds
(Thorp, 2003)

Fans of Reach the Sky, What Happens Next, and Comeback Kid now have a new favorite band. Down To Nothing play upbeat energetic and very melodic hardcore punk music. You can rest assured that you won't hear any Slayer influenced riffs on here. They leave the tough guy chugging for the tough guys, and just play straight from the heart hardcore. They do have heavier moments, but they are more akin to classic NYHC style breakdowns then the new school of hardcore.

For me, hardcore is best when it's fast. These guys have blaze away at some crazy fast tempos, yet still keep things together and tight. It doesn't ever get into blast beat territory, 'cause after all this is hardcore punk, it isn't grindcore. Speed freaks will definitely be able to get into this. The slower riffs are just as good as the fast ones though. They are incredibly catchy, which mixed with some great vocal lines will have you singing along for days.

I was happy to see that the vocalist doesn't really destroy his throat overtop of the songs. He basically just shouts, and even then, he's not really pushing his vocal chords to any extreme. It's easy to hear the lyrics and the vocal style fits the music perfectly. The style reminds me quite a bit of the singer from What Happens Next actually.

From beginning to end this is an energetic and throat grabbing romp. The band plays the type of music that you just know would be incredibly fun in a live setting. You can picture the sing alongs and wild mosh pits. The band plays with an intensity that is seen in few hardcore punk bands these days.

Dr. Shrinker-Grotesque Wedding
(Necroharmonic, 2004)

Wow! I’m a sucker for older death metal, especially the horror influenced bands. I’ll be honest, I’ve never even heard of Dr. Shrinker before, but damn do these guys rock! It’s somewhere along the lines of Impetigo, but possibly with a bit more of a thrash approach. It’s actually not far off from some of the current goregrind. I especially hear similarities between this band and Haemmorhage. You can expect harsh vocals, simple drumming, and heavy yet still somewhat simple almost punky guitar playing.

Seeing as though this was recorded in 1989 it doesn’t have the greatest sound quality, but you can still hear exactly what is going on. I can’t even believe that this was recorded in 1989, it’s totally ahead of it’s time. Like I said it has a lot in common with modern goregrind, the main different being that there is no blasting. When this band plays fast, it’s more along the lines of thrash or hardcore punk. It adds a lot of energy to the bands sound and really gives them an original edge. It’s amazing how due to one reason or another some bands just never get their name around the scene. It takes 15 years before someone discovers it and brings it out on cd.

What you’ll find on this cd is pretty much everything the band has recorded. The first 12 songs are the Grotesque Wedding album that, like I said before, was recorded in 1989. Also included are two songs recorded in 1990, as well as the bands demo from 1988. The two new tracks show the band going into a more technical and more thought out approach if you will. While the demo really shows off a more primitive side of the band. Even for a demo these tracks are horrible sounding, yet you can hear elements of the Grotesque Wedding album and from a songwriting point of view the demo is pretty good. It just sounds horrible!

Just like the Autopsy booklet, the label put a lot of effort into this booklet as well. You’ll find all of the lyrics, pictures of the band, horror movie photos and tons more. Also included is a little write up about the band by one of the former members giving you info on all of the material included. If you were familiar with the band, you’ll appreciate all of the photos of the band, as I’m sure most weren’t readily available in the past.

With so much crap polluting the current scene I’m glad to see a label going back in time and bringing out releases by bands that were overlooked when they were originally around. Fans of goregrind and horror influenced music, need to check out this band!