Kataklysm-Serenity in Fire
(Nuclear Blast/PHD, 2004)

I’ve been a huge fan of Kataklysm for quite some time now. I was somewhat let down by their last full length album and am pleased to say that Serenity in Fire definitely is up to the level of quality I was hoping for. This new album actually shows the bands sound progressing even more. There seems to be a lot more straight forward grooves to be found, and the double time blast beats, while still here, aren’t as prominent as usual.

That’s not to say that this isn’t a fast album, the blast beat that opens the second song is possibly the fastest blast I have ever heard in my life. It’s just that the fast stuff is surrounded by a lot of well-written and memorable slower riffs and some downright infectious vocal patterns. There were actually a few surprising moments that reminded me somewhat of Machine Head. I know what you are thinking Machine Head, aren’t they a nu-metal band? No they aren’t, their debut album was extremely heavy and a few riffs and vocal styles remind me of that album.

This album actually has a much darker and rough sounding production then the last few albums have had. It’s clean and tight, but it has a production that fits the bands sound more then the last few albums have had. It’s easy to hear everything and with the crushing guitar tone the slower riffs really come across. I was somewhat surprised that the drum tone, even though it’s a new drummer, remains fairly consistent with the previous albums. Possibly they used the same triggers or equipment to record, either way it’s a great drum sound that really cuts through the mix.

If you listen to the past three Kataklysm albums back to back you can hear a pretty strong transition. That said this album should have followed Epic: The Poetry of War because it definitely blows away the last album the band released. This album takes everything the band has done in the past and does it better and faster. The grooves and more memorable, the blasting faster, and it’s just a well written album from beginning to end. This is the album that should propel Kataklysm into the death metal elite.

Khold-Morke Gravers Kammer
(Candlelight USA, 2004)

For me, black metal has been really hit or miss lately. It’s a genre polluted with many imitators, and seemingly very few innovators. It’s a time when a genre defining album stands out even more. Enter Khold. Without losing any of my composure, this album is fucking amazing and restores my faith in the black metal genre. If only other bands could write interesting and unique black metal music...

Essentially what makes Khold so impressive is how stripped down they are. They don’t have a big budget production to hide behind, you won’t find layers upon layers of noise to fatten up the sound. What you have is drums, bass, guitars, and vocals. With just those elements, they manage to be more creative then most bands these days. The guitar riffing is very straight forward, and simple. It has a cold feel to it, yet at the same time some of the guitar riffing sounds somewhat rock influenced. It’s almost like evil rock n’ roll. The bass guitar seems to follow the guitar, but will surprise you every now and again by playing an interesting bass lines. The bass guitar tone itself is very full, and when you listen to this album loud, the bottom end really stands out.

From the first snare hit I totally was into the production. For black metal to hear a natural sounding drum kit is very rare these days. During the blasting sections, it’s harder to notice the natural ring to the snare, but during the slower moments it sounds very powerful. While on the subject of blasting, the band does have it’s fair share of fast moments, but for the most part this is surprisingly mid paced. I think that may be why I hear the rock influence that I mentioned earlier.

The production is what really makes this record. It’s a very full and heavy sounding record. If you think all black metal has bumble bee guitar tone, think again. This album has a very heavy guitar tone, and even when the band pays riffs using the higher strings it still sounds very full. Like I mentioned earlier the drums have a very natural sound to them. It’s definitely not a typical sounding black metal record, but damn does it ever sound good!

If you’ve lost faith in black metal, this may just be the album to get you back into it. This is probably the best black metal album to come along since the earlier Mayhem albums. It’s cold, dark, and doesn’t subscribe to any of the scenes trends.

Killaman-s/t
(Displeased/PHD, 2004)

This band features members of Murder Corporation, who supposedly have broken up now I think. Which would be sad, because Murder Corporation was amazing but this band essentially sounds identical. It’s not even that they sound a little bit similar, this is Murder Corporation plain and simple. It’s not a bad thing at all, just wonder what happened and why the name change really.

Describing the music of this band is pretty simple, it’s straight forward death metal with a lot of thrash and punk influences running throughout. You won’t hear a lot of blast beats or overly complicated riffing. Everything is fairly straight forward and to the point. The simplistic nature of the band really works. With the amount of energy the band plays with it doesn’t matter how many notes they are playing, it’s not a contest anyway. These guys have a sense of urgency you just don’t hear in many metal bands.

The production is a little bit rough, but I’m assuming this was probably done on purpose. Everything is clear and the guitar tone is absolutely pummeling. It seems a bit overly distorted at times, but it’s easy to hear what’s going on none the less. The album has a very live sound to it. I’m not sure if the band records live in the studio, but for the amount of energy I hear I couldn’t imagine them doing it any other way.

While I’m definitely a huge fan of this band some of the songs do start to sound the same before the cd is finished spinning. Possibly a bit more variety in the future would go a long way. That said for the debut of a new band this is a damn fine outing of high energy thrash influenced death metal.

King Diamond-The Puppet Master
(Metal Blade, 2003)

I’m not sure if Voodoo is King Diamond’s last album before this one, but this is so much better then that album that it just makes me sick. Don’t take that as me saying I didn’t like Voodoo either. It was an amazing album but if Voodoo was an amazing album this is fucking beyond amazing. It’s into the spectacular range I’d say.

Take everything you’ve come to expect from a King Diamond album and multiply it by ten and you’ll get an idea of how much they really went above and beyond for this album. The creepier sections are even creepier, the heavy parts heavier, and the guitar solos are just flat out amazing. They never cease to amaze me with how much of a creepy atmosphere they can create with just guitars and King’s unique vocal approach. I’ll say that it’s not exactly much of a stretch from what you’ve heard from the band in the past, but they definitely have the style perfected on The Puppet Master.

While I’m definitely a big fan of the guitar mastery the two guitar players show, this is definitely an album where King Diamond’s vocals really shine. The lyrics are well written and tell a very interesting tale. The falsetto vocals we’ve all come to expect from King are still very much intact on this new album. In fact they sound better then they ever have. I also think that the transition between voices is much better done on this album. When he switches styles it just seems right, and doesn’t come abruptly at all.

The production is just awesome. Not sure how else to describe it. If you are playing this album loud, there is enough bass in the guitars to get the subwoofer shaking the neighborhood, yet there is enough clarity that it still sounds amazing at high volumes. I’m also definitely a big fan of the mixing. When there is a lead break, you can still hear the rhythm guitars underneath and the solos don’t take control of the entire mix. It’s just a flat out awesome sounding metal record that needs to be played loud.

If you are a King Diamond fan this is an essential purchase. Even if you have been uninterested in the last few albums that the band has released, I would definitely recommend you pick this up. This is easily one of the best albums they have ever released, and I’m not just talking about in recent years. This is a damn fine album.

Knuckledust-Universal Struggle
(Gangstyle/PHD, 2003)

This album along with a few others that I’ve received recently have totally made me remember how much I love hardcore music. Knuckledust play energetic hardcore that goes straight for the throat. I would say that the music they play is a cross between Hatebreed, Biohazard and Blood For Blood with a little bit of Madball thrown into the mix for good measure. That basically means they play fast hardcore, but there is a lot of slower old school style riffs and shout along gang vocals.

Some people might say this style has been done to death, but in a time when most hardcore bands are trying their hardest to sound like At the Gates it’s great to hear bands sticking to the classic formulas. I don’t mind the genre expanding and evolving, but it seems for every move the scene makes there are 10,000 bands to copy the first 5 or 10 original bands. So what if you can hear the influences, it’s an energetic and enjoyable listen.

I think that this album definitely could have benefited from a beefier guitar tone. The faster riffs which utilize higher chords sound fine, but when the heavier more bassier riffs come in a heavier tone would have done them a lot of good. Overall it’s a pretty strong sounding record though, not much to complain about other then the guitar sound.

If you are into straight forward hardcore you’ll definitely be into Knuckledust. They aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they are damned good at what they do.