Frozen-Enemy Soil
(Independent, 2006)

I'll admit that from the lackluster name of the band I really wasn't expecting much here, but man was I ever wrong. This is one of the most solid albums I have heard from an unsigned band in a very long time and once this disc circulates I don’t think the band will remain unsigned very long. The only ideal way to describe what Frozen sound like is metal. This is a heavy and interesting album that draws from many different places and has a lot of diversity from track to track. There is a slight progressive edge at times, as well a rhythmic chunk that brings to mind newer Soilwork. There are also hints of thrash from time to time as well as some almost nu-metal passages. The overall sound of the band is quite melodic with a clean vocal style that reaches a snarl from time to time. The vocals are very strong and are quite diverse. The clean vocals are very natural sounding and have an almost rock feel at times with just the right amount of grit. The band uses keyboards to great effect and despite it being the obvious comparison is does remind me a little bit of Children of Bodom. One aspect of the band that really shines are the guitar solos. They have a power metal feel to them at times, but some of the leads also remind me of Symbolic-era Death. The solos are flashy at times and while you can tell that a lot of thought went into them they aren't lacking in terms of feel. For an independent release this is an amazing sounding album. Hell, never mind the fact that this is a self-released album. It sounds as good as any disc you’ll hear from any of the top metal record labels. This is a band with a future and a band that doesn't fall victim to any of the cliches of the scene. Fans of everything from Soilwork to Slipknot will find elements of this band appealing. And just a note for the record labels, instead of signing yet another cliche metalcore band why not sign a band that has something unique to offer?

Brazzaville-East L.A. Breeze
(Vendlus Records, 2007)

I'll be the first to admit that when an album like this crosses my path I really don't have any idea of how to approach the review. Throw me a hardcore album or a death metal album and I've reviewed so many it is almost second nature, throw me something outside of my comfort zone and I'm stumped. This album definitely is from outside of my comfort zone, but damn is this ever a good album. I'm not sure if you would call this pop or just rock music. The band is somewhere in between jangly folk music and introspective rock. The music is mellow with weird instrumentation and each song takes you on a distinct journey. The vocals are definitely one of the main selling points here. The vocals have an almost dreamy quality to them and really add to the ethereal nature of the music. What I really like about the music is that while it is catchy it isn't obvious. There is an airy atmosphere and the catchiness is never shoved down your throat and this is about as far from bouncy as you can get. This is the ideal music for long car rides or bus rides. The lyrics are enough to keep your attention and the music has a relaxing quality. I won't even take a stab at comparing this to anything because in all honesty I have no idea who to compare it to. It has elements that somewhat remind me of Tom Waits, but aside from that I really am not sure. There is a lot to dig through and digest here and it is worth every second spent doing it. This may not be an album that a lot of the people who visit this site would be into, but go into it with an open mind and you'll definitely be rewarded.

Impious-Holy Murder Masquerade
(Metal Blade, 2007)

Impious has consistently released quality metal albums but they have always failed to be a band that really stands out within the melodic death metal genre. It's a damn shame too when you consider this is much better then most of what the genre has to offer these days. Hopefully with this latest album the band will get the recognition they deserve and really make an impact. This album definitely fits in line with what the band has done in the past, but the songwriting might be just a bit catchier with the choruses standing out quite a bit more. The viscous thrash of the previous albums is still present and just as lethal as ever. That said however, the album is quite varied and very rarely are any of the songs fast from beginning to end. There is actually a bit of a rock vibe that comes through from time to time that almost brings to mind Sentenced. These moments aren't extremely common but they definitely do stand out quite a bit. What makes this album so appealing to me is the fact that it seems to go back to a time when Swedish death metal had much more impact. Sure the production is modern sounding, but some of these riffs wouldn't have sounded out of place of Left Hand Path. The band is basically Swedish death metal mixed with a few modern influences and it is a style that really works for the band. The album isn't without a few stumbles, but even those moments only suffer from what could be considered cliched riffs. I wouldn't hold it against the band really though as the inventive and memorable moments definitely outnumber the cliched moments. If you have seen an album by Impious on the shelves before and passed on it, I definitely recommend that you take the time with this album to give the band a chance. This is a viscous and diverse metal album that shows that Swedish death metal still has room for creativity.

Blood Tsunami-Thrash Metal
(Candlelight Records, 2007)

This band definitely leaves nothing to the imagination and the name of the album is right on the money. This is fucking thrash metal, end of story. Forget about bands that sound like The Haunted and say that they are thrash, and forget about Swedish death metal bands that call themselves thrash. This is thrash metal. This album is filled with riffs that would make the boys in Exodus proud to know that their early albums have definitely been an influence. To my ears the band sounds like a cross between Bonded by Blood era Exodus and early Destruction. So that basically means the band is fast with memorable riffs and guitar solos that have more to do with feel then technique. Surprisingly enough I don't really hear any Slayer influence here. They stick more to the melodic side of early thrash albeit possibly a bit more involved at times. The vocals definitely have a more modern feel although they wouldn't have sounded out of place on some of the earlier death metal albums. The main vocal style is a raspy scream while death metal vocals are used to layer certain parts of the songs. I suppose the band could have opted to try for a more vintage vocal style, but I think the vocals pretty much suit the album perfectly and add a vicious layer to the sometimes melodic guitar work. I'll be the first to admit that thrash has always been my favorite subgenre of metal. There is just something special about the fast guitars and almost hardcore or punk sounding drums. This is definitely a band that pays tribute to the best thrash bands the genre has seen and have written quite an album in the process. If you are a thrash fan or enjoyed any of the retro-thrash bands that Necropolis released like Cranium or Guillotine then this is definitely an album that you will want to check out.

Aces & Eights-Mind Your Own Business
(Lost City Industries, 2006)

With a band featuring members of A Perfect Murder and Radical Attack I knew that I was in for a treat with this album and I am definitely not disappointed. The band plays fast and heavy hardcore that hits like a ton of bricks. The band definitely sounds a bit similar to Terror, but in a genre like heavy hardcore I'm really not expecting anything completely new. The vast majority of the album is quite fast, although the band does slow things down with chugging riffs from time to time. There is definitely a metal feel at times, but don't take that the wrong way that this is a metalcore album at all. You won't hear any Swedish riffs or clean vocals here. The songs are also very concise with the vast majority of the songs clocking in at around a minute and a half. There are a few more involved songs that are around three minutes long, but I definitely find myself favoring the short blasts of speed. The longer songs are just as energetic but the tempos are definitely more varied and the band gets to play around more with their Cro-Mags influence with the slower heavier riffs. If you like your hardcore fast and aggressive with burly vocals then this is definitely a band for you. This might not be doing anything new for the genre but it certainly packs quite the punch.

Resection-Zenith
(Unmatched Brutality, 2006)

I definitely was expecting this to be heavy because of the track record of Unmatched Brutality but this album is heavy almost to the point of being ridiculous. The band plays a technical style of death metal full of squeals, blistering riffs and fast, and I do mean fast, drumming. There is the odd part that uses more of a groove, but for the most part this is go for the throat speed. That said I wouldn't say that this is at all typical death metal. The riffs themselves are actually usually quite inventive and rarely seem cliche for the death metal genre. It almost sounds like a much more blistering and blast filled version of newer Napalm Death with much heavier vocals. I'm not going to lie, there are definitely moments when this album will make your head spin and it is actually quite hard to digest at times. This is much more challenging then your average death metal and the extremity level is definitely peaked. I don't think the band could get any faster even if they wanted to. One problem is that this isn't exactly what you would call memorable and each song does sound fairly similar. But I don’t think this is exactly the type of band that you listen to for memorable songwriting, this is all about the extremity and ferocity. I guess that the best way to describe this would be a combination of Napalm Death, Last Days of Humanity and Brodequin. This is definitely for those of you who want to see the level of extremity in death metal taken to its limit.

Heinous Killings-Hung With Barbwire
(Unmatched Brutality, 2006)

There was a time when one man death metal bands were extremely low quality and usually laughable. But with time they have really gained a lot of steam and some are better then full fledged bands. Heinous Killings at the time of this recording was a one man band and while the drum machine does hold the album back a little bit, this is a monstrously heavy album of sick, guttural death metal. You can expect lots of blasting, extremely guttural vocals, and fairly straight forward guitar playing. Because of the straight forward and bulldozing nature of the band I suppose this might fall more into the death/grind category. There is no wasted time on this disc, each song is an exercise in brutality. I'll say right now that if you try to decipher any of these lyrics, the best of luck to you. This is a sick and beyond guttural vocal performance that comes off more like an instrument in itself then an actual vocal performance. I've never heard some of these noises produced by a human being before. The production is quite heavy, but I think a little bit more definition in the guitars would have made the album sound a bit less muddy. You can definitely tell that the album is using a drum machine but I've definitely heard worse. The snare sometimes gets a bit lost in the mix and like a lot of drum machine based albums the bass drums tend to overpower the mix. All fans of sick and twisted death metal and possibly goregrind will be all over this one. If you were a fan of Clean Flesh, you already know what Joe Wolfe's pipes have to offer and you'll definitely want to hear his sickest vocal performance yet. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where the band goes from here as he has put together a full line-up with ex-members of Regurgitation, who were one of my favorite American death metal bands. If you cut your teeth on US death metal, particularly the bands from Ohio, this is right up your alley.

Since the Flood-No Compromise
(Metal Blade, 2007)

I was always under the assumption that Since the Flood were a metalcore band, so I was definitely surprised to hear that the band plays raging metallic hardcore similar to Hatebreed. The band has a chunky rhythmic style with simple guitar riffs and barking vocals. A formula that is similar in nature to Hatebreed, but this is much more pissed off then Hatebreed has sounded in years. A big difference is that the band isn't always trying to be heavy and the fast hardcore riffs have quite a bit of melody to them. It almost comes across like a much heavier Comeback Kid or American Nightmare mixed with Hatebreed and let me tell you I can’t get enough of it. The lyrics do seem a bit typical of the genre at times and while that really isn't a problem there must be more topics to choose from at the end of the day. That said I could definitely see these songs going over well live creating quite a few pileups and sing alongs. You can hear the blood and sweat that went into this album. The band definitely plays with a lot of energy, but it has to be said that this is a strong album but not an original one. You have heard this before and many times. That's not to say that this is a bad album though, because this is an excellent album. You just know what you are getting ahead of time and it fits like an old shoe.

Dying Fetus-War of Attrition
(Relapse Records, 2007)

Dying Fetus has been a favorite of mine for a very long time and they are a band that have consistently impressed despite all of the line-up changes in recent years. This album is chock full of everything that makes Dying Fetus what they are. Whether it is the crushing groove riffs, the blasting, or the guttural vocals, each part is integral to the Dying Fetus sound. While you can trace some of the bands sound to Suffocation, the band definitely has an original sound and a sound that has influenced many bands. While I do enjoy the faster moments on display here, these are easily the best groove riffs the band has ever written. Tremendously heavy doesn't even begin to describe some of these riffs. The trademark burping vocal style is still sounding strong these days and reinforced by a more midrange vocal style. It is easy to see why this band goes over so well with hardcore crowds. Some of these riffs could definitely be considered breakdowns although they aren't anywhere near as simple as the usual breakdown. If you like the quirky sweep picking that has become a staple of Dying Fetus, you'll be happy to know that the album is filled with it. It adds just a little bit of flash to the usually pummeling style of the band. The production is extremely heavy but somewhat disappointing in the drum department. The snare sounds a bit too flimsy and the bass drums don't stand out quite enough in my opinion. You really notice it during the blast beats and some of the more thrash influenced beats. That is really a small complaint as the album still manages to hit like a ton of bricks despite the drum sound. The overall production is very natural sounding too with a very live feel to it. While I don't think an album will ever top Killing on Adrenaline for me personally, this is definitely a benchmark album for the band. It shows that despite line-up changes the band can still release quality albums that live up to the Dying Fetus name.

The County Medical Examiners-Olidous Operettas
(Relapse Records, 2007)

Three of the best albums the metal world has ever seen were the first three Carcass albums. The guys in this band know this as this is a band that can only bee seen as one thing, absolute Carcass worship. This band not only matches the vibe of early Carcass, but has written songs that could have easily appeared of Reek of Putrefaction, or Symphonies of Sickness. The rhythmic riffs, gurgled vocals and reckless abandon of early Carcass are all on display here. Now I know what you are saying, why do we need this album when we could just listen to classic Carcass? That is actually a good question, because after all this does sound exactly like early Carcass. I guess the reason I would say that this is worth listening to is just for the fun factor. It is fun music and maybe this is what Carcass would have sounded like if they didn't throw a big curve ball with Heartwork. The production is suitably old school and sounds quite similar to Symphonies of Sickness. The sound is very natural and a nice change from the usually foundation breaking heaviness of most metal albums these days. If you have followed the goregrind genre you know that the world is filled with Carcass clones. But none do it as good as The County Medical Examiners. They haven't tried to up the extremity or have the most gurgled vocals humanly possible. They have written catchy songs that pay tribute to one of the best bands death metal has ever seen. Don't expect any surprises here, this is pure Carcass worship. When you get right down to it we can stop waiting for a Carcass reunion. Chances are this is much better then what they would come up with anyway. Remember Swansong? I'm still trying to forget!