V/A-Thrash and Burn: An Irish Tribute to Thrash
(Underground Movement, 2008)

Tributes to thrash are hardly anything new but this is the first fully Irish tribute to thrash metal and despite a few inconsistencies quality wise, it does the genre justice. All of the bands you would expect to be covered are here with Bathory being the only surprise band covered.

The album starts with Mass Extinction covering Kill on Command by Vio-lence and the song just doesn't ever click for some reason. I've heard original material from Mass Extinction and it's quite good, so it surprises me that their cover is lacking. Sol Axis follows with Raise the Dead by Bathory which stays faithful to the original and stands out as one of the best covers on the disc. Reign of Fire puts in a scorching version of Beneath the Remains by Sepultura which is followed by a somewhat lackluster cover of Slayer's Piece by Piece by Warpath. I was a huge fan of the debut album from Warpath but somewhat like the Mass Extinction cover it never quite comes together.

The biggest surprise of the disc if the Sorrowfall cover of Fade to Black by Metallica. Essentially they have turned the song into a black metal song and it just sounds phenomenal. You can still recognize the song but you have never heard Fade to Black quite like this before.

The rest of the disc shows bands playing fairly by the books covers of Death Angel, Testament, DRI, Nuclear Assault, Celtic Frost, Sacred Reich, Kreator and Venom. It would have been nice to see some of the bands pick a few more obscure bands to cover. Some of the covers also could have used a bit more work. That said though this is a solid tribute to thrash and an ideal starting point to getting into the Ireland underground metal scene.

Misery-On Demon Wings
(Obsidian Records, 2008)

Misery are a band that I am unfortunately only becoming familiar with on what is their final album. Hailing from Australia the band has a stripped down style of death metal that combines elements of doom and black metal to create a unique and decidedly old school sound. The band leaves out all of the bells and whistles and attacks the senses with catchy riffs and brute force.

With death metal becoming an exercise in mediocrity an album like this really stands out. This isn't a band trying to be as fast as humanly possible. They aren't worried about being flashy. The songwriting is just one solid riff after another making the album have much more impact than a band just trying to keep in line with what is typical of modern death metal. The vocals are a powerful roar coating the music with tremendous power matching the doom based riffing perfectly. Guitar leads are fairly common and are in the Slayer style of soloing, meaning lots of whammy bar dives and a fairly noisy approach overall. It matches the style of the band and thankfully it never becomes overused throughout.

If you are a fan of midtempo doom based death metal this is some of the best I have heard since the mid 90's. It's a shame that this is the final album from this band as I would definitely listen to this over 99% of what is being called death metal right now.

The Dead-Self-Titled
(Obsidian Records, 2008)

One thing that always stood out about None So Live to me was the use of slapping on the bass and just the overall bass approach. It was very unique for death metal and few bands have adopted a similar style. Why am I mentioning Cryptopsy in a review for an Australian band, well, because they use a very similar feel on the bass and in a lot of ways sound like a more modern version of Cryptopsy.

Noisy, blistering yet incredibly tight would be a pretty good way to describe The Dead. The sound is somewhere in between death metal, grindcore and funk believe it or not. It's a surprising sound that is refreshing and addicting. The band does an excellent job is showing that death metal can be both musical and dangerous at the same time. Many death metal bands have been upping the technical side of the sound but are sounding sterile as a result. This band manages to be on the technical side of things at times but still remains true to the original intentions of the genre.

If you are a fan of unique death metal this is a band that will make your head spin. Few death metal bands have experimented with rhythms as successfully as this band. There are beats and grooves you have never heard in death metal before and combined with the band erratic rapid fire speed it makes for one hell of a listen.

Astriaal-Renascent Misanthropy
(Obsidian Records, 2008)

Originally released in 2003 this might just be the best black metal album you have never heard. This Australia based black metal band has a blistering melodic style that is surprisingly original in sound. The trademark black metal qualities are here like blast beats, melodic riffing and scorching vocals. Yet the band is a bit more experimental rhythmically and goes a fantastic job breaking up the blasting sections.

Anyone will tell you that a metal band is nothing if they don't have killer riffs. Despite the fact that calling things killer tends to be a bit cheesy it is the perfect way to describe the riffing here. Razor sharp, cold and undeniably catchy, the riffing is similar in nature to Mayhem, Emperor and Satyricon but never mimics any completely. Hints of Dissection are also present from time to time. But like I mentioned earlier the band is actually quite unique while having a sound that is easily associated with black metal genre.

It's a shame that it sometimes takes a re-release before the metal scene discovers a gem like this. Thankfully Obsidian Records has the wisdom to make this album available again as it is solid from beginning to end and for being released 5 years ago is surprisingly similar to modern black metal albums being released right now.

Limb From Limb-Rip Him From His Fucking Throne
(Obsidian Records, 2008)

The only word I can pretty much muster right now is wow. Australia has a long history of pushing the boundaries of death metal and Limb from Limb pushes the extremity of the genre to the breaking point. Ridiculously fast blasting collides with a rhythmic riffing assault and downright bestial vocals. In essence this is what death metal should be.

Few bands live up to their names, but Limb from Limb definitely do just that with this album. The assault is relentless and even the few slower moments are still energetic. While the album is certainly death metal in nature there is a surprising amount of black metal in the riffing and also vocally from time to time. Basically it sounds like a cross between death/grind and the war metal sound common in Australia. One lacking aspect of the album would definitely be the production. The overall sound of the album is muddy and lacking in clarity at times. Some of the lower register riffs are almost lost completely while the higher notes ring through clearly.

Despite the lacking production, this is a bulldozing death metal album that I highly recommend. Fans of everything from Deeds of Flesh to Origin to possibly even Texas death metal will find this enjoyable. This is an 8 song beating that you won't soon forget.

Rockwood-You Worship Shit
(Obsidian Records, 2008)

Metal albums have always had the knack for being incredibly catchy and simple. The type of album name that you never forget. You can now add Your Worship Shit to a long list of album names that simply put, kick ass. Thankfully Rockwood has the musical ability to back up an album name like that.

While part of me wants to call what Rockwood play black metal, it doesn't really sit well with me. It is most definitely black metal in nature, but there are doom elements, some surprising mellow moments and a shredding approach to lead guitar that is almost unheard in black metal. What makes the album tick so to speak is the fact that the band never falls into the trappings of only one style of black metal. You have the ultra raw parts, the more layered sections reminiscent of modern black metal as well as parts that are similar in nature to Celtic Frost. The band basically taps every facet of the black metal genre and as a result never becomes one dimensional.

If you are a fan of black metal but find the genre lacking in diversity, this is a band that definitely takes the genre in multiple directions. While Rockwood probably doesn't give a fuck if you like them or not, this is definitely one of the best black metal albums to be released in 2008 and all fans of the genre need to hear this album.

'Neath-The Spiders Sleep
(Obsidian Records, 2008)

There aren't many bands that are truly deserving of being called progressive death metal. Of course you have Alchemist and Pestilence who could be considered the pioneers with Opeth being the current leader of the genre. You may have never heard 'Neath before but if there is any justice in the world this is a band that should not be an unknown band.

Similar in nature to Opeth with possible shades of Edge of Sanity and many of the artists of The End Records, 'Neath is a band that plays a varied style of metal that ranges from the extreme to the extremely mellow. The albums 5 songs clock in at just over 37 minutes so you know you aren't in for simplicity. That said though, despite the progressive edge to the music, the songwriting itself is still quite catchy. The band also keeps things very tasteful. This may be progressive but the band never feels flashy or overbearing. Much like Opeth they really know how to let the songs breathe.

This is a stunning debut album that deserves to be heard. Fans of Opeth, Katatonia, Edge of Sanity and many of the bands on The End Records should easily be able to get into this album. The Spiders Sleep comes highly recommended.