Karmakanic-Wheel of Life
(Regain, 2004)


Sometimes I receive albums that step outside of what I normally listen to and I become a fan of that style. This cd just leaves me wanted to never take chances ever again. I guess you could call this progressive rock, but it’s very laid back, and quite boring. They are definitely talented, there is no questioning that. But 15 minute songs just don’t sit well with me. It’s like the songs are just the vehicles for the solos, which are quite cool, but the songs themselves are totally uninteresting to me. I’d suggest losing some running time, losing the vocalists, and just write instrumental tracks that allow for wankery of the finest kind. It seems to be what they want to do anyway.

Incantation-Decimate Christendom
(Olympic, 2004)


The last two Incantation albums while good, definitely didn’t take Diabolical Conquest to the next level. This new album takes the feel of that album and takes it to the next level. It’s definitely not as majestic at times, but this is questionably the bands best material to date.

Incantation is one of the few death metal bands that truly created their own niche within the scene. The blasting, sinister melody, guttural vocals and doom riddled atmosphere is what makes this band stand out like a sore thumb. This album is possibly the most intense album yet for the band. The length of the tracks has been cut down a little bit with most songs just being over three minutes, while others are between 5 and 6 minutes in length. It adds a great deal of energy, but fans of the slower sections need not worry. There are more then enough doom sections to make this a classic Incantation album.

This album also marks the debut of John McEntee on vocals. It seems obvious to me that they should have tried this a long time ago. With the problems they have securing a line-up, the guitarist taking over the vocal spot makes a lot of sense. He’s no slouch either. His style is vintage Incantation. Guttural roars that are deep yet very powerful and with a lot of clarity. He also throws some higher register screams into the mix as well.

I think with McEntee taking over vocal duties this starts a new chapter in Incantation’s career. They won’t be held back by member shifts any longer. I’m curious to see where they’ll go with the next album, by then he should be much more comfortable with his vocals and if they manage to top this album, Incantation fans will have another classic to add to their collections.

Final Dawn-Under the Bleeding
(Candlelight USA, 2004)


I had really no idea what to expect from this band. They are from Finland so I was initially expecting melodic death metal, but this is more along the lines of American style thrash mixed with a bit of mid tempo death metal. They definitely have potential, but I find their style tends to drag a little and the blast beats have to go. They are sloppy and just don’t sound natural within the overall slower style of the bands sound. I think the vocals also need a bit of work as well. The style is cool, I like harsh screaming, but it just doesn’t seem to flow very naturally with the style of the band. The grunting sounds even more so out of place. Like I said these guys definitely have potential, but this album is a bit to lackluster for me.

Murder Squad-Ravenous Murderous
(Candlelight USA, 2004)


Members of Entombed and Dismember come together to form a super group of Swedish death metal that is surprisingly un-Swedish sounding. This band just reeks of Autopsy worship. From the sludgy riffs to the sick vocals it all has that vintage vibe that only Autopsy could create. Call it tribute, call it worship, I call it quality metal.

A few tracks do bring in a bit of the classic Swedish sound. The song I Am Eternal is faster and brings to mind vintage Dismember or possibly Carnage, but once again mixed with the Autopsy influence. The cool thing is that Chris Reifert of Autopsy fame also sings, plays guitar and drums on many of the songs. I’m pretty sure that he’s not a full time member of the band, just being more so a guest on the album. But it would be like Kerry King playing on a Hatebreed album. It’s an obvious influence, so it works perfectly.

The production is raw, but manages to stay together. The band isn’t all about being incredibly precise, but they keep things together. A few drum beats now and again are a bit rough around the edges, but you can’t help but think it might be on purpose. The style is more about atmosphere then pummeling home the performance in perfect timing.

For fans of Autopsy this is probably the closest thing you’ll get to a new Autopsy album. It’s definitely a bit more classic Swedish sounding, but with Chris being a part of the album Autopsy fans need to hear this.

Guttural Secrete-Artistic Creation with Cranial Stumps
(Unmatched Brutality, 2004)


The US style of death metal usually offers very little surprises, but Guttural Secrete take the style and put a few spins on it and came out sounding quite unique.

The main core of the bands sound isn’t unique. It’s mainly blast beats and very deep guttural vocals. It’s when the band brings in slower almost groovy riffs that things start to stand out. They also have some very Floridian sounding riffs that have a total thrash feel. So you get a pretty good cross section of death metal styles. The groove riffs bring to mind the more New York based sound, while the beyond guttural vocals and blasts bring to mind Deeds of Flesh, while the thrash sections recall vintage Malevolent Creation. In a time when most death metal is blast/grunt/blast this band stands out like a sore thumb.

The production helps these guys really drive the point across. The guitar and drum sounds are both incredibly powerful, and no matter how fast things get everything stay clear. The vocals are just a bit out front, but I can’t get enough of the beyond guttural grunting so it’s definitely not a bad thing.

Chances are you might not have heard of these guys before, but don’t let that stop you from checking out this cd. Fans of everything from Internal Bleeding to Last Days of Humanity should be able to find something to their liking in the bands sound.

V/A-Doom Capital
(Crucial Blast, 2004)


I guess right off the bat I should mention that I’m not an extremely huge fan of doom, but if bands are unique and doing something special then I can’t help but take notice. One of the best bands around these days regardless of genre is Clutch, who open up this compilation with Sea of Destruction, which pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the bands here. Earthride offers a more Motorhead influenced take on doom, and it’s an interesting style. Truth be told most of the bands on here are just doing their best Sabbath impression with few bands breaking outside of that mold. One of the best bands on here is Leviathan AD who step up the heaviness and come from an almost Neurosis or Isis style more so then a Sabbath type sound. Other bands include, The Hidden Hand, Internal Void, Unorthodox, Countershaft, Nitroseed and a few more. If you are a fan of doom, then this compilation is priceless. I’m picky, but there is definitely some good material here.

Vaux-Plague Music
(Equal Vision, 2004)


When bands say that they want to find a way for their live sound to translate onto tape then there is a simple solution. Record live in the studio. This is exactly what Vaux have done for this EP. It has a rough and tumble sound that is powerful and punchy yet has a live sound that just couldn’t be replicated with a polished studio sound.

For those of you new to Vaux, I suppose an ideal description would be rock mixed with elements of post punk or hardcore. It’s catchy without being radio friendly. The structures aren’t blatantly obvious, and the reward comes with multiple listens. They have a knack for keeping things interesting and manage to add a lot of dissonance without becoming noisy. It’s almost like melodic dissonance, which is basically an oxymoron, but it’s the only way I can think of to describe what the band plays.

I’m not sure if I’m just crazy but I even hear a bit of a Radiohead influence. Not really newer Radiohead, but the noisier debut album definitely seems to have been an influence on these guys. The second track especially brings that era of Radiohead to mind for me. I might be hearing something that just isn’t there, but it’s something that I can’t help but seem to pick up on.

I wish this was a new full length from the band, but it’s an extremely creative EP that brings different elements to the table with each consecutive tracks. For those of you who think that rock music has become stale, one listen to this will reveal the secret that Vaux still has a lot to say and are at a very creative stage in their career right now.