Nihilist-s/t
(Candlelight USA, 2005)

This release has been a long time coming. Pretty much all fans of Swedish death metal know that before there was Entombed there was Nihilist. What this album compiles is the three Nihilist demos as well as the debut Entombed demo. What you can expect is raw, thrash influenced death metal with a much rawer vocal approach then what you have come to expect from Entombed. It’s pretty much straight ahead thrash any way you look at it, with stronger hints of death metal coming in with the later tracks. Any way you look at it, this is an essential addition to any fan of Swedish death metal’s collection.

Smoke or Fire-Above the City
(Fat Wreck Chords, 2005)

There’s almost something reassuring about unoriginal music. The thing is that Smoke or Fire really isn’t doing anything new. It’s essentially Hot Water Music mixed with a bit of hardcore and urgency. There’s definitely no shortage of melody, with simple power chord rhythms keeping things simple and incredibly memorable. The vocals walk a middle line between being singing and shouting. They aren’t overly melodic, yet they aren’t overly harsh either. The problem is the fact that while the band doesn’t have any glaring problems, this just isn’t an incredibly exciting album.

Siege of Hate-Subversive by Nature
(Candlelight USA, 2005)

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from these guys, but I was pleasantly surprised with some of the most vicious grindcore I have heard in quite sometime. Definitely think old school grindcore here. They aren’t throwing in technicality; this is just 100% full on throttling with simple riffs and harsh vocals. Elements of Napalm Death and Brutal Truth come into play, but I find myself being reminded of Phobia and Agathocles quite often as well. This isn’t a style that you play to be original, it really has been done before. This is about being pissed off and wanting to play the most urgent and vicious style of music possible. It doesn’t get any more pissed off or urgent then grindcore.

The only complaint could be that with 20 songs things start to sound a bit similar after awhile, but really fans of grindcore probably won’t even notice after they are whipped into a frenzy by the band’s whirlwind attack.

Granted this is nothing new or original, but Seige of Hate is uncompromising and as extreme as they come. Fans of grindcore will be all over this.

Wednesday 13-Transylvania 90210
(Roadrunner Records, 2005)

I suppose that if I wasn’t such a huge horror fan I might not be into this band as much as I am. The catchy song writing definitely helps as well though. I guess the easy way to describe this would be metal. It is heavy, but not overly heavy. A heavier version of Rob Zombie with a more rock feel might be a good starting point.

The songwriting is definitely quite strong. Without being too cliché or cheesy, the band manages to play horror inspired rock that is quite unique, and definitely heavy on the rock. The guitars are energetic slabs of thick power chords, interjected with short bursts of lead guitars.

Catchy choruses are the rule of the day here. It says something about the catchiness of a song if people who absolutely hate horror will find themselves singing along and remembering the words. A love of horror would definitely make this band seem more special, but it definitely isn’t mandatory.

If you think Rob Zombie is lame, then try Wednesday 13. The band is similar, but much better .

Converge-When Forever Comes Crashing
(Equal Vision, 2005)

When this album was originally released I remember seeing the CD and thinking damn that’s a cool cover I wonder what the hell these guys sound like. Well, this disc served as my introduction to the band and I’m still hooked.

While it may just be because this was the first album that I heard, but I think this is the band’s best album. Jane Doe and You Fail Me are amazing in their own right, but this album was so different when it came out that it just boggled everyone’s mind. The harsh vocals, intricate yet sloppy guitars, and incredibly urgency all mixed into a potent brew that wasn’t easily digested. With time however it all makes sense and when it finally clicks it’s hard to stop listening.

This re-release features very different artwork and while I’m not sure if I prefer it, it’s definitely well put together and incredibly unique. Will you notice a bit difference in sound from the remastering? It does seem to be less noisy, and easier to follow this time around. The guitar sound especially seems a bit more forceful and tighter.

Converge obviously needs no introduction, but if you happened to miss out on this album the first time around definitely don’t miss out this time.

Converge-Petitioning the Empty Sky
(Equal Vision, 2005)

Despite me not hearing this album until after it was out for quite sometime, it is the first album that really showed the band going all out with the extremity and experimental nature that they are now known for. The previous albums were mainly hardcore punk infused with a bit of the weirdness, this album took the weirdness to an entirely new level.

This isn’t all that removed from what they are doing now even really, just possibly a bit more streamlined and not quite as diverse. They definitely cover a lot of ground musically, but the changes aren’t as dramatic and the music is just a bit less dynamic.

I somewhat would have wished that the artwork from the two albums would have been a bit more different. The color schemes are very different but the overall feel of the art is definitely similar.

Converge is amazing at what they do and that was even noticeable way back when this album was recorded in 1995. Simply put, this is an amazing album.

Blue Holocaust-Twitch of the Death Nerve
(Murder the World Productions, 2005)

There’s just something about horror inspired gore/grind that works for me. Blue Holocaust is definitely a noisy and chaotic beast, but coming through the rough recording are many extremely catchy riffs and an approach extreme enough to peel paint off of the walls. The approach is fairly basic, blasting, or punk tempos coated with sick vocals and catchy guitar riffs. The vocal approach takes up a bit too much of the mix and can be somewhat overpowering, almost in the same way as say Last Days of Humanity. They actually share a bit with the band musically too as well. Hints of Mortician, and Last Days of Humanity combine for a sound that is fast and incredibly destructive. The production and inclusion of a large number of songs hurt this just a little, but all fans of the fast and extreme should have no problems getting into this.