Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genre: Black Metal, Folk

Label: Paragon Records

Alright! Another contender from Paragon Records who’s geared up and ready to attempt to kick my ass with brooding black metal! Let’s see how these Ukrainian black/pagan metalers stand up to a formidable catalog…

Oh my! Khors have managed to bounce back after their last album Cold, left me feeling about the same. With Mysticism however, they managed a whirly-gig of a style change from forgettable, no frills blah brand black metal to a whimsical, chillaxed version. Akin to Ceremonial Castings’ Into The Black Forest Of Witchery, Mysticism takes you on a frightening journey through the depressive state of man and nature share when in less than perfect sync with one another. Forceful vocals lash out with screeching hatred at the listener a he tried to make peace with the world around him. But the occasional presence of synths and the haunting spectral guitars uproot your firm footing in reality and cast you, spiraling back into the abyss… damn. This album plays with your head!

Overall: A vast improvement over Cold. This is one record with hunting down for black metalers, doomsters and folkies!

9/10

Khors On MySpace

Also Posted On E-MetalSpace

Genre: Black Metal, Thrash
Label: Independent

I’ve been waiting for this album’s release for about a year and a half now. And now that I have it… I’m almost afraid to listen to it! I dug Infernus’s EP War Upon The Vatican so much that it makes it’s way into my musical rotation AT LEAST once a week. Well… here goes nothing. Deep breath…

…and I’m in. It’s dark. It’s vile. It’s… thrashing! (un)Holy Christ this rules! Take a the classic speed formula of Venom, the merciless destruction of… Destruction and let it simmer in the bowels of hell with black metal bastions such as Dark Funeral, Horna and even a little Judas Iscariot and you’ve got the bad vibrations of Nex Um Monastica shaking all through you! The beauty of this album? Part of it is the rerecorded versions of all four songs from War Upon The Vatican and the other is the genius in it’s simplicity. Nex Um Monastica knows what it is; a black metal album. It doesn’t try to overpower you with fancy over-production or ultra technicality. It just tries to shred your immortal soul and I for one don’t think that that’s asking too much…

Overall: Nex Um Monastica is equal parts old school, evil, thrash and awesome! Recommended highly for fans of human sacrifices, blood orgies (or orgies in general as Infernus’s mood is constantly set to “horny”) and witches’ teats.

8.5/10

Infernus On MySpace

Also Posted On E-MetalSpace

Genre: Punk, Hardcore, Noise-core, Hard Rock, Avant Garde
Label: Independent

How You Get Jarred Off… is a… well… shit. I really don’t know how to describe it. It’s got roots in punk, I know that much. It also has a hardcore tinge to it. But it bleeds (hemorrhages) into noise-core sometimes too. And at times, it has a thrashing quality to it! Fuck man!
As confused as I was when I started listening to this looong ass album, I also ended up enjoying myself. How You Get Jarred Off… has everything going for it in all the right and wrong ways (There is literally a kitchen sink in here somewhere, I’m sure) and it still manages to come out of the discombobulated punk-funk smelling like stale beer. This album sounds like the product of a couple of pissed-off dudes who like to play music their way and no other way with confounding results.

Incase you couldn’t tell, there is no real review going on here… I tried to model it after this album. I wasn’t able to make it work, but Cooked Rotten did. Check it out on their MySpace page if you don’t believe me…

Overall: It’s everything you want to hear and nothing at the same time. Punk, oi, hardcore, hard rock, noise-core, thrash, polka… puke it up! Now, part of me wanted to give this a low score right from the beginning since I had to enter the information for all FOURTY THREE tracks manually… but that wouldn’t be entirely fair, so I’ll just dock one whole point for that inconvenience.

7.5/10

Cooked Rotten On MySpace

Also Posted On E-MetalSpace

Genre: Heavy Metal, Thrash
Label: Heavy Artillery Records

Ah, Enforcer. It’s been a while my friends. When was the last time we met? *murmur* Ah yes, the Speed Kills… Again compilation. Yes, yes. Those were great times, weren’t they? *murmur* What’s that? Oh yes, of course. You did have an album since then entitled Into The Night. Well, I’m sorry but I haven’t actually listened to that one as much as some others but… *loud murmurs* No, wait! I’m sorry! COME BACK!!! I CAN CHANGE!!!

…

*sniff* Anyway, the fine folks at Heavy Artillery Records have allowed me to get my grubby little hands all over Enforcer’s latest headbangin’, groupie fuckin’ NWOBHM rockin’ album, Diamonds. And my friends, let me tell you something… it rules! Sure, some of you might be put off by a bit of a style shift (more heavy/hair feeling metal than thrash), but Enforcer comes out of it smelling of rose peddles and sweet honeys! Vocalist Olof Wikstrand flexes his powerful metal muscles and belts out some catchy tunes like the big boys from the good ol’ days. While guitarists Adam Zaars and Joseph Tholl riff, shred and lay down some mind bending solos that pave their way into your metal memories!

Overall: Enforcer cements their lead as one of the best NWOBHM/thrash inspired bands out there today! …that is, until Spellcaster gets their album out there… (SHAMELESS PLUG!!!)

8.5/10

Enforcer On MySpace

Also Posted On E-MetalSpace

Genre: Thrash Metal, Crossover
Label: Punishment 18 Records

More, more, MORE!!! That’s what I found myself yelling at my stereo after Blades And Rods stopped spinning. And Italy’s Shock Troopers certainly live up to their name! They swoop in, destroy everything in a frenzy of booze, pits and skateboards and move onto the next town!

Shook Troopers fit the thrashin’ party machine bill and they owe their beer soaked sound to influences such as D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies and Agnostic Front. Sure, there is still that barrier caused by a heavy accent and jumbled English, but I think we’ve all moved past caring about trivial bullshit such as that… well, I haven’t entirely. (Petty! That’s me.) Cool though, Blades And Rods comes with a slew of catchy minute and something anthems for metal (Road Thrash), recent politics (Waterboarding) and other shit (Toilet Show). They’ve even got a tribute to one of my favorite old-school 2D scrolling shooters, Metal Slug! Niiiiiiice!!!

Overall: It scratches the itch that I really do not have the right to have since I’m practically swimming in crossover ‘n’ thrash… but what can I say, I’m a selfish bastard…

8.5/10

Enforcer On MySpace

Also Posted On E-MetalSpace