Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Independent

It would seem that Matthew P. Davis has created something relatively new in black metal. And I’m liking it.
Picture a little bit of early Cradle of Filth, some Morgul, and some Moloch put into a blender with a flaming Bible and two shots of Jack Daniel’s. Add a dash of Emperor’s Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, and Labyrintheory is a winner.
A nice demo of five songs, In Memoriam is an impressive first start for this band.
7.5 out of 10.

Labyrintheory on MySpace.

NOTE: This is an old review, moved here from the Funeral Rain Zine MySpace.

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Hexakosioihexekontahex Records

Some very vicious metal is being put onto another limited tape from our favorite Nevada tape label that I can’t pronounce for shit. This time it’s a band called Christian Theology, and they are made out of Hell’s fire itself, it would seem.
Very dissonant, noisy, and at times depressing, Seven Crowns reminds me of Xasthur especially, but with some UKBM elements as well. They’re apparently inspired by Blasphemy and Katharsis, so that already adds an element of awesome.
Sadly, this tape only features three songs, but that just means you’ll have to listen to it more. Get it.
7.5 out of 10.

Genres: Desert Rock, Grindcore, Sludge
Label: Hexakosioihexekontahex Records

Inspired by Pungent Stench, Kyuss, and Xysma, Groover lay down some really odd shit to tape. And when I say tape, I mean it’s only available on tape, limited to 100 copies.
As an added bonus, it’s really fucking cool too.
Long wah solos and rock riffs with a funky bass line and dirty sounding vocals that switch between death growls and bluesy desert howls are then mashed up with fast grind drumming or medium rock drumming to create something that is, for me at least, completely unheard before.
It’s like watching a slow moving lizard monster drag itself out of the desert and into the city to devour all it sees, then just for fun leave a big turd in the middle of the highway, laughing as it retreats to it’s underground home for another spell of hibernation.
7.5 out of 10.

Genre: Industrial Metal
Label: Mighty Loud Entertainment

They wanted to “reclaim a sound that [they] created”. And wow. Did they ever.
Powerman 5000 return with the classic sound that made them big, and they do it better than ever. But this is not just another Tonight the Stars Revolt!, but rather it’s a stronger Spider, a better Spider.
Everything that Spider has ever done in the past is represented here, mashed up and beaten around a little. It’s a scrappy record, full of fast and hard beats that are perfect for dancefloors, headphones, and car stereos. And there’s a nice slow track to split it up, the title track, which is one of my favorites on the album.
If you liked everything pre-Transform, you’ll like this. I know I sure do.
7.5 out of 10.

Powerman 5000 on MySpace.

NOTE: This is an old review, moved here from the Funeral Rain Zine MySpace.

Genre: Depressive Black Metal, Black Metal
Label: Independent

Dhishti are a band I’ve been friends with for awhile. Jayakody is the drummer for Raaksha, and he’s got his fingers in other Sri Lankan metal pies as well, but Dhishti is his baby.
Long songs that are full of hypnotic riffs, horror-filled shrieks, and a crushing, suffocating depressive atmosphere permeates the album. This is perfect for fans of Xasthur, Leviathan, and I Shalt Become.
7.5 out of 10.

Dhishti on Facebook.
Dhishti on MySpace.