Black Sabbath gave birth to heavy metal on February 13, 1970, the day the British band’s self-titled debut was unleashed onto the world.
There, I said it. And to fully appreciate the power of the crew’s (or partial crew’s) new release, The Devil You Know (Rhino), it’s important to revisit some Sabbath history.
Featuring the godlike original lineup of guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward and vocalist/self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath established the standard of heavy music with that epic first album, and refined it over their 40 plus year career—a career that hasn’t been without its upheaval.
The first, and most potentially catastrophic event, was the unfortunate and turbulent departure of Ozzy in 1979 due to unprofessional attitudes (read: his legendary drug and alcohol–fueled antics). While Ozzy quickly (and to many, surprisingly) gained newfound success with his solo band (featuring ex-Quiet Riot guitar wizard Randy Rhoads), Tony, Bill and Geezer were still left without a singer.
Ozzy’s replacement came in the form of up-and-coming heavy metal god Ronald James Padavona (who later adopted his now well-known moniker, Dio), formerly of Elf and Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, and the band released Heaven and Hell in April of 1980.
With Dio onboard, Black Sabbath not only came back with a vengeance, but they reshaped the way heavy metal was played, once again, and revolutionized what is now known as doom metal. Heaven and Hell spewed many timeless hits and fan favorites, such as the title track, “Neon Knights,” “Die Young,” “Children of the Sea” and “Lady Evil.”
Butler, Appice, Dio, Iommi
Mob Rules followed just one year later, though Bill Ward was replaced with legendary skinsman Vinny Appice. Even with this “minor setback,” Iommi’s heavier-than-fuck riffs and Butler’s hard-hitting bass delivered the goods (as evident in the album’s classic title track and “The Sign of the Southern Cross”).
Following the release of the band’s next live album, Live Evil, in 1982 Dio called it quits and went on to secure his legacy with his solo band. Tony and Co., on the other hand, kept carrying Sabbath’s fire admirably, albeit coming up a bit short of their previous efforts.
It was also during this time period that Tony became the only original Sabbath member in cast of revolving rock heavyweights, most notably vocalists Glenn Hughes and Ian Gillan (both formerly of Deep Purple), drummer Eric Singer (formerly of Alice Cooper’s band and current Kiss/Avantasia drummer), and bassists Cozy Powell (who has played with Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Michael Schenker and Rainbow) and Bob Daisley (Rainbow, Yngwie and, interestingly enough, both Ozzy and Dio’s bands).
In 1992, the Mob Rules lineup reunited to release Dehumanizer, a return to form of sorts. The rest of the Nineties were spent with the classic lineup of Iommi, Butler, Ward and Ozzy headlining shows and spearheading the annual Ozzfest tour, which produced 1998’s Reunion live album/DVD.
Then in early 2007, the Mob Rules lineup announced they would play some shows under the name Heaven and Hell (thanks to the legal sanction preventing the use of the name Black Sabbath sans Ozzy courtesy of Sharon Osbourne). Bill Ward was originally asked to join but he declined the offer, citing a lack of interest in playing in a band without Ozzy. The reunion was so successful that what started out as a few select shows soon grew into a series of full-blown world tours.
Which brings us to the present—29 years since the release of Heaven and Hell, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Vinny Appice and Ronnie James Dio have released a brand new, surely soon-to-be classic album, The Devil You Know. And without further ado, here’s a look at the greatest, heaviest and most sinister Black Sabbath record since 1975’s Sabotage. (more…)
April was a good month for live metal in New York City.
Led by founding bassist/vocalist Schmier (above), classic German thrash band Destruction hit B.B. King’s Blues Bar on April 7 for the last North American stop of their D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. – 25 Years of Total Destruction tour. This kick-started a two-day unofficial thrash-fest that culminated the next night when fellow countrymen Kreator hit Nokia Theatre, with support from Bay Area titans Exodus, Austria’s Belphegor, SoCal’s young thrashers Warbringer and Minneapolis’s melodic death metallers Epicurean. Here’s MetalKult’s account of those two totally destructive days. —Henry Yuan
DESTRUCTION – Live at B.B. King’s Blues Bar and Grill 4/7/09
Support from Krisiun and Mantic Ritual
After weeks of intensive touring and the requisite glitches (Mike Sifringer had his Dean guitar stolen), Destruction finally made it to the Big Apple. But before the Germans hit the stage, we were treated to Mantic Ritual and Krisiun.
Pennsylvania’s Mantic Ritual kicked things off. I wasn’t that familiar with them, but I can say that the highlight of the night was definitely lead guitarist Jeff Potts. His guitar work was extremely fluid and technical and definitely stood out from the rest of the music. Lead singer/guitarist Dan Wetmore was an interesting enough frontman, telling jokes with a dry sense of humor in between songs.
Krisiun’s Moyses Kolesne
Next up was Brazil’s current death metal leaders, Krisiun. I had seen these guys before, so I knew what to expect. I can happily say that they exceeded my expectations and truly delivered the brutality. They came out with “Ominous” into “Combustion Inferno” and held nothing back. These three brothers are also masters of their instruments. Guitarist Moyses Kolesne’s solos positively rip and drummer Max Kolesne can definitely hold his own next to the likes of Inferno or Derek Roddy. Classics like “Murderer” and “Bloodcraft” never sounded better and the new material sounded great as well. From what I saw, they have a pretty big following here. I hope these guys headline here soon.
Destruction
Then, the reason why we were all there: Destruction. After a pretty lengthy set-up, the intro tape played and the band came out and delivered “Soul Collector.” Destruction appeared to be in great spirits and the sound was really good, especially for BB King’s standards. They played a few songs from their latest album, D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. (AFM Records) and most of their classics, like “Live Without Sense,” “Release from Agony,” “Tormentor”…the list goes on. Bassist/vocalist Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer announced that the show was being recorded for an upcoming live album, which explained why the sound was so good. I was real happy with their performance, and since it was my first time seeing them, I left with a great impression.
After a brutal concert the night before, I was curious to see how the crowd reacted to this bill in comparison. Epicurean kicked off the night with a heavy slab of American melodic death metal. Their style of music was a bit off the wall for this tour package, but they seemed to get a good reaction. Bassist Eli Pete and singer John Laramy were on fire, while drummer John Gensmer was holding it down behind his massive drum kit. It was during “Lithograph” where the crowd opened up a pretty impressive pit, which is always a very good sign.
Warbringer
Warbringer was up next and, unfortunately for them and us, their drummer, Nic Ritter, had recently suffered a broken arm and his spot was filled in by Epicurean’s mega-talented Gensmer. It’s mind-boggling to witness just how well the band played despite this very last minute replacement (they only had one very short rehearsal prior to the beginning of the tour). While they cut their set a bit short, they did pull out fan favorites such as “At the Crack of Doom,” “Combat Shock” and “Total War.”
Exodus
After an intense and blackened performance from Austria’s Belphegor (Or at least as much I heard, since I got stuck in the bar line for most of it. Du’oh!) the time came for the mighty Exodus to thrash the stage. The band opened their set (and the pit) with the classic “Bonded by Blood” and the crowd couldn’t have gone crazier. Singer Rob Dukes is one of the most intimidating frontmen I have ever seen, and gives the band an extra push of brutality and aggression.
Classics like “A Lesson in Violence” and “Piranha” never sounded so strong and newer songs like “Children of a Worthless God” and “Deathamphetamine” proved that Exodus is still hauling ass. Of course, no Exodus set would be complete without the legendary moshing song “The Toxic Waltz,” which opened a truly insane circle pit. The set ended with the last song off Bonded By Blood, “Strike of the Beast.” Amazing.
Kreator
Finally, it was time to enter the Terror Zone with the almighty Kreator. This was their first tour in support of their crushing new album, Hordes of Chaos (SPV). As soon as the lights dimmed and “Choir of the Damned,” the intro track to the band’s second album Pleasure to Kill, started playing through the P.A. I suspected we were in for a treat. When the guys came out and kicked right into “Hordes of Chaos,” my suspicions were confirmed. The all-out-war continued with “Warcurse,” “Extreme Aggression” and “Phobia,” the latter which has been a live-show staple for years and still illicites the fan chants, “Is there something following you!” They also threw in “Voices of the Dead,” from 2005’s Enemy of God, which is a great song albeit a bit sing-along-y.
Kreator also covered “Pleasure to Kill,” “People of the Lie,” “Betrayer” and, one of my personal favorites, “Coma of Souls.” Throughout the set, mainman Mille Petrozza kept killing it; that dude has one of the most powerful voices and intense screams in all of metal. Period. The night closed out with a medley of their two fastest songs, “Flag of Hate” and “Tormentor.” Kreator’s performance that evening proved, once again, that after more than 25 years in the scene, they are still as strong as ever. Be it at a small club (L’amour’s), a giant open air festival (Wacken) or here at Nokia, no one is left unharmed when these guys hit the town.
What do you get when you create a band with ex-members from Necrophagist and Pestilence? Germany’s brutal tech-death upstarts Obscura, that’s what!
Founded by vocalist/guitarist Steffan Kummerer and drummer Jonas Baumgartl in 2002, Obscura caused quite a stir in the technical/progressive death metal scene with their debut album, 2006’s Retribution. After a major lineup change, with ex-Necrophagist members drummer Hannes Grossmann and guitarist Christian Muenzner and ex-Pestilence fretless bass virtuoso Jeroen Paul Thessiling joining the fold, the band unleashed Cosmogenesis (Relapse Records) earlier this year. Though this band may be relatively new, their sound is planted firmly in the classic styles of Human-era Death and Cynic, while at the same time adding a unique modern tech-death spin on top of it.
The album opens with “The Anticosmic Overload,” which sounds exactly like the name implies. The fretless bass hits you right between the eyes from the get-go (it reminded me a lot like Steve DiGiorgio’s playing in the early Sadus stuff), and that’s just the start of this track’s full-on insanity. In fact, the entire Cosmogenesis album can be summed up by this track’s qualities: uber-technical chops, lightning fast lines and heavy melodies.
Which is not to say that Cosmogenesis doesn’t have some surprises thrown in for good measure. The second track, “Choir of Spirits,” really knocked me off guard with its Paul Masvidal–style android vocals. I’m not going to lie: I literally laughed out loud when I first heard them…and not in a bad way either! I have so much respect for bands that pay tribute to the masters. Once I got past my initial surprise, I began to listen more closely and realized just how perfectly these guys were executing their ideas. It’s amazing how relevant this mix of old-school and modern tech-death sounds in Obscura’s capable hands.
My only complaint with Cosmogenesis is that I felt it could have used even more variety. Granted, technical death metal is an extremely hard genre in which to create a diverse batch of songs while still maintaining that core brutal sound. But, with that said, the songs on this album might blend into each other, but they do so in a totally stand-out fashion…if that makes any sense.
What’s scarier is that these guys are still young and have plenty of time to perfect their already amazing craft. If you’re into bands like Death, Pestilence, Sadus, Cynic and Necrophagist check these guys out. In an oversaturated genre filled with pretentious breakdowns, sweeps, hairstyles, blast beats and ree-ree’s, I think it’s about time true tech-death has returned. Thank god for bands like Obscura. —Henry Yuan
As I headed uptown last month to see the Norwegian black metal act 1349 at B.B. Kings, I was feeling a little skeptical. It was a Monday night in early March, and NY had just been hit with one of the season’s last snowstorms. With people just starting to feel the pinch of the nation’s economic downturn, and the only support coming from local band Annunaki, I wasn’t sure if this night’s show was going to draw much of a crowd.
While my suspicions weren’t totally unfounded—the rough conditions did result in a less-than-capacity crowd—1349 carried on and delivered a powerful performance that rewarded all those who braved the elements. And, seriously, what’s more rewarding than seeing one of Norway’s grimmest black metal bands playing during a blizzard?
Archaon
The snowy night was kicked of with a set of death thrash courtesy of Bayonne, New Jersey’s Annunaki. This four-piece had everything a death/thrash metal fan could ask for: speed, crushing riffs, virtuosic guitar solos and harsh, yet clear, vocals. For about 45 minutes, they played songs from their debut album, Throne of the Annunaki. During their set, Annunaki played one or two new tracks from their upcoming, as-yet-untitled album. These songs were heavier and had more tempo variations, which was a nice break from the genres’ standards. For those of you who haven’t checked them out yet, I highly recommend that you do, especially if you’re into bands like Legion of the Damned, Testament, Slayer, Unleashed and Obituary.
After a rather quick setup and sound check, the lights went dim and 1349 came out to an atmospheric intro tape. Singer Ravn took the stage with authority as they opened with a brand new song from their upcoming album, Revelations of the Black Flame. Knowing that Tom G. Warrior (yes, that Tom G. Warrior) produced Revelations, I couldn’t help but hear his distinct influence on the presence of this track: it was mid-tempo, extremely atmospheric and really heavy (much like Frost’s last album, Monotheist).
Seidemann
The band then ripped into its faster, more aggressive tunes, and it was quite a display. Drummer Tony Laureano (Nachtmystium, ex-Nile) is once again filling in for Frost, who is on tour with his main band Satyricon. Guitar duties were left solely to Archaeon, and while he did manage to capture that certain kvlt sound by himself, it seemed to me that something was missing. But, whatever was missing was made up for by Seidemann’s mammoth bass sound. Fan favorites such as “Chasing Dragons,” “Manifest” and, of course, “I Am Abomination” were delivered with fury. 1349 also threw in another new one, “Maggot Fetus.”
There’s a really primitive, early Venom and Celtic Frost vibe that many black metal bands these days seem to forget. So it’s great to hear 1349 tapping into this vibe, while at the same time putting their own spin on it.
This mini-tour of the States was more of an “album teaser” tour than anything. And it worked: Watching these guys perform definitely got me stoked for the new album. I can’t wait for them to come back again after Revelations of the Black Flame is released. Hopefully then they’ll be greeted with a warmer set of circumstances. —Henry Yuan
Let me start by telling you how much I worship Cynic. Last summer I flew all the way to Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival explicitly to see these legendary progressive death metal legends perform. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that they were planning to tour the states behind their critically acclaimed new album, Traced in Air (Season of Mist).
Not only would I get to see them on their first U.S. tour in 15 years, but I also would be seeing them in my hometown at New York City’s The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza. While Cynic’s status has grown tremendously since their highly influential 1993 debut, Focus, they were still added as special opening guests for Swedish tech-metal masters Meshuggah. But the way Cynic played, you’d have thought they were the night’s headliners.
Once young tech death act the Faceless finished their set, the Cynic crew immediately began soundchecking. When the sampled intro from “How Could I?” started to play, I had a flashback of the exact same feeling I felt while in Germany, and I knew I was in for an amazing experience. When the lights dimmed and the two amazing, psychedelic backdrops lit up, it was on.
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Nunc Fluens
The Space for This
Evolutionary Sleeper
Veil of Maya
I’m but a Wave to…
Adam’s Murmur
Celestial Voyage
King of Those Who Know
How Could I?
Integral Birth
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Cynic began their set with “Nunc Fluens,” Traced in Air’s intro track, and went right into “The Space for This.” “Evolutionary Sleeper” was played next, and it sounded way better than when I saw at Wacken. The level of musicianship of all four members—guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal, drummer Sean Reinert, bassist Robin Zielhorst and guitarist Tymon Kruidenier—is simply unmatched.
Paul Masvidal
Classics like “Veil of Maya,” “I’m but a Wave to…” and the fan-favorite “How Could I?” have never sounded better. And as virtuosic as these musicians are, there was still an organic feel to the playing. Meaning, I noticed some slip-ups here and there, but they were barely noticeable in the context of the whole performance.
Drummer Sean Reinert was the highlight of the evening. The guy is a drumming prodigy! His playing is so fluid, yet so affirmative. Together with bassist Zielhorst, the duo creates a rock-solid rhythm section. Kruidenier does more than enough justice filling in Jason Gobel’s shoes, and proves to be the perfect companion for the legendary Paul Masvidal.
Sean Reinert
Masvidal’s vocals sounded just as they do in the recordings: hypnotic, mysterious and very soothing. And his playing was stellar, as expected. The night’s closer was “Integral Birth,” and, though it sounded fantastic, I would’ve loved to hear more stuff from Focus. Something like “Uroboric Forms” (in my opinion Cynic’s heaviest song) would’ve been the perfect song for this tour. All in all, this was a show that did not disappoint in any way. Of course, I’m really looking forward for their next U.S. tour. Here’s to hoping they’ll be doing a headlining run!
Fans of guitar acrobatics rejoiced on February 19 at Irving Plaza, as the meeting of the tech metal minds gathered for the epic Meshuggah/Cynic/The Faceless tour.
First off—because I’m a tired old man—I want to thank everyone involved for keeping it at a tight three-band bill. No matter how awesome all those opening bands were on that Carcass reunion tour, my old bones couldn’t take it! I still have horrible flashbacks of 20-band bills at old L’Amours and CBGB shows, where I would start hating life long before the band I wanted to see hit the stage. But I digress…
Young tech metal upstarts the Faceless started off the night with an instrumental song that seemed catered to the fact that they were playing with Cynic. It felt a little bit lighter than their usual barrage of Necrophagist-meets-Decapitated worship. Guitarist Michael Keene pulled off some great Ron Jarzombek–style arpeggiated sweeps on his Day-Glo green guitar. As soon as it was over the lights turned to red and the heavy barrage began.
The crowd seemed pretty excited for the Faceless. For me, end of the day they were pretty good live, but much like the CD there was just something missing in the equation. But they are a young band, and have time. The best part of their set was watching some fairly normal looking girls do the drink up WHOOO HOO dance to the Faceless, like they were getting down at a Dave Matthews band concert.
Fredrik Thordendal
Next up was Cynic, which was the highlight of the night for me. I never got to see Cynic back in the day, so I was super excited to finally see these prog metal legends. I go through phases with all styles of metal . But Cynic’s now-legendary 1993 album Focus is one of those records I can always listen to, even when I feel like I will shoot myself if I hear one more polyrhythm.
Set up in a line with drummer Sean Reinert up front—because they know we want to see him play his amazing drum parts—Cynic delivered nearly every song you would want to hear off both Focus and their latest album Traced In Air. Cynic were totally great, despite the fact that their execution was not musically perfect.
They seemed to struggle a little with the breakdown transition in “Veil Of Maya,” which was frustrating because it’s one of my favorite parts. But it was also endearing, because at this point there are so many tech metal bands that play inhumanly precise live. It was a breath of fresh air to hear one of the godfathers of tech metal, playing more organically, with room to breathe and, yes, to not play perfectly. Sean Reinert was really going for it on the drums, and sometimes it seemed like he wasn’t going make it back to meet up with the rest of the band, which is great.
But, at the end of day, they sounded great. Cynic are amazing musicians live, and sounded probably the best on their last song, “Integral Birth,” where guitarist/singer Paul Masvidal actually did some headbanging. Here is a question though. What is up with proggy dudes and guitars without headstocks? Why are they obsessed with these ridiculous-looking guitars? Different strokes, I suppose. But keep that noise away from me.
Finally was headliner Meshuggah. There was a brief moment during Cynic when I started wondering if Irving would clear out after their set—it really seemed like a Cynic-psyched crowd. But as soon as Meshuggah started I realized how wrong I was. The Meshuggah fans were PSYCHED about Meshuggah. I don’t think I realized just how diverse Meshuggah fans were. It reminded me of when I saw Godflesh back in the day and watched as a bunch of goths, hardcore dudes, straight-up metal guys, Korn fanatics and skinheads go NUTS when they played “Like Rats.”
Marten Hagström
I guess like them, Meshuggah have a lot of elements that can appeal to a wide range of fans. My most surprising discovery was that the groove that exists in Meshuggah songs appeals to the same type of Gotti-kid stylo hardcore dudes who dance that weird tough guy groove dance just as if they were at a Jersey rap-metal crew E-Town Concrete show.
All in all, Meshuggah was pretty good live. I like them, but honestly I have a hard time getting through a lot of their records. On the songs that don’t stand out, it can sometimes sound like complex guitar exercises being repeated over and over again. Live it comes off much better, though. These Swedes came out blasting, and their stage setup, which used motifs from the obZen artwork that were very trippy and Tool-like, only added to the experience.
The most interesting thing about them live, in my opinion, is Frederick Thorendal’s solos. I’ve been told that he never plays the same thing twice live, and it was definitely great to hear him do a completely different take on his very unique style of soloing. The two highlights were “Rational Gaze” which just has an amazing riff that makes me want to destroy people, and the song “Bleed” off of obZen.
“Bleed” is easily the best song they have ever written. It has everything you would want in a Meshuggah song, and live it was just fantastic to watch them play that amazing ever-changing riff. My wrists were killing just watching them triplet on to eternity. Unfortunately it was not as loud as it could have been. Lately it seems that Irving has a bad habit of keeping the volume just a little too low. But Meshuggah were still amazing. Honestly, I could listen to “Bleed” forever, so I was happy to leave that night with that triplet-riff cycling through my head even as I rode the train home and laid down to sleep. —Geoff Garlock
Photos by Jimmy Hubbard
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Set List
Jackal (New Song)
Severed Reality (New Song)
Dread Command
Living in a Whirlwind (New Song)
Pray For Death (New Song)
Combat Shock
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Over the years I have seen many young thrash bands perform around New York City, and it’s rare that these acts can match the particular kind of classic thrash energy of someone like Kreator or Testament. I can say with confidence that after witnessing Warbringer’s set on February 15, at NYC’s Highline Ballroom, this L.A. band has now been added to that list.
For those unfamiliar, Warbringer are a relatively new thrash metal five-piece that, unlike many of their Southern California peers, are definitely not trying to recreate thrash’s golden years. Rather, these guys take the intensity and brutality of the Eighties and mix in some modern thrash metal energy. Their most recent record, 2008’s War Without End (Century Media), is quite extreme, but in the live setting Warbringer go far above and beyond.
The second band of the night, after Swallow the Sun, Warbringer had about a half hour to play before Darkane and headliners Soilwork, and they made the best of it. After two new ripping cuts, “Jackal” and “Severed Reality,” from their forthcoming as-yet-untitled album, they barrelled through “Dread Command” and another new one, “Living in a Whirlwind.”
Even though I’d never heard it before, the latter song turned out to be my favorite song of the night. It seemed like they wrote this song specifically for headbangers, it was that perfect. Of course, they ended their set with their trademark track “Combat Shock,” which opened up a really big circle pit (in fact, the biggest of the night from any band).
For a bunch of young guys, they really know how to play: these songs are fast as fuck, and even faster live. In fact I was surprised that Warbringer were able to play so tightly, despite going completely nuts onstage.
Guitarists Adam Carroll and John Laux could very well be the current generation’s Kerry King/Jeff Hanneman combo. And despite the breakneck speeds, bassist Ben Bennett and drummer Nic Ritter hold down the tempo and low end real well. All the while, singer John Kevill looks like he’s possessed onstage, stomping back and forth with the contorted face of a madman (see photo below). His vocals and speeches in between songs remind me of Obituary’s John Tardy, which is a good thing.
The point is: if these guys ever come thrashing through your town, go fucking see them! My prediction is that Warbringer are here to stay: a band that will carry the metal torch for years to come. —Henry Yuan
Let me start this review by asking a question that’s been bugging me lately: “What the hell is this ‘thrash revival’ thing that’s happening?” For all of you who believe that thrash is dead and needs to be revived, you’re either a flaming poser or you haven’t been in the scene recently. For proof, look to the German kings of thrash metal, Kreator, who have returned once again to show us how thrash is done right with their latest offering Hordes of Chaos (SPV).
This album takes the “comeback” sound of Kreator, but strips it down to the bare minimum. To give you some context of where this album sits in the Kreator catalog, imagine the brutality of Coma of Souls mixed with the speed of Pleasure to Kill and topped with the melodies of Violent Revolution and Enemy of God.
Clocking in at about 38 minutes, Hordes of Chaos is no joke. It actually feels like you’re traveling through Coma’s “Terror Zone.” To capture the raw energy of their live shows, and achieve a more natural feel—something most bands these days lack due to over-processed recording procedures—the band recorded all of its backing tracks live and with no overdubs. And the result, in part thanks to producer Moses, is amazing.
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Check out part one of the Making of Hordes of Chaos below:
Mainman and guitarist Mille Petrozza and co-guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö deliver their most tight and crushing sound yet, while bassist Christian Giesler and drummer Jürgen “Ventor” Reil do an impressive job keeping everything steady with a succession of stellar lines. Mille’s vocals are also as vicious as ever: I haven’t heard anything quite like this from him since 1987’s Terrible Certainty. Since I’m not going to sit here and write how Kreator are “finally back” with this album, I’ll just say that this is the next step for them, and a good one at that.
The songs themselves on Hordes of Chaos are nothing short of amazing. If you’re into old-school Kreator, you will without a doubt love this album. The opener, “Hordes of Chaos (A Necrologue for the Elite)”, begins very similarly to Pleasure to Kill’s intro, “Choir of the Damned.” It rips right into the next riff and it’s a full-on thrash assault from there on out. There’s a lot of old-school style riffing that is perfect for front-row headbanging thrashers, as well as tons of classic German-style thrash riffs for the dudes who love to tear up the pit.
“Warcurse” and “Escalation” follow suit and then we have the ballad-type intro to “Amok Run,” which is a standard for every Kreator album since 2001’s Violent Revolution. I personally love these little breaks because the rest of the song is always great and never craps out. “Radical Resistance” is a great call-to-arms song against Nazis and fascists and shows that Mille has really mastered the art of writing great guitar melodies. Other highlights are burners like “Absolute Misanthropy” and “To the Afterborn,” and the epic album closer “Demon Prince.”
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Check out part two of the Making of Hordes of Chaos below:
While I personally loved Enemy of God and Violent Revolution, I thought they were a bit too long and, in parts, confused by incoherent ideas. At times it was like, “Well, this is really fucking good, but is this thrash or melo-death?” With Hordes of Chaos, we get Kreator in its true, refined form. The songs flow way better, Mille took all of his most crushing riffs and made them even more crushing, while perfectly mixing in the melodies. I purchased the deluxe digipack version and it came with a bonus DVD with a documentary on the making of the album. It was shot by Berlin-based filmmaker Stephanie Beauvoir and was done in Super 8 film, which gave it a really nice effect. This is a definite must-have for all Kreator die-hards.
Over the years, most of Kreator’s peers have tried to redefine themselves while staying true to their roots, but they’ve failed. Kreator, on the other hand, continue to fly the flag high and go where no thrash bands have ever gone before. So listen to Hordes of Chaos, and hear the thrash metal of the future. —Henry Yuan
What do you do when you are Eyehategod and Jimmy Bower is too busy with Down to put out a new record? Start a band and put out a record without him, of course. Dragging Down the Enforcer (Seasons of Mist) is the first full-length from Outlaw Order, aka 00%, aka everyone from Eyehategod except Bower.
I was lucky enough to see Outlaw Order once at a Southern Lord SXSW showcase. At the time I hadn’t heard anything from them, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I was psyched just knowing the band was made up of nearly everyone from Eyehategod, which is one of my favorite bands of all time. Not just favorite sludge or metal band, favorite among any style of band. Period. They are everything that is great about punk and metal: heavy as hell, harsh vocals, great riffs and they have a name that you feel uncomfortable with when you wear their shirts in public. Not to mention Eyehategod have an amazing ability to conjure genuine fear.
I have never felt more frightened at a show than the first time I saw Eyehategod. There were broken bottles onstage and in the audience, and band members were eating random pills while they played. People were dragged out of the club bleeding and the band looked like they were about to self-destruct the whole time. Not to mention they were playing some of the greatest heavy riffs of all time.
So needless to say my expectations were a little high as I waited for Outlaw Order to start their SXSW set. Right before they were about to begin, their drummer, Joey LaCaze, was nowhere to be found. Finally he came busting out of the bathroom in the back of the club, his shirt unbuttoned and puke all over his jeans. When he got to the stage and noticed the vomit, he simply said, “What do you want? This ain’t the fucking Strokes, man.” And with that they preceded to destroy the room.
All in all, Outlaw Order is not that far off from Eyehategod. They still have that patented NOLA sludge sound that Eyehategod created. In general, though, there is a faster, more punk/crust influence in the music. Think Black Flag or Anti-Cimex. On the seven inch Legalize Crime, the faster punk sound was a little more evident than on the full length, Dragging Down the Enforcer, but it still is there.
When they slow it down, the riffs are actually a lot more in line with Soilent Green than Eyehategod. I assume it is because without Jimmy Bower, Brian Patton (who serves time in both Soilent Green and Eyehategod) is able to let forth his vision a bit more. So in general they are a little bit more notey, and off-time and involve more Soilent Green–style sliding.
Lyrically and concept-wise, Dragging Down the Enforcer deals with having troubles with the law, a subject all too familiar for the members of Outlaw Order. The word is that they started the band while every member was on probation. Awesome. Just like Eyehategod, if Outlaw Order is talking about some fucked up shit, it is because they have lived through some fucked up shit.
Mike Williams’ vocals are almost unintelligible, which is just how I like it: a sick stream of harsh vitriol that sounds like stream of conscious vomiting. I didn’t get any lyrics with my promo, but I am assuming they’re some kind of William S. Burroughs cutup presentation of Eyehategod lyrics—so I wouldn’t be able to follow along anyway. With song titles like “Double Barrel Solves Everything” you know you got greatness on your hands. Just trust that Mike Williams has led an amazingly interesting life and let him spew his hateful experience at you.
The only weird part of the record really is the much cleaner production, especially in the drum sound. The cymbals have this sharp, long wash over them and the kick and snare sound oddly triggered at times. This is especially noticable on a song like “Safety Off,” which starts with just the drums. Of course as soon as the killer sludge riff comes in I don’t notice it as much, but it is not my favorite aspect of the record.
Is Outlaw Order’s Dragging Down the Enforcer as good as classic Eyehategod records like Dopesick or Take as Needed for Pain? No, but it’s not really fair to compare the two—after all, they may share members but they are not the same band. Judged strictly on its own merit, Dragging Down is a short blast of pure NOLA sludge and a great addition to the Southern Nihilism Front. I love it. I am going to listen to it on repeat, a lot. And man I hope they go on tour sometime soon. I need a little bit more puke on my jeans, and a little more fear in my heart. —Geoff Garlock
Because we were doubly excited about the re-emergence of Florida progressive death metallers Cynic, we’re offering up two reviews of their latest record, Traced In Air. And if that’s not enough to quench your Cynic jones, check out our video interview with guitarist Paul Masvidal.
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Cynic – Traced in Air
By Henry Yuan
Where do I begin with this review? How do I put in words what I think of Traced in Air (Season of Mist), Cynic’s follow-up to their genre-defying 1993 debut Focus? It’s hard, but I’m going to try anyway. After 15 years, Paul Masividal (lead guitar, synth and vocals) and Sean Reinert (drums) still write the most thoughtful, and unique, music out there. It’s insane how the so-called “progressive” metal bands these days try extremely hard to write “outside of the box” but ultimately get trapped into a new box. Cynic is the perfect example of a band that has not only broken outside of the box, but in the process has created their own still-expanding box. A little weird, I know, but stick with me…
Traced in Air opens up with the track “Nunc Fluens.” If you’re familiar with Focus, you’ll automatically say to yourself, “This is Cynic!” The atmosphere is there, Reinert’s tribal-esque drumming is there, and yes, Masividal’s android-like voice is present and accounted for. When I first listened to it, the build up got me sweating and as soon as the vocals kicked in, I just wanted to take the album out. It’s that powerful. It’s nearly too good.
“The Space for This” comes in right after and hits you hard with its super-mellow, almost euphoric, intro. About a minute and a half, you get hit once again, this time with Cynic’s brutal side. The young Dutch guitarist Tymon Kruidenier provides the death growls while Sean Malone, the bass wizard who was also on the debut, provides smooth, yet intricate, bass lines that nicely complement Reinert’s complex drumming.
Songs like “Evolutionary Sleeper” and “Integral Birth” are more straightforward, but in truth that term is far too limiting to describe Cynic’s music. These songs are full of melody and rich, layered guitar parts. The vocals use less of the robot voice and Masividal’s natural voice imbues the music with a truly hypnotic feeling.
“The Unknown Guest” and “Adam’s Murmur” are pure, classic Cynic. Super technical riffs, constant feel changes, and everything in between can be found in these songs. What I love about Cynic is that they include so many subtle highlights that really bring out the emotion in the music. The heavy and brutal parts are really heavy and the melodic and heavenly parts are really beautiful.
The outro track, rightfully titled “Nunc Stans,” really feels like the ending of something special. Whereas “Nunc Fluens” was quick and powerful, “Nunc Stans” has lots of room for us to breathe.
Overall, this album is definitely for the musicians—guitarists and drummers especially. But if you’re a non-musician who loves great music and want to be moved, this is for you as well. Obviously, there’s just so much going on in the music that describing the album can take pages. Each song has its own identity and has a life of its own, but for some reason everything flows flawlessly. Oh, wait. I know the reason. It’s Cynic.
Not only is the music incredible, the package is truly something else. Robert Venosa, who also did the art for Focus, provided the artwork. And just like Cynic’s music, his art has also progressed, while at the same time staying true to his unique style. After looking through the sleeve pages in awe, I was amazed by the beauty of the pieces. Interestingly enough, it seems like each painting represents the specific feel of the song and going through the lyrics, the Buddhist and Zen-like themes really come to life.
Like I said before, it’s so hard to write about Cynic’s music. I mean, all I can really say is that there is nothing like this out there. Period. Focus was groundbreaking for a reason. Traced in Air once again proves that original music can still be written.
I wasn’t around the scene when Focus was released (what can I say, I was only four years old!). But years later when I first heard the album, I couldn’t believe it. This past summer, I flew to Wacken Open Air in Germany specifically to see three or four of the 75 bands. Wanna know who was on top of that list? You guessed it, Cynic. When they hit the stage I was ecstatic.
So as a die-hard fan, when Traced in Air finally came out this year, I was super-excited for it. And it definitely did not disappoint in any way, shape or form. I was actually moved the same way as I did when I first listened to Focus. Best album of 2008? Hell, try one of the best albums of the decade. Get this.
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Cynic – Traced in Air
By Geoff Garlock
Tech nerds rejoice! After 15 years, the godfathers of progressive death metal, Cynic, are back with Traced in Air, their first record since 1993’s classic Focus. Fifteen years is a long time, allowing for a lot of changes in musical taste, growth and direction (both on the musician and the listener’s sides). Because of that, I was super wary of the new Cynic record. But amazingly enough, Traced in Air defied the odds: this is one fantastic record.
Coming off his playing on the seminal 1991 Death album, Human, guitarist Paul Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert decided to up the ante by injecting prog rock/fusion into death metal. And so Cynic was born. Along with the other godfathers of tech death, Atheist and Pestilence, Cynic pioneered a whole new world of metal. In some ways you have to just wonder what the hell they were thinking at the time. (more…)
