These
guys go back to the early days of death metal. Suffocation were never as high
profile as Cannibal Corpse, but enjoyed a loyal following and had a good bit of
influence among the hardcore death metal fans. Even though it’s been almost a
while since they last released a full length album, Suffocation still crushes
most of the competition. Plenty of bands have come along with similar sounds,
but few of them have the songwriting skills. The music is technical and the
arrangements complex, but it rarely feels as if the band is just showing off
their chops. This is just pure, brutal death metal that offers no respite. If
that’s not your thing, ‘Souls to Deny’ isn’t likely to convert you. For fans of
the genre, however, this should go down as one of the best releases of the
year. (Bob Ignizio)
On their last album, Superchrist were doing their best to
sound like Motorhead, with occasional touches of punk. If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it. That said, the influences seem to have blended together better
this time out, to the point where Superchrist have enough of an identity to
stand on their own. But having a good sound is only half the battle. To
impress me, you need to have good songs, and ‘South of Hell’ has plenty of
those. Honestly, there isn’t a bad tune on here. In particular, I like “Hurry
up and Bleed”, “Don’t Ride With Superchrist”, and “She’d Look Better (With a
Black Eye)”, which is not an endorsement of violence against women, so all you
sensitive types settle down. So many bands these days seem more concerned with
getting a certain sound or coming up with cool riffs that they forget to write a
good song. Hats off to Superchrist for remembering. Oh yeah, as on their last
album, ‘South of Hell’ includes a cover each by Iron Maiden (“Running Free”) and
Motorhead (“Metropolis”). Both rock nicely. (Bob Ignizio)
Yup, it’s another Black Sabbath tribute album.
Fortunately, this one doesn’t simply rehash the same old tunes everyone else
has. Oh sure, we get covers of “Paranoid” (by George Lynch & Vince Neil),
“Children of the Grave” (Racer X), and the Sabbath’s signature tune (Iced
Earth), but most of the bands on this collection cover lesser known songs like
“Disturbing the Priest” (Order of Nine) and “Die Young” (Primal Fear). The
aforementioned Lynch/Neil rendition of “Paranoid” has more of an eighties LA
metal vibe to it, which actually works pretty well, and Agent Steel tinkers with
“Hole in the Sky”, although this is somewhat less successful. Otherwise, most
of these covers are pretty close to the original versions, with a few
distinctive touches in the vocals and lead guitar playing. Die-hard Sabbath
fans will certainly want to check this out, and for the most part I don’t think
they’ll be disappointed. (Bob Ignizio)
This
is a refreshingly consistent compilation disc that manages to cover the full
range of what stoner rock can be. The disc also strikes a good balance between
established and lesser known bands. Opening track “Too Stoned” by Gas Giant
kicks things off in a nice, spacey fashion. Clutch’s “Willie Nelson” is a
typically top notch song from the eccentric band, and makes a good choice for
the first single from this comp. Nebula’s “The Void” has more of a space rock
vibe to it than the band typically displays, but it’s a good change of pace for
them. Orange Goblin’s “No Law” strikes a nice balance between the band’s early,
trippy doom sound and their more recent forays into more punky sounding
material. The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight contribute a killer instrumental that
calls to mind bands like Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, and Grand Funk Railroad with
its prominent use of organ. Plenty of other good stuff, and only a few tracks
that didn’t do anything for me. I believe all of these songs are exclusive to
this collection, so don’t hesitate to pick it up if you’re a fan of the genre.
(Bob Ignizio)
These
guys go back to the early days of death metal. Suffocation were never as high
profile as Cannibal Corpse, but enjoyed a loyal following and had a good bit of
influence among the hardcore death metal fans. Even though it’s been almost a
while since they last released a full length album, Suffocation still crushes
most of the competition. Plenty of bands have come along with similar sounds,
but few of them have the songwriting skills. The music is technical and the
arrangements complex, but it rarely feels as if the band is just showing off
their chops. This is just pure, brutal death metal that offers no respite. If
that’s not your thing, ‘Souls to Deny’ isn’t likely to convert you. For fans of
the genre, however, this should go down as one of the best releases of the
year. (Bob Ignizio)
On their last album, Superchrist were doing their best to
sound like Motorhead, with occasional touches of punk. If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it. That said, the influences seem to have blended together better
this time out, to the point where Superchrist have enough of an identity to
stand on their own. But having a good sound is only half the battle. To
impress me, you need to have good songs, and ‘South of Hell’ has plenty of
those. Honestly, there isn’t a bad tune on here. In particular, I like “Hurry
up and Bleed”, “Don’t Ride With Superchrist”, and “She’d Look Better (With a
Black Eye)”, which is not an endorsement of violence against women, so all you
sensitive types settle down. So many bands these days seem more concerned with
getting a certain sound or coming up with cool riffs that they forget to write a
good song. Hats off to Superchrist for remembering. Oh yeah, as on their last
album, ‘South of Hell’ includes a cover each by Iron Maiden (“Running Free”) and
Motorhead (“Metropolis”). Both rock nicely. (Bob Ignizio)
Yup, it’s another Black Sabbath tribute album.
Fortunately, this one doesn’t simply rehash the same old tunes everyone else
has. Oh sure, we get covers of “Paranoid” (by George Lynch & Vince Neil),
“Children of the Grave” (Racer X), and the Sabbath’s signature tune (Iced
Earth), but most of the bands on this collection cover lesser known songs like
“Disturbing the Priest” (Order of Nine) and “Die Young” (Primal Fear). The
aforementioned Lynch/Neil rendition of “Paranoid” has more of an eighties LA
metal vibe to it, which actually works pretty well, and Agent Steel tinkers with
“Hole in the Sky”, although this is somewhat less successful. Otherwise, most
of these covers are pretty close to the original versions, with a few
distinctive touches in the vocals and lead guitar playing. Die-hard Sabbath
fans will certainly want to check this out, and for the most part I don’t think
they’ll be disappointed. (Bob Ignizio)
This
is a refreshingly consistent compilation disc that manages to cover the full
range of what stoner rock can be. The disc also strikes a good balance between
established and lesser known bands. Opening track “Too Stoned” by Gas Giant
kicks things off in a nice, spacey fashion. Clutch’s “Willie Nelson” is a
typically top notch song from the eccentric band, and makes a good choice for
the first single from this comp. Nebula’s “The Void” has more of a space rock
vibe to it than the band typically displays, but it’s a good change of pace for
them. Orange Goblin’s “No Law” strikes a nice balance between the band’s early,
trippy doom sound and their more recent forays into more punky sounding
material. The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight contribute a killer instrumental that
calls to mind bands like Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, and Grand Funk Railroad with
its prominent use of organ. Plenty of other good stuff, and only a few tracks
that didn’t do anything for me. I believe all of these songs are exclusive to
this collection, so don’t hesitate to pick it up if you’re a fan of the genre.
(Bob Ignizio)