1349, who gave us one of the best Black Metal debuts of
last year with ‘Liberation’, are back with ‘Beyond The Apocalypse’, another
withering slab of black metal fury. If there's a melody on this album, the
members of 1349 are sure to hunt it down and kill it long before it reaches your
ears. This reminds me of good, old-fashioned Swedish Black Metal from "back in
the day", that is, the days of the early 90's. From the opening blast of
"Chasing Dragons", through the oppressive "Perished In Pain", all the way to the
final crushing blow of "Blade", this CD is a black metal disciple’s fondest
nightmare. This CD is a must have if you like your black metal brutal and
uncompromising. The Heathen Hippy gives it five inverted crosses. (Taliesin
Govannon)
This is a collection of newly recorded versions of Anthrax
classics spanning from the band’s beginnings with 1984’s ‘Fistful of Metal’ up
to just before current vocalist John Bush joined the group with 1993’s ‘Sound of
White Noise’. Bush has been performing these songs live now for over a decade,
and as this collection shows he’s used that time to put his own stamp on the
material. On top of that, some of the arrangements have been tweaked, and the
overall production is much more raw and immediate sounding. Oddly enough, to my
ears the band’s earliest material holds up the best. Songs like “Metal
Thrashing Mad” and “A.I.R.” have a timeless metal quality to them, while songs
from the height of Anthrax’s popularity like “Indians” and “Caught in a Mosh”
sound somewhat dated and clunky. Regardless, I think the versions on here sound
better than the originals, thanks mainly to Bush’s soulful vocal delivery. Some
songs, like “I am the Law” and “Among the Living” still sound pretty cheesy even
in their retooled versions. Overall, however, I found myself enjoying this
Bizarro-world rewrite of history much more than I thought I would. (Bob
Ignizio)
Atlantic Manor is awesome, and it's shocking people aren't
talking about them already. If you like Clem Snide, Hayden, Neil Young, or any
of that dark folk, you will like this. I enjoyed their previous effort,
"Failing By The Second", but this one is a lot better. The vocals are really
cool. They are quite dark and moody, and make you imagine fall. "Depression
Drama" opens the record, and is a mellow number filled with melodic guitars and
some brush drumming. Guitarist and singer R. Sell, writes great lyrics, like in
the echoey "Into The Black": "I never question your reasons, your faith is a
wonderful thing", he says, in this moody love song. Sell seems to be able to
somehow conjure hope up in sadness. The closer, "Fire In The Sky", is a super
down tune that will likely make you almost cry with it's hopelessness. "There's
nothing to live for tonight", he says. Actually, there's one reason to live.
The fact that you make amazing music. I loved this record, and you will too or
you just suck. (Eddie Fleisher)
I was really worried when I put this CD in the old player,
and for good reason. Last year's astounding ‘ZOS KIA CULTUS (here and beyond)’
had put Behemoth into the big leagues of Black Metal, and I was concerned that
they would have a hard time following it up. Well, my concerns were unfounded.
‘Demigod’, the latest release from these Swedish thrashers, rocks just as hard
as it's predecessor. Things kick off in fine form with "Sculpting the Throne Ov
Seth", and from there on out we're treated to a demonic spectacle that would
make old Lucifer proud (if I believed in such things). The riffs are grinding,
the guitars furious, and the vocals a guttural thrash that makes my throat hurt
just listening. Other standout tracks include "The Nephilim Song", "Xul", and
"The Reign ov Shemsu-Hor" (ya gotta LOVE these song titles...even when they
border on Spinal Tap, they always entertain!). Another thing I liked was the 40
minute running
time. It's rare that a Black Metal album can go over 45 minutes or so without
getting redundant, so this CD is the perfect length. The band says what it
wants to say and then gets the hell out, leaving you wanting more yet being
utterly satisfied. The heathen hippy gives this one four and a half severed
goat-heads. (Taliesin Govannon)
1349, who gave us one of the best Black Metal debuts of
last year with ‘Liberation’, are back with ‘Beyond The Apocalypse’, another
withering slab of black metal fury. If there's a melody on this album, the
members of 1349 are sure to hunt it down and kill it long before it reaches your
ears. This reminds me of good, old-fashioned Swedish Black Metal from "back in
the day", that is, the days of the early 90's. From the opening blast of
"Chasing Dragons", through the oppressive "Perished In Pain", all the way to the
final crushing blow of "Blade", this CD is a black metal disciple’s fondest
nightmare. This CD is a must have if you like your black metal brutal and
uncompromising. The Heathen Hippy gives it five inverted crosses. (Taliesin
Govannon)
This is a collection of newly recorded versions of Anthrax
classics spanning from the band’s beginnings with 1984’s ‘Fistful of Metal’ up
to just before current vocalist John Bush joined the group with 1993’s ‘Sound of
White Noise’. Bush has been performing these songs live now for over a decade,
and as this collection shows he’s used that time to put his own stamp on the
material. On top of that, some of the arrangements have been tweaked, and the
overall production is much more raw and immediate sounding. Oddly enough, to my
ears the band’s earliest material holds up the best. Songs like “Metal
Thrashing Mad” and “A.I.R.” have a timeless metal quality to them, while songs
from the height of Anthrax’s popularity like “Indians” and “Caught in a Mosh”
sound somewhat dated and clunky. Regardless, I think the versions on here sound
better than the originals, thanks mainly to Bush’s soulful vocal delivery. Some
songs, like “I am the Law” and “Among the Living” still sound pretty cheesy even
in their retooled versions. Overall, however, I found myself enjoying this
Bizarro-world rewrite of history much more than I thought I would. (Bob
Ignizio) 
Atlantic Manor is awesome, and it's shocking people aren't
talking about them already. If you like Clem Snide, Hayden, Neil Young, or any
of that dark folk, you will like this. I enjoyed their previous effort,
"Failing By The Second", but this one is a lot better. The vocals are really
cool. They are quite dark and moody, and make you imagine fall. "Depression
Drama" opens the record, and is a mellow number filled with melodic guitars and
some brush drumming. Guitarist and singer R. Sell, writes great lyrics, like in
the echoey "Into The Black": "I never question your reasons, your faith is a
wonderful thing", he says, in this moody love song. Sell seems to be able to
somehow conjure hope up in sadness. The closer, "Fire In The Sky", is a super
down tune that will likely make you almost cry with it's hopelessness. "There's
nothing to live for tonight", he says. Actually, there's one reason to live.
The fact that you make amazing music. I loved this record, and you will too or
you just suck. (Eddie Fleisher)
I was really worried when I put this CD in the old player,
and for good reason. Last year's astounding ‘ZOS KIA CULTUS (here and beyond)’
had put Behemoth into the big leagues of Black Metal, and I was concerned that
they would have a hard time following it up. Well, my concerns were unfounded.
‘Demigod’, the latest release from these Swedish thrashers, rocks just as hard
as it's predecessor. Things kick off in fine form with "Sculpting the Throne Ov
Seth", and from there on out we're treated to a demonic spectacle that would
make old Lucifer proud (if I believed in such things). The riffs are grinding,
the guitars furious, and the vocals a guttural thrash that makes my throat hurt
just listening. Other standout tracks include "The Nephilim Song", "Xul", and
"The Reign ov Shemsu-Hor" (ya gotta LOVE these song titles...even when they
border on Spinal Tap, they always entertain!). Another thing I liked was the 40
minute running 