Although Cleveland’s The Anti-Socialists did have a disc of
some rough rehearsals previously available, this is their first official studio
recording. Mike Wax’s vocals are an acquired taste, sounding sort of like Doc
Dart from The Crucifux screaming while being stabbed, but if you can get past
that, this is some really good political punk. Even if you take away the unique
vocal stylings of Mr. Wax, The Antisocialist’s would still stand out in the punk
scene. There’s more than a touch of acid rock/psychedelia in Red’s guitar
playing, giving the band a unique flavor. Mike Wax is a damn good drummer, and
Pat does a fine job holding down the bottom end. The songs are fairly simple but
they’re written and arranged well. Production values are solid and the mix is
well balanced. My favorite tunes are “The Peacekeepers”, “Bombs of Oklahoma”,
“Operation Gardenplot”, and “Microchip Society”. The lyrics concern various
cover-ups and plots, in particular Wax’s belief in an impending one world
government. Whether you agree with him or not, there’s no question as to
his sincerity. Lest you think these guys never have any fun, the band has also
included cover versions of The Ventures’ “Walk Don’t Run” and “Penetration”
which stay pretty true to the originals. (Bob Ignizio)
Arch Enemy – ‘Anthems of
Rebellion’ (Century Media)
Forget the novelty factor of a woman singing death metal
style; this is just a damn good metal album. There isn't anything here
musically that Kreator didn’t already do back in the late eighties; the recipe
is venom-filled lyrics spit out by an angry snarling vocalist, killer riffs and
guitar harmonies, pounding double bass beats, and complex but accessible
arrangements. Regardless, these ‘Anthems of Rebellion’ are good enough
that I’m willing to overlook the lack of originality. “We Will Rise” is
definitely the high point here for me. Yeah, it’s a tad commercial by
underground metal standards, but it’s a classic metal anthem in the tradition of
songs like Overkill’s “In Union We Stand”. These days, it's kind of
refreshing to hear an ultra-heavy song with a positive lyrics for a change.
“Leader of the Rats” is another killer cut, and while there are definitely a few
so-so tracks, for the most part this is a solid album. If you like eighties
style Euro-thrash, you can’t do much better than this. (Bob Ignizio)
Have you every listened to an album and just didn't really
like it, but then again, you didn't really DISlike it? I mean, it was good, but
it wasn't anything earth shattering...I mean, it was well done, but not...I
dunno...good. Y'know what I mean? I listened to every track on Dead Soul
Tribe's second album, “A Murder of Crows”, and I can't tell you one standout
track from the bunch. That sounds bad, right? But then again, I am left with a
positive overall feeling about the album. Confused? So am I. If you put a gun
to my head, I would compare DST's overall sound to Tool. Not a rip off, but
that's the vibe you get. The album is really well done, the production, the
musicianship of the songs is above average, the package is nice, so the feeling
I get from it is positive. The problem is that I don't have any inclination to
listen to the album again. It didn't do anything for me. But don't let my
fence-standing get in the way from taking a listen to the album. Go to
www.deadsoultribe.com, try a few of
the samples, and take it from there. You might be pleasantly surprised. (Mr.
Lee)
Two albums in a row with the same line-up? Pretty
impressive in the always volatile world of black metal. Musically this is
similar to its predecessor, ‘Puritanical Misanthropic Euphoria’. In other
words, the songs are more riff oriented than on ‘Spiritual Black Dimensions’ or
‘Enthrone Darkness Triumphant’ and the keyboards, while still prominent, aren’t
the main focus of attention. There are some songs with an industrial influence
but this is definitely a metal album. Shagrath’s vocals are far form melodic,
but the phrasing of his vocal lines is well thought out and his voice is nicely
balanced in the mix. The music is aggressive and heavy but melodic as well.
This is a band clearly more interested in writing memorable, distinctive songs
than showing how brutal they can be. They’d still probably make bands like
Linkin Park shit their pants, though. Standout tracks for me were
“Allegiance”, “For the World to Dictate Our Death”, and “Blood Hunger
Doctrine”. There are a couple of songs in Finnish on here as well, but I doubt
you’ll even notice unless you’re reading along with the lyric sheet. (Bob
Ignizio)
Although Cleveland’s The Anti-Socialists did have a disc of
some rough rehearsals previously available, this is their first official studio
recording. Mike Wax’s vocals are an acquired taste, sounding sort of like Doc
Dart from The Crucifux screaming while being stabbed, but if you can get past
that, this is some really good political punk. Even if you take away the unique
vocal stylings of Mr. Wax, The Antisocialist’s would still stand out in the punk
scene. There’s more than a touch of acid rock/psychedelia in Red’s guitar
playing, giving the band a unique flavor. Mike Wax is a damn good drummer, and
Pat does a fine job holding down the bottom end. The songs are fairly simple but
they’re written and arranged well. Production values are solid and the mix is
well balanced. My favorite tunes are “The Peacekeepers”, “Bombs of Oklahoma”,
“Operation Gardenplot”, and “Microchip Society”. The lyrics concern various
cover-ups and plots, in particular Wax’s belief in an impending one world
government. Whether you agree with him or not, there’s no question as to
his sincerity. Lest you think these guys never have any fun, the band has also
included cover versions of The Ventures’ “Walk Don’t Run” and “Penetration”
which stay pretty true to the originals. (Bob Ignizio)
Forget the novelty factor of a woman singing death metal
style; this is just a damn good metal album. There isn't anything here
musically that Kreator didn’t already do back in the late eighties; the recipe
is venom-filled lyrics spit out by an angry snarling vocalist, killer riffs and
guitar harmonies, pounding double bass beats, and complex but accessible
arrangements. Regardless, these ‘Anthems of Rebellion’ are good enough
that I’m willing to overlook the lack of originality. “We Will Rise” is
definitely the high point here for me. Yeah, it’s a tad commercial by
underground metal standards, but it’s a classic metal anthem in the tradition of
songs like Overkill’s “In Union We Stand”. These days, it's kind of
refreshing to hear an ultra-heavy song with a positive lyrics for a change.
“Leader of the Rats” is another killer cut, and while there are definitely a few
so-so tracks, for the most part this is a solid album. If you like eighties
style Euro-thrash, you can’t do much better than this. (Bob Ignizio)
Have you every listened to an album and just didn't really
like it, but then again, you didn't really DISlike it? I mean, it was good, but
it wasn't anything earth shattering...I mean, it was well done, but not...I
dunno...good. Y'know what I mean? I listened to every track on Dead Soul
Tribe's second album, “A Murder of Crows”, and I can't tell you one standout
track from the bunch. That sounds bad, right? But then again, I am left with a
positive overall feeling about the album. Confused? So am I. If you put a gun
to my head, I would compare DST's overall sound to Tool. Not a rip off, but
that's the vibe you get. The album is really well done, the production, the
musicianship of the songs is above average, the package is nice, so the feeling
I get from it is positive. The problem is that I don't have any inclination to
listen to the album again. It didn't do anything for me. But don't let my
fence-standing get in the way from taking a listen to the album. Go to
Two albums in a row with the same line-up? Pretty
impressive in the always volatile world of black metal. Musically this is
similar to its predecessor, ‘Puritanical Misanthropic Euphoria’. In other
words, the songs are more riff oriented than on ‘Spiritual Black Dimensions’ or
‘Enthrone Darkness Triumphant’ and the keyboards, while still prominent, aren’t
the main focus of attention. There are some songs with an industrial influence
but this is definitely a metal album. Shagrath’s vocals are far form melodic,
but the phrasing of his vocal lines is well thought out and his voice is nicely
balanced in the mix. The music is aggressive and heavy but melodic as well.
This is a band clearly more interested in writing memorable, distinctive songs
than showing how brutal they can be. They’d still probably make bands like
Linkin Park shit their pants, though. Standout tracks for me were
“Allegiance”, “For the World to Dictate Our Death”, and “Blood Hunger
Doctrine”. There are a couple of songs in Finnish on here as well, but I doubt
you’ll even notice unless you’re reading along with the lyric sheet. (Bob
Ignizio)