Reviews
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\r\nLive Over Europe will be named the new, double DVD of Axel Rudi Pell, \r\n
\r\nA gift to every Dark Funeral fan! There is no need for introductions for this band. It’s common knowledge all that they have contributed all these years. This is the first official DVD for the Swedish and the duration is over three hours long. It includes 3 concerts. The first is from their appearance in Metalmania Festival in Poland in 2005, the second one in Holland and the last one in France just a few days after their appearance in France. It is obviously the same tour and that’s the only detriment to this DVD.
\r\nIt is nice to see bands experimenting with their sound and creating music which stems from musicians’ influences, it has however a completely personal style. Danish Xcentrik it’s not a usual band, something which is revealed through the polymorphism existing in their debut album "Welcome To The War". The band combines the Space Rock style of Faith No More with more Progressive Rock / Metal forms and some bursts which remind even Megadeth.
\r\nThere is a lot of noise about Universe 217 lastly. Not unfair. This band from Athens managed to create something unique fro the greek standards. The problem is that, this music cannot be heard from anyone, as it’s very difficult and complicated, since it’s based more in the atmosphere and the Down Tempo points and not in the typical melodies or in the ususal way, according to which a song is composed. This is not at all negative and if we judge this work with objectiveness, then this band created a masterpiece. Since I have to tell my opinion, I will do it freely.
\r\nThe guitarist Ron Jarzombek is known from Watchtower and Spastic Ink. Blotted Science is his new project and together with him he has two great musicians that forms the band and gives their personal image. These are the bassist player of Cannibal Corpse, Alex Webster and the drummer Charlie Zeleny of Jordan Rudess and Behold... The Arctopus.
Weird but also attractive album! Tor Marrock is a band coming from Great Britain and has unique aesthetics and a remarkable ability in writing simple songs that don’t sound that simple after all... The album title A Gothic Romance reflects perfectly the band’s style. We would keep the Gothic part and add the fact that the band has some Death Metal features which sometimes are combined with few Black outbursts and all these are wrapted in an Industrial production cover and that makes the result even more interesting.
\r\nRaxa is the other Project of Russian Lefthander which we reported in previous review for their Sea Of Desperation. Here things are somehow better, because this work at least has something interesting. This album is absolutely a mentality that emanates from Aztecs so much for the lyrics (all of them is written in Aztecs language), but also for the artwork. It is as if he made a tribute in this civilization. Regarding music Oxlahun Ti Ku could be described as Doom Metal with some Ethnic and also Ambient parts.
Behind Beyond Black Void is hidden Stijn Van Cauter who is known from Until Death Overtakes Me. Taking into consideration this therefore, what we could wait from this release? Of course, Funeral Doom until death… Desolate is from the albums, that somebody can love but can also hate. I personally hated it, because it is by far the most boring, monotonous and sordid I have heard in the past few years. The album has duration 70 and it contains 3 tracks, form which the smallest one in duration is 14 minutes.
Throne Of Serpents is a thrash / speed, metal band from Illinois, and this is their first effort, which is also self – financed.
\r\n In the “Baptized In Blood “ album we can find 16 compositions of old school thrash / speed metal, influenced by bands like Sacred Reich, Slayer and other milestones of the genre. The Vocals reminds of early anthrax days and the production that now days sounds like demo tape, reminds of the production of the first albums of the previously said bands.