September 2005 Archives
CD, Massacre 2005
Track list: Thighs Wide Shut (Overture) - Tried & Failed - You're Mine - A Scornful Love - Desire - Pine Oil Heaven - I'm Not Afraid (Of Losing You Again) - Anima Sola - On Thin Ice - Hide From Me - Thighs Wide Shut (Reprise) - Forsaken - Before Sunrise - Epilogue 2005
I'm quite sure I won't be the only one to say this, but here goes: EverEve has, indeed, tried and failed. I enjoyed Regret, but this album just doesn't cut it. With only one or two decent tracks (Pine Oil Heaven, Forsaken), Tried & Failed is surprisingly mediocre stuff. The embarrassing s/m imagery doesn't certainly help it. These guys could do better. **
CD, InsideOut Music 2005
Track list: Inner Strength (intro) - Throwing Your Life Away - Salt in Your Wounds - One Man Army - Through the Halls - Treading Water - Dying Every Day - Born to Die - Born to Die (reprise) - In My Blood - Elusive - Sleeping with One Eye Open - No One Heard
Can heavy rock get better than this? Spiritual Beggars blasts out deep and heavy rock riffs, one after the other. Everything is topped with vocals from JB (of Grand Magus), who is one of my favourite vocalists ever. Absolute killer tracks include In My Blood, Born to Die, Throwing Your Life Away... most of the album, really. Man, this is good. *****
CD, Fat Wreck 2005
Track list: Multiply and Divide - ¡Paranoia Cha Cha Cha! - Middle of the Night - Whoa - (Do) the Stagger - You Should Know - What Did I Do? - Roller Girls - Together - Thinking of You - Hanging up the Phone - How Do You Like That - Photograph - Gotta Decide
The Soviettes plays perky punkpop. Band's strenghts include pretty good vocalists (all four members of the band sing), but that's pretty much it. Well, the album strikes a nice balance between sounding nice and being punk. It isn't too commercial nor too gritty. Paranoia Cha Cha Cha, featured on the Rock Against Bush -compilation, is probably the best track of the album. **
CD, Regain Records 2005
Track list: Preface - Techniques of Torture - Chaos Theory - Sliver - Come Greet Me Crawlers - Hellnation - Blood Katharsis - The Parnassus Journal - Blindfolded - Kevlar Throat
Sargatanas Reign plays modern death metal with a tricky twist. Their songs flutter from one tempo to another, throwing obstacles to the listener. It's not the easiest possible style, but I find the songs rewarding enough. Bloodwork is certainly not boring, like so many death metal records are. ****
CD, Black Mark 2005
Track list: Silverwing - Song to Hall Up High
Silverwing was the last track recorded by late Quorthon of Bathory. It was meant for an album featuring Jennie Tebler, known mostly as a background vocalist for Lake of Tears. Unfortunately Quorthon's death foiled the plans. The song was, however, released with an older Bathory track (from the Hammerheart album) as a tribute to the deceased master. As a tribute it's fine, but unless you're a Bathory fan, this album offers little. **
CD, Wannsee Records 2005
Track list: Herzschlag - Road of Damnation - Dein Kuss - Mysteryland - Black Mail Generation - Sincity - Velvet Sky - Bad Karma - Drop My Guard - Mephisto - Seelenfanger - Sweet Dust
Nik Page cooks up a best-seller mix with a solid base of Sisters of Mercy, an added dash of Rammstein and synthpop, spicing the mix with PVC fashion fetish. And boobs, a big pair of boobs on the cover. Can't fail with a mix like that! Page's goth pop is very commercial, very I've-heard-this-before and very boring, with few exceptions (Dein Kuss). **
CD, Rise Above 2005
Track list: Kingslayer - Nine - Blodörn - Wolf's Return - Blood Oath - Järnbörd - Repay in Kind - Hämnd - Ashes - Light Hater - Wolf's Return part 2
Grand Magus continues on the journey set on Monument: grand, heavy, deep and soulful. Vocalist JB shines once again, as Grand Magus pounds their epic heavy metal. There's less doom and more heavy metal than on Monument and the result is exceptional. Here's one of the best metal albums of 2005. *****
