Lahar - Umění Strachu

Remember when Municipal Waste were a good band and not poster-boys for trendy suckitude?  Lahar take me back to those humbler times.  Umění Strachu is an excellent (though, expectedly short) album of "Post-Grindcore" Crossover.  You'll hear a lot of influence of 80's Proto-Grind Thrash like Cryptic Slaughter and SOD, yet it still sounds honestly modern.  There's a generous helping of blast beats and borderline Death Metal riffs which help this album keep pace in this era of outlandish tempos.

choose one making you better feeling

Archetype - Dawning

Over the past two months I've been listening to Angra more than any other band, but they're just too damn popular for this place.  Archetype are the next best thing and they've created a motherfucker of a Prog Metal album with Dawning.  Especially for a debut, the songwriting and musicianship are stellar.  The guitars and drums are particularly amazing.  Even with the hefty 70 min. length, they manage to still be interesting throughout.  If you're a Prog or Power fan at any level you need to hear this.

shark sandwich

Hexen - Being and Nothingness

I always considered Hexen part of the Thrash revival bandwagon, which may have been true four years ago, but not so today.  How bands can start off so traditional and then tip the prog scales on their very next album is beyond me, but it almost always works in everyone's favor.  This album holds its own against the classics and sure as hell beats what the "old guard" of Thrash bands are putting out these days.  Time changes, abstract concepts, and ultra-bright production are all waiting for you on the other side of the link.

click on through

Riot - The Privilege of Power

Since it's been a solid two weeks since my last post, I shall return with an overlooked prog jewel.  This album represents one of those strange moments in almost every bands career when they forget about fan expectation and really let their artistic impulses flow.  There's so many influences showing up here from Power/Classic Metal to Funk Rock and Fusion all expertly executed.  Then there's the whole anti-utopian, cold war concept in the lyrics and way overblown sample intros.  It's honestly hard to tell how serious Riot were trying to be with the concept, but it only adds to the outrageous mystique.  Ok, there are a couple throw-away love songs, but even if you cut those out, you're still left with over 40 minutes of gold.

collecting gifts of metal might

Heaven's Gate - Livin' in Hysteria

Here's another album that four of you will like and 100 of you will hate.  Heaven's Gate is a German Power Metal band that never got the attention of their contemporaries Helloween and Blind Guardian, although they did release a few damn good albums in the late 80's.  As you would expect the cheese factor is cranked throughout the whole thing, but accompanied by great musicianship and that understated German humor that you've only read about.

livin' in portlandia

Arkhum - Earthling

I haven't even fully listened to this yet, but it's been two weeks since my last post and my conscience wouldn't let my avoid posting any longer.  What you have here is modern, technical Death Metal in the Santa Cruz style, except that it's coming out central Oregon.  There's a strong Black Metal influence too, reminding me of Fallujah.  Worth looking into, for sure.

the allochthonous (back)door

Running Wild - Death or Glory

Power Metal is like fruitcake; a bad joke to most people, but a wonderland of delicious treasures to those more educated and refined.  Unlike fruitcake, the best Power Metal comes from Germany.  This album represents the golden age of the genre, before it became just a soundtrack for LARPing.  You had the cheesy, epic and melodic quality of the English New Wave paired with the emphasis of speed and techinicality of Thrash.  This is also the pinnacle of Running Wild's long career, where they achieved their highest level of musicianship and before they went in a more slick and accessible direction that the whole genre would lean towards through the rest of the 90s.

rad to the bone

Bitter End - Climate of Fear

One of those cases where the imitators surpass the originators.  Bitter End have always impressed me with honestly catchy songwriting with a strong emphasis on groove or "mosh" as the kids call it these days.  Like most Metallic Hardcore bands, the late 80's New York influence is most apparent, reminding me most of Breakdown and Judge.  Honestly though, I think this is better than anything those bands put out.  Yeah, I said it.  Older doesn't mean better.

people that know what salsa should taste like

Katalepsy - Autopsychosis

A lot of you may already have this, but for those who are "behind" in the blog scene I deliver this most impressive work.  In the six years since their debut Katalepsy have progressed from bonehead Guttural Slam to the highest-brow Technical Death.  Gone are the annoying cricket vocals and steel-drum snares.  Replaced by sweeps, pinch harmonics, and endless intricate brutality.  Now with their old playground no longer in sight, Katalepsy are fast approaching Death Metal mastery.

 

that's some serious underbite

Svartidauði - Flesh Cathedral

Surprising that none of my blogger buds have picked up on this release, but so fortunate because that gives me free reign to step in and fill that overlooked void.  With Flesh Cathedral, Svartidauði have truly established themselves in the world of Black Metal.  Comparable in style and quality to Swedish masters Ondskapt and Ofermod, they deliver pretty much everything you would want in a Black Metal album.  There's ample amounts cavernous echoes, lethargic misery, and muderous blasts.  Along with the variety of pace is a refreshing balance of dissonance and melody.  I'm pretty certain these guys are the finest Black Metal band out of their small (but prolific) country of Iceland.  Don't miss the boat on this one.

 the banana boat