Pandemonium: Misanthropy (2012)

Furious Souls in a Chaos of Sound

A while back, Godz ov War Productions sent me the two-song 2010 promo from Polish blackened death metallers Pandemonium. It sounded pretty good, being a well-recorded but mostly un-produced demo from a long-established band that sounded like . . . well, they sounded like a Polish death metal band.

Color me surprised at how much better this music sounds on fourth full-length Misanthropy. It's no longer a band that sounds just like a mid-point between Vader and Behemoth. Instead, they've slowed things down to mostly mid-tempo, and worked on the production to get an eerie, otherworldly sound enhanced by the slight vocal distortion.

Lurk: Lurk (2012)

They Never Leave Comments

Doom specialty label Totalrust sent me another handful of releases for review, all of which are full-length debuts. I'm going to start with the one that immediately jumped out as my favorite.

Lurk is a Finnish doom band with elements of sludge, death, and black metal. They have an awesome logo, and an awesome sound to go with it. It's a little tough to pin down an exact reductivist formula to describe them. There are resemblances to a much slower version of Withered. But the strongest resemblance is to Triptykon's rage-filled, powerful doom. The comparison is especially apt considering the vocals, which have more than a little Tom Warrior's visceral, bellowing snarl. Check album closer "Deliverance", with its occasional wordless grunt.

Pantera: Vulgar Display of Power (1992)

Motion for Reconsideration
20th Anniversary

Today, February 21, 2012, is the 20th anniversary of one of the most divisive albums in metal history: Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power. On the one hand, it's almost universally acclaimed as the band's greatest work, and one of the most influential albums in metal history. Outside the core metal audience, that is. You can predict with near-certainty that any casual metalhead over 25 has a copy in his collection. But the more outspoken, critically-minded metalheads hate it with near-unanimity. Metalheads on the whole are pretty well divided.

Much of the hatred toward the album is based on what it's not, rather than what it is. The band's prior record, Cowboys from Hell, is reasonably well-loved among metalheads. It's a good example of thrash, with hints of the band moving toward groove metal. But Vulgar is clearly not a thrash metal album. Yet, you'll see many reviews call it a terrible thrash album. That's like ripping on a pickup truck because it doesn't get gas mileage like a compact. It doesn't make any sense.

Perhaps more prevalent is the hatred directed at Vulgar precisely because of its influence. The stripped-down, simplified, slowed-down approach hasn't been seen as bringing Sabbath back into metal (which would be a perfectly legitimate opinion) but instead as ushering in nu metal, and the bad groove metal of the late 90's. The vocal style and mosh-readiness of the music is blamed for the tough-guy posturing of metalcore bands like Hatebreed or hard rock bands like Drowning Pool. But plenty of great albums have led to terrible imitators. It doesn't make any sense to tear down Thergothon just because there are bad funeral doom bands out there.

Taake: Noregs Vaapen (2011)

Black Metallers with Manhood Intact

There are so many bands out there today practicing the Second Wave style of Norwegian black metal that it's hard to know which one is going to be worth your time. It's no help that there are plenty of reviewers out there who care more about troo-ness than about musical quality. So if you want a dose of that style, how are you supposed to know what to get?

I chose Taake because of the controversy. I admit it. Apparently there's a line offensive to Muslims, which caused quite a stir. Had it been about Christians, no one would have blinked. I support anyone who's going to dare some extremist Muslims to plot their death. It takes balls to do it, and it serves the important purpose of desensitizing some touchy people.

Metal Political Endorsements

By now you've probably heard that Dave Mustaine endorsed Rick Santorum for President, which is pretty weird when you think about how he has been critical of Republicans in the past. The best commentary on this issue that I've read was from Jay Leno. I don't watch him, and I think he's generally a has-been, but even a broken clock is right twice a day:

Well, a lot of celebrities are now coming forward with their political endorsements. This week, the lead singer of the heavy metal band, Megadeth, says he's endorsing Rick Santorum. That's what he said. Me, I'm going to wait until I hear what Lemmy from Motörhead has to say.

Death Denied: Appetite for Booze (EP 2011)

Review

The bassist of Death Denied contacted me about their EP Appetite for Booze. He identified their style as "unoriginal southern metal". I'm not sure if they have any idea how much I love southern metal. I haven't talked about it a lot, so they'd have to dig to figure that one out. In college I played the first few Black Label Society albums more than anything else, and Corrosion of Conformity's mid-period work wasn't far behind. I still occasionally break out Pride & Glory.

Submitting your music to a huge fan of the genre is usually a pretty safe bet. They're predisposed to liking you. But on the other hand, they've heard a lot of it, so if you're no good at it then you can get torn apart. And these guys are from Poland, so what the hell do they know about the original, southern branch of sludge metal?

Kroda: Schwarzpfad (2011)

Review

Here's another one outside my area of expertise that appeared on Beards etc. Kroda is a Ukrainian pagan metal band. The unpronounceable Schwarzpfad is the band's fourth full-length, and first after significant personnel changes, including losing composer Viterzgir. It's hard to believe this was made by only one man.

It's through-composed black metal, played with some traditional sounds and folk-inspired melodies. The only genuine traditional instrument is a flute (or at least I think it's a real flute), although there are plenty of synthesized instruments. The songs are long, with the typical hard, black metal versus soft, acoustic folk dynamic all over the place. Clean vocals (I believe a baritone) show up in "Schwarzpfad IV (Heil Ragnarok!)". So at first blush, it seems fairly typical for the pagan metal genre. But after multiple listens, it becomes apparent that this is more than just another pagan metal album.

Metal Briefs: Bandcamp, Part 5

The Dirty Rockin' Demo Edition

This edition of the Bandcamp series celebrates demos that are the antidote to the overpolished turds that get so much attention from mainstream metal press.

Throw the Goat: Demo Primero (2011)

California rock band Throw the Goat contacted me about their demo, aptly named Demo Primero. They're not a metal band, but I think they'll appeal to you anyway. It's hard rock with plenty of punk influence, played fast and loose. There's a little bit of Misfits in here (check the chorus on "Too Late"). How can you possibly go wrong with that? It's pure fun, and absolutely free. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Morbus Chron: Sleepers in the Rift (2011)

Review

By now, you're probably sick of hearing about the revival of old-school death metal. Or maybe you're just sick of me talking about it. Or maybe, you just wish the OSDM tag would be a little more honest. Bands who get tagged with that label tend to play one of three things. One, something slower and heavier than any death metal that actually existed before the 21st century. Two, an indistinct mess of frightening death metal-like sounds without any discernible riffs, also based on some ideal of early death metal that never really existed. Three, Swedish death. But out of all the bands being labeled "old school", no one seems to be playing death metal in its original form.

Except for Morbus Chron, that is. Despite being from Sweden, they play death metal as it existed before Left Hand Path.

Kalmen: Kalmen (Demo 2011)

Review

I don't use illegal drugs. Never have. This gives me a leg up in life, avoiding legal trouble and keeping a sharper mind. Some branches of Satanism see it about the same way I do: If you do partake, they make you that much easier to rule.

By that observation, Kalmen look like they would be easily dominated. Kalmen's 2011 demo is one perfect example. A quick glance at their most widely-known band photo is enough to advertise their love of marijuana, with all members sitting on the floor, looking hazily at the camera with heads lolling to one side. But a listen to their music is just as convincing. At first blush, the music based around the cold, apocalyptic mood of bands like Unearthly Trance. But extra emphasis is placed on being indistinct and trance-inducing, so they sound a little bit like Unearthly Trance if they had a drug habit the equal of Electric Wizard.