Repossession: A Christmas Album (2014)

Christmas music is one of those things that you either love or hate, there's generally no middle ground.  Some people, like my boss, can't wait for the day after Thanksgiving, because they can break out the vast array of Christmas-themed CD's and play them to their heart's content without anyone thinking they're strange because of it.  Playing those CD's in the middle of June, however, will usually elicit strange looks.  But for those who love Christmas music, there are hundreds of albums and compilations to choose from to whet the appetite.  For the metal fan, however, there's very little Christmas-themed metal, aside from the occasional single, some Trans-Siberia Orchestra, or the occasional full album of metal by an artist, like Rob Halford's "Winter Songs".

I'm a bit picky when it comes to Christmas music.  If I'm in the mood for it, I really like it and enjoy listening to it, even if it's kind of cheesy.  But I gravitate toward either classics like Mannheim Steamroller's 1st 2 albums, some good old Bing Crosby, or some of the other Christmas-themed music I grew up with.  The idea of hard rock and metal Christmas music is one that I like, but very few bands have done much with the idea, other than a few modern acts like Theocracy or August Burns Red.  There have been some attempts at gathering this material together in the past, like the 2002 Sound of the Dead Records' "A Brutal Christmas - The Season In Chaos" compilation.  That was a good collection of songs, but this new collection takes things to the next level by further diversifying the mix of genres and bands, as well as offering two full-length, long CD's chock full of fun tunes.  We have Metal Blessing Radio to thank for bringing all this goodness together.

This compilation brings together a number of familiar metal Christmas songs, as well as a handful of relatively obscure tracks.  In part, a large percentage of the tracks from "A Brutal Christmas" appear here, as well as tracks previously released as free downloads or EP/album tracks like Theocracy, Grave Robber, Paramaecium, Frost Like Ashes, and Deliverance.  Then there are some bands/artists I've never heard of, like Derek Close, Jonathan Simpson (who gets to open and close the album), Anschluss Amor, and Forfeit Thee Untrue.  Stylistically, this is fairly diverse.  We have everything from shredding hard rock/metal like Pastor Brad or Derek Close, to the gothic rock of Leper, the horror punk of Grave Robber, and the grooving sounds of Faithbomb, to the more extreme, such as the doom death metal of Paramaecium, the melodic death metal of Immortal Souls, the brutal death metal sound of Tortured Conscience, the metalcore of Second Thief, or the black metal of Erlosung or Flaskavsae, or the grindcore of The Right Wing Conspiracy.  There's some more experimental stuff here as well, like Kekal's awesome take on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", Amelioration's "Redirection Christmas", Anschluss Amor's industrial "Christ's Mass", or the always bizarro Frank's Enemy with "Coventry Carol".  You certainly won't be bored listening to this release.

One thing I noticed immediately is that the volume level is quite low.  That's probably due to the various volume levels these tracks were recorded and mastered at from various sources, so it was a smart decision to "normalize" the songs to a lower volume to accommodate that divergence, and make the listening experience a bit more even across the board.  If you want to crank it, just turn he volume up a little higher and jam out.  One thing I'd suggest to anyone thinking about assembling a compilation of this type in the future - mix up the tracks a bit more if you have multiple tracks by a single band.  It's a bit distracting to hear all 6 Erlosung tracks all in order, even though I know they're all quite short and similarly constructed.  It would have been more interesting to hear those songs interspersed throughout the entirety of the compilation.  Same goes for Second Thief or Pastor Brad - they only had 2 tracks, but it might have been nice to have 1 of each from both respective bands on each disc, just to help improve the flow and keep things interesting.  It's a minor complaint, however.  Also, I have to mention the packaging for the limited first edition digipak - it's a quality double-fold digi with nice hard cardstock as its base, and a nice matte finish.  The cover artwork, as you can see above, is a nice parody of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night, and doesn't overwhelm the original work with changes, just subtly gives it a humorous Christmas theme.  The first pressing is hand-numbered, and limited to 300 copies.

The other nice thing here is that the proceeds from the sale of these CD's will go to benefit an organization called MPact Events.  They will be using the money (100% of it, according to the press release I received) to purchase Christmas gifts for kids via the CASA program (Court Appointed Special Advocate) - so these gifts will be going to foster kids who may not get any gifts from their birth parents.  Being that my wife and I spent several years doing foster care and have a heart for kids, I'm on board with this, and this worthy cause is dear to our hearts.  I was blessed to get a review copy of this compilation, but I would encourage anyone out there who is a metal fan and wants some Christmas-themed metal to jump on this, because it's a good cause, and a great deal.  You get 37 tracks of awesome Christmas music for $13 in a stunning digipak that will no doubt become a collectible in the years to come.  I'm not one to push my readers into buying stuff, I just try to give my opinion on a band when I review their CD.  But this is the exception to the rule - fans of metal should be checking this out post haste, and anyone else looking to support a good cause and/or for a Christmas music curiosity for their collection, go buy a copy from the Metal Blessing Radio website.  Highly recommended!

ForChristSake - Apocalyptic Visions Of Divine Terror (2013)

It's always exciting to get a new album from a relatively new band that has started strong and has room to grow.  One always hopes that the band has wisely used the time in between releases to strengthen their sound, tighten their approach and songwriting, and generally improve.  When they do, it's gratifying for fans who have expected great things from the band.  When they don't, it's equally frustrating for fans who feel they know the band is capable of more.  What is, perhaps, more frustrating, is when a record comes out that shows the band has grown in ability or talent, but issues outside the songs make the new record a less than fulfilling experience.

That's my take on the new ForChristSake release, "Apocalyptic Visions Of Divine Terror" (quite a mouthful!).  It's a quality record, from the standpoint that the band is branching out a bit from the extreme death/thrash of the debut EP and including some black metal elements that weren't as present on the EP.  They also add even more keyboard work, including some nice flourishes here and there that give the album a lot of atmosphere as compared to the EP.  In addition, the album's dense sound and production give it a real "suffocating" feel to accompany the atmosphere, which just adds to the tension of the listening experience.  However, there are some elements of the production that make the album a frustrating listen, which I'll expound upon in the writing below.  Ultimately, it leaves me as a fan partially unfulfilled.

Let's get to the good first and foremost.  While the EP had a split focus of thrash and death metal that was nicely blended, this release has more of a death metal attack with some thrash mixed in, as well as some black metal elements peppered in for good measure, mostly in some of the layered vocals and atmosphere.  The album's dark, foreboding tone is palpable, and it makes the whole thing work more effectively with the heavy lyrical bent.  There's some interesting guitar work going on, with some nice harmonized licks and leads here and there, and some oppressively heavy riffing at times.  Vocalist Ben does a nice job continuing to expand his vocal approach with nice variation on his mid-range growl, plus a couple spots where clean vocals are utilized ("Deliver Us From Evil" in particular), and then the higher-pitched growl/shrieks and awesome "throaty yell" which brings a thrash element.  The album barely slows down to take a breath from a few seconds after hitting play until roughly half way through, as many tracks flow directly into the next, so if you're looking for maximum punishment from your death metal, this CD delivers that through the bulk of its material, only stopping to smell the roses a couple times near the end.  Ben and Simon on guitar sound good overall, with a heavy, crunchy tone that emphasizes the low end without sounding too modern, and the keyboard bits come through nicely in most instances, giving that little extra element to the sound.

Unfortunately, the production makes things very muddy, and also creates some real issues with the drum sound and rhythm.  Anyone who listens to the EP knows Ignatios can drum and provide a solid, time synchronized attack.  My guess is, something happened with the production and or mix/master process to cause some of the drum tracks to be off-time or out of sync, because there are spots where it sounds as though he is going off the rails, or where his playing is just slightly out of time with the rest of the music.  As well, the drum production sounds as though the drums weren't mic'd evenly, so some bits have slightly loud cymbal and snare parts, the toms sound hollow and empty on occasion, the bass drum sometimes feels like it's being hit quite limply, and one place where the cowbell is used is hard to hear unless you crank it up or wear earphones.  The production buries the bass so far in the mix that it's like white paint on a blank white canvas.  You know it's there, and there's evidence of its place in the mix, but you really have to listen closely to pick it out.  Some places where there's a lull in the guitar riffing you can pick out the bass much more clearly, but even then it's such a low-end, dense and muddy tone that it's difficult to hear what it's doing.  That's a shame, because as evidenced by the EP, Mark can play pretty well.  The mix itself is muddy, and as I mentioned before, quite dense and oppressive.  That feel works well for the material, but doesn't do the material any favors, as at times, it feels as though the songs are barely held together when things get too fast or go into more complex territory where the band is using odd time signatures, or layering the instrumentation to include multiple guitars, multiple vocals, or a lot of snare hits in short succession.  It just sounds real messy from time to time.

Reading the last paragraph, it would be easy to get the impression that I dislike the album, but that's just not the case.  I've listened to this CD a lot over the last several weeks, hoping to glean more of a real understanding of the album's focus and feel.  I stand by my opinion that the EP overall had better production, because the separation of instruments is more pronounced there, providing for a listening experience not fraught with the kind of frustration this CD brings.  There's nothing wrong with a dense, oppressive production.  Carcass' "Heartwork" and Paramaecium's "Exhumed of the Earth" both have oppressively heavy guitar tones, and dense, heavy production that makes the albums sound artificially heavier than they might be if they were played live.  With that dense production, however, came separation of instruments to allow each to be heard more clearly and specifically.  This CD doesn't afford the listener that chance, however, so it requires repeated listens to get a real sense of what is going on.  That, coupled with the troublesome drum production and timing mean that while the band is obviously growing in the songwriting space, it's difficult to hear that full potential when the songs aren't done justice.  Though there are more tracks here than I might have anticipated, coming off a 4-track EP as the previous release, the pacing of the album doesn't feel like it drags on forever because of the songs.  The production hampers the listening experience enough to make the longer songs a bit of a chore to listen through, which is unfortunate.  I also feel as though the album's title track should have been the album's centerpiece, but it gets tacked on nearly at the end of the release.  A minor complaint in the grand scheme of things, but one that warrants mentioning, given the nature of the album's production woes.

All in all, I'm pleased with the album from the standpoint of the band showing that they're growing as an entity and with their songwriting.  They're expanding their horizons a bit, adding more elements, as well as making the longer songs more interesting with transitions, breaks, and enough twists to keep me engaged.  Where I'm let down is the drum production and sound, and the overall production which keeps the bass buried so far that it's not satisfying, and the uneven production that gives the guitar riffs a dense, oppressive sound but does so in such a way that it makes things sound muddy.  I really wanted to love this album, because I really enjoyed the EP, despite its flaws.  I do enjoy the album, and have had fun listening to it multiple times over the past 2-3 months in preparing for this review.  I just can't give the album as a whole a score that is as high as I would like, because the album on the whole doesn't quite live up to its potential.  ForChristSake fans will likely enjoy this, and I did too.  I just wish the album had better, more consistent production that played to the band's strengths rather than creating issues that make it sound as if their not ready for prime time, because I believe they are.  This CD just doesn't highlight that the way it should.  Recommended, with caveats.

70/100

Drottnar - Stratum (2013)

When I was a kid, it was common to see a new record from many bands each year.  With the music industry in what was probably the height of its reign, bands almost had to do so in order to keep themselves relevant, keep new product available, singles on the radio, and keep the tour buses rolling.  Artists who spent years away in between albums either had to rely on a rabid fan base, or just be THAT GOOD, where it didn't matter how long they'd been away - fans were going to eat up whatever they put out.  Today's modern music "industry" landscape is much different.  With the internet allowing bands to connect directly with and market to fans, long stints between albums is no longer a factor, other than the usual "Musical ADD" that some folks have.

I don't think Drottnar has that problem, in part because their music is niche enough to escape the attention of the crop of folks that would suffer from that "Musical ADD".  And to, Drottnar's music has become a unique enough beast that, even if others were copying what they were doing, there's still no substitute for the genuine article.  So while fans who dug the limited release "Anamorphosis" EP (good little release) may have thought 3 years was a long time to wait for the unexpected shift toward the self-dubbed "bunker metal" of "Welterwerk", imagine how much agony those same fans were in during the 6-year wait between that album and this new release, "Stratum"!  Suffice to say, I think the wait was worth it.

Much like its predecessor, "Stratum" is a difficult album to penetrate at first.  There is the standard instant gratification of much metal, in that it's an immediately visceral and intense experience, with grinding guitars, pounding drums, fast riffing, thumping bass, and vocals that could peel the paint off your house.  But beneath the surface, there's a lot going on, and if you're not listening closely enough, you'll miss it.  That's because this is no longer the primitive black metal sound the band was playing on early demos, or even the slightly more tuneful stuff on "Anamorphosis".  No, friends, this is music that requires time and attention to appreciate fully.  And it's time you'll want to invest, because this is a worthwhile conquest.

Right away it's evident that the album, on the whole, is a bit more straightforward than "Welterwerk", at least in terms of the songs.  There are fewer bits that seem to meander, and most of the songs are well constructed and get to the point soon enough, and then don't wander off into aimless territory toward the end like a couple tracks on "Welterwerk" that went on too long.  This is a more refined Drottnar, and for the better.  You may also notice that this album hits harder immediately and sounds heavier, in part because it's louder.  This album isn't going to win the "loudness war" going on in modern metal, however, because it's still easy to get separation of instruments and hear what's going on.  You just won't have to crank up the stereo quite as much before you get the "Memorex" effect of being blown away by it all.

The guitar sound is quite similar to "Welterwerk", in that it mirrors that slightly thinner black metal sound and feel, having more in common with dark thrash than death metal.  The distortion isn't as chunky as you might expect, but the effect is no less scathing, as the riffing and guitar tone still combine to create a heavy experience.  The riffs employ a lot of dissonant and dis-harmonic sounds, much like the previous album, so that adds to the overall atmosphere of the album.  Bass guitar is evident, and provides a nice thump behind the guitar tone, occasionally doing enough of its own thing to prompt you to listen specifically to the bass.  Drums sound great here, with a nice "thumpy" bass drum sound (as opposed to the overly "clicky" sound on many albums), and a snappy snare tone.  Between the slow, groove-based drumming, the blast beats, and the various fills and rolls provided due to the use of odd time signatures, the drum work rarely gets stale or uninteresting.  Vocally, Sven-Erik Lind sounds much as he did on "Welterwerk", with that piercing, raspy black metal styled shriek he has employed.  For those that think there isn't much expression or range in a vocal like that, this album is a good example of how that's just not true - plenty of inflection, emotion, and "vocal shaping" are employed here to great effect.  There are also a handful of moments where choir vocals are used for a bit of atmosphere - it's subtle and not overdone, so it works well here.

In terms of the album as a whole, it's a frenetic experience, from the opening chords of "We March" and the twisting, winding guitar lines of "Cul-De-Sac" (an ironic song title, to be sure), through the album's centerpiece tracks "Soul Suburbia", with its almost movement-like structure, and "Seven Suns Shining" with its odd timed groove and excellent riffing.  On the back side of the experience, the intensity of "Ersatz" and winding sound of "Wolves and Lambs" cap things off nicely.  There's barely a respite moment between songs, either, as many tracks flow right into each other (best exemplified by the lack of a pause between "Lucid Stratum" and "Ersatz"), so aside from a couple spots where the tempo slows for effect, the album doesn't really let up until the final moments of "Wolves and Lambs".  The experience of listening to the album is intense, and after just 38 minutes, you feel as though the journey was longer than that, because it's exhausting and exhilarating at once.

My biggest complaints with the album are minor, but worth mentioning.  As I just mentioned, the album is only 38 minutes long.  A 6-year wait and only 38 minutes?  This is partially muted because the quality of the material is high, and because it means the transition to vinyl is easier (which I plan to take advantage of), but still, it's a little thin.  In addition, the aforementioned lack of transition between tracks can occasionally be confusing, because unless you're paying attention to what track is playing, you may not even realize that you've just listened to 3 songs in a row, rather than 1 really long song.  After repeated listens, this diminishes some, as you begin to learn the songs as slightly more individual entities versus one large blur, but it's still a minor complaint.  Perhaps also worth mentioning is the artwork - the gas mask trope has been overdone in modern metal and rock, and while it's more relevant with Drottnar (because gas masks are a part of their stage presence), it still feels a little "phoned in", like they should have done something a bit more creative than a simple black and white photo with somebody wearing a gas mask, even if it does slightly illustrate the stark and cold nature of the music.

Even with those complaints, I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to this album over the last several weeks, and imagine I'll come back to it more than "Welterwerk", which I think is the indicator that matters most.  "Welterwerk" at times left me cold, not wanting more, but a little confused as to what they were doing.  "Stratum", on the other hand, is a much more focused and effective distillation of the so-called "bunker metal" sound Drottnar have developed, and these songs have thus far impacted me more than any on its predecessor.  That's progress, and that's why I think this is not only the best thing they've done so far, but also a great jumping-off point for the band to really go places.  Bravo to the band for their best album so far, and here's hoping the next one doesn't take 6 years to make.  Recommended.

85/100

The Gamut - music giveaways tonight!!!

The Gamut is back again, and also back are the giveaways!  I've got a CD copy of Rehumanize's "Resident Apostasy" album, a furious collection of grindcore!  Also in the giveaway tonight is a fun little cassette-only EP by Swine Suicide!  You don't want to miss out on the giveaways, so tune in at 9 PM EST and listen in via http://www.sanctusgladius.com !

Tonight's playlist!
A Hill To Die Upon - Adept In Divinity (Black/Death Metal)
Angelica - Walkin' In Faith (Commercial Metal)
Terraphobia - Soldiers of the New Millennium (Extreme Thrash Metal)
AD - Progress (Progressive Rock)
One-21 - Individuals (Punk)
GeistkrieG - Spiral of War (Black Metal)
Docile - Closed Eyes, Opened Arms (Melodic Death Metal)
Teramaze - Once Lost (Progressive Metal)
Forsaken - Dominaeon (Doom Metal)
Nothing's Sacred - The Price Paid In Blood (Grindcore)
Hero - Gasoline (Metal)
Once Nothing - Gunfire Is the Sound Of Freedom (Southern Metalcore)
Swine Suicide - Abolishing the Foundations of Hell (Black Metal) - Cassette Giveaway!!!
Hundredth - Caving (Hardcore/Metalcore)
Havitance - Burial (Thrash Metal)
Circle of Dust - Course Of Ruin (Industrial)
The Throes - Grieve (Alternative Rock)
Our Fathers Were Blind - Banner Bedsheets (Screamo)
Magdalen - Sad Sister Alchemy (Bluesy Hard Rock)
Discern - Grace (Death Metal)
Zaxas - Revolving Door (Power Metal)
The Prayer Chain - Sky High (Alternative)
Trytan - Genesis (Progressive Metal)
Rehumanize - Psychopharmacologist (Grindcore) - CD Giveaway!!!
Audiovision - You Are the Reason (Melodic Metal)
Wrench In the Works - Project AK-47 (Metalcore)
Halcyon Way - Revolution Is Now (Progressive Metal)
Arnion - Obtenetration (Thrash MEtal)
Eowyn - Crashing (Female-fronted Modern Heavy Rock)
Mirror of Dead Faces - The Horde of Swine (Death Metal)
Reflescent Tide - Gluepot (Alternative Rock)
Thresher - Raptor (Thrash Metal)
How To Avoid Art - Control (Industrial)
XT - Carry On (Commercial Metal)
Seventy Sevens - Flowers In the Sand (Alternative Rock)
Oh, Sleeper - To Flagship (Metalcore)
Inevitable End - Dreamsight Synopsis (Technical Death Metal)

Don't forget to visit http://www.sanctusgladius.com during the show to login for station chat
(you can sign in with your Twitter or Facebook account!) and chat with me and other listeners
during the show!

Golden Resurrection - Man With a Mission (2011)

Christian Liljegren (aka Christian Rivel) is a busy man.  And not just busy like having plenty of stuff going on.  I mean busy as in, the guy apparently doesn't sit still.  If my count is right, Christian has either spearheaded or been involved in the recording of some 15 albums since Narnia released their debut in 1998.  So by my count, that is more than 1 album on average per year.  Sure, there have been years where he hasn't released any material, and heavier periods (like 2004-2006 where he was involved in at least 5 different albums, 3 just in 2005!), but suffice to say, the man has kept himself busy, professionally speaking.  Add to that the fact that he runs his own record label(s), and you have one busy guy.  He left Narnia, presumably so he could be less occupied, but aside from less constant touring, I think Christian is probably still busier than the average metal musician.

2010 was another busy year for Mr. Liljegren, as he released the 2nd Audiovision album, guested on the 2nd 7days release, AND put out the debut of his latest endeavor, Golden Resurrection.  The album hailed a return of the neoclassical metal he had become known for in Narnia, but bumped up the speed and intensity factor a bit, resulting in a strong showing and a fine debut album.  Just 11 months (to the day!) later, Christian and company are back with their sophomore outing, "Man With a Mission".  Still present are Tommy Johansson's sweeping neoclassical playing and Christian's strong vocals.  The big difference here, however, is that everything has been amped up save for the speed.  In fact, the album has considerably slowed down to where the number of "speedy" songs has dwindled to just a couple.  Most of the material is mid-tempo, or meets somewhere in the middle between the speed of power metal and neoclassical, and a more traditional metal stomp.  This isn't wholly unique, by any stretch, but does give Golden Resurrection slightly more identity than they had before.  In a way, it's like they've taken a Hammerfall approach that says, "Speed isn't always better, sometimes it's just more."

In terms of guitar work, Tommy is on-point as always, and brings some fairly strong riffs with a good melodic sense.  His lead playing is always skillful and technically adept, while also being melodic, and that shows here, perhaps a bit more strongly than on the debut.  He also adds some vocal work here and there, harmonizing with Christian in background and group vocals, as well as doing a few lead vocal trade-offs with Christian at times (including on the bonus tracks).  Christian is in fine form here as well; I firmly believe he has only improved with age, and his material with Divinefire was (I feel) his strongest work up to that band's original demise in 2008.  Golden Resurrection has continued this, with Christian nicely transitioning back and forth between his smooth-as-butter "golden" voice, and his more gritty, aggressive tone that he uses at times to accentuate the tempo, mood, or power in the songs.  Bass work by Stefan is solid, though it's often difficult to pull out of the mix.  In other words, his contribution is less overtly obvious than the rest of the band, but when you hear his rumbling underneath, it's easy to see he contributes.  Drum work by Rikard is also quite good, with a good use of varying tempos, not content to just double-bass drum his way through the album.  He is quite solid and provides competent rhythms behind all the music, and doesn't showboat or take over the music.  Special mention must be made of keyboardist Kenneth Lillqvist - the man certainly knows his way around his instrument, and he provides an excellent backdrop for Tommy's guitar, sometimes acting as a "second lead", other times merely providing a melodic framework for Tommy's guitar pyrotechnics so the song doesn't lose the melodic sense in the midst of all the fireworks.

Lyrically, the band trudges the usual territory of faith in Christ, power through faith in Christ, empowerment through Christ, etc.  There are a couple of exceptions, such as "Golden Times" which is more of a reminiscence than an overt statement of faith, and "Flaming Youth" which is directed a bit more specifically at, well, the youth and their direction.  But if you're no fan of "Christian metal" because of the lyrics, this won't win you over, and will probably be one more album on the pile of records that turn you off.  I would challenge those listeners to keep an open mind, however.  While Christian isn't the most adept lyricist out there, he tries, and he is earnest in what he is singing, even when his stuff tends to veer into "maximum cheese" territory.  So while the lyrical themse on the album tend to be a touch redundant at times, they're at least consistent.

The digital release of the album includes 2 bonus tracks not available on the physical CD: "Point Of Know Return" (a Kansas cover), and "The End Of the World", which is a fitting and timely tribute to the late Gary Moore.  Both songs are well done and show the band from a slightly different vantage point.  Actually, I quite like their take on "Point Of Know Return" after listening to it a few times, with Tommy providing the bulk of vocals and Kenneth's keyboard shining throughout.  If the band decides to change things up again after this release, a metalized Kansas-like progressive direction would be something I could see (and would welcome) from this group.  Likewise, "The End Of the World" is a strong closer, though perhaps just a touch overlong.  It starts with a lot of guitar wizardry by Tommy, obviously paying homage to Gary's underrated guitar playing skills, particularly in light of his time in Thin Lizzy, no doubt.  Once the song actually gets underway, after a 2 minute solo-fest, we are treated to a mid-tempo rocker with a strong, aggressive vocal by Christian and some guitar flourishes by Tommy.

Overall, this is a strong second album by the group.  After my initial disappointment that the speed and power of the debut isn't present here, I think that actually works in their favor in the long run, as the market is currently overloaded with a glut of also-ran power metal bands.  I'm betting Christian and Tommy know that, and this album seems like a conscious shift away from the speedy European power metal sound to a more hybridized sound that combines classic European power metal with traditional heavy metal and hard rock, which I think will give the band plenty of crossover appeal.  It also gives their songs a bit more collective identity this time around, so while the songs start to bleed together a bit mid-way through, this sees the band moving in the right direction.  Recommended for fans of melodic, power, or really any traditional European style of metal.

80/100

RetCon Ruminations – Modern Extreme Metal

Musical elitism bothers me.  With a form of expression and entertainment such as music, as wide-ranging as music is and can be, there are “genre elitists” or purists that feel their particular chosen style, genre, or sub-genre is somehow “sacred” and should be exempt from tampering or cross-pollination with other styles or forms.  Unfortunately, this attitude is pervasive in the heavy metal community, with purists thinking that anything not meeting their arbitrary set of criterion cannot be considered a part of the heavy metal musical “family”.  Traditional metal fans despise what is referred to as “nu-metal”, and extreme metal fans don’t like too much melody or other musical styles influences their beloved death and black metal.  Black metal can’t have lyrics that don’t concern themselves with satan, the “Old Ones”, or some other mythical “evil” figureheads.  Otherwise it has to be “post-black metal” or some other description.  Heaven forbid (or hell, perhaps?) that this musical style have anything to do with Christianity or any other religious form of expression.  Same for death metal, which apparently is supposed to be all about death and cannibalism and horror, even though the tech-metal band Cynic is revered for their overtly technical death metal and purposely obtuse lyrics.  It’s all arbitrary, and as far as I’m concerned, this practice just STINKS of elitism and hypocrisy.

I don't think Korgul cares what constitues metal, as long as he can crush, kill, destroy.

But I digress – I myself have been guilty of some form of musical elitism over the years, though markedly less blatant or purposeful.  Most of my guilt comes from occasionally slagging on a band or album for mixing musical styles together that either don’t make sense, or usually for bands that try to do something along those lines but just fail miserably because they don’t have enough musical know-how to pull it off.  I don’t see this as a bad thing, since a band should have more than a working knowledge of the styles they’re trying to marry before trying to sell their recorded works to the public.  In the grand scheme of things, this is a relatively small issue, compared with the more widespread genre elitism that takes place in the rock and metal world daily.

With that in mind, I have considered the idea of a “Musical RetCon”.  In effect, this would look at a modern style of music and then turn back the clock 20 years to see if the responses to this genre or style would be the same.  Not that we can accurately determine that now; that’s simply not the point.  Rather, I just posit the idea that if said style had originated alongside some of the more revered styles, would they have been accepted in their infancy just as their parent styles were, or would they have been as reviled then as they are (by elitists) today?  I submit before the court the question of metalcore and deathcore – would those styles have been as widely panned by metal purists had they been introduced during the height of thrash metal, the initial stages of death metal, and ultimately the first embers of what became black metal?

Firstly, let’s start with a couple definitions, just to clear the air.  Personally, I see metalcore as a melding of hardcore music (in a more modern form versus early hardcore like Minor Threat or early Agnostic Front) and heavier forms of music like thrash and death metal.  While the conventions of thrash and death metal are nearly always eschewed for a hardcore aesthetic, the music is generally heavier than hardcore music, resulting in something that retains a hardcore basis but is heavy enough to be considered metal music.  Likewise, deathcore is an extension of the metalcore sub-genre, itself taking on the characteristics of metalcore but leaning further in the direction of death metal with greater emphasis on downtuned guitars, guttural vocals, and overall “brutality” in the sound.  Just to make sure my own personal feelings aren’t on trial here, I have opted to link to the Wikipedia articles on both styles to ensure that their origins are understood.

Knowing that, based on these definitions, there is a healthy amount of metal influence in these sub-genres, it would seem on the surface that metalcore and deathcore would be welcomed into the metal fold with open arms.  That would be all too easy, however, as the so-called “metal elite” is often far too self-absorbed for that kind of open-ended thinking.  For a genre that rages against conformity and praises individualism, metal is often victim to its own set of arbitrary rules and regulations, with websites like Metal Archives (aka Encyclopaedia Metallum) leading the charge for metal conformity and uniformity.  When did heavy metal become a genre of rules and regulations?  When did the style of music that was supposed to shake the foundations of the world become old news and succumb to the weight of its own self-imposed law?  I thought metal WAS law?

Metal IS in fact law, case closed!

So while I say some of this in jest, sarcastic tongue planted firmly in cheek, it isn’t without some frustration that I call for this move toward sanity.  Metalcore and deathcore may both be trendy right now, but consider how long these styles have already been in play.  Metalcore has been around in some form since the mid-1990’s when bands like Earth Crisis and Living Sacrifice started blending hardcore elements together with crushing metal sounds.  And to me, the roots of deathcore stretch back more than 10 years with some of the more modern death metal bands at the time (like Embodyment, with their “Embrace the Eternal” album) beginning to incorporate elements that drove some of the deathcore sound, regardless of the presence or absence of hardcore-styled breakdowns.

Let’s look at another example closer to home.  Thrash metal started in the early 80’s and didn’t truly catch on outside the underground until the mid-late 80’s when Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Testament, Exodus, Overkill, etc. started to gain major fan-bases by touring and releasing solid albums.  So while the roots of the style can be traced back to late 70’s and early 80’s British metal and punk (Motorhead, anyone?), it took a few years before the style started to gain favor in the metal community.  By the late 1980’s, thrash bands from the San Francisco “bay area” were popping up left and right, with even more aggressive bands cropping up in Europe (i.e. Destruction & Kreator) and abroad.  From 1988 to about 1991, before the grunge explosion, one might have said thrash metal became trendy.  One might even say thrash has become trendy once again, with a lot of retro-thrash metal bands popping up, old bands re-uniting and making great records (Testament comes to mind with their latest album), and a lot of young, hungry metal bands making classically-styled thrash records that sound as if Overkill or Exodus were channeling their 1980’s output into a new generation with better production values.

We are NOT the babysitting service!

By the same token, death metal became “trendy” in the mid-late 1990’s when metal was in a more underground state, with tons of death metal bands popping up and emulating early output by Death, Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower, Deicide and Cannibal Corpse.  Some bands did their own unique things (like Atheist, Pestilence or Gorguts), while some bands opted for a straight ahead, no-frills approach.  Likewise, black metal has in some way become trendy or fashionable.  Indeed, when college-age guys dressing like hipsters are playing (often quite well) their own take on the black metal aesthetic, it’s obvious that it’s not just a bunch of guys wearing corpse paint and burning churches any longer.  The gig is up, and while the large number of “bedroom black metal” bands won’t overtake Immortal any time soon, the age of “true” black metal which is all about Satanism (in whichever form you prefer) is pretty well over.  This brings to mind the subject of “the music is the message, the message is the music” which I also disagree with, though I will tackle that subject at another time.

Yes, I still live in my mom's basement.

Seasons change, and so do opinions over time, but I am in awe at how vehemently the metal elite continues to enforce this ruling against metalcore and deathcore upon the metal community at large.  It would seem to me a much more fitting and “metal” thing to do is to leave the determination of what is and is not metal up to the metal fans themselves, rather than dictating that to us instead.  Given that metal is (supposedly) all about rebellion, non-conformity, and “doing your own thing”, it appears a major double-standard to decry the hardcore-influenced metal bands and deny them “metal status” when earlier crossover acts (MOD, SOD, DRI, etc) are generally considered as metal as the thrash bands that inspired part of that sound.  Why don’t we re-draft the definition of metal to be a little more expansive?  I say we go both ways – let the “glam metal” bands be metal, and let the metalcore and deathcore bands be metal.  You don’t have to like them all, and you don’t have to acknowledge them all with the same reverence or status, but they can all still be metal.  But at least this way metal can be a bit less exclusive and a bit more open minded, which is part of what metal is supposed to be all about.  At least, that’s what I’m told…

For the uninitiated, the term ‘RetCon’ is short for “Retroactive Continuity”.  In terms of television, movies, books, comics, etc. it is the practice by some writers or Intellectual Property holders to retroactively add storylines or modify things that happen either prior to or during an established timeline for that particular medium.  For example, a movie trilogy is established, then perhaps a later work of fiction or TV series related to that movie may retroactively insert details into the original trilogy storyline that were not present in the original medium.  It is a literary device used often to make what is happening now (in the current storyline) relevant or connected to the prior or existing story or events.

The Gamut - tonight's playlist!!!

Loads of awesome music in tonight's show - as always, a smorgasbord of great tunes to feast on!  After the technical difficulty at the end of last week's show I think I've got things ironed out now so that won't happen again, so tune in at 9 PM EST via http://www.untombed.com to listen in!


Tonight's playlist!
Sympathy - Lord of All Terrors (Death Metal)
House of Wires - Dead or Happy (Synthpop)
Tourniquet - Besprinkled in Scarlet Horror (Progressive Thrash Metal)
XT - The Rock In My Life (Commercial Metal)
Bloody Sunday - The Best Of Me (Hardcore)
Headnoise - They're Trying To Kill Me (Female-fronted Punk)
Winter's Dawn - The Victory: Rapturous Surrender (Black Metal)
Convalesce - Monsters (Metalcore)
Ashen Mortality - Cast the Last Stone (Doom Metal)
Take it Back! - Standing On the Edge Of Hope (Hardcore Punk)
Halcyon Way - Rise to Revise (Progressive Metal)
Loudflower - Can't Change Yesterday (Alternative Rock)
Joy Electric - The Cobbler (Synthpop)
Mad At The World - Dancing On Your Grave (Hard Rock/Alternative)
Lost Dogs - Jesus Loves You, Brian Wilson (Folk/Rock)
Sometime Sunday - Lie (Grunge)
Chicago Is Burning - Fall Into the Sun (Industrial Metalcore)
The Deal - Here Comes the Sword (Punk Rock)
Heaven's Force - Second Coming (Thrash Metal)
Sweet Comfort Band - Armed and Ready (80's Rock)
Disciple - Before You (Groove Metal)
Blenderhead - National Drug (Hardcore Punk)
Believer - D.O.S. (Desolation of Sodom) (Thrash Metal)
Rebelhead - Say It Loud (Groove Metal)
Jacobs Dream - Welcome To My World (Progressive Metal)
Juliana Theory - If I Told You This Is Killing Me, Would You Stop? (Emo/Rock)
Allies - Feather In Your Cap (Rock)
Deitiphobia - Have Mercy (Industrial)
Haven - The Witching Hour (Power Metal)
Bloodgood - Anguish and Pain (Classic Metal)
Danielson Famile - Fruitful Weekend (Indie Pop/Folk)
Titanic - Carnival of Souls (Classic Metal)
Hell Bovine - Why Are You Dancing? (Grindcore/Noise)
Ezra - Tantum Ergo (Death Metal)
Sacrament - Haunts of Violence (Technical Thrash Metal)
After the Order - Fuschia (Alternative Rock)
Savior - See Things (Progressive Rock)
Fall of Echoes - Red Tree (Progressive Hard Rock)
Crystavox - Sacrifice (Commercial Metal)
With Blood Comes Cleansing - Take Everything (Deathcore)
Random Eyes - For Your Love (Power Metal)
The Famine - Ascend (Metalcore/Melodic Death Metal)


Check out the Untombed website @ www.untombed.com !  You can tune in easily via the web-based player on the front page, link to the stream via your regular audio player, read album reviews, get music news, and link up to other great resources, including Divine Metal Distro, your one-stop source for all things Christian rock and metal!  Don't forget, station chat has moved to Untombed.com at the bottom of the site, so make sure you sign up or use a Facebook or Twitter account to sign in and chat w/ me and other listeners during the show!


Alternate links to listen to the stream in a separate player (Winamp recommended, though Real Player, VLC, iTunes and others work as well):
http://207.192.71.70:8000/listen.pls
http://radio.fuhell.com:8000/listen.pls


Here's the link for Windows Media Player:
http://207.192.71.70:8000


Also our stream can now be heard on Nintendo Wii! If you have a Wii, here is what you do:


1.go on the net via your Wii console
2. type "www.Wiihear.com" into your browser address box
3. type "207.192.71.70:8000" into the Search box
4. Click the play arrow


It can take 5-10 seconds to load up & buffer, so please be patient when using this feature :)


You can also stream the station via xyzmp3.com on your PSP, PS3, Wii, iPhone, or even your TiVo!  Plus you can stream the show via your Windows Mobile phone with the free GSPlayer application!  Listen in from your Android device via the "A Online Radio" or StreamFurious applications, as well as the new beta version of Winamp for the Android platform!