Sepultura's Arise (1991)

Well I think thrash is against all the masquerade behind the hypocrisy, the testical egoistic morons & not the very least against all odds. The 'old' Brazilian outfit with Cavalera bros. know this shit very well and they did transform all their expression with their critically acclaimed lyrics; incorporates mainly with anti-corruption,  anti-fascism and I think they had predicted many things coming to the future and what would be the outcome! I'll come to the point shortly about that. This album is my all-time personal favorite. I just couldn't get enough of it. One of baddest shit in the thrash. There are/were few bands who make their own peculiar sound or tone with crushing riffs, dexterous creative solos, tribal influenced drumming with fast gallops and blast beats, brutal dry savage vocals and lyrics that describes the 'inside' - that is Sepultura. You never omit them, listening is edict. 

Before going towards the album actually, I want to put some words about the band itself. Sepultura has quite a complex kind of genre history. Started as a death metal act had have lyrical themes dealt with Satanism i.e. Bestial Devastation (1985), Morbid Visions (1986), Schizophrenia (1987); followed by thrash metal elements with Beneath The Remains (1989), Arise (1991); then Chaos A.D (1993) brought a pre-bell to a disaster that came in the form of Roots (1996) because simply the band went nuts by changing towards nu metal and blah blah! Another unfortunate thing happened was the departure of the front man Mr. Max Cavalera, the man behind Sepultura. For me, Sepultura was dead the day he left the band and soon after his brother Igor did the same thing but because of the 'creativity differences' or whatever. Damn!

After listening Arise predecessor, I wasn't expecting Beneath the Remains part II but still the sound is something Deja-vu but an improved compositional skill along with lyrics explaining the anecdote of the sterile world. The album kicks off with 'Arise', a potent track describing the victims of the warfare like "Terrorist confrontation/Cities fall in ruin/Victims of war, seeking some salvation/Why must we die?”; strong vocals, Andreas' dive bomb, harmonics enriched solo is praisable. 'Dead Embryonic Cells' with 'Laboratory sickness/Infects humanity/No hope for cure/Die by technology' is another hit against the posers and dumbs ruining the humanity and yus what they said, happened and happening like Union Carbide incident, Chernobyl disaster and countless. Children 'born with pain/Suffer remains'. Here I hail 'Desperate Cry', powerful yet exposure of anger, nocturnal intro with rhythm that besiege heads, strong alternate picking and what we here is 'Desperate Cryyyyy'. Followed by 'Murder', 'Subtraction' and 'Altered State' with some traditional tribal elements that can contrast the cultural impact and some 'experimental' tone that you may feel. 'Under Siege (Regnum Irae)' is where I find that there is something lagging here with most of the usual rhythm patterns and less vocals but overall not that bad. 'Meaningless Movements' & 'Infected Voice' are the last two closing tracks. Many say that the album in whole have a usual pattern which they follow and so I completely disagree. Technically speaking, Igor has a vast range of gallop patterns blended with the tribal style, Max's rhythm stuff is broad each have a different pattern, Andreas' usage of scales like the minor, Locrian mode, harmonic minor etc. with chromatic notes and a very good right hand technique makes each solo lustful.

The epilogue is without Cavalera - there's no Sepultura. No offence!

Review of Empyrium's Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays..

Empyrium's third full-length and is actually an Acoustic Folk type album with its roots coming from narcotic, nocturnal, necrophobic alike (or whatever you may understand from these words). Before exploring it, this particular album usually very much compared to Ulver's Kveldssanger (released in 1996) which you can say that, it is some sort of inevitable because of the similar theme carried by both bands, 'Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays' released in 1999 and I personally feel this album have a calm sound as compared to Ulver, although both bands had tried to combine the perfect sort of melancholy elements. It really carries to precisely give a feeling of a bucolic, tranquil pastoral mood, the dark lyrical theme have the context of countryside, story of ghosts; the moors, beacons , the meadows and everything that can create the atmosphere of something that's called doomy-gloomy (gothic). Delightfully composed enchanting classical guitar blends a realistic feeling, the choir combination with flutes creates a soothing/depressive effect.

The album is mainly by the husband-wife duo - Ulf Theodor Schwadorf & Nadine Mölter, while Thomas Helm appeared as a guest vocalist. Albeit the most consistent things in this album is the guitar along with natural effects, the use of flute, the choir and lastly the lyrical theme.
Here, Helm is the man that I can give a complement; he had poured his natural emotions in the album through his vocals, another thing that I feel is there is something that Marcus is lacking, I didn't feel the emotions that esoteric thing in his vocals (though he has a baritone range in vocals- what else I can say?), “The Shepard and the Maiden Ghost” if you see it is full of lyrics but actually the whole song is whispered. If I don't talk about 'Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays' - the intro, than it would be bad for me. A nicely composed instrumental, one of favourite since times ago, the breeze and blowing wind creates the effect of lullaby.

The standouts on this release are the last two songs. “Many Moons Ago” which a  recitation of the story of a man who has seen the ghost of a girl.(OMG! Creepy! but not horrible!). “When Shadows Grow Longer” is a remake of a previous Empyrium song, but done much better. Helm and Stock are able to harmonize nicely.
At last, this is a strong acoustic album, as a fan of acoustic stuff this is like a treat for me. The album could have made more better but still it gives you something great to listen when you are thinking about the hazy moor, whispering laments. This is mourn.

Review of 'The White' EP By Agalloch

I have always been so fond of acoustics, being a pro-crustie it sounds lil awkward but still I really love good music. Again I have Agalloch here, like there are somethings that can be called as mandatory and this band is surely be one of them: underrated, progressive, creative, soothing, melancholy, meaningful and last but not the least blend of beautifully composed guitars. As a atmospheric/dark/neo-folk addict; this is like heaven.

'The White' is the band's fourth EP released in 2008 but actually recorded in between 2004 to 2007, unlike the previous EP 'The Grey' which contains only two instrumentals and not so impressive, this one surely be a class apart. Agalloch is considered to be one of those bands that are always be so anticipated because of their avant-garde nature. Well, lets come back to the review thing, this EP was restricted to 2000 copies only and released via Vendlus Records. It contains seven tracks out of which three are instrumental (or more) because of the extensive use of acoustics and long solos.

The songs "The Isle of Summer," "Summerisle Reprise," and "Sowilo Rune" contain samples from the 1973 film 'The Wicker Man'. "Birch White" in which several quotes spoken by actor Christopher Lee are used. While spoken dialogue in music can usually be annoying, things work very well here; bestowing upon the music, an unsettling, existential theme. Here it features vocalist John Haughm reciting the poem "Birch Tree" by A.S.J. Tessimond (info taken from Meallum).

I must say John Haughm is the man who writes, plays, composes what he feels through the sorroundings, something that's hidden just like a cauldron of light which makes everyone to look towards it when in dark but few can see the nocturnal darkness which has something that can't be explained.

To me this is more like an instrumental extended-play, I really appreciate the supporting melody of keyboards, Jews harp, goat horn, well there are number of different instruments that have used and make this masterpiece. The cave voice by Victoria Knippschild is just the way it needs. What can I say about acoustics, simply out of this planet. The cryptic harmony is sentenced.

Not a typical work, it is esoteric.

Review of 'Rewarded with Ingratitude / Infernal Hatred' split by In-Quest/Sarcastic Terror

 

Greek death metal? OSDM? Well I couldn't get enough of the Scandinavian & Florida based OSDM shits! I may have checked out many Greek death metal acts (which are mostly of the new-wave) but old-school; right now Dismaed's 1995 demo 'Messages from the Place of the Dead' and Decay's 1992 demo tape 'Ceremonial Torture'  and last but not the least there was a band called 'Nocturnal Death,' (I don't remember any release of them but still got to have their name because of  the grind masters 'Naplam Death') are coming in my mind & now here I have Sarcastic Terror's split with one of my good-name Belgian act 'In-Quest' to write about. I came across this split called 'Rewarded with Ingratitude / Infernal Hatred' back some years when I was giving a listen to the 'In-Quest' discogs. It was released in September 1995 and contains four tracks; one by 'In-Quest' called 'Rewarded with Ingratitude' which was also appeared in their demo 'Xylad Valox' released back in the same year & three by 'Sarcastic Terror' among two of them: 'Intro' & 'Putrescence' were appeared in their self-titled demo, released back in 1992 only 'The Last Act of Subsidence' by them was newly recorded.

I mainly reviewing 'Sarcastic Terror' so 'In-Quest' shall not be in here. Starts with the recording; it wasn't recorded precisely there's alot humming in the back, I don't know the format of release but still like the vintage style. OSDM is always remain the most in my playlist and for eveyone who loves the kvlt way should have this split. If you really tote Xysma or Baphomet sick shits then this split is for you. Guitar along with the blast-beats and the same vintage style of death metal, you still can't get enough of it. Unfortunately with no valid reason, the band soon gone hiatus and later split-up. It was their last recording and I haven't seen any of their personnel formed any other badn except for their guitarist who was in 'Nocturnal Death' and some other local underground bands.

In the last, when it comes to the favourite one so it would be ' Putrescense' although the song has a coherent pattern but still it does kick-ass headbanging stuff with crushing riffs and heavy blast-beats, ‘The Last Act of Subsidence’ is one sick track and heavy as fuck, I love the rhythm pattern also I want to add-in that this split acts as a main influence for brutal death metal due to the fade-up growls. In this split there is no neo-classical influenced solo as you can have in like Obituary's Cause Of Death or Dismember's Dreaming In Red. Highly recommended for a DM freak! not for the core-kind punks!