Reviews
Just a couple of days ago, the new Saint Vitus dvd reached me. The Americans recorded their performance that took place in Chicago, on 1st of July 2003, during their reunion tour. It has been such a long time since Wino, Chalder, Adams and Acosta met on stage for the last time, for a full show performing some classic doom metal.
When checking out To-Mera, someone would assume that is dealing with another female fronted modern atmospheric metal band, so either he’s a fan of this genre, and sees them positively, or he’s not very keen, and rejects them. Correct?
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\r\nWrong!
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The first time I dig this Americans was a couple of months ago, when I picked up their split 12 inch with the Swedish Witchcraft, and The sword really impressed me. Their sound was solid enough, with plenty of good riffage and some melodic licks also .
\r\nThe band Sinew was formed in 2004 and it comes from Germany. After some changes regarding the initial line-up, they release their first official album, titled "the beauty of contrast" via ALVERAN RECORDS. The music of this band is weird. While there‘s obviously a “dark" orientation in the songs, there are plenty of outbursts and then we return again to gloomy and melancholic melodies that again lead to "explosions” of aggressive sentiments and riffs.
\r\nThe new label Underground Activists is a branch of Season Of Mist, devoted to the underground. Hegemon is a French black metal band with a Norwegian sound strongly reminding of older Satyricon and Ulver (at their harder times) or even of the always blameworthy underestimated Obtained Enslavement.
\r\nΗ κυκλοφορία του δίσκου είναι κάπως παλιά μιας και κυκλοφÏŒρησε αρχÎς του περασμÎνου χρÏŒνου, εντοÏτοις μιας &kappa
\r\nAscension Of The Watchers is a side project of Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell and Ministry’s John Bechdel, the album “Numinosum” is their second effort.
\r\nWhoever believed that this effort would sound like Fear Factory should be very disappointed, whoever also believed that this effort would sound “metal” sould also be very disappointed. The album “Numinosum” is a below average piece of ambient/goth/ pop music, with many keys and clean vocals as well as ambint elements
The phenomenon of the re-releases is very common these days. But the most of them is just easy cash in for the labels. Fortunately this one does not belong to this category.
\r\nBlack Crucifixion is a very obscure band from Finland and their “Promethean Gift” E.P. has been released back in 1993 and was in limited copies. The band besides this EP has released another one E.P , “The Fallen One of Flames” in 1999 and just two years ago they released their first full length album “Faustian Dream” (2006)
France’s Reverence have released their second full length under the title “Chamber Of Divine Elaboration” and their music can be described as Black metal played in a Doom metal way.
\r\nDuring the 7 compositions, that reach approximately the hour mark, we can discover their dark and haunting atmosphere similar to Deathspell Omega works and vocals that in specific parts sounds like Arcturus’ ones.
Finland has a rich tradition in Funeral Doom bands, so after the great SKEPTICISM and THEORGOTHON, the sub – genre tradition follows Colosseum, that with this release will leave their funeral doom print, on finland’s musical map
\r\nThe album “Chapter One Delirium” provides us with approximately 64 minutes of slow and depressing atmosphere. The positive thing is that Colosseum’s music is not repeating over and over again, something that many bands unfortunatelly do, thus the listener feels bored.