Reviews
\r\nThe guitarist Ron Jarzombek is known from Watchtower and Spastic Ink. Blotted Science is his new project and together with him he has two great musicians that forms the band and gives their personal image. These are the bassist player of Cannibal Corpse, Alex Webster and the drummer Charlie Zeleny of Jordan Rudess and Behold... The Arctopus.
Weird but also attractive album! Tor Marrock is a band coming from Great Britain and has unique aesthetics and a remarkable ability in writing simple songs that don’t sound that simple after all... The album title A Gothic Romance reflects perfectly the band’s style. We would keep the Gothic part and add the fact that the band has some Death Metal features which sometimes are combined with few Black outbursts and all these are wrapted in an Industrial production cover and that makes the result even more interesting.
\r\nRaxa is the other Project of Russian Lefthander which we reported in previous review for their Sea Of Desperation. Here things are somehow better, because this work at least has something interesting. This album is absolutely a mentality that emanates from Aztecs so much for the lyrics (all of them is written in Aztecs language), but also for the artwork. It is as if he made a tribute in this civilization. Regarding music Oxlahun Ti Ku could be described as Doom Metal with some Ethnic and also Ambient parts.
Behind Beyond Black Void is hidden Stijn Van Cauter who is known from Until Death Overtakes Me. Taking into consideration this therefore, what we could wait from this release? Of course, Funeral Doom until death… Desolate is from the albums, that somebody can love but can also hate. I personally hated it, because it is by far the most boring, monotonous and sordid I have heard in the past few years. The album has duration 70 and it contains 3 tracks, form which the smallest one in duration is 14 minutes.
Throne Of Serpents is a thrash / speed, metal band from Illinois, and this is their first effort, which is also self – financed.
\r\n In the “Baptized In Blood “ album we can find 16 compositions of old school thrash / speed metal, influenced by bands like Sacred Reich, Slayer and other milestones of the genre. The Vocals reminds of early anthrax days and the production that now days sounds like demo tape, reminds of the production of the first albums of the previously said bands.
\r\nIn a previous review of mine, I said that this band tries to play like Guns N’ Roses, as so many other bands do, and unfortunately my opinion doesn’t change. The thing is that GNR didn’t actually create a new music genre or something, so anyone who tried to play like them or even claim that they are just influenced by them, the result was pretty negative, as there’s a very thin line between being influenced and copying others’ music style. In other words, such efforts would only lead to failure. It ’s pointless to comment on the tracks, one by one.
\r\nKarcinoma is an old chapter in the Russian Metal scene. The specific album was released in 1998, but when the band signed its contract with Stygian Crypt, it re-released it. Something else that we must mention is that Karcinoma had split-up, but The Night... Apogee Of Madness is regularly in stores. Despite the fact that the cover artwork and in general all the artwork, refers to something atmospheric and melancholic, the band introduces us a mix of symphonicBlack / Death Metal with some atmospheric elements.
\r\nIt is obvious that One Man’s Bands in Russia are not few. But what is the reason to be put a blame on it? Tears Of Mankind is the name of Philipp Skobelin "band", whose purpose is to make as bored with his debut album, Without Ray Of Hope. Monotonous until death, uninspired to the edge of suicide and without no way of existence, is simply what it could be characterized. Due to its author it is a very good Doom / Death / Gothic album.
