ANTIPOPE “House Of Harlot” (nov 2011)
Label : Violent Joyrney Records, TCM Records
House of Harlot’ Track Listing:
House of the Harlot
Communion
A Thing so Vile
The Carnal Ritual of Self-Asphyxiation
The World Coming Down
To a Passer-by in Black
Morning Star
Waratah
Rapeman
The Man We Would Like to Hang
Happiness in Crime
Dark metal to the garment industrial, Black ANTIPOPE, from Finland (formed in 2004), with this second album (after “Desert” in 2010) “House Of Harlot” finds the light, signed on Violent Journey Records issues the good obscure auditory times. One would imagine it to be escaped from a dark German goth scene of the 80’s (“House Of Harlot”, “Communion”), for its vocal phrasing tales of M J Myllykangas. The will of ANTIPOPE is to offer a surprising explosive, through a fairly disperate album but it’s an obsessing mix in its architecture.
Black Metal in its intents, darkwave in its ambiences, I imagine a boiling hot Rammstein rubbing the tapered legs of Dita Von Teese. Then call this “Cabaret-Metal” because the album carries with it a number of emotions, a melting pot that can often be confusing when talking about the overall direction of the album, but after several attentive wiretappings it brings out a real intention and a rather welcomed risk-taking (“Morning Star”, “A Thing So”). Psyche-guitars and martial riffs, bi-polar solos, flight lyrics, there is the seed of madness in this work, as shown perfectly in the songs like “Waratah”, and in devilishly hypnotic and tortuously spirited “The Man We Would Like To Hang”, which are the real successes of the album.
Alice Cooper as crack cocaine, it also gives the death-dealing ride “Happiness In Crime”, strange dance of the mingled ghosts of Sopor Aeternus and Grave Digger, and Cradle Of Filth circled in the lace of a hallucinated Pentagram. A scaffold peering towards heaven and still standing, holding on the miracles.
Strange and disturbing, the album finally seduced me and found a place in my heart. At the last saturated note I remain fascinated. The magic works. Fresh album in the spirit of the adventurous 70’s, pushing its limits today beyond a far too sclerosis creativity to new unexplored territories.
This is an introduction to a epileptic Grotesque Heavy Doom Black Metal in State of levitation, new sensations.
Much more than an attempt, an absolute success. The dark side of the Mood…
ILLNATH “Third Act In The Theatre Of Madness” (Nov 2011)
Label: Pitch Black Records (CYP)
TRACKLIST:
01 – Third Act
02 – Scarecrow
03 – Lead the Way
04 – Snake of Eden
05 – Shorthanded
06 – Spring Will Come
07 – Tree of Life and Death
08 – Fall of Giants
09 – Vampiria
10 – Kingship Incarnate (CD bonus)
RISE…AND EMBRACE HER
Narrenschiff out, then a big challenge…
The third album from the Danish ILLNATH, is breaking here each concern: it is Heavy. Donald Duck was charming but the blonde Mona with her rasp voices innovates, imposes a new era.
The first song, the “Third Act” (Cradle of Filth meets Alice Cooper…), large and ambitious, we (yes we can !) imagine an orgy between a thinner Dani (Cradle…), a still more blonde Angela (Arch…), a withdrew and released Luca (ex Rhapsody…) from his “hollywood metal” straitjacket and yet, a sexy-pierced Alissa (The Agonist) … imagine the baby and call him ILLNATH.
Modern Dark-Death-Black-Sympho (and can continue as long as the palette is large), Gothic in its moods and Black in its activity, these young modern musicisians deal with many influences and incorporate fully their time (as do the Avenged Sevenfold, for example), far away from Kalmah, to let finally appear a real footprint. Signed in Pitch Black Records, ILLNATH illuminates this year’s end with its highly addictive metal, which never bores us, but it’s a constant musical prowess.
A song drawer where shared demonic solos or keyboards as frequently asked monsters, guttural or scream voices as if a dying pig was allied with heavenly refrain, wobbly piano and dusty violin, on the detour of a crypt to imagine Siebenburgen typing Theatre of Tragedy. Unlikely but devilishly successful.
“Snake Of Eden” is a new and seductive beauty (Ravens fly away, wounded…). “Shorthanded” grooves with panache, and is located within a beautiful melodic line, a pure moment of delight. There is a heart behind this wall of sound, of the hot organic matter as a body for the soft caresses, mein Gott, this music is desire, a sexy desire. Pete Falk, guitarist who has the gift of ubiquity (it is around magic!) to the hailed abnegation is certainly not aware of but he has a twin. It should be known as Herman Li…Festival of dazzling and intelligible solos, it propels in the stratosphere the splinters of silver inspired, romantic music and lovely, progressive darkness in his intension to take the listener into a world of delights (“Tree Of Life and Death”, “Fall Of Giant”, vindictive poured lava). Dark Violet, these lips bite you, but you like it… penetrate my chinstrap and drink me… this (Vampiria) Black Metal Symphony is simply majestic. Each piece is unique in its words and execution, small beads of blood flowing between your heavy breasts, this body belongs to me, forever…
ILLNATH radiates, ILLNATH is sublime and affects the hoped consecration.
The past is dead and buried. Under rubble, dies Harlequin. With Mona (imperiale) mutation took place. To the tragic Sénéque to the satirical Tchekhov, this “Third act in the Theatre of Madness” offers the extent of his manifest: just touch to the sublime.
ILLNATH is the unthinkable success because with this little CD, this insignificant “pancake” of polycarbonate, this tiny speck of life, these artists perform their fate.
This obscure object of desire will brand you. For Ever-
Tracklist:
1. I Am Made Of You
2. Caffeine
3. The Nightmare Returns
4. A Runaway Train
5. Last Man On Earth
6. The Congregation
7. I’ll Bite Your Face Off
8. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
9. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture
Too Much Class For The neighbours…
Detroit, Michigan, the steel and the jails, the fumes of aluminum make here unbreathable air. The future already stillborn, just need to horizon. Somebody watch an apocalyptic sound, and will lose in lines of too pure coke (Iggy & the Stooges), others take masks, summoning the spirits under the sweet eyes of Mama and will impose to the world a nightmarish entity. His name? ALICE COOPER. Shock the world !
Vincent Damon Furnier will irritate his nasal voice parents, WASP, to be honest and flood of musical saws of the seventies, Lord young person in anger, but non-dupe, playing to fear but to preserving with intelligence a Golden future. Parodies of executions, mutilations and blood, sweat and plastic dolls, this combo calls Zappa and will take him under his wings on its Straight label for two albums with trend psychedelic (“Pretty for You” and “Easy Action” in 1970). The successful delaying, Vincent Furnier appropriates completely his doppleganger, double evil and “becomes” Alice Cooper. Evil is done.
“A dagger to the heart of the generation of love”, this is what propones Alice. Bob Ezrin (21 years) will be the detonator, sended half-heartedly by his boss Jack Richardson, who is washing his hands. Alice Cooper, too ugly, too dirty, too out of control…
“I m Eighteen” became the anthem that would have not renounced the Who and makes it fully “hysteriques” the hordes of young teens who are in this noisy scarecrow outfall, perfect in their evil being. Later, a certain Kurt Cobain will also find the path to their hearts… The sound is felt, becomes heavy, threatening. And the Visual is not at rest. The monster is ready to bite. Nothing to say, the 70’s will be magical but a nightmare for America…
1975, “Welcome in my Nightmare”, 8th album, and the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal” Lou Reed has left traces in the collective unconscious…Steve Hunter (guitars), Dick Wagner (guitars) and John Prakash (bass) will be summoned to give life to this concept-album, narrating the nightmares of Alice, in total control of his art. Vincent Price there will come to burn a few dark words of deep voice…The album is an absolute success and offers to the scalp a sadistic “rictus”… then unfortunately the 1980s will no have pity for Alice and let him and his theatre of puppets to the single rank of attraction kitsh…
We move in silence the following years… jumping into this century… when Alice Cooper was reborn in the eyes of many fans with his excellent “Among Came The Spider” (2008), always cynical with the touch of second degree cooling. The lovers of Yadbirds, Animals or even some Kinks, the slayer of high-minded leagues, at 63 years Alice has not yet finished to amaze us…
September 2011, who would have thought about it…?
Here’s the return of the “crazy moralizer”, the new avid sensations of mentally ill, the “chicken-eater” (well before Ozzy…), the legendary musician who gave us so much and so many good memories (and nightmares also…). He’s back! And he proves us with his new soberly titled “Welcome 2 my Nightmare”, an immediate result of his 1975 masterpiece with the Producer, co-writer and mixer, Bob Ezrin, and a range of good friends including Denis Dunaway, Michael Bruce, and Neal Smith, Desmond Child, and many more.
“Welcome” part 2 therefore. And what a slap.
Clearly, it was felt since the previous one but Alice was and is the Wonderland. This vintage gives what it promised: the best! Some sweets keys of piano and ghostly recessional voices from our deeper memory. Alice Cooper is powerful, nostalgic but arming of auto-tune (yes!) to enter modernity, a grain close to perfection when he murmurs “I am made Of You”, it is a total success, fumed by a “Floydien” solo guitar, who nails in us so much beauty. A power hit. And already it feels reassured… “Caffeine” taking his rock on a highway, it crosses this nonchalance to the seventies, immediate song, as it must be listened laid down with the eyes closed…
Atmospheric children rhythms, the always cursed piano, unhealthy, insidious… “The Nightmares returns” is the fundamental, and Announces in 1 mn 14 that the nightmare is not at all finished… The following confirms our judgment (“Runaway train”), Alice is wearing his most rutillants clothes, “Wham Bam Thank You Mam”, the last man on earth will be him, no doubt. It will end up in a cabaret but still with style (“Last Man Of Earth”).
Buried the violin, torn the heavy red curtain, “The Congregation” is more to “british” in the comments, a heavier Oasis of few kg of muscles. Beautiful success. The Stones are dead? Alice is Alive, and feel Well. A perfect demonstration with “I’ll Bite Your Face Off”, rhythmic ad – hoc, everything is perfect, the sacred fire burns always. A killer.
The “UFO” of the album, no doubt, the most low and unnecessary song is “Disco Bloodbath Boogie fever” with these hearts that we imagine in an anorexic and escaped Red Army, and finally sympathetically aerated artwork, and furious guitars solos make you quickly smiling. “Ghouls Gone Wild” keeps the same desire that the previous song and is worthy an offshoot surf music, and it brings fun and decontraction in the maze of disturbed brain of a project manager.
This charming vintage touches with the superb ballad “Something To Remember Me By”, according to the Mr. Furnier, one of his finest compositions but just a little too short for my humble tastes. Martial heavy drums and the voice are vicious, the demon is back. “When Hell Comes Home” is threatening and pulling a few earthquakes. Clear production honour is the vocalizations of Alice, truly at the top. Here, one feels a welded, voluntary, and a hungry band.
The most “pop” song of the concept, which sees arising the talented Kesha, is “What Baby Wants” and it may even find the way to the most hermetic FM. A daring but bet that works. Refreshing. The tocsin, dark but liar, the next one is more playful. “I Gotta Get Outta Here” announces the alarm, Dawn points, where heavenly choruses shine above our nights, and finally I ask, if there will be nothing to fear… really…? “The Underture”, a musical epilogue or travel in time, sealed with high maestria of this album, in which it was a joy to find our old mascot Alice, the guardian of our guilty pleasures, the architect of the haunted castles of our youth, a faithful friend for more than 35 years…
Don’t take the wrong road, “Welcome 2 my Nightmare” is an invitation, a hug, a nostalgic walk to the Wonderland, alongside of one of the greatest artists of his generation (Bob Dylan lauds him), and who, as Peter Pan, never gets old, and who will always take care of us. It’s good to see you, Alice Cooper!
RED ROSE “Live The Life You’ve Imagined” (oct 2011)
Label: BakerTeam Records
Tracklist :
1. Turn Back the Time
2. Name on the Stone
3. The Last Drop
4. Gone with the Sunrise
5. Live the Life You’ve Imagined
6. Dreamer
7. Tough to Love
8. When the Sun Goes Down
She ate sand throughout his life, and like you she preferred the statues of roses arise rather than walls, and in his desesperate dances this dust will become arable land, she doesn’t cries, no more tears… But she can still dream. This is the storm which slams here outside, but is the Sun of Humanity that surface when men toil, when the door of your house is never closed, when your neighbor cadge, then as the Moon offers its light in the darkness, share your candle.
Constellation of stars, stealth myriad, this universe now belongs to them. RED ROSE‘s first album is distilled in the air scented wild olive trees… this music can make you better, my friend, my brother. This magical East, cradle of hope but also of disillusionment, filed a new proud child (after Orphaned Land or Salem) at your feet, and takes him in your arms, and embraces him, this innocent one answers to a sweet name of RED ROSE, which you will not forget.
“Symbolically” the first band that has been signed on the label BakerTeam Records, this Israeli combo with its passion and mastery, displays clearly its noble intentions and positions itself to readily as a stunning revelation in a “Metal Pomp Melodic” style like Sonata Arctica, Vanden Plas, Royal Hunt or Equus, tasty AOR but sharp in its foundations, less naive than Dragonland, but a more biting than Journey (make them dentures…). Recorded at Jailhouse Studios, Denmark, with Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Jorn etc) in a flamboyant setting thus, beautiful lady, allow me to offer this “bouquet” of roses, testimony of my deep affection of my immeasurable dedication…
“Live The Life You’ve Imagined”…
Perfect title for a perfect album, everything here is a work of Goldsmith.
A keyboard and a few notes of piano mesmerizing announce musical Rainbow which will extend for 30 minutes (a concern, which will be discussed here later…) and “Turn back The Time” with pride refers to the best of a Sonata Arctica while the power-hammer rhythmic of the following song, “Name Of The Stone”, accompanies to blaring the intoxicating testosterone.
Big “thrashy” riffs and whirling keyboards, air, solos spun the pineal gland, often disturbing and eveloping voice (is this Tony Kakko, Klaus Meine, or although Michael Sweet…?), progressive compositions titillate the pure emotions (“The Last Drop”, ultimate ballad born of the womb of a Scorpion and a Jethro Tull), harvest is generous, we’ll drink our goats milk, our leather will be sandals and we will go, Yes we will go together to dance in the rain…
“Gone With The Sunrise”, is threatening Theather Dream with more nightmares, and barrier to cloak the passed colours …A beautiful demonstration to discover a much more darker facet.
The 80’s in the guitars styles, the vocals assisted by of vintages purple keyboards, an unstoppable smash-hit, the eponym song, but would have been even more adored if it was twice as long as now (a concern, we will return below…).
If Khymera makes you cry with its melodic beauty, then with “Dreamer”, you’ll cry without shame, it’s whipped cream power-balad, shareholder in Cleanex, purveyor of “Baby boomers”, a slow-to-kill. Another “Tallulah”. Once again, unbreakable. Stryper who have swallowed a white snake, it’s just like a poison for this concise “Tough To Love”, the 70’s in the mind but glam still (but still I have this same concern…). but RED ROSE yet surprises.
“When the Sun Goes Down” looks like a Bonfire’s song (“who’s foolin who?”) which concludes the album beautifully, this wonderful trip is perfect also by its beautiful artwork, made by Brazillian artist Jobert Mello (Sabaton, Benedictum) and it gives a (large) final reproach to this entire packet.
Leve Laiter (vocals), Elnur Aliev (guitars), Deion Kristen (keyboards) and Eli Reeve (bass) are in tune with the music they propose and share: light, all without exception. The only problem is the duration of the compositions and, therefore, the work in its entirety (8 pieces) are within for a little more than 30 minutes…, wherethe musical comments claim more digressions (but this is only a small minus-point for this album’s atmosphere, a powerful developer of goodness who can hide in the recesses of the human soul ).
Too often there is a dictatorial and abrupt cut that leaves us on our hunger, when composition has not yet issued any of its substance. Often bothersome, often annoying. Too often ramped. Rather an improved EP than a full Album.
If Slayer makes it in only 30 minutes, it can be comprehensible… But RED ROSE is a journey, a destination, a long path that can be hindered. The walls are made to be destroyed.
Ideally, Burr disappear. And on the ruins of our disability, sublimate, To arise of the almond trees in bloom. This music is the ground on which your children will walk. See. She doesn’t cries. And the smile, Like a Red Rose.
Beauty and purity, this music has a color: RED ROSE.
And its thorns remind us that we are still living.
Still-living-
GRAVEBORNE “Pure Negativity” (2011)
Produced by Graveborne
Track listing:
1. Metamorphoses (3:33)
2. Nocturnal (5:01)
3. Dark Clouds of Pestilence (6:19)
4. Aokigahara (6:07)
5. Sacrilegious (6:15)
6. Dark Matter (7:59)
7. Sinister Moon (6:13)
8. The Covenant (5:22)
THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST
Convenes the hell, fall in this downward spiral, pitching and swallows, this snake blends in you, split you, it is no coincidence if it comes to you, swallows you, then, you’ll never be the same…
Dark alarm, the “Kilchu” penetrating quickly in my blood, pagan lights out, here we again are burning the witches…The iced cross and wood churches vanish in smoke, this is not a game, it is black as soot, this is the essence of Black Metal, this sublime curse born in the Scandinavian ice.
I would not die to Hyvinkää…
First offering (after a “Astrade Over the Grave” demo in 2009) from the Finns GRAVEBORNE, “Pure Negativity” (recorded by Pentele, mixed by Matias Helle to Drop Hammer Studio, Mastered by Jaakko Viitalahde with a superb Artwork of Markus Räisänen) is a Machine of Annihilation, pernicious Trojan’s horse, which distills a Satanic poison, in the greater tradition of raw Black Metal, forged in the heat of the darkness, ode to the real Malefic.
“Pure negativity”. Everything is said.
Dig your grave because this music catch you (What a Trip !), this does not forgive. “Metamorphoses” announces hostilities, rapid and concise, dice these first 3 mn, it shouts “Victory”! Unleashed but melodic, powerful with signs, haunting, this Black Metal is racy. Legitimate son of Gorgoroth and Marduk, this black mass deserves. Sensitive souls refrain (me, I’m crazy, I am already on the other side…), this album is absolutely dantesque and will provide the emotions due to this kind of music, this fresh perception of spiritual communion…
Raato (vocal) inhabited voice takes the listener in a whirlwind of feelings, as do workers, the excellent Zingultus and also inspired German Endstille, play his life with his screams, fulfilling the dark and forbidden rituals (“Sinister Moon”).
Martial and therefore any Germanic, “Nocturnal” is a hypnotic battleground, riffs that knock out all futile resistors. Mid-tempo killers for the strong “Dark Clouds Of Pestilence” and “Sacrilegious” to “gradually” lobotomie our little accustomed neurons has such a treatment. It swims in limbo, it breaks. Vacuum, living space, creation of all things.
Never is bored, never it regretted as the song “Aokigahara”, demonstration of a band that welded speaking the same language (Marchosias – Guitar, Pentele – Drums, Raato – Vocals, Brutalust – Guitar, Kalmo – Bass), dedicated the luminescent entity of the body and soul to the black arts.
Lost humanity and stillborn choice, the future has the colour of this “Dark Matter” to the melodic inventiveness, constantly renewed, drilling in the bitter sea of the despair. This time, embraced by these sad arpeggios, we would like this never ceases…As death… But the night-awakening will be painful, “The Covenant” un-grace any hope of repentance and damned the sleep on the slab. Burned deeply by this harsh blows, loose all hope, I also bow before it.
Pure True Black Metal, luridus as anger, without compromise and vindictive, born a new Monster Metal (the beast who was forth still has many beautiful remains…).
Track-list :
1.In Blood and Fire
2. Black Flags of Hate
3. Ritual of Sight
4. Under a Frozen Sun
5. Aeon of Darkness
6. Echoing Voices (A Cold Breeze of Death)
7. Gates of Eden
8. Life Demise
THIS EARTH IS BLUE LIKE HELL
Just crazy and probably presumptuous (the Swedish will hate me now…), your favorite author will seek an incredible challenge, that never mention almost a sacred name of Dissection (and there Steffen Kummerer will kiss me, tears in the eyes) in his fabulous new column dedicated to the best of dark Metal that I love so much… But “crazy!” you yell , with the Pack, lie, prepared a pounce on the gentle lamb I am…
Therefore, see this soft (but scarred) Foodland which leads me, drives me every day a little bit more to the inaccessible gemstones of the night, these mysterious stars , Yes, this motherland, immeasurably large, these forests are my cradle, this snow blinds the most reckless, on which noble conquerors have disemboged blood and guts, for a little more railway, copper, wood, for a little more of life, a little more freedom, the crucified land is the gift that I have to leave to future generations, a parchment inked love and hate, hope and dropout…
This land that flouts their feet today the (anti?) cosmic magicians THULCANDRA, with their second album “Under A Frozen Sun”, (following the already superb “Fallen Angel’s Dominion”, which entered delightely my heart, making me jumping with in the sink of a beloved melancolia, a pit of pleasure), a German real condensed swedish soul from 1990s metal when the visionary (but not very sharp) Øystein Aarseth was still alive and that Fenriz was not yet fall in a acid-trip, when Black Metal was a threat.
Pulling of darkness (Obscura?) here it looks under hellish deflagrations album of recognition among his peers now. No low profile (an intense collective work), gifted students exceed master(s). Pachydermic production but spectral with Darkthrone or Vinterland collision, it is robust, blood animed are not anaemic (Steffen Kummerer – Vocals, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar + Sebastian Ludwig – Guitar + Tobias Ludwig – Bass), and it carries torrents of emotions, neurasthenic roller-coaster, but refreshing at the end (there, you see, I am “always”, “still” in life…).
More black than black, this intersideral metal and yet rooted deeply in the lithosphere hit all our resistors. Artwork bluish in the great tradition of the artist Necrolord, always inspired, riffs hammering neurons and skin (Black Flags Of Hate), naturalistic voice / “Das Unheimliche” (“Ritual Of Sight”), solos as an sparrowhawk to the lookout (“Under The Frozen Sun”, doom in his throbbing starts), skinned arpeggios (“In Blood On Fire”), it is chaos, but it is also a reign…
The “Aeon Of Darkness” warrior with his violated casks and his Scandinavian spirit (this piece could have found a place on any Amon Amarth)… you plundered mercilessly the spinal cord, and on land, you are defeated.
Embraced by death, will you open your lips, friend?
This vicious Kiss will not forgive and distil through you to ransom to your soul, capitulum as death seems gentle (“Echoing Voices”), as a foretaste of Paradise ( “Gates Of Eden” and its 9 mn 20′ ends up as an Opeth or Dimmu Borgir in levitation, just phenomenal).
The last song concluding the album ” Life Demise” (by the sons of Dismember, Unanimated) is an absolute tribute, it is clear that we are dealing with a heavy weight of the extreme Metal, which knows the honor of the past projects without chains or fetters (without sentence… so on step, they have to pay a heavy price too…) to a glorious destiny.
Welcome here without doubt, the talented and omnipresent Steffen Kummerer (Obscura, Hellfarht) offers you The Truth with this new album of THULCANDRA, manifesting the Intelligence Black Metal, which puts the genus (alongside others such as Wolves In The Throne Room or Endstille, in another kind) to the confines of sublime.
On my land, Steffen, you’re at home.
(I won my bet of departure…?)
Reviewed by MEL DELACROIX
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ANTIPOPE “House Of Harlot” (nov 2011)
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 