Oct 11th 2008 Reviews for Absolute Zero Media
OUTLAW ORDER-Dragging down the enforcer-CD (Season of Mist)
Man have I missed the gentlemen of Eyehategod one of the most underrated bands in the Sludge Doom/ Crust scenes ever!!! Well guess what we have here 3/5 of Eyehategod Mike Williams on vocals, Brian Patton on Guitar and Joey Lacaze on Drums. Outlaw Order in essence is a more punk/crust verision on EHG with a bit more bluesy guitar element. I can hear where Jimmy Bower (EHG Guitars) sounds were not he was the more feedbacked bluesy doom . If your an EHG fan your going to live for this as I am right now. This is pissed off full of noise and punishing riffs. Mr Williams vocals are as venomous as ever too. I love that Outlaw order kept the dirty production on this as in EHG. The bass is king again and alway should be with any NOLA Metal band. Though being signed by Season of Mist is a shocker as they were never the label for the Sludge sound of the 90's but they have the resources and push to get them out there in both North American and Europe so HELL YA. Turn you amp to 11 and cause a riot as the boys are back to kick you in the ass mentally and physically!!!
http://season-of-mist.com/
Cynic- Traced in Air-CD (Season of Mist)
Its been over 10 yrs since I've last heard the Prog Jazz metal sounds of Cynic so will have to see where they have let them . With only one album to there credits in the 90's called Focus which to me had moments by was way too uneven to be hailed as a classic where bands like Pestilance and Cancer broke the genre wide open with classic Jazz fusion metal releases. This has more in common with bands like Opeth, Pain of Salavation, Aghora that are currently creating and performing. The Death vocals do work well with the clean harmony vocals. The mix of melodic jazz and prog guitars and the chaos of Death and Prog metal in the drums, bass and synth lines being used. There is clearly more focused on Traced in Air then there was on Focus. To my ears Cynic seems to be going into Queensryche, Dream Theater and even YES elements as well on this release were they tried to keep a more metallic tone over all 15 or so yrs ago. This will clearly not be for everyone but it you like your music adventurous and always changing then this is a band for you. fans of labels like Inside Out, Magna Carta and Abacus this will appeal to you greatly. Nice piece of work here gentlemen.
http://season-of-mist.com/
Thou- Peasant-CD (Autopsy Kitchen)
Holy all things that are slow and heavy please welcome Thou. This is again a genre crossing Doom project . There are elements of Black Metal (in the Vocals and guitar movements), Sludge/Crust in the Bass and lumbering Drums all wrapped up in the dark metal genre bands like Bethlehem, Shining, Dolorian and Deinonychus have mastered over the years. Autopsy Kitchen is a label of extremen and Thou fit that mold perfectly with Peasant. I know some will call me crazy but if Thergothon and Xasthur could merge as one unit I think it would sound like Thou!!!. You can feel the suicidal winds blow in the tone and riffs that are coming at you like a sloth about to die.. Some here also love Khanate and Burning Witch very much as well. If your a doom fan that likes atmosphere and blackened vocals you will put this on your top 10 for 2008 for sure.
http://autopsykitchen.com/
Harvist- Wolfskin Clad-CD (Stronghold Records)
Raw, Abrasive hateful black metal with a very pagan occult feeling to all things is what I hear with Harvist the guitars a burst of anguish in static tones . The bass is just a low end rumble and the drums are total chaos in the same way burzum and Judas Iscariot where. Harvist is the old school guard of black metal the same way bands like Krieg, Xasthur and Graveland where. You can hear the madness and pain in every word and note uttered on to this CD. The Spirits of the old God's of the world past when Heathen ran the realm and there was far less destruction and chaos are what you feel in Wolfskin Clad. Sometimes things need to sound ugly and bleak as thats just what they are and Harvist gives there all in that manner. It's good to hear not every band in the Black metal scene has forgotten where it all came from.
http://www.strongholdrecords.net
Woe-A Spell For The Death Of Man-CD (Stronghold Records)
Stronghold seems to have a love for all things Dark, Raw and Black metla as with Harvist we have a ultra pissed off black metal force with Woe. This sounds like a man on the edge of all things in life. Sometime is better to just let your lifeforce out in your music and ritual then on the world at large and this is the sound I get from Woe. The vocals are insanity supreme and screamed and cried as its his last days on this earth. There are some rather melodic and awe inspiring moments musically going on here. Again this would be for fans of the more agressive primitve black metal scene but there are places that will shock you no the less. I don't think I can say it any better then from the make of Woe itself... No drum machines, no corpse paint, no Renaissance Faire speak, no fake names, no lies. Honest, dark black metal, faithful to tradition without spewing clichés.
http://www.strongholdrecords.net
Omnium Gatherum- the redshift-CD (Candlelight USA)
There is a gothenburg vibe all over this release and not in a bad way just the tone and style. Its amazingly well done. The vocals and synths remind me a lot of Edge of Sanity or Dan Swanos Moontower esp the guitar work and little to be shocked by that as Dan Swano Worked with this band in the studio for the final CD release. There is a proggish element to all of the redshift and I think this is what makes it all the more interesting. There is a focus and flowing complexity to this they have a lot in common with bands like Katatonia , Amorphis and Orphanage other bands that know how to make progressive complex metal music very exciting and making the listener dig into the project all the more. There is an slight Eastern vibe in the arrangements as well. Nothing over the top but just add to the experience as a whole. Omnium Gatherum has made yet another great experimental metal release the world should treasure and yell on the rooftops about. They must be one hell of a band live is all I can say.
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com
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