Black Metal, Death Metal, Grindcore, Thrash and Heavy Metal Reviews from the net's original Heavy Metal site

Hail,

Brutal metal sodomy is more like it!  Some killer stuff came in from overseas including Dimmu 
Borgir, Abigor, and Setherial!  I played the wrong track off the Dimmu Borgir last night - a 5
minute piano epic - but overall this album has great atmosphere and fast, intricately structure
ripping black metal.  Setherial sounds like Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse" in pacing but
sounds more continental in harmony, and is an excellent black metal release.  Local band Rise
continues to impress at several weeks into the charts, power death metal in the old style with
amazing vocals and dissonant lead guitars.  Wow!  Necromass is melodic death metal in a
progressive style which retains a fundamental blackness to it, beautiful stuff.  Vader's on the
chart in celebration of this upcoming release, and on the re-release of Sothis by Repulse
records.


1. Setherial - Nord (Napalm)
2. Molested - Blod-Draum (Effigy)
3. Rise - Shadow of Ruins (Nigma)
4. Dimmu Borgir - Stormblast (Cacophonous)
5. Abigor - Nachthymen (Napalm)
6. Hades - Alone Walkyng (Wounded Love)
7. Ancient - The Cainian Chronicles (Metal Blade)
8. Necromass - Abyss Calls Life (Morbid Metal)
9. Vader - De Profundis (Conquest Music Inc)
10. Pavor - A Pale Debilitating Autumn (Imperator Music)
11. Demonic - Lead Us Into Darkness (Necropolis)
12. Asgard - To a Golden Age (Morbid Metal)
13. Dark Funeral - Secrets of the Black Arts (No Fashion)
14. Deeds of Flesh - Gradually Melted (Wild Rags)
15. Primigenium - ...as Eternal as the Night... (Wild Rags)

We can't forget Primigenium...amazing atmospheric black metal on Wild Rags, or Asgard from
France who play oldstyle metal with modern power and intelligence.  Demonic, new on American
mail order/label Necropolis, play ripping black metal with intent to punish...Molested are from
Norway and perform an American style (Immolation/Rigor Mortis/Cannibal Corpse) integrated with
Northern melodic sensibilities.  This stuff is amazing!

S.R. PROZAK