TAPESEclipse: Nocturnal Embrace Admist the Frozen
Heavens (promo 97)
Well this quite young band from Finland has at
least got very nice color covers to it´s release... Music? It´s
melodic black(ish?) metal, well enough played and produced. Some good riffs
and melodies here and there, but not enough to keep these 7 (too) lengthy
songs interesting enough. The lyrics are kind of wanna-be- poetic, at least
for me, but I have certainly seen worse. Well Finland´s demo scene
seems to full of this kind bands, playing melodic black/whatever metal,
but most of them (including Eclipse) lack of originality and real spirit.
As with many, many other newer bands, Eclipse should seriously begin to
explore their own musical dimensions dark, instead of just recycling the
basic stuff, that has been already done so many, many times before.
Teemu Ojalehto, Lamminkatu 96, 87150 Kajaani,
Suomi-Finland
Morningstar: 3 promo tracks for album
Well, the trendcrushing metalmen, namely Morningstar
are here again! And what they have to offer is: 3 tracks of quite unique
sounding, trash/heavy metal. Yep, it´s more heavy metal than their
previous recordings, at least that´s what I think, the playing and
sounds are also a little bit better. Early Slayer, Venom, Iron Maiden and
Manowar... Names like that are flowing into my mind, when I´m listening
these 3 songs, known as: -the king, -heavy metal heretics, -metalstorm...
Vocals are in the old trash metal vein; I think. Yeah, all these songs
are good in my opinion, though they somewhat lack the catchiness of some
songs on Morningstar´s "Rivendell"-album. Anyway, judging by this
tape (which everyone can get by sending a blank tape + postage to Morningstar)
their forthcoming third full-length album is well worth the money, for
those who want their metal true and pure...
For contact adrees, see their int.
Minotauri: reh.demo ´97
Well, this is somekind of side-project of Ari
of Morningstar and the style is pure heavy metal, in the style of early
80´s or something and I think everyone of you knows what it sounds
like! Well, this is probably recorded live with four-tracker... or at least
that is what this sounds like. You can still very well here all the riffs
and instruments, but it´s a reh. demo and not a studio one, so what
should you except? Well, I can´t say too much of this one... 3 quite
rocking tunes, especially the main riff on the "crazy man" is very nice
and the last song is quite catchy and has a nice guitar solo on the middle...
I think this is a worthly purchase for all into good old heavy metal!
I don´t know for sure if this is available with tape + postage, but
write to Ari of Morningstar and ask!
Guidance of Sin: Soul Disparity (demo 97)
This quite new Swede-band just released it´s
debut demo. It was avery nice surprise, as I liked it quite a lot. It´s
melodic metal in the death metal vein, but this is not the usual In Flames
etc. thing, it could be compared to Edge of Sanity I think... but maybe
not, because it´s quite original. Good playing, clean & powerful
sound, strong growling vocals... Which is good variation after all those
screamy death (?) vocalists, who all sound somewhat the same. Yep, as already
said the best thing in this tape is the fact that this is not like
themost of other melodic death metal bands from Sweden nowadays.
Jesper Löfgren, Hallonvägen 60,
19635 Kunsängen, Sweden
Count De Nocte: Nos Omnes Una Manet (demo)
Well... The corpsepaint image of the band hints
that we have somekind of norhern black metal here, but... it´s more
like technical death metal, with a black metal edge though. Well played
etc., but I´m not so surte what this is about, to be honest... Maybe
weren´t the band members themselves too, when making this demo, at
least that´s the picture I got, when thinking this demo. It´s
not crap, but surely not so excellent too... The band should have mcd out
now, I haven´t heard it yet, so I can´t say anything... Try
at your own risk.
Jarmo Hohtari, Puomikaari 3, 18300 Heinola
KK, Finland
Malign: Blod Skall Flöda (demo 95)
Well, another otdated rewiev... Yeah. Anyway,
the tape contains black metal in quite traditional vein. Quite melodic,
but dark and agressive,too. Well the sound should be more powerful, that
is the main problem of this tape, I think... Well I think that this is
not available anymore, but band is signed now and should have a CD out
someday... But I´v been told, that this does not reflect the current
style of Malign too well, and I have a strong feeling that Malign is not
one of the bands who go into softer and more melodical direction... Read
the Malign int. for more info about the band! The weakest aspect
in this tape is the quite powerless sound.
Throneaeon: Carnage
Here we got some pure death metal... Good playing,
good production. Mostly faster mid-tempo stuff with heavy riffs, also some
more straightforward blasting. It´s pretty techical with those tempo-changes
and breaks, but instead of annoying stop-and-go shit the songs roll nicely
onward anyway. Especially in the track "Sacrilegous Feast" there are some
very great ideas and it´s the greatest song on this tape, at least
I think so... Vocals are maybe the weakest aspect in here, nothing wrong
with them basically, but they are just as typical as death metal vocals
can be! You know, two different voices: deep growls and more screamy kind
of vocal and sometimes these vocals double each other... heard something
similiar before? Me too. Anyway, these guys seem to know what they are
doing and if they could come up with a bit more originality, it could turn
out as something very outstanding! Death metal fans should not miss this
piece of satanic death metal anyway!
Throneaeon, c/o Tony Freed, Lantvärnsg.
9, 724 60 Västerås, Sweden
Skyforger: Semigall´s Warchant (demo)
This Lithuanian band plays pagan metal, actually
something like mix between black and heavy metal. And they actually have
managed to sound quite heavy (not just melodic) at the times too. Immortal
seems to be a major influence for the band ,not only judging by some of
the guitar riffs (and the vocals...), but Immortal is also credited in
thanks list. This is a good demo, clearly above average clone-shit. I´m
not sure, if this is their debut demo or not, but if so, it´s a very
(and I mean it!) good release, keeping in mind that it is debut demo of
a band in 97! One think bothers me though: the vocals (they aren´t
horrible, but they sound a bit like Poppeye the sailorman, or is it a lame
effort to imitate Immortal´s vocal style?) and the folk-song was
a bit boring... Anyway, this should be interesting for anyone into black
metal and the like... This shows some real spirit!
Skyforger, P.O. Box 77, Riga LV-1047, LATVIA
Walhalla: War over Nordland (demo)
No, it´s not a norweigan black metal band!
It´s actually a finnish band, featuring members from: Thy Serpent/Gloomy
Grim, Soulgrind etc. and Nomicon. Death-black in the vein of early 90´s
they say. They have come up with three tracks which are all in the same
vein, mid-tempo parts with more or less thrash metal like riffs and also
faster parts with cool twisted and disharmonic melodies. Musicianship is
very good here, though the effectivity of the songs seems to be more importnat
than demonstrating the abilities of band members. Surprisiingly enough,
there is only one guitar solo (a short one) and that´s in the second
song, "Black cross burning". Band informs that this has got "a touch of
nordic black metal", but... I can´t find one!? The vocals (some of
them, as all the three members do some vocals) remind me of norwegian black
metal, but I think they could be seen as "trash metal" kind of vocals as
well. And this tape is too short I think. Well, no more disadvantages here
though, since it´s a demo I find pretty interesting. As already said:
sound, musicianship are very good and the songs themselves are well-structured
and catchy, too. But hey, on riff here sounds very much the same as one
in Aura Noir´s "Black Thrash Attack" CD... Accident?
[email protected]
Walhalla, Kytosuontie 8 3 C 35, 00300 Hellsinki,
Finland
Moonsorrow: Metsä (Meathook Prod.)
What can you except from the band what´s
demo (?) is entietled as "Forest"? Yes. Anyway, the music isn´t as
bad as the name of this tape. Nothing to praise very much too. It´s
somehow quiter similiar to early (split with Emperor era) Enslaved and
we can´t accuse Moonsorrow of being original. Vocals are really annoying
at the times, synths are used in quite boring way mostly, there isn´t
much variation in music, the drum-machine sucks and why in the hell a finnish
band has songtitles, like "Hvelgelmir" or "Fimbulvetr Frost"? I don´t
know what language the lyrics are written in, since you can´t hear
them clearly and lyrics are not included. At this point you can wonder
what actually is postive here? Well...
[email protected]
Meathook Productions, Porvoonkatu 37 B 6,
00520 Helsinki, Finland
Woods of Belial: Baxaxaxa... 666 Yndstr Draconis
(Meathook Productions)
Some stranger "stuff" here. Actually "Industrial
Black Doom" is what they claim to play. Abruptum is what comes to my mind
first, when hearing this. It´s very simple and slow drum beats and
some distorted guitar spiced up with eerie voices and noises and some deranged
vocals as well. Songs (?) are quite unstructured and this is quite experimental
stuff... Actually this is abowe average stuff, definately not technical
or symphonic, but not pure noise neither. At least this could give you
some cold shivers... Definately best one of these three tapes released
by Meathook prod.
Thornfrost: Upon the Faustian throne (Meathook)
Thornfrost, that´s a bad name for a band!
OK, to the music... Blaah... Hey someone, could anyone make a one release
that wouldn´t start with a synth intro? Oh, it wasn´t a pure
synth intro... Well, I guess Cradle of Filth and Emperor are the musical
idols of these three fellows and... Definately above many other demos,
but... Once again this does not offer: any great new or fresh ideas, riffs
or melodies that you would remeber an hour later when stopping the listening
this demo and defibately not talented guitar solos! (Refering to a certain
part of the first song...) Aaaghh... I guess this is a very new band, since
their stuff is somewhat messy and there aren´t too many of original
ideas... Nothing that anyone remebers ever anymore.
