siLLy puPPy For a BRIDE that has been DYING since 1990, she sure has more lives in her than a cat which supposedly has 9. In fact the English band MY DYING BRIDE led by the distinct vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe and guitarist Andrew Craighan formed over three decades ago is still showcasing an immortality beyond the longevity of most bands from the same era. Still alive and kickin’ in 2024 MY DYING BRIDE has released the 14th album of its never-ending procession of gloomy Goth-tinged doom metal with death metal decorations with A MORTAL BINDING which after a turbulent first two decades of lineup changes finds a bit of stability in the form of the same cast of members that were featured on 2020’s “The Ghost of Orion” with the sole exception of Dan Mullins rejoining and replacing percussionist / drummer Jeff Singer.

Another chapter in the MY DYING BRIDE book but pretty much the same thematic developments as this band that was once wildly experimental between albums has long ago found the perfect comfort zone that seems to keep the fans coming back for more thus showcasing the desire to pacify the buying public rather than risk the golden goose by releasing some fusion of polka-based Gothic doom dance pop or anything of the sort. Au contraire. At this stage one can ostensibly predict without much chance of error exactly what any particular edition of the MY DYING BRIDE canon will sound like and in the case of A MORTAL BINDING, you guessed it! Another slice of oozing doom metal accompanied by Stainthorpe’s plaintive Gothic vocal style set to the oozing dread of doom metal with the melancholic atmospheric backing to guarantee another soundtrack of dread and damnation only with the occasional outbursts into death metal.

Augmented by the band’s now classic violin backing, A MORTAL BINDING for the most part follows the playbook cemented into place so long ago which means that one can only judge the quality of any particular MY DYING BRIDE release by the strength of the songwriting alone as the performances are always top notch and despite doom metal bands springing up from all four corners of the planet since this band’s inception in 1990, MY DYING BRIDE still sounds as utterly unique as it has since day one. As far as consistency is concerned, this band certainly has it with one strong album after another, a few bonafide masterpieces and a few bellyflops in the pool that got drained over night. While A MORTAL BINDING does not reach the lofty pinnacle heights of the band’s earliest death-doom works or the lugubrious perfection of albums like “The Dreadful Hours” or “Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light,” neither does it sink to the dreadful lead-lined depths of throwaway albums like “Evinta” or the lackluster mediocrity of many of the 2010 releases.

In fact as a true fan of this band having heard every album and EP, i’d have to say that the band sounds somewhat rejuvenated here with tracks that take a somewhat different approach than the automatic pilot get the job only but not much more albums since “A Line Of Deathless Kings.” Sure this is undeniably a MY DYING BRIDE release through and through but the chunky guitar riffing offers a bit more of an energetic upgrade on many tracks including the opening “Her Dominion” and the lengthiest track on board, the 11 minute and 22 second “The Apocalyptist” which evoke the band’s return to some of the death-doom sounds that brought them into the world’s scene in the first place. The album features all those slow-burners of course with the weeping violin lamenting the tales of woe and despair but the diversity not he album gives A MORTAL BINDING a nice spicy return to the classic style of the band that once had a fiery passion to keep the BRIDE from falling into the grave.

As such MY DYING BRIDE always walks that fine line between exhilaration and ennui as the tight wire balancing feat is something that requires the ultimate finesse to maintain the attention span of an ever-increasing A.D.D. listening public and while the last few albums seemed to simmer on cruise control, A MORTAL BINDING hits me in all the right ways and gives me faith that the band still has a second wind that will propel it into a new era of prosperity however it is true that there will come a time when the band will have to rebrand itself as MY IMMORTAL BRIDE because whoever this mysterious maiden is, she seems to have a life support system and has discovered the fountain of youth while so many have crashed, burned and become buried. While A MORTAL BINDING certainly won’t be declared the band’s triumphant comeback of the century, it more than offers enough magic mojo by my discerning ears to grasp onto. As i stated it all boils down to the songwriting with this band and on this album the band seems to have put it all together in the right way for my liking. Better than i was expecting to say the least.

UMUR "Creation Undone" is the seventh full-length studio album by US, Wisconsin based death metal act Morta Skuld. The album was released through Peaceville Records in February 2024. It´s the successor to "Suffer for Nothing" from 2020 and features the same quartet lineup as the predecessor. Morta Skuld are one of the early American death metal acts and released their first demos in 1990. They disbanded in 1998 after releasing four full-length studio albums but reunited in 2012 and "Creation Undone" is their third full-length studio album release after their reformation.

Stylistically the material on "Creation Undone" pretty much continues the heavy and predominantly mid-paced death metal style of "Suffer for Nothing". The album features faster parts too and even a few blasting parts, but it´s generally a heavy mid-paced release. Lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Gregor sings using both a thoaty raw semi-growling vocal style but also a deeper more brutal death metal growling style. The latter less than the former.

The sound production is massive, heavy, and detailed. It´s a professional sounding production job, which suits the material well. Morta Skuld always struggled to find their own identity and neither their 90s releases nor their comeback releases have given the listener any indications that Morta Skuld would produce something which would stand out on the death metal scene. What they do on "Creation Undone" is professional, solid, and enjoyable enough while it plays, but it´s not an album which screams to me that I need to play it again. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

Kev Rowland The Belgian death metal act are back with their twelfth album, and they have taken a somewhat unusual approach to this one in that singer Sven de Caluwé, who has been at the helm since the band’s formation in 1995, has brought in some mates to perform with him on each track so we get brutal duets with the likes of Alex Erian (Despised Icon) to Johnny Ciardullo (Carcosa/ Angelmaker), Ben Duerr (Shadow Of Intent), Francesco Paoli (Fleshgod Apocalypse) and others. Ken Bedene (drums), Ian Jekelis (guitars), Daniel Máni Konráðsson (guitars), and Stefano Franceschini (bass) have combined with Sven to create an album which is brutal in its style, intensity and delivery and then added to this with the addition of the singers.

It is a very clean sounding album, and in some way I think this would have been improved by some muddiness as in many ways there is too much separation and it comes across as quite clinical in places as opposed to a group of guys creating a maelstrom of blood and carnage in the studio. If there had been more of a focus on feel and less on getting it sounding quite so perfect, then the end result would have been more natural and less contrived. Blastbeats, grindcore influences and hardcore vocals among the death growls make this an interesting release which fans of the genre will enjoy even if it is not quite essential.

Kev Rowland On 15th December 2019, Children Of Bodom, which at the time consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Seppälä (bass), Janne Wirman (keyboard), and Daniel Freyberg (rhythm guitar), held their last concert in Helsinki named, 'A Chapter Called Children of Bodom', before dissolving the band. In 2020, Laiho and Freyberg carried on as Bodom After Midnight, but Laiho was dead before the year was out. Obviously, this album has quite some importance given it is a recording of the last ever performance of one of Finland’s greatest ever metal acts, containing one of metal’s new breed of frontmen and shredders, but putting all the emotion to one side is this as good as one wants it to be?

The short answer is “Yes”, as that night the band were on fire. While no-one realised quite how ill Laiho was, this was planned to be the last ever show for the melodic death metallers and they were determined to go out on a high. I first came across the band at the time of their fourth album ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’ after I saw the video for “Needled 24/7” and loved their hugely complex approach with intense note density and complicated melodies which combined shredding with powerful keyboard lines which were far more than just background, since when I followed their releases with interest, and while I enjoyed their other live releases, this takes it to a whole new level. the band were determined to put on a show to remember, reaching all their way to their debut album from 1997 to ensure they provided fans with a great setlist. “Needled 24/7” will probably always be my favourite CoB number, and here it is gets blasted with the whole band putting their heads down to smash it with incredible intensity, yet also with the lightness and interplay one expects.

Children of Bodom cannot exist without Laiho, so there will never be a reunion, but fans will relish in this wonderful performance being captured for all, and I am sure it will also attract new aficionados who will seek out the back catalogue. Here we have a band captured at the height of their live powers and is a fitting tribute and reminder of just what a great guitarist and frontman Alex Laiho was.

UMUR "Vault of Horrors" is the twelfth full-length studio album by Belgian death metal act Aborted. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in March 2024. It´s the successor to "Maniacult" from September 2021. The two full-length studio albums are bridged by the non-album single "Infinite Terror" from October 2022.

Stylistically the core sound of the material on "Vault of Horrors" is no surprise if you´re familiar with the previous technically well played and brutal death metal releases from Aborted, but when that is said it´s still a slightly different sounding release, because Aborted have invited various guests to perform vocals on each track on the album along with lead vocalist Sven de Caluwé. So some of the these tracks almost work like extreme metal duets. Alex Erian from Despised Icon for example lends his aggressive hardcore snarling/screaming to "Death Cult", which along with de Caluwé´s brutal growling and aggressive snarling makes for a nicely varied vocal part of the song.

When the novelty of the tracks featuring different guest vocalists is over, "Vault of Horrors" however pretty much turns out to be Aborted by the numbers. Sharp and brutal riffs and rhythms, blistering lead guitar work, and variation between fast-paced blasting and mid-paced heavy grooves. It´s all clean, a bit sterile, and if you enjoy this type of massive professional sounding production, a very well sounding album. It´s become a bit predictable what Aborted releases these days (guest vocalists or not), and a bit more grit, sleaze, and organic playing and production values, would be a welcome change on the next release. Still a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy A landmark in the development of fusing the black metal and death metal genres, DISSECTION’s second release STORM OF THE LIGHT’S BANE is almost ubiquitously regarded as one of the best metal albums of all time but this band certainly didn’t come without generating any controversy to say the least. The album continued what it started on its debut “The Somberlain” which itself was cutting edge as DISSECTION’s location in Strömstad found itself closer to Oslo’s second wave black metal than to the melo-death frenzy rocking Gothenburg to the south in the early to mid-1990s. The band effortlessly melded the two styles together like forging a battle sword for battle. While the debut was competent enough in its own right, STORM OF THE LIGHT’S BANE tied up all the loose ends and polished the gem of a stylistic gem into a shiny sheen where the listener couldn’t distinguish where the black metal ends and the melo-death begins.

Thwarted by the lackadaisical attitude of guitarist John Zwetsloot who failed to appear for rehearsals and finally even didn’t bother to show up to gigs, DISSECTION recruited former Satanized guitarist Johan Norman who was not only able but willing to take the band to the next level. The band spent the next two years honing their unique fusion style of metal until the glistening masterpiece STORM OF THE LIGHT’S BANE emerged in November of 1995 to welcoming fans and critics alike. What the debut had started, this sophomore effort forged into a pearl of perfectly infused black metal furor with the elegant sophistication of folk melody inspired melodic death metal. The disparate elements of softer parts, heavy extreme metal excesses and cold, bleak atmospheres had coalesced into the perfect sum of the parts and a legend in the overall metal universe for time immemorial. The album is nothing less than epic in not only its visionary stylistic developments but also in terms of tight memorable songwriting.

Primarily written by lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Nödtveidt, STORM OF THE LIGHT’S BANE delivers eight tracks of metal magnificence beginning with the military march heft of the opening “All The Fathomless Depths” before erupting into one of the most competent displays of blackened melo-death too the entire era. Building on beautifully designed twin guitar harmonies and folk musical scales, STORM OF THE LIGHT’S BANE balanced tender clean guitar arpeggios with thundering power chords, tremolo black metal picking and lightning fast death metal riffing styles that adopted the best aspects of both the second wave black metal scene and merged them with the more technically infused sounds of the Swedish death metal approach. The twin guitar attacks relied less on traditional 80s metal this time around and evolved into a unique cohesion of dueling riffing that occasionally broke out into lead guitar attacks that emphasized the melodic construct in a more virtuosic approach.

Nödtveidt’s demon from hell vocal style had hit full capacity while the compositions were taken to the fusion’s logical conclusion. The drumming style of Ole Öhman featured some of the boldest technical moves in all of the early 90s metal scene with endless variations in drum fills and full-on blastbeat ferocity. The strong melodic developments keep the album from stagnating and each individual track glimmers in its own magnificence thus keeping the album’s 43 minute run completely exhilarating with no filler material bogging down the momentum. To sum it up, the album just rips from beginning to end and then after the pinnacle of the ghoulish deliverance, gently delivers you back into a placid state of mind with the classically inspired piano piece closer “No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep” thus signifying the end of an album that breezes by much too soon. The album is and cold and forbidding as the scythed grim reaper on horseback suggests from the cover art.

This would be the end of DISSECTION well at least for another 12 years since after this second offering was released, frontman Jon Nödtveidt was sentenced to prison for the murder of Josef ben Meddour and although DISSECTION would arise from the ashes with a totally new backing band, the momentum had more than been lost and Nödtveidt would soon commit suicide thus ending the once great band forever. What amazes me about some of the early Scandinavian black metal bands is how brilliant and gifted they were musically speaking yet were some of the most troubled souls with unthinkable psychological damage. These guys were as unstable as dynamite at a gun shooting range and yet still found it in them for a brief moment in time to craft some of the most gorgeous musical expressions ever recorded. It’s hard to believe i didn’t even like DISSECTION at first because i just couldn’t accept the two merging metal forces together. It just didn’t sound right but now i listen to this one and am utterly blown away by its sheer perfection. A good example to not let initial experiences taint your possible delayed enthrallment. This one is definitely worthy of all the hype. Now i’m smitten too.

siLLy puPPy As one of the earliest extreme metal bands to emerge from Sweden, DISSECTION had a unique vantage point from its point of origin in the city of Strömstad being closer to Oslo, Norway than Gothenburg to the south. This explains why DISSECTION is credited as a pioneer in fusion of the second wave black metal sounds of Norway with the melodic death metal style that was taking the Gothenburg scene by storm. Unfortunately the band is not only legendary for its musical ingenuity but was one of those crazy Satanic cult band of trouble makers which eventually led original vocalist Jon Nödtveldt to kill an Algerian national living in Sweden for which he would be sent to prison and thus breaking up the band after only two albums.

While the band started out as a standard thrash metal band under the moniker of Siren’s Yell in 1988, the members of Jon Nödtveidt, Ole Öhman, Peter Palmdahl, and Mattias "Mäbe" Johansson quickly latched onto the new extreme metal styles quacking evolving in Scandinavia and released a few demos before releasing its debut THE SOMBERLAIN which emerged in 1993. This album coincided with the suicide of Mayhem’s lead vocalist Dead and was dedicated to his to his passing. While the drama was heavy with this band, so too was the talent and the band’s original two releases are now considered classics in the entire metal universe. While THE SOMBERLAIN was the lesser of the two releases with the slightly superior “Storm Of The Light’s Bane” following two years later, the effortless fusion of not only death and black metal but melodic styles from 80s heavy metal catapulted this band into the top ranks of the ugly metal underground.

While blackened death metal has become quite common well into the 21st century, DISSECTION delivered it effortlessly unlike any other thus immediately setting itself apart from the bleak musical simplicity of the early stages of the second wave of black metal while offering a darker Satanic thematic approach absent from the early Gothenburg melo-death. The band distinguished itself from most black metal of the day by crafting memorable melodic approaches that were delivered through the twin guitar attack in a similar style to Iron Maiden or Judas Priest however the atmosphere and raspy growls were straight out of the Darkthrone playbook yet all delivered with the sophisticated bombast of Swedish melo-death bigwigs like Dark Tranquility, Edge of Sanity and At The Gates. All of these elements kept DISSECTION well in its own musical world during its existence although traces of fellow Swedes Bathory permeate the release as well.

THE SOMBERLAIN is a masterwork of melo-death which features melancholic classical guitar intros that explode into molten metal ferocity that offered a black metal aesthetic that assaulted the senses with technical percussion, dueling melodic lead guitar and a propensity for thick chugging riffs that walked the line perfectly between the detached irreverence of black metal and the more actively engaged wizardry of the more technical adept death metal style. The album offered nearly 46 minutes of playing time with 12 distinct tracks that each stood on their own and offered Luciferian philosophical themes that connect DISSECTION more to the occult magic subject matter of the Norwegian black metal scene, the thematic presence that would prevail throughout the band’s short initial run and one that would ultimately find them at odds with the law. The band seemed to be running a parallel path with Mayhem as it was involved in Satanic rituals that involved animal sacrifices and conjuring up demons.

While considered a classic of both black metal and death metal, THE SOMBERLAIN was marred from total perfection by the noncommittal insouciance of guitarist John Zwetsloot who increasingly failed to show up for rehearsals and eventually even didn’t even make it to gigs. The band would fire him and replace him with Satanized guitarist Johan Norman before recording the more focused second album. Despite all the dramatic events and lack of total band cohesions, DISSECTION’s first album turned out pretty damn good with a nice cohesive flow that melded classic 80s sounds with the extremities that were dominating the early 90s. While i too have always preferred the following “Storm of the Light’s Bane,” i have to admit that THE SOMBERLAIN has grown on me over the years as it certainly yields an intricate display of clever compositional fortitude rightfully ranking high on most revered albums of the era.

UMUR "Exitus Letalis" is the first demo recording by Finnish death metal act Disinter. The demo was indpendently released in February 1993. It was recorded on a 4-track recorder at the band´s rehearsal space in February 1993. It´s the only item released by Disinter before they disbanded.

Considering that this is more or less a self-produced effort and it´s not recorded on professional studio recording equipment, Disinter have managed to produce a both powerful and well sounding demo. Of course it´s not a professional sounding release, but the rawness of the sound production perfectly fits with the brutality of the music...

...and brutal this is. Which isn´t surprising given that many contemporary Finnish death metal artists were also quite brutal in nature, but what is more surprising is that the material on "Exitus Letalis" doesn´t sound Finnish at all. Instead Disinter have gone for a brutal and technically well played US, Florida influenced death metal sound, which is strongly influenced by Deicide in particular. Disinter have two vocalists. One performs brutal deep growling, while the other performs higher pitched snarling vocals (often doubled), and together they mimmick Glen Benton pretty well.

So it´s fans of Deicide and their ilk who should find "Exitus Letalis" an entertaining release, rather than fans of the more traditional Finnish death metal sound. That doesn´t make it any better or worse than most other contemporary Finnish death metal demos, and although it´s certainly not the most original sounding demo from 1993, it´s both well performed, well composed, and decently produced. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

martindavey87 After 2019’s self-titled/untitled album, Rammstein were well and truly one of the biggest metal acts on the planet, joining the elite few that made it out of the arenas and into stadiums. With their stage show known for its huge spectacle, they were on top of the world.

Then COVID happened, and the world came to a standstill, and with nothing to do but write and rehearse (socially distanced, I’m sure), it meant that the German industrialists were quick to release a follow-up to their previous album, and that brings us to 2022’s ‘Zeit’.

With huge amounts of hype, its speculative, cryptic name and controversial music videos (so, all the usual Rammstein traits then), ‘Zeit’ is, admittedly, a pretty average affair. I mean, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad album, but it’s quite a mixed bag, with a fair number of tracks sounding like the band are just on autopilot.

But the good songs? Oh boy… When they get it right, they sound incredibly focused and on point. With their classic blend of heavy, crushing guitars, bright keyboard melodies, humorous lyrics and vocalist Till Lindemann’s deep, baritone voice, the band show that they are indeed still the same Rammstein we all know and love.

While ‘Zeit’ isn’t likely to be anyone’s favourite Rammstein record, tracks like ‘Angst’, ‘Dicke Titten’, ‘Armee Der Tristen’, ‘OK’ and the melancholic closing track, ‘Adieu’ are all good enough reasons to own this album, and ultimately, fans of the band will enjoy the album regardless.

UMUR "Addicted" is the eleventh full-length studio album by Canadian artist Devin Townsend. The album was released through HevyDevy Records (Townsend´s own label) in November 2009. It´s the successor to "Ki" from May 2009, making "Addicted" the second Devin Townsend album released in 2009 (both were released under The Devin Townsend Project monicker). During his near 2 year hiatus from touring and recording, Townsend wrote around 60 tracks, some of which ended up on "Addicted".

Stylistically the material on "Addicted" is very different from the non-distorted, non-metal oriented, organic and brooding progressive rock style of "Ki". "Addicted" is instead a heavy, uplifting, melodic (even occasionally mainstream oriented), and accessible progressive metal release. Townsend is complimented on vocals by former The Gathering vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen, which makes the vocal part of the album varied. The combination of the male and female vocals is a strong and defining element of the sound on "Addicted". Tracks like "Addicted!", "Supercrush!", and "Numbered!" feature pretty heavy riffs and rhythms, but still manage to be accessible and melodic, while other tracks may not be quite as heavy, but still feature memorable vocal lines and intriguing songwriting ideas.

The re-recording of "Hyperdrive!" featuring van Giersbergen on lead vocals (the original version from "Ziltoid The Omniscient" (2007), features Townsend on lead vocals) is an example of one of the not so heavy tracks on the album, but even more so "Ih-ah!", which is basically a melodic rock song. "Hyperdrive!" is one of the standout tracks on the album, but "Addicted" is generally an album loaded with quality material. The three heavy tracks mentioned above are definitely also among the highlights, but tracks like "Bend It Like Bender!" and "Awake!!" are standout tracks too. The latter is to my ears an absolutely brilliant composition, which makes sure that the album is closed in great style.

"Addicted" features a powerful, detailed, and quite massive sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly. Some of the riffs on tracks like "Addicted!" and "Numbered!" are produced to sound crushingly heavy, which is a great and effectful contrast to the otherwise very melodic direction of the album. Upon conclusion "Addicted" is arguably among the most accessible releases in Townsend´s discography, but it´s still an intriguing listen, full of adventurous songwriting ideas and high level musical performances. Packed in a professional and very well sounding production, it´s through and through a high quality release and a 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Ballcutter" is an EP release by UK death/thrash metal act Cancer. The EP was released through Peaceville Records in July 2019. It´s a follow-up- and companion release to Cancer´s 2018 sixth full-length studio album "Shadow Gripped".

The EP features five tracks and opens with an alternate master version of "Ballcutter" from "Shadow Gripped". It´s a nice heavy death metal track, but I´m not sure I needed another version of that song. "All the Curses" and "Crocodile Itch" are new original songs, which are outtakes from the "Shadow Gripped" sessions. Both are consistent in style and quality to the material found on that album. The two closing tracks of the EP are demo versions of "Garrotte" and "organ Snatcher", which are both songs which appeared in their studio versions on "Shadow Gripped". The demos are actually pretty powerful and feature a well sounding production job.

"Ballcutter" is well produced and well performed but if you cut away the fat the only tracks of real interest here are "All the Curses" and "Crocodile Itch", which granted are really good death metal tunes, but unless you just couldn´t get enough of the sound and style of music found on "Shadow Gripped" this EP shouldn´t be your first buy. The quality of the material is fine though and a 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Corporation$" is an EP release by UK death/thrash metal act Cancer. The EP was released through Copro Records in May 2004. It bridges the gap between Cancer´s fourth- and fifth full-length studio albums "Black Faith" (1995) and "Spirit in Flames" (2005). Cancer originally formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1996 after releasing four full-length studio albums. They reunited and were active in the 2003-2006 period, but no new releases came out in that period. They reunited again in 2013 and "Corporation$" is their first release after reforming the band.

You won´t however get much new original material on this EP. "Oil" opens the EP and it´s a new track showing the more thrash oriented new direction of Cancer. "With Hunt" is a 2003 live in the studio cover of the track which originally appeared on Cancer´s debut full-length studio album "To the Gory End" (1990). "Dethroned Emperor" is a Celtic Frost cover (also recorded live in the studio) and the two closing tracks on the EP are remixes of "Oxygen Thieves" and "Oil". The first three mentioned tracks are worth the price of admission, although none are in the excellent catagory, while the two latter are pretty redundant industrial tinged remixes.

So upon conclusion "Corporation$" left Cancer´s fans guessing what they could expect on their forthcoming full-length studio comeback release, and as it turns out "Oil" pretty much showed how that would sound. "Corporation$" is a both well performed and well produced release and while it doesn´t exactly make my blood boil a 3 star (60%) rating is still warranted.

UMUR "Demo #2" is the second demo recording by UK death metal act Cancer. The demo was independently released in 1989. It´s the successor to the 1988 "No Fuckin Cover" demo.

There´s been some obvious musical development from the first demo to this one. Cancer are now more brutal and heavy, and lead vocalist/guitarist John Walker has changed his voice and vocal style to a caustic sounding aggressive snarling. Five out of the seven songs on the 28:09 minutes long demo would be re-recorded and included on Cancer´s May 1990 debut full-length studio album "To the Gory End". Cancer always had a lot of brutal and aggressive thrash metal riffs and rhythms in their music, so in that respect they never been 100% pure death metal, and that´s of course also the case on this early release by the band.

It´s a relatively lo-fi recorded demo, and I wouldn´t be surprised if it is a rehearsal demo recorded in one take. No matter the circumstances of the recording process, Cancer more than proves why they would soon be signed for the release of their debut album...they simply sound ready. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "No Fuckin Cover" is the first demo recording by UK death metal act Cancer. The demo was independently released in 1988. Cancer formed in 1987 and is one of the earliest death metal acts from the UK.

The two tracks on the 7:33 minutes long demo are both influenced by the most aggressive and brutal contemporary thrash metal but a band like Death probably had a great influence on Cancer too. So the music style on the demo is somewhere in the middle of brutal thrash metal and early death metal. John Walker deliver brutal raspy vocals, which aren´t really growling but closer in style to the most brutal sounding thrash metal vocalists.

"No Fuckin Cover" sounds a lot like a rehearsal demo recorded in one take, and while I´m not sure about it, it´s my most qualified guess. So this is raw, savage, and lo-fi recorded music. It´s murky, noisy, and it´s not always possible to make out what all instruments are doing, but you´re able to hear the general direction of Cancer´s music. A 2 star (40%) rating is warranted.

siLLy puPPy It occurred to me as i was revisiting ACID BATH’s lauded 90s masterworks recently that this Louisiana band that latched onto the sludge metal scene (but was so much more), REALLY was equivalent to a musical funhouse of everything scrumptious and endearing about what 90s hard rock and metal scenes had to offer. While this band that was founded in Houma in 1991 only lasted a mere six years before the death of bassist Audie Pitre which caused the band to break up, ACID BATH has attained a legendary status as one of those bands that did it all right but was pretty much ignored during its heyday. PAEGAN TERRORISM TACTICS emerged two years after the band’s eclectic 90s mishmash of styles “When The Kite String Pops” and continues the potpourri of influences from hardcore punk, alternative metal, grunge, stoner metal as well as bluesy southern rock as well as a few sprinklings of thrash and death metal to be heard.

Also following in the footsteps of the debut, ACID BATH displayed the artwork of yet another controversial figure, this time Dr. Jack Kevorkian who was tagged Dr Death for his assistance of over 130 patients to commit suicide. The clever artwork pretty much sums up the dark subject matter of lead singer and primary songwriter Dax Riggs and his fasciation with all things morbid, nihilistic, violent and manic. Once again ACID BATH delivered a second offering that was equivalent to a classic double album’s worth of material with 12 tracks adding up to just over 72 minutes but adopted the irritating 90s trend of adding wasted minutes of silence before a hidden outro, in this case nearly 17 minutes. So musically speaking that leaves a more digestible 57 minutes or so of musical morsels to devour. As with “Kite Strings,” PAEGAN TERRORISM TACTICS is like a roller coaster of everything 90s all existing on one wild ride of top notch sludgy alt metal with a nod to various 90s bands and genres.

The album is all over the map with the first two tracks, “Paegan Love Song” and “Bleed Me An Ocean” starting things off more as a mix of pure sludge metal mixed with the grooviness of the same style of bluesy alternative rock / metal brought to the masses by bands like Alice In Chains and Soundgarden. ACID BATH certainly be accused of musical monotony because after two sludge-fests comes the Alice In Chains inspired “Graveflower” and “Diäb Soulé” that offer some bluesy alternative metal slowed down a bit with Riggs’ signature soulful singing style but the beauty of Riggs’ style and ACID BATH in general is that they don’t stick to one style for too overly long and heavy sludge riffing and demonic growly vocals are never far away. While all the musicians deserves kudos for maintaining a consistency within the context of whatever style they’re tackling, drummer Jimmy Kyle stands out for his inventive drumming accompaniments which always keep the tracks from sounding like any 90s contemporaries.

After a short foray into the fastest track, the thrashy metal blitzkrieg of “Locust Spawning,” ACID BATH shifts gears once again with a trippy psychedelic poetic prose in the form of “Old Skin” which while brief, offers a bizarre intermission and ushers in the more Soundgarden influenced “New Death Sensation” and “Venus Blue” which slow it all down and offer those ridiculous catchy melodies that really make ACID BATH addictive upon a single exposure. But wait! There’s more in this funhouse. Oh hell yeah! “13 Fingers” returns to the “deathened bluesy alt metal with sludge metal dressing and followed by speed sludge ferocity of “New Corpse.” In fact this is the most hardcore punk-like track except with those demonic screams that Riggs belts out with ease. The closing “Dead Girl” is really just a 7 1/2 minute track padded with unwelcome silence and a short poetic prose that reprises the “Old Skin” dialogue. This track is akin to the unplugged phase of Alice In Chains with bluesy acoustic guitars offering Riggs’ soulful vocals to soar.

While everyone has their favorite of the two albums ACID BATH released ( i slightly prefer the debut), there’s no doubt that this neglected band of its era released two powerhouses of 90s hard rock / metal that have managed to surface in the modern era as the excellence that they are. Unfortunately this was the end of the road for ACID BATH due to the fact bassist Audie Pitre was killed by a drunk driver. While the band easily could’ve carried on given that Riggs was the primarily player, for whatever reason this band couldn’t fathom losing a brother and in his honor retired never knowing if the band’s two albums would ever catch on to a wider audience or not. Luckily for everyone involved, both albums indeed have received a belated classic status and deservingly so. While many could easily view ACID BATH’s albums as inconsistent, what makes them so damn brilliant is that despite the many styles on board, these guys perfectly nailed everything they touched. There is no bad track on here. None. Quite an achievement and despite all the easily identifiable influences, Riggs’ dark subject matter kept the band from reaching the mainstream despite the catchy tunes that could’ve taken them far. Second masterpiece for ACID BATH and sadly the last but at least they made their short time really count.