UMUR "Your Last Orison" is the debut full-length studio album by multi-national progressive thrash metal act End Amen. The album was released through Institute of Art in 1992. End Amen was a shortlived project founded by Dan Rock (guitars) and Norman Legggio (drums) of Psychotic Waltz, Uwe Osterlehner (vocals, guitars) of Deathrow and Siggi Blasey (bass, keyboards) of Crash Museum, during the collaborative 1992 tour in support of "Into the Everflow (1992)" by Psychotic Waltz and "Life Beyond (1992)" by Deathrow.

The music on the album is progressive/technical thrash metal with the emphasis on the thrash metal part of the sound rather than on the progressive metal ditto. If you are familiar with the last couple of Deathrow albums, the music on "Your Last Orison" is pretty much down that alley, but not nearly as powerful or technical. The progressive metal part of the sound pops up on occasion. It´s especially some parts with keyboards that leads my thoughts in that direction and then the title track. It´s interesting to note that Dan Rock and Siggi Blasey would actually take parts of that track with them to their next collaborative project Darkstar and incorporate some of the ideas on the first album by that band. However the music on "Your Last Orison" is predominantly teutonic thrash metal with strongly German accented English language vocals. With the musicians involved it´s no surprise that the musicianship is really strong but personally I have a hard time appreciating Uwe Osterlehner staccato thrash metal vocal style. The sound production is decent but nothing special.

"Your Last Orison" is not the most cohesive album neither when it comes to album flow or the quality of the songwriting and I´d recommend listening to both Psychotic Waltz and Deathrow over this any day. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted. This is an example of an album that shifted copies because of the musicians involved rather than the quality of the music.

UMUR "End Time" is the 5th full-length studio album by US grindcore act Brutal Truth. The album was released through Relapse Records in September 2011. It´s the second album by Brutal Truth since they returned with "Evolution Through Revolution (2009)" after a longer hiatus.

While the music on the album is rooted in grindcore aestethics and stylistic elements like extensive use of blastbeats and crusty hardcore riffs, "End Time" far exceeds the boundaries of what you usually hear when you put on a grindcore album. The riffs are dissonant and noisy and the drumming quirky and rythmically complex. The band also play around with slower industrial influenced elements which can be heard on the opening track "Malice". The musicianship is excellent, with precision playing and some really powerful and relatively varied vocals by Kevin Sharp. This is what I´d call clever and adventurous grindcore. Brutal Truth were always boundary pushers, and I guess they still are.

Most of the 23 tracks on the 54:36 minutes long album are around 1 - 2 minutes long but "Control Room" which closes the album, sticks out a bit with it´s 15:21 minutes of playing time. It´s quite the noisy and repetitive track and it doesn´t take long before it feels unneccesarily long. It´s the kind of track you listen to once and then skip every other time you take the album out for a spin unless of course you are one of those rare folks who actually enjoy this kind of thing. The rest of the tracks are highly entertaining and Brutal Truth have made sure that while they relentlessly kick your ass they also bend your mind. "End Time" also features a powerful and raw sound production and all things considered it´s another challenging and high quality grindcore album from one of the leaders of the genre. Despite the unneccesarily long "Control Room" a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Out of the Dark... Into the Light" is an EP release by German thrash metal act Kreator. The EP was released through Noise Records in August 1988 and bridges the gap between the two full-length studio albums "Terrible Certainty (1987)" and "Extreme Aggression (1989)". The original vinyl version features 5 tracks while the European CD version includes 3 additional bonus tracks.

The first track on the EP is "Impossible to Cure", which at the time was a new original track by the band, and if you are familiar with the material on "Terrible Certainty (1987)" and "Extreme Aggression (1989)" you probably won´t be surprised by the aggressive teutonic thrash metal style featured on the track. It´s short, aggressive and effective. "Impossible to Cure" is followed by "Lambs to the Slaughter" which is a Raven cover track. It´s slightly more melodic but still pretty aggressive and it´s certainly delivered with fierce conviction.

The remaining tracks on the EP (including the 3 bonus tracks) are live recordings of early Kreator "classics" like "Riot of Violence", "Terrible Certainty" and "Awakening of the Gods". Taking into consideration that these tracks were recorded live in the late eighties, the sound quality is actually pretty good and the performance by the band is equally satisfying. They are not 100% tight and I hear a few errors here and there, but it´s nice to hear "real" live recordings from a metal act in the more extreme end of the spectrum that sound this good.

"Out of the Dark... Into the Light" is a very successful release to my ears and a reminder that the EP format was something that you took seriously in the eighties. All recordings on the EP were unreleased at the time that "Out of the Dark... Into the Light" was released and therefore the EP was a worthwhile investment back then and still is today as I haven´t found evidence anywhere that suggest that these tracks are available on any of the compilations that Kreator have released so far. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved and I might even have set the bar a little low here.

UMUR "In Utero" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US hard rock/alternative rock act Nirvana. The album was released through DGC Records in September 1993. Despite the major commercial success of "Nevermind (1991)", Nirvana felt that the album ultimately came out too polished compared to how they saw their own music and they wanted to make sure that "In Utero" sounded more raw and closer to the "punk" ideals they felt a closer relation to. They enlisted producer Steve Albini to help them gain that sound and with him they recorded the songs for "In Utero" in around two weeks time. They weren´t completely satisfied with the result though and ended up hiring Scott Litt to make a few changes to the sound.

The more primitive recording process is certainly audible as "In Utero" is a much more raw sounding album than "Nevermind (1991)". The prominent use of dissonance, feedback and other non-polished features (check out the highly aggressive and almost hardcorish track "tourette's") that you usually don´t find in accessible mainstream music, are quite the change compared to the predecessor. The songwriting is a bit uneven though and while tracks like "Hear-Shaped Box" (which was the biggest hit from the album) and "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" are really effectful and memorable, there are far too many tracks on the album that come off a bit half-baked and honestly sound like the band didn´t care too much. I understand that it was part of the attitude in those days, but some tracks simply don´t sound as inspired as they could have.

When that is said the musicianship and especially Kurt Cobain´s vocals are for the most part a real treat. He has such a raw and personal delivery. A really unique and characteristic voice, which he explores a bit more on this album than he did on "Nevermind (1991)".

Considering the major commercial success of "Nevermind (1991)", "In Utero" is actually quite a daring and bold attempt at breaking free from a sound that most people expected from the band. 5 million copies sold arond the world bear witness to the fact that at least commercially Nirvana fully succeeded in their mission, but artistically I think "In Utero" lacks a bit although a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Fallen" is the 8th full-length studio album by Norwegian black metal act Burzum. The album was released through Byelobog Productions in March 2011. As always all vocals and instruments are played by Varg Vikernes.

The music is atmospheric black metal with aggressive raspy harsh vocals as the dominant vocal style, but the album also features clean sung vocals and whispered talking type vocals. Varg Vikernes is a very convincing vocalist and the fact that the lyrics are in his native language also provides an extra dimension to the vocal delivery. I guess that´s mostly true to people who understand Norwegian (a group I belong to), but personally I find it irresistibly charming.

The album contains seven tracks. Five of those are relatively long atmospheric and repetitive black metal tracks, while one is an intro and one is an ambient/percussive track that closes the album ("Til Hel Og Tilbake Igjen"). The latter is a bit tedious, but the rest of the tracks are brilliant to my ears. A track like "Vanvidd" is outstanding IMO. It took me a while to appreciate the thin sounding production and spot the bass in the mix, but it´s like the longer I get into the album I get accustomed to the sound production and begin to spot details and appreciate the sound.

The musicianship is generally strong but I think it´s audible that Varg Vikernes is not a natural drummer and if he is it doesn´t show. The drums are very simple and repetitive in style and if there is a fill hidden somewhere on the album that I didn´t notice you´re welcome to enlighten me because I can´t find one. The simplicity of the drumming is at times almost to the point of being ridiculous, but for the most part Varg Vikernes makes this approach work.

"Fallen" is overall a very strong album that sounds unmistakably like Burzum and a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Kick Out the Jams" is the debut album by US hard rock act MC5. The album was released through Elektra Records in February 1969. A bit out of the ordinary the album is a live album instead of a studio recording like the case is with most debut albums. Elektra Records felt that the band´s energy and wild performance were best captured in a live setting. "Kick Out the Jams" was recorded live on October 30 and 31, 1968, at Detroit's Grande Ballroom. The album sparked some controversy as the word "Motherfucker" is shouted on the album and also appeared on the inner sleeve of the first pressing of the album. That version was soon pulled from stores and two different versions with censored album covers where pressed after that. Even after that the band had trouble with the major department store Hudson´s, which refused to sell the album. In reaction to that MC5 moved in an add which depicted Rob Tyner and the words "Fuck Hudson´s". Although the band have later claimed that Elektra Records was in on the idea, MC5 was subsequently fired from the label to end the conflict. Damage control.

From the above it should be clear that MC5 weren´t the type of band who gave a fuck what others felt about them and that attitude is very much present in the material on "Kick Out the Jams". The band´s far left political ties and anti-establishment lyrics only further enhances the feeling that these guys were rebels and meant business. And that´s to a point where some of the talking between the songs is close to sounding like a political rally. But the politics out of the way "Kick Out the Jams" is ultimately just a filthy, loud, sweaty and distorted hard rock album that went just a bit further than most rock albums released around the same time. In addition to some of the energetic hard rocking tracks like "Ramblin' Rose", "Kick Out the Jams" and "Rocket Reducer N°62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)", the album also features the heavy blues cover of John Lee Hooker´s "Motor City is Burning" and the closing sonic experiment "Starship". The latter is the only time during "Kick Out the Jams", where I think the album loses it´s breath and becomes a bit tedious. Back in 1968 - 1969 this kind of experiment was probably considered bold and maybe even mindblowing to some people, but noisy sound collages like this one have a tendency to become tiresome after only a few spins. Quite frankly I always skip this one.

The sound production is raw, distorted and so "live" that you can almost feel the presence of the audience and smell the sweat, smoke and beer in the venue. I doubt if there are any overdubs on the album, this really does sound like the "real" thing.

Compared to their contemporaries in The Stooges and their more nihilistic ways, MC5 almost come off as gentle and today their outspoken far left wing views also come off as more humourous than they were originally intented, but "Kick Out the Jams" is still one hell of a raw and filthy hard rock live album. It´s the kind of album that you´ll remember long after it´s over. Despite the tedious nature of "Starship" which takes up about 8 minutes of the playing time, I still think a 4 star (80%) rating is warranted. A true classic this one.

UMUR "Drowning in Blood" is the 7th full-length studio album by Brazilian death/thrash act Vulcano. The album was released through Renegados Records in September 2011. The Santos, São Paulo based group are quite a seasoned act having existed since 1981. Their debut full-length studio album "Bloody Vengeance" was released as far back as 1986. Vulcano are widely considered one of the first South American acts playing extreme metal.

The fact that Vulcano are relatively "old" guys is not audible in any way in their music though. We´re talking fiercely aggressive death/thrash with the emphasis on the thrash part. The vocals are really aggressive and delivered with great conviction, the riffs are fast-paced (occasionally mid-paced and heavier) and overall there´s a strong Slayer influence in the music. It´s Legion of the Damned and their aggressive death/thrash I´m mostly reminded of though. Although Vulcano are a very seasoned act I´m actually not that impressed by the musicianship. The delivery is not 100% tight and especially the lead guitar parts sound a bit amaturish to my ears. The sound production is not spot on either. Especially the clicking bass drum sound is completely powerless.

Other than that "Drowning in Blood" is a pretty good album and I´m sure fans of aggressive death/thrash will enjoy it despite the above mentioned issues. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Under Cover" is the 9th full-length studio album by UK heavy metal artist Ozzy Osbourne. The album was released through Epic Records in November 2005. The album is a compilation of cover tracks. Nine of the thirteen (ten if you count the bonus track) also appeared on the 4 disc "Prince of Darkness" box set released in March 2005. Session musicians for the project are guitarist Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains), drummer Mike Bordin (Faith no More) and bassist Chris Wyse.

Ozzy Osbourne has chosen to cover tracks from, among others, Joe Walsh, The Beatles, King Crimson, Cream and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Some covers are better than others, but none of them really shine. It´s all a bit flat and uninspired. Things aren´t helped along by the polished sound production, which doesn´t exactly spell rock´n´roll blood, sweat and tears but rather dollars and mainstream appeal. I have absolutely no problem with the latter if the project felt honest and sounded great, but that´s not exactly the case here. If the booklet at least had told a story to each track about why Ozzy Osbourne had chosen to cover those particular tracks and what the tracks meant to him, it might have given the album another dimension, but of course it wouldn´t change the fact that "Under Cover" sounds a bit tired and dare I say soulless. Maybe best exemplified by the fact that the cover of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson leaves out the kickass progressive middle part and turns even that badass track into an easily digestable mainstream heavy metal track. Where´s the grit and bite in that? The very soul of heavy rock/metal is simply missing here. Yes quite a few of the tracks are rock ballads and therefore shouldn´t be faulted for not being metal, but you don´t need to arrange them in the most saccarine way possible. Too many of the ballads on Ozzy´s own albums can be a bit of a trial to get through already and the ones on this album come off even worse.

While I´m tempted to give this album a really low rating, as it goes against just about everything I believe that rock/metal is and should be (call me conservative if you will), "Under Cover" does come off as a professional product, written and performed by professionals and I guess the craftmanship deserves a 2.5 star (50%) rating. I ain´t happy about it though and I certainly wouldn´t recommend "Under Cover" to anyone I know.

UMUR "Dethroned" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Canadian death/black metal act Morgue. Just as the case was with "Flames and Blood (2010)", "Dethroned" is a self-released affair. The album was released in October 2011.

The music on the album is death metal with a slight blackened edge. The blackened edge is actually only audible when the brutal, processed and almost completely unintelligible growling vocals are replaced by a higher pitched sneering vocal style. Other than that I´d say this is death metal through and through (despite most band photos depicting the band in corpsepaint). "Dethroned" is the kind of death metal album that is enjoyable while it´s playing but not that memorable after it is finished. It´s brutal and punishing with good rythmic variation and also features a powerful sound production, but it lacks that last uniqueness to really stand out from the pack.

Still "Dethroned" is a solid death metal release and I´d say a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Despise the Sun" is an EP release by US death metal act Suffocation. The EP was released through Vulture Records in 1998. Suffocation disbanded shortly after the EP was released. They reformed again in 2002 with a modified lineup (and released their comeback album "Souls to Deny" in 2004). The lineup on "Despise the Sun" includes new drummer Dave Culross (Malevolent Creation, Pyrexia), who replaces Doug Bohn (who played on the preceeding studio album "Pierced From Within (1995)").

The 16:34 minutes long EP features 5 tracks of crushingly brutal and technical death metal in the trademark Suffocation style. Production wise and also on other perimeters I´d say that the sound and style on "Despise the Sun" remind me the most of "Pierced From Within (1995)". In other words a natural successor to that album. And that´s definitely not a bad thing. Few can deliver brutal technical death metal with such conviction and passion as Suffocation can. If you ask me they are one of the few acts in the really brutal part of the death metal genre that actually stand out with a unique sound. The fact that Frank Mullen´s ultra brutal growls are actually slightly intelligible only makes my listening experience that more intense. And intensity is certainly a good word to describe what this EP is about. It´s actually a downright punishing listen. The playing is relentlessly energetic wether it is blasting sections, mid-paced sections or the über brutal breakdowns that the band are also known for.

Suffocation are not exactly known for writing easy listening material and it does take a while before hooks begin to appear on this release too. However the band stick to their guns and never fall into the "cheap" trap of incorporating melody to make their music more easily accessible. They demand your full attention and by the fierce way these guys sound you´re probably better off giving it to them. Effectful songwriting, a powerful sound production and an extremely well playing band amounts to a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating.

UMUR "My Blood" is the 6th full-length studio album by Danish thrash metal act Artillery. The album was released through Metal Mind Productions in March 2011. it´s the second album with vocalist Søren Adamsen and the second album since the band´s comeback album "When Death Comes (2009)".

The album opens with the middle eastern tinged "Mi Sangre (The Blood Song)", which is structurally a pretty complex track lasting 7:33 minutes. It´s definitely one of the standout tracks on the album but there are plenty to pick from. The music style is the usual thrash metal meets melodic heavy/power metal that the band have practiced from day one maybe with a bit more emphasis on the melodic part these days compared to the early releases by the band. We´re talking killer thrashy riffing, powerful but also melodic singing, well thought out songs and a suiting powerful sound production. These Danish veterans know exactly how to write effectful and memorable material and at the same time deliver it with passion and conviction.

"My Blood" is of course a must for fans of the band and in particular fans of the last album, but more casual fans of melodic thrash metal should find lots to like here too. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR As the title suggests, "Queen II" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK rock act Queen. The album was released through Parlophone/Elektra in March 1974.

The music on the album sits somewhere between theatrical rock, progressive rock and hard rock. A really eclectic mix of music styles and ideas. The musicianship is outstanding throughout the album. Convincing and adventurous instrumental delivery by all involved and "out of this world" vocals by lead vocalist Freddie Mercury. His lead vocals are flat out fantastic, but it´s the multi layered harmony vocals that really put the icing on the cake. The only other group I can think of who did something just nearly as flamboyant and challenging around the same time is 10cc (I guess I should mention Gentle Giant too). When you add to that a powerful organic sound production and very well written compositions such as "Father to Son", "White Queen (As it Began)", "Ogre Battle", "The March of the Black Queen" and "Seven Seas of Rhye" it all come together nicely and form a rare and unique musical experience. The Roger Taylor led "The Loser in the End" is a real hard rocker and somewhat different from the other material on the album, but it´s a real treat to my ears.

While I enjoyed the debut album by Queen, that album completely pales in comparison with "Queen II". "Queen II" has a great flow and a vision, a musical red thread so to speak. If you like your rock delivered with a theatrical paatos and a progressive edge "Queen II" is a great release and I think a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Path of Forgotten Souls" is the debut full-length studio album by Spanish death metal act Legacy of Brutality. The album was released through Chief Records in March 2011.

With a name like Legacy of Brutality (the title of a Misfits compilation from 1985) I instantly thought the music on the album would be either punked death metal or death´n´roll. As it turns out I was completely wrong in my assumption as the music style played by Legacy of Brutality on "Path of Forgotten Souls" is old school death metal. Not of the most filthy and primitive kind and not of the über technical kind either, but somewhere in between. The music doesn´t exactly stand out as original or groundbreaking in any way, but the delivery and the songwriting is damn convincing. The brutal yet sligthly intelligible growls are right in your face and the riffs are brutal and memorable. I think there´s a slight nod towards early Gorefest, but it´s not too dominant an influence. I actually think the band successfully blend influences from both US, UK, Swedish and European death metal. Legacy of Brutality skillfully vary pace too, which means that you´ll find both blasting and heavier mid-paced parts on the album, so while the music does reek old school aestethics, the band are skilled enough to execute their music in a techically convincing fashion.

Other than an odd clicking drum sound, which isn´t to my liking, "Path of Forgotten Souls" is a very good death metal album that fully deserves a 3.5 star (70%) rating. If the drum sound had been better I would have given the album an even higher rating.

UMUR "Boldly Stride The Doomed" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US doom/heavy metal act Argus. The album was released through Cruz del Sur music in May 2011. There is a vinyl version available which features two bonus tracks. A cover of "At The Gallows End" by Candlemass and "Róisín Dubh" by Thin Lizzy.

On "Boldly Stride The Doomed" the band play a combination of epic doom metal in the vein of Candlemass and traditional heavy metal. Especially the guitar harmonies remind me of Iron Maiden and there are a couple of galloping rythms too that point in that direction. The busy bass work of Andy Ramage also has Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) written all over it. The band are incredibly well playing, the sound production is powerful and these guys are more than able to write both powerful and memorable material too. As icing on the cake Argus have a both skilled and powerful vocalist in Brian "Butch" Balich. He has a raw singing style but with a melodic sensibility. I assure you the "Butch" in his name isn´t taken out of thin air.

"Boldly Stride The Doomed" is an excellent album to fans of epic doom metal with traditional heavy metal traits. We´re talking a high quality release here and a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Nevermind" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US hard rock/alternative rock act Nirvana. The album was released through DGC Records (a sub label to Universal Music Group) in September 1991. Alledgedly the label expected that "Nevermind" would sell around 200.000 - 250.000 copies if it became successful, but because of the success of "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which received heavy rotation on MTV, "Nevermind" soon sold so many copies that the label´s sales stragedy for the album became completely useless. At the hight of the album´s success it sold around 300.000 copies a week. "Nevermind" has sold around 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling albums ever. There are probably a number of reasons why the album became this successful including a fatique, among fans of harder edged rock music, over the eighties glam rock/metal scene that had dominated the last decade. In the end it was probably the combination of the right timing, a good album that touched people and excellent promotion.

"Bleach (1989)" had provided the band with some minor success but main songwriter Kurt Cobain felt the need to write more melodic material and at the same time Nirvana opted to leave the Sub Pop label and sign to a major label. Producer Butch Vig gave the band´s sound enough polish for even the most hard edged punked material to have mainstream appeal. I guess "Territorial Pissings" might be the exception, but even that track, which is the most noisy track on the album is pretty sweet on the ears except the the ending of the track where Kurt Cobain screams his lungs out. The four single tracks from the album "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Come as You Are", "Lithium" and "In Bloom" are probably the most known songs from "Nevermind" but most tracks are actually pretty noteworthy and memorable.

The songs are pretty simple vers/chorus structured, typically with subdued verses and more energetic and loud choruses, making good use of dynamics for effect. "Nevermind" is an album that successfully alternates between mellow almost drowsy sounding sections and bursts of aggressive energy. It´s also an album with a nice flow. It´s the kind of album where all the pieces seem to fit in the right places.

...after not having listened to "Nevermind" for many years, I was pretty amazed to learn that I could remember each track, vocal line and melody to perfection and I had a great time listening to the album while doing all that remembering. Often it´s only the truly great albums where you feel right at home, when putting them on and such is certainly the case with "Nevermind". It´s still an album that stands out from the crowd and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Anubis Gate" is the 5th full-length studio album by Danish progressive/power metal act Anubis Gate. The album was released through Nightmare Records in September 2011. The album sees quite a significant lineup change as lead vocalist Jacob Hansen (Invocator) left the band to concentrate his efforts on his producer job and his Hansen Studios. Hansen was the frontman on both the critically acclaimed albums "Andromeda Unchained (2007)" and "The Detached (2009)". On this album bassist Henrik Fevre has taken on the vocal duties from Jacob Hansen, making Anubis Gate a four-piece. "Anubis Gate" was recorded at Hansen Studios and Jacob Hansen acts as co-producer and is also credited for mixing/mastering the album, so there´s definitely no bad blood between him and the band.

The 10 track, 60:24 minutes long album features intelligent progressive/power metal. Well composed, well played and well produced. Henrik Fevre has a slightly less distinct voice than Jacob Hansen, but he is still a great singer who suits the band´s music well. Compared to the two precessors "Anubis Gate" features slightly less synths, but the sound is still epic with beautiful anthemic choruses and layered instrumental work. They band succeed in incorporating both progressive, power and harder edged thrashy parts in their music which ultimately makes the album a varied listen.

"Anubis Gate" is more or less anything you could ask for in the more polished part of the progressive/power metal genre. It´s simply a top notch product in any way possible and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Ballbreaker" is the 13th full-length studio album by Australian hard/heavy rock act AC/DC. The album was released through Atlantic Records in September 1995. A lineup change has occured as original drummer Phil Rudd has returned to the fold after he was fired from the band in 1983.

The music on "Ballbreaker" is in "classic" AC/DC style. Hard rocking bluesy riffing, a driving and pounding rythm section and Brian Johnson´s trademark rusty voice in front. There´s little new under the sun, but that´s how most of the band´s fans prefer it to be. So far... so good. What is always interesting when listening to an AC/DC album is how many standout tracks there are on the album and how many fillers. Granted we are talking quality fillers, but most of the band´s albums contain quite a few of those. "Ballbreaker" proves to be one of the AC/DC albums with a satisfactory amount of standout tracks like "Hard as a Rock", the stripper anthem "Cover You in Oil" and the hard edged closing title track.

I definitely find myself well entertained when listening to the album. The sound production by the legendary Rick Rubin has a "dry" quality to it that I could have lived without, but otherwise the production fits the music well. "Ballbreaker" is no revelation, but it sure is a damn solid hard rock album by the kings of the genre. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The Age of Nero" is the 7th full-length studio album by Norwegian black metal act Satyricon. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in November 2008.

"The Age of Nero" further explores the heavy and groove based black metal sound of "Volcano (2002)" and "Now, Diabolical (2006)". It´s not an album that develops much on that sound, but it´s a convincing, powerful and extremely well executed. While "Now, Diabolical (2006)" at times felt slightly uninspired, "The Age of Nero" is the kind of album that will eat you alive. Satyr is his usual caustic sneering self that in addition to delivering his unmistakable snarl also plays those ungodly heavy riffs. The tempo is actually predominantly slow- to mid paced and heavy on the album allthough there are faster paced parts present too. Frost delivers another stunning and varied drum performance. There´s seemingly no end to the man´s creativity. Paired with a powerful and effective sound production this album is simply killer. Tracks like the opener "Commando", "The Wolfpack" and "Black Crow on a Tombstone" pack so much punch and catchy hooks that it´s impossible not to bang your head. A return to Norwegian lyrics on the closing track "Den Siste" ("The Last") is also a good idea that works well.

"The Age of Nero" is what I´d call a return to form after the relatively forgettable "Now, Diabolical (2006)". It´s inspired and delivered with fierce conviction and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Blooddrunk" is the 6th full-length studio album by Finnish melodic death metal act Children of Bodom. The album was released through Spinefarm Records in April 2008.

If you are familiar with the band´s sound, it will come as no surprise that the music on "Blooddrunk" is melodic death metal drenched in power metal tinged synths. Compared to the more traditional heavy metal inspired death metal style of the two predecessors ("Hate Crew Deathroll (2003)" and "Are You Dead Yet? (2005"), the music on "Blooddrunk" is slightly harder edged though. Of course we´re talking details here, and Children of Bodom more or less stick to their guns on "Blooddrunk". The songwriting has somewhat stagnated and you won´t find many new ideas on this album keeping in mind how much the band developed their style on the first four albums. The musicianship is excellent as ever, the sound production is professional and well sounding and as such the songwriting is pretty strong too. I guess the problem with "Blooddrunk" is, that it drowns in the band´s discography. It just doesn´t stand out among the best releases by the band.

When that is said "Blooddrunk" is still a quality product and new fans who listen to this album first, probably won´t understand why my review comes off slightly negative and hardcore fans of the band will probably enjoy this one without reservations too. To the more casual fans my recommendation is that you get "Follow the Reaper (2000)" and "Hate Crew Deathroll (2003)" to hear the best the band has to offer. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Saga Guerriere" is the 2nd full-length studio album by French death metal act Kampfbund. The album was released through TB Records in 2011.

The lyrics are in French and deal with the European resistance against Turkish invasions throughout the last nearly 1000 years. Apparently the band come from a RAC metal background, so without being able to further explore the lyrics as my French language knowledge is limited, I´m assuming the lyrics or at least the intention behind the lyrics are of a RAC nature.

The music is death metal with an epic battle mentality, and bearing in mind that the lyrics describe historic battles the band have successfully paired music and lyrics and as a consequence the album has a nice flow and appear cohesive. The music features both thrashy and death´n´roll ideas too. The vocals are brutal and unintelligible growls. The musicianship and the sound production are pretty standard and to my ears though. The production in particular is even a little below standard.

"Saga Guerriere" is a decent album by Kampfbund and providing you can accept the lyrical concept/content, I think it´s worth a listen. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "The Greatest Joke" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Brazilian thrash metal act Kremate. The album was released through Urubuz Records in 2011. The band´s debut full-length studio album "Death: In the Name Of (2005)" was actually just a re-release of the 2003 "Watch the End" promo, so "The Greatest Joke" is actually the band´s first "regular" studio album.

On "The Greatest Joke", Kremate embrace an old school thrash metal sound with more than a few nods towards early Slayer. It´s mainly the guitar riffs that remind me of that band. The vocals are raw and shouting with an audible accent. The band take on a socio political angle in their lyrics, so it´s not one of those "zombie/drinking beer" type retro thrash metal albums, which I initially thought after looking at the cover artwork.

The sound production is raw and maybe lacking the hand of a professional to elevate it to the level of the better thrash metal productions out there.

To my ears "The Greatest Joke" is a pretty standard old school thrash metal release. It´s decent and enjoyable while it plays, but soon forgotten after it ends. A 3 star (60% rating is warranted.

UMUR "Ogre Tones" is the 11th full-length studio album by US hard rock/alternative rock act King´s X. The album was released through InsideOut Music in September 2005. It´s the band´s first album released through InsideOut Music after a longer collaboration with Metal Blade Records.

The music on "Ogre Tones" is hard rock/alternative rock delivered by a very skilled trio of musicians. The sound production is professional, clean and polished. The tracks are very simple vers/chorus structured and the band´s reputation as a progressive rock act doesn´t shine through on this album. Most of the tracks on the album are around 3 minutes long and feature hook laden choruses with lots of mainstream appeal. It´s not often it happens, but when the band decide to rock out, they are actually able to conjure up some really nice hard rocking grooves, but it doesn´t happen enough. Most of the tracks are more sweet and polished pop/rock material with some really nice harmony vocal arrangements, and to my ears the album end up a rather tame affair.

Of course the excellent musicianship, the professional sound production and songwriting craftsmanship that should make most musicians green with envy, are all features that secure a quality stamp and a 3 star (60%) rating. A bit more bite would have suited the album though.

UMUR "The Power to Believe" is the 13th full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act King Crimson. The album was released through Sanctuary Records Group in March 2003. The lineup on this album features Adrian Belew on guitar, vocals and electronic percussion, Robert Fripp on guitar, Trey Gunn on Warr guitar and rubber bass and Pat Mastelotto on drums.

The music style on the album is dark and experimental progressive rock. For fans of King Crimson there are as such few surprises, but what made me happy about the music on "The Power to Believe", is the generally high quality level. Songs like "Level Five", "Eyes Wide Open" and "Elektrik" are excellent compositions. Lots of dark atmosphere in addition to the tight and as always innovative musicianship. The quality drops a bit after the really strong string of songs that open the album, but my attention never wanders and overall "The Power to Believe" comes off as a consistently high quality release.

If you ask me "The Power to Believe" is the best King Crimson album since "Discipline (1981)" and it´s highly recommendable to both fans and newcommers. If this turns out to be King Crimson´s last studio album it will make a great testimony. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Now, Diabolical" is the 6th full-length studio album by Norwegian black metal act Satyricon. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in April 2006. With "Volcano (2002)", Satyricon took their music in a more simple direction and that tendency is further explored on "Now, Diabolical".

"Now, Diabolical" is even more stripped down vers/chorus based than "Volcano (2002)" was, but it´s obvious that main composer/guitarist/vocalist Satyr has been very conscious about that writing method. "Now, Diabolical" is overall an easily accessible release, but the relatively simple song structures are also a slight issue as not all 8 tracks on the album are equally memorable. The album starts with the title track and then "K.I.N.G", which are both hookladen, memorable and feature infectious grooves, but it´s not more than a couple of more tracks into the album, that my attention begin to wander. The hooks in the tracks simply aren´t strong enough. The "dry" sound production isn´t doing the music any favors either.

"Now, Diabolical" is still unmistakbaly the sound of Satyricon with Satyr´s commanding and aggressive raspy snarl, the creative drumming by Frost and the trademark monumentally heavy riffing. It´s all there but it´s like all the good ideas on the album are not executed in a 100% wholeheartedly fashion. "Now, Diabolical" is still a good release touching excellence at times, but compared to it´s imidiate predecessor it´s slightly disappointing. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Metamorphosis" is the 4th full-length studio album by US death metal act Vile. The album was released through Willowtip Records in November 2011.

The music is technically well played US death metal. I´m thinking mid-nineties Morbid Angel a couple of times during the playing time, but Vile have ultimately created their own sound (without sounding completely unique). While technically well played, and varied when it comes to tempo changes, this is by no means technical death metal. It´s rather old school US death metal of the more technically well played kind. The vocals are predominantly growling and only slightly intelligible but for effect the growls are occasionally spiced up with some higher pitched screams. It works very well for the diversity of the vocals on the album, which otherwise might have become a bit one-dimensional. The band use lots of fast harmony tremolo picking but also heavier semi-dissonant riffing, while the drums either blast away or play slower parts with fast double pedal work underneath.

The 11 tracks on the 38:22 minutes long album are all well composed, well played and the sound production is professional and suits the music well. It´s a sound production that emphasises detail rather than power and aggression, which isn´t an everyday feature when we´re talking death metal, but it works really well on "Metamorphosis".

"Metamorphosis" is all in all a quality US death metal album that might not stand out too much from the pack, but delivers in almost every other aspect. A treat that deserves a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating.

UMUR "Volcano" is the 5th full-length studio album by Norwegian black metal act Satyricon. The album was released through Moonfog Productions in October 2002. "Volcano" is a bit of a turning point for the band. After releasing what is arguably their most complex and adventurous album in "Rebel Extravaganza (1999)", Satyricon opted for a much simpler songwriting approach on "Volcano".

While the music on the album is still unmistakably the sound of Satyricon, which means fiercely aggressive and commanding raspy vocals, monumentally heavy riffs (and faster sections too) and a dense dark atmosphere, main composer/vocalist/guitarist/bassist/keyboard player Satyr has chosen to incorporate a lot more groove on "Volcano" than heard on any of the earlier material by the band. The songwriting has been stripped down too, which gives most tracks a clear vers/chorus feeling, even though none of them are as simple as that. Tracks like "Fuel for Hatred" and "Possessed" are examples of tracks where the chorus takes on an almost anthemic quality. The former features quite the infectious black´n´roll riff, which is also a new element in Satyricon´s sound.

The musicianship is on a high level all the way through the album. Satyr plays and sings everything besides the drums which are handled by Frost. The latter is one of the most creative black metal drummers out there. While he can certainly whip up a storm when needed, he can also play an infectious groove. The album is positively loaded with great drumming ideas. Frost is one of those few drummers, where you are able to remember his drum patterns. A rare achivement indeed.

In addition to all the above mentioned positive and intriguing elements, "Volcano" also features a raw and powerful sound production, which further enhances the listening experience. "Volcano" is simply through and through a quality release. This is the perfect example of a band, that without losing integrity and without forsaking their "core" sound, are able to successfully develop their music and challenge their audience. While "Volcano" is much easier accessible than the complex "Rebel Extravaganza (1999)", it´s not a less bold statement. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Natural Causes" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Australian progressive metal act Alarum. The album was released through Willowtip Records in October 2011. It´s the band´s first album since "Eventuality... (2004)", so "Natural Causes" has been a long time coming. I guess all good come to those who wait, because "Natural Causes" has certainly been worth the long wait.

The band pretty much continue the progressive death/thrash metal style they played on "Eventuality... (2004)", but it´s obvious that they have grown as songwriters in the intermediate years. The music is influenced by acts like Cynic and Pestilence ("Spheres (1993)" era). Excellent fusion tinged drumming, jazzy sections, a very busy and audible bass and riffs played with great technical skill. The vocals are not growling, but frontman/bassist Mark Palfreyman rather sings in a harsh type thrashy singing style. He also sings clean vocals which remind me slightly of the flat and toneless vocals of Page Hamilton from Helmet. His vocal style took a bit of warming up to for me, but repeated listens have revealed that they suit the rest of the music well. The clean vocals provide the music with an alternative vibe, but it´s not the most dominant feature on the album.

The sound production is detailed and suits the music well. I could have wished for a bit more power and maybe a bit more "open" sound, but it´s not a big issue and I´m pretty sure this is exactly how the band want the album to sound, because "Eventuality... (2004)" had a somewhat similar sound. The sound has the effect on the music, that even the most harsh parts sound pleasant and almost calm. I guess sophisticated isn´t the worst term to use in this case.

"Natural Causes" has taken me a while to get into and I´d call it a grower. For me it´s been about accepting that the sound production isn´t based on power and aggression but rather on sophistication and detail, but once I´ve gotten past my initial not so positive reaction, "Natural Causes" has become quite an excellent listen. Alarum are certainly an act who has found their own sound while still progressing and I find that admirable. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The Experience of Horror" is the debut full-length studio album by German death/thrash metal act Assorted Heap. The album was released through 1 MF in 1991. The original vinyl version only contained 6 tracks while the CD version featured 9 tracks. I´m not sure why because the vinyl version is definitely on the shorter side with it´s 27:20 minutes long playing time and even if they had added the CD bonus tracks to the vinyl version it would still only have lasted around 37 minutes. You can´t excuse that with loss of sound quality, which was sometimes the explanation with vinyl albums longer than 45 minutes.

The music on "The Experience of Horror" is US influenced death/thrash (or brutal thrash metal if you will). As far as I recall it´s not often I´ve heard music like this coming from a German act. There´s not a hint of teutonic thrash here. Instead the music is aggressive and at times brutal thrash metal played with great technical skill. Acts like Dark Angel, Devastation and early Invocator come to mind. The tracks are well written, energetic and powerful and while the sound production isn´t without flaws, "The Experience of Horror" still comes off as a quality death/thrash release. I guess some tracks could have been a little more memorable, like for example the title track is, but it´s not a major issue.

"The Experience of Horror" is a rather obscure release and probably not that easy to find, but if you are a fan of late eighties/early nineties death/thrash and you are able to find a copy, I´d recommend a purchase. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Live on I-5" is the first live album by US alternative rock/metal act Soundgarden. The album was released through A&M Records in March 2011. The album was recorded at various shows during their late 1996 US West Coast tour supporting the "Down on the Upside (1996)" album. It was originally planned for release after the tour, but as Soundgarden disbanded, the live recordings were shelved. The decision to release the recordings now, is probably due to the band´s reunion in January 2010 and the subsequent select live shows in 2010 and 2011, which sparked interest in fans to hear new material from the band.

...even though the band were, at the time, touring in support of "Down on the Upside (1996)", that album is only represented with 4 tracks out of a tracklist of 17 tracks. The band´s arguably most popular albums, "Badmotorfinger (1991)" and "Superunknown (1994)", are each represented with 5 tracks. The remaining 3 tracks are "Nothing to Say" from Soundgarden´s 1987 debut EP "Screaming Life", the Beatles cover "Helter Skelter" and the Stooges cover "Search and Destroy". That means, that there are not a single track from "Ultramega OK (1988)" or "Louder Than Love (1989)" present on "Live on I-5".

The performance isn´t the most inspired thing I´ve ever heard. Especially lead vocalist Chris Cornell sounds tired and used. His voice often cracks and his pronounciation and delivery of the songlines are sloppy. The rest of the band don´t deliver the most exciting performance either, but it´s the vocals that drag my rating down the most. The sound quality is thankfully professional and well sounding. All in all this isn´t a very interesting release despite the good sound quality. Maybe the fact that the band were on the verge of disbanding at the time when the tracks were recorded has something to do with it, but I expect much more from such a high prolific act as Soundgarden. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Undisputed Attitude" is the 7th full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Slayer. The album was released through American Recordings in May 1996. "Undisputed Attitude" is an album featuring covers by punk, crossover and hardcore acts that have influenced Slayer plus the original composition "Gemini".

Most tracks on the album are in a fast-paced, simple and aggressive hardcore/crossover style. The delivery is intense and energetic. It´s no surprise Slayer can pull this off with ease. The tracks are by artists such as Verbal Abuse, Minor Threat and DRI. The album also features a couple of tracks by Pap Smear, which was a shortlived punk project of Jeff Hanneman (Slayer), Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and Rocky George (Suicidal Tendencies). To my ears the most interesting cover track on the album is the mid-paced DI cover "Richard Hung himself". It´s got a nice memorable hook and after listening to predominantly fast-paced material for most of the album´s playing time, it´s nice to listen to something with a slower pace. That also goes for the original composition "Gemini", which is also a pretty heavy track. It´s not a spectacular Slayer track but stylistically it could easily have fit on "Divine Intervention (1994)" and that´s good enough for me.

For a cover album "Undisputed Attitude" is a very consistent and cohesive album. The style of music played on almost every track on the album are pretty much in the same fast-paced and aggressive hardcore/crossover style. Most cover albums try to cover so much ground that they often end up a confusing listen and that´s certainly not the case with "Undisputed Attitude". On the other hand "Undisputed Attitude" does come off as slightly one-dimensional, but as it is only 33:28 minutes long (the non-US releases are sligthly longer with one or more additional tracks) I think it´s forgivable. A 3 - 3.5 star rating is warranted.

UMUR "G N' R Lies" is the 2nd full-length studio/live album by US hard rock/metal act Guns N´ Roses. The album was released through Geffen Records in November 1988 in the US and December 1988 in the UK. While "G N' R Lies" is considered the band´s 2nd album, it´s actually more of a compilation. On the original vinyl version, side 1 featured the four live tracks from the "Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide (1986)" EP, while side 2 featured four semi-acoustic new recordings. It´s a rather short album with it´s 33:32 minutes long playing time, but at the time of release, Guns N´ Roses fans swallowed it up as there seemed to be an insatiable appetite for new material by the band following the great success of "Appetite For Destruction (1987)". The album has sold over 5 million copies in the US alone.

It´s probably needless to say, but as a cohesive album "G N' R Lies" doesn´t work very well. The mix of live tracks with semi-acoustic rockers make the album a fragmented listen. That doesn´t mean the tracks aren´t top notch though, because that´s certainly the case. I remember I wasn´t too fond of the live tracks when I listened to "G N' R Lies" the first time about 20 years ago, but boy do they rock hard when I listen to the album today. The sound quality is excellent and the material is filled with the snarling "Fuck You" attitude that would make the band so famous a couple of years later. The covers of "Mama Kin" by Aerosmith and "Nice Boys" by Rose Tatoo have been given a shot of adrenaline and Guns N´ Roses perfectly manage to make the songs their own. The two original live tracks "Reckless Life" and "Move to the City" are also raw and powerful rockers.

Out of the four semi-acoustic tracks on side 2, "Patience" is without a doubt the most famous one. It was also the only single released from the album. The video for the track received heavy rotation on MTV and undoubtedly further helped sales of the album. "Used to Love Her" is enjoyable but more in the silly department, while the equally strong "One in a Million" is quite the controversial track, with lyrics bashing minority groups like homosexuals and immigrants. "You're Crazy", which was originally released in a harder rocking and fully electric version on "Appetite For Destruction (1987)", is delivered here in a semi-acoustic version, which the band say was how it was originally intended.

Maybe I´m being a bit too generous with my rating here but I really enjoy "G N' R Lies" and while it´s certainly not perfect or cohesive as an album, a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Eternal" is the 4th full-length studio album by US death metal act Malevolent Creation. The album was released through Pavement Music in May 1995. After making waves on the US death metal scene with "The Ten Commandments (1991)" and "Retribution (1992)", the band hit rock bottom with "Stillborn (1993)", which wasn´t popular neither among critics nor among most fans. The decline in success got Malevolent Creation fired from Roadrunner Records, and in the same unfortunate breath lead vocalist Brett Hoffmann and drummer Alex Marquez left the group. On "Eternal", Marquez is replaced by Dave Culross (Suffocation, Pyrexia) while bassist Jason Blachowicz takes over the vocal duties from Hoffmann, making Malevolent Creation a four-piece for the first time.

The music on the album is slightly different from the brutal thrash tinged death metal of the three preceeding releases, as there is a greater emphasis on death metal brutality on "Eternal". Jason Blachowicz is a shouting type growling vocalist and he sounds quite different from Brett Hoffmann, which is also a thing that makes "Eternal" stand out from the earlier releases by the band. I enjoy the fact that Blachowicz growling delivery is intelligible and very powerful too. The album is full of well executed heavy riffing but also some really fast blasting sections. Dave Culross masterfully leads the band through the latter type sections. Like most of the band´s albums the tracks take a while to tell apart but upon repeated listens, vocal hooklines and recognisable riffs begin to appear. Don´t expect melody in any shape or form though. That´s not what Malevolent Creation is about.

"Eternal" is the kind of album where you can hear that the band has something to prove. There´s a rarely found intensity in the delivery, that you only hear on albums, where the artist feels that "grasping the last straw" urge. There´s just no way in hell, Malevolent Creation were going to be remembered for "Stillborn (1993)", which they weren´t completely satisfied with themselves and they´ve made damn sure that "Eternal" packs so much punch that "Stillborn (1993)" is more or less forgotten the minute you put "Eternal" on. Now I´m actually one of those rare few who found "Stillborn (1993)" pretty enjoyable, but listening to "Eternal", I have to admit, that "Stillborn (1993)" definitely lacked the passion of the best output by the band. "Eternal" fully deserves a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating.

UMUR "Love" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK hard rock act The Cult. The album was released through Beggars Banquet Records in October 1985. "Love" was a big breakthrough for the band and has today reached multi-platinum status, selling around 2,5 million copies worldwide. This was helped along by the two charting singles "She Sell Sanctuary" and "Rain".

Compared to the band´s debut album "Dreamtime (1984)", "Love" features more memorable songwriting, more convincing musicianship and a better sound production. The latter is courtesy of no other than Wham producer Steve Brown. Something the band initually didn´t feel comfortable with. As it turned out Steve Brown had been looking to get rid of his pop producer image though and after a meeting with the band, The Cult found his production ideas intriguing and decided to work with him.

There´s been a lineup change since the debut album as the wild partying and unreliable drummer Nigel Preston (who died of a heroine overdose in 1992) has been replaced by Mark Brzezicki. Preston plays the drums on "She Sell Sanctuary" though.

The music on "Love" makes The Cult quite a unique sounding act on the UK pop/rock scene of the early- to mid eighties. Most successful acts from that era were synth based, but The Cult insisted on a guitar driven rock sound. They had guitar driven peers in The Smiths, The Sisters of Mercy and a couple of other acts, but guitar driven pop/rock was not in the high seat in those days on the UK scene. Ian Astbury´s warm and powerful Jim Morrison type voice and vocal delivery also set The Cult apart from most other acts coming from the UK in those years.

The quality of the tracks are generally high and most are memorable, but the music on "Love" is generally still a far cry from the more commercially and anthemic sounding music they would produce on their next three albums. I guess you can call this slightly more artsy and tasteful, but personally I prefer their later more hard rocking albums. "Love" is still a great albums though, deserving a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating.

UMUR "The Great Southern Darkness" is the 4th full-length studio album by French black metal act Glorior Belli. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in September 2011. After releasing their 3rd full-length studio album "Meet Us at the Southern Sign (2009)", the band actually wrote material enough for a full album, but decided that the material they had written were too far removed from their Glorior Belli sound, to release it as the 4th Glorior Belli album. Instead they opted to create the 11 as in Adversaries project and release the material as "The Full Intrepid Experience of Light (2010)" under that monicker.

...having had their avant garde metal ideas released, they have returned to the more black metal oriented Glorior Belli sound on "The Great Southern Darkness". The music is by no means "traditional" sounding black metal though as the band incorporate quite a few southern tinged stoner metal and sludge metal ideas into their otherwise extreme and at times chaotic sounding black metal. The vocals are mostly harsh and raspy, but there are a couple of clean vocal sections on the album too. Most notably in the stoner rocking title track and in the closing track "Horns in My Patway". I´m reminded slightly of the most laidback psychadelic tinged tracks by Mastodon. While such an eclectic approach might seem disturbing to the most hardcore fans of more traditional sounding black metal, I think it´s very successful. The non black metal elements on the album makes the listening experience a more varied one and ultimately make "The Great Southern Darkness" a longer lasting and more interesting listen.

The fact that the album also features a really well sounding production, solid musicianship and strong songwriting only further enhance my opinion that "The Great Southern Darkness" is a great album fully deserving a 4 star (80%) rating.

UMUR "The Will to Kill" is the 8th full-length studio album by US death metal act Malevolent Creation. The album was released through Arctic Music Group in November 2002. It´s the first out of two Malevolent Creation albums to feature former HatePlow and Sickness vocalist Kyle Simons. Brett Hoffmann only contributed vocals to "The Fine Art of Murder (1998)" and "Envenomed (2000)" before he made his second departure from the band. However he would return to the band again and replace Simons for the recording of "Doomsday X (2007)". "The Will to Kill" also features new drummer Justin DiPinto (Divine Rapture, Pyrexia) who replaces Dave Culross (Suffocation, Pyrexia, HatePlow).

...but of course numerous lineup changes has been a part of Malevolent Creation´s history since day one, but as long as guitarist and main composer Phil Fasciana is leading the band, you can always count on what you get with a Malevolent Creation album. "The Will to Kill" is no different from the rest of their discography in that regard. New lead vocalist and drummer or not.

The music on the album is death metal with brutal thrash metal leanings. No surprises there. New lead vocalist Kyle Simons has a more "regular" death metal type vocal delivery (still intelligible) than the more thrashy/distinct sounding Brett Hoffmann. It´s not necessarily a bad thing though, it´s just an observation. The musicianship is as always on a high level. Fast riffing, mid-paced heavier parts, precision drumming and lots of aggression. Now you can argue that the band haven´t developed much since they started playing music (you of course wouldn´t be completely right), but it´s actually besides the point, as Malevolent Creation have always aimed at staying true to their basic style with only small tweaks and twists along the way.

"The Will to Kill" is overall another strong album by Malevolent Creation. I wouldn´t call it among their best, but there are still few that play US death metal in such a convincing way as Malevolent Creation do. Just take a listen to the opening title track for proof of a hookladen, brutal and powerful death metal track. The sligthly "dry" sound production doesn´t enhance my listening experience, but the production is still professional and ultimately it´s probably an aquired taste. "The Will to Kill" deserves a 3.5 star (70%) rating in my book.

UMUR "For the Security" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Carbonized. The album was released through Thrash Records in 1991. Carbonized was founded by bassist Lars Rosenberg (Entombed, Serpent) in 1988 and featured, in it´s early incarnation, among others Markus Rüdén (Morpheus), Matti Kärki (Dismember, Carnage, Murder Squad, Therion, General Surgery), Jonas Deroueche (General Surgery) and Richard Cabeza (Dismember, Unanimated, General Surgery). Around 1990 the lineup stabilized to a three-piece consisting of bassist Lars Rosenberg, drummer Piotr Wawrzeniuk (Serpent, Therion, Monev) and vocalist/guitarist Christopher Johnsson (Therion).

Carbonized was always considered an odity on the Swedish old school death metal scene of the early nineties and listening to "For the Security" it´s pretty obvious why. While the music on the album is certainly rooted in the contemporary national death metal scene it still sounds alien and quite unique. Especially the fusion type bass breaks, but also the at times unconventional drumming set this apart from most other acts on the early nineties Swedish death metal scene. There´s an influence from the more grinding part of the death metal genre too and I´d especially mention "Symphonies of Sickness (1989)" by Carcass as an influence.

The band are very well playing and the sound production is raw and powerful. If the songwriting had been a bit more varied (especially the grinding parts tend to sound a bit too much the same in all songs) "For the Security" could have been a brilliant album. As it is now it´s an album that I find very intriguing and enjoyable and I´d say a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Heritage" is the 10th full-length studio album by Swedish progressive metal act Opeth. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in September 2011. There´s been much speculation about how "Heritage" would sound after the band made it clear that they would drop the growls and focus on playing progressive rock. Of course we´ve heard Mikael Åkerfeldt talk about this before, being the prog rock head he is, but he has talked about other projects before that hasn´t materialized yet. For instance I remember he talked about releasing a black metal oriented Opeth album once, and that project certainly hasn´t surfaced yet. With "Heritage" it turned out to be more than words though as the band have completely left their progressive death metal roots behind and focus on playing a 70s influenced progressive type of rock.

...especially keyboard player Per Wiberg, is given a lot of space and opportunity to flash his vintage keyboards (ironically Per Wiberg left the band before the release of the album), but everything from the jazz rock influenced drumming, the warm bass sound to the dynamic and structurally challenging compositions, to the fuzzy distorted guitars, scream 70s progressive rock/hard rock.

The album starts out with a piano intro and then "The Devil's Orchard" kicks in. It´s one of the more energetic tracks on the album even though it´s quite dynamic too with some mellow sections thrown in. "I Feel the Dark" and "Slither" are pretty great too but "Nepenthe" is kinda dull to my ears. From that moment on it´s like the album only captivate me in glimpses. The last track "Marrow of the Earth" is quite the beautiful instrumental piece though. My issue with many of the tracks is that they don´t sound like fully developed compositions, but more like a lot of ideas put together to form tracks. The interesting thing is that the earlier material by the band is also structured like that, but that type of songwriting approach works much better within the context of a progressive death metal album than in does on a full blown progressive rock album.

...so while the playing is excellent (I´m especially impressed by drummer Martin Axenrot, who really shines on the album) and the production is warm and organic, the songwriting simply isn´t strong enough. "Heritage" is loaded with great ideas and for the most part the album is very enjoyable but the full promise is too seldom fulfilled. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Queen" is the self-titled debut full-length studio album by UK rock/hard rock act Queen. The album was released through EMI (UK) and Elektra Records (US) in July 1973.

One of the things I noticed upon first listen was the contagious energy and great musicianship on the album. The energy level is very well examplified by the opening track "Keep Yourself Alive" but most tracks have a great energy level (just take a listen to the Roger Taylor led "Modern Times Rock & Roll"). Queen are very skilled musicians and it´s apparent already this early in their career. The vocals by Freddie Mercury are strong and distinct. The music is pretty hard rocking but there are more sensitive sections in the songs too. While the basic instrumentation is bass, guitar and drums there are also piano on the album which at times gives the music a grander and more epic sound. A song like "My Fairy King" is an example of that. The music borders progressive rock on several occasions but isn´t really that. It´s more an epic form of hard rock. The production is powerful and relatively raw.

Queen is a good debut album and if the songs had stood out a bit more I would probably have given a 4 star rating but there are not enough highlight here to warrant that IMO. a 3.5 star (70%) rating is well deserved though and all in all this is a very impressive debut album by a now legendary band.

UMUR "A Calculated Use of Sound" is an EP released by American hardcore/metalcore act Protest the Hero. The EP was released in 2003 through Underground Operations. "A Calculated Use of Sound" was re-issued in 2004 with the bonus track "Soft Targets Dig Softer Graves".

The music is hardcore/metalcore. The pace is generally very high and the music is very energetic as a result of that. There is much focus on the vocals from singer Rody Walker who has...how should I put this?...a very distinct voice. Somewhat comparable to emo rock/metal vocalists but a bit more aggressive. It´s definitely an aquired taste if you´ll be able to enjoy Rody Walker´s high pitched and nasale vocal style. There are lots of harmony vocals on the EP too and most members actually contribute with vocals on the songs.

The band is well playing and the sloppy and untight playing that they treated us with on their debut EP "Search for the Truth (2002)" is fortunately a thing of the past. The band has matured greatly since that EP. Rody Walker has also learned to control his voice better on "A Calculated Use of Sound" than was the case on the messy predecessor.

The sound production is decent and suits the music well.

Protest the Hero have really improved on "A Calculated Use of Sound" compared to "Search for the Truth" and I´m starting to hear promises in the music. Overall I still have a slight issue with the vocal style though and the music isn´t the most exciting thing either. Therefore I´d say a 2 - 2.5 star (45%) rating isn´t all wrong. I really like the energy in the music and that saves much.

UMUR "Search for the Truth" is the debut release by Canadian metalcore/hardcore act Protest The Hero. It´s a 7-inch vinyl record and was the first release on the Underground Operations label. The band had shortly before the release changed their name from Happy Go Lucky to Protest The Hero.

There are two tracks on the single and it features a playing time of 10:06 minutes so you don´t get much quantity for your money. The music is melodic hardcore punk. Very simple and not very original. Frontman Rody Walker has got one of the most distinct "Love him or hate him" sounding voices that I´ve heard in a while. High pitched and nasale. He seems like he has some trouble controlling his voice on this release and he certainly doesn´t make it easy to digest his vocal style.

The musicianship is not very strong and I get the feeling that these guys play sloppy on purpose. Sometimes that approach can be used to great effect but in this case it just sounds like the band can´t play or haven´t rehearsed enough. Drummer Moe Carlson is the worst sinner here. He sounds like he can´t remember the breaks in the songs. It all sounds very amaturish and very untight.

The production is below standard. Muddy and without punch.

All of the above amounts to a 1 star (20%) rating. I´m not even sure the fans of the band will enjoy this one, but of course I might be wrong. I don´t enjoy giving out low ratings, but in this case it´s warranted.

UMUR "obZen" is the 6th full-length studio album by Swedish technical/experimental extreme metal act Meshuggah. The album was released in March 2008 by Nuclear Blast Records. "obZen" has seen both a CD and a vinyl release.

Meshuggah are a grinding and alien sounding machine. Razor sharp and bone crushingly heavy riffing delivered in odd time signatures, groove based precision drumming, aggressive, distorted and shouting vocals and those Holdsworthian jazzy guitar solos as the icing on the cake. in the early- to mid nineties Meshuggah were tagged groove thrash but they´ve become something more beastly, mechanic and cold since then. The change started with "Chaosphere (1998)" and Meshuggah have since then experimentet with their sound. There haven´t been much on any of the band´s releases between 1998 and 2008 that signaled a return to a more groove thrash dominated sound, but I´ll be damned if "obZen" doesn´t show signs of this. A track like opener "Combustion" especially reminds me of the early technical groove thrash days of the band. When that is said, the music on "obZen" is still complex, challenging and anything but an easy listen. There are more "hooks" on the album than on any of the band´s releases since "Destroy Erase Improve (1995)" though.

Besides "Combustion", which is one of the standout tracks on the album, I simply have to mention "Bleed". It has to be one of the most relentlessly aggressive and punishing pieces of music I´ve yet encountered. The fiercely fast paced and rythmically complex riffing in that track are "out of this world" to say the least. We´re talking riffs that will hurt playing for even the most enduring guitarist/bassist. The rest of the tracks are of an outstanding quality too and simply among the best the band have yet released. The clean yet raw and powerful sound production only further enhances the listening experience.

As such "obZen" doesn´t add much new to Meshuggah´s signature sound, but it brings together the greatest components from all their previous releases and ends up being a demonstration in how to create powerful, memorable and punchy extreme metal without sacrificing clever songwriting. Like the case has been with most Meshuggah releases, "obZen" has taken a couple of years to really sink in. It´s not the kind of album you listen to once and fully grasp. The songs take time to tell apart, but patience is the key to the irresistible hypnotic grooves on "obZen". Grooves that only Meshuggah create to this level of perfection. A 5 star (100%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Dystopics" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Norwegian technical/progressive death metal act Diskord. The album was released through the No Posers Please! label in April 2012. Diskord made quite the impression on me with their 2007 debut album "Doomscapes", which is a filthy old school death metal album with added technical playing and progressive ideas. Since then the band have toured a lot in their native Norway and also made a change on the guitarist potition as Håvard Østli has replaced Espen Tørressen Hangård (Hangård plays on "Dystopics" though), who himself had released Chris Myhre, who played on "Doomscapes". The usual suspects are Eyvind Wærsted Axelsen on bass and Hans Jørgen Ersvik on drums and lead vocals.

The music on "Dystopics" pretty much continue down the same filthy and technical old school death metal path as the music on "Doomscapes". I´m still reminded of early Darkthrone, Cadaver and Carbonized, played with the technical skill of Atheist and the dissonant weirdness of late eighties Voivod. Like the case was on the debut the technical playing is not implemented to flash virtuoso skills but a way to express chaotic darkness. The atmosphere on the album is bleak and aggression is the key word. The music is delivered with an infectious energy and great conviction. These guys mean business and it´s perhaps heard no better than in the absolutely caustic vocal delivery by Hans Jørgen Ersvik. Look no further for snarling growling vocals that seem designed to sear iron. The music features both fast blasting parts, odd technical parts and slow filthy doomy sections too. The latter type sections at times remind me of early Autopsy. Rotten to the core.

The sound production is raw and organic giving plenty of room for all instruments. I especially enjoy how audible the bass is in the soundscape. The sound is perfect for the trio format.

"Dystopics" is another very strong and distinct sounding release by Diskord. "Doomscapes" took me completely by surprise when I listened to the album the first time and ultimately I think "Dystopics" lacks that surprise element to elevate it to the same extremely high level as "Doomscapes". It comes close though and a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) is fully deserved.

UMUR "Necropolis Transparent" is the 3rd full-length studio album by multi-national grindcore/death metal act Lock Up. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in July 2011. Lock Up is a project act originally formed in the late nineties by bassist Shane Embury and guitarist Jesse Pintado both, at the time, from Napalm Death, drummer Nicholas Barker (Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir) and lead vocalist Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain, Bloodbath). This constellation recorded "Pleasures Pave Sewers (1999)". Peter Tägtgren was replaced by former At the Gates vocalist Tomas Lindberg for the band´s 2nd studio album "Hate Breeds Suffering (2002)" and "Necropolis Transparent" sees yet another lineup change as guitarist Anton Reisenegger (Criminal) replaces the late Jesse Pintado.

...what hasn´t changed one bit is the intensity and aggression of the band´s delivery. Full speed ahead grindcore with death metal elements. These guys are some of the most seasoned artists on the scene and it´s audible. Tight yet organic precision playing and a fiercely aggressive vocal delivery are what you´ll get with this album. The music does become sligthly one-dimensional and it´s actually not until track number 17 "Tartarus", which is the closing track, that the pace is lowered and the band deliver something else but high speed grindcore intensity. It doesn´t affect my overall rating much, but it would have been nice if the tracks were easier to tell apart.

With that said "Necropolis Transparent" is still a very well produced, well performed and well written grindcore album and definitely one of the top albums of the genre in 2011. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Wastelands" is the debut full-length studio album by Slovenian death/crust act Hellcrawler. The album was released through Hollow Earth Records in May 2011. The album is available in a digipack CD version, but it´s also free for download on the band´s Bandcamp page.

The music on the album is a mix of old school death metal and D-beat crust/hardcore. Add to that lyrical themes about post apocalyptic wastelands (think the "Fallout" game or maybe the "Cyborg" or the "Mad Max" movies) and you got yourself a powerful cocktail. The music is energetic, decently played and the album features a decent sound production too. I´m not blown away but I´m certainly entertained and my head bangs more than once during the playing time and that´s always a positive sign.

The tracks are relatively short and to the point. 10 tracks distributed over a 30:02 minutes long playing time tell that story. This is a no frills "we´re gonna kick your ass" type of album and it gets the job done pretty well. The songs are maybe a bit too one-dimensional and hard to tell apart, but upon repeated listens little hooks begin to appear. A 3 star (60%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Toys in the Attic" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US hard rock act Aerosmith. The album was released through Columbia Records in April 1975. "Toys in the Attic" was a big commercial breakthrough for the band and it´s one of their best selling albums with 8 million copies sold in the US alone.

The music on the album is blues based hard rock and tracks like "Adam´s Apple" and "Big Ten Inch Record" follow that formula closely. The closing power ballad "You See Me Crying", which features a string arrangement is one of the tracks on the album that doesn´t follow the bluesy hard rock formula, but if you listen closely to tracks like "Uncle Salty" and "Sweet Emotion" they also stick out. While all tracks are well played, well composed and well produced it´s "Walk this Way" that stands out the most to me. It´s a sweaty, powerful and groovy hard rock track that just kicks ass in any way possible. Unfortunately it´s the only track on the album that makes my blood boil wildly. The rest is above standard hard rock and a nice listen, but that´s it.

"Toys in the Attic" is overall an enjoyable hard rock album, but I can´t say I would have guessed that it´s widely considered a hard rock classic if I didn´t know beforehand. For that there are simply not enough really remarkable songs on the album. Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Chaos of Forms" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US death/ thrash act Revocation. The album was released through Relapse Records in August 2011. The band have earned themselves quite a good reputation, with their first two albums, of being a greatly energetic and powerful death/thrash metal act with the occasional twist.

...I´d say that tendency continues on "Chaos of Forms", which is not your regular straight ahead death/thrash album, even though it´s rooted in that style. The vocals are predominantly sneering and fiercely aggressive, but this time around the band have also incorporated occasional clean/raw melodic singing to great effect. It provides an anthemic element to the band´s sound. The playing is on a really high level. At times almost to the point of me losing my breath and dropping my jaw in amazement. These guys have such a powerful and energetic delivery that it´s impossible not to be impressed. The songwriting is also of high quality and while the music is rooted in death/thrash and aggression certainly is a key element on the album, we´re treated to quite a few other elements too. First of all the melodic guitar solos are a real treat. Played with great skill and precision. They remind me sligthly of the guitar work of Jeff Waters (Annihilator). The tracks generally also feature a lot of tempo changes and elements from other music styles, while maintaining the aggressive death/thrash basis. I guess you can say that "Chaos of Forms" is a "lighter" and more fun death/thrash album than most.

I enjoyed the first two albums by the band, but "Chaos of Forms" takes Revocation to the next level. Powerful sound production, excellent musicianship and intriguing songwriting, "Chaos of Forms" has it all. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "The Karelian Isthmus" is the debut full-length studio album by Finnish death metal act Amorphis. The album was released through Relapse Records in November 1992. Amorphis was formed by former members of speed metal act Violent Solution and death metal act Abhorrence. Shortly after their formation, Amorphis recorded a studio demo (which was later released as the "Privilege of Evil (1993)" EP), which was send to Relapse Records. or actually Relapse Records had written to lead vocalist/guitarist Tomi Koivusaari to offer Abhorrence a record contract, but as that band wasn´t active anymore Amorphis included a copy of their studio demo in the return letter to Relapse Records and it got them signed to the label. Several of the tracks from the studio demo was re-recorded for "The Karelian Isthmus".

The music on the album is old school Scandinavian death metal with a melodic doomy touch. It reminds me slightly of early Paradise Lost but early releases by Swedish acts like Cemetary and Tiamat also come to mind. Already on their next album, Amorphis would include strong folk/ethnic elements in their music and while they are not as strong on "The Karelian Isthmus", those elements are present here too. All tracks are of a decent quality and the musicianship is impeccable, but the songs don´t stand out enough from each other. The result is that you don´t remember the tracks after the album is over. I thought it was maybe a matter of listening to the album a couple of more times, but nothing has changed in that department even after several spins. Still when the album is playing, it´s an enjoyable listen and if you enjoy old school Scandinavian death metal you should find a lot to like here. The sound production is also quite good, so a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is still fully deserved even though "The Karelian Isthmus" isn´t the most remarkable death metal album out there.

UMUR "Broken" is an EP release by US industrial rock/metal act Nine Inch Nails. The EP was released through Nothing/TVT Records in September 1992. Considering the grand commercial success of the debut album "Pretty Hate Machine (1989)", it´s thought provoking that it took Trent Reznor 3 years before he was ready to release "Broken". There were various reasons for the long recording break though. First of all Nine Inch Nails had spend time touring in support of the debut album, but the most significant reason was probably that Trent Reznor had a feud with TVT Records, who according to him, pressured him into writing an album in a similar style to the debut, which he refused. Trent Reznor vision to inject his industrial rock with a shot of metal didn´t exactly please TVT Records. After a long legal battle the two parties reached a deal though and Trent Reznor was released from his record deal with TVT Records, but only after the release of "Broken". He would subsequently sign a deal with Interscope Records.

The music on the 99 track EP is industrial rock/metal. out of the 99 tracks only 8 are "real" songs while the remaining tracks are 0:01 minute tracks of silence. It´s a formula that wasn´t uncommon in the early- to mid nineties, where artists sought to explore the CD medium to it´s full. While it may have been something new and exciting in 1992 that a band would chose to do such a thing, today it´s just plain annoying that we get 6 tracks and then a bunch of silent tracks before the last 2 tracks kick in. With that said the quality of the "real" tracks on the album is high throughout. Angsty/angry industrial rock/metal packed in a powerful and impressive sound production, featuring layers of sounds, samples, vocals and instruments. Most tracks are quite catchy and I can see why a track like "Wish" ended up winning the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. In 1992 this sounded fresh, energetic and inspired but that´s actually also the case today. "Broken" doesn´t sound dated at all and that´s a bit surprising but also a testimony to the high quality of the sound production! A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Kind of Saltz" is the debut full-length studio album by Norwegian avant garde rock/metal act SOT. The album was released in late 2011 through Sotanic Sounds. SOT consists of three very seasoned musicians in Skjalg Reithaug, Anders Hunstad and Lars Andreas Haug, who during the last 20 years have been involved in a wide plethora of projects ranging from pop music to jazz to progressive rock and avant garde.

...the main instrumentation on the album are guitar, drums and tuba. Besides those three main instruments the music is occasionally coloured by instruments like saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar synth, piano and some no word/lyrics vocals. The latter work more like an instrument than "regular" vocals. While all instruments add to the soundscape, it´s the presence of the tuba that really sets SOT apart from most other acts. I had no idea tuba playing could sound this cool. Most of the time tuba player Lars Andreas Haug lays down some really wicked basslines on the tuba to compensate for the fact that the lineup doesn´t feature a bassist, but he often add other "non bass" type sounds to the music too.

Despite being fairly complex and challenging, the music is actually surprisingly accessible. That´s not exactly something that can be said about most avant garde rock/metal releases. I hear influences from jazz, chamber classical, avant garde rock/metal and more than a nod towards Frank Zappa. Even though the music is mostly instrumental there´s still a great humour/silly element present and a strong sense that these three guys are having great fun.

"Kind of Saltz" features a strong organic sound production, which further enhances the listening experience. That coupled with the outstanding musicianship and the adventurous songwriting make "Kind of Saltz" quite the enjoyable album. It´s the kind of release where I´m kept on my toes all the way through the playing time. New stylistic elements are introduced constantly and you never know where the songs go. While that may sound chaotic, in reality that´s far from the truth. SOT are skilled songwriters who manage to keep the songs together and incorporate hooks and recognisable elements. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "From Enslavement to Obliteration" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK grindcore act Napalm Death. The album was released through Earache Records in September 1988. The debut album "Scum (1987)" features quite a confusing lineup history, but on this album, Napalm Death have settled with most of the lineup that recorded Side 2 of "Scum (1987)" with the addition of bassist Shane Embury. An important addition to the ranks as Shane Embury has proven to be the only remaining member from this lineup. Drummer Mick Harris would depart after the next album ("Harmony Corruption (1990)") and soon after form Scorn, guitarist Bill Steer would depart after recording the "Mentally Murdered (1989)" EP to concentrate his efforts on Carcass and vocalist Lee Dorian would also depart after the "Mentally Murdered (1989)" EP to form Cathedral.

...so the 27 tracks on "From Enslavement to Obliteration" were recorded by a relatively shortlived lineup. There´s nothing wrong with the interplay though as the band are pretty well playing for a grindcore act. At this point very few death metal influences had sneaked into the band´s sound so the music on the album is more or less fast-paced hardcore punk taken to the extreme. However some of the longer, and partially heavier tracks, like "Evolved as One", "Unchallenged Hate", the title track and "Mentally Murdered" do show that the band weren´t content with only blasting away. Most tracks are 0:30 to 1:30 minute long blast fests though and most tracks are pretty hard to tell apart even after listening to the album for years. It´s a bit of a shame the band weren´t more conscious about writing more diverse material at the time because about half way through "From Enslavement to Obliteration", the album becomes somewhat of a drag. The extreme aggression and trivial blast beating simply become monotone, when there are so few hooks to hold on to.

I know the criticism might seem harsh considering that "From Enslavement to Obliteration" is widely considered a seminal album release in the grindcore genre, but it´s a very hard album to listen to from beginning to end, even though it´s only 34:18 minutes long. The raw and abrasive sound production is not exactly nice on the ears either, but on the other hand it does suit the music well, so I guess it´s an aquired taste. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.