So I’m back after a brief hiatus and I return with some short reviews of albums from this year and some other odds and ends I’ve come across.

Revocation –  Existence Is Futile (2009)

I heard about this band via another metal blog reporting about ANOTHER metal blog calling these guys “the next big thing” essentially. Saw the album in my local record shop and grabbed it, hoping I was grabbing something from the next big name in metal. After listening to Existence Is Futile, I have to say that Revocation is NOT the next big name in metal. At best, Revocation is a talented 3 piece thrashy/deathy/metalcore outfit. However, Revocation also stinks of boring bands like Shadows Fall, God Forbid, All That Remains and the late Light This City. They do some cool stuff here and there but its nothing too memorable.

NOT BAD

Burnt By The Sun - Heart Of Darkness (2009)

I have a special place in my heart for this band. While I know only this new and final piece of their library, Burnt By The Sun is the ONLY metal band to EVER play in my home town of Princeton, New Jersey. Of course, I was 16 and listening to only Metallica, Sepultura and Pantera at the time, so I pedaled it off as garbage and moved right along. However, it still is funny to me. Anyway, this is a pretty good album. As their final release, BBTS gave us a great example of “old school metalcore.” They have the sound of one of those bands from the late nineties that was considered underground during the awful “nu-metal era.” It has a very different sound than todays metalcore like Hatebreed. It’s a throwback to bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and Deadguy. Solid release and a GREAT album cover.

GOOD

Birds Of Prey – The Hellpreacher (2009)

I remember Cody reviewing their previous album, Sulfer and Semen, and calling it amazing so I thought I’d give these guys a whirl when I saw their new CD at the shop. I have yet to check out Sulfer and Semen but I am guessing its better than this. This album is kinda boring, not bad, but does nothing for me. But again, cool cover artwork, which doesn’t really mean much.

NOT BAD

Sinister - Cross The Styx (1992, Limited Re-release, 2009.)

This CD caught my eye in the store because it was a 2000 album reprint of a death metal CD I have never heard of. This is a damn good CD, as some of the blurbs on the packaging suggest it would be. From what I have read (skimmed over), Sinister was one of these nineties death metal bands that didn’t get much attention (kinda like Benediction) because the big name American death bands we’re hogging all of it. Apparently, they’ve been releasing albums ever since. As for this album, it’s been remastered on a gold disc so it sounds phenomenal for 1992, in addition, this band was WAY ahead of their time. They have a catchy, intense death metal sound like Blood Red Throne or Sotajumala. No idea why this band didn’t catch on with death metal as popular as it was at the time. Check this one out if you can find a copy.

VERY GOOD

Daath – The Concealers (2009)

Good quality death/groove. I got to see these guys live while promoting this album and they put on a great show. The Concealers is a very strong follow up to their previous album, The Hinderers, which I was not a big fan of. It seems like they’ve come into their own and got their sound figured out with this one. It also seems as if they let loose on this one more. The guitarists really show how talented they are this time around. If they can build on this release when preparing their next CD and get a good opening seat on a tour with a big name, Daath could be come a big name.

VERY GOOD

Andreas Kisser – Hubris I & II

I saw this album on the 2009 metal release calendar on wikipedia and got really excited. Andreas Kisser is one of my favorite guitarists ever. His work in the 80’s with Sepultura, especially Beneath The Remains and Arise, is incredible. So this double cd solo album had me pumped. I got it when it came out and it was a huge let down. Hubris I is electric guitar work. No good solos, not even any good riffs and in addition there are really shitty vocals on it. Hubris II is extremely bland acoustic work. It’s still a lot of material and not all is bad but considering the artist, its very lackluster.

EH…

Baroness – The Blue Record (2009)

Ok so I know I keep talking about album cover artwork and I’m sure its getting boring to some of you, but I am an artist and a huge fan of metal CD artwork. There’s a lot of shit out there but when its good, its amazing and this album artwork is goddamn fucking incredible. John Dyer Baizley, a member of Baroness is the artist and his work has been featured on albums by Kylesa, Skeletonwitch and Pig Destroyer to name a few. The man is an artistic genius and his visual artwork should really turn him into a household name. Ok that said, The Blue Record is fuckin’ cool. I liked their previous album, The Red Album, but this one is really cool. It toes that metal/prog rock line but its still very good. Simply put, it’s rockin’. A worthy purchase.

VERY GOOD

Fragments Of Unbecoming - Sterling Black Icon (2006)

I was referred to this band by a friend who said they were “good drawing music.” And he’s right. They are good quality melodic death metal. Sterling Black Icon differs somewhat from their 2004 album, Skywards: A Sylphe’ s Ascension, in that it has more of a death metal feel and intensity. While it isn’t close to straight forward death metal, Sterling Black Icon has a strong deep death growl presence throughout, whereas Skyward’s is your typical Swedish melo-death growls and screeches. If you liked the first few Scar Symmetry CDs but didn’t love the clean vocals, give Sterling Black Icon a try.

GOOD

Well that’s all for now. I’ll be back with more detailed, standalone reviews in the coming weeks.

- COLE