Album Review: "Alex Skolnick's Planetary Coalition" by Alex Skolnick

Planetary Coalition

This is one of those things where I realize where I've come from and where I'm going.

Now, I've not been able to tell you by name, or pick out his face, but I've been aware of Alex Skolnick for a very, very long time.

In 1992, I attended my very first show....it was the Iron Maiden Fear of the Dark Tour and the opening acts were Corrosion of Conformity, and Testament....

Looking back, that's an interesting line up....and from what I remember, it was awesome. Things got cloudy that day and that's all I'm going to say.

However, this album has nothing to do with Testament whatsoever. In fact, no one from the band is on this record. Please forget everything you think that this album is going to sound like. Seriously, forget everything.

"Human Ruin" by Funerals

Human Ruin

All the way from Portland, OR we have today's band up for review:

Funerals.

Simple and to the point. It's really a wonder that no one has ever used that name for a band before.

Back to Portland. When I think of Portland, I think of the Keep Portland Weird Campaign, "Portlandia," and other goofy things.

Doom metal is about the furthest thing from my mind when it comes to that idyllic part of These United States, but as I kind of would like to live there one day, I'm glad to see there's a metal scene.

I suppose though, in America's happiest city (not intended to be a factual statement), that the weirdest thing you could do is start a metal band.

Album Review: "God of Zombies" by Warmblood

God of Zombies

Today we peruse the latest release of Lodi, Italy's Warmblood.

There are two things that are immediately noticeable about this band:

1) They're a trio without a bass player. When their bassist quit Warmblood, they decided to continue without him.

2) They're drummer is a female. No disrespect to Jill Janus Huntress or Angela Gossow and Alissa White-Gulz of Arch Enemy, but it's very cool to see a woman in a death metal band who's playing an instrument instead of just singing.

You also won't hear anything from me with the phrase, for a woman in it. Like an athletic team, a band is a group of personalities and you have to find the right ones, but it's really nice when there's more than just white guys playing metal. Body Count is another great fist to that stereotype, but let's focus up again on Warmblood.

Album Review: "Obsolescence" by Abysmal Dawn

Obsolescence

From Los Angeles, California:

Abysmal Dawn.

Every now and again, a veteran band will pass into my purview and I kind of wonder how I'd never come across them before.

The biggest example of this was Chicago/The Czech Republic's Master. I'm still flabbergasted that I'd never gotten my ears on any of their music back in the old days.

Abysmal Dawn is another act that kind of feels this way. The band was formed in 2003 and they released their first full length LP in 2005, From Ashes.

Over the years their line up has remained relatively static. In eleven years, they've only added a bass player. Obsolescence is their fourth album and being released on Relapse Records.

Album Review: "Inked In Blood" by Obituary

Inked In Blood

The mighty Obituary.

When I hear the term Death Metal, there are a handful of bands that come to my mind immediately. Napalm Death, Carcass, Deicide, Morbid Angel...

And Obituary.

Back in the 90's when I was in a mood for the heaviest of the heavy, their seminal Cause of Death would be placed into my 5 Disc Changer. Oh those days.

They've been dormant for the past five years, since their Darkest Day record, but they are now unleashing their ninth studio record to the masses and embarking on a North American Tour with Carcass and Exhumed. There's a St. Louis date on 11/02 at Pop's.

Album Review: "XIII Steps To Ruination" by Annihilated

XIII Steps To Ruination

Annihlated was formed in 2008 by guitarists Eric Mantanga and Robert Fimbres not long after the Los Angeles band, Excretion unraveled.

They desired to make important music that didn't follow the mold and trends of modern metal.

Their lyrical themes rebel against the sheep mentality of society and seek rational thought in regards to our government.

XIII Steps To Ruination was produced by drummer, Scott Fuller and will be released on Unique Leader Records.

The album features cameos from many metal performers like Sven De Caluwe of Aborted, Monte Pittman of Prong, Peter Truax of Vesterian and Eyes of Fire, and Eric Stobel of Plaguereaper.

"Ecdysis" by Horrendous

Ecdysis by Horrendous

Horrendous hails from the East Coast. This not an area where traditional death bands do not come from.

Philadelphia, PA to be exact. Though this has never been a death metal hotbed, there have been other bands to emerge from the area,

Coffin Dust and Fisthammer certainly are among those bands.

Though after watching as much of The Wire as I've been watching should have taught me that there are some pretty brutal areas on the East Coast...

They are one of the leaders of the traditional death metal revival and today we're reviewing their sophomore release. In the end, will this area of the United States be as revered as Tampa Bay is for Death Metal or as the San Francisco Bay Area is for Thrash Metal?

Time will tell.

Album Review: "Deathless" by Revocation

Deathless

Boston's Revocation has been a very active band over the past eight years.

They have released four albums, an EP, and performed countless live shows.

In September, they began a tour with Crowbar to support their fifth album. They will head out on more tours when it's over in Europe and all parts beyond.....

Hopefully they'll be arriving in St. Louis here very soon....

The core of the group was formed in 2006 and from that point, they went on a tear of recording and touring. During this time, they honed their skills as musicians and these days they are among the best in the business.

There is a whole lot of amazing technical work on this record. I could honestly go on and on about how skilled they are as players, but I think that might be a bit boring.

Album Review: "Back From The Abyss" by Orange Goblin

Back From The Abyss

Last year my friend and I were on our way to see Manchester City and Chelsea FC play the first ever soccer match in the confines of Busch Stadium.

He is a big fan of stoner metal and at that point, I'd never heard such music, well at least beyond High On Fire anyway.

He'd introduced me to Orange Goblin that day and needless to say I've been pretty excited to write up this review after seeing they had a new record coming out.

Honestly, I don't know how metal Orange Goblin is...but anyway.

Stoner Metal is something that I think most people don't know a whole lot about. It gets even less play than Death Metal. I kind of liken it to music that's more descended from Black Sabbath than Motorhead and Judas Priest. It's still bluesy and oftentimes psychedelic.

Album Review: "Suicide In B Minor" by Whispers In Crimson

Suicide In B Minor

I'm going to start this review with a bit of a story about myself. I've been a heavy metal guy for as long as I can remember. Listening to Iron Maiden when I was eight years old.

I took a lot of flack for it, especially in some of the rural areas where I lived. It's hip to rock a pentagram now, but in 1985, not so much.

However, I'm nothing compared to today's review. Whispers In Crimson hail from Iran. In their homeland, metal is illegal. Iran's oppressive regime could imprison them or gods know what else just for playing heavy metal.

That is the most metal thing I have ever heard. Now, I feel like I need to mention something. Because in America praising a railroad system means that you think China is superior to us... Nothing I say in this review praises the current oppressive regime of Iran.

"Al Insane ... The(Re)Birth of abderrahmane" by Lelahell

Algerian Death Metal.

Please take a moment to let that sink in. I can wait.

Two weeks ago had you said those three words to me, well I would not have believed this existed, but then I received an email from Lelahell.

When I think of their home country of Algeria, I'll be honest, I don't think of death metal but Zinedine Zadane and Samir Nasri (still angry at the latter for quitting Arsenal by the way...).

So needless to say, I was interested in hearing this album. I cannot think of any other metal bands from this area of the world. Please enjoy this brutal export.

"Doom Philosophy" by Sorrows Path

Doom Philosophy

About 15 months ago, I was contacted by Sorrows Path regarding their previous record, The Rough Path of Nihilism. Unfortunately, it didn't work out to make it onto the blog, but here we are today, with their brand new record, Doom Philosophy.

I made sure to take time out to check out this record front to back.

It should be noted that ex-King Diamond and Mercyful Fate member, Snowy Shaw is even guesting on a track. I just love King Diamond, what can I say?

Sorrows Path has been on again and off again since 1993 and I can't honestly tell you from which country in Europe they hail. Germany? Greece?

I'm not sure and the internet is frankly not much help here, but where the band hails from, the members aren't from a single nation anyway.

"Parasitic Unborn EP" by Victims of Contagion

Victims of Contagion are the latest indie band to send me their album.

They self describe as a technical death metal band.

Again, we arrive to the horribly convoluted cross section of metal subgenres where just a tiny little difference means it's an entirely different kind of music.

Honestly, much of the time I can't even tell you what this or that means. Technical death metal, blackened death metal, death metal with a side of rye...I don't know.

They hail from the far off land of Pittsburgh, PA, a steel town. When we look back into the annals of metal, we remember that Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England. Good metal comes from steel towns where metal is quite literally in the air and your blood.

"Sonic Child" by Zodiac

Sonic Child

Close your eyes and think about the golden age of music.

Seriously.

What do you picture? If you are the average American music lover in 2014, you're probably picturing 1974 and you see a golden maned singer with his shirt buttoned only about halfway and a Gibson Les Paul slung over the shoulder of the man on this left.

(Hopefully you're also reading this blog in order to see that quality music is still being made.)

Lots of folks believe that quality music has stopped being made years and years ago. Most of terrestrial radio is all about "Classic Rock." Well, needless to say, I'm not in agreement with that kind of thinking, which is not to say I don't love my 70's rock. Today's review, Zodiac, doesn't seem to know it's not 1974 anymore...

"Imperium" by Internal Bleeding

Imperium

New York City.

Thinking of the Big Apple, my mind wanders to a ridiculous campaign about salsa not being from New York.

However, this isn't about salsa or TV, but a death metal band that's been together for over twenty years. So few acts reach 20 years, much less any interpersonal relationships, but here they are.

Of course Death Metal's not from New York either...

They reared their heads in 1992 with the demo, Invocation of Evil, and went through some serious trials and some serious metal eating its own young.

They refer to their style as "Total F------ Slam." They saw what they were doing as a different kind of death metal, though they have been written off as generic death metal, a close listening shows that's not really the case....