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# Global Domination

### Recent updates

- S(crap)s: I Miss My Death / Kaoskult / Raus & Perunwit (split) / Spatial / Thy Flesh (13/06/14)
- Hatebreed: The rise of brutality (12/06/14)
- Vomiting Corpses: Coma - The spheres of innocence (11/06/14)
- Mayhem: Esoteric warfare (10/06/14)
- S(crap)s: Akrotheism / Black Altar / Druknroll / Enthroned / Funeral Sutra (09/06/14)
- Agalloch: The serpent & the sphere (08/06/14)
- Dark Tranquillity: Construct (07/06/14)
- In Flames: The jester race (06/06/14)
- S(crap)s: Souldrainer / Tonic Breed / Rude / Defying / Electric Hellride / Scorned Disciple (05/06/14)
- Culted: Oblique to all paths (04/06/14)
- read

### Recent discussions

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## Audio autopsy

### Audio Autopsy - November 2013

#### 01/11/13 || Global Domination

#### Satyricon: Satyricon

##### 7.5/10

Lord K: When they release this album with a decent/listenable sound I’ll get back to you. Shoebox productions are not for me. Shameful, especially since I can almost make out some interesting shit in there. 5

Habakuk: Never been enough of a black metal fan to hate these guys, and in parts this is actually really good. 7

CadenZ: Yes, the production is lo-fi and lacking of treble, but after a while you get used to it and it feels all soft, warm and cozy. The unholy tri-fecta of black metal emotions. This album is a huge grower, having gone from a disappointment to a solid record in a couple of months. Highlights: “Nekrohaven” is a new “K.I.N.G.”, “Phoenix” sports a great guest vocal performance by Sivert Høyem, and “Tro og kraft” has solid riffing throughout. I am not disappoint. 8

Cobal: Simply put: “Phoenix” has become one of my favorite songs EVER. You could also catch up with my review and learn more about it. 9

sincan: The first track that was released (“Our world, it rumbles tonight” or SPOCK) left me in fear. I for sure didn’t dig the shit out of the choice of recording the bass drum in another room and under water. Neither did I like the rather boring track. However the other tracks on this album is much better and doesn’t get punished as by the bad drum production. Satyricon has for a couple of year been playing some cold black’n‘roll with razor sharp guitars but this has been changed for now. The music is more of a doom and black metal hybrid with some lounge moments and the guitars are much warmer. I just wonder a bit about reinventing the same riff over and over again in almost every track. 8

Ironpants: Have you tried dry-humping? Satyricon is the dry-humping of black metal nowadays! Dry, scaled down and no fancies, but you still ejaculate. Once I got over the naked and dry production, I really started to enjoy it. I understand why kvlt followers get annoyed though. I really dig this, and that “Phoenix” tune is awesome. They should make that clean singer dude a full time member. 8

#### Carcass: Surgical steel

##### 7.3/10

Lord K: So, they are back and everyone is going apeshit. What? They aren’t? I sure looked forward to this release anyways, but I am certainly not floored. The best part of it all is Jeff’s vocals, they are still fucken excellent after all these years. But it has to be said: I’ll go back to “Heartwork” and “Necrowunderbaumsalubrious” whenever I need my Carcass fix. 6

Habakuk: It sure rocks a lot of people’s boats and the quality is hard to deny, but it just doesn’t do much for me. 6

CadenZ: A most welcome return, as the melodeath grandfathers blast our minds with just the right amount of melodic “Heartwork” material and “Necroticism” brutality. The production is maybe a little bit too clean and some riffs are a bit tired, but all in all this is a nice comeback. The best thing? Waters still sounds as frantic as ever. 7

Cobal: Heavy, raw, melodic and groovy. Awesome. 9

sincan: Old band but still beating the anus fungus out of others in the genre. 8

Ironpants: Yep! Even a month after my review, it’s still crystal clear, this is a bad motherfucker. Solid shit that stand tall beside (and slightly behind) their previous works. Are there more albums coming? 8

#### Diabolical: Neogenesis

##### 7.3/10

Lord K: I think this is the band that I read an interview with where they really spoke highly about the work that went into this album. I could be wrong, it might be another band altogether, but Diabolical’s pissing out some fine death/black metal without making it sound too special. Sometimes that’s enough. 7

Habakuk: This keeps the right balance between epicness and progression. Might be a grower, too. 7

CadenZ: A massive project with a whole novel following the album’s storyline (or maybe the other way around, I suppose), “Neogenesis” lifts Diabolical to the upper echelon of bombastic death metal with a black atmosphere. Malignant harmonies, powerful growls, furious drumming, epic arrangements – this is a modern powerhouse, and has the look of a future classic. 8

Cobal: If last month was pretty motivating in terms of black art, this is certainly a great one for death metal. Outstanding songwriting, quite a few memorable momentums and remarkable arrangements. If only Carcass’ hadn’t been put in the same AA edition! 8

sincan: Well-executed blackened death with some symphonic elements but lacking strong tracks. 6

Ironpants: Well here is some nice shit I’ve failed to recognize as quality material. I will make up for this by listen to this album a lot, cause it’s one of those that should grow a bit with more listens? Quality blackened death metal. 8

#### Ulcerate: Vermis

##### 7.0/10

Lord K: In case Gorguts’ effort in this edition (scroll a tiny bit down to find it, fucko) didn’t satisfy your cravings for technical and chaotic death metal, well… here you go: another band that is ok to listen to for a few minutes before you are all confused and bored. Whatever happened to bands writing actual songs? 5

Habakuk: Can these guys even release a weak album? The only criticism I could think of is that this is more of the same, but that same is good! 8

CadenZ: Spiraling into darkness. The world is gone. The end is here. There is only the void. Embrace it. Or be devoured. 8

Cobal: Is it just me or Gorguts released two albums this year? Except the production on this one doesn’t suck as much chihuahueño ass, of course. Regardless how grandiose both records may be, they’re not my thing. Not quite, that is. 6

sincan: Blackened death with some Deathspell Omega influences (depending on which band getting the highest score you will read this again, or have already done it) which is all OK. 8

Ironpants: The same goes for this as for Gorguts, even if Ulcerate stretch it a few yards further. This dark, controlled chaos does not really invoke large erections on me. I listened in on this album while recovering from a case of “Invasive Staphylococcus Aureus” in my nerve-system (no lie) which seemed appropriate, and it grew an extra point. I’m hardcore like that. 7

#### Gorguts: Colored sands

##### 6.5/10

Lord K: If you wanna play technical death metal – Gorguts can teach you a thing or two. Just like AA-colleagues Ulcerate – don’t expect any traditional songs and don’t expect to understand much of what the fuck is going on… just expect chaos and impressive musicianship. I feel like I have overdosed on both here. 5

Habakuk: I just don’t have the patience for this these days, although I cannot say I didn’t enjoy it. Man, but Gorguts used to be the shit when they still had that punchy old school groove. 6

CadenZ: Mystic and monumental, ominous and unsettling, “Colored Sands” is a gigantic artistic statement. Every riff on this album seems to carry the weight of a mountain, and the ebb and flow of the songs is as natural as the movement of tectonic plates, resulting every so often in earthquakes and massive tsunamis. Gorguts have created a beast, a behemoth, a force of nature. All hail. 9

Cobal: To begin with, the person in charge of the final mix should eat xoloscuintle feces and that’s about that. No wonder it’s difficult to put up with everything going on here. Other than that, I think there’s some quality music to check out, however, I don’t quite get all the fuzz on this. 6

sincan: Deathspell Omega inspired death metal (one of two this month)? Partly very good and partly hard to stay focused at. I prefer Deathspell Omega though. 7

Ironpants: The other dark and dirty death metal release in November’s AA. I don’t really jump the bandwagon and tag along with this kind of death metal, I am intelligent enough to acknowledge that there is a certain amount of awesomeness going on, but it doesn’t really gets me wet in the panties. I expect this sound to be the next big trend in death metal. Post-death metal! 6

#### Twilight Of The Gods: Fire on the mountain

##### 6.3/10

Lord K: I think this band is a some kind of “all-star” thing. Heavy metal is always right. This might even be a grower, ladies. 6

Habakuk: Had Manowar always sucked, they’d have started out like this. Unnecessary. 4

CadenZ: Nevermind the all-star tag: traditional heavy metal bands always rise and fall with their vocalist. Here we have Alan Averill of Primordial fame, whose passion and ferocity as a singer are undeniable, but how does he fare in the upper register that is warranted in the genre? Will he be able to unleash those sky-high wails that made Dio, Halford and Dickinson living legends? Well? Does he? Let me tell you. Yes. Yes, he fucken does. 7

Cobal: I don’t ever listen to contemporary heavy metal, especially if labelled as anything from “epic” to battle and “whatnot”. Precisely because of that, I didn’t see this coming. I can’t say I’m in love, but I reckon Quorthon would be proud. 6

sincan: “Children of Cain” eats my brain… A terrific heavy metal journey, indeed! People who can’t dig this either gave it no time or rides the dildo to work. 8

Ironpants: Potent heavy metal from a squad of veterans. I was surprised with how “basic” the album was, considering the people in the band, but still, it’s good honest heavy metal. 7

#### Master: The witch-hunt

##### 6.0/10

Lord K: I know, I know… These guys are classic. And for some reason they seem to have a fan base too. I’m happy for them, but this is so far away from what I would ever consider a classic act. Go listen to 90’s Swedish death metal instead – that’s how you do it. 3

Habakuk: For a Master album, this is pretty damn good, but still, after three songs or so, I happily move on. 7

CadenZ: Without the impressive punkish energy and cult following/reputation that comes from being a death metal pioneer band, Master wouldn’t have much. But now they do. Funny how things work out. 5

Cobal: Death metal + rock ‘n’ roll + thrash = fun. 8

sincan: Pretty good old school death metal but the singer must have a very large tongue, thus making it hard to pronounce words in a good manner. Witchcunt, hehe, bbl touch my funny bone. 7

Ironpants: With a sound that makes old Celtic Frost records look like production masterpieces. Old, sweaty, hairy and dirty – just like me. One cannot deny the charm in this though when you are in retro death metal mode. 6

#### Sarke: Aruagint

##### 5.8/10

Lord K: I get Cronos vibes from the vocals. That is good. Cronos is cool. So is his forehead. While I expected Sarke to suck (sark?) it, I’m a little surprised by “Aruagint”. It’s not shit, but it’s not really for me. 4

Habakuk: Darkthrone, Arckanum, Sarke… Look for the “aarrr” when seeking out low-fi black metal with a punk vibe. 6

CadenZ: I will now press “stop”. Now, I will put on “To Mega Therion” instead. Now I enjoy life again. 5

Cobal: Just in case anyone needs some more Darkthrone this year. I could certainly use some myself. 7

sincan: On a foundation of black metal rests Sarke’s music but I wouldn’t classify this as pure black metal since one can distinguish other elements as well. It is actually pretty good, but could have been so much better if they had stronger tracks. 7

Ironpants: Strained black rock that doesn’t quite reach the same level as their previous album. Still, this is an album that could work as background music if you want to be a secret black metal guy, tricking people into something more malicious further on when you have a party. 6

#### Broken Hope: Omen of disease

##### 5.3/10

Lord K: I saw some kind of buzz about these guys when this album was about to be released. Heard them a thousand years ago and definitely didn’t give a shit back then, so could this possibly be something noteworthy now? Verdict: this is gruff-gruff death metal the American way, of course including those shitty backwards “blasts” that I hate so much. So… no. 5

Habakuk: Not bad but the vocalist could have been someone else for all I care. 7

CadenZ: Come on guys, give the poor monster his cookie. Maybe that’ll shut him up, so we can focus on the groovy brutality instead. 5

Cobal: While kind of impressive at first (technical hints here and there, dramatic melodies and arrangements, etc.), this is ultimately a bit boring and repetitive. They sadly overuse Pantera-like riffs and their guitar shrieks certainly don’t help. 5

sincan: Why this intro?! Why? guy 1: “Hey let’s have an intro guys!” other guys: “Ok, but only if it fills no purpose and leaves the listener with a huge question mark on the forehead!”. ironpants, this is neither my cup of semen (semi tech death grunt weed metal) 5

Ironpants: Well, I can’t say so much more about this, except maybe quote singer Leski from his response to my review. “Raiijjorrr worrrroeee laaaarrrr, ooooorwwweee slurpeee ruuuleeees!” 5

#### Annihilator: Feast

##### 4.7/10

Lord K: The band that goes on and on and on and on and people still do not give a shit about anything than that “Alison Hell” tune from 400 years back. I am one of those people. Clean-the-house-metal, that’s what it is. 5

Habakuk: … come on, get interesting. 5

CadenZ: Aside from Jeff Waters’ amazing solos and the groovy funk and 90’s alternative influences on “No Surrender”, this ain’t no feast in anything else except stale B-group thrash metal. 5

Cobal: Extremely teen-friendly thrash metal that’s actually better when these guys stop trying to sound as Megadeth with Hatfield-wannabe vocals. Was the second disc REALLY necessary? Nice cover art, though. 5

sincan: Easy listened thrash and rock for the uninspired person. Not totally worthless in the beginning but the Nickleback track “No surrender” leaves me worried along with other lame carpe diem inspired songs. 4

Ironpants: It’s their 14th album people!! And the fact that I haven’t listened more than 5 minutes to one of them after “Alice in hell” must mean something? There are some thrashy tunes here, but the rest should be annihilated, especially that ballad, “Perfect anal eyes” it gave me the creeps. Nope too much rock music in this. 4

#### Dream Theater: Dream theater

##### 4.5/10

Lord K: While ex-drummer/super-whiner Mike Portnoy starts and ends 400 different bands in a week, Dream Theater goes into the studio and releases this one like nothing happened. It sounds DT and James LaBroomBroom still annoys the living fuck out of everything and everyone with his vocals. Not much has changed, but this is of course no new “Images and words”. 5

Habakuk: Lose the fucken circus parts and I might actually enjoy this more than I’d like to admit. 6

CadenZ: Pretty hit or miss. I’m glad the 90’s style cheesy stuff is back, along with the instrument-wankery and epic 22-minute songs. Sadly, the quality is very up and down from song to song, which obviously hurts the album as a whole. And what about that fucking snare sound? It’s like they discovered what the gate effect really does, and decided to cut off anything and everything resembling life. Fuck that shit. 5

Cobal: Dream Theater now switch from their usual virtuoso bragging to poppy power “metal”. And neither do shit for me. Fuck this. The extra point is for including one good instrumental track. 2

sincan: Oh my Satan. I’ve never paid much attention towards these guys but now I had to. I wish I didn’t. Why have punk cock vocals?! 4

Ironpants: I like Dream Theater when LaBrie shuts his pie hole. The musicianship is above all competitors, and Mangini is a better drummer than Portnoy, when will they let us hear more of that by the way, he appears to be acting in a leash? But the songs don’t stick and that last one clocking in at 22 minutes is just ludicrous. Wankers. 5

#### Gwar: Battle Maximus

##### 3.7/10

Lord K: I’ve said this before in some other AA, methinks, but I saw these guys live back in the early 90’s and didn’t give a single fuck about their music back then, for obvious reasons. I very much believe the situation is exactly the same today. Congratulations are in place though – they have the most annoying and loudly mixed kick drum this side of the millennium. 2

Habakuk: Fuck Gwar. 3

CadenZ: Oderus Urungus (Toys’r‘us Ur’Fungus?) and his penii maximii are back with a new album. Why? No one knows. It’s not like anyone ever cared about their music anyway. This is about as stupid as Alice Cooper’s latest horror of a record, but not quite as useless. 3

Cobal: As far as my humble opinion goes – I know, my opinion is never humble – the best thing that could ever happen to these guys is being checked out right after listening to the crap by those NIN idiots. Really appreciated the punk touch by the by. 7

sincan: It’s funny when a joke band is better than tryhard emo boys in metalcore make-up artist groups. However, still not something to put on every now and then. The track “Falling” sounds very Mastodonish (not in the same league though). 5

Ironpants: Gwar have always been outside of my attention span, which is rather wide. I don’t like their image and their music is fucken annoying. They can suck my Penis Maximus. 2

#### Nine Inch Nails: Hesitation marks

##### 3.5/10

Lord K: I never understood what to make of this Trent guy. But I do understand he has nothing to do with metal. And if it’s not metal it’s not for me. I’m off to listen to Alice DeeJay. 3

Habakuk: Seriously, I can’t listen through this. 3

CadenZ: Too true for metalheads? Or maybe just too out there. Reznor is a master of dark moods, creating one haunting, oppressive atmosphere after the other, and he still hasn’t lost it despite numerous creative crises. 7

Cobal: One good thing of never having been into this “legendary band” is that I can genuinely ask: What the FUCK is this shit? Damn! 1

sincan: Disco + synth + slow + boring = this. I thought we were supposed to write about metal. 3

Ironpants: Trent Reznor did the music for the game “Quake”, and that’s about how far into his music I have ventured. Rather good and well performed music that could pass both as a soundtrack to a sci-fi movie or a gay porno. I’m not really that into sci-fi… 4

#### Poisonblack: Lyijy

##### 3.3/10

Lord K: Finns, huh? I love my neighbors as people, but this band is quite shit. Gimme some old Amorphis, goddammit. Or Demigod. Now that is how you do it. This rock/metal crap can fuck itself in the arsehole. 3

Habakuk: How many bands that sound exactly like this are out there? 4

CadenZ: This kind of whiskey-induced garage rock/metal should create a buzz, but “Lyijy” makes me sober up and feel the first tingling sensations of a hangover instead. Mission failed, has-beens. 4

Cobal: The faster songs resemble some kind of modern Lemmy, and they’re actually not bad. Nothing more. The slower ones reminded me of some of the worst shit I’ve ever heard. Just for the record, I’m normally not a fan of unnecessary speed. 4

sincan: What is this? Well, it is sure some Carpe Diem life rock’n‘roll for people who enjoy an afterwork beer once a month dressing up in blue jeans and other cool attributes. 2

Ironpants: Oh my goth! Anti-Viagra in digital form. “Maybe life is not for everyone” they say in one of the song titles… you got that right! 3

#### Tarja: Colours in the dark

##### 3.3/10

Lord K: My favourite cumbucket is back. And so is her mainstream and half-assed music that from time to time actually comes across as damn catchy. 6

Habakuk: “aarrr”… oh wait. 3

CadenZ: Sub-par Therion-esque songs with Tarja’s skillful but over-the-top vocals as the annoying icing on the stale cake. She’s cut down on the vibrato which is good, but the lack of a really good composer (Holopainen, eh?) make this a most lackluster effort. 4

Cobal: No matter how much everybody loves her singing, I’ll never dig into her… stuff. 3

sincan: Do you remember Tarja still? She is the egocentric whatnot who used to come to Nightwish’s studio sessions and sing a tune or two but got a large foot in the ass. Now she sings the same but with horrible lame music added to that equation. 1

Ironpants: I found a list I wrote long ago. “Top list of things that make me mad”:

1. War
2. Baby seal clubbings
3. Tarja
4. Herpes
5. Global warming

I was so immature back then, baby seal clubbings should be 1st, and war 2nd. I love animals. 3

Audio Autopsies

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