Global Domination

Audio Autopsy - July 2013

01/07/13  ||  Global Domination

Ghost: Infestissumam

8.6/10

Lord K: Ghost fucken rules. All the way from their robes to the pope to the riffs. 9

Habakuk: Soothanism. 8

CadenZ: Come together, together as one. Come together, for Lucifer’s son. 10

Sokaris: As much as I’d love to be cool and go against the grain, denouncing the absurd hype this band gets… I really can’t. Hard rock has had much worse trends than Satan-worshipping psychedelic rockers. 8

Ironpants: Probably the most talked about album so far this year. My grade stand fast from the review but I’m actually disliking some of the songs more and more, but the one’s that are great are getting better. 8

The Monolith Deathcult: Tetragrammaton

8.2/10

Lord K: TMD and Immolation hold the flag of death metal high in this edition, though TMD can’t be described with such simple terms as just “death metal”. You need to hear it to know what I mean. 8

Habakuk: Brutally cynical death metal. Sometimes brilliantly provocative, sometimes a little stupid, yet always enjoyable. 8

CadenZ: A much more fitting soundtrack to every apocalyptic sci-fi movie than what their current ones. Huge and bombastic, with balls of titanium. 8

Sokaris: One of my favorite up-and-comers after their last mindblowing effort, Trivmvirate. Death metal that borders on the brutal mixed with pompous symphonies, clanging synths, giant grooves, epic structures and goddamn Optimus Prime. 9

Ironpants: A nice breath of fresh air in the world of death metal. This is awesome stuff, and their “tongue-in-your-cheek” attitude is definitely up my alley. Awesome stuff! 8

Blood Red Throne: Blood red throne

8.0/10

Lord K: There’s a… well… blood red throne on the cover. Awesome. I always dug these guys and with, like, 300 members being replaced over the last few years it’s nice to see that they still sound mighty fine. 8

Habakuk: Great band changes lineup, retains greatness. Great! 8

CadenZ: Track number four says it all: “Primitive Killing Machine”. A nice mix of Hail of Bullets and old Edge of Sanity. More of those nifty, epic melodies next time around, please! 7

Sokaris: BRT isn’t what it sounds like when a Japanese man orders a bacon sandwich, it’s an acronym for a band that represents the brightest, brutal beacon of death in Norway’s normally grim lands. 8

Ironpants: OK, now we’re talking. This is turning out to be a really good AA for me. Solid brutal death metal and also with one of my “targeted” young guns drummers who’s coming up, Emil Wiksten. I salute thee. This is true “love metal”, not HIM (as featured below). 9

Immolation: Kingdom of conspiracy

8.0/10

Lord K: Immolation fucken kills. That’s all there’s to it. If you don’t like these guys, you don’t like death metal. 8

Habakuk: They still don’t show a sign of faltering. Nice. 8

CadenZ: As hard as Arnold’s jaw in the Terminator, and as stiff as his accent. 6

Sokaris: Dyed black wooly mammoths drag sheets of razor wire across an industrial scrapyard while threatening skies split open and acid rains. Immolation never fails at anything except sucking. 9

Ironpants: This is the proof that old men are the wisest. Always! No matter what you snotty little cum-spots think, it’s always the elders that knows best! Sick guitar licks, good drumming, great sound picture. Immolation schools you in true brutal death metal. 9

Tribulation: The formulas of death

7.2/10

Lord K: A lot better than expected, though I’m still not a huge fan. The original Tribulation, from Surahammar, Sweden, now that’s another story. 6

Habakuk: I liked their debut’s primal viciousness. Not sure what to make of the more structured approach and the insertion of more sinister parts. It’s still good, but I’m not instantly hooked. 7

CadenZ: Well, this was a (pleasant) surprise. There has clearly been some growth in the Tribulation camp, moving from the frenzy and fury of the debut to this much more complex, atmospheric, varied and – though I normally hate to use the term – mature, whole. I get lots of groovy old school black metal vibes from most of the songs, and there’s definitely some mystery to the Swedes’ new sound. I’m both intrigued and inspired, and this should be an enormous grower. Good work, kids! You’ve created a modern classic. 9

Sokaris: Hugely disappointing considering “The Horror” is the best death metal debut from anybody in years. LP number 2 is still quality but a different style, somewhat influenced by the whole “occult rock” thing that’s all the rage (see two other reviews this month). Great in parts but holy hell does some of it drag. 6

Ironpants: Wow, what a transformation. Tribulation is turning to the experimental side after a rather good but still ordinary Swedeath-ish debut. Now we are venturing into the darker areas, in a kind of “Watain” way but in a death metal costume, and I like it a bit. This is a grower though, there’s no easy listening here. 8

Alice In Chains: The devil put dinosaurs here

6.6/10

Lord K: That Cantrell fucko sure got some tricks up his sleeve when it comes to guitar playing. I dig his trademark way of riffing about and AIC is always high quality. 7

Habakuk: Plod plod plod. 5

CadenZ: The adult version of AIC still find ways to drive their points home. Compared to their 90’s output, “TDPDH” is more sardonic than effervescent, a snort of grave derision rather than a raised fist of youthful rage. So different, but still (nearly) as good. 8

Sokaris: An old band replacing their dead singer to reunite doesn’t exactly sound like a formula for success but I’ll be damned if this don’t work. I still wish they would’ve kept the name “Alice ‘N Chainz” purely for my amusement. 7

Ironpants: Back in the days, they were the best band in the grunge scene, and they still are, ‘cause all of the other bands have quit. That could be a hint, but it isn’t that bad actually. Laid back weed music. 6

Evile: Skull

6.2/10

Lord K: The New Wave Of Boring Thrash Metal? 5

Habakuk: Last time I found the voice good and the music bland, this time it’s the other way round. Evile, we will never be friends. 6

CadenZ: The Metallica/Testament worship is extremely obvious and no one likes a rip-off, but when it’s done this well…I’m sold. 8

Sokaris: It’s like a much better version of Trivium for grownups. And it’s still not that great. 5

Ironpants: Just when everything was “Blackened” on this “Dyer’s eve”, they emerge like an “Harvester of Sorrow” after pulling “The shortest straw”. They are “The thing that should not be” in this world of “Disposable heroes”. I for “One” think they sound a tad too much as Metallica, but everything is in “The eye of the beholder”. But if you love earlier Metallica, then “Welcome home”. 7

Arckanum: Fenris kindir

5.8/10

Lord K: Tr00 sounding black metal from Sweden. Exactly the way I don’t like it. The non-black metal parts saved this one from getting the lowest grade possible. Good for them. 3

Habakuk: Wow, this is some nasty shit. Fenris! Fenriiisssss!!! 7

CadenZ: A slight loss in quality compared to 2011’s “Helvitismyrkr”, “Fenris kindir” still ignites the black flame with its raw punkish vibe. You can always depend on Arckanum. 7

Sokaris: A decent excursion into scorched-earth one man black metal. The ambient bits are a little excessive, likely due to the fact that no one else was in the room to mention how much that stuff can suck the energy out of a metal album. 6

Ironpants: After listening a few extra spins, it actually grows a little, even if it isn’t my first choice of style when tvrning to the trve dark forces. A little too kvlt and repetitive for me, but still OK. 6

Airbourne: Black dog barking

5.6/10

Lord K: When I wanna hear AC/DC-ish music I listen to AC/DC. Or Bullet. Or Airbourne. 6

Habakuk: I seriously like these folks, but this album sounds like their weakest so far. 6

CadenZ: Three songs of this AC/DC-wannabe dork rock is too much, let alone thirteen. The best songs are at the end and have an 80’s Mötley Crüe tinge to ‘em, but unfortunately they get as enervating as the others because of the constantly screaming vocals, which aren’t half bad, but dude…variation. 4

Sokaris: THIS SONG IS A SEX PUN, WOOO, YEAH, ROCK, HEY, GO YEAH, TONIGHT!!! I get why these guys are a big deal but their sound is so narrowly defined and done to death that it’s impossible for me to really care. 5

Ironpants: I love working for GD. Here I am listening to AC/DC’s new album before all my friends, awesome. I can’t believe how young Brian Johnson sounds, and the rest of the band still got it!! In your face “Bullet” and “Airbourne”, you can’t top this by a long-shot!! This is rock music for hot summers and BBQ parties. 7

Kylesa: Ultraviolet

5.2/10

Lord K: Fuck stoner and sludge. Fuck them up their stupid asses. 4

Habakuk: I honestly don’t remember them being this catchy with their sludge soup. Anyway, this is quite enjoyable. 7

CadenZ: I like it when they sound like Paradise Lost, which lasts for about half a song. Then again, PL do that shit better. 4

Sokaris: The fact that I’m not a sludge metal guy at all and kind of enjoyed this probably speaks volumes. Recommended for anyone that wears thick-framed glasses and is heavily-bearded. 7

Ironpants: Everybody’s handing out free pussy and giving each other hand-jobs when talking about this. I don’t get it? Sub-pop with some heavier distortion and extra mayo on it, but still nothing to write to home to momma about. 4

Rob Zombie: Venomous rat regeneration vendor

4.8/10

Lord K: You know what to expect when it comes to Rob. I applaud his consistency in quality and his awesome yeeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh‘s. 7

Habakuk: Take Ministry, remove “politics”, add sex and pulp. 6

CadenZ: Rob’s been pounding that stupid, stompy zombie rock ass for soon to be three decades, and he still fucks it up as bad as he’s always done. Fuck off, Rob. 3

Sokaris: It’s big, crunchy and stupid. Better than whatever solo album I heard from Zombie last but, of course, it doesn’t touch his former band. 5

Ironpants: I’ll let this song title speak for itself – “Ging gang gong de do gong de laga raga”. That is allegedly baby talk for “I’m a former cool dude who forgot how to groove so I have to make shit up”. 3

The Dillinger Escape Plan: One of us is the killer

4.2/10

Lord K: But for fuck’s sake. When I appreciate black metal like Arckanum over another band, you know this has to fucken blow big time. 1

Habakuk: Spastic grooves and disharmonic antimelodies held together only by the manic screaming of a presumed lunatic. Bold. 6

CadenZ: Yes, apparently it is possible to incoherently rage about stuff with both voice and instruments, and with the recorded result bring a headache to the listener, either by information overload or compulsive headbanging. I’m somewhere in between the two. 5

Sokaris: I guess Dillinger are the godfathers of something… but that something is annoying post-hardcore. It’s kind of artsy and cool in certain moments but mostly their accessible passages are schmaltzy and their aggressive parts are grating. 3

Ironpants: Listening to “TDEP” gives me the same feeling as trying to solve a Rubiks cube while standing waist up in a heap of piss ants with my lower body smeared in honey while someone scrubs my back with sandpaper. In short, it’s intense, annoying & interesting at the same time, but not my first choice of fun. 6

The Devil’s Blood: III: Tabula rasa or death and the seven pillars

4.0/10

Lord K: I’ll make this one real clear: Overrated bullzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzhit… 2

Habakuk: Shut the prog up. 4

CadenZ: Sadly, on record, a lot of TDB’s magic goes missing. This fantastic band’s sublime art was always meant to be devoured live, and the albums before this one were, though greatly enjoyable, mere shadows of their onstage output. This swansong, however, lacks both the strong songwriting of its predecessors, as well as the production values and final song arrangements that polish out the details and bring forth a glimmer of the occult haze that surrounds TDB’s message, rendering “III” fairly lackluster and painfully redundant. I could have lived without this. 5

Sokaris: I guess Nyquil must pump through Satan’s veins because this one nearly made me nod off. 4

Ironpants: I’m really disappointed at this one. You should go out with a bang, not a fart. 5

Anvil: Hope in hell

3.8/10

Lord K: Isn’t this whole Anvil nostalgia thing played out quite a fucken bit already? A few of the riffs on “Hope in hell” could be found on one of these shitty later Metallica albums we all laugh at. 3

Habakuk: First there was a documentary about how they never made it, and now they produce music that tells you why. Completely out of touch with reality. 5

CadenZ: Seems like the Canadians caught a few too many hammer blows to the head, ‘cause the IQ on “HIH” is on a level with this guy’s. In addition to sucking ass, Anvil win this month’s title for Worst Cover, hands down. 2

Sokaris: Retirement home rockers Anvil slop out one tired as hell sounding album. I respect them continuing their tradition of no-bullshit heavy metal, three word alliterative album titles and fucking retarded anvil-related cover artwork, I just wish it were worth listening to. 4

Ironpants: Anyone who’s seen that documentary can’t slag this off and stay proud, fuck, I almost started to cry when I saw that one…well OK I did, damn you Anvil! I salute them for staying true to their cause, and by just saying, keep it up as long as you can and as long you can release records and tour. 5

HIM: Tears on tape

2.8/10

Lord K: The self-proclaimed “love metallers” shit out yet another album and I don’t give much of a fuck. But I dig the guy’s voice and it all works fine as background noise. 5

Habakuk: Help I’m Mediocre. 4

CadenZ: Next time you’re weepy and all suicidal and shit, do for the love of God not put on this record. It’s so weak it’ll probably push you over the edge. 2

Sokaris: Heaving Intestinal Mud. Heavy and Infinite Menstruation. I don’t care what it stands for because right now I’m Hearing Idiotic Music. 2

Ironpants: I don’t know what to say, they should change their band name to HER and go on a lifelong tour in the Gobi desert. When i listened to this my family appeared in the doorways to the living room, just staring at me with concerned looks. I despise that low sensual wailing voice tone, and everything else also for that matter. I’d rather have a prostate exam by a leper who walks away with nine fingers, than listen to this again. 1