Six Feet Under -- 'Death Rituals' [review]

Six Feet Under - Death Rituals
Metal Blade Records (11/11/08)
Death metal

Fronted by the most prolific vocalist in death metal, Six Feet Under has crafted another killer album, chock-full of groove, and driven by Chris Barnes’ inhuman, guttural wails.

The band keeps its trademark, foreboding groove-riffs in full effect on songs like “Eulogy for the Undead” (which features some great, technical guitar breakdowns), “Seed of Filth” and “Death By Machete”.

And Barnes is an absolute beast on the microphone, having never sounded better than on tracks like “Involuntary Movement of Dead Flesh” and “None Will Escape”, with his trademark, low-toned growls and nuanced screams, effectively turning his voice into another instrument.

Leaving Cannibal Corpse was the best thing to ever happen to Barnes. While Corpse has begun to really spin its wheels over the past three or four albums, Six Feet Under has found a way to maintain its edge, crafting classic death metal and then throwing in just enough groove to keep things from becoming repetitive (check out the cover of the forgotten Motley Crue classic “Bastard”, not only for the groove but also for Barnes' unbelievably deep growls). The songs are more than just constant blast-beats, as Six Feet Under can do the straight-forward death-metal thing, and it can get pretty boring. This time around, the band throws plenty of metal riffs into the mix, giving the album a more dynamic sound.

This type of music isn’t for everyone. That said, Six Feet Under has definitely put together the album of its career. The sound is varied and dynamic, and Barnes, as always, is a gem in the genre, and the band is slowly affirming a spot as a death-metal legend. What Death Rituals shows is that the band could actually craft a solid cross-over metal album if it really wanted to.

Zimmers' Hole -- 'When You Were Shouting At the Devil ... We Were In League With Satan' [review]

Zimmers Hole - When You Were Shouting at the Devil... We Were in League With Satan
Century Media (3/11/08)
Metal

As the initial blasts of the title-track and album opener pour forth from the speakers, it's clear that Zimmers Hole isn't screwing around.

Sure, most of the lyrics are delivered with tongue firmly planted in-check, but the music itself is so raw, intense and destructive, that the listener is left slack-jawed at just how good the metal is. And why would anyone be surprised? Guitarist Jed Simon (Strapping Young Lad) is a beast, Gene Hoglan (Dethklok, Strapping Young Lad) brutalizes the drum kit and Byron Stroud just destroys the bass; so who better to front such a band than Satan himself (a.k.a. The Heathen)? And while the band’s vocalist may hide behind a moniker, he's the real star of this show, switching from the highest pitched '80s-inspired wails to the most horrific death-metal growls this side of Obituary's John Tardy.

Burn the Priest -- Self-titled [review]

Burn the Priest
Burn the Priest
(Epic Records)


Lamb of God has steadily pushed its way to the front of the line when it comes to modern American heavy metal. With last year's "Ashes of the Wake," the band's first effort on a major label, Lamb of God proved it was a force to be reckoned.

Of course, this news was nothing new to the band's long-time fans that had pounded fists to 2003's "As the Palaces Burn," or the group's debut, 2000's "New American Gospel."

But until now, this five man wrecking crew's first outing, under the moniker Burn the Priest, was a little known and hard-to-find gem in the Lamb of God war chest.

No longer... the album has been remixed and remastered for the band's legions of fans.

"Burn the Priest" is far more raw than the quintet's more recent material. The sludgy, thrash-meets-death metal musical framework is still readily apparent; it's front man Randy Blythe that stands out here. As much as the band seems to channel an intense version of Pantera, on "Burn the Priest" Blythe sounds more like Phil Anselmo (Pantera lead singer) fronting Superjoint Ritual on its first release. That is to say the vocal delivery sounds far more strained and guttural than simply intense. Track after track, Blythe tears through lyrics that seem more of an afterthought given the sick guitar riffs and intense (double-bass) drumming accompanying him.

Lamb of God fans will recognize tracks like the album's opener, "Bloodletting," as it has remained a staple of the band's live act. Other songs like "Chronic Auditory Hallucination" and "Salvation" unfold at a breakneck pace as it seemed clear the band was content with going in, kicking ass and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

"Lame" is a bludgeoning masterpiece, while "Dimera" is pure brutality. The vocals switch from an ungodly howl to a scream with abandon, and every breakdown sounds like it was crafted to start a near-riot in any mosh pit.

It's clear from "Burn the Priest," which was originally independently released in 1999, that Lamb of God had a strong future in the metal industry (through I doubt anyone could foresee just how great the band was to become).

While there's some filler at times, overall this is pretty solid metal release, albeit a little more "extreme" than the material the band releases nowadays. Any Lamb of God fan will be happy to add this to their collection. Other metal fans could be just as happy, provided you aren't looking for any melodic bridges -- this is metal that fans of thrash and death will love.