Devin Townsend
Infinity

Not sure why our godlike editor has given Infinity for me to review but I guess he works in mysterious ways. Anyway, so far I have given a passing interest to Devin’s projects but have yet to be fully drawn in. So to Infinity, an album that broke Devin as a man, forcing him to seek shelter from human kind in a mental institution of sorts. Well the album kicks off in fine style with the layers and waves of 'Truth' leading you to believe that this indeed may have come from a disturbed mind. 'Christeen' changes direction completely, finding its roots in eighties pop rock and having a hook that annoyingly I’ve heard before but can’t place. This and the following track 'Bad Devil', are probably the two most instant tracks on the album. 'Bad Devil' boasts trombones, a tongue in cheek delivery and a soaring chorus this nails down the diverseness that Devin can reach.

However it’s after this storming intro that things start to break up. The wall of noise sound that Devin was trying to create is there but instead of enveloping you it just makes you want more tracks along the lines of 'Christeen'. There is of course the manic cartoon that is 'Life is all Dynamics' to break things up but I’m afraid 'War' and 'Soul Driven Cadillac' do become a little tiresome. However there is no doubt that while not being the masterpiece that he was trying to achieve, Infinity is still a strong album, ranging in influence and certainly worth hearing.

Rating: **********

Rotting Christ
Der Perfekte Traum (single)

(previous album - A Dead Poem)

The first I heard of Rotting Christ was their amazing previous album 'A Dead Poem'. I had initial reservations when I heard their name, but the music was top-notch atmospheric death/goth metal.

I awaited their new album eagerly, but unfortunately some bastard stole it from my postbox (I've since been informed that Glasgow is the worst city in Britain for disappearing mail). Not only did they steal it along with three other CDs I was looking forward to hearing, but they had the damned cheek to leave behind the envelope!

Anyway, the upshot is that I'm left with only their Christmas single to review. It follows along similar lines to A Dead Poem, heavy in atmosphere provided by some great melodic guitar. Vocally they are a mix between moderm Moonspell and death grunts, and are generally quite accessible. There's none of the shite drumming that plagues so many death metal releases. In fact, probably a lot of people would slam me for calling it death metal at all. My only possible criticism is that on the first few listens the two main tracks are possibly quite similar.

You can't complain about the value on this CD, for as well as the two studio tracks there are five live tracks to pleasure you.Unfortunately as seems to plague Rotting Christ, the live tracks aren't exactly well recorded (that's an understatement). They need to get someone who can do decent live recordings.

Just as a small aside, I'm bitterly dissapointed that I missed out on seeing Rotting Christ and Deicide in London on Valentines Day. That would have been a great gig.

Plan E
Songs For A Rainy Day

This is the first release on the new Solardisk Records, based in Finland. I had previously heard two mini-CDs by this band ('E For Your Eyes' and 'E For Your Ears') which from what I remember were very much unique in style, partly because rather unusually the band have two bassists. I have to say that when I first heard this full length album I wasn't overly impressed. It isn't as experimental as I remember the other two being (maybe I'll review them in another issue). The style is really hard to describe; the best I can say is that it's atmospheric in a kind of indestinct fuzzy way. There is possibly a small similarity to Devin Townsend's Infinity project. The track 'My Skeleton' is reminiscent of Moonspell due to the guitars, keyboards and vocal style.

The keyboards are probably the most interesting thing on the album, though they are quite understated. I'm not sure where it comes from, but there seems to be a slight industrial feel to the music. The production is OK also, but overall it's a mediocre album.

Dying Fetus
Killing On Adrenaline

A round of applause must be given to Dying Fetus. Titles such as 'Procreate the Malformed' and 'Fornication Terrorist' are simply the sickest humour I’ve been witness too since Chris Barnes. And as for 'Kill your Mother/Rape your Dog', this is the sole reason this is getting reviewed this issue.

Anyway great song titles aside, I was expecting the normal drivel. However from opening track, 'Killing on Adrenaline', I was pleasantly surprised. It’s kind of Cannibal Corpse meets Hardcore and is refreshingly heavy while retaining some semblance of song structure. It’s definitely probably the best Death Metal album I’ve reviewed in Attitude since Obituary’s live album. At only about 30 minutes long, Killing on Adrenaline, neatly side steps the bin marked boring while continuing to hammer your head to fit it’s neat grooves. Best track is the title track but by no means does that suggest the others are lagging behind. Dying Fetus do wear their influences on their sleeve but are not willing to be simple plagiarists, unfortunately not something that can be said for most of the extreme market.

Only slight criticism is that the production is not brilliant but then again that can be said for most Death Metal. I’m happy to say that this is one extreme metal album I can recommend highly, don’t hold your breath for another one.

Rating: **********

Ashes You Leave
The Passage Back To Life

How many times do you have to listen to an album before you can fairly review it? I’ll openly admit that I, like every reviewer, am biased when it comes to this question. Sure I’ll tend to give bands I know and like more time than I’ll give many of the lesser known acts. However as Dying Fetus have shown (see this issue) this does not mean that you’ll get a crap review. To be fair I only needed to listen to the opening bars of The Passage Back To Life to know what I was going to say. You see this is My Dying Bride circa Turn Loose The Swans. If you don’t believe me than our often forgetful editor may be able to tell you that I could sing along with this album upon first listen [if my memory recalls correctly, he did indeed folks - ed]. Sure the riffs are slightly different and the songs a little bit more slow but nonetheless it’s easy to see where the influence comes from.

So what can I say. Well surprisingly the production is pretty good and the songs lovingly played but once again the points are lost in the originality stakes. Ashes You Leave are a band who may be worth getting a hold of if gloomy metal is your thing, but frankly there are so many bands doing this stuff now that I don’t think this is going to launch them on a highly successful career. The potential is there, the band just need to give some more of their identity into the music.

Rating: **********

Punisher
Disillusioned

[Photo]

Let me show you all a small piece of the work that takes place at Attitude. Here within Attitude Towers we have a pile of CD’s to review that is affectionately known as the shite pile. That is not to say that the bands or music contained are shite but there’s a fair chance that it will be. This pile normally contains unknown bands from unknown labels who are in most likelihood going to come under the banner of extreme metal. Now after every issue of Attitude is produced, our esteemed literary genius of an editor lets me get first pick of the CD’s from this pile. Not because I’m the most sophisticated writer within the hallowed realms of Attitude [although that's probably the case - Ed], neither because I’m a massive fan of the bands contained. No, the reason I get first pick is because I’m the only one who’ll do them. Why? I’m not sure but I feel that everyone deserves a fair listen no matter how poor or unoriginal.

And so we come to Punisher. I don’t know much about the band but what we’ve got is a mixture of Bay Area Thrash and Death Metal. Songs include "Realm of Hatred", and "Spirit of Vengeance". The album as a whole is far from well produced with the guitars proving to be as dangerous as a cheese grater (sharp but not life threatening). The singer certainly could do with mixing it up a little, to me he comes across a bit like a grunting Rob Zombie, and in some sections a wee bit of tune would go a long way. The band are proficient at what they do while not being outstanding. However one element of the album did catch my ear. I’m not sure if it’s an act of genius or the shittest thing I’ve ever heard but the bass proves to be interesting. In sections it’s reminiscent of Primus and seems at odds with the unoriginal thrash going on around it. However this is not enough to drag what is essentially a mediocre album out of its rut. Sometimes metal can be spontaneously brilliant, energising music which is the pure essence of rock as laid down by early genius’s such as Chuck Berry (cause lets face it, Oasis is not fucking Rock N Roll). However it also can be the most threadbare and uninspiring dross ever to be produced. Punisher are not that low but from where they stand they can certainly see the bottom of the barrel.

Rating: **********

I don’t know much about this band but they certainly produce a quality inlay which may be worth the asking price alone. Anyway what we’ve got is a 13-track concept album (including two pointless additional tracks) about some bloke called Kurt. First striking point is that during the spoken intro to 'Before The Storm' the singer sounds incredibly like Cookie Monster. Secondly this band have taken more than a touch of influence from Iron Maiden.

Needless to say that we have galloping riffs, tales of forests and sword fighting all offset by a vocalist who’s maybe just a little bit too gruff to be Bruce Dickinson.

Unusually though I actually quite like this. The tracks are written well and maybe on the wrong side of the 80’s/90’s metals split but are nonetheless done well. Controversy will abound but this kicks the arse of Fear Factory’s Obsolete album, if just that it’s unabashedly cheesy. 'Before The Storm', 'Kurt of Koppigen' and 'Grimhilde' are all well written tracks, which although not new still bring a smile. It’s a shame then that the album starts to drag towards the end as most concept albums do. However this is a well worthy attempt that I ’m sure will go unnoticed by most. If you like a bit of quality Maiden then you’ll probably like this. Hmm where have I put that studded wristband?

Rating: **********

Naughty 8 Balls
Meatballs, Stalkers and Bears

This is an enjoyable album - every now and then a part stands out that makes you realise these guys are actually pretty good. Although they do the pop-punk thing very well, I wouldn't say this album was that memorable for me - it would be cool to hear them experiment with their sound more. They remind me of Backyard Babies, minus the GN'R influence.

Nocturnal Rites
The Sacred Talisman

(previous album - Tales Of Mystery And Imagination)

The best way I can describe this is a cross between Helloween and Yngwie Malmsteen (though not as good as either, and minus most of the wanky guitar solos of the latter). I was actually enjoying this for a couple of songs, because it was so cheesy and '80s. After a couple of tracks, though, they began to really bore me - although they've got some catchy (cheesy) melodies here and there, the overall quality of the songwriting is not good enough to keep interest in it. There no variety in it either, which meant I couldn't listen to all of the album in one sitting.

This style of music can be great when done well, but this band just don't do it for me at all. Don't get me wrong, I'm not slagging off this genre of music - I'm a Maiden [UP THE IRONS!!! - ed] and Helloween fan - but this can't compare with either.