Pist.on
$ell.Out

At first I really didn't rate this album much compared to its predecessor. Despite their debut album's production by Josh Silver (of Type O Negative), giving it a similar sound at times to October Rust, I thought it still had a very original almost raw songwriting style. Upon the intial listen to this new album I thought it sounded less 'metal' and more 'indie' and rather derivative.

The vocals are lower in the mix and the guitars higher, and both are far less distinct. I thought it was a shame that Henry's vocal talents were muffled by the mix and the vocal lines being less strong. The new vocal style is quite reminiscent of Reef, in fact. From what I've heard, though, that's the sound Pist.on want -- a bit more muted, subtle, and less obvious.

After a few more listens, I found that I did begin to appreciate this album, if not really like it. It does indeed grow on you, and the complex interleavings of vocals, guitars and drums do eventually begin to dawn upon the listener. 'Ear candy' is an expression I've noticed in some magazines for this kind of music -- easy to listen to, slowly seducing you with repetitive airings, but not liable to immediately move you.

After careful cogitation, deliberation, and other long words, my main criticism of this album is a lack of variety in mood. Most of the songs are slow and reflective, and intently listening to this album is liable to cause boredom.

Verdict: So subtle it's bland.

Unida /
Dozer

Since the demise of the short-lived but very popular Slo Burn, people (like me) have been waiting for John Garcia to make his next move – and here it is, in the form of Unida. The first four tracks on this CD make up Unida’s first EP, The Best of Wayne-Gro. It’ll come as no surprise to anyone who’s familiar with Garcia’s former band Kyuss that Unida are a stoner rock band (or should that be ‘desert rock’ or ‘sludge rock’? - does anyone really care? God, I hate labels!). Anyway, onto the music. It’s not quite as fast or as heavy as the Slo Burn EP or most Kyuss stuff (but rest assured, it’s still got a bass line that’ll blow your head off!) – there’s more of a laid-back approach for the majority of the four songs, both musically and vocally.

I’m sure many will criticise these songs for being extremely repetitive, but then again, you could use the same criticism against any stoner band – the point is, here the repetition in the songs conjures up a certain vibe that really works. Unida are off to a flying start – now we can but wait to see how the forthcoming album (released this summer) fares in comparison.

The last four tracks are by Swedish band Dozer. The fact that the back cover features a big, old, open topped American cadillac driving in a desert with the Dozer logo above it says a lot about who these guys are influenced by – Kyuss and Fu Manchu, anyone? These four tracks are not that original, but they are all pretty damn good, especially the catchy melody lines – it’s just a shame about the poor production here. The guitars are muddy (though they’ve got a good bassy fuzz sound going on), and everything (especially the drums) seems quiet and muted.

Admittedly, it took me a while to appreciate Dozer – partly because I was inevitably comparing them to their neighbours on this CD, Unida, and also due to their poor sound quality. When I listened past that though, I got to see a talented band with a lot of potential – these Dozer tracks have really grown on me, and I advise you to check this out for yourself.

Daeonia
Alice
(single)

Here we go again, another band that thinks it can get away with releasing a cover song as a single. You have to ask, if a band has good songs of their own, why would they release a faithfull cover version as a single? That's right, I'm pretty sure that Alice is very close to the original Sisters Of Mercy song, though to be fair I haven't actually heard the original. This boils down to a disagreement over a buseness decision, so I'm not going to pull them down for it.

What they do they do quite well, and in fact I do like all three songs on the single. Think of a combination of modern Moonspell and Sisters Of Mercy and you've got a pretty fair idea of what to expect - the deep droning vocals, both up-tempo and down-tempo sections, and an atmospheric feel.

The two original tracks they contribute to this single are Eden Ever After and Angel For A Better Day, and both stand up reasonably next to the cover. By the time you read this review their first full length album for Candlelight will be available to buy in the shops, entitled Craven.

VERDICT: Enjoyable, but will a whole album of it be too much?

G O D S   T O W E R
The Turns

Recently I received a package from deepest darkest Russia containing no less than eight CDs from the Metal Agen label. I had been told that there are are a lot of good bands in Russia right now, so I was quite keen to listen to them. This is the first review from them, and there will be a few more in the next issue.

Gods Tower sound like a sort of atmospheric celtic metal folk band. Sounds weird, I know! The reason it sounds celtic is that most of the time the guitar sounds like a set of bagpipes playing fiddle tunes! I realise that sounds really shite, but take my word for it - it actually works really well and makes the album sound fairly unique. They have definitely forged their own sound, and for the most part the song structures are fairly good also though they can get a wee bit dull at times. The vocals are an even mixture of singing and shouting, with the singing voice having a slight My Dying Bride twinge to it - it definitely works well.

Coming after the atmospheric intro, opener I Am The Raven is possibly one of the best songs on the album. It sounds very laid back and is extremely catchy and instantly likeable. Work has definitely been put into instant appeal, though there is more on offer if you give the album enough time and patience. Look out next issue for a review of another of their albums, The Eerie.

Verdict: Solid and respectable - give it a try.

Email: mlamb@presol.com
Homepage: http://www.scorched-earthpolicy.com
Address: Paul McGee Management, 4168 Park Blvd, Oakland, CA 94602, USA

Scorched-Earth Policy are another of those bands with the incredible claim to be distinctly original within the underground scene. Christ the underground must be a strange sounding place, what with every band having their own distinctive style. However in the case of Scorched-Earth Policy this claim may be backed up with some element of truth.

What we have here is a 4 track EP which showcases the bands new singer, John Miller, who from first track, Denial, provides the key element to the bands individual sound. The track kicks in with the instruments giving the feel of Alice in Chains meets Machine Head, all nicely tied up by Millers clean and powerful vocal performance. Wisely not choosing to go up against Anselmo et al in the vocal shredding stakes, he instead delivers a more laid back performance, more related to the grunge sound of the early nineties. Indeed, the band remind me of a heavier Life of Agony. What makes them interesting, is perhaps also what could prove to keep them from progressing. The songs tend to meander from riff to riff without ever having a real focal point or hook for the listener to identify. Indeed the strange samples which introduce each track are more memorable than the songs themselves. However the EP could be termed as something of a grower, always providing something new on each listen which is no bad thing.

Privileged adds an almost stoner vibe further emphasising the bands individual style. Indeed this EP showcases a lot of promise and leaves me wanting to hear a little bit more from them. Hopefully an album will be the next step, and will open a little more room for their songs to breathe. In a underground scene where most bands are content with painting their faces and screaming about their dissatisfaction with God, its refreshing to hear a band who are approaching it from their own viewpoint. This EP crosses over genres from Hardcore to Stoner and suggests that the Earth Policy have the potential to become leading lights.

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

End Zone
First Bequest

This album was made all the way back in 1995 in Sweden, so the band are probably Swedish and not Russian as the Metal Agen record label might suggest. As soon as the music started I was very impressed - listening to it on my headphones (The Bitch was listening to Backyard Babies on the HiFi) it sounded very well produced and powerful. It varies from being not particularly fast to being full on late 80s thrash with early Sepultura style vocals, though interspersed are many more relaxed laid back movements giving an appreciated break in the extremity.

The cover in no way suggests the musical style, so don't look at it to judge them. There is plenty of twiddly Euro-Maiden style leads, coupled with a powerful driving rhythm sound and solid drums. Basically, there is a lot of talent backed up with reasonable songs; some people would go crazy over this album, though myself I prefer to stay a little more objective and simply say that there's a lot on offer.

As is so common with bands that don't have English as their first language, the UK and US markets probably won't be very receptive. I don't know why but there often seems to be a 'Euro' sound which bands have - and it's not just a particular style - all styles can have 'Euro' sounding bands. For this reason though, I think the main popularity for this band will be mainland Europe.

Verdict: Blows many similar bands out of the water.

This four piece are the standard rock outfit with big choruses and dramatic changes, from the varied loud and big chorus riffs to the quietly confident bridge type section which puts them in the same style as numerous other bands.

Although there are in the same style as a lot of other bands they do achieve there own sound which is slightly different, almost imitating Iron Maiden with some of the bigger lead sections as the guitars take over and just outshine the rest of the band. This aside the songs are well written and well recorded, and as they are touring with Thunder, gives a clue to the sound. Admittedly I am not a Thunder fan (why not, you're supposed to be cheezy! - Ed) but this band sound very good and use a mixture of songs even though it is only a CD single.

The 3 songs are all very good and all different which is refreshing, as a lot of bands seem to find one song that sounds good and do a lot of very similar songs that people can’t really tell the difference between.

Basically if you like the big chorus and big guitar solo type band, these guys are well worth checking out as they do that very well and have produced a very good CD single.

Email: dent@indy.net
Website: http://www.indy.net/~dent

From the start of the first track you realise that this bands sound doesn’t arrive at the ears to be listened to - it gets there and is felt.

The drums are crystal clear and provide a stark contrast to the heavily distorted guitar, with vocals that have a growl in the background just waiting to bust forth. It never does, but it gives vocalist Mark Southerland a very distinctive sound - especially when he holds a note (which he does well), as the growl is more evident. The bass is tuned down so much that it pours out of the speakers and spreads throughout the area like treacle.

All of these things combine along with odd timings to give a refreshing change from the standard 4:4 rock outfit. This also makes the music less in your face, and more sneak around and take you over before you realise what has happened. The songs all take more than one listen before you finally feel the music, as it has a real groove to it and affect bones to make you move without even thinking it.

They also create a great atmosphere especially with the third song Scab, which has the vocals almost hidden in the music. This means you have to pay attention to hear the lyrics. It is not a bad thing, it is just that is you don't think about the bass and guitar take over and you follow them as opposed to the vocals. The ending of this song is almost chaotic with a sudden change of pace which makes this song the best of the 6.

This is a band for people who like a Kyuss like bass sound but are not into that heavy a style, as this is just rock music with a bass heavy sound. It makes for great listening and 6 tracks that just pass without you realising that the time has gone as you where caught in the groove.

Various
Serial Thriller vol. 1

This is the first in a regular series of Century Media samplers, available for £1.50 in stamps each from Century Media direct. Unfortunately it only features six tracks, and they are a bit of a mixed bag. Angel Dust's Bleed is a great tune, reminding me greatly of Jag Panzer, and House Of Spirit's Back On My Own is great also - their album was reviewed recently and I loved it.

I would probably hate a whole album of Turmoil, but the one track which is on this CD is bearable - probably helped by the fact that it's under 3 minutes long! No, it's not the best song I've ever heard, kind of derivative hardcore. Rykers' song To Whom It May Concern is in an altogether similar vein, but slightly better and less annoying - hardly inspiring though. The third hardcore track is Constraint's It Seems, which rolls in at only 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Thankfully.

Rounding the album off is Forbidden Tales from the great Evenfall debut album. Again it has been reviewed my me recently - check out previous issues! It certainly makes a nice change from hardcore!! (it's Black Metal in case you don't know)

As a sampler, there could have been a bit more variety - ie. less hardcore, and the way it is there's only three tracks which I'd ever want to listen to again. Those three are really good though, and with the pitiful asking price, it's surely worth buying it for those alone!

Verdict: 50/50, but at only £1.50 it's fantastic value!

In Aeternum
Forever Blasphemy

This can only be described as brutal, overpowering, and infernally complex. In other words, we're experiencing black metal here. Pounding fast drums making your head feel like one of those wee punchballs used by boxers to practise rabbit-punches on, growly shouty vocals, and the sinuous almost shrill lead guitar are the main components of this album's sound.

As is usual for this style, the vocals are largely incomprehensible, but judging from titles like The Pale Black Death and When The Vultures Left they are most likely not very pleasant. This Swedish foursome are not too keen on Christianity to put it mildly -- hence the album title. Why they particularly pick on old JC's followers I don't know. Something's certainly pissing them off as this album radiates aggression. Maybe they just haven't had a shag in a while.

I can't say that I have any particular favourites out of the seven tracks, as to me the album coalesces into a tsunami of throbbing noise. From what I can tell, this is more than competently played and will probably satisfy any black metallers' desire for undiluted hatred. For those of us with lower testosterone levels, however, this is only going to be fun when we're very very drunk and in the mood for a pit.

Verdict: Music to scare the neighbours senseless with.