Khanate - S/t

BACK IN TIME: recensione gentilmente concessa da Nihil Zine

#PER CHI AMA: Doom/Drone

Ammetto di non sapere assolutamente nulla riguardo questa band newyorkese, cosi come devo ammettere che la copertina non mi ispirasse molto, ed invece mi sono ricreduto dopo aver ascoltato almeno quattro o cinque minuti della prima lunghissima song, "Pieces of Quiet". Mi ci sono voluti almeno cinque minuti di ascolto perché non sapevo se la band stesse scherzando oppure no, visto l'ultra slow doom proposto, cosi come tradizione vuole. Chitarre distorte e pesanti, tempi al limite dell’ossessione, a tratti sembra anche molto stoner, ma questo è doom metal, e poi, la cosa che mi ha colpito di più, la voce, stridula e gracchiante, sembra che gli stessero strappando le corde vocali. Questi erano i Khanate (oggi ormai scioltisi), che si pronuncia CON-EIGHT, che erano formati da membri di OLD e BURNING WITCH, e cosa volete di più.

(Southern Lord Recordings - 2001)
Voto: 70

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Khanate/

Power Trip - Nightmare Logic

http://www.secret-face.com/

#FOR FANS OF: Thrash Metal

All 32 minutes is quite killer! Awesome riffs, original and catchy. That's what I liked the most out of this release. That and the vocals. Sad what happened to Riley, he was just too darn young. His vocals have an echo sound to them and hoarse sort of sound. They were pretty unique. I think they augmented the guitars. And the guitars were put together in a quite masterful way. I wouldn't change anything about this release. They lacked it a bit in the recording department, though that's my only sense of drawback with the release. But everything else is quite good. The drums went well aside the guitars.

This album could've been a bit longer, but I loved every bit of it. The music is the strongest force here. Not too familiar with crossover metal as I am with thrash metal but they're both meshed together. I liked what I heard though. The riffs are quite technical as hell. They sway all over the place. But it's in a good way, they all have their unique quality to them. Just the leads are a little sloppy, but not that bad. I think if they took out the leads and just kept it to the music itself then I would've given them a higher rating. Nevertheless, a good release from start to finish. That crunch tone guitar is just sick!

As I say, the production quality could've been a little bit better but everything was well orchestrated. They really did an ass-kicking job here. The recording quality just needed a little adjustment, that's pretty much it. In any case, this release just dominated. The vocals were like I said unique and went well with the music. I liked everything about this release except the production. It just needed a step up to it. But the guitar riffs made up for that. I made sure to hear this on digital before anything else. The album isn't that long but it's still pretty good to put on my "to get" list in terms of CD's.

Definitely check out the digital recording to this release and see what you think. I thought that the whole release was killer. But to each to their own. I wouldn't say "caveat emptor" I'd say that it's worth some spins through before you see about getting the actual CD. That is, if it's available. I would say a really strong release here and every minute of it was sick. The guitars are quite technical as hell. That's what's the highlight of this release. Even though Riley died, he left off with an amazing record that will in the thrash/crossover metal recordings that are just sickly. Take a listen to this! (Death8699)

(Southern Lord Recordings - 2017)
Score: 82

https://powertripsl.bandcamp.com/album/nightmare-logic

Power Trip - Manifest Decimation

http://www.secret-face.com/

#FOR FANS OF: Thrash/Crossover/Hardcore

Definitely a better release than their newer material in my opinion. The vocalist (RIP) sets the tone for this one. And the guitars are simply astounding! The production was a little raw, but I think that that's what they wanted. I liked all the songs on here and I think that they have a lot to offer the metal world. I like this crossover/thrash genres blended. Seems to work well for them. The vocals are going good with the music! And the lead guitars were sick. I love the riffs on here! Definitely a boon to the release. Everyone is contributing something positive to this release! An immensely awesome album!

I think that the riffs hit home with me more than anything else. I'm new to the crossover genre, I suppose they captured that and thrash alongside it. Both genres are killer, they just killed it here! I enjoyed this whole album! These guys I hope will be around for a long time and I hope that they're going to find a replacement to their deceased vocalist! He was great, sad to see him leave this Earth. The music on here is top notch impeccable. I took note to the guitar riffs the most. But all members seemed to have contributed much to this album. They are definitely tops with me, ABSOLUTELY!

The production was a little raw, but not by much! They did their job well on here. From all aspects, I say that this is their best release. It's over 30 minutes and it's straightforward in terms of music/guitars. Everyone did their part, I'm glad I found this release! It captures some great music and what makes a quality release possible. I liked all of their material on here. The tempos, the meaty riffs, the leads, vocals, drums the whole works. They killed it on here so to speak! They definitely are ahead of their time with this. What a great contribution to the metal world, it's a shame their vocalist died!

I haven't bought this CD yet, but I might. I'm trying to downsize my collection and maybe just go digital. But I still think buying the CD to benefit the music industry is a must. I know all this is streaming but the physical copies to me are always the best. However, a wide majority of people just stream music through Spotify but showing the band that you really like their music. Get the CD, this one doesn't lack in any respect! Actually, I just bought the CD to show support for the band. I took my own advice and did it! We need listeners to remember CD's will never go out of style! Check out this LP! (Death8699)

(Southern Lord Recordings - 2013)
Score: 77

https://powertripsl.bandcamp.com/album/manifest-decimation-2

Sunn 0))) & Ulver - Terrestrials

#FOR FANS OF: Drone/Ambient/Experimental 

Coming in at only three tracks, reviewing this felt like trying to review one of the "Environments" recordings that were popular in the 1970s — soundscapes of nature, recorded to stimulate reflection, meditation and relaxation. Prior to giving this recording a listen, I was familiar with Sunn 0)))'s release 'Black One' —extremely slow, droning, ambient metal. But with the inclusion of Ulver on this recording, who has bounced between black metal, Norwegian folk, electronica, avant-garde, industrial, psychedelic and other genres, it definitely takes on a bit of a more experimental flavor. It took me a while to determine how to review this work, because the nature of this type of composition makes it more amorphous than what we typically identify as metal music. Since it is so atmospheric, I decided to immerse myself in the feelings and images it stimulated, and write of those. In order, now are my impressions of the three pieces on 'Terrestrial': 1) "Let There Be Light" - at almost eleven and-and-a-half minutes, this song opens with a fade-in of echoing notes, very atmospheric and conjuring a surreal, flow-of-consciousness type of feeling. Reverberating strings and keyboards undulate in and out of the mix, followed by bleating horns announcing the break of dawn. This piece is reminiscent 'City of Angels', in which Nicholas Cage, before choosing to fall to mortality, hears the music of the dawn with the other angels. The horns continue, suggesting the endless possibilities of the newfound day which stands before us, alternating between patiently waiting for us to choose a path and teasingly drawing us to choose a potential to start on the path of reality - of becoming more than just a thought or a dream. Halfway through the piece, we here later movements warning of potential danger and conflict of choosing certain potentialities, while simultaneously warning of the greater danger of making not choice at all--of allow all potentials to be irrevocably lost. Around 8:10 the mix thins out--percussion and dissonance come in, heralding the message that the time to choose has past, as our path through the day has now been cast. We must know move through that choice, to wherever it takes us, until we fulfill its potential and arrive at its destination. 2) "Western Horn" - the swell that opens this track is much darker and foreboding that its predecessor. It seems to foreshadow the suggestion of possible imminent danger lurking just ahead, around the next turn. It suggests a ship at sea sailing to uncharted lands--trying to find a better route to a new, yet undiscovered world. It could be a soundtrack to the sailor's map of the middle to late medieval ages, conjuring up the notation of "There Be Dragons" in unexplored territories. Is this voyage a fool's errand? Shall we fall off the edge of Earth, into perdition? Shall we live to return and tell the tale of our trip? Sustained strings and keyboards, occasional buried voices and bass notes set the scene of a potentially terrifying, yet somehow necessary, journey. Between 8:30 and 8:59 it seems that we may well have arrived, as the song then begins to fade.... 3) "Eternal Return" - at 14:10, this is the longest (and final) track on "Terrestrials". Starting with isolated strings, perhaps a Japanese koto, or someone plucking the strings of a piano or a harp, haunting violin melodies and soft organ swim in and out of the forefront of the mix, conjuring the meditative reflection of being fully present in the 'eternal now'. Around 7:30 or so, soft, male voices, piano chords, and pizzicato strings come forth, announcing arrival and a triumph soon to be won. Is this the Buddhist 'satori' - the transcendence of earthly woes through transcendence of self, in union with the cosmic all? Around 10:30, we find ourselves being pulled back from our lofty vantage point — back into the threats and dangers of the mundane existence of the physical. We cannot escape ourselves for long, while we must learn to cherish those times when we do. A bittersweet victory, as we cannot stay outside of ourselves ("in extasis") for very long, if we are to continue to live in this world. Yet, for all of us, lay ahead a permanent escape, at the end of life. If there is an intangible soul which transcends the body, we should expect to be reborn into this world of physicality. All-in-all, with this work, Sunn0))) and Ulver may have arrived at the perfect union of what Sun Ra's Arkestra and Black Sabbath were both trying to achieve. That is, to evoke pure waves of emotion in the listener. The second song, in particular, could easily fit as the soundtrack of a Gothic horror film. 'Terrestrials' is not for cruising, headbanging or windmilling, but it is perfect music for deep and profound reflection, while still providing the necessary catharsis that is a hallmark of heavy metal. (Bob Szekely) 

(Southern Lord - 2014) 

Score: 85 

http://sunnulversl.bandcamp.com/

Centuries - Taedium Vitae

#FOR FANS OF: Black Hardcore

Opening with a slow, atmospheric fade, “Incipit Tragoedia” (First Tragedy), segues into the second track, “Caeruleus” (Water Spirits). Segues are prevalent between most of the songs on this release. Centuries is an extreme metal band with black metal vocals using slower beats—as opposed to standard blast beat fare — and includes some solid headbanging grooves, such as in “Gelu” (Chill of Death) and “Metus” (Object of Dread) — channeling a touch of Pantera feeling in these rhythms. The disc title, which I first interpreted as 'Tired of Life', is more accurately translated as 'Weary of Life'. They are a Florida (USA) band that has added a degree of mystery to their image by choosing Latin titles for all of their songs on this disc, as well as the disc title itself. This makes me wonder if one of the band members is a former seminary student (since they don’t teach Latin anywhere else these days, to my knowledge), or if they just used the ‘Net to translate their song titles for dramatic effect. That having been said, there are additional shades of meaning that may come from alternate translations of the song titles than the ones chosen to appear in this review. This reviewer has barely begun to develop an ear for understanding the guttural percussive effect of death metal vocals, and has yet to develop an ear for deciphering the words rendered in the full-throated screams of the black metal vocal style. “Tabeo” (Decay) is extreme noise-metal with a drumbeat, including a clean narrative vocal in the background in English. All in all, I found 'Taedium Vitae' (although somewhat inscrutable) best described as a cross between Anaal Nathrakh and Dissection, as it should appeal to fans of both groups. Be forewarned, however not to expect the smooth, tight rhythms tones of the latter, as Centuries’ rhythm guitars on this disc are overdriven yet jangling, with the accidental dissonance of occasional open strings retained on the recording for effect (as pioneered roughly a half-century ago on the Beatles’ neo-metal tune, “Helter Skelter” which appeared on their infamous 'White Album'). (Bob Szekely)

(Southern Lord - 2013)
Score: 60

http://centuriessl.bandcamp.com/releases