Annihilator - Annihilator

They Annihilate The Competition.

Annihilator is a thrash metal band from Canada that started in the mid 80s. The band has suffered numerous line-up changes throughout the years with only lead guitarist Jeff Waters being the constant member since the beginning. Having never gained the success of fellow thrashers within the mainstream market, Annihilator seem to have become one of thrash metal's best kept secrets.
Annihilator has been a band that has never really gained a lot of notoriety within the states like their piers, and yet they have some of the most consistency within their actual records, maintaining a strong standard of playing and songwriting. Throughout the years, despite the many line-up shifts, Jeff Waters had been alone until 2003 when Dave Padden joined on vocals and guitars and has remained to this day in the band. This album continues the more recent pattern of Waters and Padden creating the records themselves, and they have succeeded in releasing probably one of the band's best to date.
Over the years, Annihilator has not so much updated their sound as much as they've included newer styles into it to make it a bit more modern sounding. Over the years Waters has begun to include everything from jazz and classical guitar to death metal into Annihilator's style. Padden's vocals have the right amount of variety to fit Waters songwriting, a good clean singing voice, enough aggression for yelling in faster tracks, and the occasional growl for the heaviest moments of songs allows Waters a lot of room for composing songs. This is much more of a metal album though, having some of the band's heaviest moments, tracks like Ambush and Payback sounding like the band's first few records, ever on here, not too many mellow parts. Even the cover track, Van Halen's Romeo Delight, manages to have a bit more of the Annihilator edge put into it.
One of the things that has never changed, and hopefully never will, in the band is Waters' soloing style. His style is one of the best out there and keeps up with the likes of fellow thrashers Gary Holt (Exodus) and Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) like no one else while always keeping a unique flair that keeps him sounding only like himself. His soloing style is one of the main features that has always been used within the band's sound, hear the opening solo of The Trend or the ones in tracks like 25 Seconds and The Other Side.
Overall, this is a great record that contains some of Annihilator's finest moments. Definitely one of the band's heaviest records and some of their catchiest work in recent years as well has to be found on here as well. If you're a fan of thrash metal, or any metal for that matter, this is a must for this year.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: The Trend, The Other Side, Death In Your Eyes

Mekong Delta - Wanderer On The Edge of Time

Currently Listening To Music Of The Classical Variety.

Mekong Delta is a progressive thrash metal band from Germany. The band started back in 1985 with members such as Peter "Peavy" Wagner and Jochen Schröder who went on to form the band RAGE. Over their years of existence, the band has become known for their use of classical music within their unique brand of prog/thrash.
This album is the first to include new members on everything besides bass, being band founder and composer, Ralph Hubert. New members come from bands such as At Vance, Annihilator, and Tomorrow's Eve and while the instrumentalists might not have the biggest presence on here, vocalist Martin LeMar certainly brings his game to this album. Mekong Delta has always been a band that has gone through line-up changes, but has almost never effected the overall consistency of a record from the band.
But onto the music, this album begins with two short instrumentals, something that is used throughout the album. Interludes that range from a thrash song to classical and jazz based acoustic guitar sections divide tracks on this album allowing for a lot of variation to be used within an album without filling songs to the brim with unnecessary parts. The band has used this sort of technique on previous albums, 1990's "Dances of Death" and 1997's Pictures At An Exhibition." Even though this album has plenty of shorter interlude like tracks, they are a prog band and they like to show off, hear Intermezzo (Instrumental) // Movement V for a pure instrumental prog song.
This album, as stated above, is varied and definitely makes a lot more turns that their 2007 return album, "Lurking Fear," which contained dizzying use of aggressive trash metal as oppose to more progressive and classical leanings. This album's core sound lies in a mix of aggressive and progressive thrash with turns into classical and jazz that, while never move into acoustic too often, can break out within a single track, hear "The Apocalypt - World In Shards" (La Maison Dieu) // Movement III. This album always manages to make what could easily be 10 minute plus tracks into concise 5 minute tracks but keeping it so, excuse the poor word choice, jam-packed and progressive that it does what most bands probably wish they could do.
Overall, this is a very good progressive metal album that is much more prog than thrash on here. This is definitely one of the band's best releases in the bunch that are most recent. If you're into old-school prog metal or technical thrash, this is what you should be listening to right now, check this out.
Overall Score: 9
Highlights: "The 5th Element" (Le Bateleur) // Movement II, "King With Broken Crown" (Le Diable) // Movement IV, "Affection" (L'Amoureux) // Movement VI

Nominon - Monumentomb

Inheritors Of Death.

Nominon are a death metal band from Sweden. While the band have released albums in a steady fashion since 2005 with two full-lengths as well as several EPs and splits despite suffering numerous line-up changes. This album in respect to the line-up is similar to an EP released last year.
First off, the sound of Nominon, for those that don't know, is fairly old-school death metal played in the style of American groups like Obituary and Cannibal Corpse, but could also draw a comparison to early Entombed as well. The songs have enough to keep you listening but stick to a very brutal sort of format where it's crusty and unpolished sounding, no frills to be found. This is not an album for people that are looking for soaring melodic hooks, progressive twists and turns, or doom based dirge-like riffs, this is straight ahead death metal played in the way of it's originators.
Though this is done with very little use of extra effects or stylistic altercations, this album is still an entertaining listen. Tracks like Mountain of Hate and Worm feature extremely catchy vocal lines that grab your attention by the throat. The musicianship does not over complicate the riffs on this record, often being just passable enough to keep your attention.
What was mentioned above though, when it comes to the "Omen" EP that preceded this full-length, is that this album too features no official lead vocalist. The main vocalist that is on more than half the tracks on here is a man named Erik Sahlstrom whose style is very sloppy sort of style that is reminiscent of Martin van Drunen (Hail of Bullets, Asphyx). Tore Stjerna (Nex, In Aeternum) contributes lead vocals on Undead Beast, providing an almost black metal style which is very throat-wrenching. Johan "Barsk" Thornberg provides lead vocals on the final track, Wrath of Shiva, which are the most guttural on the album, being noticeably lower than the previous vocalists.
Overall, this is a decent release that does provide a death metal fan some new anthems. Depending on your personal view on the band using several vocalists instead of just one probably won't harm your opinion on this record too much. If you're a fan of death metal done the old-school way, this is where you want to be.
Overall Score: 6
Highlights: Undead Beast, Omen, Wrath of Shiva

Hunab Ku - The Rewiring Process EP

Don't Think This Through.

Hunab Ku are an avant-garde mathcore band from Washington. This is the follow-up to their 2007 debut full-length album and is the first to feature new lead guitarist, Luke Jaeger (Sleep Terror). This EP really does showcase a more focused sound for the band while keeping their trademark weirdness.
The 4 tracks on this album take the band's sound to another level. Anyone that had heard the band's full-length debut, "The Gaze Inward," was aware that it mixed elements of electronic and grindcore together with bits of avant-garde, this EP takes the avant-garde, increases the weirdness, and then turns the rest into a form of death metal. Remarks about the sound of this EP have generally included that this is what would The Dillinger Escape Plan would have sounded like if Mike Patton had stayed with them.
The music is very spastic, switching between grinding death metal, melodic Mike Patton-style vocals, and jazzy interludes. One won't find anything simplistic on here, often bridging the gap between DEP's sonic spastic style, Mr. Bungle's weird ventures into unknown territories of music, and Necrophagist's advanced technical abilities. Fans of music that moves like it has 7 different heads will find this to be entertaining as well as enjoyable.
Overall, this is a very odd album, but demonstrates that the band is moving forward with their sound. While this is extremely difficult to listen to and make sense out of it is much more tangible and unique than their debut. If you're a fan of extremely technical music, this is something you should check out.
Overall Score: 6.5
Highlights: Eat Your Young, Circling The Drain

Hell Militia - Last Station On The Road to Death

This Is Exactly The Type Of Stuff The Man Upstairs Likes To Hear.

Hell Militia is a black metal band from France. This is the band's first release since their debut in 2005 and follows in the same vein with raw, aggressive black metal. This group is considered a super-group by most due to the credibility some of the members have within the black metal scene.
Anyone that comes into this record expecting any sort of avant-garde or progressive tendencies that might have come in through some of the members other projects will be sadly mistaken. Strong influence from early Mayhem and Burzum records are shown throughout, keeping with a highly raw and morbid sense of writing and performing songs. While this is not nearly as fast as the debut was, it maintains the same sort of darkness and perversion that the debut clearly had.
Nothing on this record, musically, will blow you away if you're familiar with the originators of the genre or even the Les Legions Noires (The Black Legions), vocalist Meyhna'ch was one of the principle members of that scene, playing in the highly respected Mütiilation. The songs on here don't really differ too much from each other, some more mid-paced songs, Unshakable Faith, are really more where this album's core sort of sound lies, there is the occasional fast track, Fili Diabolia, to keep things moving and not getting a bit too monotonous. While not overly an ambitious sounding record, it does keep true to the kvlt sound and doesn't try too hard to get away from it. The band does dabble within the world of covers though, both this record and the debut contain covers, the one of this album being punk legend GG Allin's Shoot Knife Strangle Beat & Crucify.
For those that are familiar with Meyhna'ch's work in the past, it probably would surprise them that this record is as raw and kvlt as possible. The predominance of a raw and kvlt attitude keep this from entering the world of modern sounding production, instead keeping this thing sounding as underground as possible without going into the world Darkthrone were in on their early black metal albums. This record is really dominated by two things, riffs and atmosphere, if you don't find one, you'll get the other, which is really a nice way to approach this record knowing that it's not the most challenging record out there, but that it does accomplish what it's pretty much meant to do, hear the epic The Pig That Became A God for a bit of both.
Overall, this is a decent record that certainly has it's moments. This is not a record that will surprise you in any way if you already know what this is like. If you're a fan of black metal, the true, kvlt stuff, then you probably already know about this, if you want to check it out, this would be a decent starting point.
Overall Score: 6
Highlights: Et Inferno Ego, The Ultimate Deception, Last Station On The Road to Death

Spock's Beard - X

It's Their Tenth Album If You Can Believe That.

Spock's Beard is a progressive rock band from California. This is the fourth release to not feature band founder Neal Morse on it, instead featuring his brother Alan Morse. Following in the vein of their more recent work that has explored a heavier and more metallic sound is where this album's sound lies.
Much like other records in the past by Spock's Beard, there is a high neo-prog sort of vibe that is prominent in the sound, this record doesn't really do much to change that. A lot of keyboards are still very dominant within the songs, but since Alan Morse joined the band, guitars seemed to have moved up in the sound a bit more and incorporating some more metal and hard rock influences. The tracks on here are a bit more epic than on previous releases with Alan on them, with 3 tracks topping 10 minutes.
While this album starts things off with a strong opener, Edge of The In-Between, that perfectly showcases a more modern sounding sort of vibe that is shown within most tracks on here. This opener is very vibrant and seems full of life and is has some strong vocals, delivered by drummer Nick D'Virgilio that put the track in almost a pop setting. Once again, this track feels very modern, while it's follow-up, The Emperor's Clothes, seems to bring back a lot of the band's more neo-prog past, using somewhat cheesy sythe horns throughout the entire piece. The dichotomy between the two styles, more modern prog-rock of the newer albums and the neo-prog of the band's early material seem to collide on this record, bringing the heaviness, but also enough cheese and sythe work to keep the band sounding like they always have.
This album, due to most of the tracks being fairly long, the entire album is just under 80 minutes, there is quite a lot going on within each track. Some tracks exhibit more of a metallic edge like in the instrumental Kamikaze while others are far softer and melodic, like the dark orchestrations of Their Names Escape Me. Tracks, more often than not, weave themselves in and out of themselves to create long epics that have the potency that all prog epics should possess.
The two longest tracks on the album, From Darkness and Jaws of Heaven, are tracks that are almost polar opposites in their style. The latter track is very much in the vein of the rest of the album's heavier rock based sound with some of the best bass work on the album, while the former is much more atmospheric and sombre sounding in comparison. Though it is expected for epics to be different from each other, as well as normal tracks as well, it just struck me as odd that two of the three longest tracks on here were had more of a high energy mood, for the most part, while the other kind of brought you down to a bit of deeper mindset than the tracks before of after it put you into.
Overall, this is a very good record that contains a lot of good memorable moments throughout the entire album. This is easily the best record the band have put out since Neal's departure. If you're a fan of progressive rock, both modern and the old-school, this would be one to definitely check out.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: Edge of The In-Between, The Quiet House, Jaws of Heaven

Aiumeen Basoa - Iraganeko Bide Malkartsutik

How Nice You Look Playing In That Field Of Yours.

Aiumeen Basoa is a pagan/folk metal band from Spain. This is the band's debut album after forming back in the mid 90s, their only release previous to this was a split back in 2001. This album has been praised by people like Dan Swano (Edge of Sanity, Nightingale) and Henri Sorvali (Moonsorrow, Fintroll).
This band does in fact use the much laughed at and made fun of attribute of folk metal in their sound, the overly upbeat melodies and use of acoustic instruments like violins, accordions, and flutes in case you weren't aware of the stereotype. Despite that there are also elements of black and progressive metal found on here as well. The blacked style is through much of the tremolo guitar riffs and screeching vocals, but the use of 70's keyboards really does give this band a different sort of sound. The song lengths on here also show that these are not just short catchy jingles about beer or vikings, 2/3's of this album are close to 10 minute long epics.
The fact that the playing on here actually is varied enough to keep your attention actually makes this album even more unique. The guitar playing, as stated in very much based in traditional black metal tremolo picking, but the band makes use of acoustic guitars that are pure folk and at other times are pure prog using long melodic guitar solos or sweeping bridges. Truly this is where the band is at their best, when they are either fully embracing the prog side of their sound or the folk, hear the almost sea-like opening of Akelarrearen Sua for an excellent example of the both sides of the band as well as a venture into a bit of jazz territory.
Throughout the album the band also make use of their several vocalists, creating a wide array of styles found within each track ranging from typical group chants to the aforementioned black metal screams to both male and female singing. Though none of the singing is in English, a lot of the clean singing is has a melody that's strong enough to get over that bump easily. If the vocals in this style aren't you're thing, a good half the album is mostly music rather than vocals anyway. Overall, this is a good example of folk metal done in a way that doesn't make it laughable and is actually respectably done in a non-cheesy way. Definitely one of the best folk metal records to be released this year. If you're a fan of folk, pagan/viking, or prog metal or rock, this is something you might want to check out.
Overall Score: 8
Highlights: Kantauriko Trabain Erruak, Akelarrearen Sua, Ekaitzaren Begitik