Loucifer Speaks » 90% – 100%

Cor Scorpii – “Monument”

Loucifer — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:29:37 +0000

This re-release of “Monument” also includes the demo/EP “Attergangar”. When “Monument” was first released I bought it pretty quickly and since then I’ve been trying to justify buying it again so that I could get demo tracks as well. I mean, was it worth it? The answer to that question is a very simple “yes”. If you liked the tracks on “Monument” you will also like the tracks on “Attergangar” – combine the two together and you’re in for a treat (albeit a rather sombre one).

Cor Scorpii originally surfaced in late 2004 following the death of Terje Bakken, the lead singer and founder of Windir, and was formed by Gaute Refsnes (keyboards). Since the band’s original inception, two other former Windir members have joined its ranks and then left again. Perhaps it’s no surprise that comparisons with Windir are near impossible to avoid… So, I’ll get it over and done with. Yes, there is a similarity. No, it’s not exactly the same. Is it better? Well, that’s a question of personal taste. Buy a copy of “Monument” and hear for yourself.

The music on offer on this release can be described as Neoclassical Melodic Black Metal. There is a fantastic melancholy atmosphere running through the album (and demo!) and it seems like everything on the album is used to achieve this – everything from the vocals, the classical touches, but especially the guitar tone. The tone here is beautiful and almost mournful in places.

Cor Scorpii have used changes in tempo to optimum effect and, as a result, keep the album interesting and the listener hooked from start to finish. One moment you find yourself full of adrenalin and the next you’re in a more contemplative place.

All in all, I’d happily describe this album as a ‘masterpiece’.

Rating: 99%

corscorpii.net/
myspace.com/corscorpii

Nefertum – “Revered Lames”

Loucifer — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:08:35 +0000

Ok, I don’t want to alarm anyone, but I think I may have just developed a new obsession! This album from Nefertum arrived on my doorstep with a bunch of other stuff for review. Unfortunately, from what I’ve listened to so far, the other stuff hasn’t really grabbed me… “Revered Lames”, however, definitely has!

Nefertum are a Black / Death Metal band from Italy and cite their major influences as Emperor and Dimmu Borgir. When listening to the album, this influences are very clear, but Nefertum are definitely not a carbon copy of those bands. They’ve managed to pay homage to them, while still retaining their own sound.

The music on this album is insanely good – the songs extremely well written and the use of melody is superb. I was particularly impressed with the drumming. Admittedly, I’m not a drummer, but the sheer power of the drums in some of these tracks makes me want to be one. The vocals are, as you would expect, relatively grim, but the vocalist pronounces each word to great effect, so it’s quite easy to work out what is being said without needing to refer to much to the CD inlay.

The use of keys was a pleasant surprise. Usually I’m a little sceptical about keyboards in metal, but in some bands they do work well. Nefertum is one of those bands.

If you want to see/hear what I’m getting all excited about, head over to myspace.com/nefertum.

Rating: 94%

Mhorgl – “Antinomian”

Loucifer — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:16:45 +0000

Whenever bands send me press packs with their releases, I’m always tempted to write a brief history of the band. But, since the band have a website with all of the facts and figures that you could possibly need, I’ll just post a link instead (it’s at the end of this review).

“Antinomian” is not a grower. There’s something about it that hooked me in right away. I don’t know whether it was the slight similarity to Gorgoroth, the overall ‘catchiness’ of the record, the guitar tone or the vocals. Mhorgl do something that make them stand out from the rest of the crowd, and they do it superbly well.

“Antinomian” is an uncomprising Black Metal album – it’s often aggressive and has a certain organised chaos about it, but always retains a sense of melody and the musicianship is amazing. Is this album going onto my ‘best of 2010′ list? You can bet it is. While the album is an instant ‘hit’ (to my ears anyway), it also provides the listener with new little nuances each time they listen. It’s an album that grabs you from the get-go, but it also allows you to appreciate it over a longer period of time. I can easily picture myself listening to this again in 5 years time.

And the cover (or, should I say ‘re-worked version’) of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr Crowley” is a very pleasant surprise!

Rating: 93%

myspace.com/mhorgl
mhorgl.com

Tardy Brothers – “Bloodline”

Loucifer — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:18:26 +0000

“Bloodline” isn’t a new album any more, but I thought it was worth reviewing anyway…

Just in case you’ve managed to go through life without ever listening to or reading about Obituary, I’ll give you a brief heads-up on who the Tardy Brothers are. The Tardy Brothers are John and Donald Tardy and they take care of the vocal and drums duties respectively in Obituary. “Bloodline” is their album and Tardy Brothers is their side project. If you’re still not up to speed, I recommend you head over to obituary.cc and do a little reading… and a little listening!

So, how the hell am I going to describe “Bloodline”?

“Bloodline” is a beast of an album. If you’ve ever listened to Obituary, you can kind of guess what expect. Straight-forward Death Metal with insane vocals and killer guitar solos. “Bloodline” could quite easily be another Obituary album, but – for me – there is one thing that separates it: the production. I don’t know if it’s just me, or my speakers and/or earphones, the production does seem to be cleaner on this album than any Obituary album (including their newest opus “Darkest Day”). On the whole, this works well for this album and does serve to distance it from the Obituary discography. My only gripe is that I love the dirty and raw feel of the Obituary albums! The production on this album doesn’t take anything away from the listening experience, I guess it was just a little bit unexpected. A huge plus is that the guitar solos really have their chance to shine (“I’m Alive” is a fantastic example of this).

The album kicks off with “Bring You Down”, a riff-heavy monster that allows John Tardy to growl like a madman. While it does remain brutal, it carries an infectious melody that will work its way into your brain (this is aided by some superb guitar work!).
The title track seems a little more savage than “Bring You Down” and it’s one of those songs where you have to bang your head. Definitely one of my favourites from the album.
“I’m Alive” is the kind of song that I want to learn on guitar – the groove is just so (for want of a better word) awesome! Very addictive and oozing with confidence – these guys know that they don’t have to rush through things and they’re happy to let this track have a near-laidback feel. It travels along at its own pace and seems entirely organic as a result. You can almost imagine this track being the result of a jam session with a few beers.
“Deep Down” turns the pace up again and it’s at this point that I want to enter another ‘headbang-a-thon’. This is heavier than a very heavy thing.
“Wired” is a beautiful instrumental piece. That’s a weird sentence to write here, but it describes the track perfectly. It is beautiful. Listen for yourself and see what you think… and feel free to comment via the comment box thing below.
If “Wired” lulls you into a sense of security, “Fate’s Call” rips you right back out of it. The band seem to be extra aggressive here and it results in an unbelievably good track. There’s nothing not to like here.
For some reason “Eternal Lies” didn’t grab me as fast as the other tracks on the album, but after a few listens it really grows on you.
“Scream Descendent” has some superb guitar work. I really can’t stress how good this is!
The album closes with “Fade Away” – a track that definitely doesn’t just fade away. Pace-wise it has more in common with “I’m Alive” rather than the other tracks on the album and it provides us with a great way to finish off.

It works as an album in its own right, as well as a continuation of the Obituary legacy.

Rating: 98%

tardybrothers.com

Revenant Dead – “Two Evils”

Loucifer — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:56:24 +0000

There are a number of bands coming out of Britain at the moment that show just how metal of a nation we are. Revenant Dead are definitely one of them. While the English football team may be leaving you with that bitter taste of disappointment, Revenant Dead make you proud to be British again. Hmmm… I seem to have digressed a bit… even though I can’t stand football and haven’t watched any matches, it’s still managed to sneak it’s way into one of my reviews. I think they must put something in the water around World Cup time.

On “Two Evils” Revenant Dead have taken everything they like from the Metal genre and thrown it together. I’ve witnessed many bands attempt similar things like this over the years, but it often leads to failure. However, on this album, Revenant Dead have pulled it off. Almost every possibly subgenre is blended together here with an expert touch!

This album is dark, moody and heavy and the combination of various vocal styles work impressively well. Revenant Dead’s use of melody is fantastic and you’ll find yourself humming some of these tracks long after you’ve stopped listening to the album (check out “Requiem” for a prime example).

All too often, we are subjected to bands who borrow to heavily from one inspiration or another. Revenant Dead don’t do that. They are their own entity and have a uniqueness that is incredibly difficult to find these days.

In conclusion, I need to listen to more of this band.

Rating: 93%

(definitely one of my favourite albums of this year so far)

revenantdead.com

Handful of Hate – “You Will Bleed”

Loucifer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:47:27 +0000

I’ve been a somewhat casual fan of Handful of Hate for a few years now, but for some reason it’s taken me a good few months to actually get around to getting myself a copy of “You Will Bleed”. Thankfully, I’ve now rectified that fact…

The easiest way to describe “You Will Bleed” is to call it Old School Black Metal. That tag pretty much describes it perfectly, but it doesn’t really give you a full idea of what to expect from this album… so I’m going to go a little deeper.

Handful of Hate are not here to make friends. Instead, the music on this album takes you to an uninhabitable frozen wasteland, that’s in the middle of an abnormally harsh winter. The vocals are harsh and unforgiving and work perfectly alongside the hypnotic guitar riffs.

Each track has its own character and, yet, all of the tracks flow together with a disjointed ease. Handful of Hate’s brand of Black Metal may not be breaking any boundaries, but… does it really have to? Can we not just enjoy it for what it is – a journey into carnal and, at times, misanthropic Black Metal? It may not be reinventing the wheel, but Handful of Hate are certainly masters of their craft.

This is one of those albums that deserves to be listened to in the dead of night.

myspace.com/handfulofhate

Rating: 95%

ZØRORMR – “Kval” Review

Loucifer — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:56:19 +0000

ZØRORMR is the one-man Black Metal project from the mind of Hakon Sjøormen. While the name Hakon Sjøormen may not mean much to you, perhaps some of his aliases will. Over the years Sjøormen has been known as Imblanzytor de Serpy, Serpentoria, Ioannes Aurelius Serpentor and I A Serpentor. Apparently the latter persona was recently killed off to make way for ZØRORMR.

“Kval” is a work of ambient Black Metal mastery. ZØRORMR takes on all of the instrumental and vocal duties, apart from in one instance – the guitar solo in “Misanthropy” (this was done by Quazarre from Devilish Impressions and Crionics). ZØRORMR shows off his remarkable skills at composition on every track on this album. Each song is crafted to near-perfection. They’re atmospheric and leave you on edge, raw yet inviting and all together completely and utterly powerful.

The riffs are dirty and well balanced with the use of synths and the vocals, and there is a subtle use of melody. I’ve found that “Kval” is an album that grows on you with each listen. It worms it’s way into your subconscious and urges you play it again and again. It becomes a new addiction. It’s due to this that I’m awarding it 95% in my new rating system. It’s just that good.

Listen to it in the dark!

myspace.com/zorormr

Rating: 95%