UMUR "Enter the Realm" is a demo release by US power metal act Iced Earth. The demo was originally released on cassette tape in April 1989. Iced Earth was formed by guitarist Jon Schaffer under The Rose monicker in 1984. Soon after the band name was changed to Purgatory and the 1985 "Psychotic Dreams" demo was recorded using that name. In 1988 the band name was changed to Iced Earth. "Enter the Realm" is the only demo released before the band was signed by Century Media Records for the release of their 1990 eponymously titled debut full-length studio album.

"Enter the Realm" features 6 tracks and a total playing time of 21:43 minutes. 4 of the 6 tracks would be re-recorded and featured on the band´s debut album. Only the short title track intro and "Nightmares" are exclusive to this demo, although both would appear in re-arranged/re-recorded versions on the 1997 "Days of Purgatory" compilation album.

Stylistically Iced Earth already had a clear vision of how they wanted to sound, and the skills to produce music to equal their vision. US power metal featuring sharp heavy metal riffs and the occasional hard edged thrash tinged riff, intricate lead guitar/harmony guitar sections, a pounding rhythm section (on this release the drums are almost painfully simple and a little tedious though), and a raw sounding, although still melodic lead vocalist in front. The band master both hard rocking sections, hard edged thrashy parts, and the more epic and melodic moments with equal amounts of conviction.

"Enter the Realm" is a very well produced demo release, and it could well have been released as a professional studio recording. It´s not often you´ll hear demo recordings from that time of this quality. It´s no wonder the 1000 copies which were originally produced were sold out quickly. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Seeds of Doom" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Incardine. The album was released through Bone Records in September 2019. The material featured on the album was however already recorded in 1993, but as the band split-up, the album didn´t see a release in the 90s. Incardine are notable for featuring a young Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed, Necrophobic, Firespawn...etc.) in the ranks. On "Seeds of Doom" he performs rhythm guitars and bass though, which is not exactly what I expected considering his high level lead guitar performances with other artists just a few years down the line.

While "Seeds of Doom" is unmistakably a Swedish death metal release, it actually sounds a bit different from the two main death metal styles played by early 90s Swedish death metal acts. They don´t really sound like the Stockholm scene (Entombed/Dismember...etc.), and they don´t sound like the US influenced acts like Vomitory and Deranged either. To my ears their closest relative is Unleashed (minus the viking/Scandinavian mythology lyrics and imagery)...but not the 90s version of that band. Instead it´s the latter day version of Unleashed that I´m reminded of, which is of course only natural as Folkare is a member and a major contributor to the sound of that era-Unleashed. So in addition to the old school Swedish death metal riffs and rhythms "Seeds of Doom" also features galloping thrashy riffs and loads of melodic lead guitar work (courtesy of lead guitarist Daniel Wallner).

If I didn´t know better, I wouldn´t have guessed that "Seeds of Doom" was recorded in 1993, as the high level musicianship, the intricate songwriting, and the powerful, clear sounding, and detailed production are all of a higher quality than most of the contemporary releases I can think of (which doesn´t mean it´s a better album overall compared to the classics of 90s Swedish death metal). So it´s not a particularly time-typical Swedish death metal release. It´s a high quality death metal release though and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Fables of the Sleepless Empire" is the third full-length studio album by Canadian avantgarde/progressive metal act Unexpect. The album was independently released in May 2011. It´s the successor to "In a Flesh Aquarium" from 2006, which was the band´s breakthrough album.

"In a Flesh Aquarium" was a highly complex, technically well played, and experimental avantgarde metal release and it has received a lot of praise over the years, and not surprisingly Unexpect have chosen a relatively similar sound and approach on "Fables of the Sleepless Empire", although "Fables of the Sleepless Empire" sound a little less chaotic and polished compared to its direct predecessor. The vocals vary between female semi-operatic cleans, male cleans, and a varity of male extreme metal vocal styles (growling, snarling, screaming...etc.). In addition to the vocals, drums, guitars, bass, violin, piano, and samples are the instruments used to create the sound. The instrumental part of the music features elements of death metal, black metal, and symphonic metal, and often features classical music influenced sections or elements. All packed into abstract and complex avantgarde metal structures and dissonance. The tracks are ever changing and they take a while to get into and remember.

"Fables of the Sleepless Empire" features a clear, powerful, and detailed sound production, which perfectly suits the material and which help bring all elements of the band´s music to the listener. Upon conclusion "Fables of the Sleepless Empire" may suffer a bit from not being as surprising to the listener as "In a Flesh Aquarium" was, when it was released, but it´s overall another high quality release from Unexpect, and if you enjoyed the sound of "In a Flesh Aquarium", this one is a safe bet. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Those Shredded Dreams" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish death metal/death´n´roll act Furbowl. The album was released through Step One Records in June 1992. Furbowl formed in 1991 and released a couple of demos before being signed for the release of "Those Shredded Dreams". "Those Shredded Dreams" features six tracks and a total playing time of 31:38 minutes. Three of those tracks are re-recordings of the three tracks from the May 1991 "The Nightfall of Your Heart" demo.

Stylistically the material on "Those Shredded Dreams" is old school Swedish death metal mixed with an early version of death´n´roll. So this album features both brutality and buzzing raw death metal riffs (and also features a strong hardcore punk influence), and hard rocking moments of rock´n´roll. Lead vocalist Johan Liiva (who also handles all guitars and bass on the album, except for a couple of guest leads by Michael Amott) have a powerful and commanding growling delivery. He has his own distinct vocal style, which is a great asset to the band´s sound.

Although the music is both well performed and pretty well produced too (raw, organic, and suiting the music well), "Those Shredded Dreams" isn´t exactly a rocket science type release when it comes to the level of sophistication on display, but that´s not really the point. Instead the listener is treated to an honest and hard working band, performing their music with great passion and conviction. There´s not a dull moment in sight and "Those Shredded Dreams" is an entertaining release throughout.

People seem to think that it was Entombed´s 1993 album "Wolverine Blues", which was the first death´n´roll release, but while said album may have kickstarted the movement and the popularity of the subgenre, "Those Shredded Dreams" is proof that other artists (Furbowl was just one of them) were already doing something similar a few years earlier. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Electric" is the third full-length studio album by UK hard rock act The Cult. The album was released through Beggars Banquet/Sire Records in April 1987. It´s the successor to "Love" from 1985. "Love" was a huge success for The Cult, selling more than 2 million copies, but instead of following in the success of that album and producing a "Love" number two, The Cult opted for a more straight hard rock sound and they recruited producer Rick Rubin to make that happen. Before Rubin was hired, The Cult worked with producer Steve Brown and recorded twelve tracks during the summer of 1986, which was to be released under the "Peace" album title, but the band weren´t satisfied with the results and they fired Brown and shelved the recordings.

Hiring Rubin turned out to be a wise choice, as he understood how to tap into the hard rock/hair metal sound of the 80s and transform The Cult to be part of that scene. They sound 100% American on this release, and all their former UK new wave/goth rock/indie rock leanings are completely gone from the sound. Instead "Electric" is a huge and massive sounding hard rock album, designed to be performed in huge arenas and on large stadions. If you´re familiar with the Rubin produced eponymously titled debut album from Danzig (released in August 1988), there are many production similarities to "Electric", although the Danzig album is certainly a little darker, heavier, and features occult themed lyrics. The point being that "Electric" is a very well produced hard rock album and that Rubin is a genius producer.

The material on the 11 tracks, 38:51 minutes long album is hard rocking vers/chorus based rock songs with lead vocalist Ian Astbury´s, Jim Morrison sound-a-like voice in front. The band are well playing, the material catchy, memorable, and energetic and full of great power. This isn´t too polished and therefore devoid of attitude...on the contrary it´s organic, untamed, and filled to the brim with attitude. Just the way a good hard rock album should sound. So upon conclusion The Cult made a very difficult musical transition from their early sound to this American hard rock sound with ease (at least it sounds like it) and with great success. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Determined To Strike" is the debut full-length studio album by US, New York based death metal/avantgarde metal act Sarmat. The album was released through I, Voidhanger Records in June 2023. Sarmat formed in 2020 and they released the "Dubious Disk" live EP in April 2023.

Stylistically the material on "Determined To Strike" is dissonant and technical death metal, but with an avantgarde twist and some serious journeys into jazz/fusion territory. While Sarmat can certainly be both brutal and quite extreme, their at times chaotic sounding music is ultimately quite sophisticated, not to mention very creative and intriguing. This is not just another dissonant technical death metal act. The jazz/fusion elements are too dominant and they are an integral part of the compositions. Add to that some pretty weird and adventurous guitar riffs, and the whole thing is quite impressive and at times also jaw-dropping. The vocals are also very well performed and the listener is exposed to both deep growling and snarling growling. The inclusion of piano and especially horns is a touch of genius, which Sarmat use as an integral element of their already eclectic music.

The question beckons...can this even be labelled death metal? or is it actually extreme avantgarde jazz/fusion music with technical death metal elements just being a part of the sound? "Determined To Strike" is both a highly challenging but also strangely accessible release. "Accessible is probably a wrong description of what´s going on here, but despite all the craziness and the chaos featured on "Determined To Strike", I personally still find it quite memorable.

Maybe it´s because the band have chosen a production style for their album, which isn´t overtly brutal and pummeling, instead aiming for a more detailed production, although the sound production is ultimately still quite raw. Upon conclusion "Determined To Strike" is definitely one of the more unique sounding extreme metal albums I´ve listened to in a while, and they deserve a lot of attention for being this creative and for pulling it off with what sounds like a natural ease. Honestly I´m a bit at a loss for words here...but I´ll tell you one thing. This is amazing and definitely gets a recommendation from me. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Psychonolatry" is the third full-length studio album by Italian death metal act Electrocution. The album was released through Goregorecords in February 2019. It´s the successor to "Metaphysincarnation" from 2014, which was the band´s first album in 21 years succeeding the release of their debut album "Inside the Unreal" from 1993. While no lineup changes took place between the first two albums (which was quite the achievement with 21 years passing between the two releases), "Psychonolatry" features an almost completely different lineup compared to the lineup who recorded the preceding albums. Only lead vocalist/guitarist Mick Montaguti remains. New in the lineup are Neil Grotti (guitars), Alessio Terzi (lead guitars), Vellacifer (drums), and Matteo Grazzini (bass).

"Psychonolatry" features 11 tracks and a total playing time of 44:04 minutes. 10 of those tracks are new original compositions, while the closing track is a re-recorded version of "Premature Burial" (the opening track from "Inside the Unreal" (1993)).

The music style has changed a bit since the last album, as the material on "Psychonolatry" have become slightly more focused on technical playing. Electrocution are still rooted in early 90s death metal, but "Psychonolatry" is not a retro sounding release. "Psychonolatry" are a well playing unit, and there is good variation in both playing style and songwriting ideas throughout the album. So on most parameters "Psychonolatry" is a high quality death metal release. If I have to mention a couple of minor issues it would be that although the songwriting is interesting and effectful enough, the material aren´t that unique sounding. It doesn´t exactly scream that it´s Electrocution playing. The other issue is the drum production. While the overall sound production is professional and powerful sounding, the drums unfortunately have an artificial tone to them, that stands out in a negative way in the soundscape. Upon conclusion "Psychonolatry" is still overall a good quality death metal release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "The Lost Art of Time Travel" is the second full-length studio album by US progressive rock act Presto Ballet. The album was released through Progrock Records in July 2008. It´s the successor to "Peace Among the Ruins" from 2005. There have been quite a lot of lineup changes since the debut album and only lead vocalist Scott Albright and guitarist/keyboard player Kurdt Vanderhoof remain. New in the lineup are Ryan McPherson (organ, piano, synthesizers, lead- and backing vocals), Bill Raymond (drums, percussion), and Izzy Rehaume (bass, backing vocals).

Stylistically Presto Ballet continue the hard rocking progressive rock style of their debut album. In many ways they remind me of Kansas, because they have the hard rock riffs and AOR leaning pop/rock choruses, but they also have the complex playing and symphonic approach to songwriting which characterized many of the European progressive rock acts from the 70s...and yes while this is contemporary progressive rock, almost all elements of this release are influenced by 70s hard rock and progressive rock, including the choice of keyboards like mellotron and hammond organ. It´s interesting to hear Vanderhoof in another setting than his other band Metal Church, and it´s obvious that he has made sure that the two acts are not musically connected. Presto Ballet can play some heavy parts here and there, but they are never heavy metal oriented. The same can be said about Metal Church which occasionally flirt with progressive rock, but never fully cross the line.

"The Lost Art of Time Travel" is a well produced release, and everthing you hear and experience while listening to the album scream high level professionalism. To my ears Presto Ballet are best when they are at their most progressive, while I appreciate them less when they are leaning towards their hard rock/AOE side, but the balance is pretty equal here, and it´s therefore fans who enjoy both styles who´ll find this an interesting release. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Earthbound" is a live album release by UK progressive rock act King Crimson. The album was released through Island Records in June 1972. It bridges the gap between King Crimson´s fourth- and fifth full-length studio albums "Islands" (December 1971) and "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" (March 1973). Recorded through a mixer directly to cassette tape "Earthbound" is a relatively lo-fi recording, and is sometimes described as a bootleg sounding live recording. The band wisely realised that, and upon release offered the album at a budget price. The reasoning being that it didn´t cost them much to record, so the fans shouldn´t have to pay much to listen to it.

Personally I´ve heard bootlegs which sound both better and much worse than "Earthbound", but it´s arguably not a particularly well sounding release. Opening with a loud, heavy, and noisy version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" King Crimson are on to a messy and untight start. "Peoria" is a 7:30 minutes long blues rock jam, which sounds almost nothing like what you´d expect King Crimson to sound. "Sailor's Tale" appears on a shorter version than the studio version found on "Islands" and it sounds uninspired and muddy. "Earthbound" is a blues jazzy improvised jam and again sounds nothing like you´d expect King Crimson to sound. Scat vocals and all from Boz Burrell.

The closing track is a 15:30 minutes long version of "Groon". A track which first appeared on the B-side to the "Cat Food" single in 1970. It´s an improvised jazz jam track...needless to say it again sounds nothing like what you´d expect King Crimson to sound like, and upon conclusion "Earthbound" isn´t a good quality live release from King Crimson. Not only is the recording quality sub par, but the band perform music here which isn´t at all in line with their studio output. Had I gone to see King Crimson on this tour I would have been extremely disappointed. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Islands" is the fourth full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act King Crimson. The album was released through Island/Atlantic Records in December 1971. It´s the successor to "Lizard" from December 1970. There have been two lineup changes since the predecessor as drummer Andy McCulloch has been replaced by Ian Wallace and bassist/vocalist Gordon Haskell has been replaced by Boz Burrell. "Islands" is the last studio album in phase one of King Crimson´s discography as this incarnation of the band folded acrimoniously in January 1972. It was however decided that the band would fulfill their US touring commitments in February/March 1972, which subsequently resulted in the "Earthbound" live album (released in June 1972). After that Robert Fripp opted to fire everyone and continue with a new lineup.

The reason for the fighting and disagreements between the members of King Crimson during the 1971-1972 period was due to Fripp´s resentment towards some of the other members because of their drug use and very different ideas of the future direction of the music. "Islands" generally suffers from the bad chemistry of the group and it´s a bit of a lacklustre affair compared to the three preceding studio albums from the band. The sexist groupie lyrics and blues rock direction of "Ladies of the Road" are for example completely out of character for King Crimson, and it´s not their finest moment (although the melodic Beatles influenced chorus is quite pleasant and nice, and repeated listens have somewhat softened my opinon on the track). The album opening 10:18 minutes long "Formentera Lady" is not much better with its odd mellow improvised psychedelic sound. It just passes by and seems to go nowhere.

The most interesting songs on the album are "Sailor's Tale" and "The Letters" where King Crimson show some of the things which made them unique. The classical influenced "Prelude: Song of the Gulls" sounds like the soundtrack to a Disney movie and again it´s not King Crimson at their best. The 9:15 minutes long closing title track is as such a pleasant enough listening experience, but the ambient jazzy atmosphere turns the track into sophisticated muzak.

"Islands" features a dark and slightly muddy sounding production job, and it´s not exactly a plus when paired with the generally unremarkable material featured on the album. There is a good reason why "Islands" is almost never mentioned when speaking about King Crimson. It´s simply one of their least accomplished and least interesting albums. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "The Gavel / Primal Code" is a split release between US, Illinois based death metal act Primal Code and US, Illinois based thrash/hardcore act The Gavel. The split was independently released in July 2023.

The Gavel opens the split with their two tracks "1000 Deaths" and "Frozen in Fear", which are both ultra heavy and brutal hardcore tinged thrash/death metal. The tracks feature a desperate mood and very aggressive and raw sounding vocalist in front. It´s music featuring brick heavy grooves and riffs, and it´s highly effective and definitely good quality music.

Primal Code are also featured with two tracks. Both "Angler" and "Ram" continue the heavy and brutal slow- to mid-paced old school death metal style of their 2022 demo and their 2023 EP. They can easily match the heaviness and brutality of The Gavel´s material, but they are not quite as aggressive and their grooves are a bit more conventional and straight.

The material of both artists is well produced and upon conclusion this is a good quality split release and it´s well worth the price of admission. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Subliminal Master" is an EP release by US, Illinois based death metal act Primal Code. The EP was independently released in January 2023 and it follows the release of the July 2022 demo, which was the first release after the band formed in 2021. Primal Code is a trio consisting of Will Lindsay (bass), Jamer Farn (drums), and Gene Marino (vocals, guitars).

Stylistically "Subliminal Master" continues where the 2022 demo left off, with crushingly brutal, slow-to mid-paced old school death metal influenced by artists like Asphyx, Grave, and Bolt Thrower. Just like the case was on the demo, the sound production is meaty, massive, and brick heavy, perfectly suiting the equally brick heavy material. There is no compromise here and Primal Code are the kind of band who take no prisoners. There is no shaking on the hand in terms of experimentation or including unconventional elements. This is old school death metal to the bone.

So "Subliminal Master" is overall a good quality death metal release and it perfectly follows in the heels of the already great quality demo from 2022, making the promise of what a future full-length studio album will deliver that much greater. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Demo" is the first demo recording by US, Illinois based death metal act Primal Code. The demo was independently released in July 2022. Primal Code formed in 2021 and is a trio consisting of Will Lindsay (bass), Jamer Farn (drums), and Gene Marino (vocals, guitars).

The three tracks on the 11:32 minutes long demo are well produced, featuring a massive, heavy, and brutal sounding production, which suits the material well. The demo was surely recorded at a professional recording studio, and it honestly sounds nothing like a demo. Stylistically Primal Code play a predominantly slow- to mid-paced type of old school death metal. Asphyx is the first band who comes to mind, but Bolt Thrower and maybe Grave are probably also influences. So it´s fans of that type of death metal, who should find this demo interesting.

Primal Code are well playing, the vocals are brutal growling, and the songwriting is pretty strong too. Noting out of the ordinary for the genre, but effective and crushingly brutal. Considering the professional sound production values, this demo could just as well have been released as an EP, and it would be wrong to just call this a promising demo release. This one is a pretty well formed and complete death metal release, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Enduring the Massacre" is the debut full-length studio album by UK death metal act Dyscarnate. The album was released through Siege of Amida Records in May 2010. Dyscarnate formed in 2003 under the Incarnate monicker but changed to the current one in 2004. They released one demo under the Incarnate monicker and a second demo under the Dyscarnate name before recording and releasing the "Annihilate To Liberate" EP in 2008.

Stylistically the material on "Enduring the Massacre" continue the brutal and technically well played death metal style of "Annihilate To Liberate" (2008). It´s artists like Dying Fetus and early Misery Index that I´m predominantly reminded of, so it´s relentlessly brutal and aggressive death metal, with intelligible growling vocals in front. The album is loaded with riffs (but no leads or solos), tempo changes, breaks, and heavy brutal grooves, and it´s the kind of release which is designed to destroy. When the 8 tracks on the 34:53 minutes long album have ended, I´m left completely exhausted, beaten and bruised. It´s highly energetic music, and there is no room left to breathe. As a consequence "Enduring the Massacre" does suffer from sounding a bit the same throughout the album, but it´s not a huge issue considering the music style, and the album features so many other redeeming qualities like the high level musicianship, the powerful, raw, and well sounding production job, and the effective songwriting, that I´m prepared to overlook the fact, that a bit more variation between tracks could have made the album a more interesting listen.

While "Annihilate To Liberate" (2008) certainly was a promising first label release from Dyscarnate, the promise that was given on the EP is more than fulfilled on "Enduring the Massacre", which is through and through a high quality death metal release. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Odd Fellows Rest" is the fifth full-length studio album by US, Louisiana based sludge metal act Crowbar. The album was released through Mayhem Records in July 1998. It´s the successor to "Broken Glass" from 1996 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Matt Thomas has been replaced by Sammy Pierre Duet (Acid Bath, Goatwhore).

The material on "Odd Fellows Rest" continue the heavy sludge metal style of the preceding releases, but lead vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein further develops his slightly more melodic approach to singing. Slightly is the right word to use here, because Windstein has a rough voice and even his most melodic vocal parts are usually delivered in a relatively raw fashion. The laid back psychedelic tinged title track is the exception where the vocals are 100% clean. It´s a track which is obviously inspired by- and possibly even an ode to "Planet Caravan" by Black Sabbath.

Overall Crowbar do what they do best on "Odd Fellows Rest", and that´s delivering crushingly heavy and groove laden riffs and rhythms structured in vers/chorus format, and sounding both aggressive and raw, while at the same time sounding deeply melancholic. It´s one of the great strengths of Crowbar that they are capable of pairing those emotions and making it sound natural. Packed in a powerful, heavy, and detailed sound production "Odd Fellows Rest" is another quality release by Crowbar and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Casus Belli" is the sixth full-length studio album by Polish death metal act Deivos. The album was released through Selfmadegod Records in November 2019. It´s the successor to "Endemic Divine" from 2017 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Jakub "Diego" Tokaj has been replaced by Mścisław (real name Piotr Bajus). The latter was previously a member of Deivos from 2004-2016, and therefore makes a return here.

Stylistically "Casus Belli" is a natural successor to both "Theodicy" (2015) and "Endemic Divine" (2017), as it features a similar style and also a relatively similar sounding production. It could be argued that Deivos are repeating themselves, but I´d like to describe it as the band have locked into a stylistic groove which works really well for them. Why fix it, if it ain´t broken...?

"Casus Belli" features 8 tracks of crushingly brutal and technically well played death metal. While it´s certainly brutal music, Deivos are more sophisticated and adventurous in their songwriting approach than many other contemporary artists playing brutal technical death metal. The riffs are quite intricate (as are the many well played solos) and the drumming by Krzysztof Saran is nothing short of amazing (tempo changes, breaks, and loads of creative drumming ideas). The way he incorporates cowbell in the most natural way to the core death metal sound of Deivos is a touch of brilliance. The vocals are relatively intelligible growling (often layered), and while lead vocalist Angelfuck (yup... that´s actually his artist name) gets the job done, his contributions are slightly one-dimensional, and certainly the least remarkable part of "Casus Belli".

The album features a sharp, detailed, and powerful sounding production, which perfectly suits the material. So upon conclusion "Casus Belli" is another high quality death metal release from Deivos. Hopefully one day they will be counted among the greatest Polish death metal acts (along with artists like Behemoth, Vader, and Hate), because the quality of their releases warrants an inclusion to that exclusive club. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "PowerNerd" is the twenty-second full-length studio album by Canadian progressive rock/metal artist Devin Townsend (if you include all releases by Devin Townsend, Devin Townsend Project, and The Devin Townsend Band). The album was released through InsideOut Music in October 2024. It´s the successor to "Lightwork" from November 2022 and it´s almost impossible to believe that there´s been almost two years between releases for Townsend, who usually is a very prolific with his output rate. There are several reasons for the break in output though, including touring in support of "Lightwork" and working on what is described by Townsend as one of the most elaborate and challenging musical projects of his career...the forthcoming album "The Moth". But in typical Townsend style he of course found time to write and record a stop-gap release which is "PowerNerd".

After having experimented with using an outside co-producer (Gggarth) on "Lightwork", Townsend is back to self-producing on "PowerNerd". He has said in interviews that it was a great experience for him working with an outside producer, but that he would probably never do it again, because as great the experience was, it was also uncomfortable for him to relinquish control of his product.

"PowerNerd" was recorded by Townsend (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming) with additional performances by session musicians Darby Todd (drums), Diego Tejeida and Mike Keneally (both keybaords), Jean Savoie (bass), Aman Khosla (vocals), Tanya Ghosh (vocals), and Jamie Jasta (vocals). So most of the recording was solely done by Townsend.

Stylistically the material on "PowerNerd" is predominantly melodic heavy rock/metal with huge memorable choruses (I could remember almost every track already the second time I listened to them, so this is arguably very catchy material). Although the music is very well produced, featuring Townsend´s signature multi-layers of instruments and vocals, it´s probably his most accessible and least progressive/experimental release yet. The tracks are all vers/chorus structured, 3-5 minutes long (except the even shorter "Dreams of Light"), and relatively simple, but still very effective and well composed. Think how a combination of the pop metal heaviness of "Addicted" (2009) would sound if you applied it to the atmospheric pop/rock of "Lightwork" (2022) and you´re halfway there. Fans of the most experimental parts of Townsend´s discography might find this a little light weight and maybe even a little shallow, but to those of us who found the two above mentioned albums greatly enjoyable and generally appreciate the more melodic and easier to access material from Townsend, "PowerNerd" is another great addition to our collection.

What´s interesting on "PowerNerd" compared to some of the other more accessible releases in Townsend´s discography is that there are almost no excursions into experimental territories. He usually can´t help himself add at least one or two tracks with an experimental/progressive edge even on the more melodic pop rock/metal oriented releases, but "PowerNerd" is almost completely devoid of that and it´s generally a very consistent release in terms of musical style...at least until the closing track "Ruby Quaker" where Townsend let´s loose with a little eclectic musical madness (mixing a cowpunk main song with death metal and epic symphonic parts). Probably just to remind his audience that he hasn´t lost his edge and have become completely domesticated.

Even within this relatively simple vers/chorus structured format Townsend is able to show his musical ingenuity and geniality. Although it´s not as apparent on "PowerNerd" as on other preceding more experimental releases, it´s still pretty clear that he is a one-of-a-kind genius, who is able to make even relatively staight forward music sound intriguing, energetic, and powerful. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Dead Soul" is the second full-length studio album by Chilean thrash/groove metal act Criminal. The album was released through BMG Chile in 1997. It´s the successor to "Victimized" from 1994 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Jose Joaquin Vallejos has been replaced by Jimmy Ponce.

Stylistically the material on "Dead Soul" continue the thrash/groove thrash metal style of the predecessor, but with an added songwriting depth and even better musical performances. It´s still mid-90s Sepultura which is the greatest influence and reference, but I hear a few nods toward an act like Prong too. So this is raw, aggressive, and groove laden thrash metal with a raw sounding lead vocalist in front. The songwriting is reasonably varied for the style and the tracks are generally powerful, sharp, and well written. Some of the standout tracks are the Spanish language "Hijos De La Miseria" (the remaining tracks feature English language lyrics) and the heavy closing track "Guilt". The latter features quite a few great guitar solos which are worth a mention. The remaining tracks are overall strong and effective too.

"Dead Soul" features a raw, powerful, and brutal sounding production, which suits the material well. The only minor issue I have with the sound production, is the clicky powerless sound of the bass drums. That part of the sound could have prospered from a more natural tone. "Dead Soul" is overall still a strong release though and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is fully deserved (and maybe even a bit low).

UMUR "Rise to Dominate" is the second full-length studio by Swedish death metal act Aeon. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in September 2007. It´s the successor to "Bleeding the False" from 2005 and it features one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist (and founding member) Johan Hjelm has been replaced by Max Carlberg.

Right off the bat album opener "Helel Ben-Shachar" sets the tone and reveals that Aeon have made zero changes or compromises since the release of "Bleeding the False" (2005) and therefore continue to play a brutal and blasphemous/anti-christian themed Deicide influenced style of death metal (with the occasional nod towards Morbid Angel). It´s sharp, brutal, and hateful death metal played with great technical skill and featuring a lead vocalist with a commanding deep growling yet intelligible delivery. His deep growls are complimented and often layered by high pitched screaming (not completely unlike the vocal style of Glen Benton).

The lyrics are as primitive/juvenile as on the preceding releases going out of their way to bash Christians, God, and anything and everything else related to those subjects. There´s even a song here dedicated to bashing and hating on Jehovah's Witnesses ("Spreading Their Disease"). Not that I necessarily disagree about criticising the actions and opinions of some Christian societies and groups, but personally I prefer that critique to be a little more subtle and intelligent than the closing lyric lines on the above mentioned "Spreading Their Disease": "I despise them", "they make me sick", "I want them dead", "Die they will die they must die", "Die they will die they must die". It´s not exactly Pulitzer price winning material...

...oh well... then it´s fortunate that Aeon do almost everything else right on "Rise to Dominate", which is a punishing, brutal, and technically well played death metal release, packed in a clear, brutal, and powerful sounding production (the album was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö). Fans of early 90s Florida death metal should find loads to enjoy here. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "As Night Conquers Day" is the second full-length studio album by Danish death metal act Autumn Leaves. The album was released through Serious Entertainment in early 1999. It´s the successor to "Embraced by the Absolute" from 1997. It would be the band´s last album before disbanding in 2001. Some of the members subsequently formed The Arcane Order.

Stylistically "As Night Conquers Day" continues the melodic death metal style with blackened vocals, which was introduced on "Embraced by the Absolute (1997)". It´s highly melodic death metal with loads of guitar leads, solos, and harmonies, but I wouldn´t call it 100% melodeath. The music on "As Night Conquers Day" has as much in common with the blackened melodic death metal of Swedish artists like Unanimated, Necrophobic, and Dissection, as it has to artists like Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. But the scale tips both ways.

Autumn Leaves are a well playing unit, and everything is delivered with tight precision, but still with the right organic touch. Lead vocalist Torsten Madsen has a powerful voice and a commanding delivery. Sometimes delivering death metal growling, and other times delivering higher pitched blackened snarling. The material on the album are well written and effective and as "As Night Conquers Day" also features a raw, detailed, and powerful sounding production job, it´s a quality release on all parameters. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "True to the Trade E.P." is an EP release by US, California based hardcore/crossover thrash metal act Attitude Adjustment. The EP was released through Rise Above It Records in 1996 and is the follow-up release to the band´s second full-length studio album "Out of Hand" from 1991. "True to the Trade E.P." is a posthumous release, as Attitude Adjustment disbanded in 1991.

The EP was originally released on 7" vinyl (limited to 1.200 copies), featuring 3 live tracks and 2 demo tracks on the A-side and two studio tracks on the B-side. Both the live and the demo tracks feature a raw, noisy, and lo-fi recording quality, while the 2 studio tracks feature a slighly better sounding production (recorded in November 1995 during a short reformation of the band). It´s fast, aggressive, and simple hardcore, and nothing out of the ordinary for the style. Drummer Chris Kontos is the star of the show with his powerful and skillful drumming.

Upon conclusion "True to the Trade E.P." isn´t the most necessary release. Not even for fans of Attitude Adjustment. The recording quality of the live- and the demo tracks are simply of such a low quality that it´s hard to enjoy the music, and the two studio recordings aren´t that interesting either. A 2 star (40%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Let Chaos Prevail" is the third full-length studio album by Finnish death metal act Demigod. The album was independently released in May 2007 but soon saw a label release through Xtreem Music in November 2007. It´s the successor to "Shadow Mechanics" from 2002 and there have been a couple of lineup changes since the predecessor as drummer Seppo Taatila has been replaced by Tuomo Latvala, lead vocalist Ali Leiniö has left and keyboard player Mika Haapasalo has also left.

Although Demigod formed as far back as 1990, they only released some demo/promo material, a split with Necropsy, and their debut full-length studio album "Slumber of Sullen Eyes (1992)" (which is arguably one of the seminal albums from the early 90s Finnish death metal scene) before disbanding in 1994. When they returned to the spotlight with "Shadow Mechanics" (2002) their sound and style had changed significantly adding clean vocals and keyboards, and a technical/progressive edge to their death metal, which were not elements heard on the old school death metal of their early releases.

"Let Chaos Prevail" is however not a continuation of the sound found on "Shadow Mechanics" (2002). Although some elements of that sound remain, it´s not a continuation of their original old school death metal sound either. Stylistically this is technically well played death metal with shouting semi-growling vocals in front. The clean vocals and the keyboard parts of the predecessor are gone, and so are the occasionally odd songwriting ideas. "Let Chaos Prevail" is a consistent release in terms of quality and style.

It´s also a well produced release, featuring a sophisticated, detailed, and clear sounding production, suiting this type of death metal perfectly. I still hear the occasional nod towards latter day Death (the band), but it´s actually the French in Loudblast that I´m mostly reminded of (especially their 1993 "Sublime Dementia" album). Technically well played death metal which isn´t quite tech death (and featuring a lot of thrashy riffs), but still a sophisticated and polished type of death metal. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "This Present Wasteland" is the ninth full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Metal Church. The album was released through Steamhammer Records in September 2008. After touring in support of the album Metal Church disbanded in July 2009, which was their second split. They reunited in October 2012. "This Present Wasteland" is the successor to "A Light in the Dark" from 2006 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Jay Reynolds has left and has been replaced by Rick Van Zandt.

Lineup changes never had much impact on the sound of Metal Church though, and the material on "This Present Wasteland" continues the US power/heavy metal style of the preceding releases as if the band haven´t noticed that almost 25 years have passed since the release of their debut album. Metal Church are incredibly consistent in the style and quality of their material, and while there have been minor fluctuations in quality over the years, they have been just that...minor.

So once again the listener is treated to hard rocking heavy metal riffs (and the occasional more thrashy riff), brilliant lead guitar work, an organic and powerful playing rhythm section, and lead vocalist Ronny Munroe delivering both rough and more melodic and higher pitched vocals (he sometimes sounds like the US power metal version of Bruce Dickinson). Pure class on all posts. "The Company of Sorrow" opens the album and sounds a little like contemporary Metallica. Heavy metal/US power metal with thrash metal leanings. And that´s more or less how the remainder of the album continues. It´s a consistent quality release in terms of memorable songwriting, a powerful and well sounding production job, and high level musical performances. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Rumours of Rain" is a demo album release by Swedish power metal act B>Morgana Lefay. The demo was independently released in 1992. Morgana Lefay formed in 1989 and self-financed and independently released their debut full-length studio album "Symphony Of The Damned" in 1990. The release of the debut album didn´t lead to a label deal though, hence the recording of "Rumours of Rain", which was released to promote Morgana Lefay and secure them a record contract, which it eventually did, as they signed with Black Mark Production shortly after the release of "Rumours of Rain".

Stylistically the material on "Rumours of Rain" is a natural continuation of the US influenced power metal style of "Symphony Of The Damned" (1990). Savatage is the most obvious influence, and lead vocalist Charles Rytkönen has a voice and delivery similar to the voice and delivery of Jon Oliva. Not the worst singer to be compared to. Needless to say that the vocal part of the music is one of the great assets of the band´s sound. Morgana Lefay are a very well playing band too, and the instrumental part of the music is delivered with great skill and passion. Powerful heavy rhythms, sharp heavy riffs, blistering solos and harmonies, and the occassional use of keyboards for atmosphere enhancement.

The material is generally well written and powerful US power metal and every track on the album is worth a listen. The cover of "Razamanaz" by Nazareth is decent too. "Modern Devil" features a couple of semi-thrashy riffs, but other than that this is just heavy and dark US power metal. All tracks from the demo would be re-recorded and included on Morgana Lefay´s second full-length studio album "Knowing Just as I" from 1993, so there is high level songwriting quality here.

"Rumours of Rain" is a demo release though, and it´s audible in terms of the sound quality. My guess is that most of the instrumental tracks were recorded live in the studio, and only vocals (at least the backing, harmony, and choirs vocal parts) and maybe lead guitars and keyboards were overdubbed. You can hear what´s going on in the mix, but "Rumours of Rain" is not a particularly well sounding release. The unpolished demo production thankfully doesn´t disguise the fact that there are some great tracks on the demo. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Graveyard Mountain Home" is the third full-length studio album by US ambient/atmospheric pop/rock artist Chroma Key. The album was released through InsideOut Music in November 2004. The same year as main man behind Chroma Key, Kevin Moore had also earlier in the year released two albums under his own name. It´s the first Chroma Key album since the release of "You Go Now" from 2000, but Moore had kept busy writing and recording the first OSI album during 2002-2003 titled "Office of Strategic Influence" (released through InsideOut Music in February 2003), so it was indded busy years for Moore.

Stylistically "Graveyard Mountain Home" continues the ambient/atmospheric pop/rock style of the preceding Chroma Key releases. Predominantly instrumental music using samples and effects to create melancholic atmospheres rather than vocals. There are sporadic effect laden vocals on the album, but they are often low in the mix and very subtle, adding texture to the tracks rather than dominating them with lead melodies. I´m somtimes reminded of post-rock like Tortoise, although Chroma Key aren´t as rock oriented. It´s slow, introvert, and thougthful music, which works just as well as pleasant background music, as it works as music that you spend a little more time analyzing.

The album subtitle: "In his loneliness and out of his longing, an idea occurred to Andrew. if he could fix his mother´s radio, perhaps he could bring her back to life" perfectly fits the generally melancholic and longing atmosphere of the album and almost tells the story of how this album sounds better than any reviewer´s words can ever do. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "With Sympathy" is the debut full-length studio album by US synth pop (later industrial metal act) Ministry. The album was released through Arista Records in May 1983. It was released in Europe under the title "Work for Love", featuring an alternate tracklist, replacing "What He Say" with "Do the Etawa" (which is not featured on the US version), and featuring a different running order of the tracks.

Ministry was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1981 by producer, singer and instrumentalist Al Jourgensen. Jourgensen had been active in the Chicago post-punk underground scene with various artists since he moved there from Denver in 1978, but he opted to form his own band in 1981 and started writing material using an ARP Omni synthesizer, a drum machine, and a reel-to-reel tape recorder. A shifting cast of musicians were in and out of the band in the formative years but when it came time to record the material for "With Sympathy", the band were down to the duo of Jourgensen (Vocals, Keyboards) and Stephen George (drums).

"With Sympathy" is an interesting release to review, as most people coming to the album today, are fans of Ministry´s later industrial metal sound, and the material on "With Sympathy" is arguably as far removed from that sound as it can be. People will have very different expectations and prerequisites when listening to and experiencing "With Sympathy". Stylistically this is synth pop greatly influenced by contemporary UK artists like Depeche Mode, Japan, and New Order. The influence is so great, that Jourgensen even adds a faux British accent to his vocals, which is a bit funny as he is an American, but it actually works pretty well within the band´s synth pop sound. His vocals are otherwise well performed and he has a suiting voice for this type of music (again far removed from his future raw self). While he can sing melodic and mainstream oriented, he does sometimes add a slightly more aggressive touch to his singing style, which reminds me a bit of Jaz Coleman from Killing Joke. It´s not that he distorts his vocals, but more the attitude and his delivery of the vocals.

"With Sympathy" is a well produced 80s release, featuring a detailed and professional sound production. The material is quite catchy and well written too, and it´s interesting that Ministry weren´t more than moderately successful with the release of "With Sympathy", as there is definitely enough quality songwriting and performances here to equal at least the early releases by some of the above mentioned artists. Moderately successful shouldn´t be understood as if Ministry didn´t have any success though as the album did break into the middle part of the Billboard 200 album chart, and they landed themselves the supporting gig for The Police during the North American leg of their "Synchronicity" (1983) tour. Jourgensen however soon became dissatisfied with the label support from Arista Records and also the fact that he felt he was pressured into creating more commercially appealing versions of the songs that he had written and imagined otherwise. Add to those reasons, that he simply became more interestered in raw music styles like hardcore, and it´s only natural that "With Sympathy" ended up being the only mainstream oriented synth-pop album released under the Ministry monicker (although their next album is also an electronic synth pop/rock album it´s a much harder edged and darker release). It´s still a worthy release to fans of the genre though (and probably sadly forgotten by most) and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Into the Catacombs of Flesh" is the ninth full-length studio album by German death metal act Fleshcrawl. The album was released through Apostasy Records in November 2019. It´s been 12 years since the release of the predeceding album "Structures of Death" (2007), so it´s fair to say that "Into the Catacombs of Flesh" is a comeback release for Fleshcrawl. Three out of five members remain from the lineup who recorded "Structures of Death (2007)", but longstanding guitarist Mike Hanus has been replaced by Slobodan Stupar and bassist Nico Scheffler has been replaced by Manu Markowski. The only remaining original member of the band is drummer Bastian Herzog.

Stylistically the material on "Into the Catacombs of Flesh" won´t surprise anyone familiar with the preceding releases by Fleshcrawl. This sounds pretty much like they´ve sounded since album number two ("Impurity" from 1994), when they changed their original death metal style with doom metal leanings, towards a more melodic old school death metal style strongly influenced by the Swedish Stockholm sound and especially Dismember. The opening title track immediately sets the stage and it´s impossible not to think of Dismember when listening to that track. Fortunately the next track is a little different and doesn´t reek as much of Swedish worship, but Fleshcrawl generally just aren´t the most original act on the scene. They bring zero new ideas to the world and are content playing the same old school death metal style they´ve played on now many album releases.

So it´s not in the songwriting department that we find anything out of the ordinary for the style. Thankfully Fleshcrawl know how to compose an effecful death metal tune, and that saves the album from being another mediocre and quite frankly redundant death metal release. "Into the Catacombs of Flesh" features strong musicianship and a well sounding production job too, so it´s overall a good quality death metal release. A little more musical identity and a few unique songwriting ideas could have made the album even more interesting though, and as it is my rating won´t go higher than a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating.

UMUR "My Arms, Your Hearse" is the third full-length studio album by Swedish progressive death metal act Opeth. The album was released through Candlelight Records (Europe)/Century Black (US) in April 1998. It´s the successor to "Morningrise" from 1996 and there have been quite a few lineup changes since the predecessor. Bassist Johan DeFarfalla has left and has been replaced by Martín Méndez. Méndez was recruited very shortly before Opeth entered the studio to record the material for "My Arms, Your Hearse", so he didn´t have time to learn the songs, which resulted in lead vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt performing all bass parts on the album. Drummer Anders Nordin also left and he was replaced by Martin Lopez. So only Åkerfeldt and second guitarist Peter Lindgren remain from the lineup who recorded "Morningrise".

Stylistically "My Arms, Your Hearse" is the blueprint album for the sound Opeth would play and built upon on the next meny releases (until "Watershed" from 2008). A lot of the elements found on the subsequent Opeth releases (up until 2008) are found on "My Arms, Your Hearse". In that regard the first two albums stand as phase one of Opeth´s career and "My Arms, Your Hearse" is the beginning of phase two. "My Arms, Your Hearse" is generally darker, heavier, more brutal, and more consistent in style and quality than the preceding albums, and the songwriting is concise, intriguing, and varied. There are no parts here which don´t fit the song that they are a part of, or any unnecessary noodling or progressive ideas. Everything fits and belongs. Brutal riffs and death metal growling are counterpointed by mellow, melancholic, and atmospheric acoustic sections, male clean vocals, and epic melodic moments. The almost constant counterpoint or harmony lead guitar themes and/or riffs from the first releases are not the main guitar riff style any longer, although Opeth still deliver some beautiful, soaring, and epic leads when that is called for. Just take a listen to album closer "Epilogue" for proof of that.

The band sound transformed with new drummer Lopez delivering a more organic, fluent, and varied drumming style than the stiff and unimaginative playing style of Nordin. It´s a huge change and it has great impact on how well the tracks flow and how well the dynamics of the tracks work. While Åkerfeldt performs clean vocals on "Morningrise" (and a few on "Orchid"), "My Arms, Your Hearse" is the album where he ups his game and sounds like he means it. His clean vocals are tasteful and melancholic in tone, while his death metal growling is majestic and brutal. He occasionally performs some higher pitched screaming/snarling vocals, which provide some parts of the album with a blackened touch, but other than those moments and a few other sections, "My Arms, Your Hearse" isn´t particularly black metal oriented or even blackened death metal oriented.

"My Arms, Your Hearse" features a dark, brutal, and powerful sounding production job, which suits the heavier and and gloomy material well. It´s not as detailed or clear sounding as the next couple of Opeth albums, but there is a charm to the rawness and savage nature of this sound production, which no other Opeth album features. Soundwise its closest relative is "Still Life" (1999), but that´s only natural as it´s the direct succeesor to "My Arms, Your Hearse". "My Arms, Your Hearse" is often forgotten or just not mentioned when speaking of the greatest Opeth releases from phase two of the band´s career, and while I do agree that there are more accomplished releases down the line, this album is still a massive progressive death metal release, deserving much more attention than it gets, and a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "Wizard Bloody Wizard" is the ninth full-length studio album by UK doom/stoner metal act Electric Wizard. The album was released through Spinefarm Records in November 2017. It´s the successor to "Time to Die" from 2014 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Mark Greening has been replaced by Simon Poole.

Stylistically the material on "Wizard Bloody Wizard" is horror/occult themed stoner/doom metal with the occasional psychedelic touch. It´s brick heavy music, featuring heavy groove laden power chord riffs, organic bass playing and drumming, and lead vocalist/guitarist Jus Oborn shouting vocals in front. If you´re familiar with the last couple of albums by Electric Wizard, you won´t be surprised by the style of music presented here. There´s maybe a slight hard rock edge to some of the tracks and an even more organic/analog sounding production than on the preceding albums, but it´s details, and Electric Wizard still worship at the alter of 70s Black Sabbath, like they´ve done on a lot of their output. The title of the album is of course also a pun on the legendary Birmingham band´s fifth studio album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (1973).

The songwriting is decent, but it´s not the most interesting nor the most challenging release by Electric Wizard. They´ve always repeated their riffs a lot during tracks to create a hypnotic effect, and it has often worked well for them, but there is always the risk that repetition creates a feeling of indifference or even boredom in the listener, and that´s unfortunately occasionally the case here. It´s not a major issue, but a more concise songwriting approach and a little more focus on catchiness wouldn´t have hurt. Of course the dark occult atmosphere, the high level musicianship, and the great parts of the songs save the day, and "Wizard Bloody Wizard" is overall another high quality stoner/doom metal release by Electric Wizard. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Metaphysincarnation" is the second full-length studio album by Italian death metal act Electrocution. The album was released through Goregorecords in May 2014. It´s the successor to "Inside the Unreal" from 1993 and after 21 years incredibly features the exact same quartet lineup who recorded the predecessor. "Inside the Unreal (1993)" is often considered a classic Italian death metal release from the early 90s, and when Goregorecords opted to reissue the debut album in 2012, Electrocution reunited.

Stylistically the material on "Metaphysincarnation" is old school death metal but with the occasionally more contemporary twist to keep things fresh. There´s also a technical edge to the playing at times, but it´s not the dominant style. The preceding album was a pretty standard quality death metal release, and earned it´s reputation as a lost 90s gem, more to the fact that it was almost impossible to find before it was reissued in 2012, than to the actual quality of the material. "Metaphysincarnation" continues that trend. It´s a decent quality death metal release, featuring strong musicianship, and a relatively well sounding production job (the drums though could have prospered from a more organic tone), but the material does not stand out as anything out of the ordinary for the style.

When that said "Metaphysincarnation" is still a professional release and an enjoyable listen while it plays, and while it´s not the first death metal release I would recommend listening to, there is enough quality here to warrant the occasional listen. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Annihilate To Liberate" is an EP release by UK death metal act Dyscarnate. The EP was independently released in November 2008. Dyscarnate formed in 2003 under the Incarnate monicker but changed to the current one in 2004. They released one demo under the Incarnate monicker and a second demo under the Dyscarnate name before recording and releasing "Annihilate To Liberate".

Dyscarnate are the type of act who don´t let the listener wait in suspense to reveal what they have to offer. Right from the opening notes of EP opener "Fuelling the Ignorance" it´s made abundantly clear that these guys mean business...serious business in terms of delivering their brand of death metal in the most caustic and relentlessly aggressive, brutal, and furiously fast-paced fashion. It´s a sledgehammer to the face type of listening experience and "Annihilate To Liberate" is a release bound to leave the listener out of breath and exhausted. There isn´t a second on this 5 track, 21:28 minutes long EP which can even remotely be considered a breather.

While it´s definitely a pummeling release in every way possible, there is a bit more to the music than just brutality and aggression. This is technically very well played and the tracks feature effectful tempo changes, sharp riffs (and heavy brutal grooves), and some very convincing and commanding growling vocals. The lack of lead guitar motifs and solos make the tracks a slightly one-dimensional listening experience, and just a few of those would probably have made the EP a more memorable release. Dyscarnate are completely uncompromising though, and while I may not agree with every songwriting decision they´ve made here, I always applaud a band who doesn´t compromise with their musical vision.

"Annihilate To Liberate" features a raw, brutal, and unpolished sounding production job, and while the production suits the material well, it could have been interesting to hear a few more details (more variation), as it´s obviously music featuring a lot of intriguing notes and rhythms. So if you enjoy your death metal brutal, aggressive, and raw, but still played with great technical skill, "Annihilate To Liberate" is a recommended listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Endemic Divine" is the fifth full-length studio album by Polish death metal act Deivos. The album was released through Selfmadegod Records in February 2017. It´s the successor to "Theodicy" from 2015, which was an album dividing the waters a bit. Deivos tried a slightly different approach to their brand of technical death metal and the end result was slightly less pummeling and brutal than the sound on their early releases, and a little more sophisticated and dare I say (semi) progressive...

...that approach is continued on "Endemic Divine", which in many ways is a sibling release to "Theodicy (2015)" in terms of songwriting style, production values, and performances. Deivos are an incredibly well playing and skilled unit, but while there are no end to sharp precision playing, breaks, and tempo changes, Deivos still manage to add an organic touch to their music. It´s in no small part due to the drumming of Krzysztof Saran, who is an otherworldly musician. His playing is creative (notice the use of cowbells), delivers powerful beats, and always drives the music forward. The riffs on the album deserve a special mention too. Brutal, sharp, rhythmic, and often quite catchy although they are also often a bit unusual for the style. The vocals are growling and they are often layered/doubled by another extreme vocal, which to my ears is a bit of a shame. The vocals would have stood out more on the album, if they had not been layered. The layering gives them a watered down feeling.

While the musicianship is arguably on a high level in most departments, it wouldn´t have mattered if the songwriting didn´t follow suit, but that´s not a problem on "Endemic Divine". There are several strong compositions on the 8 track, 32:19 minutes long album, which closes with the excellent 7:50 minutes long title track. Add to that a powerful and detailed sound production, and the end result is a high quality death metal release. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Rotten to the Core Part 2 (The Nightmare Continues)" is the ninth full-length studio album by US metal act Deceased. The album was released through Malt Soda Recordings in July 2020. It´s the successor to "Ghostly White" from 2018, but it´s not a new studio album featuring original music. Instead it´s a hardcore/punk covers album, featuring covers of artists like Final Conflict, Buzzcocks, and The Accüsed. It´s Deceased second album featuring hardcore/punk covers as they released the "Rotten to the Core" covers album in 2004.

Not surprisingly "Rotten to the Core Part 2 (The Nightmare Continues)" sounds like a natural successor to "Rotten to the Core" (2004) (the CD version of this album actually features all tracks from the 2004 album as bonus material), and if you enjoyed the first release of the series, you´ll pretty surely appreciate "Rotten to the Core Part 2 (The Nightmare Continues)" too. Deceased are a well playing band and they try to put their own spin on the songs, and are relatively successful doing that. The source material are however a little difficult to deal with in terms of making the tracks stand out. The simple and one-dimensional nature of the hardcore/punk styled tracks simply doesn´t provide Deceased with much to work with.

A few tracks of course stand out more than the rest like the cover of "London Calling" by The Clash, but the album is generally not the most varied listening experience. Although the album is relatively well produced and enjoyable while it plays (regardless if you know the original tracks or not), it´s not a release which holds up to the studio albums featuring the band´s original material, and it should be viewed as a "fun" release, the band recorded because of their love for the source material and for their own sake, rather than for the sake of their normal audience. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Ghostly White" is the eighth full-length studio album by US metal act Deceased. The album was released through Hells Headbangers Records in November 2018. It´s the successor to "Surreal Overdose" from 2011 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Dave Castillo has returned to the fold, and Kingsley Fowley therefore only performs vocals on this album.

Stylistically the material on "Ghostly White" is unmistakably the sound of Deceased as they have pretty much sounded since the release of the band´s third full-length studio album "Fearless Undead Machines" (1997). It´s a relatively unique combination of traditional heavy metal/speed metal, but with an added thrash metal/death metal extremity edge. Fowley for example is firmly placed in the latter camp, with his raw shouting and at times semi-growling vocals, but much of the instrumental part of the music belongs in the former camp, albeit a filthy, loud, and extreme version of it. Deceased are quite sophisticated songwriters though, and there are loads of melodic guitar leads on the album, and the riffs are both powerful and well thought out. Samples and occasional use of female vocals and eerie spoken word sections only add to the ominous mood of the release.

"Ghostly White" features the usual horror story lyrics and Fowley is as always a great storyteller. The type of presenter that you really want to listen to telling a story. "Ghostly White" reeks of occult darkness and horror, and the raw and organic sounding production further enhances the gloomy atmosphere. It´s a timeless production job, and if you didn´t know it, you wouldn´t necessarily have guessed that "Ghostly White" was recorded in 2018. It could just as well have been recorded in the 80s or in the 90s. The tracks are generally pretty long (most of them around 6 minutes long), which isn´t unusual for Deceased, but it is afer all a bit unusual to see that they have composed a track as long as "Germ of Distorted Lore", which features a playing time of 13:20 minutes. The track itself ins´t particularly different from the remaining tracks though...just longer.

Other than the strong songwriting and well sounding production, one of the great strengths of Deceased has always been their high level musicianship, and "Ghostly White" is no different from the preceding releases when it comes to that. The drumming is organic and powerful, the guitars creative and sharp, and while Fowley does have a tendency to be a little one-dimensional, he is still a greatly charming frontman with a unique approach to singing. Upon conclusion "Ghostly White" is another high quality hybrid trad/speed/thrash/death metal release by Deceased, showing no signs of rust or lack of inspiration, which are always the danger signs to look for on releases by artists who have been active as long as Deceased have. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Crypts of the Unrotten" is the second full-length studio album by German death metal act Dawn Of Disease. The album was released through NoiseArt Records in April 2012. It´s the successor to "Legends Of Brutality" from 2011 and features the exact same quintet lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically the music on "Crypts of the Unrotten" is early 90s influenced death metal, but this time around Dawn Of Disease have added a melodic death metal element to their sound. It´s not melodeath, but melodic death metal, and I hear more than one moment reminding me of an act like Dismember. I think it´s the way the band compose and play the leads. They have that morbid yet still melodic sound to them, that many of the early 90s Swedish death metal artists excelled in. The vocals are brutal but intelligible growling, and they are both well performed and delivered in a convincing manner. The band are generally well playing, but I´m not really a fan of the drumming style. It´s not providing the music with the organic touch it needs and the transitions between the different tempos in the music are not handled in the most suiting fashion.

"Crypts of the Unrotten" features a powerful, brutal, and well sounding production job, altough the drums could have prospered from a more organic tone. Upon conclusion "Crypts of the Unrotten" is a good quality death metal release and it´s certainly a step up in quality from the relatively weak debut album. You won´t hear much here you haven´t heard before but if you enjoy good quality death metal "Crypts of the Unrotten" isn´t the worst album to pick up. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Lacerated" is an EP release by Danish, Silkeborg based death metal act Dawn of Demise. The EP was released through Deepsend Records in October 2008. It bridges the gap between the band´s debut- and second full-length studio albums "Hate Takes Its Form (2007)" and "A Force Unstoppable (2010)". Guitarist Jakob Nyholm has left since the release of the debut album, and as he hasn´t been replaced here, Dawn of Demise is a quartet on "Lacerated", with Martin Sørensen handling all guitars.

"Lacerated" features two new original tracks and three covers of Suffocation, At The Gates, and Obituary. The original compositions are brutal, groove laden, and technical death metal and they are both quality tracks. Dawn of Demise were never the most unique sounding act on the scene, but they´ve always produced memorable and crushingly brutal material, performed with great passion and conviction, and that counts for something too. I can´t say I find neither the cover of "Infecting The Crypts" (Suffocation) nor the cover of "Turned Inside Out" (Obituary) to be more than decent, but "Blinded By Fear" (At The Gates) is a bit different from the original as a consequence of the more meaty and brutal sounding production values, and that makes it worth a listen. It is however the two original compositions which are the most interesting tracks on "Lacerated".

As mentioned "Lacerated" features a meaty, brutal, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. The performanes are also of a high level from all involved and upon conclusion "Lacerated" is a good quality release by Dawn of Demise and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Betrayer of Humanity" is an EP release by Swedish thrash metal act Lunatic Brigade. The EP was independently released in September 2016. Lunatic Brigade formed in 2015 by among others the two former Hatred members Kenneth Wiklund (guitars) and Sonny Svedlund (drums).

Stylistically this is pretty standard US influenced thrash metal and it´s artists like Forbidden, Demonica, and Lunatic Brigade´s fellow countrymen in Mezzrow, who are the valid references. The music is well performed, and lead vocalist Matte Kärvemo has a raw yet melodic tinged delivery. Tight, thrashy, and powerful playing and some relatively memorable songwriting. Lunatic Brigade arguably know what they´re doing.

"Betrayer of Humanity" also features a sharp, powerful, and heavy sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly, and fans of any of the above mentioned artists should find a lot to appreciate here. It´s not exactly unique sounding or innovative in any way, but it´s a good quality release on all other parameters and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "New Found Power" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Texas based groove metal act Damageplan. The album was released through Elektra Records in February 2004. Damageplan was founded in 2003 under the New Found Power monicker but changed to the current band name in early 2004. Damageplan was formed by the Abbott brothers, Dimebag Darrell (guitars) and Vinnie Paul (drums) after the demise of Pantera. The lineup on "New Found Power" is completed by lead vocalist Patrick Lachman (ex-guitarist for Halford) and bassist Bob Kahaha. Damageplan would be a short-lived affair as Dimebag Darrell was shot dead in a Columbus, Ohio nightclub in December 2004, while performing with Damageplan. A tragic episode which meant the end of the band.

Stylistically the 14 tracks on the 61:39 minutes long album are vers/chorus structured groove metal, featuring heavy groove laden riffs and rhythms, and a raw and angry sounding vocalist in front, who occasionally sings clean vocal parts too ("Save Me" is an example of that). The performances are tight and the sound production relatively well sounding, but the material is generally a bit generic and feel uninspired. Other than a couple of sharp groovy riffs here and a pitch shifter effect laden lead guitar part there, and a drum sound that is somewhat similar to Vinnie Paul´s distinct sounding drum production on Pantera´s releases, there aren´t much on this album which reveal that the Abbott brothers are involved. To hear a guitarist of Dimebag´s caliber play one anonymous and generic groove metal riff after another is almost a tragedy when you know what he is capable of producing.

While this is of course a made up story, I picture the Abbott brothers playing these songs to Phil Anselmo, asking him to sing on them on the new Pantera album, and Phil crying out in disbelief at what he has just heard..."hell no! I ain´t going to sing on those generic groove metal tunes"... "and by the way...I´m done with Pantera, if this is all you can muster". Back to reality Lachman is actually a decent vocalist, who does a good job with the material he has to work with, but it really isn´t much. "New Found Power" isn´t a terrible release, but it´s a mediocre one and considering the musicians involved it´s hard not to be disappointed by the quality of the songwriting in particular. Don´t expect anything near the quality of the Abbott brothers former act. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Helpyourselfish" is the fifth full-length studio album by Danish hard rock act D-A-D (previously Disneyland After Dark). The album was released through Medley Records in March 1995. It´s the successor to "Riskin' It All (1991)". After touring in support of the hugely successful "Riskin' It All (1991)", D-A-D went on a 3-year hiatus where they didn´t give interviews or made any public appearances. From the day they released "No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims" (1989) until the last show on the tour supporting "Riskin' It All" (1991) in July 1992, D-A-D had been on an almost constant recording/touring schedule and they were probably burnt out and needed a break. Behind the scenes the band worked on reinventing themselves after they were dropped by Warner Bros. Records (their international recording contract), after "Riskin' It All (1991)" only sold 60.000 copies in the US. Internatinally it was a pretty big success though selling around 450.000 copies.

Part of reinventing themselves meant that D-A-D dropped most of the humour elements from the previous releases (although the title of the album would suggest otherwise) and considerably turned up the heaviness of their music, and as a result "Helpyourselfish" is arguably the most heavy release in the band´s discography. Bringing in Paul Northfield (Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Dream Theater, Geezer, Queensrÿche...etc.) to produce the album brought a more meaty heavy riff approach to the songwriting, and although D-A-D were still primarily a hard rock band, they did touch heavy rock/metal territories on this particular release (tracks like "Reconstrucdead" and "Blood In / Out" are examples of that). They´ve included melodic rock songs like "Unowned" and "Prayin' to a God", and a ballad like "Flat" to balance things out, and "Helpyourselfish" is a release featuring enough variation to entertain all the way through the 51:11 minutes long playing time.

It´s fully understandable (especially in retrospect) that D-A-D felt the need to evolve and change their music to better suit the times, as both "No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims" and "Riskin' It All" were in many ways connected to the 80s glam metal/hair metal scene (although they are essentially just hard rock albums), which in 1995 was almost totally dead and buried. I think "Helpyourselfish" showed a bold, well playing, and inspired act, but also a band who wasn´t completely comfortable with the heavier direction their music had taken. "Helpyourselfish" features a couple of really great songs and especially the opening duo of "Reconstrucdead" and "Written in Water" plus the title track stand out as bring highlights. The album is unfortunately frontloaded with the best tracks and there are some more unremarkable tracks the longer you get into the tracklist. still a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Pandemonium" is the third full-length studio album by Brazilian thrash/groove metal act Cavalera Conspiracy. The album was released through Napalm Records in October 2014. It´s the successor to "Blunt Force Trauma" from 2011 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist Johny Chow (Stone Sour) has been replaced by Nate Newton (The Ocean Collective, Doomriders, Old Man Gloom). The usual suspects are Max Cavalera on guitars and lead vocals, Igor Cavalera on drums and percussion, and Marc Rizzo on guitars.

Stylistically "Pandemonium" leans a bit more towards the thrash metal past of the Cavalera brothers than the two previous releases, but still features a lot of heavy grooves and the occasional ethnic trial music moment (although it´s mostly the limited edition bonus track "Porra" which falls into that catagory). "Pandemonium" features quite a few fast-paced thrashy sections and the distinct sounding shouting raw vocals of Max Cavalera and it´s generally a highly energetic, heavy, and aggressive album. The lead guitar work of Rizzo is of high class and his playing is both varied and intriguing.

The opening track "Babylonian Pandemonium" is one of the highlights of the album, but "Pandemonium" is generally a well written and effective release. The sound production is professional, raw, and detailed, and the musicianship is top notch. So on most parameters "Pandemonium" is a good quality release. There are elements which aren´t as great as others though, and I´d mention some of the thrashy riffs, which do sound a little uninspired (especially compared to what the brothers produced on the late 80s/early 90s thrash metal releases by Sepultura) and the idea to often put distorting effects on Max Cavalera´s voice. It doesn´t sound great and contributes to "Pandemonium" being an album I seldom return to. With the talent involved in the creation of "Pandemonium", I just think I expect more. Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Citadels on Fire" is an EP release by US, Texas based power/thrash metal act Obscene Jester. The EP was released through Chase Records in 1989. Originally only on cassette tape, and it wasn´t until 2015 that the EP saw a CD release through Divebomb Records. Obscene Jester proved a short-lived act forming in 1987 and disbanding in 1991 after releasing "Citadels on Fire" and a 1990 demo. A debut album was alledgedly recorded but it was not released because the band split-up, and it has yet to see the light of day (as of November 2024). Obscene Jester played one reunion show in 2015, featuring Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup on vocals replacing original vocalist Sammy Stovall (who performs on "Citadels on Fire").

Stylistically the material on "Citadels on Fire" is thrash metal with a lead singer who sometimes sings a little more melodic and therefore enters US power metal territory. Not completely unlike a contemporary act like Intruder (from Nashville, Tennessee). Although the band do venture into both melodic US power/heavy metal territories and even could be labelled a bit progressive at times ("Apocalyptic Prophecy" is a good example of all their stylistic elements on display), this is however still mainly a thrash metal release featuring hard edged thrashy riffs and rhythms, blistering lead guitar work, and a nice portion of aggression.

"Citadels on Fire" is well produced, featuring a powerful, detailed, and effectful sound production, which suits the material perfectly. It´s an EP release worth spending your time on if you enjoy artists who combine thrash metal with US power/heavy metal elements. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Unparalleled Universe" is the seventh full-length studio album by US death metal act Origin. The album was released through Agonia Records in June 2017. It´s the successor to "Omnipresent" from 2014 and features an identical four-piece lineup of Paul Ryan (vocals, guitars), Mike Flores (vocals, bass), John Longstreth (drums), and Jason Keyser (lead vocals).

"Unparalleled Universe" opens with "Infinitesimal to the Infinite", which pretty much sounds exactly how you´d expect an opening track on an Origin album to sound like. Ultra fast-paced guitar sweeps and blasting drumming, highly energetic and controlled chaotic, technical, brutal and sharp death metal with both growling vocals and higher pitched screaming vocals.

"Unparalleled Universe" unfortunately also suffers from the same issues as the preceding Origin releases, and that´s the lack of memorable songwriting. Everything is so over the top in regards to brutality and technical playing, that the band seem to forget to write catchy songs. I understand this isn´t pop music and it´s not meant to be easily accessible, but a hook or a memorable moment here and there wouldn´t hurt. When they put their mind to it, they are able to do it (like the closing melodic sequence to "Cascading Failures, Diminishing Returns"), but they predominantly focus so much on technical playing and brutality that the music often lacks dynamics and impact.

From a technical standpoint this is highly impressive music. The skill involved to pull off playing these tracks at the breakneck speed that´s required are amazing to say the least. Breaks, tempo changes, and fast, fast, fast-paced guitar riffs and rhythms. "Unparalleled Universe" features a pretty well sounding production job, although the clicky sounding bass drums are placed a bit too high in the mix. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Absolute Elsewhere" is the third full-length studio album by US, Colorado based death metal act Blood Incantation. The album was released through Century Media Records in October 2024. It´s the successor to "Hidden History of the Human Race" from 2021, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 2022 "Timewave Zero" EP. Three of the four members of the band have also been busy recording the second Spectral Voice album titled "Sparagmos", which was released in February 2024. Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice share all members except for the drummers of the two bands, who exclusively play in one of the groups.

While Blood Incantation have been brewing music since 2011 and have been relatively active since their formation, it wasn´t until the release of "Hidden History of the Human Race" that they had their underground breakthrough. Almost universally lauded for it´s intricate, progressive, and abstract death metal sound, "Hidden History of the Human Race" certainly made sure that Blood Incantation were placed firmly on the death metal map. It´s an interesting death metal release, because for all its sophistication, technical playing, and complex song structures, it´s still inherently an old school death metal release, featuring a gloomy and filthy brutality.

While a large part of the playing time of "Hidden History of the Human Race" was made up of the 18:05 minutes long "Awakening from the Dream of Existence to the Multidimensional Nature of Our Reality (Mirror of the Soul)", writing such a massive progressive death metal track obviously haven´t satisfied Blood Incantation´s cravings for abstract and complex death metal constructions, as "Absolute Elsewhere" contains only two 20 minutes plus tracks titled "The Stargate" (20:20 minutes long) and "The Message" (23:23 minutes long). Both tracks are subdivided into three shorter tracks, but you still get the experience of listening to two long tracks, as the sub-tracks seque into each other.

Stylistically Blood Incantation take their music to a new level. While still featuring loads of old school technical death metal parts, the album features just as many 70s influenced tripped-out space rock parts (Artists like Tangerine Dream, Eloy, and Pink Floyd haven´t lived in vain), which have nothing to do with death metal. So how does two such different music styles co-exist? It should be impossible, but it actually works incredibly well. Blood Incantation ensure that there is a good balance between death metal brutality, technical playing, progressive song structures, and the 70s progressive/space rock influences. "Absolute Elsewhere" is epic, melodic, and atmospheric, but also brutal, dissonant, and raw. Gloomy atmospheres are followed by epic melodic moments, and laid-back psychedelic journeys into space.

The growling vocals are cavernous, but higher in the mix than on the previous releases from Blood Incantation, which is a plus in my book. "The Message [Tablet II]" features a strongly Pink Floyed influenced section with clean singing in the Gilmour vein, and although they are relatively sparse and subtle, they provide a great contrast to the brutal growling vocals, which dominate "Absolute Elsewhere". The instrumental part of the album is well performed too, and the band are arguably a talented unit. It´s the multifaceted songwriting and unconventional progressive ideas which make "Absolute Elsewhere" such an interesting release though. These days you kind of expect that bands can handle their instruments, but it´s never a given that they can write intriguing music. Blood Incantation master both disciplines with ease. Featuring an organic, powerful, and detailed sound production "Absolute Elsewhere" is a high level release on all parameters and a 4.5 star (900%) rating is fully deserved.

UMUR "What's THIS For...!" is the second full-length studio album by UK post-punk/industrial rock act Killing Joke. The album was released through E.G. Records in June 1981, only little over half a year after the release of the band´s eponymously titled debut full-length studio album from October 1980.

There was no reason to wait any longer to release new material though, as the material on "What's THIS For...!" is a natural succession of the post-punk style of the debut album, and in regards to the quality of the material it´s on the same high level as the material featured on the debut album. Killing Joke already had a rather distinct sound this early on. An energetic hypnotic groove, busy basslines (although a completely different sounding artist, I´m hearing references to the bass playing on Japan´s releases), powerful almost tribal influenced drumming, jagged distorted guitar riffs (twisted punk riffs), and Jaz Coleman´s distinct sounding voice and intense shouting vocal delivery. Synths are used too, but only on occasion to enhance atmosphere. An atmosphere that is predominantly bleak. This isn´t happy music and you´ll most likely leave depressed.

Like the debut album "What's THIS For...!" is a self-produced affair, and Killing Joke have managed to create a powerful sound which suits their material perfectly. The hypnotic repetitive nature of the music can sometimes feel a little tedious, but it´s a means to an end and helps build the above mentioned bleak atmosphere. While the tracks aren´t exactly hook laden, there are still catchy moments here and there, which make "What's THIS For...!" an engaging listen throughout. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Terminal Spirit Disease" is the third full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act At the Gates. The album was released through Peaceville Records in July 1994. It´s the successor to "With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness" from 1993 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Alf Svensson has been replaced by Martin Larsson. "Terminal Spirit Disease" was originally intented to be released as an EP, but label pressure meant it ended up being released as a full-length album. It´s a combined studio and live release though, as the first six tracks are new studio recordings and the three closing tracks are live recordings of "All Life Ends", "The Burning Darkness", and "Kingdom Gone". All three previously appeared in studio versions on the band´s first two albums. So calling "Terminal Spirit Disease" a full-length studio album is a bit of a stretch, but that´s how it´s catalogued.

Stylistically the listener is treated to melodic death metal with the distinct sounding high pitched snarling/growling vocals of Tomas Lindberg in front. At the Gates display a more streamlined and tuned version of their style on this release, and the experiments of the first two albums are nowhere to be found. At the Gates hit a good balance between aggression/brutality and melody and catchiness on this release. While it´s not ideal with three live tracks of previously released material on what is tagged a studio release, the live tracks are well performed and also feature a well sounding production.

So upon conclusion "Terminal Spirit Disease" is quality melodic death metal release, and the studio tracks show a slightly more mature version of At the Gates. Not all issues from the previous releases have been weeded out, and personally I could for example have wished for a more varied vocal approach (a deeper growl here and there wouldn´t have hurt). Lindberg´s tortured screaming vocal style can be a bit hard on the ears. It´s a subjective opinion though, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.

UMUR "Bleeding the False" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Aeon. The album was released through Unique Leader Records in September 2005. Aeon formed in 1999 after Defaced Creation disbanded (after releasing quite a few minor releases and their debut full-length studio album "Serenity in Chaos" (1999)). No less than four members of Defaced Creation formed Aeon and only guitarist Morgan Nordbakk hadn´t been involved with that band. Aeon released the "Dark Order" EP in 2001 and since that release there have been two lineup changes as Nordbakk has been replaced by Daniel Dlimi and drummer Arttu Malki has been replaced by Nils Fjellström.

Stylistically the material on "Bleeding the False" is a continuation of the brutal and technically well played death metal style of the "Dark Order" (2001) EP. It´s an early 90s influenced death metal style which shares many similarities to some of the artists on the Florida scene. There´s a slight Morbid Angel influence there from time to time (listen to how "Forever Nailed" opens), but it´s definitely Deicide who is the greatest influence on Aeon. The powerful brutal riffs, the pummeling precision drumming, and the deep intelligible growling vocals delivering blasphemous/anti-christian lyrics. It´s all there and accounted for.

Unfortunately the lyrics are even more awful than Deicide when they are worst. I have nothing against blasphemous/anti-christian lyrics if they are intelligent and bring valid criticism, but these lyrics are just meant to shock and provoke. Again that´s not always an issue, but the lyrics on "Bleeding the False" are so juvenile that only a kindergarden kid would find them offensive. Songtitles like "Biblewhore" and "God Gives Head in Heaven" speak louder than words and I´m definitely not going to quote the absolutely ridiculous homophobic lyrics of the latter. Suffice to say the quality of the lyrics don´t do the otherwise strong material justice. This is one of the few cases where I would actually wish for an unintelligible growling vocalist.

...and it really is a shame Aeon chose a lyric approach like that, because there are some killer riffs and brutal moments on the album and actually some pretty hook laden and intelligible growling vocal sections too. "Bleeding the False" also features a powerful, brutal, and detailed sound production and the musical performances are all on a high level. So upon conclusion everything else but the lyrics are high quality US influenced death metal and fans of the early 90s Florida sound are adviced to take notice. I´m tempted to rate low because the lyrics do ruin the listening experience for me, but I´ll take a more objective stance and therefore a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Shades of Black" is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian thrash metal act Malicious Intent. The album was released through Resistance Recordz in 1989. Malicious Intent formed in 1986 and released two demos before forming their own label (Resistance Recordz) to release "Shades of Black".

"Shades of Black" features 13 tracks and a total playing time of 36:25 minutes. Stylistically the material is in a raw, primitive, and simple thrash metal style. The album features a lo-fi garage type production, which lacks power and bite. The band sound inexperienced and badly rehearsed, and "Shades of Black" sounds like it was more or less recorded live in someone´s garage. It could have been a charming old school thrash metal release in the most raw and savage end of the scale, but instead the album ends up being a powerless and tedious affair. The whole thing sounds like it was recorded through wool and there´s a lack of aggression and attitude as a result of it.

It´s not an album featuring any noteworthy tracks or anything in particular worth mentioning, because all elements of the album are either mediocre or below standard for the genre. Therefore a 2.5 star (50%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "240.25 'Actual Reality'" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish groove/thrash metal act Slapdash. The album was released through MNW Records in October 1996. Four out of the five members of the lineup played in Swedish thrash metal act Rosicrucian (and released two full-length studio albums under that monicker before forming Slapdash), and only lead vocalist Jens Mortensen is therefore new in the lineup since the Rosicrucian days (which actually isn´t entirely true as he performed vocals on stage with the band at their last show before changing their name).

Stylistically Slapdash is groove oriented thrash metal and it´s contemporary Machine Head, Pantera, Meshuggah (before they went completely nuts with time signature changes), and similar artists which are the source of inspiration. I also think the contemporary groove oriented releases by Forbidden and Testament are valid references. Slapdash are obviosly skilled musicians and they deliver a both tight and convinving performance. Mortensen is audibly influenced greatly by Phil Anselmo and there are several moments throughout the album which are in a similar style to the American band. Slapdash don´t quite reach the quality or uniqueness of Pantera though, but that doesn´t mean this isn´t some relatively entertaining groove thrash.

"240.25 'Actual Reality'" features a pretty well sounding production, and there is a good balance between clarity and power. Upon conclusion "240.25 'Actual Reality'" probably isn´t more than a footnote in the history of groove thrash, and I can´t say that I feel much different about the album, but it is pretty enteraining while it plays, and a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating isn´t all wrong.

UMUR "Those Who Have Lost The Right To Exist" is the debut full-length studio album by German death metal act Amboss. The album was released through Crypta Records 1993. Amboss released the "Lost..." demo cassette tape album in 1992 but other than the demo, "Those Who Have Lost The Right To Exist" was the only release by Amboss before they disbanded.

Although Amboss is the German word for Anvil, don´t make the mistake of thinking that Amboss sound anything like the legendary Canadians. This is old school death metal with the occasional progressive ideas thrown in (orchestral parts, clean male and female vocals, acoustic guitar parts, song structures in general), and also some technical death metal leanings. Amboss are actually relatively original, but I´d mention fellow countrymen in early Incubator and Dark Millennium as valid references.

"Those Who Have Lost The Right To Exist" features a decent sounding production, but there is room for improvement. The musicianship is on a high level on all posts, and it´s obvious these guys are both skilled musicians and creative composers. Not all songwriting ideas are equally successful, but at least Amboss have the boldness and courage to try. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Church of Deviance" is the second demo release by Swedish death metal act Spawn of Possession. The demo was independently released in September 2001. It succeeds "The Forbidden" demo from 2000. There´s been one lineup change since the first demo as bassist Niklas Dewerud has been added to the lineup, making Spawn of Possession a quartet on "Church of Deviance".

"Church of Deviance" features 3 tracks and a total playing time of 9:08 minutes. More is not needed though to convince the world of the greatness of Spawn of Possession. Jaw-dropping brutal and technical death metal, featuring constant rhythm changes, breaks, and an arsenal of fast-paced brutal riffs. Drummer Dennis Röndum also handles the vocals, and he has a mean and relatively intelligible growling vocal style, which suits the material perfectly. All three tracks on "Church of Deviance" would subsequently be re-recorded and included on the band´s debut full-length studio album "Cabinet" (2003), and that probably makes this demo a bit redundant today, but back then, two years before the release of "Cabinet" (2003), Spawn of Possession definitely put their name on the map.

"Church of Deviance" features a professional and well sounding production job. Every detail is audible in the mix, and there is a good balance between brutality and rawness and technical sophistication and complexity. Upon conclusion "Church of Deviance" is probably one of the most impressive death metal demo releases I have yet come by, and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.