Immolation - Majesty And Decay

Majesty and Decay

I am not a big fan of Death Metal. It's rare that a Death Metal band catches my attention or even sounds any different from the next. The majority of the South American bands relied on gritty and murky production, while Polish Death Metal bands puked left and right clean technicality, and American Death Metal, the older bands are the only ones worth speaking about: Death, Demilich, Immolation, etc.

Immolation will be releasing a new album entitled Majesty and Decay, the artwork doesn't seem at all artsy as compared to their other albums, but I am quite fond of it. Not to mention the preview that is provided below has really kept me interested in the album. I never came across to buying any of their albums, but this one seems darker than ever. Technicality is still kept in check and there are a few sprinkles of black metal. I don't think I would be disappointed in the album if it was very "brutal" considering that the worse Immolation album is still better than many that are out there and that, unfortunately, are considered death metal.

Enjoy the precision:

Hate War Productions

LA scene promoter, Chris Hate War has released the following:

"Check out my web site @:

www.hatewarproductions.com

End of year DVD sale - Buy 1 get 1 Free...........

This is only good through tomorrow 12/31/09 - the cut off is 6:00 pm.

Pay Pal payments only - hit me up with any questions / orders & I'll get back to you ASAP.

Chris"

The quality of his videos can be seen on a number of youtube videos. Here is one:

Ad Hominem

To my amazement, Ad Hominem has remained completely underrated, perhaps criminally underrated. His location I would think would have people checking them out especially now that the French scene is gaining a lot of the recognition that it deserves. With bands like Deathspell Omega, Antaeus, Amesoeurs, Glorior Belli, Merrimack, certain bands of the LLN, among others, it's almost a no-brainer to check out a French Black Metal band. Despite having Anti-Semitic lyrics, Ad Hominem is misanthropic to the furthest possible extent. His interviews dispel all rumors in regards to it, not to mention his own symbols rather than exalting the "very cool" Nazi/Pagan symbols.

With an industrial touch in many aspects depending on what album, it definitely gives the listener a refreshing listen. Shifting riffs, groovy drumming, and shredded vocals enhance the experience in a number of ways. The latest release, "Dictator: A Monument of Glory", embraces chants heavily while giving the drums a much more authentic feel. While Climax of Hatred is standard Black Metal of high caliber, ". . . For A New World" covers the vocals in a thin layer of distortion.

Buy From Elegy Records

Overrated

There are plenty of bands out there that are getting far too much recognition. The recognition, regardless of who they are coming from (and they tend to be from people who don't listen to much or any metal at all), some bands don't deserve it. Now I am not saying that any of the below have never released strong records or aren't any good, I am just saying, don't be so ignorant.

Burzum is currently getting bigger and bigger. The sheer amount of publicity back then was large and it probably has doubled due to the Lords of Chaos book, Until the Light Takes Us, and the worse ever, Vargs picture being posted on numerous "hipster" forums, clothing etc etc. Despite being a complete Euronymous era Mayhem supporter, Burzum did release some quintessential albums (Burzum, Aske, and Det Som Engang Var). He is good at the Black Metal but the formula used didn't change as the times did and instead created something boring.

Wolves in the Throne Room is the next one. They have managed to blend in plenty of post-rock into Black metal but so has hundreds of other bands. Wolves in the Throne Room are great live, they have some very good songs, and they have a huge hipster following that is probably the reason why this band is huge. It seems to me that their beliefs are different from the traditional Black Metal aesthetics that their beliefs are often seen as their music. I haven't heard any hippie elements in their music, Post-Rock isn't very natural.

Mastodon is the next band. Leviathan sucks, a pretentious attempt at Metal from a fairly nu-metal band. Littering the majority of their music with sweeps and liquid movement, one can wonder where is the passion in this. Crack the Skye was good but plenty of people don't see it as anything extraordinary. Dragonforce made everything fast seem to be great. Dragonforce sucks too by the way.

Darkthrone, what isn't there to say about them. They introduced low-fi aggression and the fuck you attitude to Black Metal. After Transilvanian Hunger, the bad lost their cool and slowly became a Black and Roll, Punk band. Their older material is worth heavy praise but Black and Roll for the most part is horrible, there is such a fine line between good and bad that one should best avoid it. Darkthrone are on the bad side and well, they are being praised for this more than their older material that created a genre.

The Feathered Fog

For Your Viewing Pleasure:

Seligkeit - If I Could Feel

(Not the album cover)

Seligkeit is an unknown band, it brings a whole new level to "Underground". To my understanding the band is conducted by the same person of DSBM band, Lost Inside. Many side projects tend to intervene with one another, it's inevitable. Despite the inevitability, Lost Inside and Seligkeit have very few similarities.

Seligkeit is amazing. The production is clear and precise leaving you with a smooth listen. The DSBM approach and formula is different from many other bands. The songs are accompanied by plenty of variety. "If I Could Feel" can easily be compared to the later Hypothermia and is one of the stronger tracks. The song begins and ends with a melancholic and clean tone, despite being the longest track, I scream for more, it's cold and breathtaking. On the other hand, "Abandoned and Frail" erupts with warmth and hope. The mellow drumming on top of the shifting guitars creates a sort of need. The vocals are ghastly and distant, howled and whispered, wailed and moaned.

Seligkeit is full of surprises, unfortunately, it was a very short lived project.

8/10

Plenty of strong points, yet the intro and outro could have been replaced with 2 actual songs. It other words, it's too short.

Behemoth and Septic Flesh

I have missed Behemoth far too many times and I think I am going to have to miss them again. At first, I wasn't really looking forward to the show because I fucking hate Shining! I hate Kvarforth's attitude towards everything, his self righteous bullshit is beyond belief, and his excessive display of self-mutilation is what makes everything else look bad. Honestly, Shining has nothing in conjunction with DSBM aside from the lyrics, yet Shining is one of the more prominent and well known bands. Anyways, Septicflesh is good (I still wonder why they got rid of the space in the name but oh well), unfortunately, I may not go to the show. I am getting a tattoo on that day, my first, and well, the healing process won't be finished in one hour. With that being said, check out the tour dates featured in the links below.

Behemoth, Septicflesh, Lightning Swords of Death Dates

Lightning Swords of Death has replaced Shining. They finally get the recognition they deserve.