Near Death Experience - Journey Into Darkness (1996)

Cost: $1.00

I distinctly remember seeing an ad and/or review for this CD back when it was released in a magazine--almost certainly Pit, since they ran that None of the Above Rec. ad with "Alien" ("Don't let that autopsy video fool you, I'm still alive!").  Couldn't find anything after a very brief search through my old issues, but that's probably for the best, since I don't want a review or ad blurb to subconsciously influence this post.

This is a vocalless, guitarless synth-and-programmed-drums project by Brett Clarin of Sorrow/Sorrow band photo/Apparition fame.  Considering when this was released, I suspect some attempt here to capitalize on the trend of black metal musicians doing ambient/darkwave side-projects, and while I suppose it is some type of ambient music in a general sense, for the most part it's quite different from those other projects.

There are some gothic sounding parts which are similar to the synthwork in BM intros/outros/interludes, but a lot of the music is far more riff based (just performed on synth), sounding closer to MIDI/8-bit versions of metal tracks.  While I get the feeling these recordings had their influences in more underground stuff, the MIDI-ness of the sound is far less nuanced than a traditional band with guitars, and this imparts a certain genericness to the music.  The faster stuff could very well be inspired by black and death metal, but it's equally as Slayerish.  Same thing with the slower parts--it's hard to tell whether they were inspired by doom metal or by South of Heaven.  Speaking of Slayer, their influences on the Doom soundtrack are a pretty good reference point for some of the music here, which does sound quite a bit like an old PC game soundtrack.  However, more than anything else, the darker tracks feel like music that should be playing in the background of a gore video or snuff film--many tracks would easily make a superior replacement to the original Traces of Death soundtrack.

Being all synth based, there's a definite artificial/inorganic feeling to Journey Into Darkness, which I can easily see being off-putting.  I tried to approach this more as a soundtrack or background music when listening, and in that context, it's quite enjoyable and was well worth my $1.

Seventh Rize - Visceral Rock (2000)

Cost: $1.00

This CD is available for trade.

Given the album title, I didn't realistically expect this to be metal, and it's not.  At just $1, I didn't want to pass it up in case there was heavier material on here. Unfortunately, there isn't--it's 80s hard rock through and through.  Very L.A. hair band styled stuff, although they don't descend to the level of making a sappy power ballad. That said, there's nothing very metallic on here either. The band aren't misrepresenting themselves in any way so I have no reason to trash it, but it's just a music type that doesn't particularly interest me.

Should also point out this is the original independent version.  While the reissue has tits to look at on the cover and a less homemade looking layout, it also makes the CD look more sleazy/glammy than it really is.

Thought Industry - Songs for Insects (1992)

Cost: $1.00

Previously I had only heard some of  band's mid/late '90s output, which was not metal, and I didn't care for it at all.  While this debut isn't particularly to my taste, it does hold my interest far more than the later stuff.

"Weird progressive thrash" is a decent overall descriptor, as it covers the three main components of the band's sound.  There are straightforward Rush/Genesis progressive rock influences, progressive/technical thrash parts, and weirder musical influences and funky bass sections which are comparable to a more metallic Primus.  Some of the quirkier musical ideas are vaguely reminiscent of Scatterbrain, but without the blatant humor--just a general oddball/eclectic atmosphere.  Still, that doesn't quite describe everything at play here--there's a percussion-led industrialish track ("Corner Stone") and an acoustic ballad ("Alexander Vs. the Puzzle").

The big problem I have with this (and the majority of avant-garde and kitchen sink metal), is that while it makes a pretty coherent album out of quite disparate influences, it falls a bit short of being crazy and weird enough where I appreciate the listening experience itself.   I think the straightforward thrashing parts are the best part of the CD (just check out the beginning to "The Chalice Vermillion"), so all the other stuff going on kind of detracts from that, even though I realize it's for the sake of creativity.

Self Torture - Mislead (2002)

Cost: 1€

The internet had me expecting some sort of -core when I looked up the band prior to getting this.  I ultimately bought it because it was cheap and I was hopeful for some DM influences since several of the members had been involved in death metal bands.

Instead, this is groovy stuff of the Chaos A.D. variety.  So while my hopes for anything death metal related were dashed, this a slight step up from the metalcore/deathcore crap I was kind of anticipating.

Destroy Destroy Destroy - Battle Sluts (2009)

Cost: 99¢

This CD is available for trade.

Wasn't really sure what to expect here.  The band name and album title certainly seemed tongue-in-cheek, so I was somewhat expecting a parody, or perhaps a death, grind, or metalcore band satirizing power metal lyrically.  

Instead, the majority of this is more or less a pastiche of Children of Bodom and similar bands-- melodeath mixed with power metal sensibilities and galloping riffage, topped off with extreme vocals.  Unfortunately there are a few spots like in "Born of Thunder" and "The Berserker's Field of Whores" where more modern, metalcore-ish elments slip in.  There are also a few black metal sounding sections, especially coupled with the shrieky vocals.  Speaking of which, the main vox don't do the band any favors.  They're monotonous, overly forced, and seem more suitable for a core band or Cradle of Filth clone.  There are also a pair of epic symphonic intro/interlude tracks (they're nicer than most of the actual music, though they sound like they came straight from a generic fantasy MMORPG soundtrack), some keyboard use, and female vox in one track.

It's very telling that I actually wished for MORE folkish parts like those at the end of the album--I thought the drum/acoustic guitar intro of "Agents of Hypocrisy" and the folk metal elements of "Return of the Geishmal Undead" were easily the best parts of the CD.

Aside from the vocals, the musicianship itself isn't terrible--things would be far more interesting if it was--but that just means it's largely boring music played well.  This seems more like an empty listen for the Hot Topic-shopping, Decibel-reading, Metalocalypse-watching crowd.

Sly - Key (1996)

Cost: $1.00

I knew Loudness' Minoru Niihara was Sly's vocalist, but I didn't realize that Munetaka Higuchi was also in the band, as well as Earthshaker's guitarist and Blizard's bassist.  Sadly, it's far removed from the classic material of those bands and more in a groovier, less metallic '90s vein.  There are even some touches of progressiveness (particularly in the opener "Mankind's Children").  I'd still say the overall album qualifies as metal, although admittedly there are often strong rock influences and a couple of tracks are definitely more in a '90s hard rock vein.  Oh yeah, strangely enough, the opening riff from "Sleeping Dogs" very much reminds me of Sabbath's "Zero the Hero," even though when hearing it I realize there are only basic similarities.

Not really my thing, but it's well played (to be expected, given the pedigrees of the members), and there are enough interesting parts on here ("Magic Blood") to make it worth the buck.

Law of the Plague - The War Inside (2003)

Cost: 99¢

First impression:  Not good.  The lineup photos (which are some of the worst--and oddest--I've ever seen) look like a nu-metal band ready for a paintball game.  Ultimately bought it because I was curious about the "Bite It You Scum" cover.

Initially I was thrown for a loop because the first song opened with groovy/chuggy riffs that weren't entirely unexpected, but then they suddenly speed up into death/thrash parts (and then wind down into groovier stuff at the end of the track).  Unfortunately this is about as good as it gets aside from the decent instrumental "Call to Arms."   The rest of the disc is a weird combination of a groove metal base, but with some quite thrashy or chunky death metallish riffing at times, and a very nice DM-like guitar tone.  The heavier elements make this more interesting and certainly more palatable than straightforward groove metal, but I have no interest in hearing the modern/groove stuff in the first place, and I can't imagine any classic death or thrash metal fan finding the mixture here to be a benefit.

The GG Allin cover is kind of disappointing except for the chorus.  It's sped up a little and sounds quite upbeat compared to their original material.  The vocal phrasings are odd at times, and they throw in some needless groove part before the solo section.

Lobotomy - Born in Hell (2000)

Cost: 99¢

This CD is available for trade. 

Previously had this.  I couldn't remember anything specifically about the album, although I recall being generally underwhelmed and disappointed with Lobotomy's music as a whole after their demos (particularly the first two).  I mostly remember them as one of the comparatively obscure Swedish DM bands (along with Vermin and Hetsheads) who had their demo material put out on CD in the mid-'90s, way before such reissues were common.

It's actually a little better than I expected, but I'd still just give it an OK overall.   Groove-filled Sunlight DM with some dabbling in more death'n'roll-styled riffs here and there, not too different in approach from the mid-'90s output of Grave and Konkhra.  "Ashes" and "Bloodangel" have some riffs and leads very reminiscent of '90s Slayer.

Random 2017 finds

A buck each:

Howling Syn - Devilries
Average gothic metal.  It's not as overblown and theatrical as the band pics might suggest, but it's nothing great either.  The vocals are the weakest element here.  The clean vox are quite mediocre across the board.  It's as if they tested out several vocal styles just for the sake of variety, not caring about the quality or if they actually added anything to the atmosphere.  The female vocalist is the main offender since she shows up so much but isn't a particularly great singer--unspectacular on main vox, and adds none of the ethereal atmosphere you might expect from good backing vox.  The male vocals aren't that much better, especially the deep clean vox and the dramatic spoken word-style vocals.  There are some DM growls that work well with the music, but of course they're used very sparingly.  As for the rest of the music, it's okay for gothic metal, but nothing spectacular.

Lilitu - The Delores Lesion
This actually wasn't quite as avant-garde as I was expecting.  The majority of the music is Dark Tranquillity-style melodeath, but punctuated with various atmospheric parts and elements--most of these sections have a gothic metal/rock feel, although there are some Opeth influences too.  There are a couple of really nice acoustic guitar parts on the album, but unfortunately they're few and far between.  While most everything works pretty well together, the clean male vox used in several places don't contribute positively to the atmosphere.  I really liked the short instrumental interlude track "Ether," which seems like it's going in a depressive Katatonia-esque direction, then suddenly throws in that very dreamlike guitar part at a minute in.

Totimoshi - Ladron 
Think I'd heard of the band as the name seemed familiar, but didn't associate them with metal.  Mainly picked this up since it was on Crucial Blast.  Overall I'd describe them as some sort of heavy garage rock, though they occasionally get more experimental and play with twangy atmospheric acoustics.  At their most straightforward they go full-on stoner rock with clear 60s/70s influences, but as the album progresses there's a lot of more modern sounding material reminiscent of garage rock and Sabbath-inspired '90s alternative bands.  Think a weird 21st century mutation of sounds from the old SST Records roster--both straightforward rock and more experimental/jammy stuff.

For the Suffering - For the Suffering (2009)

Cost: 99¢

First impression: Well, the band name certainly sounds like something a death metal band would use.  However, the layout, band members, and songtitles seem more fitting for -core stuff.

The album starts out on a quite Arch Enemy-influenced note, which isn't terribly exciting to begin with, but as it goes on the frequency of breakdowns and chug-a-lug riffs increase, and much of the album ends up being generic bastard-son-of-Slaughter of the Soul metalcore.  Main vocals are typical -core screeches done by a chick.  For better or for worse, they're pretty indistinguishable from male vocalists in the style and have the same monotony.  There are some sparingly used clean female vocals that just pop up under the music in some songs, as the album really doesn't have any true clean passages to place them in.  They provide some vocal variety, but other than that, don't have much impact.
 

Overall, the album is much more on the metallic side of metalcore than I would have initially guessed, but this is still just a mediocre example of a genre I don't enjoy anyway.

String Tribute to Slayer (2009)

Cost: $1.00

Tracklist:

1. Psychopathy Red 2. Raining Blood 3. South of Heaven 4. Angel of Death 5. Black Magic 

6. War Ensemble 7. Seasons in the Abyss 8. Disciple 9. Dead Skin Mask 10. Dittohead

I debated in store for a while whether to get this or not, and ended up buying it just because I knew I wouldn't realistically get it any cheaper. Unfortunately I wasted my dollar--this is garbage.
  

I'm aware there is an earlier Slayer string quartet tribute CD that uses actual musicians, but the "string tribute" name here is somewhat deceitful since it's all synthesized strings.  It comes off as very cheap and MIDI-sounding in the worst possible way.  The arrangements aren't particularly interesting or creative, so it even fails as a novelty listen--there are far better 8-bit/chiptune covers of Slayer on YouTube.  Most of the songs become unrecognizable any time the main riff is not being played.  Before listening I was pleased to see "Black Magic" in the tracklisting (I was expecting more South of Heaven tracks) but of course it's one of the worst tracks.

Shining Fury - Last Sunrise (2004)

Cost: $1.00

One of my few finds from a very sparse recent haul at my main used CD provider.  Generic power metal here, primarily speedy-tempoed, with minimal keyboard use--ultimately, just another band doing some permutation of a Helloween (unfortunately, here more Deris than Kiske)/Gamma Ray-derived formula.  There are some basic similarities to the bigger Italian power metal bands, but they lack any real progressive stylings compared to Labyrinth and Vision Divine, and there are no Rhapsody symphonics.

There are only a couple of noteworthy moments on the album.  "Memories" starts out with a sample(?) of a couple arguing (due to what's being said and the slightly stilted acting, I'm wondering if this originally came from a porn).  Unfortunately, this turns into a sappy, overly-long ballad complete with a saxophone part (much less obtrusive than you'd think, though).   "Net Love" has a nicely done short atmospheric outro with some acoustic guitar work...Of course, instead of breaking up some of the album's sound-alikeness and monotony by throwing such pieces throughout, they wait until it's almost over.  I was expecting the cover of Toto's "Rosanna" to either be a complete trainwreck or a musical oddity, but it's a quite faithful rendition, only slightly beefed up in heaviness.  Even as a change of pace, it doesn't add that much to the album, and I'd personally rather listen to the original.

I honestly doubt I'll revisit this.  It's well-rooted and competent enough as a power metal release to keep it from being bottom of the barrel, but it doesn't rise above being average.

Shadow - Shadow CD (2001)

Cost: 99¢

This CD is available for trade.

Total Gothenburg melodic DM emulation here.   Already aware this was melodic death with a female vocalist, I automatically expected something more like Angela-era Arch Enemy (read: mediocre), but soundwise this falls right in line with the In Flames and Dark Tranquillity debuts.  I'm sure this was considered far more derivative back when it was originally released, but I'll happily take that above the more recent glut of metalcore with harmonized guitars that masquerades as melodeath.

The vocals are the raspy style you'd expect given their influences...Had I not known, I think I would be really hard pressed to identify the vocalist as female, especially since there are no clean vocals whatsoever.   I generally loathe "extreme" female vocals, but was fine with these.

While easily matching (or surpassing, in the case of the soloing) them in technical proficiency, the songwriting quality and variety don't always feel quite as consistent and inspired as the Swedes they take after--some of the songs feel a bit samey.  Still, fine for what it is, and I can't complain about the price.

Crawl - Earth (1995)

Cost: 99¢

Did not have high expectations for this.  I was familiar with the opening track "Skinned" from a Pavement compilation, but dismissed it as generic industrial metal with samples and shouty vox.  When listening to the entire album, I was surprised to find well done industrial death metal.   While there is some clear Godflesh inspiration here, in most songs the death metal is far more emphasized, so comparisons could also be drawn to the Fear Factory debut. Thankfully, most of the vocals are of a more guttural variety.   Not something I would listen to a lot, but I found it enjoyable.