Exhibition - The Sign of Tomorrow (2003)

Cost: 99¢

This CD is available for trade.

The mummy on that cover sure is reminiscent of a certain iconic metal mascot, huh?  The Egyptian-themed artwork in the rest of the layout further brings Maiden (or to a lesser extent, Iced Earth) to mind.  Decent progressive/power metal.  The power metal component is definitely a '90s US style as opposed to a Euro style, and the progressive influences are quite varied--there's older Fates Warning/older Queensrÿche influenced stuff, but also mellower emotive sections (including a balladish song) and keyboard pieces that are more Dream Theater-inspired. 

The CD was fine to listen to--I appreciate that they maintained a pretty good balance and didn't go overboard with the prog--but after it ended, nothing really stood out as having much wow factor.  They seem pretty versatile in terms of being able to play both heavier and lighter material, but I'm hard pressed to identify anything really great about it.  It's good for a dollar bin pickup, but it doesn't seem like something I'd be inclined to revisit.

Elektrik Mistress - Elektrik Mistress (2001)

Cost: 99¢

This CD is available for trade.
 

Occasionally I'll pick up stoner rock looking discs from the bargain bin in case they're more on the doomy side.  Don't find the COC (Deliverance-era)/Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age influenced stoner rock here that interesting, and with the lack of metal, this is a miss for me.  Vocals sound like a cross between Pepper Keenan and the guy from Saigon Kick, and the song "Blakk Room" is a Collective Soul-style acoustic alternative rock ballad.  Should add that there are online reviews that REALLY overstate the space rock elements here as if Elektrik Mistress were Hawkwind disciples (which I would have greatly preferred), but then the album ends up having like two songs with a couple seconds total of minimalist spacey effects.

Relicseed - Upcoming Second Studio Album Promo EP (2012)

Cost: 99¢

Opener "Slaughterhouse" initially seemed like some sort of modern thrash, but I began to suspect something was up with some of the rockish elements and the melancholy clean section (which is admittedly well done).   Then the Hetfield vocal mannerisms really increased for the next two songs, which are groovier metal/rock hybrids obviously influenced by the s/t (and later) Metallica.  The last track is built around a much longer stretch of the moody melancholic stuff.

While they avoid the common pitfalls of djent/-core sounds, there's a certain modernity and lack of heaviness here I find off-putting.  The thrashy parts that are here are pretty unfulfilling, and the songwriting isn't nearly as memorable as the later Metallica they were influenced by (or for that matter, most of the bands that followed suit in the wake of the black album).  This makes the inclusion of the more modern and rock elements here frustrating, as if the music has been intentionally watered down and neutered for nothing.  While the songs are quite varied, it still feels very tedious at times for a 20 min. EP.

The booklet has a hyperbole-ridden quote from a fairly well known nerdy '80s rock journalist, and despite the clear influences, I'd say it's pretty laughable to even infer that Relicseed could be "the best Metallica inspired band in the world."  Actually, this could have been interesting and potentially Katatonia-like if they had focused and expanded on the somber sections in the first and last tracks.

Meltdown - Demolition (2006)

Cost: 99¢

Pulled this one off the shelf after seeing the spine, and initially I was excited, since the cover definitely looked like something a retro thrash band might use, especially in conjunction with the band name (speaking of which, that style of the cross used in the logo makes it look so goofy!  It's bugged me ever since I saw it).  I was immediately disappointed when I turned it over as they were clearly a hardcore band based on the live photos.  Decided to look it up online anyway, and they were described as being pretty metallic, so I figured I'd buy it even if just for trade fodder.

The first track wasn't particularly impressive and made me think they were just going to be somewhat Integrity or Cro-Mags sounding metallic HC, but they can get surprisingly thrashy as the disc goes on.  Slayer seem to be the primary influence on their thrashiness (the end of "True Heroes" sounds like it was inspired by the "Hell Awaits" intro, although in simplified form) but I can hear a tiny bit of Souza-era Exodus too.  It's better than I expected and the thrashy riffs are pleasing, but I can easily get a superior thrash fix elsewhere without the HC-styled vocals and breakdowns.  May hang on to it for now and see if I revisit it but I don't anticipate it being a keeper.

Charlotte the Harlot - Agamogir (2016)

Cost: 99¢

Just a short mCD.  "Experiment Report" is black/death with a Japanese-sounding melody interwoven into the guitarwork and chanted background vocals, making it more Oriental sounding than the other tracks.  The other two songs are blackened (mostly due to the vocals) melodic death metal.  They use additional gang/chorus vocals (almost like what you might expect from Japanese punk/HC/thrash) more heavily on "Lick the Picture," which seems like an unconventional (but not that bad-sounding) choice.  The main vox themselves as well as the method of layering vocal styles reminds me a little of the vocals on early Chthonic stuff.  Quite a nice little find--the short length means they don't wear out their welcome, and the various backing vocals add just enough of an exotic touch to raise this above generic melodeath and cookie-cutter black/death hybrids.

B-Thong - Damage (1995)

Cost: 99¢

This CD is available for trade.

I'm not a groove metal fan by any means, but I did like some parts of this band's debut, particularly "Schizophrenic Pavement" and "Power Ranger" (admittedly, a lot of that has to do with the unintentionally humorous lyrics).  Some semblance of that would have been welcomed, but unfortunately this CD is a huge step (further) down.  While Skinned was energetic and pretty thrashy at times, this is far more moody and angsty, mixing many of the worst '90s elements that plagued Pantera and Chaos A.D./Roots-era Sepultura, such as aggro vocals and unfulfilling groovy riffs.  It's a lot more vocal-driven than the first album, and I didn't find any of the songs or riffage to be memorable.  The vocals are more forced, although stylistically there's not that much difference from the debut.  There's also some rather pointless attempts at atmosphere/weirdness, such as a didgeridoo section in one song.  None of these help.

I had wondered about the band's name and remembered to look it up before this post.  It's a play on the Swedish word for concrete, which at least makes some sense given their musical style.  Still looks really dumb as a band name though!

Enders Game - Game Over CD-R (2003)

Cost: $1.00

The first 3 songs are primarily melodic thrash, mixed with some slight progressive metal tendencies and unfortunately, some modern metal elements.  Considering that the band name is perfect for a prog. metal act, I was actually a bit surprised as how thrashy they really are. Sadly the vocals are mostly aggro nonsense, and when the vocalist attempts a cleaner style, he just sounds like he should be in a '90s alternative rock band.  The last track, "Systematic Killing of the American Dream," is quite generic-sounding groove metal. In short, this is not as good as the band logo suggests, but not as bad as the band pic suggests.