JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C 28/9/09

 

 

IMMORTAL / ALL SHALL FALL

 

Its been a long 7 year wait for the new Immortal album but let me tell you its well worth it as 2009 finds Immortal totally uncompromising and more excessive than ever, in fact this CD is so good it just goes to show how mediocre most other Black Metal albums are when put up against this release, its like putting bows and arrow against machine guns, no contest.

 

The thing that strike s me the most is not that Immortal do anything different, there is nothing too technical on here or spectacularly different its how they do it, not what they do, the title track sets the CD off the a great start sheer Blackness of the Abbath’s guitars is inspired, full of darkness but tinged with a hint of Melody that really sets it apart and some credit must go to Peter Tagtgren who co-produced this with the band.  Speaking of darkness the track “The Rise Of Darkness” follows swiftly and is just as good Black Metal just doesn’t get better then this, “Hordes To War” is just as good and “Norden On Fire” really burns like hell, as for the 9 minute epic “Unearthly Kingdom” its out of this world.

 

All the tracks on this album are totally brilliant, so brilliant in fact that when I first got this I played it 3 time in a row, it its that good, if you like Extreme Metal then you will thoroughly enjoy this breath-taking album, this is so good I feel it may be album of the year, buying this CD is ESSENTIAL, I cannot recommend this too strongly.

 

WEBSITE     http://www.immortal.com & http://www.nuclearblast.de

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 40 mins + 7 BLACKENED TRACKS 

 

 

AUSTRAIN DEATH MACHINE / DOUBLE BRUTAL

 

This is the 2nd album by Arnie obsessed As I Lay Dying main man Tim Lambesis and its more of the same only more brutal and just as funny as the first one, the combination of uncompromising Thrash Metal and humour really works only Devin Townsend comes anywhere near.

 

So musically you know what to expect all the song titles are taken from lines in Arnie moves and the CD kicks off with “I Need Your Clothes, Your Boots And Your Motorcycle” a totally killer song and just as good is “See You At The Party Richter”.  The songs are interspersed by some funny interludes which set up the following tracks very nicely and this lightens up the brutal Metal nicely, although I doubt if anyone could take a song called “Who Told You, You Could Eat My Cookies “ too seriously even if it’s a fierce Thrash Metal song.  As the title of the CD suggests this is a 2 x CD set the 2nd being devoted to covers, all of which have appeared on the soundtrack of Arnie’s moves, particularly good are the Terminator them tune, “Iron Fist” (Motorhead cover), “Gotta Go” (Agnostic Front cover) and “Hell Bent For Leather” (Judas Pries) all of then Arniefied just to make them different.

 

This is a fine CD and manages to combine to very juxtaposed things Metal and Humour, this album deserves your support, too many Metal bands take themselves too seriously and that something no one can ever accuse Austrian Death Machine of, this gets the Justin Case seal of approval with honours.

 

WEBSITE     http://www.austriandeathmachine.com/ & http://www.metalblade.com

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME 53 mins + 24 BRUTAL TRACKS

 

 

EVILE / INFECTED NATIONS

 

This is the second CD from British Thrash Metal band Evile and I’m pleased to tell you its just as good as the debut, if not even better, the band have bought Classic Thrash back to life, invoking memories of early Testament and Metallica.

 

The band have managed to emulate their influences and still keep their own identity a very difficult but neat trick if you can do it and do it they have, while tracks like “Now Demolition” and “Genocide” remind you of the Testament in the early days, it is by no means just a carbon copying, far from it they put their heart and soul into their songs and the bands enthusiasm for the genre is impossible to mistake.  The title track “Infected Nations” is as good as any current or past Thrash track and a lot better than most, listening to “Plague To End All Plagues” the complexity and sheer power of the guitar riffs just takes you breath away.

 

Evile are without doubt one of the best of the new breed of Thrash Metal bands currently doing the rounds anywhere in the globe and well deserving of any Metal fans attention, buy this excellent CD, you won’t regret it.

 

WEBSITE     http://www.evile.co.uk & http://www.earache.com

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 59 misn + 9 CRUSHING TRACKS