The Mentors - Up The Dose

Genre: Heavy Metal
Year: 1986

The Mentors are one of the best bands period. They really don't get the praise they deserve. They should be spoken in the same breath as Motorhead. The power of The Mentors is something to never under-estimate.

The music is Traditional Heavy Metal. It is very catchy and has many riffs that will stick with you until the day you die. Most of the tracks have the basic Rock N Roll song structures. There are no weak moments to be found on this album. Sickie Wifebeater has my vote as THE most underrated guitarist in Metal. His guitar playing is really something special. The riffs on this album are very catchy. When he plays a guitar solo, it's something you must hear. He isn't the most technical but his solo's are just magical. Sickie has a really great sense of melody and he never runs out of killer riffs. Dr. Heathen Scum is a very competent bass player and unlike many metal albums, his bass is audible. A very solid bass player. El Duce's drumming is just right and fits the music, perfectly. His rough vocal style is something unique. He is one of the Gods of Metal and he will be missed.

The lyrics are very well written. They are extremely sleazy and are not for P.C. types. Songs such as "Rock'em Sock'em", "Kick It On Down", "Secretary Hump", "Couch Test Casting", and "S.F.C.C." (Suck and Fuck and Cook and Clean) are guaranteed to piss off feminists. If you are looking for some shitty pseudo-intellectual poetry, stay the fuck away from The Mentors. The opening track "Heterosexuals Have The Right To Rock" is still true today due to many of the emo/scene kids that insist on blurring the gender line. This song was originally written to bash the Glam rock bands that were very popular at the time.

If you are a fan of old school Heavy Metal. The Mentors are a must. If you are just getting into this great band, this would be the album to start with. "Up The Dose" is perfection and a masterpiece in Metal that is often overlooked. A true classic!



10+/10

Rigor Mortis - Freaks

Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 1990

One of the greatest thrash metal recordings ever. Rigor Mortis are one of the standouts in thrash metal because of their flawless songwritting and musicanship. The structure is very much like Classical music. The music is extremely technical yet the band remembers that they have to write a well-structured song. Because of all of this, they are among the best thrash metal bands.

The production kicks ass. You can hear all instruments and the guitar tone is fucking great. All of these songs are memorable and brutal thrashers. No weak parts here. The best song on the EP would be "Six Feet Under/Worms of the Earth." The track contains 10 minutes of epic, brutal, and technical thrash metal with Classical music leanings. Although it's an EP, "Freaks" is my favorite Rigor Mortis release. As I said, there are no shitty songs. Get this fucking EP. It might be short but it's more fulfilling than most thrash metal albums.

10/10

Hooded Menace - Fulfill The Curse

Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Year: 2008

Here it is, folks. The album of the year and what an album! If you have read my reviews, you can tell that I'm quite critical but I have no complaints for this album. Fulfill The Curse is just godly. Fans of Cathedral, Asphyx, and Candlemass will be pleased and being a fan of those bands, I can confirm this.

The music is very well structured. At times the music can be very epic and the music is just overall evil. Hooded Menace plays the finest bonecrushing doom metal out there with a great sense of melody. Fulfill The Curse captures the same atmosphere that the movies "Tombs of the Blind Dead" possess. The lyrics are very well written and are based on The Blind Dead movie series. The riffs are very memorable and are dark and erie. The guitar playing is not overly simple and it isn't overly technical. Crimson Executioner's bass playing is very good too. Especially on "Beauty and The Feast." The Hunchback's drumming is very good. Like the rest of the playing, it's not too simple and it isn't too technical. Which I consider to be a good thing. Especially in this style of music. Leper of Berzano's vocals are putrid and just fucking great. He kills all of those "BREEE BREEE" vocalists who sound like a pig getting anal fisted by a retard.

Highlights: All of the songs are perfect. I can't choose. Really, a review of this album can't describe how great this album is. Just buy this masterpiece of Horror Death/Doom Metal right now! It's on LP, courtesy of Doomentia Records!

NOTE: Metal Pundit are thanked in the "Thank You" list!

Overall Rating: 10+/10

Normally I choose not to disturb Bundy's punishing or exalting reviews because his work shines on its own and is best as he leaves it. However, I must inject myself into this review to address the members of Hooded Menace. First of all, you men are metal geniuses and this fact has further been confirmed by Bundy's flawless review. It truly is difficult to musically please this man (virtually impossible to impress him as you guys have), as he is a true metal connoisseur. Secondly, as the founder of The Metal Pundit, I thank you for humbling both Bundy and me by graciously including this blog on your Thank You list. You gentlemen have a home here. Congratulations on your masterpiece! - Lefty Metalhead

Golgotha - demo

Year: 1991
Genre: Sludge/Thrash Metal

Golgotha were a band from Morgan City, Louisiana. They would later be known as Acid Bath. The reason why I decided to review their old demo is because this demo was something unique. Not saying that Acid Bath's material isn't. It is something I feel any fan of metal should hear. In 1991, Golgotha recorded a demo that I would consider a gem in the metal underground. The atmosphere on it is perfect. It's very morbid, very dark. The music is unique and heavy. It sounds almost like old school death metal but with clean vocals (although there are some occasional death metal vocals). Not as chaotic as most death metal bands though. They really concentrate on making a very morbid atmosphere. It really has it's own sound. The production could be better, but it's a demo so you can't expect much out of the sound quality. Especially if it was recorded almost 20 years ago. Golgotha would later change their name to Acid Bath and would release more quality music until they disbanded in 1997 due to the death of bassist, Audie Pitre.

Highlights: Apartment 13, Apocalyptic Sunshine, Finger Paintings Of The Insane, Blood of God, Nothingness, "The Mortician's Flame, and "What Color is Death."


Overall Rating: 10+/10

Machine Head - The Blackening

Year: 2007
Genre: Mallcore

For the past year, I've been calling Machine Head's "The Blackening" the most overrated album of 2007 without hearing the whole thing. Today, I listened to the whole album and I was right. Lost my appetite. All because of listening to this abomination. People have been raving about Machine Head's latest record, "The Blackening." Some have been comparing it to Metallica's early material. Some have even gone so far to say it's the greatest metal album ever. But I want to say this. I would rather eat a KFC bucket of my own shit than to listen to The Blackening again. Machine Head are trying to be progressive metal but they failed. They also try to sound like old school thrash metal at times, and it only ends up sounding like Trivium. I want to know why people are acting like The Blackening is the greatest album of all time. It's nothing new. You might as well be listening to Shadows Fall or Bullet for My Valentine or some other emo-metalcore bullshit. Machine Head were always a trendy band. Hopped on every bandwagon. Look at the facts. When "Burn My Eyes" and "The More Things to Change" came out. Groove Metal was big. They followed the trend. Everybody wanted to sound exactly like Pantera and those two albums sounded boring and uninspired. Then came Nu-Metal. Robb Flynn became Flava Flynn. Machine Head recorded "The Burning Red" and "Supercharger" of which are some of the worst records of all time. Even some of Machine Head's hardcore fans thought those albums sucked. Soon, Metalcore became big with the rise of crappy bands like Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage. Machine Head followed this trend and released "Through the Ashes of Empires" and now "The Blackening." Like the album before it, The Blackening is a metalcore album. Now with more retro-thrash leanings. It features alot of the things that makes the current "metal scene" suck so badly. Clean emo vocals, generic and overdone groove riffs, Cliche and idiotic lyrics, Modernized sound, Pointless breakdowns, poor song structure, etc. Not to mention it's sad excuses for thrash metal riffs. Some of these songs are 9 minutes long but they are poorly done.

Robb Flynn's vocals sound like his normal wanna-be "tough guy" voice with a pussy Killswitch Engage-esque whinny emo voice. In one of the softer moments of "Halo," he sounds extremely bitchy like he's about to cry. This album is filled with musical cliches. I don't even know where to start. Sure, Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel can play guitar but does that really matter? They aren't doing anything that special. The riffs are recycled from countless other bands. Tons of boring groove riffs and lame post-"thrash" riffs. The lead guitar playing is nothing special either. It just sounds forced and dishonest. People say Machine Head aren't nu-metal anymore I hear tons of nu-metal moments in pretty much every song. I mentioned before that the lyrics are crap. Alot of them have to do with "teen angst." It sounds pathetic coming from a 20 year old loser but it's much worse from a 40 year old man.

Overall, listening to The Blackening all the way through was self-torture. I literally feel sick to my stomach and wish to have the last hour of my life back. The Blackening is probably the most overrated album of all time. Don't believe what you are told. This is not a masterpiece or a modern day classic. This is just a pathetic attempt at prog. metal, thrash, and metal as a whole. There is nothing unique about copying something bad that has been done before and playing it for 10 minutes. This is just boring and pathetic.


0/10

Dismember - Dismember

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2008

You can't go wrong with Dismember. They never released a bad album and have been around for 2 decades. It's good to see this band going strong after all these years. They haven't become trendy. They aren't recording long blasturbation sessions with over the top wankery. Unlike the shitty nu-slamcore bands, no stupid pig squeal vocals can be found. Their new self-titled album destroys all that pathetic modernized crap. I bet the people who listen to that shit wouldn't think it's so brutal if it didn't have big production. Dismember didn't need big production on this album and it's still more brutal than gay ass Putrid Pile. "Dismember" is a real death metal album. It may not bring anything new to the table but it gets the job done. Plus, listen to that guitar tone. I have heard tons of bands use it and Dismember are no strangers to it but the tone just sounds so goddamn good. Nice guitar playing too. Nothing extremely technical but it's just right. Great guitar harmonizing too. Dismember has a good sense of melody as well. The highlights are "Death Conquers All", "Under a Bloodred Sky", "The Hills Have Eyes", "Legion", "Tide of Blood", and "To End it All." If you can't enjoy this, you're not a metalhead.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao

Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2007

For those who were disappointed with "Chimera" and "Grand Declaration of War" might enjoy this album. However I just want to add that I have no problem with GDOW. Ordo Ad Chao marks the return of Attila Csihar of whom provided vocals on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. The production on Odo Ad Chao is very dry and fits the music well. The music on this record is dark and evil. They haven't sounded this evil since the early days. There is even a doom metal influence on this OAC. Strangely, Mayhem's only original member in the band, Necrobutcher does not play on this album. Mayhem's guitarist Blasphemer plays bass. However Necrobutcher is still part of the band's line up. Blasphemer's guitar playing is very unique and I think he is a very overlooked guitarist in metal. Hellhammer's drumming on this album is great as always. He is one of the greatest drummers of all time, if not THE greatest drummer. Attila sounds like he's being possessed. His vocal performance is excellent. It fits the creepy atmosphere on Ordo Ad Chao.

Overall, this is Mayhem's best after DMDS. A masterpiece and one of the best albums of 2007. A very creative and strange record.

Rating: 10+/10
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Mayhem - Illuminate Eliminate

Subterranean Fecal Root - Anthems of the Antisocial Underground

Genre: Grindcore
Year: 2008

I remember it was August 2006. Subterranean Fecal Root's mainman Fat Jenk, me, and few others were talking online. He told us he had a band and he was finally going to show us. He uploaded SFR's demo online. When I downloaded it and listened to it, I was bursting out in laughter. This was the funniest grindcore I ever heard. Jenk told us we were the first people (aside from the band) to ever hear Subterranean Fecal Root. A few months later, Subterranean Fecal Root took the underground by storm with their self-described "Shit-Grind." Subterranean Fecal Root soon gained attention in the underground. They began recording more songs and eventually, work began on Subterranean Fecal Root's debut album "Anthems of the Anti-Social Underground." Soon, drummer Derek Weir joined the band. Along the way, one of the founding members, LeftOvah departed from the band. But this didn't keep them back. Subterranean Fecal Root continued with the recording.

"Anthems of the Anti-Social Underground" is a spastic grindcore album. It is one big ignorant, hateful, pissed off, and retarded monster of an album. Loaded with funny song titles such as "Slithering Nectar Bellied Worm Of Gayness", "Cowardly Sobbing Emo Suckling Upon His Fathers Freshly Used Anal Vibrator", "Farting A Spinach Loaf On Your Face", "Urine Filled Plastic Bottle Highway Litter", "Posing As A Silly Christian To Get A Job And Tons Of Pussy", etc. Everything this band has written is here! That makes 37 songs of grindcore brilliance. The music is meant to be unlistenable and retarded. They somewhat succeed but only to the point where it's listenable. With this record, SFR takes a long, liquid, and nutty shit all over everything from Slam-death and emo to Feminism and Christianity. Subterranean Fecal Root are a very addictive and fun band. Anthems of the Antisocial Underground is a modern day grindcore classic.

There is a deeper meaning to SFR. The Subterranean Fecal Root philosophy is to reject and hate all that is wrong with the world. Even if it's for ignorant reasons, hate them. Don't let new aged and urban cocksuckery ruin your life. All the dipshittery caused by all the fucking Gerald Ways, the Eminem's, the Jamey Jasta's, the Matt Heafy's, the Bill O Reilly's, etc. It's people like the average Hot Topic shopping prepubecent fuck that is wrong with the world. Hate them and hate their idols. If you like Avenged Sevenfold, you should probably kill yourself. Or stop liking them and become a born again hetero and buy this fucking album.

Overall Rating: 10+/10

New Metal Pundit Forum!

Alright, the old Metal Pundit forum vanished for some reason so I decided to build a better and more professional one!

Join the Forum!

Lefty's Note

Thanks to Al Bundy for creating this phenomenal forum. Let's hope people join and express their feelings about metal and politics.

Upcoming Albums

DECREPITAPH - TBA
DISMEMBER - "Dismember"
EVISCERATED - TBA
GODLESS RISING - TBA
HAIL OF BULLETS - TBA
HAVOHEJ - TBA
SATAN'S ALMIGHTY PENIS - "Thy Foulness Cum"
SLAYER - TBA
UNLEASHED - "Hammer Battalion"
VENOM - "Hell"

Also, legendary metal vocalist Kam Lee (MASSACRE, DENIAL FIEND, MANTAS, DEATH, SHADOWS WITH KNIVES) will be re-recording classic Mantas/Death demo songs with different bands backing him up for an upcoming project.

Anal Vomit - Depravation

Genre: Black/Death Metal
Year: 2007

Anal Vomit are the greatest band to emerge from Peru. They are criminally underrated and once again, Anal Vomit unleashes another filthy and sadistic black/death assault of an album. "Depravation" is for those who love old school black/death metal. This album is raw and vile. The riffs on Depravation are fucking brutal as hell. The vocals are very demonic and are your typical 80's death metal rasp. This record is everything a fan of early extreme metal could want. Especially if you are a fan of the Brazilian metal masters, Sarcofago.

In closing to this short review. Don't expect anything totally original. If you like black metal and death metal in the old school vein, buy this album! You won't regret it.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Classic Album of the Week: Pestilence - Consuming Impulse

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 1989

Starting off originally as a cult thrash metal act, the dutch band known as Pestilence soon switched to death metal with 1989's "Consuming Impulse." Consuming Impulse is Pestilence's 2nd album and their best. This is one of my personal favorites. Not only that but the album cover is probably the best fucking cover ever.

Consuming Impulse is an old school death metal classic. This is the Netherlands' answer to Death's "Leprosy" album. One of the most notorious songs in death metal makes it's appearance. That song would be the infamous "Out of the Body." A song that is about "your worst fucking nightmare" as then-vocalist Martin Van Drunen would say. "Out of the Body" is a death metal anthem. Packed with killer riffs and the brutal vocals. Consuming Impulse does not have a weak song on it. Once you play this album, it beats you to a pulp and eats you alive. When it's done, it spits out your bones. Consuming Impulse is a mandatory album for death metal fans. After this, Pestilence adopted a more progressive sound on 1991's "Testimony of the Ancients" and 1993's "Spheres." After that they had split up but recently they have reunited.

Overall Rating: 10+/10
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Pestilence - "Out of the Body"

Nunslaughter - Hex

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2007

Nunslaughter is a band that will never sellout. They pretty much still have the same sound they had in the 80's. "Hex" is exactly what you would expect from Nunslaughter.

What we have here are 17 blasphemous tracks that will drive the listener into insanity. Don of the Dead's raspy old school death metal yell is demonic. The riffs are fucking evil too. All the songs are brutal as fuck and will rip your head off. There are even touches of Doom Metal on some songs. Hex is a masterpiece and Nunslaughter's best album yet! There are NO weak tracks on this record, absolutly flawless. Hex is one of the greatest albums of 2007 by far. I highly recommend it to all fans of extreme metal!

Highlights: "This Is Fucking War", "I Hate Christians", "Pyre", "To Defile", "Ogrish", "Unbaptized", "Hex", "Smell the Burning Churches", "Face of Evil", "Lucifer", and "My Evil Concubine."

10+/10

Obama wins South Carolina

Source

Ron Paul promises....

Massacre - The Second Coming

Genre: Technical Death Metal
Year: 2007

Here it is. The long lost Massacre album. I had no idea this was finally coming out until last week when I looked at Hell's Headbanger's site. I got it in the mail last Saturday. "The Second Coming" was recorded back in 1990 after Massacre's reformation in 1989. The line up features Kam Lee on vocals, Rick Rozz on guitar, Joe Cangelos (ex-WHIPLASH, ex-KREATOR) on drums, and Butch Gonzales on bass. "The Second Coming" sounds very different from the rest of Massacre's discography. Although it bares a resemblance to the classic Massacre sound, it also sounds similar to Atheist. This is the most technical Massacre album. Very unique too. There is even some slap-bass work on this record. The sound on "The Second Coming" is raw but still audible. There are tons of great riffs on this album. Butch Gonzales is a very good bass player too. Sadly this is the only known recording he has ever been featured on. His shinning moment here is "Devouring Hour." Which is also the best song on the album. What were Earache thinking when they decided not to put it out? There are no weak songs on it. This edition released by Hell's Headbangers/Nunslaughter Records contains "The Second Coming" recordings as well as a live version of "From Beyond" from 1992 as a bonus track. This is definitely worth the money and every metal fan should own it.

Overall Rating: 10+/10

Classic Album of the Week: Massacre - From Beyond

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 1991

Massacre are one of the most important bands in metal yet one of the most underrated. They are one of the founding fathers of death metal and innovators. If it wasn't for Kam Lee, most death metal vocalists would NOT have that low-pitched growl of which is very common in death metal.

This isn't your ordinary death metal album. All of the material on "From Beyond" are re-recordings from Massacre's early days. Meaning, these are some of death metal's first songs. The album opens up with "Dawn of Eternity." Starting off with an epic and slow riff soon builds up into a bloodbath of death metal! Other underground anthems from their demo days such as "Cryptic Realms", "Chamber of Ages", "From Beyond", and "Corpsegrinder" make an appearance on this recording. "Corpsegrinder", an ode to necrophilia is probably the band's most well-known song. It was also originally a Death song written by Kam in 1984 when he did vocals and drums for them. However, most of the lyrical themes are inspired by the famous writer, H.P. Lovecraft. "From Beyond" is flawless and still sounds fresh after all these years. Every song on this album has very catchy yet brutal riffs. The vocals are fucking great too! "From Beyond" slays 99% of the albums you'll find. This is a very special record in metal. Sadly, it was a victum of bad timing. Had this album been released in 1987, Massacre most likely would've gotten more recognition.

In closing, this is a must-have. From Beyond is the ultimate weapon against posers that every metalhead should have in their possession. It is the definitive death metal album. Massacre were a true cult band that made an important impact on Metal. They weren't the most popular band but if it wasn't for them, bands such as Blood Freak, Nunslaughter, Incantation, Benediction, Asphyx, God Macabre, Napalm Death, Unleashed, Immolation, and pretty much all the death metal bands after them wouldn't exist.

Overall Rating: 10+/10
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Massacre - "Chamber of Ages"

A word on Bush's "Economic Stimulus"

I have a very simple concern with the new "Economic Stimulus" coming from the White House:

Where are they going to get $145,000,000.00 to just hand out?

If giving it to us now is such a good idea why did they collect it from us in the first place?

"Supply-siders" (followers of the so-called "Reaganomics") defend less progressive tax burdens, claiming that money kept by the wealthiest will trickle down into the economy. That sounded fine, but economics proved that it wasn't so, but it is still a cornerstone of Republican economic policy, until now!

Republicans want to give money to everybody!

My obvious complaint is that the government does not have this money to just give out. They are going to print it anyways, and thus will steal from everybody by creating inflation. The joke is on you if you think this money is a gift. It has been stolen, even if from just fractions of pennies so that you will think that a politician can actually influence the business cycle.

"What do you mean we're out of money? We still have checks." -Ronald Reagan

That is exactly why the dollar is declining and commodities whose values are posted against it (oil, gold, copper, etc.) have risen dramatically in price. If the sovereignty of our currency is a concern to you then vote for Ron Paul, as he is the only simpleton who understands that you can't pay for shit if you don't have money.

The Best of George W. Bush

Godless Rising - Battle Lords

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2007

For those who don't know, Godless Rising are a fairly new band who formed 3 years ago. The band features ex-Vital Remains vocalist, Jeff Gruslin. "Battle Lords" is the 2nd album from Godless Rising and their best yet. "Battle Lords" truely lives up to it's name. This is the soundtrack to war! What we have here is death metal with some hints of black metal. Jeff proves he still has it. This is his best vocal peformance to date. The guitar work on Battle Lords is very technical yet it isn't total wank like Necrophagist. This album does not run out of riffs. Paul Flynn (ex-Vital Remains) and Mike Lecam (ex-Ritual Sacrifice) are criminally underrated guitarists that deserve much more praise. They are up there with K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. Highlights are "Heathen's Rage", "Battle Lords", "Sadistic Ritual Carnage", "Ancient Grave Lands", "Beyond The Graves We Desecrate", and "Revelation of The Dead King." This album gets better with each listen too. "Battle Lords" shits all over the trendy deathcore and "br00tal" slam-death bands. It will trample the scene kid posers and the Vanilla Ice wanna-be's who call himselfs "death metal fans" these days.

If you want epic satanic death metal, I highly reccomend this album! You won't be dissapoited.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Back to School

I started my second semester of law school today. Law school, as many of you may know, if very demanding. Therefore, I may not be around as often to post stories. I will trust this blog to my bro Al Bundy. He will keep our readers entertained with the latest political/musical stories. I will try my best to write my thoughts about the primary elections.

Spring Semester Courses:

Lawyering Skills II
Constitutional Law I
Civil Procedure I
Contracts II
Criminal Law

Wish me luck!

Classic Album of the Week: Death - Human

Genre: Technical Death Metal
Year: 1991

Death are the greatest band of all time. Bar none. Each record is flawless and I could considered any one of them as my favorite album. The reason why I chose to review "Human" is because Human is what I consider the turning point for Death. It has a combination of the band's old sound and future sound. Death were originally a death metal band that wrote songs full of brutality and malevolence. 1990's "Spiritual Healing" hinted Death's new direction but it wasn't until Human came out in 1991, that Death found their sound. A sound that brings brutality and melody together. Also played by extremely talented musicians. Although, this has been done before with countless bands. Death did it differently. It's almost impossible to explain but Death just had a very unique sound that cannot be copied. On Human, Death's mastermind Chuck Schuldiner recruited Cynic members Paul Masvidal (guitar) and Sean Reinert (drums). As well as the legendary Steve DiGiorgio on bass. Making this a landmark in Death Metal.

On this record, Chuck's songwriting matured and the music became more technical. The lyrics are more introspective. Musicanship is flawless. Chuck Schuldiner was the riff-master. My all time favorite guitarist. The opening riff to "Together as One" is probably the best riff ever written. The thick guitar tone on Human is definitely the best tone I have ever heard on any album. Lots of great riffs, pounding double-kick drums, brilliant bass playing, and perfect vocals. Songs such as "Suicide Machine", "Lack of Comprehension, and "Cosmic Sea" are considered metal anthems. The Japanese edition contains a cover of Kiss' "God of Thunder." Which is miles better than the original.

Each song on this record gets a 10+. There is not a single song I would skip over. Human (as well as the rest of Death's discography) annihilates everything in it's path. If you do not own it, make this the next album you buy. I will also say if you do not like this album, you have absolutely no business in metal at all.

Overall Rating: 10+/10
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Death - "Lack of Comprehension"

Denial Fiend - They Rise

Genre: Death/Horror Metal
Year: 2007

Tampa, Florida's Denial Fiend are a new band featuring metal legends Kam Lee, Curtis Beeson, Terry Butler and punk pioneer Sam Williams. The music on their debut "They Rise" can be described as "Horror Metal." The music is heavily influenced by ancient death metal, thrash, and horror punk. Lyrically influenced by old school horror films. Not the shitty Nu-horror CGI kiddie films. "They Rise" has a very original sound. A breath of fresh air from all the trendy -core bands. Even though Denial Fiend's influences consists of mainly old school metal, they are NOT a fucking retro band who tries to sound like they came out in 1985. Denial Fiend defies all modern trends!

"They Rise" features some of Kam's best vocal performances to date. He sounds evil as fuck and can sound very demonic at times. After a long absence from the metal scene, he proves that he still has it. Kam is hands down the greatest death metal vocalist alive. Lots of great riffs can be found here. Sam Williams is a riff master and his solos are fucking great. This album is just perfect. Very catchy and not a single weak song can be found on it. The album even features a re-worked version of "Legions of Doom" ("L.O.D.") from Death's 1983 "Death By Metal" demo back when they went by the name of Mantas. The very first death metal recording! "They Rise" is the best album of 2007 as far as I'm concerned! It wouldn't be a stretch to say that "They Rise" is one of the greatest metal albums of all time. All Metalheads must hear this masterpiece. This is exactly what this metal "scene" needs! Especially in America! If you don't like Denial Fiend, you should be ripped to shreds with a chainsaw before you watch your mother get skullfucked to death!

OVERALL RATING: 10+/10

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Denial Fiend - Cover Me In Blood (Fan video/demo/Dead Awakening version)

Hillary Clinton Wins in New Hampshire!

In a much-needed victory, Hillary Clinton got back into the horse race by winning the Democratic New Hampshire primary. The Metal Pundit's officially-endorsed candidate, Barack Obama, came in a close second. John Edwards finished third.

John McCain won the Republican primary in New Hampshire, followed by Mitt Romney.

This campaign season is getting more interesting as it develops.

Congratulations to tonight's winners!

Obama WILL be back!

President Poll Results

1. Barack Obama
2. Ron Paul
3. John Edwards

Classic Album of the Week: Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 1993

Sweden has been one of main exporters of metal in the past 20 years. The country is home to bands such as Edge of Sanity, Crypt Of Kerberos, Runemagick, Nihilist, Dismember, God Macabre, Unleashed, Liers in Wait, Morbid, Grave, Merciless, Carnage, Moondark, Entombed, Therion, Candlemass, Grosteque, Amon Amarth, Dissection, Marduk, Abruptum, Bathory, F.K.Ü., Yngwie J. Malmsteen, and that's just to name a FEW. But who is Sweden's best band? My answer would be Stockholm's NECROPHOBIC! Necrophobic formed in 1989 and prior to the release of their legendary "The Nocturnal Silence" album, they already had a cult following with their demos and as well as their 1992 EP "The Call." In March of 1993, Necrophobic entered Sunlight Studios to record "The Nocturnal Silence." An album I would consider the best album to emerge from Sweden if not the best album to emerge from Scandinavia! "The Nocturnal Silence" was soon released in August later that year.

The Nocturnal Silence is an evil death metal album with hints of black metal. Although not enough to call it "blackened death metal." The album opens up with the appropriately titled "Awakening...", a perfect way to kick off an album. Starting off with a keyboard intro and then goes into full blown death metal from Hell. The title track alone makes this one of the best albums in the history of metal. It opens up with an eerie clean guitar and soon builds up. Growing heavier and faster with each riff. The haunting atmosphere is overwhelming. Anders Strokirk's vocals on this album are shouts of pure evil! David Parland's guitar playing on this album makes it one of the best guitar albums ever. His brutal riffs and melodic solo's are nothing short of brilliant. This is everything an extreme metal fan could want! The highlights on this album are: "Awakening...", "Before the Dawn", "The Nocturnal Silence, "The Ancients Gate", "Sacrificial Rites", and "Where Sinners Burn."

In closing, "The Nocturnal Silence" is a masterpiece. A true gem of the early 90's Swedish death metal scene. Sadly, it appears this album is out of print and obtaining a copy will not be cheap. But if you can find it, do not hesitate to buy it. You won't regret it.

Overall Rating: 10+/10

Hooded Menace - The Eyeless Horde

Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Year: 2007

Hooded Menace formed last year in Joensuu, Finland when members, Lasse (aka Leper Messiah) (VACANT COFFIN, PHLEGETHON), Anton (aka Hunchback), and Robert (aka Crimson Executioner) began jamming to Candlemass covers with death metal vocals. They later began writting their own material. Soon, Hooded Menace recorded this demo, "The Eyeless Horde." What we have here is crushing Death/Doom Metal. This will KILL all the posers out there! This is not another shitty deathcore band. The lyrical themes are based on the Blind Dead movies. The songs on this demo are "Fulfill the Curse" and "The Eyeless Horde." Both tracks are heavy as fuck and have somewhat of an old school feel to it. They are very simular to the early 90's death/doom bands. Lots of crushing riffs and excellent guitar leads. Especially in the title track of this demo. Lasse's vocals remind me somewhat of Tomi Koivusaari from Amorphis when they were a death metal band. The sound on this demo is very professional too. This is quality death/doom and is exactly what the metal "scene" needs today. Hooded Menace will go down in history as one of the best doom metal bands ever. This demo is an introduction to one of metal's future gods. Their upcoming debut album will be a mandatory release for all metalheads this year.

I highly reccomend Hooded Menace if you are a fan of Asphyx, (old) Paradise Lost, Candlemass, Winter, Autopsy, and (old) Amorphis. You can listen to their entire demo at their MySpace page.

"The Eyeless Horde" will be released as a 7" EP soon. Hooded Menace will be releasing their debut album "Fulfill The Curse" on Razorback Records later this year.

Overall Rating: 10+/10

Obama Victory Speech

Above is Barack Obama's victory speech at the Iowa Caucus. This speech demonstrates Obama's superior oratory skills. His message is clear: It's time to unite America. This is not a nation of blue states and red states. This is the UNITED States! No other candidate has the persuasive power Obama possesses. This is truly a historic event!

There is also very interesting data about voter turnout. From the Group News Blog:

Total Voter Turnout (approximate)
356,000

Percentage of total vote

24.5% Obama
20.5% Edwards
19.8% Clinton
11.4% Huckabee (R)

These numbers do not look good for Republicans.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MIKE HUCKABEE FOR DEMONSTRATING THAT THE REPUBLICAN STATUS QUO ALSO NEEDS CHANGE. ELECTIONS CANNOT BE BOUGHT, AND HUCKABEE MADE THIS CLEAR. THE REPUBLICAN POWERS THAT BE LOATHE MR. HUCKABEE, AND HIS VICTORY IS A SLAP TO THEIR WINGNUT FACES!

Obama Wins Iowa Caucus!

Illinois Senator Barack Obama won the Democratic Iowa Caucus today with 37% of the delegate vote. In a close second and third, John Edwards and Hilary Clinton (respectively) each received roughly 30% of the delegate vote.

This is an important win for Obama. Hopefully he can keep this momentum and take it into the New Hampshire primaries. This is a crucial step in the movement to reinstate much-needed progressive values in our nation's executive branch. Barack Obama is the man to lead this country to positive change.

In the Republican Caucus, Mike Huckabee stunned Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson in his win. However, analysts are currently speculating that this caucus may be meaningless since John McCain may easily win New Hampshire, thus capturing enough momentum to win on Super Tuesday. This remains to be seen.

Decision 2008 is heating up everyone! Don't blink or you may miss something special.

Sodom - The Final Sign of Evil

Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
Year: 2007

Although "In the Sign of Evil" was an EP, it was always my favorite release from Sodom. When I heard a few months ago that Sodom were going to re-record this EP including some of the other songs that were suppose to be on ITSOE, I thought it was going to either work or it would fail. The reason why I thought this wouldn't work out was because on most re-recordings, bands will fuck up their old classics and it would sound overproduced and the old feeling from the originals wouldn't be there. Thankfully, this is not so with "The Final Sign of Evil" and it worked out for the better. It is one of the few exceptions I'll make with re-recordings.

Because of the budget with their label, a lot of the songs were omitted from the original Sign of Evil. This is what "In The Sign of Evil" was suppose to be. "The Final Sign of Evil" features the 1984 line up for the band. Also, the production sounds really old school as if it was recorded in the 80's. Which I am thankful for because I usually don't like it when bands re-record some of their earlier material with modern production. There are no weak songs on this re-recoding. They didn't fuck up any of the songs that made it to the original Sign of Evil either. The best song on here is "The Sin of Sodom" as well the classic "Witching Metal."

To sum it all up, "The Final Sign of Evil" is Sodom's best album. Easily, one of the best albums of 2007. A great re-recording of a black/thrash classic.

Overall Rating 10+/10

Written by Blaspherion

The Iowa Caucus: Setting the Pace for Party Nominations

The Iowa Caucus is the first major electoral event in presidential elections. This year's caucus will be held on Thursday, January 3. The caucus itself is not an election where citizens are able to vote for their preferred candidate. Instead, citizens gather and choose delegates who will eventually attend their respective party's national convention. The particular candidate who receives the most support (either through a straw poll, used by the Republican Party, or by a viability threshold, used by Democrats) is said to be the winner at the caucus.

The importance of the caucus is that it sets the tone for the primary election season. The winner of the Iowa caucus usually becomes stronger as potential contributors multiply. Furthermore, the winner of the Iowa Caucus arrives at the New Hampshire primaries (the next major electoral event) with tangible momentum. Candidates who make a strong showing at these two events are usually considered for the party nomination. A candidate who wins both is almost certain to receive the nomination. The dynamics of these elections are quite interesting, and all politically-conscious citizens should pay special attention.

At this time, the Des Moines Register poll has Republican candidate Mike Huckabee ahead by 4 points, and the Democratic candidate Barack Obama is ahead by 7 points. Hopefully, for me, this poll is sufficiently accurate to predict an Obama victory.

Feel free to discuss your thoughts about the electoral process and the various candidates.