JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C
19/11/07
OPETH / THE ROUNDHOUSE TAPES
This was recorded last year on the tour to support the
“Ghost Reveries “ album that came out in 2005 and as such is a piece of history
and it shows the band is a force to be reckoned with live.
The band put on a superb, flawless performance and at times
its hard to believe that this is live, the songs played are a good mix of old
“Bleak”, “Wondowpane” and new “Ghost Perdition”,
“Blackwater Park” and show the bands diverse music
styles off perfectly, this is in effect a best of live. Because most of the bands songs have a
tendency to be long so although there are two discs there are only 9 songs but
it’s the quality that counts not the quantity and the quality is very
high.
I don’t normally like live albums but this on by Opeth is an exception, if you were lucky enough to see them
on tour last year4 or you actually went to the Roundhouse gig, this is indeed a
fantastic reminder how good they were.
WESISTE http://www.opeth.com/ & http://www.peaceville.com/
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = Disc 1 = 61 mins + 6 TRACKS, Disc 2 = 35 + 3
TRACKS
ALCHEMIST / TRIPSIS
This is an Australian band, described as Progressive Death
Metal but that does not do them justice at all, they have a lot of influences in
their sound, Killing Joke, Fear Factory and Nephelim
to name 3 that spring to mind and with all this going on I the soudscape it makes for very interesting
listening.
The bands sound is as big as the country they come from but
has a sparse openness about it that is both enticing and alluring but they can
pour on the heaviness with the best of them when they want to. Tracks like, “Nothing In No Time” and
“Substance Of Shadows” show off the bands talents to great effect and give you a
good feel of what these guys are trying to created, they are both innovative and
creative giving them a very different sound to any one else around at the moment
and this superb CD makes for very interesting
listening.
If you want to catch up on what the band have done before
there is a very good double CD out as well and if like me you love this CD you
won’t be able to resist it and a clear album of the
week.
WEBSITE http://www.alchemist.com.au/ & http://www.relapse.com/
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 43 mins + 9
GLORIOUS TRACKS
NIFELHEIM / ENVOY OF LUCIFER
If your looking for some Old School style Black Metal then
look no further than Nifelhiem, invoking the spirit
and feeling of some of the past masters like Darkthrone, Mayhem, Immortal and the
like.
With songs like “Strom Of The Reaper”, “Evil Is Eternal” and
the epic “No More Life” you know
exactly what you’re letting yourse3lf in for, some damn fine Black Metal at its
purist best, all of it done with passion, conviction and a sincerity that is
impossible to emulate. The guitar
sound is a Black as night and the solos are like cries of the banshee and when
the vocalist growls in the usual Black Metal style, you know he means
business.
This CD may not win you over to the dark side but if you
enjoy true, pure Black Metal you can’t help but like this album as its full of
everything that you could wish for, also listen out for; “Gates Of Damnation”,
“Claws Of Death” and “Belial’s Prey”
WEBSITE http://www.nifelheim.co.nr/ & http://www.regainrecords.com/
TOTAL PLAYING TIME 44 mins + 10 BLACK TRACKS