JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C 28/01/08

 

 

WINDS OF PLAGUE / DECIMATE THE WEAK

 

This yet another great Technical Death Metal album and this one has a very good twist to it as well as the crushing Death Metal with a touch of melody with plenty of dynamics the twin leads are full of runs and arpeggio’s with a Neo Classical style that Yngwie Malmsteen would be proud of.

 

If you like you’re Death Metal to sound a bit progressive with some slower and complex time changes in them, then you will love “Decimate The Weal”, the songs are fast and furious with slower passages and more than a hint of melody that really to the keyboards that does set them apart.  You only have to listen to the oriental start of “Origins And Endings” to be enticed by Winds Of Plague and the title track is just as good as is whole album although quite short, will stand repeated plays because of its musical complexity and multifaceted style of the songs.

 

Listen out for; “One Body Too Many”, “Angels Of Debauchery”, “Anthems Of Apocalypse” and the brutally perfect “Impaler” a well deserved album of the week, buy this CD and enjoy.

 

WEBSITE      http://www.myspace.com/windsofplague & http://www.centurymedia.com/

 

DOWNLOAD            “One Body Too Many” & “The Impaler”

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 37 mins + 10 CLASSIC TRACKS

 

 

NORTHER / N

 

Now signed to Century Media, Swedish band Melodic Death Metal band Norther release their strongest album since the 2003 release “Mirror Of Madness”, the album that was responsible for getting me into the band in the first place.

 

What we’re talking here is first class riff filled guitar driven Melodic Death Metal at its best in the veins of In Flames and Soilwork and like both of these band Norther have the knack of writing some very catchy, distinctive, sing a long songs that invade your subconscious without you even knowing until you find yourself singing them, couple this with some very good keyboard work and flawless melodic twin guitar riffs and what you have something very insidious indeed.  For proof of this play “Frozen Angel”, “Down” or “My Antichrist” and I’ll bet the tunes will be going round inside your brain all day, they are as catchy as the plague and just as devastating.

 

There is not one track on here you could call a filler and I feel this could be the album to bring Norther to a global audience, also listen out for; “To Hell”, “Black Gold”, “We Rock”, (sadly not a Dio cover), the mournful “Saviour”+ and “Forever And Ever”.  If you buy the limited edition you get 3 extra tracks taken off the Swedish only release “No Way Back”, how’s that for value for money and you get some terrific Metal as well.

 

WEBSITE      http://www.norther.net/ & http://www.centurymedia.com/

 

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 49 mins + 12 SCORCHING TRACKS