Misery Index Post Video For “Conquistadors” Online

Simplest can sometimes be the best, and as Misery Index shows us, simply performing on a sound stage can provide us with some entertainment value. The song “Conquistadors” comes from their newest album “Discordia” has gotten very good reviews.

You can see the video here.

Misery Index
Misery Index At Relapse Records

Suffocation Posts Video Of Abomination Reborn

I like everything in the video with the exception that vocalist Frank Mullen barely moves. Most likely, this is due to get the camera shots on his face, and if he was moving, he would move out of the shot pretty often. Of course they could do takes where he’s much more animated, but more time means more money.

With the popularity of Suffocation and their new self-titled album on the rise, I’m hoping they’ll make another video, perhaps Bind Torture Kill?

You can view the new video here.

Suffocation
Suffocation At MySpace
Suffocation At Relapse Records

Minsk Finishes New Album

One of the favourite new genres around here at Nile River is the one that has been titled by the author of the BNR metal pages as “Atmospheric Hardcore”. The genre that was of course inspired by such bands as Neurosis, Isis and Cult Of Luna.

Minsk is one such band from said genre, and their last album “Out Of Centre: Which Is Either Dead Nor Alive” got quite a few good reviews. On their path of artistic growth, they signed with Relapse Records, and have now finished their new full-length album which will be called “The Ritual Fires Of Abandonment”. The release date has been set at February 20th 2007 for North America, and will be released six days later for the rest of the world.

Minsk
Minsk At MySpace
Minsk At Relapse Records

Immolation To Start Recording New Album

This long standing New York death metal band will yet again be using Paul Orofino to produce their album.

Production seems to be one of the gripes many people have about certain death metal bands and albums, and I can understand why, as the genre has changed to become much better suited to better recording.

The band point to their last two albums, “Harnessing Ruin” and “Unholy Cult” as what the overall sound will be like for the new album, which I have to say sound like a slight disappointment, as those two albums sound very much alike, while Immolation has had a long career of having their albums sound different, as they’ve made creative progress on each album until they put out “Harnessing Ruin”.

Immolation
Immolation At MySpace
Immolation At Century Media

Checkout Counter: Porhpyria

Back a couple of months, Decibel magazine had a death metal special, and in it they had a commentary from members of some of the bigger metalcore bands now. One of those people who provided something was Trevor Phipps, the vocalist from Unearth. He was talking about new death metal bands such as Job For A Cowboy and Porphyria. Now when he first mentioned Porphyria, I thought he was talking about a death/grind band from Poland, but as it turns out he was actually talking about a band from the Massechusetts/New Hampshire area. Ken Susi from Unearth has done some production for this band, which would explain the Unearth connection.

Porphyria sounds promising, as they sound like a young bunch with lots of energy. The main influence I can hear is Cannibal Corpse. The future may be looking up for this band if they’re willing to do what it takes.

Porphyria
Porphyria At MySpace

Byzantine Prepares New Album

There was a point in time when I was re-familiarizing myself with the world of underground metal, and spreading my horizons beyond thrash, Lamb Of God and Killswitch Engage. I was becoming with a record label called Prosthetic who had only 8 bands on their roster, one of those bands was preparing their first album to be released. That band was Byzantine.

“The Fundamental Component” was a strange album, partially influenced by Meshuggah and southern metal, with enough originality to put themselves ahead of many other bands. Later in 2004 I would see Byzantine at the New England Metal And Hardcore Fest, and they provided an entertaining show. I didn’t end up getting their second full-length “...And They Shall Take Up Serpents”, so I’m not able to comment on it.

Right now Byzantine is reportedly working on a new full length due in 2007, with 11 songs ready to go.

Byzantine
Byzantine At MySpace
Byzantine At Prosthetic Records

Album Review - The Haunted: “The Dead Eye”

Creative experimentation can be a good thing, however, it’s sometimes disguised as an attempt to get a more mainstream audience.

On their previous album “rEVOLVEr”, even the title expressed wishes from The Haunted to try new and different things other than they updated version of 80's thrash. We were presented with a few songs that added slow, bluesy, raw gritty pieces that still reflected the world of violence. Those songs actually fit right along with the world and imagery of crime infested dirty underworld akin to movies like Reservoir Dogs or The Usual Suspects.

The old thrash roots are still prevalent on “The Dead Eye”. There are some songs that would normally be a full on assault, but even those heaviest songs are a race to a clean-sung chorus. When those traditional fast The Haunted style songs from “The Dead Eye” are played back-to-back against their back catalogue, none of the new material matches the speed or intensity of their early works.

In fact, there are many songs delving into chord driven alt-rock territory, and even a few hints of Tool along the way. Whether one of the lighter songs are played full-on, or mixed with thrash elements, the juxtaposition seems out of place. Not to mention that those lighter commercial rock/alt-rock/alternative moments don’t quite feel focussed, instead they seem to be drawing from a used CD bin from the early and mid 90's. One has to wonder if the absence of material composed by Jensen may be posing problems, or is Peter Dolving attempting to express elements from his other bands Mary Beats Jane or The Peter Dolving band in The Haunted.

It all seems a futile attempt for The Haunted to find themselves, when in fact “The Dead Eye” seems more like they’ve fallen from the path.

5/10

The Haunted
The Haunted At Century Media

The Abominable Iron Sloth Breaks Up

This was one promising act playing some super heavy sludge. The Abominable Iron Sloth released their first full-length this year to quite a few good reviews. Right along with Khanate, this is shaping up to be a year of sad breakups...

You can read about the ordeal here.

The Abominable Iron Sloth
The Abominable Iron Sloth At MySpace
Goodfellow Records

Napalm Death Video Posted Online

I love the classic sound coming off of the song in the video, the being “When All Is Said And Done”. Classic grindcore showing off it’s punk roots, some good ol’ huge tempo shifts, and some blast beats thrown in. The vocals are distorted and garbled, and there’s often a harsh, higher screamed vocal harmony. Oh yeah, and as for the video, the band is playing in a room mostly. Simple and elegant.

You can see the video here.

Napalm Death
Napalm Death At Century Media

Checkout Counter: Crimson Falls

An amalgamation of sorts, bringing together lots generally heavy and caustic sounds together with some chugga style breakdowns. Crimson Falls certainly has elements of groove, death metal, thrash, Meshuggah and a bit of hardcore as well. This band provides and entertaining listen, although they could tighten things up a little bit.

Crimson Falls
Crimson Falls At Shiver Records

Checkout Counter: She Killed Poetry

With a band name like She Killed Poetry, one might expect screamo of the most generic standards. Not quite. She Killed Poetry manages to cram many different types of metalcore into a cohesive package which sounds fairly well done. From melodic death metal, to high energy thrash, heavy groove, to a hinting of brutal death metal, the odd jagged Slayer-inspired solo, and emo chords, and some clean sung emo bits all strung together in a cohesive package. Don’t forget those chugga style breakdowns. Bear in mind, you’ve heard it all before, just not all tied together in every song.

I sometimes wonder to myself that by bringing an underground and fairly standard metalcore band to the surface, whether or not I’m actually shortening the lifespan of metalcore in general. As good as some of these new metalcore bands are, is there no limit to how many we need?

She Killed Poetry At MySpace
She Killed Poetry At Imagine Records

Checkout Counter: Ablaze In Hatred

It’s not too often that new doom/death comes my way, especially since many of the old doom/death bands have “progressed” beyond playing doom/death, or at the very least have ditched the harsh vocals. Ablaze In Hatred hails from Finland, and currently just released their first album, which so far sounds very compelling.

Ablaze In Hatred
Ablaze In Hatred At MySpace
Ablaze In Hatred At Firebox Records/Firedoom Music

The End Title New Album

A brand new album from the Canadian oddity The End will be called “Elementary”. You can see the cover, and even make a pre-order through Relapse records here. They’ve already got a vinyl planned. I believe the new album is due out next year.

The End
The End At Relapse Records

The Haunted Post Video Online

A video has been made, and posted for a new song titled “The Flood” off of The Haunted’s new album “The Dead Eye”. You can view it here.

I like The Haunted quite a bit, and I’ve liked all their albums thus far. I’ve had a different feeling for some of the songs I’ve heard from “The Dead Eye” so far though. I heard “The Medication” on their spot on the Century Media website, and it sounds like standard fare from The Haunted, being mid paced, lacking some intensity, generally seeming like it’s a standard The Haunted song that’s been done before.

When I heard the music in the video for “The Flood” I was reminded of In Flames when they began to pursue a more mainstream direction, but without keyboards and effects, and with harsher vocals. The break in the middle of the song sounds like it could be something from Tool. I’m all for experimentation, but sometimes I question the motives of certain artists who experiment with a lighter, sometimes more mainstream sound, or something that’s been done before by lots of other artists.

I haven’t heard every song from “The Dead Eye” so it’s too early to speculate as a whole.

The Haunted
The Haunted At Century Media