Tag Archives: Metal albums

Ancient Altar – Ancient Altar

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It’s time for a new album from Scott Carlson, folks! But before all you Death-heads start foaming, this is the Iron Mtn. founder member, and for some of us that’s even more exciting. The LA quartet delivered only one half-hour EP of sick psych doom instrumentals during their short life, but it was enough to get the underground internet yattering.

 

New project Ancient Altar, formed by Carlson and fellow ex- Mtn. man Bill Cavener, seems set to fan those flames further.

 

This self-titled debut album (Midnite Collective) takes a different angle, being a nasty, sludgy little number. There’s a wonderfully deep tone to opener ‘Tidal’ thanks to a rumbling bass and a beefy production, retaining a mere hint of fuzz. A largely doom-paced opening to the track sees diseased roars and a malevolent hiss cover throbbing, low-end guitars, vaguely reminiscent of 50’s rock ‘n’ roll. That mellow riffing wears a dramatic and doleful face on the gloriously growing swell of ‘Ek Balam’, with the eventual quickening of the beat opening the gates to a brooding yet barrelling stoner growl almost black in shimmering sections as the track progresses. The lead work is all low chords, understated yet beautifully orchestrated to heighten the effect. It is a full five minutes before that hostile wail seeps evil gloop over the speakers, yet the track hasn’t suffered without it. In fact, on occasion, the roar descends into deranged territory akin to Captain Caveman, introducing (for those who remember the cuddly troglodyte) a sense of levity where there should be only pain and hatred.

 

There is, however, more than enough to compensate. Closer ‘Pulled Out’places the listener in a dank, desolate place with what is initially an almost balladic pace and tone and the track gradually builds as rhythms and drums lift and strengthen a slightly shimmering lead, the agonised roar telling a tale of real loss.

 

With such bruisingly heavy yet achingly emotive landscapes evident through a rich, dark and weighty tapestry of sheer enmity, this is an intriguing first foray possessing no little invention.

 

8.0/10.0

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PAUL QUINN

 


Vader – Tibi Et Igni

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Vader - Tibi Et Igni

 

Vader have always upheld a mantra of consistency through their career. Though not as storied as countrymen Behemoth or Decapitated (having closely aligned themselves with the latter act even sharing the odd member), Piotr Wiwczarek has still turned out tried and tested death metal which is neither blackened nor augmented with overt technicality.

 

‘Triumph Of Death’ has an immediate chorus but something about the bands contentment in playing to the old school death metal fan rather than producing anything particularly challenging makes parts of this album feel somewhat safe. A crisp production allows for each instrument to be present in the mix with Piotr’s characteristic gritty bark helping give the songs more character, but this is an album of peaks and troughs. ‘Tibi Et Igni’ retains the feel of early nineties Slayer or Sepultura with the addition of symphonic textures to add variation. ‘Hexenkessel’ is an improvement; menacing riffs anchored by a sturdy backbeat of blasts and a blur of fast tremolo in the scything verse.

 

Certainly the more cinematic aspects of Tibi Et Igni (Nuclear Blast) raise the bar. Employing new aspects like spoken word sections and the odd classical intro, adds new depth to a couple of tracks, but aside from that It is the stick to your guns approach Vader have long favoured. ‘Light Reaper’ is clearly Vader by numbers and while none of the line-up sans Wiwczarek himself joined the group before 2009 you get a sense of “business as usual” throughout much of this release. ‘Armada on Fire’ is the benchmark of the album, churning guitars and a middle section which should drive moshpits into frenzied chaos, yet it only highlights how several of the tracks here are merely solid as opposed to outstanding.

 

Piotr has kept the song-writing tight and concise while adhering rigidly to the blueprint Vader was built upon and the heads down approach to old school thrash injected death metal has marked Vader out as a reliable workhorse of the genre famed for their consistency, but likewise it has been this attitude which has seen some of their peers leapfrog them in the notoriety stakes.

 

6/10

 

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ROSS BAKER

 

 


Linkin Park – The Hunting Party

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I’ve never been a fan of the phrase “guilty pleasure”. I think you either like something or you don’t, especially when it comes to music. Notwithstanding, admitting that you quite like Linkin Park is most definitely a time when the phrase can come in quite handy.

 

Since their debut album, the much purchased and much vaunted Hybrid Theory (Warner Bros.) graced us with its presence, Linkin Park have been a band for whom it has been very easy to dislike. Dependent on your point of view they have been described as “sell outs” “not metal” and, simply, “terrible”.

 

I’m not sure about whether The Hunting Party (Warner) is a return to rock as much as it is a return to Hybrid Theory– namely a bunch of highly efficient, energized songs that trade on all the leitmotifs that made this band famous and popular in the first place. And, you know what, I happen to think it’s alright, actually.

 

‘Keys to the Kingdom’ starts off in a fairly aggressive manner, the band seemingly re-energised and up for something akin to a fight. It’s as if they have reconciled themselves to the fact that they are never going to win over everyone and have settled for sounding, well, like Linkin Park.

 

If you don’t like Linkin Park, you’re unlikely to be swayed by the dozen tracks on offer here but, even if you are amongst the naysayers, you won’t fail to recognise that this is something approaching a return to the form that created the megastars in the first place. Of course, the entire record is filled with all the silly nonsense that you’ve come to expect from Messrs Bennington and co. Once again, the late 30-something multi-millionaires cast themselves in the role of eternal teenage outsiders railing against impending apocalypses, corrupt politicians and looking for the new horizons of better days etc.

 

Despite no cliché being actively overlooked, I still find myself warming to what’s on offer here. The debut single, the punchy and effervescent ‘Guilty All The Same’, with rap artist Rakim, has plenty of gusto and drive; second single, the more reflective ‘Until It’s Gone’ is, in the nicest possible way, ‘Numb’ part 2 which, to my mind, is no bad thing. Former System of a Down-er Darion Malakian turns in a really smart turn on one the album’s stronger cuts, the immigration tale of Rebellion; Page Hamilton and Tom Morello pop their heads and respective instruments in as well, which, as you all know, are also Very. Good. Things. Indeed.

 

I understand that I win no cool points on this one but I’m far too old to actually care about cool points. The Hunting Party is a highly polished and effective record. It is not a masterpiece, but neither is it a car crash. As an exercise in efficient, modern heavy metal, it’s pretty good. Yes, there, I said it. New Linkin Park album: pretty, pretty good.

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7.0/10

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MAT DAVIES