Napalm Death - The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code (2005) - http://www.enemyofthemusicbusiness.com/
The "Gods Of Grind" returns in 2005 with a new album. Me myself have only heard a few songs from them ("You Suffer", for example) and have never heard an album in it's full entirety. I've heard good things about The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code (wordplay on "The King Is Dead, Long Live The King?), so I had my hopes up for it. Will it please me?
This album starts off by hitting you in the face with a stick. "Silence Is Deafening" must be one of the greatest songs I've heard from an album anno 2005. Stunning screeches, killer riffs and blasting drumming. Awesome. The album continues with two rather short songs (they haven't forgotten that they're the "Gods Of Grind"), as brutal and asskicking as the previous song. The title track is also a superb track, it will make you scream "Long Live The Code!" so that your neighbours is bound to hear (even if you live in the fucking desert). Sadly, the album seems to repeat itself later in the album, but songs like "Vegetative State" and "Striding Purposefully Backwards" is still worth a mention. "The Great And The Good" is a song they should have made a bonus-track instead, it features the Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys and it messes up the albums flow...
The screeching vocals contributed by "Barney" is great, the instrumental work is solid and so is the production. The album starts at the top and goes downhill, it's a bit repeating and the drumming is at times a bit annoying (not like it matters much). If you like Death Metal or Grind, get it. If you like Napalm Death, get it or die.
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Summoning - Dol Goldur (1996) - http://www.summoning.info/
Summoning is an Epic Ambient Black/Doom Metal-band (phew, that's long) from Austria who's main lyrical theme is Tolkien. Sounds great, doesn't it? It is, in fact. I remember I gave Lugburz a good score (3 and a half star), and that is one of their weaker albums. Then how is Dol Goldur?
Dol Goldur is amazing. The mix of ambient music combined with Doom and Black Metal is disturbingly good. Epic, long-lasting songs accompanied by great screeching vocals and nice melodies in the background. The whole album is rather slow-paced than ordinary Black Metal-albums, but then again, this isn't an ordinary Black Metal-album, right?
The albums starts off with an ambient-track which sets the mood (how overused is that sentence?) and then fades into an excellent, 10-minutes long track called "Nightshade Forest", a majestic and epic song that will give you chills. Everything is slow, the slow drumming (provided by a drum-machine supposedly) fits the song perfectly. I'm no fan of drum-machines, but at this album it actually sounds good. "Khazad Dum" is another song you don't want to miss out on. It follows pretty much the same pattern as the other songs on the album, just that the marching drums and enchanting flutes makes me almost cry of joy. Awesome. "Over Old Hills" must also be tried.
I recommend this album to everyone, fan of Black Metal or not. If you'd like to try out Black Metal for the first time but want to avoid the "anti-christian"-lyrics, you should definitely check out this album.
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W.A.S.P. - Helldorado (1999) - http://www.waspnation.com/
W.A.S.P. (We Are Sex Perverts, for those who wondered) is suffering from the rare AC/DC and Mot�rhead-syndrome. It's almost impossible to tell their albums apart except from some rarities. Like both Mot�rhead and AC/DC, the bands have something in common; a vocalist that the band never would be the same without.
Helldorado is a kind of standard "old school" Heavy metal-album. They manage to pull of a few decent song, a pair of good songs and of course songs that manages to suck ass. Blackie's vocals is like it usually is, low screaming and gruff vocals. For newcomers to W.A.S.P., it might take a while to get used to the vocals, but once you've swallowed it, W.A.S.P. can be a fun band to listen to.
The album is filled with rather obscure titles and lyrics, such as "Don't Cry (Just Suck)" and "Dirty Balls". Once you've looked past the idiotic lyrics and titles, you might like these songs. These two are the only "killers" on the album, though "Damnation Angels" and "High On The Flames" are quality songs as well. The rest is decent filler-material. The instrumental-work and production is solid, but it doesn't help this album much. If you wanna try W.A.S.P., don't start with this one. Only fans will find the whole album worthwhile a purchase.
