I don't deem this Cradle of Filth's worst album, actually at points it's quite luminous and shining in metal glory, but 1 thing they could've omitted from this hour and 15 minute+ output could be the lead guitars.  At some points these guitars were quite melodic and evanescent, though never boring.  Tempos here varied and for the most part they were quite mild.  This album is in no way really heavy and very dark.  Dani was not at his highest shrieking point, I actually think he's pretty mild in his screaming.  Most of it isn't stale, yet it was not overtly pounding.  Cradle toned down a bit on this one.  They I think were going for melodic vibes and not darkness.

What's different about this album not described yet would be it's probably most mellow Cradle release in existence.  Yes, they were on Roadrunner here, which doesn't to me make a difference when it comes to songwriting.  This was highly experimental and effective.  I think that they probably made use totally of guest vocalists enough, with a female voice expounding Lovecraftian lyrics.  There are very many changes here and overall this was a combination of great musicianship and songwriting.  It's enjoyable from the opening song "Nemesis" till the end fade out to eternity.  I grew to like this one, didn't think much of it as many people didn't hold value of this release.

I think that their music is the strong point, not the intensity, even though at times they do show some brutality.  Sounds like they're in D tuning, the guitars that is, maybe even a little bit lower.  In any event, you'll hear bar chord mania along with some tremolo picking riffs, but almost no blast beating whatsoever.  This one is ambient, though the production quality was a little flat.  That's why I took off from some of the overall effectiveness of the album.  But yeah, it's one to get to grow on you, don't expect anything overly brutal or explosive.  Dani's vocals are moderate as mentioned, he's really toned down on here.  Whispers, semi-shrieks, a little deep and that's the gist of it.

This release is really long, but it has a lot of variety.  Yes, there are synthesizers as pretty much all Cradle of Filth albums have, but at least on this one they don't drown out the music.  There's a massive lineup here plus like I said guest vocalists and pianists.  Just for short periods though, most of the album features Dani plus the guitars that can be quite melodic in whole, captivating, yet pretty simplistic.  They stuck to the basics and as a friend pointed out, became very creative.  I don't think this as "garbage" or a total wasted album, I think that it just takes some listens to before your make that final overall judgment of the release.  It's definitely worth ordering!

Rate: 75%.
Reviewed By Death8699 ([email protected]).

Awesome death/grind, even though I was never a big fan of the vocals, they still had an all-star lineup and musical output.  A lot of faster tempos which are characteristic of these kinds of bands.  Musically I think Jesse did a lot of great riff-writing here, even though there were 16 tracks and it was an under 40 minute release.  This is the ONLY Terrorizer I will listen to, especially since Jesse is gone.  Amazing that they had Morbid Angel guests on here i.e. David Vincent on bass and Pete Sandoval on drums.  These guys were the ultimate 4-piece act that knew how to rip it up musically to the core!  'World Downfall' is a classic.

I think a lot is to be said here.  First of all, they're not all about blast beating.  Jesse wrote a lot of creative riffs that fluctuate between slower tempos to faster to the fastest.  So in that respect, they're all over the place.  That doesn't mean that he didn't know what he was doing on this effort, it just means that there's variety.  It's got a pretty decent production sound here with Earache, where most top notch bands in this era originated.  So yeah, I enjoyed the music the most, it was variety and worth listening to.  I think that Jesse had a good idea of what he wanted to do with this mix and Oscar on vocals just uttering few words per song.

The death/grind is reminiscent of Napalm Death's 'From Enslavement To Obliteration' and 'Scum', not surprising that they recruited him as guitarist on their future releases, ND I'm referring to.  He was more than capable as a guitarist to really put out some really awesome riffs.  His tremolo picking style is top notch and he definitely hacked it even in the early days with this band.  His concepts for writing for Terrorizer featured mainly the chord fluctuations and fast picking of the chords as well as the strumming of the distorted guitar.  Sounds like they tuned to D, which is true of ND too, especially during the 'Harmony Corruption' days with them.

Songs were very short as you would expect, but some newer death/grind bands definitely have longer songs, but for Terrorizer, no song on here lasts a little over 3 minutes in length.  So yeah, the intensity is there, just the lyrical topics I was never a big fan of, but who cares, the music is awesome!  Jesse just ripped and a lot of what he did is set the tone for the tempos, David Vincent helping out filling in on bass.  No not a permanent member and Terrorizer trying to reform was a joke.  I think that 'World Downfall' has everything that a death/grind band should incorporate in their outputs--originality, short songs and right to the point.

Definitely worth checking out and an album where you can hear the grind riffs totally, the drums by Pete don't drown out the music.  If the vocals were better, I would've given this probably a perfect score.  There just needed to be more effort on Oscar's part, it was in one word: BORING.  Good thing that most of the songs just featured the music anyway.  So yeah, Terrorizer wasn't around for too long, then of course the ultimate death of Jesse will never have them remain as a band.  He basically made this band.  I definitely think that he was the reason why ND hacked it on repeated efforts.  'World Downfall' is where death/grind was at it's original peak.

Rate: 90%.

Reviewed By: Death8699 ([email protected]).

Most of what's exhibited here is a bunch of death/grind songs, remembering how old Napalm Death was.  This album features somewhat like 38 songs and 45 minutes of pure in your face extreme metal.  The production quality was quite good, ever since the get go you have brutal vocals and crunch tone guitar riffs.  Very intense release.  This is one that you can play numerous times and hear something different each time.  Songs weren't too long in length.  A lot of screaming vocals combined with the death metal style ones.  It kept the music really extreme and the lyrical content I could somewhat get into.  But yeah, really fast/short songs.

I'd say that the mixing here is great because you hear everything.  Too bad this band is eternally split-up.  I heard some of their earlier material and it didn't grab me as much as this one did.  The reason mainly was the production quality.  So yeah, 'Inhale/Exhale' would be something that you'd always want in your mix if you're craving extreme metal totally.  This is more death metal oriented than it is grindcore.  But the focal points were just to put out as extreme as extreme can get.  They could've left out the lead guitar and just only had rhythm.  Not saying that the lead guitarist was bad at lead, but on grind albums, my preference are just main guitar.

It's hard to tell song from song because it's streaming really fast.  There are some letup in songs, but not a whole lot.  Most of the songs you'll hear low, deep and thick guitar sounds.  A lot of the blasts reflect the heavy tremolo picking kind of like Napalm Death's earlier days.  I think that some riffs sound like 'Harmony Corruption', but still are good and brutal.  There's no doubt this is total brutal death metal mixed with grind.  Somewhat technical, but not too much.  Nothing as extreme as like say acts to the likes of Suffocation, Cryptopsy, et al.  The majority of the songs are rhythms that are more faster than they are groove or slow.

Actually heard about this album and band from a friend and thought I'd give it a try.  First time around, I'm just like to myself: "I can totally immerse and get into this."  But that's because I'm into extreme metal.  No doubt that I'd have immediate respect for the band.  Amazing that they put together so many songs!  It's 45 minutes of the extreme stuff.  I don't think that the blasting is as fast as Mick Harris was.  But yeah at least it gives you a combination of both.  Also, this band sounds kind of like old Terrorizer.  Mainly off of 'World Downfall', a classic death/grind release.  I'd rate this higher if they left out the leads.  But still it's solid for sure!

Rate: 85%.

Reviewed By Death8699 ([email protected]).

I actually enjoy this album the most out of all the Destruction releases in existence.  The reason is because it's raw, but not to a severe degree, original, intense, and lyrically demonic.  Not that I like demonic lyrics, but it fits the music really well.  This was the original lineup--Tommy was on a few of their early releases before they moved onto Olly who played on 'Release From Agony' and 'Live Without Sense.'  Destruction seems to be putting out albums that are just sounding the same as their predecessors.  No move forward musically and their constant anti-Christian lyrics don't hit home with me.  I can get into the music here on 'Infernal Overkill', but not lyrics.

Nothing can beat this Destruction release in their discography because it features riffs that are totally original, Mike at his absolute best in the lead department, even though I think that he still is a bit sloppy.  Yes, I had this on Vinyl and had been meaning to review it for quite some time now.  I just haven't heard it much in a while, it's actually been ages.  Most of the songs feature quite original riffs especially "Thrash Attack" and "Invincible Force.'  No the production wasn't the greatest, but a step up from their debut, which only features (I think) 5 songs.  Here is about 40 minutes of intense thrash to the absolute core.  These guys weren't messing around on this one, they wanted something strong.

Schmier at his best here, he's only this good on 'Live Without Sense' in my opinion.  The bass could've been a little bit louder and the drums a bit more intense, but they still were on cue with the melodies and riffs.  Outstanding every track is and put together in such a way that they defy the laws of logic!  I'd say that Mike really did his part on the songwriting--totally destroys.  What gets me is they copy from no other and the overall aura of the band is grim.  Not really depressing, just dismal and a bit dark.  This goes with the album concept though.  Their whole makeup here is deserving of recognition because they totally kick ass.  This is what thrash metal should sound like, raw and uncompromising.

Tommy's drum efforts again were a little bit monotonous, but still, he was on cue for this German thrash act that totally hit the spot with me because of its' totally uncompromising energy.  Pick any track and you'll hear sounds like no other.  Again, Mike's best lead efforts to date.  He put together some solos that actually shred.  Not as good as the guy they later recruited on 'Release From Agony', Harry Wilkens that is.  Still Mike plays his best on here I think.  Everything seemed to fit together.  The vocals are totally likeable and original.  I've never heard a thrash metal vocalist that has such of an original voice as Schmier does.  That goes for all the thrash act that have been through the years.

As a 3-piece they're still pretty solid, though a 2nd guitarist seemed to fit better if they ever got someone else.  However, they did on 'Release From Agony and 'Live Without Sense', but Harry left the band and Destruction of the 90's without Schmier just wasn't as good.  No one could replace Schmier's vocals.  On 'Infernal Overkill', he's totally unorthodox and unique.  This used to be a band that I respected so much in the past, but now as I say they just aren't as good.  They're not evolving as musicians should.  They're just stuck in the dark, but with this album it captures all of what thrash is about, except for the lyrics.  I like everything except those, but here is one Destruction monument.

Reviewed By Death8699 ([email protected]).

"Mad Butcher" is actually my absolute favorite song ever by Destruction.  But because of the date it was released, the production quality was a bit raw sounding.  It was a little bit hard to hear the bass on this EP, but the solos by Mike and Harry were phenomenal.  They were actually spellbinding.  Not the greatest lyrics in the world as I've never favored theirs though on this one they're not tackling anti-Christianity, more of just mental illness and killing pretty much.  The Plasmatics cover was actually well done.  This EP actually features 2 new members, Harry and Olly.  They also play on 'Live Without Sense' and 'Release From Agony.'

The guitars were the highlight, I wouldn't say Schmier is at his best--he seemed less intense and not so invigorated.  That's why I gave this EP a B- rating.  The production again wasn't the greatest, the overall aura of the EP was grim, but not like on 'Infernal Overkill.'  Just a little bit under 20 minutes of music that's well played out.  Harry just shreds amazingly.  I've heard that when he was active with the band he practiced the guitar 15 hours a day!  I wouldn't be surprised if that were true.  He simply plays some amazing leads and Mike puts forth a good effort as well, just not as sharp as Harry in the lead department.  He does a good job on here however.

All of the songs on this EP were well played out.  Just the production could've been a little tighter, but I am guessing it's because they were on a low budget.  It's not surprising especially since they've never changed their style of music.  Can't go wrong really with any old Destruction.  They used to play some really original stuff, nowadays they seem to be playing the same thing over and over.  It's good that they reformed, but they just need something new.  The sound is thrash, just on their older stuff they really put forth a great effort on constructing songs that are fresh material and original.  They've always been original, just now with their newer albums they've gone stale.

It would be good to hear them as a 4-piece again, but I doubt that'll ever happen again.  All they do now is play as a 3-piece and have guest lead guitarists because Mike can't really hack it on lead anymore.  Not that he was ever that great in that respect, but at least on here and other older albums he seemed more intense and could shred a lot faster.  Now it's just repeating the same stuff.  Here you hear arpeggios, tapping, speed picking and sweeps by Harry mostly and Olly behind the set shows more talent than Tommy ever did.  He's got more energy behind the set and seems to grasp the band's intensity.  The only instrumental is the last track.

I wish that Destruction could come together again and write some good new thrash that's worth listening to.  'Spiritual Genocide' was absolutely boring as was 'Day of Reckoning.'  I only found 'All Hell Breaks Loose' to be a good comeback album and original songwriting that's not boring.  It has that energy back that they once had like on this EP and other 80's releases.  They really need to do something terrific with their newer material.  Make it great like on their old stuff and not keep putting out stuff that's monotonous.  It really would be a boon to the band if they were able to be back making some good new thrash metal like they used to.  'Mad Butcher' is a good pick up!
 
Rate: 80%.

Reviewed By Death8699 ([email protected]).

I thought that this was just mere average.  Didn't think that the band put in enough effort to get a higher rating.  Even though it's all the original members, I still felt that they could've done better in the lead department.  The bass guitar could've been a little bit louder as well.  They were on target with the rhythms though, so in that aspect, it was good.  I just felt that the Hoffman brothers could've dished out better more awesome leads that they did on the albums.  But nevertheless, I think that the whole album was about average.  Nothing captures the intensity of the earlier material.  They only played 1 track from 'Legion' which I deem to be their best album.

I think that they emphasized the songs more on 'Once Upon The Cross' and their tour album 'Serpents of the Light.'  Their first album I don't think they really were up to par on--not nearly as fast and Glen could've emphasized more on screams then low end vocals.  I remember reading that he said that he was drunk when they recorded their first release.  I don't doubt that, but he sounded like he was possessed on that one.  I think it was his best output.  The low end vocals just bore me, he doesn't put in enough intensity on, that was my issue here with this live release.  It's also an issue with the more current way that he sounds.   On here some screaming, but not much.

Brian and Eric were on cue regarding the rhythms as mentioned, though they didn't really captivate me in the lead department.  There could've been more intensity and aggression.  It seemed that they lacked that.  But still one helluv an effort by the band altogether.  The drums were on cue, though the double bass was a little hard to hear.  I know live recordings are a little bit tougher to capture all of the sounds.  So in effect, it has a wear than on the studio versions.  It's up to the band members as well if they want to improvise or play what's strictly from the album.  I feel that they improvised a little bit on the leads and not so much on the rhythms.  Glen was mostly low end bellows.

They should've played more than 1 track from 'Legion', the only song they played was "Dead But Dreaming."  It was good though that they played a lot from the first album.  That one I think is the most intense Deicide release ever.  Their improvisation again was in the lead department, they didn't show as much intensity that they should've.  I don't care if they didn't have White Castle sliders that day, even if they did, they could've put forth a better recording than what was on here.  I'm not being hard on the band and I'm glad that at least the original members were with the band putting forth this effort that took place in Chicago circa 1998.

I wish that I could've attended this gig, but I caught them on a brief session on 'Once Upon The Cross' tour of which they only played for 15 minutes because someone spit on Glen.  After that they just walked off the stage.  Pretty disappointing.  But here they capture the audience with about an hour long live session, that I don't think is higher than a C rating.  But they still did a good job.  It's better than what they're putting out nowadays.  Without the Hoffman brothers, Deicide will never be the same.  I think that a lot of people

Rate: 75%.

Reviewed By Death8699 ([email protected]).

From just 30 minutes of audio, Deicide unleashes their most evil and demonic release ever! With backup screams that makes Glen Benton sound like the antichrist, the most original and unrelenting musical genius comes about. I’ve never heard a Deicide album sound as so evil in its’ entirety. Not even Legion can top this death metal release that deserves utmost praise. Such original riffs to the songs featuring solos that are remarkably fast and furious. The lyrical concepts have always been the same by Glen, complete and utter blasphemy without any letup.

The Hoffman brothers on guitars here featuring solos that are ferocious. It’s difficult to distinguish who’s solos are who’s since both members share a similar amount of talent. In regards to the music, you have time signatures that are all over the place. Down picked riffs then enter heavy tremolo picking which gives the album diversity. Chords galore alongside Glen’s most Satanic vocal efforts within their entire discography. Glen admitted to doing a lot of heavy drinking before entering the studio to record this album. But that’s obligatory.

What counts here the most is the music. With so many passing years growing worse and worse, their debut and Legion are the 2 most amazing Deicide albums in existence. But on their debut, there is complete evil with vocals that screamed out it utter brutality alongside backup studio effect screams with it. Every song on here is entirely original in regards to the riffs, the solos and the overall musicianship. Songs like “Lunatic of God’s Creation”, “Sacrificial Suicide” and “Dead By Dawn”, these dominate the whole album. But every song is good no matter which one you choose to dissect and analyze.

Utmost intensity on every song and one song about Mr. Jones called “Carnage In the Temple of the Damned” which opens up history of blasphemy in the making. The ideas and song structures make Deicide what they were during the early days: a blasphemous, unrelentingly evil and demonic death metal band that used to have such utmost talent. Be it age, laziness in songwriting that they became over the years, their debut is on of the strongest outputs to date. The music is without a doubt so extreme and brutal with everything that you could massively tell that these guys meant business for Satan.

Their unique style of riff structures in each song kept this album flowing with so much intensity and adrenaline. Nothing could outwit this one. There is no comparison to this one that holds true for the band that that used to really dominate the death metal genre. Amazing how much they slowed down over the years and lost that total progression as musicians. Sorry to hear such a talented death metal quartet go to pieces. But what matters here is their debut and how much intensity involved in its’ making. A 30 minute death metal onslaught of precision. Don’t ever leave this one out of your death metal collection! 
Rate: 95%.

Reviewed By Death8699 ([email protected]).

Words of wisdom, trickling into the music that's quite ferocious and vocals that are so typical of Falconer, in a clean tone manner. This is a reflection of a band and album that's really not died or has not evolved. Falconer's creativity in the musical sense within this genre of folk metal seems to capture the listener because of its' utmost originality in a manner done when you wish to hear something that's not so vocally brutal or screaming that's ear piercing. This band takes their music with writing licks on the guitar that are constantly evolving into nevermore. The melodies and leads were quite well constructed to say the least. Stefan mainly contributed solely on rhythm guitar.

Falconer's musical approach was quite like that of the past, only that they do seem to continue to progress in their writing style. Stefan on rhythm guitar put together melodies that flowed as metal should flow and Matthias' vocals went well alongside of the guitar's musical tones. They're heavy guitars, It;s like 'Among Beggars and Thieves', just seemed to be a heavier album that that one. Their previous 'Armod' I have yet to hear and the older material the production quality wasn't as nearly as good as it is on here. I was a tad bit skeptical as to what I was going to hear on this one because a lot of metal bands have become playing metal just they did in the past without evolution.

These guys are still evolving and with what I've heard of the band over the years, I've liked. However, for 'Black Moon Rising', I think is their strongest output to date because of its' musical revolution in songwriting. They not only have it down in their music (riffs/leads), their lyrics are mostly on things that are easy to relate to and get you thinking. I wouldn't necessarily call them to be overly dark and dreary, but they do express their concepts in songs that are quite meaningful. All songs on the album are memorable. There isn't one on here that I can say isn't without worthy of being praised. The music illuminates the vocals leading into meaningful tracks.

With everything that I've heard from the band, they are without a doubt one of the most well respected folk metal bands for a reason--they write creative and interesting styles of melodies and songs that are so well written and I'd say somewhat abstract. They don't really tackle an overly dark side of humanity, they mostly cover topics that deal with humanity as a whole. I really enjoyed the music before I read the lyrics. The music is quite straightforward and it is chunky, melodic, innovative, and constant progression with the way that they constructed their musicianship in riff-writing. I speak mainly of that of a retired guitarist that I am, so not to confuse people.

The bar chords and some minor blast beating that's sort of atypical for the band, but yes the intensity is always there, but the vocals light up the darker guitar sounds which to me mesh in quite well for an exceptionally accomplished folk metal act. It may be that it does yes take the band around 3-4 years before they release new material, but I'd say that it's because they take the time to reflect on past releases and improve on them. The band keeps getting better ever since their first release they've started as a promising band and they've delivered monumental recordings and sounds made possible only by them taking time with their creative and straightforward approach.

From beginning to end, there really aren't that many clean guitars, mostly ones that blast you with their sounds of thick guitar distortion alongside a lead guitarist that whizzes through the fret-board and not dampening the compositions. With some bands, their rhythms are good and only that, with lead guitars that are sloppy and puts a song from being well-constructed to ruin. Falconer's 'Black Moon Rising' isn't like that, their leads augment the rhythms and leads were appropriately played with precision and guts. I think it was a wise move to keep Stefan to do what he does best: play rhythm guitar with utmost intensity and ingenuity. He really created some awesome songs.

So far, I'm convinced that this release is the best metal release of this year. But I haven't heard everything that's been put out this year, maybe a handful of releases. However, the production is solid, all of the mixing with the vocals, bass, drums and guitar are quite well implemented about with precision. Folk metal really isn't my cup of tea, but Falconer is an exception. If you're into Metal in general, I think that you'd really respect what the band has to offer here musically, lyrically and originality. This band continues to dominate their genre because of their outstanding creativity and use of this style turning it into a form of sheer artwork. Own it, NOW!

Rate: 95%.

Reviewed By Death8699 ([email protected]).

Definitely better than Khaos Legions without a doubt. Arch Enemy steps up with fury on here. Alissa sounds like a replica of Angela though with moderate variety. The music and intensity is strong and the compositions are reflecting of older AE, sticking to the core of melodic death metal. Nick, their new guitarist replacing the amazing Christopher Amott, did a superb job here. I still favor Christopher, but his endevours are different now that he's no longer with the band.

If this is to be the last AE, it would be a tragedy. I'm hoping with this newer lineup they still have some more albums to belt out. The music on here is a blend of the first 4 albums and the bonus track "Shadow On the Wall" is a good cover. The guitars are heavy and the lyrics are brutal reflecting the songwriting from Michael and Nick. I'd say most of the guitars are in C, making them thick and chunky. There is a mixture too with keys as intros among outros with melodic guitars.

Here it seems like the ideas of the past have reiterated themselves, especially reminiscent of Burning Bridges especially on the outro song entitled "Not Long For This World." Very much like Burning Bridges outro track. The album intro is a lot like what you'd hear from something Cradle of Filth would do. Not saying that they're copying them, just with the keys/synthesizers are much like that of COF. Track 2 belts out some ferocious guitar and vocals not to mention tremendous blast beating that's only on this track. 

The leads by Nick are quite technical and well composed and Michael's are like that of his traditional approach to his "feel" like talents. He is less technical than Nick in the lead department. It's good that the band decided to put out a couple of music videos before the album was released in the states. It gave a good feel for what was ahead to hear on here with no surprises. Their path once again isn't reinventing the genre, just doing a praise for it, never abandoning their roots. Alissa's energy is reflectant of Angela's. Deep throat to about the same degree.

I especially like the title track (which is a given) and "You Will Know My Name", of which they also did a video for. These were 2 tracks that glorified the album. The heavy guitars accompanying the intensity of the vocals were quite in unison. All of the tracks to me are good, bar chords, tremolo picking galore, hardcore shredding and music that is with a huge amount of feel thanks to all of the band member's efforts. I think that seeing those videos beforehand gave me hope that this would surpass their previous by a ton!


If your thing is melody mixed with heaviness and production quality that is superb without sacrificing talent in the overuse of technology, War Eternal is some great melodic death metal. The heavy guitar alongside the melodies really shine here, going back to the older days. I still feel no one can replace Christopher Amott, but Nick is quite good, implementing some impressive solos and songwriting ideas. Michael sure picked someone also to emulate Angela. Alissa's intensity is sure there like Angela's was. The band doesn't go mainstream here, they remain true!

Rate: 85%.

Reviewed By Death8699 ([email protected]