Iced Earth 2.0

Sons of Liberty Album Dated

Jon Schaffer, mid-orgasm thinking of "The Flag"

I like Iced Earth, but Jon's constant verbal vomit, spewing forth patriotic bull shit is starting to wear thin. Now he's attacking the American banking system, but on behalf of the common people. What a fucking saint. Pfft. Is it too much to ask for some standard sex, drugs and rock 'n roll trite? Still, SoL looks like it will keep me going 'til the new Demons & Wizards album comes out.

... Against the Grain

Agalloch is a group that you should never overlook. Their most recent release, "Ashes Against the Grain", almost perfectly describes their music. Against the grain...

You will never find a bigger fan of the cheesy folk metal bands - Ensiferum, Korpiklaani, Finntroll, and some Trollfest thrown in for good measure. But sometimes it's nice to have a band play that style in a serious manner. But calling Agalloch folk metal is a serious understatement. Black metal, doom metal, and even a few post-rock elements make up this band's complicated style. Plus this band pretty much bleeds nature. The special edition of "Ashes Against the Grain" came in a wooden box, with some pieces of bone in it!

But that album isn't nearly their best effort, I would have to choose "The Mantle" to take that award. It's perfect in every conceivable way, right down to the clicking sound found in "The Lodge", made by the vocalist beating on a deer skull.

This album truely is a masterpiece, and if you are a fan of folk metal, doom metal, black metal, post-rock, neo-folk, or even progressive metal you would have to be out of your mind not to own this album. It's got everything you could want and more in an album. Melancholic black metal influenced passages, melodic acoustic guitars, clean vocals and the occasional black metal shriek that reminds you that you are listening to metal and not some people living in the forest who had never been in contact with civilization.

If anything, get The Mantle, which I will gladly assist you with. If you love it (which you'd better) then buy it and support this group, because you don't get music like this from Lady Ga Ga.

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"I will die and no one will remember me..."

David Should Be Pissing His Pants...

...because this Goliath won't fall so easily.

"The Goliath" by Orgone Review 

Technical death metal is an insidious style of music to play, as finding the delicate balance between technical excellence and songwriting nirvana is a feat few achieve. You have only to look (with pity) at the likes of The Faceless to realise the margin for error is miniscule, and when it goes bad, it turns into an audio nightmare to rival nu-metal.

Bands who succeed then, especially with the aplomb and panache Orgone have done, should therefore be cherished. Indeed, “The Goliath” is a record to be adored.

Fueling this behemoth is Steve Jarrett, an axeman with a unique approach. On first impressions, he seems for all the world a man intent on masturbating his guitar to within an inch of its life: noodling along with nowhere to go. Listen closely though, and you’ll discover a pattern: an unfurling array of melodic rifforama, constantly moving forward, but always with a direction in mind. Perhaps of more import is the evolution he allows his songs to undergo, sprawling into mammoth post metal art: lush melodies that clash and intertwine with the expected weight of the riffs, a dynamic that brings something fresh and distinctive to what is fast becoming a stale scene. Isis would be proud. Typifying this best is album closer, “Vomited Hyacinths (First Act of Beauty)”, an eight minute masterpiece, starting with a shimmering intro, moving into a maze of razor sharp licks and climaxing into dense, epic harmony.

Backing this genius up is Justin Wharton, a meat and potatoes drummer, but this works to the bands advantage, leaving Jarrett to take centre stage. However, I can’t help but wish that they had a superior bass player. Andrew Ransom never makes his presence felt, detracting from the experience, especially when someone like Dominic Lapointe could have woven his considerable talents around the music with grace and elevated the album to even dizzier heights. As vocals go, Christian Senrud is pleasing, though nothing to write home about, performing an adequate job of mixing death grunts with Aaron Turner-esque growling.

Taken as a whole, the band gel into a mechanism that runs smooth as silk, creating something inimitable and praise worthy, blending everything that is distinguished about technical death metal with post metal/sludge, evoking atmosphere and emotion in a sub-genre known for its clinical detachment. If you’re willing to spend some time with “The Goliath” you will be handsomely rewarded.

4.5 Dodgy Foreign Surgeons Out Of 5 

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