Reviews: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Reviews - G RELAPSE REC. This is straight-up grind. From the get go, this is blasting, blasting and more blasting and then some more blasting to top the blasting. This is for the real grind audience. These guys are like a microwave, turn it on and it's done. You know, just an all-out speed attack, with only small pauses here and there. If you have Terrorizer, Lock Up, Nasum, Napalm Death, Repulsion and S.O.B. in your collection, you know what I'm saying. If you have not heard real grind, and you think Hatebreed or Slayer is fast and energetic, then check out Gadget for a real lesson. For those that like it fast, really fast, good stuff. www.gadget.cjb.net Mauricio Araniva
GARDENIAN -"TWO FEET STAND" LISTENABLE RECORDS The first few seconds of the first song gives you the impression that what one has here is a 100% pure death metal, pure and simple. The speed, the voice, etc.. is all there. But by the middle of the song and you have to really listen for it, one begins to hear a little melody, a little catchiness. Song #2, "Flipside of Reality" begins the same, but now it's obvious what's going on here Gardenian is moving more towards the traditional heavy metal. The melodic chords, the catchiness, total heavy metal. The whole release is a band that plays death metal mainly do to the voice, but with the exception with one singing part on the 2nd song. Call it power death metal, if there is such a thing. Where Gardenian will go, no one can tell, but I'm betting they'll be a lot heavier and heavier with time. Good stuff and it will be interesting to hear their evolution. LIEFF
GEHENNA - "MALICE" CACOPHONOUS These are some of the best songs I have heard in a long time. Excellent production, so melodic, dark, hypnotizing, it just rips your heart and soul right out, well not really, it's just a song. The song "Bleeding The Blue Flame" is so fucking awesome. This is one of the finer black metal bands in the scene without a doubt! True musicians, true composers. When CACOPHONOUS Records boasted how they were on the same ranks of perfection as there X-label mates, CRADLE OF FILTH, they were not fucking around!! Don't get the wrong idea though, these two bands sound nothing alike. This album has 10 songs of true satanic art. Sarcana, the keyboardist, adds so much atmosphere to this band without a doubt. If your the type of person who thinks that keyboards are for wimpy, melodic, cheesy bands, well this band is definitely not a wimpy band! The music is as brutal as any heavy ass band out there! Dirge Rep, the drummer, is one intense drummer! Fuck, this whole band as a whole is exceptional. If you have never heard this band, I suggest you get this release at any cost. Actually, there previous album is pretty awesome as well, but not as great as this. MIKE
GENERATED X-ED - "PROTEST AND SURVIVE" (label?) What's up with that name? Ok, I know it's some kind of play on "generation x", but frankly I don't get it. Maybe I'm not hip enough. Mmkay, moving on...I liked this CD! I really did. It's decent-to-good hard core techno-electronic; nice and noisy in some parts. I'm not sure what I'd compare this to, but who really cares? If you're into techno at all, it's likely you'll dig this at least a little. Low on pretentiousness, with driving beats and wild cyber rhythms. This disc is what I'd call a "keeper." Elisabeth
GENGHIS TRON - CLOAK OF LOVE CRUCIAL BLAST One moment they are blasting, like a black/death group. The next moment this sounds like dance club electronica music. They have a drum machine. Is this a joke? This is ridiculous, weird, electronica, disco death metal. I'm sure the band is trying to be ridiculous. Good job, guys, you did it. www.genghistron.com Mauricio Araniva
GOD AMONG INSECTS: WORLD WIDE DEATH THREEMAN/CANDLELIGHT This project involves Cali from Dark Funeral, K. Phil from The Project Hate, Tobben Gustafsson from Vomitory and Tomas Elofsson from Sanctification (who?).I think the first three bands have their good moments, sometimes even very good songs, but with this old-school Swedish death metal project they have all dropped the ball. The riffs sound tired, generic and faceless. The vocals have no personality, none. The lyrics are so short that you can't take this project seriously if they don't have real lyrics. The songs sound completely indistinguishable from the mass of awful death metal. www.godamonginsects.se
GOD DETHRONED - "THE GRAND GRIMOIRE" Metal Blade God Dethroned combines death metal with blast beats to sound akin to Napalm Death \ "Harmony C.", except that here you will find a lot more melody amid the chaos. The voice is death metal in the vein of Morbid Angel, Napalm D., early Death, etc.. The sound is clear and done well. It has a "big studio" sound. The drums are clear, whether it is the mid-paced melody, the straight ahead fast stuff of the blast beats. This is actually kind of surprising because God Dethroned seem to be oblivious to the pressure to play black metal. The songs stand well on their own and at times the band can get quite musical for a death metal band. Definitely worth keeping. Lieff
GONKULATOR - "SATAN'S BURIAL GROUND" Fudgeworthy Rec. Talk about insanity! This is stuff that only a few will be able to tolerate. Mix in Satan, a screaming/growling chaotic "vocal" style, distorted everything, and we have Gonkulator. The 7" I have is a lot more tolerable in my opinion, more of a structure in the "music". This isn't all that in my opinion, due to the fact I like music that doesn't have somewhat of a psychotic feel to it and has a real musical structure unlike this release, but if you like chaos in your daily listening pleasures, then this is definitely for you! Mike
GOOSEFLESH - "CHEMICAL GARDEN" Digital Dimension This band is said to take "classic, Euro-metal edge, to a whole new frontier." Not at all. What you'll find here is a "mosh" riffs and a typical "death metal" voice. There is hardly anything here to get excited about. Simply to boring. What's all the hype about? This is just disappointing! Lieff
GOTHIC - "CRIMINAL ART MOTIVATIONS" Apparition Entertainment I haven't heard an album so intense in ages, and I must say that this release is an excellent example that contains a mixture of grind, death, and hardcore. Combining a screaming / screeching attack ala Carcass and early Napalm Death, and a low vocal approach that doesn't really sound like anybody, well, to my knowledge. The music also reminds me of early Napalm Death ("Scum"), with a mix of "Harmony Corruption" at times, but I tell you now that they have their own distinctive sound as far as being able to tell who is who, unlike all the Cannibal Corpse clones that exist in the scene. The riffs on this album are the kind that would make a crowd all happy joy in a lovable pit, while other riffs are just a blast beat frenzy tearing at your eardrums. Song #9, the title track, has a black metal haunting sound to it. Very, very disturbing. A lot of screaming, talking, and the sound effects are eerie. If you're into the bands mentioned beforehand, or even if you're not, I really suggest you check this release out. The only negative aspect to this release, it's only 33 minutes long. Mike
GOTHIC SEX - "LAMENTS" Repulse While this CD had some good points, they were all too few, and far from memorable. I suspect it is this type of music that gives everyone the idea that all gothic music is "gay" and lame. I don't really know what to say about this, other than that it is a pitiful swipe at good, real goth, with some lazy, death-metalish vox. These guys seem to be competent musicians, but that alone doesn't make this any better. To sum it up, this was totally boring and uninspired. A chore to listen to. On the bright side, the CD has some CD-Rom stuff on it, amusing video clips of the band, and lots of silly, wanna be gothic photos. I got a big kick out of looking at these, but it certainly isn't worth buying this CD just for that. Elisabeth
GRAVE - "HATING LIFE" CENTURY MEDIA Hmmm.... after Jorgen leaving, I knew that it would never be the same. The music is pretty much GRAVE, but sometimes it reminds me of ENTOMBED. The music is very memorable and pretty catchy in a way, yet it doesn't please me like it used to. I like the cover, I just wish I could say the same for the album. Why would he go to ENTOMBED? Greed? No more brain cells? Hemorrhoids? Whatever the case, it sucks I think. I think the production could be better. The vocals remind me to much between Lars and Matti. I just can't get into this at all. I don't know, it is sad, but life goes on, "Hating Life"! MIKE
GRAVE - FIENDISH REGRESSION CENTURY MEDIA Heavy pounding, mid-paced, sludgy, super-thick-riffed death metal with low, guttural vocals, oh, it’s Grave, alright. Here and there, it has bursts of speed, but overall it stays on the heavy and chugging side. Life-long (what?!) fans will probably be pleased, but anyone who listens—not just hears—will run up against several points to consider. 1. This is "brutal" (yawn), yes, but ultimately mediocre and bland. 2. The guitar work is nothing original or creative; instead, it’s play-on riffs; lazy, the way "St. Anger" has "aggressive" but mediocre riffing. 3. The songs are simply boring. I’ve listened some seven times now and there’s nothing attention-grabbing. 4. This is a second-rate bar band playing death metal. www.intothegrave.com Mauricio
GRAVE DIGGER - "EXCALIBUR" Nuclear Blast "Excalibur" is "The story of King Arthur and the round table - A metal opus in twelve parts."This is a concept album and it's semi-pompous aspects should not get you confused. This is basically power metal, period. Every song is of a high energy rocking track, fueled with double bass drumming and sharp, speedy shredding and nice, quick, catchy guitar solos. The vocalist, Chris Boltendahl, has a mid-range gruffy style, unlike Hammer Fall, Iron Maiden, etc... It pretty much sounds like Grave Digger. This is a great way to get to know a band that has held up the metal flag for a long time, starting with the 1984 debut, "heavy Metal Breakdown." Lieff
GRAVE DIGGER - THE LAST SUPPER NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS QUESTION: Do you know what this band named its debut way back in the mid 1980s? ANSWER: "Heavy Metal Breakdown". REACTION: "Heavy Metal Breakdown?!!!!!!! Really?!!!!!!! What a bunch of dorks!!" STATE OF AFFAIRS IN 2005: This album is heavy metal. The singer sounds like he has gravel and sand stuck in his throat, much like UDO or Motorhead. The music is pretty basic, traditional hard heavy metal. The melodies are not happy and this even sounds a bit dark. This band, to me, has always been a good, but second-rate band. Really, there's not much to criticize because they are good at what they do. It's just that what they do is nothing to get excited about, unless you are an old, loyal fan that automatically buys a new album from this band. I hate to sound so jaded, but I would have liked for this album to be a kick in the teeth. It's not. Where's the hunger? The feeling? The metal? www.gravedigger.de Mauricio Araniva
GRAVEWORM - [N]UTOPIA NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS Having a good sound is important, as is having memorable songs, which this band has. With the growled/harsh vocals, the heavy/chunky guitar sound, this is closer to black/death than anything. In fact, if you have heard past efforts, you might find it pleasantly more aggressive and still easy to remember the songs. Also, when you hear these songs you can sense momentum, like the band knows they are on to something. Even though all the above is a plus, I do find that I don't get excited about this group. Why? The modern, hip black metal feel does not sound genuine to me. For example, the guitar work, the riffs, the sound lacks spice, life, character. At first, it sounds impressive, but after a couple of songs the chunky guitar emerges as derivative, even though, again, it has a great sound. If you are wondering what exactly it is that I'm "whining" about, it's the fact that I don't hear anything that has personality, that particular energy, that excitement. Frankly, this is done well, performed well, but it's just too trendy-sounding. Put it this way, if you are 16 years old and just haven't heard much black/death/goth, then this will sound "cool", but since I'm, like, 164 years old, I hear too much cut and paste of other, more famous, successful black/goth bands. www.graveworm.de Mauricio Araniva
GREY AREA - S/T Victory Wow, pop punk. While listening to this, I began to regress to age 14. Back in the days when when I had a tolerance for stuff like Descendants, All, Dag Nasty, etc... In my old age, I find that I have little patience for anything overly happy sounding, and this CD was no exception. However, it was kind of fun to listen to, and it was definitely moshable. A little harder than most pop punk, with better, more original riffs and more inspired drum work. The sing-songy vocals were a bit nerve grating for me, but oh well. If you like pop punk, you'll love this. If you don't just forget it. Elisabeth
GREY AREA - "FAN BELT ALGEBRA" Victory Decent melodic punk on the poppy side of the fence. I liked this better than their last effort (which I've conveniently forgotten the name of!). Grey Area are quite competent musicians/songwriters, with plenty of catchy, upbeat tunes to please the ear. Basically this is one of those "decide by genre" issues. If you like pop punk, Grey Area will be great for you. If you don't, well....I don't need to point out the obvious here, do I? Elisabeth
GRIEF OF EMERALD - "NIGHTSPAWN" Listenable Records I expected something "doomy" from the name of the band, but what I got was fast, thrashy death metal with a strong black metal influence. With so many bands, both good and terrible, floating around out there, unmemorable stuff like this just gets overlooked. I can't urge anyone to go spend money on this, it isn't terrible, but it isn't fabulous either. Buy at your own risk! Elisabeth
GRONE - "GROVEL/STAINS AND OMISSIONS" Gomek Records This band has elements of all the metal styles I'm not a big fan of. The guitars sound like Mortician playing Korn riffs. The vocals sound like hardcore, meets Burt from Fear Factory, but without the clean parts! And speaking of Fear Factory, there's a lot of ping-pang-crash shit. The beginning of song #9 sounds like "Would" From Alice In Chains. So if sludgy, somewhat death metal, Korn sounds like it would turn you on, then by all means, get it. I'm just not into this stuff. Cyric
GRONE - "CHUCKLEPATCH" Gomek Records The first thing that comes to my mind is that this is a second rate rip off of Godflesh's "Street Cleaner." I really don't have that much to say other than that. It usually takes me a while to form an opinion about a CD, but with this there is some definite Godflesh worshiping going on and it's immediately obvious. I guess this CD is okay, and not completely unoriginal, but I wouldn't really recommend it, especially not to the hard "Street Cleaner" fans like myself. ELISABETH
GRONE - "GROVEL" Gomek Records What the heck...?? This band STILL sounds like a shoddy copy of Godflesh's "Streetcleaner." PUH-LEEZE. Let's get a life, shall we? Or at least a different Godflesh album.!! ELISABETH
GWAR - "CARNIVAL OF CHAOS" METAL BLADE Damn, what a band! You either love this band or hate them, I love em!! I remember when I first heard about this band from non-other than MTV news back in 88. When I got to see them live for the first time, (Thanks mom.) this 15 year old boy was shocked at what he was seeing, well, not as bad as my mom. GWAR has progressed in there own special way from album to album and has came up with some new and great tunes. This effort is pretty cool, not as cool as "Ragnarock", but still pretty cool, but then again, nothing beats "Hell-o" in my opinion. GWAR once again has came up with an album full of diversity in the song writing. The song sung by SLYMENSTRA, "Don't Need A Man" is so, so pretty. They need to give this goddess at least 2 songs per album I think. Some of the songs on this album are slower than what I'm used to hearing from their albums, but after a while they grew on me. The song "Sex Cow" is so fucking awesome, so different, and no, not because I can relate to it either, or can I? The thing I thought was cool, was the return of Techno-Destructo. After listening to the song though, some of the riffing/song had the same riff on certain parts of the song as on the "Hell-o" version. I was hoping for something a bit different, but nonetheless it is a cool song of course. I must also add, Oderus is one of the best and most original vocalists for what he does. Overall, this is GWAR! You know who they are, what they are about, so fall to your knees and worship! MIKE |
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