GUIDE TO EXTINCCTION
Triple X
Guide To Extinction marks the seventh studio release from Dallas, TX based industrial-Goth metallers Nocturne. Headed by front-woman/vocalist Lacy Conner, who provides some interestingly unique and eerie vocals, the band combines a lot of old-school Goth-punk influences of the likes of 45 Grave, Sioux And The Banshees, and Christian Death with the new flavor of crossover artists like Lacuna Coil. Compelling guitar riffs and arrangements courtesy of songwriter/guitarist/programmer Chris Telkes complement this CD. Occasionally, Conner's vocals grate on your nerves in almost a Wendy 'O Williams sort of way, but for the most part, I find her wailing to be somewhat intriguing as she has the unique ability to alter and modulate her vocals to furnish the musical composition. This thirteen track CD should appease fans of Goth, industrial, punk, and alternative-metal.
HELL WITHIN
ASYLUM OF THE HUMAN PREDATOR
Lifeforce
Once again we have here one of the more memorable, and tolerable, extreme death-metal CDs I've received in the past months. Musically, Hell Within is brilliant - great musicianship highlighted by brutal and technically proficient guitar riffs and leads combined with pulverizing double-bass drumming. The songs are also both well-structured and well-produced bringing out the best of this band musically. The vocals are harsh and hellish, yet tolerable. More interesting is the fact they're meshed with great classic metal vocal interludes and harmonies giving this band not only a unique twist but a much more marketable and professional sound than their contenders. A lot of great early '80s thrash-metal influence is tangled within the bone-crushing madness that I also find rather appealing. Hell Within obviously knows their craft and they do it damn well. I highly recommend this for the extreme-metal fanatic.
BRAINSTORM
LIQUID MONSTER
Metal Blade
Classic power-metal at its finest, Germany's Brainstorm is back with their latest release Liquid Monster. Combining the traditional Euro-metal attack of bands like Morana Lefay, Stormwitch, and Gamma Ray with the class and finesse of early Queensryche, Brainstorm are building a strong foundation in not only Europe, but worldwide. And for good reason, this band obviously comes from the metal old-school when talent, technical ability, tastefulness and high-energy metal was priority. It's good to see there are still bands succeeding with that metal philosophy and integrity. Brainstorm is definitely the real deal.
Shockwaves CD REVIEWS ISSUE 11 Page 11