Review: Arkham Witch - Get Thothed vol. 1 (CD 2015 Metal On Metal)

 It shouldn't be an unknown fact to fans of doom metal that one of the absolute best bands that have emerged the last ten years is The Lamp Of Thoth. Their only album Portents, Omens And Dooms, along with some other releases, definitely stands out as some of the most interesting music produced lately in the genre. Sadly, their releases seem to have been released in very small quantities, and passed most people by, as they are pretty much impossible to find physical copies of. Someone seriously needs to make a re-issue of the album, and everything else as well (cough, Metal On Metal...)

 As the band now seems to be on hiatus though, the founding members have instead continued with Arkham Witch, who released the brilliant Legions Of The Deep three years ago, and now have launched this project, where they in three different parts intend to keep the legacy of TLOT alive. This EP, the first of the three, contains three re-recordings of old Thoth-classics. From the opening riff in Skull Fuel you're caught in an iron grip that doesn't let go until the last tone of Sing As You Slay echoes out. All killers, no fillers. The only thing that speaks against this release is that the die hard Thoth-fans might not find it so necessary, since you've already heard all the songs before, but I definitely think that this will contribute to more people discovering the work of The Lamp Of Thoth and Arkham Witch. Also both the artwork and packaging is very good looking, with the CD in  a cardboard sleeve and a slipcase with room for the two upcoming EP's. Which, by the way, will feature some unreleased Thoth-songs, as if this wasn't exciting enough already. 8,5/10

Review: Manilla Road – The Blessed Curse/After The Muse (Golden Core 2015 2-CD)

This legendary band is back once again with yet another album for us worshipers of their epic and characteristic heavy metal. The last few years have been very productive for them, releasing new albums on a regular basis, which you, as a fan, of course are very thankful for.

 First of all I'm a bit skeptic towards the production. Since the opening title track is a semi acoustic, semi heavy song, the lack of dynamic instantly gets very clear, and it just sounds kind of flat. Compared to their previous album it's definitely a step down, sound wise. But since the reformation of the band in the early 00's, several of their albums have suffered from a weaker production but still have been able to win you over because of the greatness of the songwriting.

 Musically, The Blessed Curse is a very consistent album. As stated above, the title track is some kind of fusion, but beside that, the songs are basically divided into six heavier and three slower numbers. The heavier ones all maintains high quality, Reign Of Dreams being my personal favorite. On the other hand, I think the songwriting sometimes show some signs of being a bit repetitive and tiresome. Maybe it's a consequence of their tight release-schedule. When it comes to the slower ones, I also like them all. At first I thought Tomes of Clay was a bit monotonous, but after hearing it a few times I instead started to love its mystical atmosphere. Falling and the closing The Muses Kiss also keeps me captivated. I don't think any of them really reaches the same heights as songs like Art Of War, The Fountain or Sea Witch though.

 Adding it all up, I would probably say that this is one of their weaker albums since they returned with Atlantis Rising, which might seem a bit of a poor rating, but in fact I hold several of their newer albums (as well as the Hellwell-album) even higher than some of the considered classic ones they released in the 80's. So even though The Blessed Curse isn't one of their strongest efforts, it's still another overall great album that won't let any of their fans down. 

 I should also mention that the album also includes a bonus disc, entitled After The Muse, which offers some acoustic songs. Some of them really good, but what steals all the attention is definitely the plus 10 minutes monstrous All Hallow's Eve. An old rehearsal track from back in 1981 of a song that was forgotten but somehow survived, and thank god for that. What a song. I even think I would dare to say that it's on the top 10 of their best songs ever, witch says quite a lot when we're talking about this band. Sadly, they ran out of tape before they had finished the song, but a re-recording from last year is also featured on the bonus-CD. So if a new album by the masters themselves isn't enough to convince you to buy this release, All Hallow's Eve will eliminate any hesitation. 8/10

Review: Lord Fist – Green Eyleen (Ektro Records 2015 CD)

 The first thing that caught my attention with this release was the stunning coverart. Even though it's said that you shouldn't judge the book by the cover, the artwork alone was pretty much enough for me to purchase this album, without hearing a single tone of the bands music. So, the big question is then of course, what does the music sound like?

 Lord Fist is a heavy metal band from Finland, and this is their first full length album. I'd almost say that they're on the borderline to speed metal, since most of the songs are quite up tempo. Modern classics released by recent bands such as Enforcer and Borrowed Time comes to mind. Lord Fist might not impress as much as the ones mentioned above, but songs like Rainbow Eyes, Green Eyleen and Who Wants To Live Forever definitely indicates that they've got some serious potential. It 's definitely going to be interesting to see if they will be able grow musically to be able to challenge the absolute elite with their next album. Hopefully they'll use the same artist to make the cover as well. 7,5/10

偏執症者 (Paranoid) - Krossad Dröm (Acursed Cover)

Review: Suffer The Pain – Midnight Sacrifice (LP 2015 Phobia)

 After two demos, one EP and a split, Suffer The Pain are now ready to unleash their first LP. Not much have changed musically, their sound remains built on equal parts punk and death metal, draped in their trademark raw home-made production.

 The doubts that they wouldn't be able to deliver a full length album with the same conviction as their previous releases are crushed immediately. Once again they prove their impressive ability to write killer tunes. Repel The Crown, Inferno and Demon Of Greed are just a few examples of super contagious and memorable songs on this album. Heavier, partially mid-tempo oriented tracks like Count Orlok and Pazuzu's Law also does a lot to make the overall impression more diverse. Re-recordings of some old favourites from earlier releases, like Ninth Circle Of Hell, Apocalypse Approaching and Werewolf are also fatured on the album, which I don't mind reuniting with.

 A strong debut album from this reliable band! 7,5/10

偏執症者 (Paranoid) - Bloodthirsty system (State Of Fear cover)

Review: Crawl - I: Serpents (Bloodsoaked 2015 MC)

 For some reason, my interest for Swedish death metal has slightly faded the last few years. Although both Vanhelgd and Miasmal delivered great releases last year, former favorites like Tribulation and Morbus Chron has stepped away from their roots (the aforementioned remains one of my current favorite bands though, even if they don't sound like they once did) and other bands aren't being as active as they used to. My own laziness is probably to blame as well, I haven't even listened to the latest offerings from Bombs Of Hades and Usurpress yet. Fuck, time to regain vision.

Anyway, the sound of the debut demo of Crawl from Kalmar definitely makes you feel excited about this whole genre again. The influences of good old Swedish death metal are definitely there, but they still manages to avoid sounding generic and boring. The vocal performance is absolutely killer, reminds me of Angelcorpse's Pete Helmkamp. It also alternates from deep grunts to more high screams sometimes, which makes you think of old Carcass.

Musically there isn't much to complain about, all songs are well written and captivating enough for you to not loose interest while listening. I do think there's room for development towards the more intense and violent direction though, and the production could have been a bit more rotten. But it's an enjoyable 3 track-tape, I'll definitely keep my eyes open for Crawl's upcoming releases. 6.5/10