CD reviews - E

EM SINFONIA (USA) "INTIMATE PORTRAIT" CD 2001 HAMMERHEART. In this new band features Brian Griffin of Broken Hope but let me tell you that EM SINFONIA isn't a Death Metal band at all! As the name speaks for itself, this is atmospheric, ambient, symphonic, gothic... and a mix of a little of everything that I dislike! Pretty boring, nearly one hour long of somewhat pop-music (Madonna-alike if I can say!) with some guttural vocals, synths & some occasional Broken Hope's Death Metal intent thrown in & out...! What is this boring stuff?? This makes me laugh and at the same time I'm very disappointed, too gentle & sweet/clean calm trendy music for my putrid taste, this doesn't belong to my Zine, avoid it like the plague. Honestly, this sucks a lot... PO BOX 277, 6300 AG, VALKENBURG THE NETHERLANDS.
EMBEDDED (GER) "BANISHED FROM THE LIGHT" CD 2001 REVENGE. This new band makes me think about SEVERE TORTURE a lot! That's brutal, fast & technical Death Metal in the CANNIBAL CORPSE vein, that is what the brutaller's most wet dreams are made of, completely killer and a lot of catchy riffs will make all headbangers smiling while breaking their neck in two! Track #5 is a damn cool instrumental that recalls the Godless Truth Demo in some ways... Well, enough blablabla, this is another damn great brutal Death band, believe me: BUY OR DIE!! c/o ANDRE DANOWSKY, HIRTENSTRAßE 15, 49084 OSNABRÜCK GERMANY. demonflesh@gmx.de REVENGE Prods: c/o DANIEL WENDEROTH, ELISABETHSTR. 31, 67227 FRANKENTHAL GERMANY. info@revengeproductions.com www.revengeproductions.com
EMBODYMENT (USA) "1993 - 1996" CD 99. Old-school Brutal Death with an abrasive raw sound that I adore! I suppose it is their Demos...? This is impure and punishing, nothing to do with "Embrace The Eternal" CD 98, at least, is this the same band? That question burns me, I don't fucking know!! And I don't care, they were more Evil and morbid, engraved in total Death and dark feelings with these old materials and that's what counts! Destructive stuffs that remind me a faster & more extreme version of EXMORTIS! EMBODYMENT simply did years ago what many other Death/Grind bands do now with mosh/grooves & harmonics but they were sure not sounding funny! It's now time for all of you to re-discover pure & real Death Metal through EMBODYMENT, BUY OR DIE!!!
EMBOLISM (SLO) "…AND WE ALL HATE OURSELVES" CD 2000 EREBOS. Yes, that's a Grind band that sounds like many others in the scene, this is not what I'm looking for, it's too much common, well played but now sounding banal... c/o MICHAL KOTRIK, SPORTOVA 205/1, KANIANKA 972 17 SLOVAKIA. embolismsk@hotmail.com
ENGORGE (HOL) "Awaiting To Subside" CD 1999 SKULL CRUSHER. Never heard of this before, this is as you may imagine Death Metal and a melodic one with some ARGHOSLENT similarities, very mid-paced with a raw sound and somewhat Epic, very catchy riffs easy to get into and thrashy as fuck, a good band indeed with their own originality, this isn't extreme in case you ask me! Just a good underground Metal band for those who'd like to hear something different these days. There has been some newer bands playing this style lately and it fuckin' rules that trends can't catch 'em up, may they all stand underground forever!
ENTER SELF (USA) "AWAKEN IN AGONY" CD 2000 LOST DISCIPLE. Brutal Death from America! With a very fluid sound, they remind me of the two first GORGUTS albums "Considered Dead" + "The Erosion Of Sanity" and RESURRECTION! The vocals are more classic and lack of extreme feelings, they have some cool twisted arrangements and original structures even if the rhythmics are sometimes very INTERNAL BLEEDING alike! They also remind me of DEEDS OF FLESH & GORGASM at some points in the fastest moments. Mixed & mastered by Jim Morris at Morrisound studio Tampa, FL...! That's certainly why it is so similar to old GORGUTS & RESURRECTION' sound! The band is excellent anyway, they bring back the old-school with newer Death Metal influences while remaining very thrashing & punishing and not sounding shitty modern or whatever clean production & stuffs... They're heavy & original with slow, mid-paced & fast elements, good grooves & feelings, just the vocals could be better in my opinion. Not your common blasting American band, this has something more from their own emotions. This must be heard by all Death Metal fans, old & new! BUY OR DIE!!! 8106 CIRCLE DR., KNOXVILLE, TN. 37920 USA. enterself@mindspring.com LOST DISCIPLE Recs: PO BOX 340, WINTHROP, MA. 02152 USA. alhuman@aol.com www.lostdisciple.com
ENTORTUREMENT (USA) "Digging up the remains" CD 2001 DECIMATIC/SUPREME MUSICK/FLESHFEAST. Well, I'm bored of that, it's like stealing the money, just a re-release of their 6 tracks MCD + 2 tracks from Promo Tape "Decryption" 99 and 2 other tracks from a rehearsal 99, what's the point at doing that??? If a band is real cult that's ok but this is not the case here! Ok the bonus tracks were good and that's maybe the reason why it gets re-released but it's 100 percent INTERNAL BLEEDING, DYING FETUS, SUFFOCATION cloning, nothing personal, they just play it well, technical groovy Brutal Death already tried many times. Is the band still going? I doubt…Trendy new comers might like this one sure!
ENTRANHA (BRA) (tracks from "Psycopatodementhia - Parada compeso " CD or Demo??) I don't know on which format this came out but here it is for review: a thrashing band with a grunter that I dislike (sort of a sepulturian voice…). The music is well played but I can't say this is Death Metal, more in common with Thrash-Core bands in my opinion, not for me. Oh, yes the name of the band means entrail…
ERYTROSY (SLO) "DELIGHT" CD 99 METAL AGE. The first riff on this album is very similar to the one of Necronomicon's "The Silver Key" song but ERYTROSY are more brutal and the production equals Krabathor's "Lies", very heavy drums and bass along with flowing guitars and fucking aggressive/dark vocals, not guttural, the guy is completely enraged and I like that! He has an overflowing rage pouring inside out! This new album is a little reminiscent of old MALEVOLENT CREATION at times, with solos, unrelenting and destructive thrashing speed with more mindblowing twists in the Cannibal Corpse way, the whole is damn great and delivers a strong raging energy!! I get into completely, listening to ERYTROSY's "Delight" is a perfect description to the word "Hate"! That's how Death Metal must be, it kills!!! BUY OR DIE! c/o STANO LASTIVKA, LUDMANSKA 3, 040 01 KOSICE SLOVAKIA. METAL AGE: PO BOX 42, 03861 VRÚTKY SLOVAKIA. metal.age@mt.sknet.sk
ETERNAL DAMNATION (MEX) "THE END IS NEAR" CD-R 99. This is to me an Heavy Metal band with Black & Death vocals as they don't want to label themselves their own Metal kind, this is what I think about the music, it's also maybe Swedish/Norvegian influenced because of the boring melodic tunes. This isn't my cup of Metal to be honest, I get bored quickly with this! Seven tracks for 32mn with a weak sound similar to first Misanthrope & Nightfall albums... Well, in no way interesting to me, they sure have to work again to be that "good, aggressive and recognized Death Metal band around the world" as their goal is to be such... Not achieved with this release for sure, at least in my opinion!
ETERNAL SILENCE (USA) "Before my eyes" CD 98 Self-prod. Porky-pig vocals strikes again along with mid to screaming spews with a powerful production where the rhythm guitars are so up front that it hides the vocals & leads, musically mixing a little of everything with melodic tunes, well that's not garbage but I found this a little juvenile, just a masturbation of sounds! The musicians surely take pleasure at playing their music but as for being a listener, I found it quite boring…This goes nowhere.
EVANESCE (UK) "Sower of sedition" CD ? Retributr. Potent blasting Death Metal here, quite melodic & powerful at the same time with a lot of good arrangements, the voice is higher than what we're all used to hear, sort of reminiscent of GRIEF sometimes and the music sounds heavy & pounding as all Hell, great aggressive & sorrowful feelings engulfed like coming from early 90's swedish bands, yes dooming arrangements are part of their brutality which is good to hear these days… By the way I don't even know when it has been recorded actually… It was a good Death Metal release to me, true to the underground and deserves to be heard by fans of melodic, doomy Death Metal à la suédoise! Note that the last track called "Internal Decadence" isn't an Immolation cover but a total Doom from Hell track, don't miss it!
EVIL INCARNATE (USA) "BLACKEST HYMNS OF GOD’S DISGRACE" CD 2000 DEATHGASM. Back with an album of old-school thrashing Death Metal style, raw sound and catchy structures, easy to listen like old Unleashed, INFAMY's "Count The Dead" Demo & the ETERNAL TORMENT 7"EPs. The vocals are similar to Order From Chaos but hold back its breath to reach a more obscure intonation. There are some cool leads into their songs and they bring back to the ancient feelings of old days Death Metal from below. That was an ok album just made in the classic way & sticking to the old heaviness of obscure underground traditions. This appeals to all true old Evil Death Metal maniacs & freaks: BUY OR DIE!! c/o MIKE EISENHAUER, 2811 ESHCOL #3, ZION, IL. 60099 USA. evilmike666@hotmail.com c/o ANDY VEHNEKAMP, 2000 COMANCHE TR., ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL. 60073 USA. ajv6@webtv.net DEATHGASM Recs: PO BOX 681415, MARIETTA, GA. 30068 USA. deathgasm@hotmail.com http://come.to/deathgasm
EVOKE (UK) "THE FURY WRITTEN" CD 2000 SYSTEM SHOCK. Ah, second album from these englishmen, the intro is sort of classical music and then we got another dose of raw Death Metal made the old-school way with morbid feelings a la MALEDICTION! The abrasive sound is not of this time and fucking shreds, the riffs are interesting, following the ancient traditions. This band rises totally out of trends and offering a twisted thrashing/dooming Death Metal release that may sounds original these days, I also detected some old DEMIGOD similarities while listening to certain arrangements more in the middle of the album, soulful leads are present as well giving the music a higher atmosphere and that's fucking inspiring! Definitely, the older fans such as myself will rejoice with "The Fury Written", a transcendant gate to the past of real & true Death Metal emotions with pure dark feelings! BUY OR DIE!!!
EVOKEN (USA) "QUIETUS" CD 2001 AVANTGARDE. Damn a new album of majestic cadaverations!! DOOM is a word that you will perfectly understand after listening to "Quietus" which is damn incredibly ceremonial and of a mournful congregation, unreal tunes from the dark side! This is a little more than one hour long and really contains nothing fun, just plain heaviness reigning in absolute slowness, it's fuckin' heavy & guttural like DUSK, WINTER & DISEMBOWELMENT, I can't see one ray of light in this, it's greatly obscure & resounding from Hell, the darkness has never been so near, almost palpable... Just like "Embrace The Emptiness", "Quietus" follows the legacy of tranquil terror achieved in their previous effort, can't wait to hear the next one now!! It's like walking in the crypt of a church of maledictive damnation, where the Prince Of Darkness awakes silent... Really a monumental release, the atmosphere..., I'm 666% into it, if you have never been a melodic Doom fan, check out the EVOKEN releases, that's where the true & real underground is!! Aaahh... No signs of life: BUY OR DIE!! Greylife@tin.it www.avantgardemusic.com
EVOKEN (USA) "Shades of night descending" CD 94 ADIPOCERE. That was the band's first album and I had never reviewed it in past issues, it's now time to rectify my mistake! Great intro's vibes resounding from down under, the band was rawer and did not use so much synths within this disc of doomed abominations that sounded like DISEMBOWELMENT, fuckin' great Doom/Death! Guttural bands always attracted me more than anything, that's where the real so called "dark" is: the deepest emptiness engulfed in total obscurity, no fuckin' ray of light, only pure inspiring depression of a mournful congregation, a real funebre ritual of dark souls! The 4th track was very INCANTATION-esque at the start and had some higher vocals then plunged into unescapable doomingness, all in all a very DISEMBOWELMENT sounding album, BUY OR DOOM!!
EXCARNATED (AUSTRALIA) "HOMICIDAL DECIMATION" CD 2002 Self-prod. They finally got back to the scene after some years of silence with a new CD, unfortunately I only got three tracks but that's enough to let you know that this kills in the vein of DERANGED, they're continuing to blast the heads of all Death Metal maniacs with the brutality that caracterize them since their first Demo in 1998. It's very catchy & brutal songwriting, efficient, damn heavy & powerful! If you like DERANGED you can only like EXCARNATED as much as the Swedes masters of Brutal undergroundment; BUY OR DIE!!! 14$ to: PO BOX 442, BRUNSWICK 3056 VICTORIA AUSTRALIA.
EXCITER (CAN) "BLOOD OF TYRANTS" CD 2000 OSMOSE. Heavy Metal is back, quite different from the old EXCITER sound but has now evolved into Speed Metal with brilliance & Power, those who like the old Heavy Metal age with high vocals might still appreciate this anyway, I love the instrumental track, this has a truly great Metal atmosphere! The revival of some old bands/styles has sometimes its good side. For fans only! B.P. 57, 62990 BEAURAINVILLE FRANCE. www.osmoseproductions.com
EXHUMED (USA) "SLAUGHTERCULT" CD 2000 RELAPSE. Extreme Gore Metal returns, imagine old CARCASS still alive with an ORDER FROM CHAOS/ANGELCORPSE mutation...! Much more skilled than any other Grind bands I know, EXHUMED peform their Grind to the most Extreme level possible leaving absolutely nothing wimpy nor crappy including their innermost atmosfears of Death with leads, yes with fucking LEADS of Death!!!! The essential thing that miss in every Death/Grind band now! Alternating screamy & gory guttural voices, apocalyptic drummings & technical shredding riffs making a pool of blood at my feet... and I walk among visceras, body parts, brains & skins floating all around me... EXHUMED emerged from another ghorrific sonic exhortation, a successful bloody autopsy! BUY OR DIE!!! VACANT GRAVE, PO BOX 847, BRYTE, CA. 95605 USA. goreified@hotmail.com or goremetal@mindspring.com www.vacantgrave.com
EXMORTEM (DK) "BERZERKER LEGIONS" CD 2001 HAMMERHEART. Killer new album very much in the vein of DIABOLIC & MORBID ANGEL sometimes but they don’t do leads at all, their Death Metal seems not to need solos anyway, there’s enough changes, twists & turns to keep it interesting & blasting at the speed of light! This really is a good one and original while staying 100% true Death Fucking Metal from Hell, raging speed & furiously skilled! The songs are fucking catchy and attractives, there is no boring second in the whole album, they seem to be with Panzerchrist & Iniquity, the truest Death Metal bands of their country, all other seemed to have gone in the rock’n death way which is a shit & lazy turn out! But rejoice because EXMORTEM aren’t going to betray, third album and step by step evolving more extreme & faster, a sign of real dedication in true evilution, BUY OR DIE!! SØNDRE RINGGADE 10 2.TV, 8000 ÅRHUS C. DENMARK. www.exmortem.com
EXMORTEM (DK) "PESTILENCE EMPIRE" CD 2003 OSMOSE. 4th album and a good one for sure, Death Metal with aggression and hatred, lots of catchy riffs attack in the vein of old MORBID ANGEL sometimes, desecrating voices & powerful blasting energies. The production is clean and doesn't affect the brutal aspect of this band, a sure value in the Danish scene, if you want supporting only true Death Metal bands, EXMORTEM deserves your unholy support: BUY OR DIE! www.exmortem.com
EXMORTIS (USA) "Fade From Immortal Chaos" CD MASTERCULT. Again a Mastercult release and a great one: "Immortality's End" Demo 89, "Descend Into Chaos" Demo 88, an instrumental rehearsal 07/89, "Fade From Reality" 7"EP 91 and finally the Butchers Of The Urban Frontier" Demo 93. Yes all the recordings by this cult old school Death Metal band onto one CD-r, this is for all old fans of SADISTIC INTENT, old OBITUARY and true underground feelings! BUY OR DIE!!! The one(s) behind this Mastercult series really have similar tastes to me, I know some bands dislike these kinds of bootlegs, but I personally embrace & encourage them, this is so good real Death Metal music!
EXPLODING ZOMBIES (USA) "SEVERAL SEVERED HEADS" CD 2000 EMETIC. Cool name, as you can imagine, this is a Gore band full of Brutal Death, they remind me of SICKENING GORE & JUDECCA too! Maybe due to the sound which is very fluid & limpid, the structures are more original too and there are solos with bleeding effects. The songs are very catchy & primitives, smells the cannibalism a lot!! Cool artworks as well, very reminding of "The Night Of The Living Dead", full of zombies everywhere! This was not the most original band but they caught my attention because of the good structures, they aren't super-fast nor extremely brutal but they pound the flesh like old SINISTER and BAPHOMET (US), includes are great feelings that are welcome in my mind, they are good technicians too. Check this definitely intelligent savagery and you'll see what these zombies are capable of! The last track starts with a cover of "Halloween" movie soundtrack performed by the band, great ambience! Really good album, highly recommended, pure Death: BUY OR DIE!! 816 FOREST, SAGINAW, MI. 48602 USA. Explodingzombies@aol.com EMETIC Recs: PO BOX 33, CLAWSON, MI. 48017 USA. Sr0044@aol.com
EXTERMINATOR (Bel) "Mirror images" CD 2000 T.V.A. Music company. Excellent intro to their simple, pounding mid-paced old-school catchy Death/Thrash Metal, this is sure to make your feet taping & head banging! The thrashing evilness of EXTERMINATOR has sometimes similar tunes to Australia's Misery and old Samael, completely old-school from the beginning to the end, I dig this a lot! Also contains a blacken mood, really worth listening to! Strong Metal effort that just contains a few clean female vocals in one or two (3?) songs but is sure to please all old-school Death & Thrash Black Metal maniacs!
EXTREME DECAY (INDONESIA) "PROGRESSIVE DESTRUCTION" CD 2000 EXTREMIST. Another punk/hardcore band that do nothing to me! That's really too funny and I can't stand why people call this "grind", it's just core shit and a thousand of young bands are doing that these days, it's too fucking trendy for me. c/o AFRIL, PO BOX 62, MLIKIP 65114 A MALANG, JAWA - TIMUR INDONESIA. EXTREMIST Recs: 808 RENNINGER RD., AKRON, OHIO 44319 USA. droghedagrind@aol.com
EXUVIATE (USA) CD 2001 Self-prod. Punishing Death Metal here, I like it a lot, it's got speed, rage & twisted riffing, real weird arrangements sometimes and their vibes remind me of old Nuclear Death, Viogression and Human Remains sometimes! Sick band with interesting musicability, I'm definitely impressed and the cerise sur le gâteau is that it's a girl (April) screaming, BUY OR DIE!!!