I actually forgot I have this album in my collection.  What a blast from past...  A Thousand Times Repent is a metalcore band from Atlanta, GA and they only have been together for a short time.  As far as I know they only have one album released, which is "Virtue Has Few Friends".  It's an alright album and really only for people who dig metalcore music.  It has some good moments and many forgettable moments as well. 

There is no great song on the album but there are few good ones like "Curses! Another Shape-Shifting Wraith!" and "Complete Relinquish. Utter Abandon".  The rest are pretty much boring or just plainly sucks.  One thing that really bother me a lot is the way the album is very disjointed.  There's some heavy, almost deathcorey, songs and some clean acoustic songs.  Don't get me wrong, I dig albums with variety but for some reason it just doesn't work here.  The songs are too different and doesn't really have anything to do with each other.  It feels like they just created different songs and throw them together without considering how the songs can flow together.

If you are a metalcore aficionado, then go ahead and check this album out.  If not then just move on... nothing to hear here.  You can always download just the two songs I mentioned earlier and that's all you need from this band really.

Score: 4/10

Labels: a thousand times repent, christian, metalcore

Desyre is a Glam/Hair Metal band from Finland and they already have few demos under their belt. This album is their first full length album, which is released few months ago. The cover art is pretty cheesy and very 80's, but that is to expected. However I think it could have been designed better.

The music is classic Glam Metal sounds and it's actually bit dated to me because there is nothing new being done here. They played the sound really well though and sadly that style is not my thing. I bet fans of 80s Glam Metal and Hair Metal would dig this album a lot but if you are not then don't bother with this. I do have to admit the vocalist is really good and he's very talented. Too bad he's not in something like Power Metal or just straight up Heavy Metal band because I would totally dig that much more and buy the albums.

Best Song: "Can't Let Go" you can really see the vocalist' talent in this song and I actually liked it.

Worst Song: "Yule Night Brightness"-boring and like I said...not my favorite style so I don't like most of the songs off this album.


Score: 5/10-Gave them points for the vocals and being good at what they are doing. If I am a fan of the style then the score would be higher but I'm not.

www.desyre777.com

Labels: 80s metal, christian, desyre, glam metal, hair metal, review

This is a debut album by one man project called Hguols and will be released by EEE Recordings in December. I'm fortunate to receive the promo copy from the guy behind this project.

I've heard of the project awhile ago and when I found out its 100% MIDI used, I was actually suspicious because normally when someone use MIDI to make music, it sounds terrible and cheap. I was blown away and surprised when I gave the song on his myspace a listen. Now, I finally have the album and gave it listen yesterday and all day today. It's definitely a GREAT album for a debut effort.

The music is definitely very raw black metal with a lot of ambiance for atmosphere. Obviously there is no real instruments since this is 100% MIDI but the composition is pretty much top notch. I absolutely love the guitar patterns and the distortion being used in many of the songs.
I think the drumming is the weakest point of the album because honestly...nothing beat the real drumming. Generally I'm not a fan of programmed drumming so that's why it's a minus for me. However, it doesn't ruin the album so it's still enjoyable.


Best Song: "...Of Blackened Skies"-love the ambiance in this song and guitar absolutely slays!

Worst Song:"...Of Threnodies Abided"-overal a decent song but bit boring to be honest. I already started to skip this song.

Score:7/10


www.myspace.com/hguols

Labels: black metal, christian, hguols, review

If you don't know who Impending Doom is then you must've been living under a rock. Impending Doom is one of the most popular Christian metal band in the scene. This is their second album and I have to say I am a little disappointed. Gone is the pig squeals and the raw feeling that Nail. Dead. Risen. had. Granted, the production is a lot better but the passion is not really as strong as the debut album is.

This album is pretty much a standard deathcore album and that is not necessarily a bad thing but I was hoping that Impending Doom could set themselves apart from the rest of the deathcore scene like they did with the debut album. I guess they actually wanted to be the same and that disappointed me. If you are a fan of deathcore then go for this album. If not then stay away!

Best Song: "More Than Conquerors" and "Revival:America" =shows their skills and passionate vocals plus the second song mentioned is what I was expecting from them.

Worst Song: "City of Refuges"-I skip this track a lot...just boring.


Score: 6/10- decent deathcore but still a disappointment





www.myspace.com/impendingdoom

Labels: christian, deathcore, impending doom, metal, review

Alright, I'm gonna do a punk album review this time. Been a little while!

Makeshift3 has been around ever since mid 90's and I'm very surprised only few people are aware of them. I own all of their album but I decided to do a review on their most recent one, "Fluorescent Black", which was released several years ago in 2002 or 2003...something like that. This album is very decent and if someone want me to describe what Makeshift3 is like then I would definitely say a mix of MxPx and Emery. They play some songs in simple punk style but they also introduce a little of "hardcore" and screamo into the mix.

When I first saw couple pictures of the band members, I actually assumed they are just another lame "pop-punk" band that ruined the punk scene. I decided to give them a couple of listens on myspace clips and I was totally wrong. I bought their albums to give 'em a couple of serious listens. Boy, I'm glad I did that. Totally cliche but true....don't judge a book by its cover!

The album is very eclectic and jump around different shades of punk. There is some melodic punk rock songs and there are some songs that have strong hardcore style vocals. The vocals is the best part of the album. That dude can really scream! The guitar work is pretty much straightforward for punk band.

This album is good for a punk fans who appreciate different aspect of the punk genre such as punk rock, hardcore, classic punk, et cetera.


Best Song: Irish Sky-I just love this song and maybe I'm biased cuz I'm Irish.

Worst Song:Nine Year Love Song-actually almost a pop-punk song which I don't like in general but I do have to admit it's not bad for that style.


Here's some video clip with their music for you to listen.



Score: 6.5/10-not the best punk band ever but pretty decent.

www.myspace.com/makeshift3

Labels: christian, makeshift3, punk, review

I downloaded this demo off blabberdownload.com (legal download site-free!) and I'm glad I did. This is a really good thrash metal stuff! Last Rites was formed last year and to this day they still don't have a record label deal. That pretty much surprised me because this is some good stuff. The only issue I have is the production as it is bit shoddy. I'm not really surprised because this is demo so can't really expect an excellent mastering.


Virtual Flesh- first song on the demo. It's pretty much a decent song. I could say there's almost nothing special about this song. However the riffs are great and the drumming is excellent on this song. I'll have to say its a little too fuzzy but that's mostly due to the production issue.

Degradation of Humanity- this is a good introduction to what Last Rites is all about. Good thrash metal with passionate lyrics. I would prefer this song to be the first one on the demo but track arrangements is not that big deal to me. I can always just choose to listen to this song first.

Anima Christi-last song on the demo and my favorite. I really love the riffs in there and the vocals is awesome! Definitely show the potential Last Rites has and I believe they will put out excellent albums. This is what thrash metal is all about!

Score: 6.5/10-mostly due to production...I just hate the fuzzy sounds.

you can download this demo for free at www.blabberdownload.com

Or check them out at www.myspace.com/lastritesmetal

Labels: american metal, christian, last rites, review, thrash metal

Alright, I know this is not something I normally would review but I actually enjoyed this album and I think some people would. This is a hard rock album and the main guy behind this band used to be in Huntingtons, a punk band. I am not sure but i think this album is a debut album for Main Line Riders but I could be wrong. (EDIT: its actually their second release)

The production is actually really good. I'm impressed and I really like the guitar riffs. They are soo groovey and very catchy. That is definitely the key in hard rock music. It's heavy but at same time very catchy. Their music and vibes definitely remind me of AC/DC with their fun songs. The only main differences are that they aren't Aussies and to be honest, they can't beat the Young brothers!

One thing that I don't like is the songs are too close together. There's almost no breaks in between so it feels like a constant roller coaster and personally I prefer the breaks so I know when a song ends and the new song begin. Other than that, it's pretty much a solid release for me and a great start for the band.

Best Song: Chrome and Steel- love this song...very catchy and I kept replaying this song the most.

Worst Song: "Coming Home"-a ballad and slower song...not really my thing.


Score: 7/10

www.myspace.com/mainlineriders

Labels: christian, hard rock, huntingtons, main line riders, retroactive, review

Hail the Seventh Angel! This is their second full length album and my favorite. This is such an excellent thrash album with big doom influences. I honestly never heard of that mixture until I listened to this album. It is so obvious due to some members being involved in several doom bands.

Each song is so freaking heavy and the guitar riffs is still so dirty but much chunkier than the debut album. The production is so much better in this album. I really appreciate that the bass is much more listenable because I'm bass freak and I think bass is under appreciated in a lot of metal albums. The drums is even better due to production and the drummer improving his skills. Overall, all instruments are much improved and the debut album is tough to beat but they surely did so.

The lyrics is amazing and very emotional inspired. It's very dark and they spoke of topics that not so many bands are willing to sing about. Especially the song "No Longer A Child" about a child experiencing abuse and rape.

Every ounce of this album is amazing and I will have to say this album is near perfection. In fact I went ahead and gave this album the perfect 10/10 which is a first!


Best Song: "Lament For The Weary"-title track and the most balanced in this album.

Worst Song: “Life In All Of Its Emptiness”-still excellent song but just inferior to rest of the songs in this album.

Score:PERFECT 10/10


www.myspace.com/originalseventhangel

Labels: christian, doom, review, seventh angel, thrash metal

A sophomore album by Dagon and released by Bombworks Records. This is an excellent extreme metal album. I cannot really pinpoint what exactly kind of metal this album is because it has mixture of death, thrash, and a dash of black metal. It's actually refreshing to see a band that are trying something different and try to fuse all those excellent subgenres into something great. There's tons of thrash riffs and some nice groovy riffs mixed in. The vocals are mostly guttural with some high pitched being used in some songs.

The whole theme of this album should be pretty much obvious. Dagon's all about the ocean and the myths behind the oceans such as Poseidon and that kind of stuff. I really dig the concept and there isn't that many bands that are obsessed on the oceanic themes like Dagon.



Best Song: a tie between Terraphobic and Full Speed Ahead-excellent songs! Perfect mixture of thrash and death riffs with excellent vocals. I love the solos in those songs.

Worst Song:The Last- worst song on the album but it doesn't mean its bad though. I really dig this song too but it's a little bit boring compared to the rest of the songs on the album. Could use some more creative solos and variety of vocals in my opinion.


Score: 8.5/10

www.myspace.com/dagonmetal

Labels: american metal, christian, dagon, death metal, metal, ocean, review, thrash metal

"Manifesto" is The Last Hope's sophomore album released recently. This is definitely a big improvement over their debut album. I really love the dirty sound and the energy they put into those songs. The theme of this album seems to be about oppression and the rising to rebel against the corrupt. The them is bit unoriginal and been done millions time in the punk scene which disappoint me a little bit. However, the music aspect definitely doesn't disappoint! They defiinitely play catchy riffs and good, strong vocals. This type of music is good hardcore punk that unfortunately is declining nowadays. This album is definitely for people who loves punk and want to listen to a band that is honest and really believes in what they preach in their music.

Best Song: We Will Rise-very catchy and makes me want to rise my fist!

Worst Song: Convert Or Kill-boring theme and way too generic for my taste. Nothing special or memorable at all about this song.


Score:7/10

www.myspace.com/thelasthope

Labels: christian, hardcore punk, review, the last hope

Dead Risen is a one man "DIY" project and he sent me this demo few weeks ago and I finally got some time to give it several serious listens. This is definitely a mix of death metal and grindcore. The production is very raw but it really fits the music so I didn't mind. The only thing I would like is for the sound to be a little less fuzzy so I can hear the distortion and riffs more clearly. The riffs and drumming are very catchy which is always a plus for me. The vocals is hard to get used to at first but its death/grind so what do you expect? Definitely not clean vocals, that's for sure! There's only few songs....total of 7 songs which is not bad for a demo. I would like to see a full length from them and the production should be focused on making it less fuzzy and improve on the mixing with vocals and the bass. Other than that, its a good start for the band and I am looking forward to see what he have in store for future.


Best Song: I AM- very catchy riffs! I hope they will make more songs with good riffs like this one.

Worst Song: Into Your Heart- this song is pretty much "eh" for me...nothing special at all and doesn't really interest me for some reason.


Score: 6/10


www.myspace.com/deadrisen

Labels: american metal, christian, dead risen, death metal, deathgrind, grindcore, review

A debut album by Gorilla Warfare, a hardcore punk band that consists of three brothers and a best friend, released by Wounded Records in 2008. This is very spirit filled hardcore and heavily East Coast style which is not surprised considering they are from Nashville, TN. I really dig this album because of the huge chemistry between the members...obviously because they are almost all brothers. The sound is very heavy and they shout mostly about war, militant, and being proud of who you are. Nothing special or amazing about lyrics nor the music itself but I do have to admit its very catchy. Their lyrics kind of remind me of Hatebreed for some reason except its not so negative....just that feeling you get from listening to hardcore....being proud and strong!

Best Song: Band of Brothers- this is pretty much the epitome of what Gorilla Warfare is all about.

Worst Song: Another Day- kinda boring hardcore song...has the passion but bit too generic for my taste.


Overall, this is decent hardcore album and if you are a fan of hardcore then you should pick this up from them. I give this album 6.5/10.

www.myspace.com/gwhardcore

Labels: christian, gorilla warfare, hardcore, hardcore punk, punk, review

Vengeance Rising is the infamous Christian 80's thrash band that released a couple of albums before breaking up in early 90's. This album is their debut album released in 1989.

The album is absolutely a classic and a must have! This album is very brutal and most possibly heaviest album I ever heard by a Christian band. I am still amazed the band never got picked up by any of the major metal label like Nuclear Blast or Metal Blade.

The first moment when you push the CD in the player...BAM! The brutality started! No chance to relax and get used to the sound and it will never let you go away. The first track is same title as the album and it is full of excellent riffs and simple structures. Tons of solos throughout the album

I can tell there's some death influences and the production is surprisingly pretty good for their time. I am actually impressed and really appreciate the efforts. Of course there's no such thing as a perfect album but this one is pretty close. The only thing I don't like about this album is that it is freaking short! Only 39 minutes?! C'mon, give me some more Vengeance Rising music!
Good thing they produced another excellent album after this one or I'll go nuts.

Best Song: Beheaded...the last song of the album with that insane vocals by Roger...just total brutality.

Worst Song: Receive Him...obviously filler song and the vocals is kind of annoying actually.

Score: 9.5/10

If you find a copy...buy it immediately. I'm serious.


Note: I am not going to post the myspace link for VR because the modern VR is totally different than the VR from 80's. I don't consider them the same band at all.

Labels: 80's, christian, metal, review, thrash metal

Virgin Black is Australian doom/gothic metal band. Definitely one of my favorite in the doom genre. Their music is so beautiful and amazing composed. Sombre Romantic is one of Virgin Black's first album, after Trance EP, and has 11 songs(including outro). It's definitely my favorite album by VB due to the emotions being felt by listening throughout the album. They used a lot of classical instruments such as piano, violin, and cellos. Beautiful lyrics and beautiful compostition. I definitely recommend the album to anyone who dig doom/gothic sound...even anyone who enjoy classical music.

Best song: A Poet's Tears of Porcelain
Worst song:Weep for Me

I am telling you...there's absolutely no "bad" song...even the worst song on the album is still awesome.

I'm giving the album 8.5/10.

www.virginblack.com

www.myspace.com/virginblackofficial

Labels: aussie metal, christian, doom, gothic metal, review, virgin black

This probably is one of the most interesting album I ever heard in a while. That doesn't mean its the best album ever...not that close to it. However, this band definitely have HUGE potential. I can see in their lyrics and music that they have tons of passion for music and experimenting with styles of music to see where they can push the boundary of black metal. They mix in grind and hardcore in black metal to create some good sound. The biggest problem with the album is production. It definitely need some good production and mixing so it doesn't sound all washed in. I would give this album 4 out 0f 10 mainly to production. They already are working on new album and I heard two songs they have up on myspace and it's WAY much better! I'm excited to see what they will do with next album because I knew they have huge potential and it's coming out now.

Labels: black metal, christian, experimental, majestic winter, o, review, sullen records

A Plea For Purging is a well known metalcore band from Tenn. This is their sophomore album and an improvement over the debut album. I remember the debut album being full of energy but bit too generic for my taste. Now, this album is still a bit generic but the energy is still there! I really dig the energy they had and that is probably why they are doing so well right now. I really dig the song Malevolence and Traitor. This is a good album if you dig metalcore that is more metal than the core with breakdowns. That is one thing I really like about them a lot....not full of breakdowns. I would love it if they stop being generic and bring some more creativity in the next album. 6/10


www.myspace.com/apleaforpurging

Labels: a plea for purging, american metal, christian, metalcore, review

Elgibbor is a one man project by Fire who originally is from Poland but lives in USA now. He has many previous albums in his belt so there is a high expectation for this release. This album definitely surpass my expectation and I was blown away with the progress he has made with the album compared to last one. The whole album is excellent black metal with no fillers at all. Each single track is very good. I especially love the two songs in Polish language. Maybe it is just me but I have a thing for singing in foreign language. My favorite track probably have to be Dark Valley due to the atmosphere Fire created in this song. The entire album is pretty much almost flawless. I am very excited to see what Fire will do with his new album, War, that is coming out soon. 9/10

www.myspace.com/elgibbor

Labels: black metal, christian, polish metal, review, sullen records, unblack

Frost Like Ashes is a band created by Sebat in 2001. They are mixed black/death metal and just released Born To Pieces EP last year. This happened to be one of my favorite release of 2008. The album is limited to 250 copies and is already sold out. The album is absolutely amazing... I listened to it for weeks when I first got it. First three tracks are totally solid and Born To Pieces track is my favorite track. It's so brutal and the lyrics is hauntingly straightforward about abortion. The EP have two covers, one of Saint's "Plan 2" and Johnny Cash's "When the Man Comes Around". Both covers are excellent done although I prefer the Cash over one a little better than the Saint one. They also did an acoustic version of their famous song, "A Nightfall's Cold Kiss", which is an interesting but good song. At first I was hesistant because I normally am not a fan of acoustic versions but they did this one very well. The last two tracks are rehearsal tracks which is nice to hear and see how they usually rehearse.

This is definitely a must for any death/black metal fans. Unfortunately its all sold out so you will have to search through ebay or see if anyone have it for sale/trade. 9/10


www.myspace.com/frostlikeashes

Labels: black metal, christian, frost like ashes, review, sullen records, unblack

Ulterium Records is one of the best metal record out of Europe right now. Incrave released their sophomore album, "The Dead End" about a year after their debut. I have not listened to the debut album but I heard from several people that it's big improvement so I will take their words. I honestly cannot remember where I got this album from but I stumbled on it today and decided to give it a listen. I'm glad I did!

I usually am not big fan of power metal and tend to be very picky on those type of music. However, I have to admit I enjoyed this album. It's a little bland for me and could use more variety of riffs and vocal techniques. I am surprised with the way they used the keys in this album and I really liked that. I'll have to say my favorite track got to be either "The Touch Of Death" or "Nevermore". If you are a power metal fan then you probably will enjoy this a lot. This is a good progress for Incrave since they are so young (average is 22 years old I believe) and I'm looking forward to see what they have in store for next album. 7/10

www.myspace.com/incrave

Labels: christian, incrave, metal, power metal, review, ulterium records

I've been listening to Believer's "Sanity Obscure" ever since I got it few days ago. I have to admit that I don't really know much about Believer except that they are thrash band that has been around for ages. I finally got the cd from ebay and gave it a spin. I have to say wow! This is some good old school thrash stuff. I don't think this is perfect album though. I don't like the first track, "Sanity Obscure". Its bit boring thrash to be honest. However, they make it up with most of the tracks after that. I have to say my favorite track is "Stop The Madness" because I can really relate to the lyrics and its excellent heavy song. Close second would be "Dust to Dust"....great catchy thrash song. I'll recommend this album to anyone who enjoy thrash metal. I'm really glad I got this album and definitely plan to get more of their music in future. 8/10

www.myspace.com/believermusic

Labels: 80's, american metal, believer, christian, metal, review, thrash metal