Profile | Gallery | The Chosen | Set | Contact   

"The Chosen" Metal Image Gallery

Super Joint Ritual

 Fear Factory

Fear Factory



Headbangers Ball Tour

Himsa

Dimmu Borgir

Suffocation

Satyricon

Unearth

The Chosen Crew

Twelve Tribes

 album cover

Kittie

album cover

Candiria

Slayer

Album Cover

Anthrax

Killswitch Engage

Gwar

All That Remains

Shadows Fall - The Art Of Balance LP

Shadows Fall

Testament

Lamb of God

Yyrkoon

Black Dahlia

 After half a decade away from wax, M.O.D. returns with Rebel You Love to Hate, a brief eight-song program also including two remixes and three radio edits. The album features perpetual mouthpiece/bassist Billy Milano, who is joined this time out by guitarist Joe Affe and drummer Danny "DNA" Burkhardt. Cynicism and bad taste have always figured heavily into Methods of Destruction's post-hardcore and thrash rants, and Rebel features jokes that resemble those on 1996's Dictated Aggression. For instance, "Wigga" is a tirade against "suburban prankstas" who "saw Colors and got a woody," while "De Men of Stein" is a roast of the German scaremongers Rammstein. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

M.O.D.

VNV Nation

Its nods to post-grunge melodic accessibility and generally workmanlike sound hurt DevilDriver's 2003 debut, and the murkiness of frontman Dez Fafara's relationship with his previous group Coal Chamber didn't necessarily help. There was promise amidst DevilDriver's riffs and runs, but harnessing it was the problem. 2005's Fury of Our Maker's Hand is the solution. DevilDriver has amplified every facet of their sound. They've turned their backs on the kind of plodding melodic obviousness that kills credibility on the raging metal side, instead hardwiring a vicious catchiness right into the guitar lines and Fafara's esophageal grind. Drummer John Boecklin slays on "Bear Witness Unto" and in the furious time-shifts of opener "End of the Line"; actually, Boecklin pretty much slays throughout Fury. "Grinf**cked," besides having the best name on the record, also exemplifies DevilDriver's union of black melody to razor-sharp playing. "Pale Horse Apocalypse" is a traditionalist thrash workout, and "Before the Hangman's Noose" approaches the hard-tack American metal of Lamb of God. The slower pace, spiritualism, and double bass tussles of "Sin & Sacrifice" seem like a tribute to European metal. Fury of Our Maker's Hand is such a severe turn away from the falter of their first album -- and a turn toward something hungry, focused, and ready to be devoured by metal faithful everywhere -- that DevilDriver may have made their true debut the second time around.

Devil Driver

Originally intended to be an EP, Bitter Suites to Succubi found Cradle of Filth inspired to stretch the release into a beast of full-length proportions. With that in mind, Bitter Suites is, unsurprisingly, a somewhat tossed salad of Cradle of Filth tracks: four top-shelf new originals (""All Hope in Eclipse,"" ""Born in a Burial Gown,"" ""Suicide and Other Comforts,"" and ""Scorched Earth Erotica"") mingle with three re-recordings of The Principle of Evil Made Flesh-era cuts (""Summer Dying Fast,"" ""The Principle of Evil Made Flesh,"" and ""The Black Goddess Rises II""), a cover of a Sisters of Mercy tune (""No Time to Cry""), and two instrumental tracks. Longtime Cradle-ites will want to grab Bitter Suites to Succubi to better understand the band's compositional growth (if not for the cleverly punned title alone). ~ John Serba, All Music Guide

Cradle of Filth

Clutch

A Life Once Lost

Evergrn. Terrace

Norma Jean's lineup shifted again between Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child and 2005's O God, The Aftermath -- the Georgia metalcore unit got a new bassist in Jake Schultz, and replaced vocalist Josh Scrogin with former Eso Charis shouter Cory Brandan. Still, there's no rage or passion lost. Brandan is comparably distraught on the microphone, and he matches wits ably with the pummel of Norma Jean's twin guitars. "This world is damned to hell and it's a revelation," he spits over the manic, jagged rhythms of "'Coffinspire." "I'll set myself on fire/Come on, watch me burn." Later, in "Pretendeavor," Brandan speaks directly and with force. "Oh my God, hand us down our ribbons/You death defier you/Far from fear, we are." It's an important tactic in the Norma Jean arsenal, this balance between pain and religious fervor, between hate and hope. Hardcore, metal, whatever -- heavy music pierces the soul. And with O God, The Aftermath, it's clear Norma Jean has entwined its faith so tightly around its amplifiers that there's no separating the two without destruction of one. Isis and Mastodon producer Matt Bayles helps with this stance, removing any reverb (maybe even any overdubs?) to reveal Norma Jean's gristle. Revealing the truth he leaves to the band. "Murderotica," "Vertebraille" (?) These songs are relentless. Their gaps, stops, starts, and interplay of single and dual guitars push the listener toward the meaning with a dynamic volatility. "Bayonetwork"'s rabid pace cuts out for an almost melody, and Brandan delivers the payoff: "This is between me and this blade/And my heart." "Disconnecktie" (these word-jumble titles are a little trying) is a ten-minute powerhouse of swirling distortion chum and ambient metal driftwood -- it sketches more of the ship and sea imagery that drifts throughout the album. "Scientifiction" is another album highlight. It's the record's last song, but after 45 minutes Norma Jean is still screaming mad, intensely passionate, and seemingly incapable of coming up with a riff that doesn't rip through bone and sinew, right to the heart of the matter. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Norma Jean

Throwdown

Kylesa

Opeth

The vehicle through which death metal guitar hero Michael Amott channeled his most extreme instrumental concepts, Arch Enemy was an experiment that produced predictably wild and undeveloped results. After the group's debut, Black Earth, shocked and amazed many fans of the Gothenburg sound, Arch Enemy signed with indie metal powerhouse Century Media and released Stigmata in 1998. As often happens with highly anticipated follow-ups, Stigmata disappointed some fans with what some called a more restrained sound and lesser material. Realistically, the tightly constructed production was to be expected, and the real driving force behind Arch Enemy's success -- Amott's guitar work -- is definitely present. On the negative side, vocalist Johan Liiva doesn't do much except stay out of the way, and the addition of Peter Wildoer on drums (in place of Daniel Erlandsson) doesn't help either. Perhaps confirming the band's critics, Arch Enemy asked Erlandsson to return for its next release, Burning Bridges. These problems are really minor when balanced against Amott's massive playing and songwriting, so while Stigmata is a fraction off from the band's debut form, Arch Enemy still delivers some nice melodic death metal on the sophomore effort. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide

Arch Enemy

 36 Crazy Fists' 2002 Roadrunner debut was jagged, pissed-off, and basic, its rigid boundaries refreshing in a post-hardcore movement muddled with mixing-board hocus-pocus and white elephant string sections. Expansion from such a singular dimension is natural, even imperative for a follow-up effort; thankfully, these kindler, gentler Fists don't forget how to clench. At first, it doesn't look good. Bitterness the Star's rust, tundra, and heavy equipment motif has been replaced with arty, beating-heart-melting-the-icicles-of-my-soul imagery, and a title right out of the Random Emo Generator. A Snow Capped Romance also finds vocalist Brock Lindow writing pensive lyrics, more poetic than polemic. That said, the hammering rhythms and hysterical screaming of "At the End of August" and "The Heart and the Shape" ensure 36 Crazy Fists haven't completely forsaken the metal or the 'core to build a crisis of conscience platform. Lindow does alternate his berserk howl with a more conventional wail -- this feels like the influence of producer James Paul Wisner, who's worked with Further Seems Forever and Dashboard Confessional. "Bloodwork" and "Skin and Atmosphere" are Snow Capped Romance's biggest departure, relying on big vocal melodies and even bigger dynamic shifts to give 36 Crazy Fists' roguish post-hardcore an accessible front. There's also an echoing mid-album rumination on Lindow's Alaskan youth. But that brief interlude is a setup for a second half that mixes in that frenzied old hard stuff with consistently interesting melodic departures. "With Nothing Underneath" is at least mostly metal, while "Destroy the Map" features some gripping vocal dynamics between Lindow and guest pal Raithon Clay. Most representative might be "Installing the Catheter," which gradually replaces the unfortunate Hoobastank-ness of its start with left-field spoken word and a meaty, thrashing finale. A Snow Capped Romance occasionally stumbles on the loose gravel of conventionalism, but it always regains its footing on the rock. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

36 Crazy Fists

Death by Stereo's Into the Valley of Death picks up where 2002's Day of the Death left off. The band marries metal's neck-snapping, double-bass rhythms to the consciousness (or just plain anger) of punk and hardcore, pummeling themselves and the listener with serious intensity. Opener "The Plague" is as scary as its title. After a foreboding instrumental intro, the song explodes into lockstep hardcore behind the half-sung, half-screamed vocals of Efrem Schultz. Throughout the album, it's Schultz's over-sung, yet oddly convincing vocal presence that unites Death by Stereo's concurrent metal and punk rock influences. If the question of what Iron Maiden and Agnostic Front would sound like as one band was ever raised, this band answers it. But despite its aggressive sound, Death by Stereo has always peppered its albums with satirical humor. Into the Valley of Death continues this tradition, with songs like "I Wouldn't Piss in Your Ear if Your Brain Was on Fire," "Wake Up, You're Dead," and "You're a Bullshit Salesman With a Mouthful of Samples." Subtlety is definitely not in Death by Stereo's arsenal. And Into the Valley of Death's Molotov cocktail of high-speed metal riffing, anthemic call-and-response vocals, and toilet-bowl humor holds definite appeal for fans of SoCal punk, from the Descendents all the way through to Pennywise. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Death by Stereo

As live albums go, Hellalive is solid: a nice cross section of songs from Machine Head's four albums, a dense, guitar-centric mix (courtesy of famed metal producer Colin Richardson), and tight, energetic performances. This live set, recorded primarily at London's Brixton Academy in 2001, is adequately muscular, Robb Flynn unleashing his demons on venom-spewers "Take My Scars," "Ten Ton Hammer," and "The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears," with Dave McClain's thunder drums providing an unshakable foundation for the band's post-thrash power-groove riffs. ~ John Serba, All Music Guide

Machine Head

The perfect band for Roadrunner Records, Chimaira takes nu-metal syncopation and ideology, balances it with hints of death metal's angst-overdose (vocalist Mark Hunter has a distinctively brutal screech), and punctuates it with a more-than-expected electronic influx to create a fairly unique sound. The experimentation doesn't take away from the heaviness or accessibility, however, as the Cleveland group takes Fear Factory's noise to another level of intensity. ~ Brian O'Neill, All Music Guide

Chimaira

 King of All Kings follows closely in the footsteps of its predecessor, the unremittingly sinister 1999 opus Conquering the Throne. As the title suggests, this recording was a continuation of the thematic elements which appeared throughout Hate Eternal's debut, pummeling through ten brutal cuts of extreme grind/metal while saluting all that which is evil. It came as a great surprise that founding member Erik Rutan announced his departure from death metal luminaries Morbid Angel in order to focus his complete attention on Hate Eternal, yet understandable considering King of All Kings not only boasts his skilled guitar work and guttural vocals, but also his very own production. Rutan enlisted Derek Roddy, known for his work as part of Nile and Fallen, as well as bassist Jared Anderson, who also accompanies Rutan on backing vocals. Roddy wears the nickname "One Take" for a reason, and the relentless blastbeats found on King of All Kings provide the explanation -- it would be close to impossible to duplicate the carnage captured here. Much like Conquering the Throne, King of All Kings is held back by the overwhelming similarities between each and every song contained within, yet the crisp production aids in lifting Hate Eternal above the flock of interchangeable clones who swamp the death metal scene. Despite its weaknesses, it is evident that Rutan and company are slowly striding forth with their own signature sound, and now that Hate Eternal is Erik Rutan's main focus, one should expect even more grandiose grindcore on future releases. ~ Jason D. Taylor, All Music Guide

Hate Eternal

Cephalic Carnage's Relapse debut is an often confounding maze of death metal/grindcore and is certainly well titled. The first track, "Hybrid," immediately sets the tone and lets you know what you're in for: opening with a speaker-crushing grind section, it then derails into a jazz-tinged, almost psychedelic spoken word passage before winding through a maze of tempo changes and complex guitar riffs reminiscent of technical death metal bands such as Suffocation or Cryptopsy. The rest of the album is equally unpredictable. Tracks range from five seconds to 15 minutes; the album is littered with voice samples and electronic noise blurts; and the songs themselves are often structured in ways that, much like the lyrics, seem to defy logic. Highlights include the crushing "Eradicate Authority" (yes, despite the silly title) and the instrumental "9' of Smoke," the album's catchiest track as well as its most technically deranged one. Special mention has to go to Keith Falgout's (Soilent Green, Acid Bath) production; the album has a huge, nearly distorted bottom-end, but you can also make out the intricate drumming and cymbal work with great clarity. The vocals may be an acquired taste, even for fans of the genre. However, if you enjoy death metal/grindcore at its most absurd and musically impossible, then Exploiting Dysfunction is worth your time. ~ William York, All Music Guide

Cephalic Carnage

Every Time I Die

Roger Waters

Harry Waters

 BIF Naked

BIF Naked

As I Lay Dying

Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll

Children of Bodom

 Wake the Demons

Full Blown Chaos

 Gore Obsessed

Cannibal Corpse

Belphegor

 Gojira - "Mars To Sirius" cover image

Gojira

 Melechesh - As Jerusalem Burns

Melechesh

 Order it now !!

Phazm

Goatwhore

Pantera

Amon Amarth

  

 Gallery Photo Credits:

Erik, Matt, W. Wittig, L. Wittig, Bill, Al, Bruce

ISIS Television Documentaries

Sonic Bloom

Sonic Bloom

 

White Buffalo

Global Issues

Author & Personality Interviews

Richard Webster

Chris Penczak

 

 

Bob Keeshan