The 69 Eyes
Angels
Caroline Records
2008

With 12 surperb tracks, Angels is the latest release from those fantabolus Helsinki Vampires, The 69 Eyes. The entire album is a wonderful piece of ear candy, with the sweet seductive vocals of Jurki 69. Musically, it reminds me of the 70's and 80's era with hard rock elements and the boys thickly clad in leather, a definate flashback to when I was just a little hellcat mynx.

Standout tracks in my opinion are "Never Say Die", with it's varying strong yet melodic blend of vocals; "Rocker", with it's sharp guitar riffs; "Perfect Skin", which is my absolute favorite track for the obvious reasons if you've heard it; "Star of Fate" as it's a departure from the normal with light melodic vocals and soft whispers of instruments in the background.

The production of the album is seamless, with a delicious bonus of video extras on it. If it hasn't been stated before, these guys ROCK!! This album is a permanent fixture on my iPod and goes with me everywhere.

Score: 10
Written By: Mynx

SAI
Avantgarde
unsigned

Finally the long awaited second release from the Swedish band SAI. Though the first release was quite good and the songs were well made, there were a couple of drawbacks. One of the main ones that were worrisome was Huy's voice. With the second release, however, I do have to say I was extremely surprised and impressed with Huy. He has progressed so much in such a short time and now I really can't wait to hear more! The band itself has always been strong from the first release but with the experience gained between the two releases one can definitely hear how much tighter they are playing and how they have grown as well. Avantgarde starts out really strong and it is easy to see why this is the title track. I really like the arrangement of this song and what stand out to me about the single in general is that it makes me want to see SAI live which is rather rare for me. The solos within the songs are surprisingly well executed and are one of the strong points of the band. I do hope they continue incorporating them in all the songs; personally, it is probably one of my favorite parts. Both singles can be downloaded for free on their Myspace page and I would definitely recommend checking them out, you won't regret it!

Score: 9
Written by: Sohvi

Seabound
Double-Crosser
Metropolis Records
2006

When first observing this album, I realized the reasons I fell in love with the music of Seabound when first introduced a few years ago. There’s a sense of honesty an emotional involvement in every piece composed since the beginning of their career, a task not often found in the music industry today. Some people write poetry to purge a certain emotion or memory from their souls, Seabound appears to accomplish this through their latest release Double-Crosser. The first thing you notice is sadness and sorrow, so much so that you may find your heart crying and bleeding with and for them. Aside from the emotional rollercoaster, there also is a beautiful sense of appreciation for this album. Definitely an album to keep in your permanent collection.

Score: 9
Written By: Mynx

Semargl

Hailing in from Russia, this avant-garde black death metal band have shown us what Russians are really made of. Their new album Manifest has really caught my attention along with some striking videos on YouTube. In their video for “Selection” Rutarp (vocals) looks so much like Nergal from Behemoth. With some World War I and II footage mixed in with it this band seriously has got something to say in the metal world. This band is relatively new to me. They added me a while back on my band page and I thought “Whoa, this band is fucking evil” so I went on listening to their stuff and I was just totally blasted away. Their song “Selection” sounds like a very sped up version of one of Elphegors’ songs but with more extreme vocals. I am seriously a huge fan of these guys! I hope they do well in the future.  Horns up to you!

Score: 8
Written by: Joe

Slipknot
All Hope Is Gone
Roadrunner Records
2008

I want to start off by saying two things: first, I'm kind of new to Slipknot. I only have their live double cd. Second, I've never done a cd review before. So the way I do it might be a little different. With that being said, here goes.

Album art: I loved the album cover. It's dark and moody, giving you a hint as to what to expect from the cd itself. It's a striking image and very well done. Whoever took the original photo is excellent at what they do. I can close my eyes and see the image on the cover in full detail, it's that striking.

Cd liner/photo booklet: Once again, the photos are dark and make you feel a number of emotions. What emotions thou, are up to the viewer of the photos. My favorite photo is of the old barn on the back page. It makes me feel sad, alone, and wondering if that is exactly what I'm supposed to feel or if they were going for something else.

Music: In my opinion, this is the best cd Slipknot has put out to date. Production wise, this cd was so polished you could cut yourself on it. Everything just worked. As usual, the instruments complimented each other, no, fed off each other. Corey’s voice was earth shaking. Together that made for some bone crunching and window rattling songs. The arrangement/song line up kept me wondering what the next song was going to sound like, and more than once I was pleasantly surprised. 

Vocally, Corey really flexed his muscles this time. He impressed me with his willingness to "go there"; meaning show emotions other then anger and angst. "Dead Memories" is one of my favorites for this reason. His voice is so pure and full of emotion, that it was gut wrenching. I could feel his pain and anguish as well as hear it. I've been where he is in this song, and I am glad that he decided to share this side of himself with us. Now I don't want you to think that Knot has gone soft, because they haven't. They still have the songs that just rock you to the bone. There is still that screaming angry animal that's waiting for you in the darkness. Waiting to pull you in and devour you. There is one song in particular that is striking to me and that's "Sulfer". This song blends Corey’s animalistic growl with his clear, pure singing ability. It made the air slam out of my chest more than once. 

On a whole, this cd rocked. Everything just blended together. I felt things I've never felt when listening to a Slipknot cd and for that I thank them. So what can I say to sum this up? Buy this cd. In my opinion, you won't be sorry.  

Score: 10
Written By: Angel

Spineflesh
Sense of Flesh
unsigned
2007

Sense of Flesh is the debut ep from Spineflesh, who ironically enough are the same people from Edenyzed that have brought us Vanity Moves The World.

From start to finish, this album is a clashing whirlwind of elements, ranging from the sometimes classical sometimes harsh synths, growling vocals, rough loops and violent programming. Although it reminds me a lot of Vanity Moves The World on some fronts, it is still a fun album to thrash around to, especially when multitasking in trying to meetdeadlines, derail from any stress from the day job, and study for college.The graphics are cleverly produced by Phemtis, who as you may have guessed, also did the album art for Edenyzed.

Even though the tracks meld into each other, making it hard at times to distinguish where one song ends and the next begins, it is still an entrancing album to own, thanks to the addiction the music creates.

Score: 8
Written By: Mynx

Stargasm
Stargasm
D+D Records
2008

It has been said that STARGASM creates a unique style in their music - this is no joke it is a perfect blend of haunting melodies/vocals and instruments/music. The "pop-ish" melodies stand strong against the heavy guitar riffs and heart pounding bass lines. The synths are something that needs to be heard to be believed along with the vocals. They are one of the most unique bands I have come across that hail from the US in a very long time, Nevada has a winner here.

Princesse DeGlace is one of the strongest female vocalists I have heard coming from the United States in a very long time, I must admit I was surprisingly shocked by this. She demands your attention from the first word of each song to the very last word of each song she sings. Mix that with her synth talents, and she simply will NOT be ignored, nor should she be. There are just not enough words in the English language to describe her haunting, yet smooth vocals.  One listen and you will become addicted. Mad Commander has very versatile vocals; to the point they also can be very haunting, as well as devilish.  His vocals take you to the point you feel as though you are starting to become a different person from the inside out.  As with Princesse DeGlace, Mad Commander will not be ignored with his vocals and his abilities as well.

You really get the sense of almost hateful pride in the lyrics as well as the music/instruments. Something that is welcomed by most reviewers is when the band includes the lyrics in their booklet or in this case it is part of the actual album booklet (purchase the album and you will know just what I am referring to).
 
"Black Hole" really surprised me at the end of the track, lyrics and instrument wise it was very strong throughout the entire song, and then the track ends with soft keyboards - great touch! "Frozen Emptiness" has perfect haunting vocals mixed with wonderful instrumental sounds, this track did not let me down at all. "Pleasure Slave" has got to be one of my favorite tracks, if not my favorite track from this album. The only let down was the fact it could have had more lyrics and could have lasted a bit longer in time, or it could just be that it is such a great track with wonderful lyrics I did not want it to end. The only song that really let me down on the entire album was "Space Race". It was to "video gamish" for me; it was as if I were playing a video game with music and vocals to go along with it. For those of you who enjoy that, then I do not believe you will find one wrong aspect to this entire album.

The band is currently working on their second album, and I cannot wait to hear the new material. After listening to this, it is hard to wait; I am addicted to the vocals simple as that. Keep your eyes and ears open for this band.
 
Since the release of this album Mad Commander along with Iron Fist has been replaced by GunBlade Knight and Atrum Cupido in late 2007.

Score: 8
Written By: Whisper

Suicide Commando
Bind Torture Kill
Metropolis Records
2006

Suicide Commando has done it once again with their latest release Bind, Torture, Kill. Brilliantly composed, this album has everything a fan of industrial music could hope for, all the while maintaining the “Suicide Commando” feel that fans are accustomed to. The arrangements are cleverly mixed between samples, distorted vocals, synths and electro grooves. Sadly, there are no stand out tracks to distinguish which song is the best off this album, but seriously…does it really even matter? These guys are the best at what they do and it is clearly shown in their music, no other explanation is needed.

Score: 10
Written by: Mynx

System Syn
The Mourning Ritual
Metropolis Records
2006

Following what seems to be a slight trend of light airy music in this month’s list of reviews, comes System Syn’s latest release, The Mourning Ritual. There’s not much I can really say about this album, in fact to be honest, I found this album to be a bit boring. No standout track, straight paced tempos throughout, even the vocals seemed a little bland for the most part. If the artist was trying to come across as mournful as the album title states, he certainly achieved his goal.

Score: 5
Written By: Mynx

This being a 3-track album/ep, this review will not be all that long. I will be honest, when I first listened to the album and songs, I really didn’t like it at all.  But the more I listened to it, the more it grew on me and came to realize it isn’t all that bad.

Sitting back listening to the drum beats, mixed with the sound of bass and angry vocals, I closed my eyes and could see all 3 songs being sung in a morgue while doing autopsies on ex-girlfriends; especially on “Deaf Ears”, and enjoying every second of the autopsy. The vocals and lyrics fit perfectly: angry vocals meet angry lyrics. The drum beats on “Empty With You” stick in my mind and for that reason along, I listen to that track over and over again. The vocal distortion in “Can’t Carry On” fits so well with the song it took me by surprise, I did not expect it. I love the guitar riffs on this song.

My rating on this 1-10 scale is a 6. It would have been higher if there would have been another song or two included.

Score: 6
Written By: Thunder

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