Written In Blood

Celestial Season
Solar Lovers
Metal Blade

The band Celestial Season is made up of seven members, two of which are violinists. In my opinion, at this point in the evolution of metal, when 29 percent of your band consists of some sort of bowed instrument, you’re already in trouble. I’m not saying it couldn’t work in the future, it just didn’t seem to work this time around. The band is on to a good idea, and I applaud their experimental nature, but it just doesn’t do a damn thing for me. The band is slow and heavy, with the violin flitting around somewhere in the mix. I think the band might be better if the violinist took a little time to help the rest of the band remove their instruments from their tuchuses—so they could play them already. The recording kind of get on my nerves as well. It sounds like the guitarists recorded direct, which gave them that warm fuzzy sound. Kind of like when you would plug your guitar into your folks’ stereo, before you had a decent amp. Musicians in the world of metal today are living in a time when survival is dependent on them finding their “niche.” Time are changing. Unfortunately, I think this band should keep looking.

Immolation
Here In After
Metal Blade

Immolation was formed back in 1988 by two former members of the band Rigor Mortis. The band released their first album, Dawn of Possession, on Roadrunner Records. The band has since departed from Roadrunner and are releasing their latest through Metal Blade. The guitars are brutal, fast and heavy, and the rest of the nand is just as ugly. The lyrics are a sadists dream come true. one point, don’t listen to Here in After, then go to church. If you do, you will be cast out.

Napalm Death
Diatribes
Earache

Grandfathers of Grind, Napalm Death are back after the December release of the EP, Greed Killing. The band’s latest, Diatribes, was released on Jan. 30. Diatribes has taken Napalm up another rung on the ladder of musical excellence. Vocally, they didn’t rely on the “signature” Napalm growl as much as in the past. Don’t get me wrong, it’s there, it just wasn’t used as a crutch on this disc. It seems like Barney (vocalist) experimented a bit more. Musically, the band seems to have traded in some of their discordant passages, for some more thought out, intelligent riffs. It sounds as though the band just took the time to make the songs flow and groove a little bit more this time. I was a Napalm fan before, but I found these changes have made the band even better. Diatribes is by far the most “listenable” Napalm Death to date.

Meshuggah
Destroy Erase Improve
Relapse

I first got turned on to the band Meshuggah about four or five months ago. I was driving to work, and I heard the band on the Saturday night metal show on KRCL. I called up Les the next two weeks, and asked him to play more of the band. He graciously honored my request. I had to hear more, so I went out and bought their self-titled EP. I still needed more, so after several failed attempts to get it from the label, I went out and bought Destroy Erase Improve for myself. The CD has been out since I think August of last year, but I just want to make sure no one gets deprived of this band as I was for so long. To put it simply, this band is what Sepultura was to metal back in the late ’80s. Meshuggah is original, exciting… this band is the new hybrid of metal. Gee, I still need a copy of None by the band (hint, hint Relapse Records).

At The Gates
Slaughter Of The Soul
Earache

Earache Records brings us the ferocious sounds of the band At The Gates. Slaughter of The Soul, the band’s fourth full-length release, comes after the dissolution of the arrangement between the bands and Peaceville Records. Lightning-speed riffs, drumming, and vocal styling cover the disc like an artist’s paint. The band gives the listener a bit of a rest with an acoustic/electric piece on track five, “Under The Dead Sky.” This band rarely slows down, but when they do it’s usually in the form of a crushingly, heavy riff. This band is well on their way. Think they’ll ever make it here to Salt Lake? Has anyone noticed, there hasn’t been a good metal show here in months? We had a close call with the Grip/Morbid Angel show, but that didn’t pan out. Then in October, if I remember correctly, Fugazi played DV8. Of course I forgot to go. Did anyone out there see them? How was it?

Read more from the SLUG archives:
A Few Words from Spacehog
Black Diamond