Written in Blood: February 1997

Broken Hope
Loathing
Metal Blade 

The five guys that make up Broken Hope are back with their brand new album Loathing. This band has scraped together some of the sickest, lowest, most demented forms of evil and gore. Songs such as “Siamese Screams” and “Auction Of The Dead” are what the really good horror flicks are about. Musically, this album is far more dynamic than their last release, Repulsive Conception. Lyrically, Broken Hope writes passages with a disturbing, poetic finesse: “Anatomically incorrect. One body with two souls united as one. A mutual split will eventually take place. Four hands with cutting tools unskillfully slice. The arms hack and carve to separate themselves. Mangling the one body they share. Disfigured duet Screams.” (from “Siamese Screams”) 

Carcass
Wake Up And Smell The … Carcass (VIDEO)
Earache 

O.K. Carcass-heads, looks like this will be our last hoorah. It’s going to come in the form of the Wake Up And Smell The … Carcass video I was telling you about. I finally got a copy for myself (No thanks to Brittany at Earache). The video clocks in at 108 minutes and contains 5 videos, some dating back to the Necroticism album, live footage from the 1992 God Of Grind tour, and more live footage from their appearance during the 1989 Grindcrusher tour. It’s really an eyeful. Don’t bother shopping around town for this one. The Heavy Metal Shop is the only store cool enough to carry it. 

My Dying Bride
Like Gods of the Sun
Fierce 

England’s most prolific doom metal band, My Dying Bride, is adding Like Gods of the Sun to their lengthy list of releases. In the band’s six years of existence, they’ve put out five full-lengths, four EPs, a single, and two limited edition sets. Not being particularly into the doom movement myself, I can’t tell you much about this band. In comparing Like Gods of the Sun with their last, The Angel and the Dark River, I can say their latest seems to move along a bit faster. The songs seem to have more of a backbone than their earlier stuff. The guitarists have stepped up in front more. Also, every song doesn’t start with a droll violin or piano intro. The production is less flowery — not as many effects. This just may be one doom album that grows on me after a while. Could happen. 

Grip Inc.
Nemesis
Metal Blade 

I squealed with delight when I found the new Grip Inc. in my mailbox. Nemesis is the highly anticipated follow-up to their ’96 release, The Power of Inner Strength. It was nice to see the line-up is the same. For those of you that don’t know, this band was put together by Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer drummer). Waldemar Sorychta (Despair/and producer extraordinaire) adds his unique mastery of the guitar to the band. Though, he rarely does any solos on this disc (booo). Jason Viebrooks is on bass (I never know what to say about the bass player — sorry — uh, he’s really good). Finally, Gus Chambers‘s Rob Halford-like, powerful vocals are a nice touch. Grip Inc. is everything good that metal has been in the past and what is good about metal today. I do have one gripe about Grip, though. Remember about a year and a half ago when Grip Inc. came into town with Morbid Angel? The show was canceled because the stage at the Bar and Grill wasn’t big enough. Here’s my point: As far as I can tell, their bio photo seems to have been taken with the band standing on the Bonneville Salt Flats. It’s probably the same picture they will use for the CD, so check it out. Anyway, these guys come to Salt Lake, cancel their appearance, then use our terrain for their bio photo. I would say these guys owe us the performance of their lives. We WILL be waiting, Grip Inc.!

Guilt
Further
Victory 

Louisville, KY’s Guilt is releasing their second full length on Victory. The album is called Further. The six songs on the album are all “Untitled”, and that’s probably the perfect title for each of these songs. It makes you think. Not every song will mean the same thing to every person, but isn’t that what music is all about. These guys won’t spell it out for you, but from what I can gather, have something to say about the power of advertising, the effects of supply and demand on our lives and environment, human emotions and relationships, etc. The music on Further is on the experimental / technical side. Guilt is definitely part of the new breed of hardcore. 

Mortician
Hacked Up For Barbecue
Relapse 

Twenty-four songs filled with gore, horror and the amount of blood that could be spilled in a week – songs such as “Three On A Meathook”, “Ripped In Half”, and “Drilling For Brains”. A CD with the title, Hacked Up For Barbecue. Well damn. What more do you want? Mortician is Will Rahmer (bass, vocals) and Roger Beaujard (guitar, drum programming) . These New York City boys know their death-grind. Though Will and Roger are a little single-minded in the lyrical department, the music… Well, the music is that way too. Although, they keep it interesting. The music is super heavy with enough tricks around each corner to keep you listening. This is one of the best recordings I’ve heard with a drum machine in place of live drums. They sound damn near, real. Rent any movie with a chain saw in it, turn the sound down on the TV, and crank the Hacked Up For Barbecue. Now that’s beginning to sound like a weekend! 

Strapping Young Lad
City
Century Media 

Devin Townsend‘s band, Strapping Young Lad, is releasing their second full-length, City on February 11. This will come as a follow up to, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing. Devin has been kept busy over the last couple of years working with and entertaining offers to work with an impressive list of musicians, which includes singing on Steve Val‘s, Sex & Religion. Strapping Young Lad is Devin’s outlet to show what makes him tick. Don’t expect “a boy and his guitar” from this release. City is an absolute assault on the senses. Devin seems to know every trick in the book when it comes to producing a disc and I’m pretty sure he used just about all of them on this release. The music is very intense and there’s lots of noise, but it’s all tied together with a nice, smooth production. Gene Hoglan (Testament/Death/Dark Angel) plays drums on this album. Gene rules on drums. (Drummers, check out Death’s Symbolic. It has by far some of the best metal drumming ever committed to disc.) 

Read more Written in Blood by John Forgach:
Written in Blood: January 1997
Written in Blood: December 1996

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