Written in Blood: May 1997
Archived
Snapcase
Progression Through Unlearning
Victory
Snapcase’s latest, Progression Through Unlearning, is 55% hard and 45% heavy. This is by far one of the best hardcore releases of the year. A strong emphasis on songwriting is evident during listening. That, as well as serious technical ability, will raise this band above many others. The disc doesn’t have any blazing guitar solos, though; that’s the only thing I can hear that is missing. Don’t expect to get a potty break during the slow songs; this band pounds it out for the duration. Snapcase’s Progression Through Unlearning is our lesson in hardcore for the month of May.
Flotsam & Jetsam
High
Metal Blade
It’s metal – so fuck off. That’s what the band Flotsam & Jetsam has to say about their latest release, High. Metal Blade, home to some of the most underrated bands (at least this month’s releases would suggest so), had the privilege of working with Flotsam again. After releasing their last four albums on major labels, the band is once again back where it all started on Metal Blade. Hopefully, this move will take their music to new levels and attract the attention they have deserved for so long.
In my opinion, High, as well as Flotsam’s ’92 release Quatro, and ’95’s Drift really show that these boys have matured and come into their own. This is metal done right. It’s also nice to see the line-up still solid after all of these years. I don’t have Doomsday… but I know since their second album, ’88’s No Place for Disgrace, it’s all of the same members with the exception of a couple of bass players. Even Kelly Smith has been in the band since sometime around ’90 or ’91. Go get High and get…well, get whatever you want, but be prepared to ROCK!
The Egg
Albumen
China Records
Not that I do this every month, but consider The Egg’s Albumen my non-metal pick of the month. I don’t have a bio on these guys, or even know when the album was/will be released, but it’s so good I have to say something about it. The Egg is a funky mix of jazz and new age. Albumen is mostly instrumental, but there are a couple of songs with some lyrics mixed in. Jazz-style guitar work, rolling bass lines, and excellent synth and piano playing fill the disc. The really nice thing about this release is that all of the songs differ in some way. A high level of musicianship is apparent throughout the entire disc. This is a fun album.
Obituary
Back From The Dead
Roadrunner
Get your shovels out. It’s time to exhume the band Obituary, because they are back from the dead. Death and Grind fans are throwing confetti right now in celebration. It seems lead guitarist Allen West has taken time off from his side project, Six Feet Under, to spend some quality time with the Obituary boys.
I like this album more than I liked 92’s The End Complete (the last release I have from the band). Though Allen West isn’t exactly taking the death/grind metal guitar world by storm, the riffing by West and rhythm guitarist Trevor Peres does set an ominous tone for the album. The band has included a “CD-ROM, multimedia experience” on the disc as well. Of course, there’s a long list of “must-haves” that your computer will need to run the program. “What in the hell do you mean this won’t run on my ten-year-old, Tandy laptop?! ”
Entombed
Compilation
Earache
Here’s one of the few words I know in Swedish…Entombed. Cool, huh? Now just incorporate the names Yngwie Malmsteen, Celtic Frost, and Meshuggah (all Swedish performers) into a sentence, and you’re bilingual as far as I’m concerned. As Entombed prepares the album that will follow-up their 1993 release of Wolverine Blues, they’re giving us a compilation to chew on. Entombed includes songs from the Out of Hand, Stranger Aeons, and Crawl EPs. The compilation also includes the band’s cover of the Roy Erikson song “Night Of The Vampire.” The last two songs on the CD are from… well, I don’t know where they came from, but be assured, they came from somewhere.
Fates Warning
A Pleasant Shade Of Gray
Metal Blade
I started to really enjoy the music of Fates Warning back in 1988 when No Exit came out. That was the first album Ray Alder sang on. That was also the band’s first step at distancing themselves from their “Iron Maiden-esque” beginnings. That album was the turning point, in my opinion, for Fates Warning. After No Exit, Fate’s “progressive monster” took shape and took over. The music became darker and moodier, but at times had an almost pop-like flair to it. Perfect Symmetry, Parallels, and Inside Out followed, each one delving further into possible musical intricacies. Recent news finds long-time guitarist, Frank Aresti, and original bass player, Joe Dibiase, out of the band. In their place are Joey Vera on bass (ex Armored Saint) and Kevin Moore (Dream Theater) on keyboards. It seems the remaining guitarist and sole writer of the music and lyrics, Jim Matheos, thought it would be a good idea to substitute keyboards in place of some guitar parts. A Pleasant Shade of Gray finds Fates Warning leaving their pop-ish sound behind. This disc has more of a sobering mood to it. The entire album was written to be performed all at once without any breaks — creating one 53-minute song.
Enuff Z’Nuff
Seven
Accept
Predator
Molly Hatchet
Devil’s Canyon
Fierce
I received a couple of recent Fierce releases without bios. Working on the premise that I don’t know everything about music, I’ll try to tell you something about them. The first release I listened to was Enuff Z’Nuff’s Seven. I made it through half of the first song. I have to say I know more about these guys than I’d like to. I think just knowing the name alone is pushing the limits. If you went to their appearance here in Salt Lake and don’t have this one – run and go get it, dorks!
The band Accept has a new one out, also. Their new album is called Predator. Huh… It’s not Restless and Wild, but it definitely has that 80’s metal sound to it. I’m not really into this stuff, but considering the fact that people probably went to the LA Guns show (at the Holy Cow), someone must be.
Fierce also sent me Molly Hatchet’s Devil’s Canyon for some reason. It was quite a stretch for me, but I’ll say this is a good album. I remember a friend, when I was in the sixth or seventh grade, put two M.H. songs at the end of an Anvil album that he had taped for me. That was probably the last time I listened to Molly Hatchet, or was aware I was listening to them.
Cradle Of Filth
Dusk And Her Embrace
Fierce
Cradle Of Filth’s Dusk And Her Embrace has been out for a while; it’s just taken me this long to get off my dead ass to listen to it. Spooky stuff this black metal is. Cradle Of Filth describes their musical objectives as “Supreme Vampyric Evil”. As black metal albums go, the production on this is very good. Ooooh, I’m sleeping with the nightlight on tonight.
Apes, Pigs, and Spacemen
Transfusion
Fierce
Transfusion, by the band Apes, Pigs, and Spacemen is another Fierce recording that I don’t have a bio on. The back of the CD says 1995, but since I’m just getting it, I’ll assume it’s just coming out. Whatever the case, it’s good. I don’t normally like bands that could be described as “quirky,” but there are exceptions. I guess if a band is going to be “off-the-wall,” they had better be pretty damn good. A.P. and S. are just that. They let their guard down, but have the talent to back it up. I was really surprised by how good this album is. This is power rock with some metal tones mixed in. The band takes the time to add quality vocals and harmonies, but also knows when to hammer out some serious attitude on their instruments. The only song I don’t like on Transfusion is track one. Skip that one.
Read more Written in Blood by John Forgach:
Written in Blood: April 1997
Written in Blood: March 1997
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