THE EVIL INQUISITION ISSUE 4

SNOW - 'The Coldest Path EP'
[Unsigned]


Yorkshire Doom merchants SNOW were very keen to send the full package when asked if they fancied a review and after glimpsing the artwork which is based upon an old steam railway viaduct in the Yorkshire countryside it isn't hard to see why. Indeed much preparation and attention has gone into the release of "The Coldest Path", so much so that I have little doubt that the music will fail to live up to the expectations now set! If you read the lyrics to the opening track "Silent Nights O Winter" you may be reminded of Anathema in the "Silent Enigma" or "Crestfallen" days of olde but this death metal laden brand of Doom has a much more pronounced drumming style and is often a lot groovier. Four tracks is often not enough to grasp a bands intentions and feelings but as "Dust" kicks in you will already be totally amazed with the grace which Snow possess. I had the distinction of putting Snow on one of my shows back in 2007 and back then they were a talented bunch, but now their music has transcended the boundaries they themselves set and have evolved into a pure doom styled entertainment feast. "The Coldest Path EP" focuses on the finer points of winter, the bleakness, the encroaching darkness and turned it into a story of the torrid vastness of misery and that my down tempo loving faithful is what makes Snow the future of Doom! [8]
http://www.myspace.com/snowofficial

SUBROSA - 'Strega'
[I Hate]


Salt Lake City, the state capital of straight lace Utah cannot be an easy place for an all female Doom Metal outfit to ply their trade [Unless they encounter an extravagant Mormon Doom love who wants the entire band to be his wives, weirder things have happened, I mean look at Orgazmo!!] Yet SubRosa [Meaning "Under The Rose"] seem to have prospered and are now celebrating the release of their new album "Strega" [A female practitioner of Stregheria, a form of Italian Neopagan Witchcraft] and a record deal with the awesome Doom label I Hate Records. It really isn't hard to see why I Hate Records have snapped up SubRosa and "Strega" promises much for this four pieces future. If your expecting huge riffs that will blast your ears to oblivion your probably listening to the wrong band, although they do have a few to make you sit up and think. If however you want to listen to a band that will make you contemplate and ponder, then the melodic beats and winding melodies of SubRosa are for you! [8]
http://www.myspace.com/subrosatheatre

WINO - 'Punctuated Equilibrium'
[Southern Lord]


Ever the veteran of many a Doom Metal battle, Scott "Wino" Wienrich is back with his latest project simply entitled "Wino". For those who don't know the man and his past, he is the long haired grizzled campaigner sat atop his chopper with a career that spans way back to encompass The Obsessed, Place Of Skulls, Spirit Caravan and of course Saint Vitus. Quite a Doom pedigree I'm sure you'll agree.For this excursion he is joined by Wretched and Rezin bassist Jon Blank and the drummer from Clutch, The Bakerton group and King Valley, Jean Paul Gaster. With this much talent on hand though with "Punctuated Equilibrium" stand up to the test of time and what has come to pass before? Southern Lord certainly think so but will you? ... Kicking off proceedings with "Release" Wino instantly drop into their down tunes southern rock groove with melodies flowing rather than pumping out into an easy listening feast of music played the old school way, just the way it should be. In fat you can hear the built up bayou attitude just seeping into every pore as Wino drift casually from one chord to the next with splendour, ease and the odd intricate riff thrown in for damn good measure. There is a good deal of fast paced flowing music also to give the album a nice variance as demonstrated in the album title track "Punctuated Equilibrium" and the explosive solos churn out at a staggering rate as the song runs its course. As an album "Punctuated Equilibrium" winds its way on an alcohol fueled journey of deep grooves, down tuned melodies and intricate and experimental riffs that twist and turn with each track and the mix of hard hitting fast paced songs belting out at you and slowed down chilled numbers is about equal so you always feel like the music is fresh and invigorating. If I had to answer whether Wino was better than the past I'd say probably not, but there is no denying that this is an album of fine quality honed to near perfection over many years experience and heavy drinking! The Doom pedigree continues with this album and I look forward to what is still to come! [7]
http://www.myspace.com/winoschopper

LIVE REVIEWS

METALLICA/MACHINE HEAD
Sheffield Arena [28/02/09]

The night started in earnest and extremely prompt, so prompt it fact that I was still downing vodka and watching England lose the rugby that I managed to arrive late and miss 'The Sword'. Sorry guys! 'Machine Fucking Head' was the chant as I entered and no sooner had I taken my place high up in the press box when the band duly arrive to the sound of their intro for 'Clenching The Fists Of Dissent' and the screaming voices of a few thousand metal hungry fans. 'Machine Head' never disappoint live and on the now trademark 'Metallica' central stage they use their superior stage presence to please all four sides of the crowd as pit after pit is started to the opening tack and then the fan favourite and doom impending 'Imperium'. Rob Flynn is as chatty as ever with those present but there are sombre moments too with a striking and unexpected inclusion to the set for 'Descend The Shades Of Night', but on the whole it was wall to wall grade A metal madness with 'Halo' being bashed out before the classic finishing sledgehammer grace of 'Davidian' wakes everybody up good and proper for some 'Metallica' magic. That magic soon arrives too with 'Tallica' mesmerising the crowd with a simply breathe taking laser show as opening tack and 'Death Magnetic' opener 'That Was Just Your Life' followed by fellow newbies 'Cyanide', the match lighting 'Day That Never Comes' and many more, from lets be fair a spectacular return to form for the band whose fans were severely let down after 'St Anger' That is all forgotten thought as the 'Death Magnetic' coffins are used as lighting rigs that move up and down, back and forth randomly and fireballs shoot from the stage as well as another superb laser show during the instrumental part of 'Master Of Puppets', yes the classics are all played from 'Sad But True' to 'Enter Sandman' and thankfully fan favourites 'The Unforgiven' and 'Battery' as well as heart warming inclusion for 'Nothing Else Matters'. Metallica simply shock and devour the audience declaring that they are all part of the family as James hetfield dispenses many a moment of witty banter and crowd pleasing rhetoric between tracks. This really is stadium friendly thrash at it's very best but the funniest was at the end as during encore and final track 'Seek & Destroy' hundreds of black 'Metallica' beach balls are dropped on the crowd and stage, I'm sure much to Lars Ulrichs annoyance but bless him he handled it well. Many a proud souvenir then from a truly awe inspiring band enjoying a second peak. METALLICA ARE BACK!! [10]

1 KILL EMBRACE - 'Kainism'
[Unsigned]


Tatabanya in Hungary doesn't often come up on peoples geographical radar but now you can put it firmly on your metal map of world for the presence of melodic death metal band '1 Kill Embrace' who sing in their native tongue and are releasing their debut full length album. I have a soft spot for melodic death metal as a sub genre simply because i love my music to be heavy whilst at the same time fusing this with melodies and a softer side, it shows great variance in a bands style and a willingness to open up to new ideas and frankly I think that '1 Kill Embrace' epitomise this theory rather well. There is a rawness to 'Kainism' that I like but the most noteworthy trademark of the band is the sheer catchiness with which they play mixed tempo addictive metal. Always heavy either in sound or if not then in mood, '1 Kill Embrace' are a sucker punch in the kidneys to all bands stuck in a pre set sub genre or stereotype, indeed they play loud and lairy but always controlled to the point of precision and as a band they deal out massive hammer blow riffs and display a huge amount of potential! [7.5]
http://www.myspace.com/1killembraceband

AEON OF HORUS - 'The Embodiment Of Darkness & Light'
[Unsigned]


Direct from the Australian capital city of Canberra comes gripping and powerful technical death metal of such awesome quality that it is a huge wonder as to why this band is still unsigned. 'Aeon Of Horus' are a band who take pride in their appearance and image from their well groomed Myspace page to their stunning artwork but what really catches the eye or rather the ear is the methodical riff-age that spews forth from the orifice of each song on the bands new full length release 'The Embodiment Of Darkness And Light'. Each of the ten pulsating tracks wracks you with painful pleasure as they thunder aggressively out of your speaker like a volcanic eruption of pure unbridled metal mayhem and cements the bands status as a true modernised powerhouse and one with enough potential and ability to really take the metal world by storm in the near future. Yet it isn't all about the ripping metal massacres that 'Aeon Of Horus' unleash at will, its the built in melodies that give each song an invigorating flow keeping the bands sound fresh and entertaining and at the end of the day that's what its all about! 'The Embodiment Of Darkness & Light' is the embodiment of so much more, its of talent, of charisma and of axe wielding kick ass technical metal played loud and at volatile levels!! [8]
http://www.myspace.com/aeonofhorus

BARABBAS - 'Golgotha'
[Kaiphas]


I have now realised after listening to this doom band hailing from Leipzig in Germany that I use the word epic far too often. If your average doom band can spew forth an album of epic proportions then what 'Golgotha' is, is something not only beyond epic but way beyond my level of comprehension. It's not only the fact that this is a debut release, not even the fact that this is a full length despite it being only three tracks in length one of which is only a three minute intro. No what makes 'Barabbas' so utterly beyond epic is the sheer grace, mixed with brutality with which they play with. It's the bands subtle variations too. I have often said in a review that a band sounds like Anathema, but what I mean is early Anathema from say 'Crestfallen' or 'The Silent Enigma' or sometimes even 'Pentecost' but 'Barabbas' whilst having those qualities also mix in a little 'A Fine Day To Exit' in their lighter parts. Do not for one second though think of them as an Anathema theme band as 'Golgotha' proves throughout that this band have their own style, which is much slower and medieval than the aforementioned band, not only that but 'Golgotha' really does feel like an epic journey that seemingly has no end, but with an album this good who wants an end to come? [9.5]
http://www.myspace.com/barabbasdoom