Album Review: THE 69 EYES

Death of Darkness

Review Score: 8.5

Reviewed by: Georgina Strilakos

Helsinki legends The 69 Eyes, is a band with a truly distinctive vision. The group has finally released its highly anticipated new album, “Death of Darkness.”

Renowned for their ability to blend classic rock with the darker tones of alternative metal and goth, the group’s latest album offers ten thrilling tracks that capture the pure essence of Goth’N’Roll in a way that no other band can. Despite being on the scene for over 30 years, The 69 Eyes continue to impress with a record that draws inspiration from a variety of musical influences. From gothic glam to post-punk, there are no limits to the group’s creativity. While the album boasts some unforgettable riffs, the music is surprisingly upbeat and groovy, adding a sunny touch to the otherwise gothic vibe.

The 69 Eyes also pay tribute to the local Finnish music scene with a cover of “Gotta Rock” by Boycott – a classic that is sure to delight fans of Finnish rock music. With this album, The 69 Eyes once again prove that they are masters of their genre. Each song is a rollercoaster ride of emotions that only gets better with every listen. Fans and critics alike consider this the best album from the band in years, and it is easy to see why! The production of the album has a very modern flair to it. Still, there is room for many retro-inspired tones, including chorused guitars and crooned vocals with an old-school vibe.

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Album Review: ROSS THE BOSS

Legacy of Blood, Fire and Steel

Review Score: 8.0

Reviewed by Tom Elke

You know what? I’m really not sure how one is to Review a Compilation album. After all, every song on a Compilation Album is supposed to be good right from the start, right? So, what do you say?

Well, I do have some things to say. So let’s start from the beginning.

Ross The Boss has a new album – “Legacy of Blood, Fire & Steel,” with a Release Date of April 28^th, 2023. It is indeed a Compilation Album. It’s 12 total Tracks, and features 3 Songs from each of the Ross The Boss Albums, 2008’s “New Metal Leader,” 2010’s “Hailstorm,” “By Blood Sworn” from 2018 and “Born of Fire,” which came out in 2020. I love that there are Tracks from those first 2 albums. It gives the people who aren’t overly familiar with them, a taste of what they’re about… and they’re real good songs!

There’s a good flow in the sequence of the Songs, with mid tempo to up tempo Selections. And the Musicianship is top notch all the way through. It’s a very strong, straight-up Metal Album, with Tracks like “Blood Of Knives,” Kingdom Arise,” This Is Vengeance,” and “Maiden Of Shadows.”

It’s always interesting to see what Songs are selected to be part of a Compilation Album, or a Best Of/Greatest Hits Album. Many times there’s acrimony & questioning of the reasoning. With “Legacy of Blood, Fire & Steel,” that is not the case. Each Track is worthy to be included.

If you can come away from a Compilation Album thinking –“I’m ok with the Track Listing,” then it is all good. And I am ok with the Track Listing. Job well done!

Track Listing:

1 – Blood Of Knives
2 – I Got The Right
3 – We Will Kill
4 – Kingdom Arise
5 – Hailstorm
6 – Great Gods Glorious
7 – By Blood Sworn
8 – This Is Vengeance
9 – We Are The Night
10 – Maiden Of Shadows
11 – Born Of Fire
12 – Denied By The Cross

But I’ll forge ahead…

An interesting challenge to…

If you can come away from listening to Compilation Album thinking, I’m ok with the Track Listing, then all is ok… and I’m ok with the Track Listing. Well done.

ENSLAVED, INSOMNIUM, BLACK ANVIL

April 8th, 2023

Toronto, ON @ The Opera House

Photos By: Kim Baarda

Words By: Jason Deaville

BLACK ANVIL

What better way to start a night of extreme metal in Toronto than with some dirty, raunchy, New York City-styled black metal! Hitting the stage with corpsepaint, the guys pummeled the audience with a set of songs torn from the pages of the blackened thrash bible. After experiencing this set, I can see why the hype around Black Anvil is as strong as ever!

INSOMNIUM

The melodic death metal stylings of Finland’s Insomnium could not have been a better fit for this particular night of extreme metal in Toronto. The beautiful, morose intro of the song ‘1696’ reverberated like faraway thunder… exploding into a double-bass assault as the storm of Finnish death metal rained on fans like a torrent of blood.

The guys delivered an incredibly evocative performance that was comprised mostly of songs from their latest album, Anno 1696. That said, they did bust out a collection of songs from previous masterpieces such as Heart Like A Grave, Shadows Of The Dying Sun, and Above The Weeping World.

The organizers of the tour couldn’t have picked a better band to co-headline this tour. A masterful performance from one of the best melodic death metal bands to ever have existed.

ENSLAVED

Fittingly, a chill permeated the crisp Toronto night just as the gods of Nordic progressive black metal took to the stage. As the lights dimmed, the disturbing sounds of the Clockwork Orange theme music filled the venue, creating an eerie-yet-appropriate vibe as we waited excitedly. Then, with a rumble from the halls of Valhalla, the opening riff of ‘Jettegryta’ hit like the weight of an iron-cast sword to the head.

Immediately, it was telling that the band was short one member. It was later learned that founding guitarist, Ivar Bjornson, was unable to make the tour to do a personal issue back home in Norway. As the night progressed, Ivar’s absence was only discernible from a visual perspective. Sonically, you would never know Ivar was missing. The songs sounded as full and functional as they do on record. Of course, Ivar’s presence would have been very much welcomed, but the guys did their best to give fans the authentic Enslaved experience. Newest drummer, Iver Sandøy, did an incredible job filling out the lineup with an energized and magnetic performance behind the kit, as well as delivering a passionate vocal performance, particularly on the song ‘Homebound’.

Enslaved are one band that needs to be experienced live to truly appreciate their incredible sonic soundscape. Having seen Enslaved previously, it goes without saying that tonight’s venue, The Opera House, was an absolutely perfect home for the band. The sound and lighting were both top-notch, projecting the journey of the Enslaved sound throughout the venue’s century-old interior. In fact, this was the very first venue that I photographed at, and remains one of my favorites to this day.

Album Review: HORRIBLE EARTH

Weakened by Civilization

Review Score: 7.0

Reviewed by Johnny Ibay

Horrible Earth are back with their latest release, “Weakened by Civilization“, and the Boston-based deathgrind outfit show no signs of slowing down their brutal assault on the senses. Released through the ever-reliable Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, this 17-track album is a reminder of the band’s vision of cut throat savagery and vicious grindcore intensity.

The albums opener “Worth more Dead” starts off with slow, brooding rung out chords reminiscent of Assuck before breaking into a tremolo picked riff accompanied by a blastbeat. The vocals are an interesting intermediary between extreme metal and traditional grind or hardcore, sounding like a more extreme metal tinged Chris Dodge. In true grindcore fashion, this song (along with the rest of the album) is almost over before you can finish your second or third beer since almost every song is 30 seconds to a minute and a half long.

The album rages on with a relentless onslaught of start-stop speedpicked riffs and brain melting blast beats that give off a bit of a Brutal Truth vibe. Although this is a grindcore album I think that this band truly shines in their use of groove riffs such as the beginning of “Extinction Through Violence”, “Brainworms” and the identical riffs in the intro and title track “Weakened by Civilization” which bookend this release and tie everything together very nicely. “Jazz Odyssey” starts with about 30 seconds of funky drums and clean guitar that sounds like Jimi Hendrix before blasting into furious grindcore for maybe another 20 seconds. I found this track to be a little silly for my liking and thought the album would be better off without it.

Lyrically the band touches on familiar themes of the genre such as inequality, environmental destruction and human rights violations. The production is very clear and punchy, sounding more like a modern metal type production than a basement jamspace recording typical of a lot of grind acts.

Overall, this album is a certified Boston grindcore rager. The production sounds heavy and the music is fast and filthy. I wouldn’t expect any less from an outfit hailing from the area of greats such as Siege, Dropdead and Disrupt. Fans of Assuck, Brutal truth or Siege should check it out.

Album Review: NEGATIVE PRAYER

Self-Titled [E.P.]

Review Score: 8.0

Reviewed By: Johnny Ibay

Negative Prayer‘s self-titled EP is a sonic blitzkrieg of death tinged d-beat that pummels the senses and leaves the listener reeling. Guitarist/vocalist Kyle House (Decrepisy, ex-Acephalix, ex-Poison Idea, ex-Vastum) and drummer Charles Koryn (Chthonic Deity, Decrepisy, Funebrarum, VoidCeremony), are both veterans of the extreme metal scene and have crafted an unrelenting and ferocious assault on the status quo.

The EP’s opening track ‘Morbid’ sets the tone with House’s guttural vocals and downtuned d-beat/mosh riffs, combined with Koryn’s thunderous drumming to create a dark and aggressive vibe reminiscent of a straight ahead punk version of Machetazo. The lyrics present a bleak and nihilistic worldview, suggesting that life is a never-ending cycle of struggle and hardship, and that there is no greater purpose to existence beyond enduring pain and ultimately dying alone.

The remaining tracks continue in a similar vein, with each one delivering a punishing dose of d-beat/crust combined with lyrical themes of a stark existence and systemic oppression that’s as intense as it is cathartic. House’s guitar work is a study in d-beat-meets-death metal, a style that has been growing in popularity over the past several years and is displayed with exceeding proficiency on this release. The production quality is exactly what I desire in this type of music; clear enough to be discernable but still dirty enough to sound like it crawled out of a sewer.

Negative Prayer‘s self-titled EP is an intense blast of downtuned d-beat thrash and circle pit inducing breakdowns that would be enjoyed by fans of Driller Killer, Wolfpack or Acephalix. With this release, House and Koryn have cemented their status as two of the most uncompromising and talented musicians in the genre. I look forward to more releases and a potential full length from these guys.