#156 Type O Negative - October Rust

I've listened to Type O Negative for a while now, and I stand by the fact that I still don't quite get it. That's not to say I don't like it - In fact, of the bands I've gotten into this year, Type O Negative was one of the ones which felt the most right. My point is more that the band are one of the most unfathomably unique, interesting and surreal bands I've ever listened to, and my brain melts when I try to collaborate all of the elements of the band's sound in my head, but, I'm going to review October Rust anyway.

Most of the people with whom I've talked on the subject have directed me to this album in particular, and it's not a terrific leap to consider it a classic. In their position of uniqueness, I'm reluctant to put a genre tag on the band, but I'll venture to say that among the huge diversity there is a little doom-metal, and a great number of other things. A friend mentioned how much Black Sabbath influence is apparent in their style, and when one listens to what is going on behind the keyboard melodies, this is very true. Aside from that, however, there's not much labelling I can sensibly do. Throughout the album, the band create the immensely beautiful atmosphere which got me into them in the first place - A mixture of sensitive, serene but also intense emotion conjured by the deep, reverberating guitar, the diverse beauties conjured by the keyboard work, and of course, the glow of the unmistakable and lullaby-like voice of Peter Steele, a man sadly with us no longer. The tone of Steele's vocals have always been something which can be spotted from miles away, and certainly are one of the things which set the band apart from anything else which I've heard.

Each song on the record has a very unique character, with music ranging from extremely doomy and murky to those which are lighter, faster, but equally carry the distinct feel, the unique form of Type O Negative. There isn't any filler in the album, if, of course, you exclude things like "Bad Ground", which are cheeky jokes, examples of the band's sense of humour. This humour is one of the things which confuses my senses. The music is so beautiful, but the accompanying humour of the band rather juxtaposes the seriousness. Usually I'd find such a strange mixture off-putting, but in the case of Type O Negative, is just doesn't bother me - it feels like it's part of the bigger picture, integral to the band's identity. The whole album is something immensely powerful and hypnotic, and I certainly feel like I'm in a different place now than I was when I started listening to track one. That in itself is a very admirable quality for a band to posses, indeed, an admirable effect for their music to have - after all, that's precisely what music is supposed to do.

 I'm glad to have been able to write something about Type O Negative - the music is powerful, and quite intangible - I certainly had to pause and find ways to convey the feelings it gave me, and often language really wasn't sufficient. I will keep this outro paragraph brief, as ever, and conclude with an acclamation of October Rust, and a rest-in-peace to Peter Steele.

This is a 10/10, easily.

Links:
Type O Negative Official Site
Type O Negative on Myspace
Type O Negative on Facebook
Type O Negative on Metal Archives

#155 Witchaven - Terrorstorm

I've known about Witchaven for about a year or two now, and I finally bought their début full length, Terrorstorm, recently, which is something I've been meaning to do for a while. Witchaven are an underground band done right, a band who have rightfully earned their cult-following, with many fans both in the USA and indeed world-wide.

I'd consider Witchaven to be more on the thrash end of the spectrum than on the black-metal end, and the band certainly give this impression with their riffs and especially their lyrical themes - It's good to hear a thrash band who still sing about how, to put it bluntly, the world is a bit fucked. There are songs dealing with corruption, forced-labour, drugs, and terrorism. The use of samples really hammers these themes home, and helps to unambiguously declare what the songs are all about. The black-thrash element of their sound may not be as prominent as that of their peers - bands like Skeletonwitch, for example, but it still adds some vitriol to the proceedings, with a sharp, horned edge, in the same way as bands like Sodom are dark and evil-sounding, but perhaps not full-on black-thrash. I'd be lying, however, to say that black-metal influence was so dilute as to be vague and undetectable - There is plenty of tremolo-picking and other sure-signs of demonic possession, and some songs, "Empty Chasm" in particular, are practically the opposite way around to most of the bands material on this album - almost more black than thrash. Witchaven, I feel, might be something akin to the USA's answer to bands like Ketzer.

The band's crunchy riffs are very much the way thrash-metal riffs should be - speedy, angry, and most of all flowing - there aren't any awkward transitions through the album, and in this respect the songs are very much seamless. The vocals really burst out of the songs too, woven nicely into the rest of the music. Typically taking the form of a very rapid-fire rasp, which manages to be very memorable in how it's structured, these vocals really take the songs up into a different league. The combination of vocals and guitar really seem to give the music a feeling of rage which you can't help but get energy from, and while it's not the fastest thrash I've ever heard (although the tempo is certainly eye-opening in places),  it's got an insanely rabid energy to it, and if I were to see them live, I'd definitely fear for the well-being of my neck. It's hard to place exactly where this sound fits in the grand scheme of things. It's not quite modern, but not quite retro either - Witchaven seem to be doing thrash the tried and tested way, but also manage to keep it current, and add plenty of seasoning to the mix which keeps it damn interesting to listen to.

Some début albums have a certain feel to them - a sincerity and honesty which suggests they'll live up expectations - Witchaven's Terrorstorm is definitely an album of this type. There's no sense of showing-off, or any "look how great we are" sentiment, which most modern thrash bands seem to give-out to some extent. Instead, Witchaven are in the better position of simply being a thrash band who made a thrash album. And that album is good. The band hold a lot of promise.

I'm thinking an 8/10 for this.

Links:
Witchaven on Myspace
Witchaven on Facebook
Witchaven on Metal Archives

#154 Iron Fire - Voyage of the Damned

Danish power-metal outfit Iron Fire are a band who have been immensely consistent since their return to making albums in 2006, releasing works of a similar style both quickly and efficiently. Voyage of the Damned is the first album Iron Fire have released since I discovered the band (shortly after the release of Metalmorphosized) and seems to be a change to the traditional formula, not least in terms of theme.

If you're familiar with the past works of Iron Fire, you'll know that the band tended, almost exclusively, to make material about knights, castles, questing heroes, and the similar themes which power-metal specialises in. This album, it is immediately apparent, is somewhat different - for one thing, it's set in space. The sci-fi nature of Voyage of the Damned signifies more than just a change in lyrical theme, but also in the band's music. While a lot of the familiar Iron Fire sound remains, the album certainly leans towards a new direction. Keyboards and synthesizers are a lot more present in this album than in any of the band's previous releases, and add a spacey sound to many of the songs, in contrast to the riffs, which are crunchy and memorable, in much the same style as what the band have released previously. The prominent keyboard use has the effect of making the album a little bit less rough and tough, and imbues the album with a heightened atmosphere, which is almost immediately noticeable. For all of it's aesthetic differences, however, the sound seems a rather superficial evolution, and the band isn't particularly far-departed from what they've always done - the prominent keyboard, slightly lower tempo, and lyrical differences are more-or-less the only things which set this album apart from it's predecessors.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that this is necessarily a bad thing, and if you come to this album expecting an Iron Fire album, that's almost exactly what you'll get. If, however, you expect a complete re-boot of the band's sound, you might be asking for a little much - the album is unmistakably still Iron Fire, but I hasten to add, it's quite a good one. While consistent, there are definitely ups and downs in Iron Fire's back-catalogue, and I'd say that this is definitely an up. The songs are solidly written, more so than on Metalmorphosized, and perhaps even up there with To the Grave, my all-time favourite. One of my favourite song after a few listens was "The Final Odyssey" which is a melancholy, wickedly-catchy keyboard-and-vocal piece, with no guitar work - this seems to be a sign that the band do possess a will to be creative and inventive, and certainly adds an unexpected track to the album - perhaps the defining feature of progression. "Ten Years in Space" also show this progression, but manages to combine it nicely with the familiar Iron Fire sound, with good balance, the sci-fi twist drawing the listener in, and the trusty guitar work and distinct Martin Steene vocals keeping you interested, but at the same time conserving the band's tried-and-tested sound.

Overall, the album is darker, and certainly less cheesy - Space is, if you'll pardon the horrendous pun, the thematic and lyrical final frontier of power-metal, and Iron fire are exploring it in this album. I'm interested to see where the band will go from here, and while To the Grave, I feel, will always be my favourite, this album is undeniably very strong, and has moments of epicness, beauty, and some great riffs.

I'm giving this 7/10.

Links:
Iron Fire Official Site
Iron Fire on Facebook
Iron Fire on Metal Archives