Average Rating: 4.28 Rating Variance: 0.34 Objectivity Score: 45% (Poorly Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicFear Factory ObsoleteOpeth Blackwater Park4.5 superbMotley Crue Shout At The DevilSnot Get Some4.0 excellentMorbid Angel CovenantWithin the fertile soil of Florida’s early 90’s Death Metal scene was an eclectic cast of characters all chasing different darkened spaces, creating underground sounds massive and varied enough to fill graveyards full of coffins. Caught somewhere between the gore drenched plod of Obituary and the progressive mind bend of Athiest was the twisted amoral shred of MORBID ANGEL! The production credits here include a certain Flemming Rasmussen, which, given his pedigree would indicate a possible lane change into the mainstream. But Covenant is most often a spastic upside down sermon with vocalist David Vincent going Vincent Price on anyone thinking they were hearing the next Metallica; Vocals dripping with Satanic venom and a clear disdain for organized religion barking egregiously over ridiculous velocity spawned compositions that somehow never quite jump the rails and crash and burn. “Rapture” and “Pain Divine” grind like adrenaline laced seizures…blast beats firing like infantryman on the front lines handling their first high-powered weaponry. Trey Azagroth’s solos ape Eddie Van Halen’s intent but are fueled by Greg Ginn’s anarchy! One of the genres guitar gods for good reason, but his strength is undoubtedly his unflinching stubbornness; nothing here meant to be pleasing to the ear…just insanity on 6-strings. “World Of *** (The Promised Land)” grinds things to a Brontosaurus pace before transitioning in to complete chaos; guitar leads bleeding in to the blur. Most of the rest is mid-tempo axe slop with double bass floor stomps, only occasionally making sense in unison. “Angel Of Disease” rips out entrails as a bizarre highlight. “God of Emptiness” was once featured on Beavis & butt-head where Butt-Head wonders if Vincent is actually a bear. Jury’s still out.3.5 greatAudrey Horne BlackoutWith this being my first sit-down powwow with Audrey Horne, it’s pretty evident where these aural historians are coming from; Blackout is where 70’s Pub Rock meets the meaty maul of the NWOBHM, delivering a melody driven battle royal of old school influences. Opener “This Is War” soldiers along steady Eddie, bringing a battle tested Iron Maiden gallop to the fore while frequent homages to Thin Lizzy (“This One”, “California”, “Rose Alley”) are the kind of harmony laden Irish Car Bombs that you can almost picture Phil Lynott’s smooth delivery taking to another level. The straight ahead stomp of “Audrevolution” is a more contemporary Alt. Rock jam that showcases Audrey Horne channeling a stripped down version of The Killers, while perhaps exploring a more natural comfort zone. “Naysayer” could easily be confused for some up tempo (yet polished) Diamondhead track circa 1980; the kinda throat jab Metallica would’ve probably covered on Garage Days Revisited. The main drawback to Blackout is that it feels a little too on the nose as a loose tribute album instead of a band coming up with a grand gesture that has their own stamp to it. It’s a fun ride of catchy Hard Rock nostalgia but just not quite bridging the gap from “very good” to “excellent”.Shame (UK) Songs of Praise
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