Earth Crisis / Slither
Yes, I do it again... As you know, they did an opening act for the last In Flames show at Toronto. At first I thought "anyway they are a hardcore band, and I don't like the frontman's face (he looks like a japanese infamous singer/producer Tsunku) ..." and couldn't have any interest. However, they stage was so Intence and powerfull that it clinged on my mind for a while, and after all I happened to buy their album although by a chance meeting at a second hand CD store.

Musically, this album is very good so that I listened it for a few days. Since I have only an EP of Dark Funeral whose show I saw a few days before, I put Earth Crisis songs after them in my mp3 player and listened them togather.

If you dislike the metal thing with rap vocal, I don't want to recommend this to you at all. However anyway, the vocal is so intence, and songs are well written. Being conscious of their metal identity, there are quite many metal elements to be found which enable us metalheads to dig it. (In any case, I like hardcore things too, so even if there are no metal aspect, I don't mind it if they play well) Occacionaly, I have to notice some ready-made things borrowed from forerunners, which slightly bored me. But just slightly.

I heard that in the beginning of their carrer, they are said from hardcore scene "this is not hardcore", and similar thing from metal scene. Always some people are so short sighted.

Cryptopsy / And Then You'll Beg
Still I cannot understand why they can be big even in Japan. Of course it is not a matter of themselves, but that of japanese record companies and the press. Resently I was made laughed by a japanese writer of the press saying "It seems that american fans are controlled by the name-value or something, and don't love metal music so much. Ridiculously, he cannot see at all in what enviroment he is working and earning his sallary. In Japan, first the record company dicides to release japanese version, then the press prises it enthusiastically (no matther how bitter this magazine is against the brutal death metal), after that fans blindly follow. Totally shit.

However, I can ignore this crappy noise from Japan. And besides these sitty facts, to be honest I couldn't like this band till recently. However truly they're brutal, I've felt something important is missed. Neverthless, from the first time I love this new album. The biggest reason for it is the improvement in songwriting, in other word, at least that their songs became close to my taste. Acrobatics and freak-show is one thing, and art is another. So even in this kind of music, songwriting is extremely important. In this aspect this album is on the highest rank, and I can dig it well. I'm really loooking forward to see them at the forthcoming show.

VA / Masters of Misery

A tribute album to Black Sabbath, edited by Earache label. Though without saying this label is a great one even in north america, as for this album there is no major distribution around north america, so my friend lent this to me also bought this which is ultra-infamously expensive japanese import. I hope he had known me earlier.
Well, let them passed, firstly guys like Cathedral and so on, because anyway they try to reproduce quasi original sound, and secondly death metal guys, because anyway they create "such" sounds. Then, one of major characteristics of this album is that some industrial acts appears here, such as Godflesh, Pitchsifter, Scorn. I didn't expect that as weird guys they make easy understandable covers. And along this expectation, their versions may make pious Sabbath believers irritated. However, I think this is the true way to reward or retaliate to what one received influences from. Personally, I feel there were some tracks which retain virtually no trace of originals.