Coronatus - Terra Incognita review

Year : 2011
Genre : Fairy Tale Pop Metal
Label : Massacre Records
Origin : Germany
Rating : 6.5 / 10

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The music of Coronatus is your premiere choice if you are a fan of live fantasy. (Or, if you are a paid fan, that is acceptable, as well.) The name of the game herein is richly developed, heavily fantasy-influenced tale-metal with a tolerable pop tint to it, and the premiere saving grace of this ambitious direction is the mere sonic abundance of the delivery.

Coronatus, one has the hunch, had a similar plan in mind than what Italian Ancient Bards have accomplished with their latest to date, furious, powerful dark fairy tale full length, yet this particular baby deliberately lacks all the "it" factors worth failing to put your finger on when it comes to rabid intensity. It is a much more calm release, with JUST an acceptable amount of fantasy queen bigotry exhibited in the female singing department. (Of which you will find exactly none of on the aforementioned dainty Ancient Bards release, which features signing by a female FITA'!)

Coronatus seeks to sound rather complex while remaining pleasantly easy on the ears in character, filling the sonic fabrics with exotic instrumental choices : synthetic strings, bells, woodwinds, Scottish pipes, mutant baby that vomits violently if you pull its tentacle, tame rhythm guitar with no reminder of balls guarantee a shocking experience as you climb aboard this likable Lego metal-ship with hopes that it won't go Titanic on your butt. Read on to get your ticket, Lover.


Coronatus is in the constant-, relatively successful process of seeking for instant pop-metal epicness, thinking that the toy-guitar on the left channel makes it HEAVY!! MMMET'LLL!!! Oh my God! It DOES! The good news is that the release is able to convey a wide palette of related emotions with sufficient convince power, and the bad news is that the spin is a tad more tediously volumetric in its length than it can remain super-focused for. And yes, it is absofuckinglutely expectable from a record to be super-focused, or at least, attempt to do that and spot-reject elements that do not come through as efficiently. As hinted, there is a solid amount of heavily deranged goth-bigotry on display here that will make nothing else than rob you out of luscious attention, but, you won't regret it (that much) and this is the charming part.

The most relevant problem this release is prone to suffer from is the inconsistent songwriting that haunts the spin as a full declaration. Whenever the record sounds to have no true content to offer, it takes the brave-, but relatively misplaced and incompetent liberty to harass your receptors with clumsy experimental decisions in at attempt to escape the terrible, terrible grasp of uninspired fairy tale metalcore. Track number 9, called "In Signo Crucis", for example, is a good example of this disorganized pacing, in which you can't help but be entertained, nevertheless. And WHAT an "amazing" drum solo!! GTFO, I'm begging you.

There is no doubt at all that the record has tremendous amount of work in it, but a good dosage of that "tremendous amount" is originated from rudimentary-, on occasion, even clueless compositional techniques, and, funnily enough, the record weighs in even more likable with all the qualms you could raise regarding the blemishes in its integrity. On Coronatus' Terra Incognita, an absolutely risk free-, but likable variant of tale-metal seeks your appreciation. Regardless of its deep-pinkish direction, the release has quite sufficient complexity - even with its numerous weaker parts - to command your awareness to take it serious while Christmas is near the door.

Rating : 6.5 / 10

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Criminal - Akelarre review

Year : 2011
Genre : Thrash Death Hybrid
Label : Massacre Records
Origin : Chile
Rating : 9.0 / 10

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With its barebone declaration - ha, ha. - Akelarre, Chile's Criminal delivers quality aural fun through the thrash / death consortium that seems to establish itself as a relevant and super-efficient direction of recent metal music. The first occasion I personally have heard this hybrid sonic rampaging being ruthlessly administered before, was located - and still is, by the way - on Deceased's highly recommended Surreal Overdose, and the similarities in character between that release and this one, are hard to miss, even if you try. Pointing out these similarities is an act one can commit with honest delight though, and here is why : this thrash / death blend demands top of the heat level playfulness and creativity from their creators, because it must (nevertheless ShOULd, all in capitols) exhibit both the melodic aspect of thrash and the massive robustness of death metal. You can't lie and succeed in creating a thrash / death affair, you have to MEAN it, at the VERY least.

Deceased means it with its latest declaration, and it sure as hell is for a pedophile priest that Criminal means it, as well. This record does a great job at revealing the bastard thrash / death Animal with the tools of granite solid, vile riffing and larger than life intensity, intensity that bows to no brake on board. Guys, let's talk about the music.


Criminal, fortunately enough, throws everything but the kitchen sink at you, - but maybe they did that, too? - and they are pretty aware of the current location of your aural attention all the time. Akelarre brings you ten tracks with a very sane - ?? - program length of 41 minutes, and this amount of time guarantees a comfy-, yet not at all self indulgent space to precisely reveal the Thing on. This LP at heart is pissed like an incoming grizzly after a sedation shot, and still keeps a constant focus on its own sonic character, never trading mere heaviness in for elegant variation. Fifth track, called State of Siege is a good example of the primal attractions you can bath in with this rampant release, as this particular song reveals crisp illustrious segments of all the main elements the band is keen to do on the record. Classy, invigorated old school thrash riffage riding on a robust death-ass, and, while you would honestly be all good already with what the band gave you so far, they topple the cake with a SUPERB melodic chorus, and NO, I don't mean metalcore-like whinefests committed to embarrass the generic sky. The chorus architecture brings to mind the chorus of Rainroom's superb opening track on their debut LP, making efficient use of a soul-swallower doomy feeling that is relentlessly carried along on the bastard pauahorse of the thrash / death blend.

The favorite shape of things herein revolves around the epitome of heavy and equally catchy riffing, complimented later on by the clever placement of inventive emphasis throughout the bodies of each build. Solos are included, too, and hell, these are pretty properly presented solos : they are absolutely free of all intent to deliver you a catalog of the wankfest tourist center, and one very pleasant extra thing to recognize is the mere sound of the solo guitar. It is thankfully free both of the effect-wizardry and the over-presence. The solos are situated on one particular primal channel, leaving the other sonic landscape on the other side virtually untouched, and, this way, the riffage remains tight and present in the mix, no problem. As for the sound and shape of the solos, they are truly "proper", do not seek to tear out random minds around, and they are coming in with that pleasantly raw, distorted "default amp" sound known for its classic, angry grit and its haughty determination. You know, the distorted guitar sound you will return to with a relieved sigh when you have checked out the 1111 effects your amp comes with.

Full efficiency-, and mid-tempo engagement modes are elegantly complimented and served on the LP, and there virtually is no time by which you would be harassed to endure the exact same pattern on two successive occasions. One minor qualm to cultivate regarding this tights release is the melodic key some of these raging declarations are reigning in : sometimes, the track that follows the current one up, is in the same melodic key, and they - logically enough, I suppose - both are occupying the same sonic domain, giving you a sense of sonic-domain-abuse, so to speak. (I know I know, this is a mania of mine, but I have some others, too.)

Criminal's Akelarre has a whole lot of quality content to soak your hungry-for-the-extreme ears into, and it is quite safe to say that the release is a risk free recommendation both for the death metal fan, and the thrash metal fan. To be honest, I have no clue what you are doing here still. Go and get the fucking record??

Rating : 9.0 / 10

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