Chad's Heavy Metal Blog

Requiem is a dark and atmsopheric album with a lot of Burzum influences. The majority of the album is a majestic and dissonant effort, with a thick layer of instruments growing into a cacophony of noise and fury. Conversely, there are many mellow and atmospheric sections that float along on a cushion of keyboards.

The vocals are buried deep in the mix. You'll hear some screams, groans and yells, but it's used to accent and reinforce the music, not as a primary focus. The emotional impact of black metal can leave one feeling unsettled, and there's some of that here, but Requiem actually has some relaxing moments, which makes it somewhat out of the ordinary for the genre.

Read the complete I Shalt Become - Requiem Review

(CD cover courtesy Moribund Records)

Boris will be touring North America beginning in June with Torche (Wolves In The Throne Room were initially booked for the tour but have since withdrawn from the venture). Boris just released the CD Smile. Torche is touring in support of their recent release Meanderthal.

Boris and Torche Tour Dates:
06/24/2008 Casbah - San Diego, CA
06/25/2008 The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
06/27/2008 Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX
06/28/2008 The Mohawk - Austin, TX
06/29/2008 White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
07/01/2008 Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA
07/02/2008 Common Grounds - Gainesville, FL
07/03/2008 The Social - Orlando, FL
07/05/2008 The Earl - Atlanta, GA
07/06/2008 Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
07/08/2008 Black Cat - Washington, DC
07/09/2008 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
07/10/2008 Webster Hall - New York, NY
07/11/2008 The Middle East - Cambridge, MA
07/12/2008 La Sala Rosa - Montreal, QC
07/13/2008 Barrymore - Ottawa, ON
07/14/2008 Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON
07/15/2008 Tralf - Buffalo, NY
07/16/2008 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
07/17/2008 Diesel - Pittsburgh, PA
07/18/2008 St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI
07/19/2008 Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI
07/20/2008 Pitchfork Music Festival / Union Park - Chicago, IL
07/22/2008 The Waiting Room - Omaha, NE
07/23/2008 Granada Theatre - Lawrence, KS
07/25/2008 Marquis Theater - Denver, CO
07/26/2008 Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
07/29/2008 Neumo's - Seattle, WA

Throne Of The Depths is dark and majestic Viking metal. It's a diverse effort mixing raw black metal with atmospheric keyboards and acoustic folk. Drautran smoothly transitions from bleak and intense to grandiose and regal to mellow and introspective.

The vocals are also really diverse. They go from melodic singing/chanting to yells to growls to shrieks. The lyrics aren't in English, but in this genre you can't understand them anyway, so it doesn't matter if they're in German, Old Norse or Klingon. Throne Of The Depths is an impressive debut, and hopefully black metal fans won't have to wait another 8 years for the follow up.

Read the complete Drautran - Throne Of The Depths Review

(CD cover courtesy Prophecy North America)

For the first time since 1996, brothers Max and Iggor Cavalera are hitting the road together. Cavalera Conspiracy is the brothers' first collaboration since Max exited the legendary Sepultura over a decade ago. The summer dates, which begin in mid-July and find the band hitting several US and Canadian markets, support their debut CD Inflikted.

The Cavalera Conspiracy will headline the tour, with Dillinger Escape Plan, Throwdown, Bury Your Dead and Incite as support acts.

Cavalera Conspiracy, Dillinger Escape Plan, Throwdown, Bury Your Dead and Incite Tour Dates:
July 17 - Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
July 18 - The Palladium, Worcester, MA
July 19 – The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, New York, NY
July 20 - The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, New York, NY
July 21 - Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD
July 23 - Vic Theater, Chicago, IL
July 24 - Orbit Room, Grand Rapids, MI
July 25 - Wake Stock, Toronto, ONT Canada
July 26 - McMahon Stadium, Calgary, ALB Canada (Monsters of Rock fest)
July 27 - Myth, St. Paul, MN
July 29 - Gothic Theater, Englewood, CO
July 31 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Aug 2 - House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
Aug 5 - House of Blues, Hollywood, CA

Smile is another ambitious effort, combining noise and drone with stoner metal, doom and psychedelic rock. Some songs are pretty traditional with a lot of groove and melody, others are more dissonant and experimental. This is a thick and heavy album, driven by Wata's excellent guitar work.

Usually Boris doesn't have vocals on every track, but this time around they do. Smile is by no means a mainstream album, but when it comes to Boris, it's probably one of their most accessible. It has enough melody and riffs that those not into noise and drone can enjoy it. Because their music is so challenging and experimental, they will always be underground, but discerning metal fans know exactly where to find them.

Read the complete Boris - Smile Review

(CD cover courtesy Southern Lord Records)

The Finnish folk metal band Korpiklaani has been entertaining metal fans for several years with their brand of upbeat humppa music. Their latest CD Korven Kuningas finds them on a new record label, Nuclear Blast. Vocalist/guitarist Jonne Jarvela fills us in on the new album and tells some tales of the road.

Chad Bowar: What has the response to Korven Kuningas been like?
Jonne Jarvela: The response has been very good and positive so far. For us, the most important response comes from the fans, but of course album reviews in magazines are interesting as well.

As you make more and more albums, does it get more difficult to break new musical ground and do new things?
No, it is not difficult at all. That’s why Korven Kuningas is pretty long album with 14 songs. We even left some songs out of it, so we don’t have that kind of problem. I really like to write new music, so I’m writing actually too much material. Also, we think, that we’ve found our own sound and “musical road” so we don’t try to write anything totally different. Just writing better songs is our goal.

Read the complete Korpiklaani Interview

(photo courtesy Nuclear Blast Records)

On Formation Of Damnation Testament has taken their old school experience and familiarity with each other along with renewed energy and passion to create a CD that's both mature and modern. The return of Alex Skolnick has added an extra dimension to the band's sound. His guitar wizardry and searing solos propel the songs which are intense and heavy, but also have plenty of melody.

Chuck Billy's vocals are aggressive and edgy, whether he's singing or growling. There's been a lot of anticipation for this CD, and if you've never been much of a Testament fan this won't convert you. But for fans and thrash lovers, The Formation Of Damnation is an imperfect but ultimately satisfying release.

Read the complete Testament - The Formation Of Damnation Review

(CD cover courtesy Nuclear Blast Records)

For the second straight month there was only one CD that got a 4.5 out of 5 rating. So far it's been a year with a lot of excellent releases, but only a few outstanding ones. Arsis stood above the masses this month, but a great comeback from Testament and solid new releases from Children Of Bodom, The Sword and Boris also made my top five releases of April, 2008.

April 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs

Here are my other monthly best of lists for 2008:

• January 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs


• February 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
• March 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
  

Songs From The Sparkle Lounge is vintage Def Leppard. The album is packed with polished, catchy, memorable songs. They've always been able to write great hooks and choruses, and that's on full display here. Even though their time at the top of the pop charts has probably passed, it's great to hear a band that's been around for so long still sounding energized. The band also collaborates with country singer Tim McGraw on the song "Nine Lives."

As far as comparisons to earlier Def Leppard albums, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge has elements of their most successful albums of the '80s in terms of catchy and memorable songs. It doesn't have that really slick production, which does give it a bit more contemporary sound. At first listen I wasn't blown away by this CD, but it's really grown on me after hearing it several times.

Read the complete Def Leppard - Songs From The Sparkle Lounge Review

(CD cover courtesy Island Records)

Mouth Of The Architect, Intronaut and Behold The Arctopus will be hitting the road in August for the "Ultimate Brodeo" Tour. Mouth Of The Architect's latest CD Quietly is set for a July 22nd release.

The Ultimate Brodeo Tour Dates with Mouth of the Architect, Intronaut, Behold The Arctopus
08/01/2008 Ravari Room - Columbus, OH
08/02/2008 Melody Inn - Indianapolis, IN
08/03/2008 Howler's Coyote Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA
08/04/2008 Xtreme Wheels - Buffalo, NY
08/05/2008 Downtown Quarterback - Endicott, NY
08/06/2008 Middle East - Cambridge, MA
08/07/2008 Living Room - Providence, RI
08/08/2008 Knitting Factory - New York, NY
08/09/2008 Siren Records - Doylestown, PA w/Fight Amp
08/10/2008 DC-9 - Washington, DC
08/11/2008 Nara Sushi - Richmond, VA
08/12/2008 The Milestone - Charlotte, NC
08/13/2008 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
08/14/2008 The Haven - Orlando, FL
08/15/2008 Brass Mug - Tampa, FL
08/16/2008 The Atlantic - Gainesville, FL
08/17/2008 High Ground - Metarie, LA
08/18/2008 Hi Tone Cafe - Memphis, TN
08/19/2008 OPO Downstairs - Fayetteville, AR
08/20/2008 Downtown Music - Little Rock, AR
08/21/2008 Red Blood Club - Dallas, TX
08/22/2008 Red 7 - Austin, TX
08/23/2008 The Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK
08/25/2008 Gator's - Farmington, NM
08/26/2008 The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
08/27/2008 Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA
08/28/2008 Chaser's - San Diego, CA
08/29/2008 Annie's Social Club - San Francisco, CA
08/30/2008 Rotture - Portland, OR
08/31/2008 Riversdale Grange - Roseburg, OR
09/01/2008 Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
09/03/2008 Marquis Theater - Denver, CO
09/04/2008 Replay Lounge - Lawrence, KS
09/05/2008 2 Cents Plain - St. Louis, MO
09/06/2008 Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA
09/07/2008 Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL