Dimmu Borgir – ABRAHADABRA

The Norwegian lords of Black Metal, Dimmu Borgir, have done it again! They have raised the bar once more with their 9^th studio album entitled “Abrahadabra”. They gathered an astonishing 101 musicians together to record this new CD, including the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Schola Cantorum choir, Agnete Kjølsrud (ex-Animal Alpha, Djerv), Garm, Gerlioz, Andy Sneap and Ricky Black. The entire creation of this magical working synthesized over the course of 11 months, and the result of this monumental undertaking is an incredibly dynamic collection of tracks that’s comparable to a horror movie score.

If this new record were a score to a haunting film, then the first track “Xibir” would definitely be the opening credits. “Xibir” is an instrumental symphonic piece that begins with the choir and strings sections building up their presence with repetitive phrases that gradually swell in length and volume. Then the percussive kettledrums kick in and pave the way for some vibrant staccato violin phrases, and the introduction of the brass section. The muted trumpets and heavy baritone saxophones give the piece an “Omen-like” feel at this point. The steady rhythmic downbeat is continually embellished with secondary phrases from the strings and brass, while the legato choir emotionally charges the music to a fever pitch. Suddenly the piece moves into a dreamlike waltz that lifts one up into a euphoric state, but then the dance stops and you’re left in an eerie state of unrest, as the strings grind their bows and the choir whispers inaudible words in their final crescendo of the piece.

"Xibir" leaked track on YouTube 

Next is “Born Treacherous”, the sinister evolution of the “Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse” symphonic sound Dimmu Borgir has become infamous for. The furious guitar riffing of Silenoz and Galder is accented with arpeggiated phrasings of Norwegian Radio Orchestra and choral arrangements of the Schola Cantorum. Even with such incredibly complicated arrangements, the brutality is not overlooked as session drummer Daray has plenty of double-bass cut-time beats and blast-beats, while the loathsome lyrics of front-man Shagrath are intensified with the full choir chanting along his wicked words in unison: “Born Treacherous!”

Third is “Gateways”, an aesthetic continuation of “Born Treacherous”, but this track adds even more elements to the already complex music. We are introduced to keyboard sounds of Gerlioz, and the licentious lips of Agnete Kjølsrud. Agnete’s vocal style is harsh yet melodic and fits well with Dimmu Borgir’s aggressive nature. The video for “Gateways” can be seen on Dimmu Borgir’s official YouTube page, or by clicking on the image below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KzzbYp7NtY

The rest of songs continue the full symphonic metal sound of the first two songs, but the tempo of the songs begins to gradually decrease toward the end, especially the oddly placed cover songs, and this is where the CD starts to loose it’s hold over me. It is for this sole reason Dimmu Borgir doesn’t receive a full 4 skulls for Abrahadabra, but instead I give them 3 ½ skulls. The entire CD as a whole is very good, I just feel that it lacks the aggressiveness in the later half of the CD that is demonstrated in the first few tracks. But, I will still recommend this CD to fans of Dimmu and those looking for new symphonic metal to listen to.

Rating: 3 ½ skulls

Track listing:

1 – Xibir (instrumental)

2 - Born Treacherous

3 - Gateways

4 - Chess With The Abyss

5 - Dimmu Borgir

6 - Ritualist

7 - The Demiurge Molecule

8 - A Jewel Traced Through Coal

9 - Renewal

10 - Endings And Continuations

11 - Perfect Strangers (Deep Purple Cover)*

12 - D.M.D.R: Dead Mean Don't Rape (GGFH Cover)*

* Bonus tracks on the exclusive Hot Topic edition

 Source:
http://www.dimmu-borgir.com/

Facebreaker – INFECTED

As the name suggests, Facebreaker is a brutal, bone crushing death metal band in the vein of Cannibal Corpse, or Decapitated. The 5 piece militia consisting of Roberth Karlsson on Vocals, Janne Ivarsson on Guitar, Jonas Magnusson on Bass & Backing Vocals, Mika Lagreen on Lead Guitar, and Mikael Wassholm on Drums, have just unleashed their latest audial assault entitled “Infected”, a no-nonsense, in-your-face attack of blood-curdling vocals, aggressive drumming, and great guitar-work that combines vintage melodic style with a modern harsh edge.

Running at 37+ minutes, the songs are typically high adrenaline from start to finish. With titles like “Creeping Flesh”, “Torn to Shreds” and “Bloodthirst”, the vile imagery chronicled by vocalist Roberth adds the essential blood-spattered element to this infectious release. The CD is 11 tracks long, and the brutality never lets up, from the first track to the last. There are no ambient tracks or acoustic intros to break the mood of this vicious CD, just plenty of badass solos and sick riffing. “Infected” is sure to become a favorite of fans of the old school death metal sound and to those seeking something new to grind bones to.

Rating: 3 Skulls

Track listing:

1. Creeping Flesh

2. Cannibalistic

3. Torn to Shreds

4. Epidemic

5. Bloodshed

6. Mankind Under Siege

7. Waiting for the Pain

8. Into the Pit

9. Bloodthirst

10. Reanimating the Dead

11. Infected

Running time: 37:13

Sources:
http://www.myspace.com/facebreaker_mail

http://www.metalblade.com/facebreaker

Gwar – BLOODY PIT OF HORROR

The Scumdog soldiers, Gwar, have outlined their latest plans to zombify the planet’s populace into a submissive army of slaves in their latest musical machination, Bloody Pit of Horror (in stores November 9th). These Antarctican anarchists have been laying waste to the human race for 26 years, and this, their 12^th full length album, will most certainly crush humanity further into a bloody, meaty pulp. The Bloody Pit of Horror lays waste to all!

The new release kicks off with their new slave anthem “Zombies, March!” a catchy thrashing tune with heavy down picking and kick ass cut time riffs. Vocalist Oderus Urungus unsurprisingly proclaims himself as the supreme leader of the zombies, as he calls to his undead minions to “March!!!” to sound of Gwar’s music. There are quite a few sections where guitarist Flattus Maximus shows off his flying fingers and lays down some impressive lead guitar work. “Zombies, March!” is the first video from this record, and can be seen on Gwar’s official YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/gwar).

The carnage continues with “Come the Carnivor”, a doom laden composition that sounds like the shuffling of undead as they make their way from the grave. “A Gathering of Ghouls” & “Storm is Coming” follow with its upbeat thrash drumming, and double picking guitar riffs that stop and go with deadly precision. And the loathsome lyrics paint some pretty gruesome pictures of zombie hordes devouring all, adding just the right imagery to this maniacal music.

“Tick-Tits” is up next, and I can honestly say that musically this is my favorite track from this new release. The level of musicianship is pushed up a notch as the main riff illustrates a superior level of guitar playing, while the steady double bass drumming compliments the riffing perfectly. There are some pretty sweet Wah-solos on this track, as well, which just add the right flavor to the chaos. Lyrically… well, the song is called “Tick-Tits”, so you can pretty much figure out what it’s about. But I will say that The high adrenaline tempo of this songs can be felt in Oderus’ voice, which seem to flow almost non-stop at times.

“Beat You Death” storms out of the gate like a maelstrom of old school thrash, featuring Bassist Beefcake The Mighty spewing the hateful verses on this track. “You are my Meat” is next, a classic chauvinistic, cannibalistic, cut-time crusher that flows directly into “Hail, Genocide!” a song about mass extermination. “KZ Necromancer” keeps the chaos flowing with its thundering drums, speed picking, and wailing guitar solos. Next up is “The Litany of the Slain” which plays like a role call to those who have died, with its heavy cut-time riffing and endless descriptions of fatalities. The mayhem closes with “Sick and Twisted”, an appropriately named track for musically it takes Gwar into a realm of diminished intervals and experimental guitar sounds.

All in all, I will say that “Bloody Pit of Horrors” is Gwar’s best release to date. Yeah, I know some of you may be thinking “He says that every time Gwar releases something new” but Gwar seems to be one of the few bands that actually gets better with each new release. So many bands out there become parodies of them selves and just repeat the same writing style over and over, but not Gwar. After 26 years of playing shows and writing music, these masters of metal have perfected their craft and have attained a longevity that shows no sign of dwindling any time soon. So it is my great pleasure to issue Gwar's "Bloody Pit of Horror" the highest rating possible, the illustrious 4 out of 4 Skulls!

Hail Gwar!

Rating: 4 skulls!

Track Listing:

1. Zombies, March

2. Come the Carnivor

3. A Gathering of Ghouls

4. Storm is Coming

5. Tick-Tits

6. Beat You to Death

7. You are my Meat

8. Hail, Genocide!

9. KZ Necromancer

10. The Litany of the Slain

11. Sick and Twisted

Running Time: 37:02

Source:
http://www.gwar.net
http://www.gwar.tv
http://www.gwarbq.com
http://www.oderus.com
http://www.youtube.com/gwar
http://www.facebook.com/gwar
http://www.myspace.com/gwarofficial