VA - Metal Maniacs CD Sampler

Bands: Various Artists
Album: Metal Maniacs June/July 2008 Sampler
Genre: Extreme Progressive Metal (Ihsahn), Metalcore (Droid), Death/Doom Metal (Daylight Dies), Absolute Shit (Mental Restraint), Viking Metal (Týr), Doom Metal (Boris), Death Metal (Visions of the Night, Impending Doom, Facebreaker), Thrash Metal (Hemlock, Shackles) Black Metal (Saxorior), Thrash/Power Metal (Hexerei), Electronica and Symphonic influenced Progressive Metal (Dol Theeta), Heavy/Thrash Metal (Midnight Reign) Blackened Death Metal (Dimentianon)
Country of Origin: I'm not going to bother
Year: 2008 (compilation; varies by song)

Track Listing:

1. Misanthrope (Ihsahn; angL)
2. The Resurrection (Droid; Droid)
3. A Portrait in White (Daylight Dies; Lost to the Living)
4. Waterline (Mental Restraint; American Dreams)
5. Gátu Ríma (Týr; Land)
6. Statement (Boris; Smile)
7. Human Failure (Visions of the Night; Nocturnal Militia)
8. Backstabber (Hemlock; No Time for Sorrow)
9. Silence the Oppressors (Impending Doom; Nailed, Dead, Risen)
10. Johann Siegmund of Liebenau (Saxorior; Volkerschlacht)
11. Eye for a Life (Hexerei; Paid in Full)
12. Burner (Facebreaker; Dead, Rotten & Hungry)
13. Mud (Dol Theeta; The Universe Expands)
14. The Hollywood Rx (Midnight Reign; Never Look Back)
15. Netzach (Dimentianon; Hossanas Novus Ordo Seclurum)
16. Fer-de-lance (Shackles; Inquisitors)

This 16 track sampler comes with the most recent edition of Metal Maniacs and there are enough good tracks on it to warrent sharing it. My personal favorites are Ihsahn's "Misanthrope" from his new solo album, angL (which can be found on this blog a while back, along with his debut solo album); Daylight Dies' dark, melancholic and incredibly atmospheric Death/Doom piece "A Portrait in White"; Saxorior's epic Black/Folk Metal track "Johann Siegmund Of Liebnau"; Facebreaker's "Burner," a track played delightfully in the early Swedeath style that old school DM fans should love; Dol Theeta's incredibly unique track "Mud", which they refer to as " electronica-art-metal" but is really more of a blend of Progressive Metal with Symphonics, Operatic vocals and Electronica that turns out surprisingly well (you'll be hard pressed to find out information about them, but they're connected to the band Dol Ammad); and Midnight Reign's dirty "The Hollywood Rx". Other highlights are the tracks by Týr, Hexerei and Boris. Hemlock aren't too bad, but not the most notable. For the most part, the other bands suck but "Waterline" is worth listening to, just because Mental Restraint is one of the worst, most ridiculous "Metal" bands I've ever heard. Enjoy, I guess.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ND8AVK3E

Celestia - Apparitia - Sumptuous Spectre

Band: Celestia
Album: Apparitia - Sumptuous Spectre
Genre: Black Metal
Country of Origin: France
Year: 2002

Track Listing:

1. The Awakening of the Dormant Fiancée
2. Necromelancholic Reveries
3. Wandering Through the Past Memories
4. Perverted Decadent, Dying, Love,
5. Spectra
6. Morbid Romance
7. The Fragrance of the Dead Rose
8. The Radiance of the Astral Circle

Celestia is a rather dark French Black Metal band. Apparitia - Sumptuous Spectre focuses on love and loss, but not in the "lighter" sense, so to speak, but in a dark, morbid, macabre and depraved way. The album cover of a bride standing in a gothic setting, the song titles like "Perverted Decadent, Dying Love" and "Morbid Romance," and the music itself bleeds dark romance. The riffs are sometimes slow, sometimes fast, and at times almost beautiful and are rather reminiscent of Peste Noire, but more romantic and melancholic. The mood is especially noticable on "Perverted Decadent, Dying Love," "Necromelancholic Reveries," and the sorrowfully beautiful acoustic opening to "The Fragrance of the Dead Rose." This album is morbidly romantic and beautifully decrepit; it's every depraved, gothic romance story spoken through the violent art of Black Metal.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EI8BMEZE

Dismember - Dismember

Band: Dismember
Album: Dismember
Genre: Death Metal
Country of Origin: Sweden
Year: 2008

Track Listing:

1. Death Conquers All
2. Europa Burns
3. Under A Bloodred Sky
4. The Hills Have Eyes
5. Legion
6. Tide of Blood
7. Combat Fatigue
8. No Honour In Death
9. To End It All
10. Dark Depth
11. Black Sun

New Dismember. Traditional Swedeath.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C6NM2X5D

Toxik - Think This

Band: Toxik
Album: Think This
Genre: Thrash Metal
Country of Origin: USA
Year: 1989

Track Listing:

1. Think This
2. Greed
3. Spontaneous
4. There Stood the Fence
5. Black and White
6. Technical Arrogance
7. WIR NJN8/In God
8. Machine Dream
9. Out on the Tiles (Led Zeppelin cover)
10. Shotgun Logic
11. Time After Time
12. Think That
13. Shotgun Logic (Demo)
14. Black & White (Demo)

Progish Thrash Metal; technical and interesting riffs, spread out over atypical song structures with varying tempos, filled out by wonderful singing, excellent drumming and anarchic lyrics. Very good.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EJ25K1B5

Mirrorthrone - Gangrene

Band: Mirrorthrone
Album: Gangrene
Genre: Avant-Garde Symphonic Black Metal
Country of Origin: Switzerland
Year: 2008

Track Listing:

1. Dismay
2. No One By My Side
3. The Fecal Rebellion
4. Ganglion
5. Une Existence dont plus Personne ne Jouit
6. So Frail

Gangrene is Vladimir Coceht's follow up to Mirrorthrone's grandiose and brilliant Carriers of Dust. He continues on the same path with Neoclassical Black Metal, atypal song structure beautiful symphonics and Classical piano breaks. Brilliant and everything I've come to expect from this man. Highly recommended.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B6KX5VLH