SIGH : " I Saw The World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV)

For the band's 30th anniversary, they decided to re-record the "Hangman's Hymn" album. Rather than just recording selections from their past, like Ministry did, they are tackling the whole album. This was when they were more of a black metal band and less of a prog band. With a new guitarist and drummer aboard this time around, there is a refinement to the frantic chaos that unfolds. The classical backdrops give it a Dimmu Borgir-like feel but with an explosive carnival atmosphere. Vocally "Inked in Blood" almost sound like the Muppets doing black metal.

"Me-Devil" blends orchestral hits with thrashing speed. "Scenes From Hell was my entry point to the band, and this is the album before it, so it hints at where they would take their sound. More trumpet fanfare leads into "The Master Malice." It retains its feral aggression in the re-recording. Impressive, their voices still do this after no screaming like this for some time. The bass tone cuts through more for "The Memories of a Sinner".  This is one of their most rapid-fire albums, which is not just straight-ahead black metal. "Death From Dishonor' just falls from the blur of razor-chugged riffs, which creates a more uniform sound even amid the guitar solos. 

I do like the more overt Satanic themes, even if they are just playing around here. They rip the guitar solos to "In Devil's Arms". The vocal trade-off reminds me of King Diamond. The title track this time around finds things just as scathing, with blistering guitars attacking from every corner of the mix. "Salvation in Flames" finds the horns creating more of a hyper-speed procession, and the punk roots of what they do can be heard. The classical element does not soften the blow here. The finale finds the brass bringing a more festive, almost Disney like feel to things. I will give this one a 9, they did the original a more proper send off, still more wild natured than what I prefer from them, but they did a great job at what they set out to do, thus why the album scores so high. Drops on Peaceville June 13th. 

pst227

New Skeletal Faces : "Until the Night"

I was not expecting this to be a thrashing hard-core album. Sure some of the death rock guitars tones are in place, but the vocals are screaming at you with more aggression to rally the rest of the band to fall in line behind them. This has more in common with old AFI than it does Night Sins.  By the time we get to "Ossuary Lust" things have really escalated into full-on thrashing out at you. I think this is great because not many darker bands like this rock the fuck out like these guys are doing.  It's like if the Exploited covered 45 Grave.

 From a production all the sounds you want from Death Rock are there they are just amped up. This is done in a very raw manner that does not get sloppy when the double bass really kicks in. This is not the kind of album I would expect from Peaceville. "Wombs" is more deliberate and rocks the fuck out. The way the chords ring is pretty effective. There is some tension to "Zeitgeist Suicide', but it works off a good dynamic expand and retract. "Pagan War" is more aggressive and the first song that strikes me as having a more black metal influence to it. The vocals do not feel as purposeful as some of the previous songs. 

"Enchantment of My Inner Coldness" is the first song that really truly embraces the goth side. The first riff is somewhat Cure-influenced.  "Raise the Dead" is driven by riffs that sound like they came from a Venom album, though the vocals shout the lyrics with a similar violence. I will give this album a 9.5, not only is it more in-your-face and hard-core than I was expecting, but the songwriting works with the blend of sounds they fused in a more organic manner, that plays to the originality infused into these old sounds. 

\

pst541