All of Reign's Death reviews from R to Z. Enjoy! If you want see your reviews here, send'em to me at the email adress that appears on the Home Page.

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SEPULTURA-MORBID VISIONS '86

One of the earliest death metal albums, at that time not known almost at all, even in Brazil, never got influential becuase of the geographic position of the release, but it would for sure, in different conditions.
It is really ahead of its times, very, very heretic, blasphemously rotten, sharp, very raw produced and with great early growling courtesy of Cavalera. Few words that describe this satanic statement.
I think i don't have to discuss the lyrics, they are really heretic, some said even too much, i don't mind. But the vocals are worth to be mentioned for sure, they aren't as extreme as Tardy's, but in those times they surely were very brutal, only Becerra had such vocals in the whole world!
It's a shame it wasn't known back then, a shame.
The music is of course pretty simple, both in techincality and musicianship, but i like it, i love it! The riffs, some are just good for headbanging, some make a nice impression on you somehow and some are really well written.
All has nice arrangements, fast, but nicely composed into the rest of the instrumentarium.
The main lack is of course the simplicty of the riffs, but it isn't so big, and being so original for its time beacuase of its extremity hides those lacks in an explosion of pure agression.
Rating: 8/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666) - Admin

THERION-BEYOND SANCTORUM '92

This is the early and true Therion, before all the orchestration, showing how to melt such different sub-genres as grind, death metal and prog death together. And how to do it succesfully! My first complain is the production, not very bad, but far from being good either, the instruments aren't balanced well in the sound, they overcome each other sometimes, sometimes it sounds too muffled. I'm done with complaints, only compliments will follow from now on. Perphaps i like this record so much becuase it has pleased me with my weak point, long, rich instrumentals, and here we got such, 11 minutes long, which i simply adore. But all the 9 tracks(actually without the last one, giving us a taste of upcoming new direction) are great, the instrumental is just the crowning of them all. It may sound like normal death metal, with a kind of its own style, and unique riffs, but i just love how many of these riffs they put in here. Some say that the songs change the tempos too often, not balancing the tunes between each other well, and enetering with riffs that don't sound good in there. I say that is what i like the most on this record, i have always loved musical contrasts, put together, on purpose to shock, or disgust even. But this one wins with me becuase of these often changes, unusual sounding riffs, sometimes franatic grindish, through just deathy, thrashy, to doomy parts. And if an album gives me new riffs, many of them, put together in an unconvential way, spiced up with interesting solos, different timings, arranged to hold my attention and haiving a representation in an instrumental monster, which blasts my brain out with the amount of musical schemes included in it even not being innovative or extreme. in any way. I will praise it. And this one of those.
Rating : 8/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666)-Admin

UNLEASHED-SHADOWS IN THE DEEP '92

This was their high, being in a scene, that at the time was living a great success of the popularity of the genre, they also waved on this prosperity. But they had also what to offer on their records, originality, for which i have always respected them. Althought their albums seem to be very similiar to the ones that ruled at the time they were different both in music and lyrics. Yes lyrics and image was truly something unfound on the scene, making this band more of a local for their countrymen, more patriot. They sang mostly about vikings, pagan gods, how proud they are of them, their histories, legends and deeds. And that's what i always admired in them, singing about their glorious past, breaking off the main DM themes, of course they also sang about other subjects, not only viking history, but that was their main aim. As for the music, it isn't technical, progressive, very extreme, but it's not average nor standard. It is hard for me to explain, but the riffs are written somewhat innovatively, the structures on which they are based are different than other Swedish bands, they had their own vibe, their own tunes. They have differnt rhytms, sometimes they are simply fast, more melodic, call it catchier if you please, but there are also some that make them different. Those are the majestic ones, as i like to call becuase they give me such an mipression. They just pound so proudly throughout my stereo i headbang pleasently at them, here you can really say that the music gives you a taste of the lyrics. And even the "normal" parts sound very original, maybe it's only me, but it's hard to find similiar musical patterns as these. The little number of solos hurts, even if the rhytms are truly great, the solos would bring more ideas in, more variety, complexity a new level to the songs, and these existing don't appeal to me.
You won't find technical or agressive extremisms, just standard death metal, sounding different and proud.
Rating: 7.5/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666)-Admin

VADER-ULTIMATE INCANTION '92

Just the tought of how many obstacles they had to overcome to be able to release under Earache, being from an Eastern block country should be enough of praising this effort(similiar as with Sepultura).
But we can proudly praise it because of its great music. This is their best musically, and one of the best death metal albums ever, hands down!
The variety of riffs, the diversity between them, the unique, nowhere else heard, chaotic, amelodic, i'd say nihilistic solos, and these brutal, yet greatly arranged drums makes this album a masterpiece of death metal.
First of all, the riffs aren't extremely technical, but they are pretty reasonable, complexily structured as individuals. And the most important thing, they are original, you will know when you hear them, this is Vader, no one else!
They got everything from slow ones, having a progressive taste into them, throughout crunchy-marching tunes to franaticly chaotic, still forming an enjoyable melody, in their own way.
The drums are courtesely by Docent, the master. On the next record(De Profundis '95) he will focus more on how to combine them with the other instruments forming a new layer by themselves.
Here they are all what i love about the perfect deathish drums, fast, sometimes very densely sounding, like his foots and hands would be all over the place, but in between placing patterns-miniatures, all different from each other, that is art. Lyrics are mostly apocalyptic, but written with a good sense of reality and the spiritual side of life. Solos are a totally different subject. Some could say there is no melody, no distingueshed pattern to follow, just some randomly hit tunes. I say: wrong, this is their trademark! Nihilstic, amelodic, totall chaos, both all of them diversify from each other. They add the really meaning of death metal to their music: CHAOS!
The only thing that misses here a bit is the production, too low, it should be rawer. O well, i guess you can't have a perfect record.
Essential to a death metal's fan!
Rating: 9/10
Marcin Michalski(Metal.666)-Admin