Movies And Metal

Posts Tagged ‘Prong’

Ever since the classic Danzig line-up disbanded in 1994, it could be argued that the bands output has been, at best, patchy.  1996’s Danzig 5: Blackacidevil was a pretty terrible cacophony of industrial bleeps and forgettable songs, whilst 1999’s Danzig 6:66 – Satan’s Child had a few glimmers of hope, but ultimately failed due to a lack of a proper guitar player (frontman Glenn Danzig himself handled most of the guitar duties) and a severe lack of the atmospherics of old.  Danzig 777: I Luciferi and Circle of Snakes followed and nodded towards a more traditional Danzig sound, but it all seemed to be too little too late.

And now we get Deth Red Saaoth.  Along with the Evil Elvis, the band now feature former Prong guitarist Tommy Victor, Glenn’s former Samhaim bandmate Steve Zing on bass and ex-Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly, so the band’s pedigree is without question.  And it doesn’t take very long for opening track Hammer of the Gods to put you back in those early 90’s glory days, with Glenn’s clean, bluesy vocals underpinning one of the most stomping cuts that Danzig (the band) have done for some time (it could also be said that the heavier end of Rob Zombie’s output would be a good reference point, but let’s remember who was doing this first).  Second track The Revengeful does lean towards the band’s latter output with its pinched riffing and clunking pace, although it’s still better than anything from the previous few albums.  It’s also on this track where the album’s most obvious flaw starts to reveal itself, and that is the uneven production job, courtesy of Mr. Danzig himself.  There just seems to be very little oomph in some of the songs when you expect there to be some, and Danzig albums with little in the way of dynamics have become a bit too commonplace in recent years.

Anyway, regardless of sound issues, there are a few faith-restoring gems to be had here; lead single On a Wicked Night oozes an erotic swagger that has been sorely missing for a long time, and sounds a little like classic The Cult before Glenn’s powerful pipes crank the song up a gear, whilst Pyre of Souls: Incanticle sounds like it’s straight from a movie score, with the main man harmonising over a strummed acoustic passage before the song’s part two – Pyre of Souls: Seasons of Pain – kicks in with it’s epic, brooding verse and wicked guitar solos.

Overall, Deth Red Sabaoth can be called a huge step in the right direction rather than the complete return to form that many were expecting.  Much like Ozzy Osbourne’s recent Scream album, it starts off well and ends solidly but somewhere in the middle there’s a bit of a lull where some of the songs start to sound like filler material, or could even be labelled self-parody.  Considering the combined talents of all the band members there is a sense that they seem a bit underused here, but hopefully that will remedy itself if the line-up can stick together for a while and then maybe, just maybe, Danzig will become a cohesive unit that can make consistently great albums again.  On this showing, they’re on their way but not quite there yet.

Rating: 6/10

Standout Tracks: Hammer of the Gods, Rebel Spirits, Black Candy, On a Wicked Night, Pyre of Souls: Incanticle, Pyre of Souls: Seasons of Pain.

For Fans of: Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne, The Misfits, The Resurrection Sorrow, Heaven & Hell, Type O Negative, Paradise Lost, Volbeat, Black Sabbath.

For more information on Danzig go to: www.danzig-verotik.com

Click on images to purchase Deth Red Sabaoth.

Ever since Soulfly mainman Max Cavalera decided to do away with the blatant nu metal-isms of the band’s first handful of releases and return to his thrash metal roots with 2004’s Prophecy, the band has enjoyed a consistent run of top-notch albums proving why Max is held in such high regard by metal fans the world over.

Omen –Soulfly’s seventh studio album – kicks straight in with Bloodbath & Beyond, a raging slab of hardcore-infused thrash that literally comes screaming from the speakers. The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato guests on the hook-laden Rise of the Fallen, adding a little diversity to proceedings, while Prong’s Tommy Victor contributes to Lethal Injection, with its stop/start riffing and manic time changes. Apart from these and the obligatory self-titled instrumental chill-out that closes each Soulfly album, the rest of the album is pretty straight-up metal in the vein of – yes, it needs to be said – classic Sepultura, which is a good thing as the Seps themselves don’t make albums this good anymore. Mention must also go to guitarist Marc Rizzo, whose distinctive style of shredding permeates every track without ever sounding gratuitous or unnecessary.

Even though all the boxes are ticked, however, the album isn’t without a few niggles. There are one or two tracks that border on filler, most notably the underwhelming and by-the-numbers Great Depression, and the slightly ridiculous Jeffrey Dahmer which does raise a question or two about Max’s lyrics; probably best to leave the serial killer stuff to Slayer.

Maybe not quite as satisfying as their last few releases, Omen is still a great piece of brutal, stripped-down metal that will please long-term Cavalera fans. It won’t break any boundaries or push the envelope in the way that their early works tried to do, but that isn’t the point any more. Max knows what this band does best and is happy to give it to you. Considering that this is his full-time band, it makes you wonder how brutal the next Cavalera Conspiracy album will be…

Rating: 7/10

Standout Tracks: Rise of the Fallen, Lethal Injection, Kingdom, Mega-Doom, Counter Sabotage, Soulfly VII.

For Fans of: Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy, Machine Head, Slayer, Megadeth, Carcass, Morbid Angel.

For more information on Soulfly go to: www.soulfly.com

Click on images to purchase Omen.