Thinking about the fairly short history of heavy metal (in comparison to the history of the world, that is), there are a handful of labels that come to mind immediately.
Roadrunner? Sure, though that label has been so bastardized by lowest-common-denominator signings as of late that the days of King Diamond and Obituary seems lifetimes away, and the era of Nickelback is nauseatingly apparent. How about major Elektra? They had Metallica, Metal Church, Flotsam and Jetsam. Century Media and Nuclear Blast both have done a huge job singing quality bands and breaking them into more mainstream recognition. And how about Metal Blade, the first label that pops into my head when I think of the history of the genre? Their “Metal Massacre” series helped introduce bands as large as Metallica and Slayer, and through the years they were home to Mercyful Fate, GWAR, Armored Saint, Manowar, Cannibal Corpse, and more recently Amon Amarth and Primordial (more on those later). In addition, they have found success with the surge of metalcore with bands such as Unearth, Job for a Cowboy, and As I Lay Dying. Some metal purists would take issue with those bands, and while they’re certainly not my favorite acts, they did expand exposure for the label and metal in general. Nothing wrong with making money, and unlike Roadrunner, they didn’t wreck their reputation (well, at least with me) to do so.
This calendar year has been a surprisingly strong one for Metal Blade, and certainly those who do fall into that purist category would be hard-pressed to disagree. They have two notable album releases and a DVD from veteran acts getting ready to hit store shelves, as well as two others from bands who haven’t yet made their mark but certainly should soon.
Primordial frontman Alan “Nemtheanga” Averill has a hand in two of the bands, because he signed them himself to his Poison Tongue Records, with Metal Blade exposing them to America. Australia’s Assaulter have a raw, primitive feel, kind of mixing death and black metal with a sense of rock and roll. Their songs surge and punish and feel like they’ve been dragged kicking and screaming over thorn bushes. The dudes themselves even look more like a classic metal band (see above!), adorned in jeans no hipster would be caught dead wearing, leather jackets, jean jackets with the sleeves cut off. And they’re not doing it to be ironic. They’re the real deal, which you can hear by taking on their new album Boundless! Their promo materials mark the band’s sound as similar to Destroyer 666, Sodom, and Invictus, and I even hear a little bit of early Bathory in what they do. This trio brings savage fun that most younger bands trying to feast on eras gone by never seem to get right. This just hit stores, so go get it.
For more on Assaulter, go here: http://www.myspace.com/burningfront
Another I talked about last week in my favorite albums (so far) of 2011, that being Celtic warriors Darkest Era (also a Nemtheanga signing). That’s them above. Their sound is more epic and sweeping, and while they’re not exactly power metal, you can hear some of it in their style. They’re more just classic heavy metal, a band that would have sounded great decades ago opening shows for titans such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio and even Mercyful Fate. Opening track “The Morrigan” is such a great song and one of my favorite metal tracks of the year. Their debut full-length “The Last Caress of Light” is in stores now, and ever since I got my promo a few months ago, I’ve listened to it at least a few times a week. It’s actually a good workout record, because it’s one that can cause that surge of adrenaline you need right when you feel like you can’t go any further.
For more on Darkest Era, go here: http://www.myspace.com/darkestera
Now, about those veterans. Amon Amarth (those guys above!), your leaders in Viking metal, return next week with “Surtur Rising,” an album that took me some time to get used to but, now that I’ve spent plenty of time with it, I find to be quite the experience. It doesn’t have one of those sure-fire classics on first, second, even third listen, but the more you take on these songs, the deeper impression they make. Now it’s easy to hear the unique identities each of these songs have, and while the record isn’t terribly different from their past few discs in spirit, it does stand apart. That’s different from what I said last week, but I say that after several more listens. Really digging the opener “War of the Gods” and “Live Without Regrets,” my favorite cut on the album at this moment. Odd for the band is there isn’t a title track. Also up soon (like, at the end of April) is Primodial’s latest “Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand.” Haven’t heard this one yet, and I’m chomping at the bit to do so. Easily my most anticipated record of the second quarter of the year.
Cannibal Corpse have their new DVD “Global Evisceration” in stores, and it culls live performances from two 2010 shows, giving you two hours’ worth of live and behind-the-scenes carnage. There also is a documentary look at the band’s tour in support of their “Evisceration Plague” album as well as their European tour. I admittedly am not the world’s biggest Cannibal Corpse fan, but this DVD was a fun time and I’ll certainly watch it again.
On top of this are records originally out on England’s Rise Above that Metal Blade brought to our attention, including the new Electric Wizard and Blood Ceremony, and the first one from mysterious rockers Ghost. Also up soon are new ones from doom legends Pentagram and prog-death mashers Between the Buried and Me. That’s quite a kickoff to the year for one of metal’s most important and influential labels that clearly is not interested in resting on its reputation.
For more on the label, go here: www.metalblade.com
Meat Mead Metal 