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Review Archive: I

ICE NINE - Psychology and Extreme Violence · Rhetoric
These guys deliver a few songs of fast, energetic Hardcore, which sometimes can become pretty intense. It's not the best I have heard in any aspect, but this EP is certainly far from being bad. - 8 - <Ray> **MC10**

ICED EARTH - Iced Earth · Century Media
OK, this is pretty Thrashy. And the prodution is flawless. However, the vocals of Gene Adam might be the only drawback. He sounds like a deranged cross between John Connelly (NUCLEAR ASSAULT) and Bruce Dickenson (IRON MAIDEN). Other than that, this LP is really good. Not much new Thrash coming out now with all the Death stuff. There are a lot of changes in tempo and style. Occasionally the lyrics detract from the songs. If the vocals don't ruin it for you then maybe... - 7.25 - <Ray> **MC5**

ICED EARTH - Night of the Stormrider · Century Media
Pretty crunchy Thrash. Technical songs with obvious early Thrash/ Speed influences. The vox are melodic, yet mostly powerful. But this sounds kinda dated and certainly not original. It's cool for what it is, but nothing really stands out. Yeah, the production is excellent and all that, but it just didn't do anything for me. Pretty average. - 7.5 - <Ray> **MC7**

ICED EARTH - The Dark Saga · Century Media
I guess these guys are really big fans of the Spawn comic book, because this entire LP is based on it. I don't think the concept is worthy of 10 songs, but maybe if those songs had been a bit more than just average Thrash, I could tolerate this. They have a few great ideas, but not many. The vocals are of the old-style melodic kind, which in itself is fine, but Matthew has the annoying habit of adding an "uh" to the end of nearly every line. It grates on the nerves by the middle of the first song and gets worse from there. I could go on, but why waste the space? - 7 - <Ray> **MC10**

ICED EARTH - Days of Purgatory · Century Media
More comic book cover art. This time it’s Chaos Comics’ Purgatori, who’s a hot ass vampire/demon bitch. But who cares? After their below-average last album, The Dark Saga, I certainly wasn’t expecting much from this. I was in for a fucking surprise! ICED EARTH should get an award for most improved band. The vocals, while still melodic, of course, are now dramatically better. The music is likewise refined and intensified, and generally more catchy and interesting. - 8.25 - <Ray> **MC11**

ICED EARTH - Alive in Athens · Century Media
I don't know how it happened, or when, but somewhere along the way, I guess I decided that lyrics about dragons and wizards were stupid. Hell, I suppose it could be done in a believable way, but I'm just not convinced by ICED EARTH and their Thrashy Hard Rock. Perhaps I don't realize how popular the band is, but this 2-CD live album just screams "delusions of grandeur" to me. The press release even mentions Live After Death (among others...), as if to put ICED EARTH in the same league as IRON MAIDEN. At least everyone was spared the horror that would have ensued had No Sleep 'til Hammersmith been listed. I suppose that ICED EARTH are good enough at what they do, and there certainly is some energy here, but this is clearly for existing fans only, as the price of a 2-disc set will probably keep potential neophytes away. - 7.75 - <Ray>

ICOS - Incurable Contact · Mad Cap
A half-assed CHILI PEPPERS attempt. Backyard Tron time. - 4.5 - <Ray> **MC11** - "Last Second Additions"

IKONOKLAST - The Suffering · Screeching Harassment Enterprises
I knew it was just a matter of time before someone thought to mix Gothenberg-style Death/Thrash with straight up Industrial. So here you have it, KMFDM meets ARCH ENEMY. It's decent, but it's probably going to be way too Metallic for the vampires, and much too mechanized-sounding for the Metalheads. That's the risk you run by mixing styles, and you certainly won't be bridging any genre gaps when the most memorable moment on your album is a cover of DEPECHE MODE's "Enjoy the Silence." They may prove me wrong, it wouldn't be the first time, but only time will tell. As for right now, I'm not really feeling this and I'm not quite sure who would. - 6.5 - <Jack>

ILBRED - Ilbred · DEMO
You know, 1995 was a piece of shit as far as years go. The tragic death of this band's singer, Rick Ohl, was only one of the many reasons I'll try to bust god's damned sack if I ever get to see him. ILBRED recorded, with these three songs, some of the best, and most intense, Death Metal to come out of the Chicago scene, and in fact the world. I do not know their current plans, but I would hope that they continue to share their music with the world. - 9.25 - <Ray> **MC9**

ILDFROST - Natanael · Cold Meat Industry
Generally, this Dark Ambient stuff either makes me want to fall asleep, or kill myself. This is of the suicidal variety. Extremely suicidal. - 9 - <Ray> **MC11**

ILL EARTH - Blown · DEMO
As I listen to the music, I think that the vocals will tell the story here, as the playing is flawless. Yep, I was right. The vocals are weird - sort of yelled out. A little fine tuning with the riffs, and more consistently intense vocals, and ILL EARTH will be just beyond belief. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC9**

ILL WILL - ...Swimming in the Sewers of the Mind · DEMO
These guys are tight as hell and the sound is very clear. However, their riffs are all too familiar. Their singer sounds like someone, maybe like that guy from DARK ANGEL, but a bit more raw. Not bad, but it just didn't do much for me. - 7.25 - <Ray> **MC9**

ILLDISPOSED - Submit · Progress / Pavement
I really could have done without all the pictures of the band member's assholes and so on, but that said, this is a monstrous piece of work. Intensely crushing, relentless, and somewhat Groovy Death Metal, with more than a few unexpected bits. That makes the music really powerful and easy to remember, and thankfully the vocals are totally bestial, so it's really all aces. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC10**

ILLDISPOSED - There’s Something Rotten... · Serious Entertainment
Yeah, there’s definitely something rotten here. This is well produced, but that won’t help its definitive lack of originality or brutality, & formulaic approach. Their most noticeable crutch is to use those slower Metalish grooves that pass as heavy nowadays. Catchy hooks abound and (dare I say) SCORPIONesque guitar tactics at times. It’s not all bad though. They obviously have lots of technical ability, but the vocals seem contrived and take a turn for the silly on "Pimp." It sounds like he tries to rip off that junky from STONE TEMPLE PROSTATES. The lyrics are sort of stupid and the album doesn’t draw enough power to keep me interested. Groove can be cool, but not in this formula. - 6.25 - <BOB> **MC11**

ILLWILL - Evilution · New Renaissance
I can’t begin to express how great it feels to type "New Renaissance" again! It’s been way too long, and I’m very excited to see that the label that released AT WAR, INDESTROY and WEHRMACHT (to name just a very few) has returned! And what an all star line up ILLWILL possesses: Snowy Shaw and Andy LaRocque from the KING DIAMOND band, Sharlee D’Angelo from MERCYFUL FATE, and Jonas af Dahlström from MOMENTO MORI. Here’s an odd thing, though: On most of the press clippings that came with this CD, there were comparisons to MERCYFUL FATE and KING DIAMOND, all of which praised the music, but seemed to not appreciate King’s admittedly unique vocal style. That doesn’t exactly sit well with me, and makes it seem as if the members of ILLWILL have some issues with the King, and I can’t see how that could be possible. Okay, that mentioned, I guess I’ll get to the actual review. The music covers a huge range. I was tempted to say "impressive," but some of it, vast though it is, is anything but impressive. When they stick to the more traditional Metal styles, like semi-early JUDAS PRIEST, or maybe Balls to the Wall era ACCEPT, then this can’t be beat (well, except by the bands that they’re emulating). Jonas’ vocals expertly cover the same range as the music, effortlessly moving from Halford’s wails to Udo’s throaty rasp. But then there are the parts added to prove how "modern" ILLWILL is. The "Industrial" bits, the MACHINEHEAD "groove," the overdriving of the normally ass kicking vocals, and then the "sweet" choruses that follow. We don’t need or want this "modern" bullshit, guys! And we really don’t want 7 minutes of chanted "Sleep, Eat, Work!" as an unlisted "bonus headache track." There is some awesome stuff on here, and it’s certainly well worth checking out. But there is nearly as much that tries too hard to be "fresh" and ends up being fresh shit. And it’s not isolated by song. There are at least some parts in every song that are unbelievable. And then in some of the cuts, there is the aforementioned fresh shit. I think that I’ll chalk this up to the guys trying too hard to make sure that they appeal to the newer listeners. If they can figure out what to concentrate on, and what to eliminate, the next album could very easily be perfect. And as is, this one is hardly bad, but it certainly has some bad moments. - 7.75 - <Ray> **MC12**

IMAGIKA - And So it Burns · World War III
IMAGIKA hammers out some serious late-80s Thrash on this, their fourth release, And So it Burns. All-out aggression just explodes from the speakers with each track. Steven D. Rice unleashes a whirlwind of wickedly heavy riffs and executes speedy, insane solos in the right places at the right times. Soaring over the top of this guitar-driven carnage is David Michael's high-powered vocal roar. This guy can scream! An outstanding production allows the thundering bass-lines of Elena Repetto to be heard...and felt! Drummer Henry Moreno backs up the music with exceptional, rock-solid double-bass work that adds even more fury to the mix. IMAGIKA is an incredibly talented band, and this album should more than satisfy your appetite for Thrash. - 8.5 - <Painkiller>

IMMEMOREAL - The Age Nocturne · DEMO
Violently raw, fast Black Metal, but with a fairly thick heavy sound that sets them above quite a bit of their thinly-produced evil peers. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC12**

IMMEMOREAL - Temple of Retribution · Blackened
This somewhat melodic, fast Euro Black / Death Metal is very well done. - 8 - <Ray>

IMMOLATION - Dawn of Possession · R/C
This debut from Yonkers, New York's IMMOLATION is not as good as I had expected. Being produced by Harris Johns (KREATOR, PESTILENCE), I thought it would be a little "punchier." Having only heard their second demo, I knew they were heading for good things. RoadRacer knew this and snatched them up. They're not the most technical band, but they are one brutal monstrosity. Ross Dolan's voice sounds like he gargles with glass. The music is low and pounding. Varying between slow & grungy to super fast Death Metal (not Grind). These guys know how to pulverize you. Dawn of Possession is ten songs of sheer brutality. Favorite tracks: "Those Left Behind," "After my Prayers," "Burial Ground" and "Internal Decadence." - 8.5 - <Paul R> **MC6**

IMMOLATION - Here In After · Metal Blade
Musically, the action here is in the tradition of early-to-mid-period MORBID ANGEL, and that's my kind of action for sure. The dynamics are patterned in a classic fashion as well: come in like gangbusters, and then continue like gangbusters. The fury that these guys kick up is a pleasure to wallow in. Particularly head-melting is the transition from the second track, "Burn with Jesus," into the third, title track; there's no silence between the songs, so you have to look at your CD player to see that 2 change to a 3. It gives the impression that the album is just one epic track that never lets up. The lyrics are pretty run-of-the-mill "Christians are retards," but it must have taken forever to compose the 666 riffs on here, so maybe the words were not top priority anyway. - 9.5 - <J.J.> **MC10**

IMMOLATION - Failures for Gods · Metal Blade
It’s been a long wait since their last disc was released back in ‘96, but this ultra-heavy monster has been worth it. IMMOLATION have taken their time and come up with a massively brutal slab of Death Metal. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC12**

IMMOLATION - Close to a World Below · Metal Blade
Let's see, what should an IMMOLAITON album deliver? Brutal anti-x-tian Death Metal, of course! And that's exactly what we get once again. Some bands need to grow and evolve, and some know better than to really fuck around with that sort of thing too much. IMMOLATION stick with what they know best, and the result is not surprising: a great album. - 8.75 - <Ray>

IMMOLATION - Unholy Cult · Listenable / Olympic / Century Media
IMMOLATION, for me, were one of those bands that I didn't like at first. I thought their sound was a big noisy mess and I just didn't give them much of a chance. It wasn't until the late '90s, hanging out at a friend's house where Here in After had just been popped in, that I grasped just what this overwhelmingly brutal, anti-Christian trio actually brings to the table. Since then I've been hooked, and speaking of Here in After, that album's formula has been the foundation for the band's last two releases and Unholy Cult is no different. Mind-boggling guitar playing, sick and twisted time changes, inhumanly intense drumming, demonic vocals bestial enough to trick the Richter scale, and the lyrics of a man disgusted and appalled at Christianity's influence on the weak minds of our society. Not to say that this band isn't doing anything new (I'll be damned if the closing riff of "Bring Them Down" isn't the most melodic thing IMMOLATION have ever attempted... dare I marvel at the birth of IMMO-emo?), but their sound has achieved the level of trademark over the past few years, and you just don't fuck with that. -9.5- <Jack>

IMMOLATION - Harnessing Ruin · Century Media/Olympic
All of this band’s songwriting since 1996’s Here in After has been a steady building progression leading up to this point, Harnessing Ruin, IMMOLATION’s magnum opus. Slowing tempos down, simplifying the songs, and a much more relaxed recording process have made IMMOLATION’s already awe-inspiring brand of ultra-heavy, technical Death Metal more addictive than ever. Embracing their new found fondness of melody, they have created their catchiest, most memorable album to date, and that’s really saying something when you reflect on this band’s back catalogue. Make no mistake, these guys still fucking shred. There’s still healthy amounts of speed, dizzying dynamics, and twisted angular riffing, but it’s the melodies, rich in despondency and tonal wickedness, that make the difference. Lyrically there is no change, still the utmost contempt and mockery aimed at the bastard Nazarene and his blind sheep, and new drummer Steve Shalaty successfully fills Alex Hernandez’s shoes and then some. Factor in a more natural production featuring the meatiest guitar sound they’ve ever achieved, and you have total improvement on every level. Admittedly, the last three tracks qualify as filler by IMMOLATION’s lofty standards, but songs like "Swarm of Terror," "Our Savior Sleeps," "Dead to Me," "Son of Iniquity," and the majestic title track stick like Krazy glue and are arguably the best songs this legendary underground band have ever written. - 9.75 - <Jack>

IMMORTAL - Diabolical Full Moon Mysticism · JL America / Osmose
Not exactly what I was expecting. This is less atmospheric than most Black Metal, but this is not to say that it is less evil - only different. Give this a listen. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC8**

IMMORTAL - Damned in Black · Osmose
IMMORTAL'S metamorphosis from Black Metal to Death Metal has been an enjoyable journey. While Abbath's vocals retain their Norwegian BM roots, the riffs have developed more structure and with superior production allow the hooks to be heard (including the bassline). Horgh's drumming is pure precision in league with Pete Sandoval. In the immortal words of BESTIAL WARLUST, this is "Death fucking Metal." Unleash the ghosts of war on the helpless sheep! - 9.75 - <Quade>

IMMORTAL - Sons of Northern Darkness · Nuclear Blast
Amazing. Truly amazing. Much like countrymates and fellow Black Metal pioneers DARKTHRONE, the guys in IMMORTAL just keep getting better with every release. Beginning with the path started on the now classic At the Heart of Winter, the music of IMMORTAL has been crafted with such eloquent design and focus while still remaining true to their genre's primal and barbaric roots. The attention paid to song structure and melody is what has made the last few albums such keepsakes. No disrespect to the Full Moon... or Blizzard Beasts eras and those whose hearts lie with them, but I'm sold on the much heavier, smoother, and more dynamic IMMORTAL, which still contains its fair share of merciless blast. Not to mention the vocals of all that is grim and frostbitten. Cultest cuts: "Tyrants," "In My Kingdom Cold," title track. - 9.75 - <Jack>

IMMORTAL AGGRESSION - Demo 1 · DEMO
The vocals are really sick. They go from gurgles to growls to screeches. Musically a little more simple, but not much, these guys tend to move pretty quickly and always kill. - 8.25 - <Ray> **MC8**

IMMORTAL FATE - Immortal Fate · DEMO
This demo contains four songs of pretty intense Thrashcore. Yelled vocals and a usually fast pace describe the songs. That is not to say, that I find them to be unimaginative. The songs have changes and I DO like them. The production is pretty bad, but acceptable. All things considered I like this demo, yet nothing really grabs me. I would love to hear this band as recorded in a high-tech studio, or better yet, live. Anyone could tell that IMMORTAL FATE would be great live, They have lots of energy. - 8.25 - <Ray> **MC5**

IMMORTAL FATE - Advance Cassette · DEMO
This two song advance tape has good production and both songs, "Submerged in Delusion" & "Defilement", are heavy, fast Deathrash. The vox are heavy, yet not as heavy as most Death Metal. I guess vocally, it's really heavy Thrash. This works pretty well and the songs both sound good. Unfortunately, after about nine listens, the tunes still aren't really sticking with me. They are great while you are listening to them, but they tend to fade from your memory very quickly. Maybe I just need to listen to them more often. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this tape and I think you should write to these dudes and check 'em out. - 8 - <Ray> **MC6**

IMMORTAL FATE - Faceless Burial Demo ‘92 · DEMO
Here's an awesome Death Metal band out of California, and I have to say they are probably the best I've heard [from CA], so far, except AUTOPSY and POSSESSED. This demo has four songs which all slay. The best track on this demo is "Lingering Torture." Josh (vox) sounds like a deeper version of Chuck from DEATH. The production is cool, and Chris from AUTOPSY does some backing vocals and it works out great. An awesome piece of Death Metal. - 9.5 - <Tom> **MC7**

IMMORTAL RITES - Art of Devolution · Khaosmaster
What we have here is a minimally exceptional amalgam of Death, Thrash, Black, and Viking Metal. The band will also occasionally throw in a mosh riff or two, and even the plains of Ass Metal are fearlessly treaded, but luckily the vocals always remain brutal and bestial. One of the songs feature guest female vocals by Alex Krull, with her husband Liv Kristine chipping in on another track. Surprisingly Liv's guest appearance is nothing special, her voice usually offsets Death vocals perfectly. Most everything this band tries is executed well, and it's all inspired by a love of all things Metal, there is just so much going on here that it's tough to give an apt description. I can safely say, however, that no matter how eager you are to sample every delicious nook and cranny of the underground, you could probably live without this. - 7.75 - <Jack>

IMMORTALITY - Mindbender · DEMO
Even though the music is predictable, I still like it. It's pretty heavy, and the vocals are raw, so that's good. And of course there is a certain comfort in the riffs, as they are hardly new. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC9**

IMPACT WINTER - Destroy The World · DEMO (CD)
This is the second demo, I believe, for this band and they felt strongly enough of it’s quality to press it on CD. For those of you who’ve never heard of IMPACT WINTER before, they are from Australia. Having said that, I’m sure you’ve figured out pretty much what they sound like. Yup. BESTIAL WARLUST, DESTROYER 666, ABOMINATOR, and SADISTIK EXEKUTION. Not terribly original, mind you, but at least they know which bands have the right idea. This is another War Metal band from down under and unfortunately for IMPACT WINTER, this just doesn’t have the sound quality to merit pressing onto CD. They have some okay songs but I constantly thought I was listening to my old CORPSE MOLESTATION (pre-BESTIAL WARLUST) demo at double speed. In terms of the music, that’s pretty much what it sounded like. Vocally, the singer has a pretty good growl, reminiscent of the earlier Death Metal bands, before the CANNIBAL monotone became popular. This is a pretty good demo, but I personally, would have saved my money and waited a little longer before pressing something onto CD format. This doesn’t suck, but the sound quality and such could (and probably should) have been better. I don’t know if they’re signed yet, but if they are, I would suggest a better recording studio or better equipment. The drums sounded like they were recorded underwater and the guitars and bass had a really distorted sound to them - more so than they probably should have. They sort of blended together, making much of it sound fuzzy. A good try, none the less. - 7.75 - <Ychoril>  **MC12**

IMPALED - The Dead Shall Dead Remain · Deathvomit/Necropolis
After a split 7" with CEPHALIC CARNAGE, two demos and two appearances on Razorback Records' Gore is Your Master series of compilation CDs, Oakland's IMPALED have finally released their debut album. Much in the vein of GENERAL SURGERY, this has that "Sunlight" sound mixed with the pathological style of lyrics. If you don't remember GENERAL SURGERY (they only had one album and a 7", both I believe were released on Nuclear Blast almost a decade ago), imagine the crossbreeding of DISMEMBER and CARCASS with the offspring possessing DISMEMBER's music and CARCASS' lyrics. IMPALED plays in the mid-paced range most of the time, slowing down and getting heavy and occasionally kicking in with a burst of speed. This range is probably the best for this style of music as the over-distorted guitar sound gets real messy at high speeds. The best thing about this album is the fact that all the songs are memorable without losing any brutality. I only had two gripes about this album. I personally thought that the guitars were a bit low and secondly, that 15 or so minutes of silence at the end of the last song just annoyed the fuck out of me. I absolutely hate it when bands do that. Other than that, this is a real ass-kicker. Oh yeah, is it me or does Sean McGrath (IMPALED's guitarist/vocalist) look an awful lot like our fearless editor Ray Miller? [It may just be you -Ed.]- 9.5 - <Ychoril>

IMPALED - The Dead Shall Dead Remain · Necropolis / Deathvomit
Like CARCASS? Decrepit Septic Death Gore. Just look for the Roto-Rooter enema on the cover. - 8.25 - <Bob>

IMPALED - Choice Cuts · Deathvomit / Necropolis
From what I hear, there were a lot of problems due to the cover art from this CD. You've probably heard about it, but just in case, it's a brand-new-born baby about to get decapitated by way of hacksaw. And it's also the most cartoony, obviously not real thing I've ever seen. Or maybe I'm such a sick fuck that it just doesn't affect me. Anyway, who gives a shit about that? This CD is a collection of rare and demo tracks, along with CARCASS and IMPETIGO covers. How can you not love "I Work for the Street Cleaner" and two different versions of "With Shit I am Adorned" on the same disc? Obviously this is for fans only, but IMPALED would make anyone with sense a fan in a just a listen or two. - 9.5 - <Ray>

IMPALED - Mondo Medicale · Deathvomit / Necropolis
More sickness and horror from the band I'm beginning to think just might be the new US masters of the Gore / Grind genre. The precision and intensity of the music is only matched by that of the laser-sharp production and of course the demonic vocal growls and rasps. I'm reminded of Necroticism-era CARCASS in a lot of ways, and I'm not sure I could think of a bigger compliment than that. This may yet be another time I'll look back and hate myself for not giving something a ten... - 9.75 - <Ray>

IMPALED - Mondo Medicale · Necropolis / Deathvomit
The East Bay's sickest freaks are back and after losing Leon (De La Muerte, their former vocalist/guitarist, now in MURDER CONSTRUCT), they prove that they've still got it. If you love your Death Fucking Metal in the Swedish style a-la DISMEMBER, IMPALED delivers the goods like you haven't heard in almost a decade. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were from Stockholm when it comes to their guitar sound and their playing style. The guitar sound and production are very reminiscent of the old Sunlight Studios sound that so many bands used to have back in the early '90s. The playing on Mondo Medicale is tight and the songs are a little bit more melodic than The Dead Shall Dead Remain but at the same time, they are no less corrosive. The band also utilizes the guttural vocals of Ross Sewage (who also did vocals for EXHUMED back in the day) and newcomer Andrew LaBarre to great effect, adding a lot of lower end to compliment Sean "Bloodbath" Mcgrath's raspy growls. The resulting medical atrocity is truly a work of grotesque art that will keep you floating in your own fecal matter for months. Oh yeah, the cover art is also banned in 84 countries. Again. - 9.75 - <Ychoril>

IMPALED - Death After Life · Century Media
IMPALED are a cheap, second rate EXHUMED. Always have been, always will be. ‘Nuff said. - 6 - <Jack>

IMPALED NAZARENE - Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz · JL America / Osmose
Like IMMORTAL, this is also more Death Metal sounding than I was ready for. Of course, still most unholy, and fairly weird, this manages to even inject a bit of evil atmosphere, which only adds to a good thing. Of course, this isn't a Black Metal band - they're "Industrial Cyber Punk Sado Metal." - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC8**

IMPALED NAZARENE - Rapture · Osmose
Extreme Black Metal combined with Death a demented sort of Crust Punk. I.N. call it "Nuclear Metal," and it will kick your ass. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC11** - "Last Second Additions"

IMPALED NAZARENE - Nihil · Osmose
Damn! This is probably the cleanest sounding IMPALED NAZARENE album ever. As a matter of fact, Nihil sounds so out of character that I almost thought that this was a completely different band! This literally sounds like DISSECTION or IN AETURNAM playing IMPALED NAZARENE covers with Mikka Luttien doing the vocal parts. The sound on the guitars is razor sharp and crystal clear, giving this a more Black Metal sound than any previous IMPALED NAZARENE album. IMPALED NAZARENE always sounded more like a DISCHARGE influenced Extreme Hardcore band with Satanic lyrics but for whatever reason, they decided to change all that this time. The DISCHARGE element is still there but the sound is so clean that they lost a lot of the raw, dirty Punk As Fuck sound. The songs are also a tad longer than before as well. The last time they did anything that was this far from the traditional IMPALED NAZARENE sound was the rather disastrous Soumi Finland Perkele album (which saw Kimo Luttien, Mikka's brother and LEGENDA founder, getting kicked out for causing the band to stray too far from their roots). The songs are good and the playing is tight but with the new sound, I wonder if we can still call this Nuclear Metal? - 8.5 - <Ychoril>

IMPALED NAZARENE - All That You Fear · Osmose
This Nuclear Metal is as precise as a laser, but somehow retains a raw, grimy Crust edge. There is little else necessary to say, other than that you should do yourself a favor and track down a copy of this disc. - 9 - <Ray>

IMPALER - Charnel Deity · Grindcore/ Deaf
This is good, solid Death Metal. Nothing too special. Sometimes something extremely cool happens: cool bass part, cool riff. Mostly the drums are kinda basic, but use lots of double bass. The vocals are acceptable, but I've heard way better. This is good, but the Death Metal competition is awesome. Pick out all the strong points and work on the weak shit guys. Keep trying... - 8 - <Ray> **MC7**

IMPALER - It Won’t Die · Root-o-Evil
They start this off with an Evil Dead sample, have way cooler corpse paint than any Black Metal band (their zombie singer, Bill, has a few huge sutures holding together his ripped-in-half face, for example), and play an extremely energetic combination of Punk and Metal, with horror/sci fi lyrics, sort of like the new MISFITS, with a little Rob Zombie (like in the song "Meat Wagon"). Plus one of their songs is a sort of tribute to BLACK SABBATH and ALICE COOPER, and they do a PLASMATICS cover ("Black Leather Monster"). And, yeah, this is the same IMPALER that had a couple releases on Combat way back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. There are maybe a few seconds on this that aren’t prefect, but it’s pretty damn close. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC12**

IMPALER - Rise of the Mutants / If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous · Root of All Evil
It's great to see these classic Shock Rock / Thrash releases back in print, and with four bonus tracks no less! But honestly the age of this material shows - mostly in the vocals and the, by now very unshocking, lyrics. Still, for old fans who have always dreamed of having this stuff on CD, this is (obviously) a must. - 8.25 - <Ray>

IMPALER - One Nation Under Ground · Root of All Evil
I really liked this band's last album, It Won't Die, but everything here is lessened. Less energy, less Punk and less Metal, for sure. I expect the lyrics to be dorky - that's part of the IMPALER charm. But some of these lyrics are closer to emabrassing. And musically, this sounds like a half-assed try at HAUNTED GARAGE, which would be okay if not for the "half-assed" part. The first really good track isn't until the 13th, "Embalmed." Their cover of "Teenage Frankenstein" is also worth mention, but not much more. Hopefully they can recover and come back with an ass-kicker next time. We shall see. - 7.5 - <Ray>

IMPERATOR - The Time Before Time · Pagan
Form the first listen, this intense Black Death was catchy, and has remained so with repeated spins. Crush your head for Satan! - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC11**

IMPERIAL - Endless Path · DEMO
It is claimed on their flyer that this band is influenced by POSSESSED. Maybe lyrically. POSSESSED could actually play their instruments (very well, I might add). This is some of the most tuneless shit to be passed off as "Black Metal" I’ve ever heard. Real songs need more than one drum beat and zero riffs. - 4.5 -  <Ray> **MC11**

IMPERIAL FOETICIDE - Earlier Unknown World · DEMO
The intensity of this band's fast Death is matched and actually exceeded by the vocals. They're perfectly raw and bestial, and occasionally switch from roar to screech - sometimes double-tracking them together for extra sickness. The clear production does nothing to diminish the energy of the music, and allows the excellent playing to really stand out. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC10**

IMPERIAL SODOMY - Tormenting the Pacifist · Criminal
Well, this is certainly intense. The raw guitar sound adds quite a bit to the intensity of the non-stop blast beat drumming. And while is disc is playing, the Black / Death / Grind power is impressive. And there are even moments that are somewhat memorable, but they are very rare, with the vast majority of the time being sacrificed on the altar of playing fast for its own sake. The problem with that is if all you have is speed and brutality, I've heard faster and more brutal, so you might consider having a little more to offer. - 7.75 - <Ray>

IMPETIGO - Ultimo Mundo Cannibale · Wild Rags
IMPETIGO started out as a Hardcore band (didn't they all) in July of '87. From there they added Scott as a second guitarist to attain a heavier sound. Ultimo Mundo Cannibale is the bands heaviest release to date. The lyrics seem influenced by CARCASS and GODFLESH. All This insanity opens up with a rape/wind storm which is pretty cool. The album is really bassy. Even a lot of the vocals are slowed down electronically to give them a deep, slow sound. The rest ot the vox are in normal Death Metal fashion, though as usual terribly difficult to understand if I am doing anything other than reading the lyric sheet. This is a terrible shame because the lyrics are cool. What I can understand is the sound bites, awesome. One is a woman being stretched on the rack and whipped, among other things. The music is pretty speedy and rumbly, and the lyrics devastate. The only thing holding this back are the electronic, unintelligible vocals. - 7.75 - <Lar> **MC5**

IMPETIGO - Giallo 10" vinyl picture disk EP · Morbid
I don’t know how this could possibly get any cooler. This is the band’s infamous 1989 demo, along with a couple of bonus tracks. Now that’s enough to make it a mandatory purchase, but Morbid Records likes to stack the deck in their favor, so they put it out as a 10". And it’s a picture disk as well. Side one is never-before-seen full-color artwork by gore master, and IMPETIGO vomiting frontman, Stevo (known back then as Stevo 138, since it was time to be an android, not a man). And side two is a colorized (very proudly by none other than me) version of the original b&w demo cover. So, even if you have the original demo, this is a must-buy situation, if you will. I now bestow upon IMPETIGO and Morbid Records the honor they so richly deserve: A perfect rating. - 10 - <Ray> **MC12**

IMPETIGO / TRANSGRESSOR - Primitives / Deathfile split · Bloodbath / Macabre Mementos
Recorded live on June 5th, 1988 (what were you doing back then?), the IMPETIGO side of this awesome slab really takes me back to the old days with three classic tracks. The recording quality is pretty good, and I hope that someone decides to put the entire show out on CD. I really need the extreme sickness of a live IMPETIGO album, and you do too. [I checked into this, and apparently there are not very many quality live recordings of IMPETIGO in existence. -Ed] On the other side, the awesome TRANSGRESSOR deliver a pair of live cuts (one of which was recorded in Michigan [For the unenlightened, TRANSGRESSOR are from Japan. -Ed.], of all places!) from 1992 and 1994, and if anyone has any doubts that they deserve to be on the same piece of vinyl as the legendary IMPETIGO, these two songs should destroy them. I believe that this is an extremely limited edition item, so I suggest that you don’t hesitate. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC12**

IMPETIGO - Faceless EP · Morbid
At last! After waiting impatiently for 9 years, this classic is finally available on CD, thanks to my friends at Morbid Records. In case you want to be extra sick, you can also get a picture disk 7" version. No Death Metal collection could possible be complete without Faceless (and their Horror of the Zombies album, by the way). This is easily as important a release as Left Hand Path, Beneath the Remains, or Deicide. Admittedly, the Death / Grind on this CD is not as over the top as some of the Grind bands of today, but these are four songs that have passed the test of time and proven themselves to be more than extreme for the sake of extremity alone. That's not to say that your head won't still get ripped off! "My vengeance needs blood!" 'Nuff dead. - 10 - <Ray>

IMPETIGO / INGORWING - Late Night Necrophiliac Fun / Peristaltica IX Split EP · Bizarre Leprous
The IMPETIGO portion of this split consists of a single live cut, "I Work for the Streetcleaner." And while the recording quality might not exactly be the greatest, it's not bad, and I'm just glad to have any kind of live IMPETIGO, anyway. As for INGROWING, we get a great new song, and a cover of none other than IMPETIGO ("Bitch Death Teenage Mucous Monster from Hell")! This is a very fitting team up, with the legendary, and, if there is any justice in the world, the soon to be. I must also mention the extreme coolness of the disc itself. It's got a clear outer ring, so that the printing makes it look as if it were very uniquely shaped. It's really got to be seen. And heard! - 9.25 - <Ray>

IMPETUS - Bloody Minded · DEMO
Nice riffs, but the snare sound grates on my nerves. It sounds like their drummer is hitting a steel drum. Okay, other than that, this is pretty standard Death, but with the added twist of two vocalists. Not bad, but they make the unpardonable mistake of rhyming "fire" and "desire" in the first song, and I swear I heard one of those vocalists say, "Let's go!" - 7 - <Ray> **MC9**

IMPIETY - Salve the Goat: Iblis Exelsi · Fudgeworthy
This is one of the best looking 7" I've ever seen. Full color sleeve, and multi-colored "splatter" vinyl. I'm happy to report that the music is up to this level, too. IMPIETY's Death-tinged Black Metal is fast and crushing, and the sound is even reasonably clear. You know a band with a song called "Cuntblasphemy" deserves your support! - 9.25 - <Ray> **MC10**

IMPIETY - Paramount Evil · Agonia
When something comes highly recommended by Fenriz, I try to take note. That’s why when I finally tracked down a copy of Skullfucking Armageddon several years ago, I was stoked. However, I was just as equally deflated when I got it home and found that the band was nothing but badly produced speed. If you can’t trust a churchburner, who can you trust? So, have the band improved since? Well, the production is way better, but musically this is still just fast noise with traditional Black Metal screeching. If all you require is hyperspeed blasting and Satanic rage, IMPIETY should get the job done as well as anyone, but as far as being memorable goes, these guys can’t hold a burning Bible to the masters. - 6.5 - <Jack>

IMPIOUS - Born to Suffer · DEMO
The fact that this was produced by Andy LaRocque (KING DIAMOND) is not at all apparent from listening to it, except very slightly in the slower, more Doomy parts. The remainder is fast Death, and IMPIOUS are experts on this subject. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC10**

IMPIOUS - Evilized · Black Sun
When I see Sweden and Sunlight Studios, I immediately think of the ultra thick guitar horrorsound of DISMEMBER and early ENTOMBED. IMPIOUS are indeed from Sweden and they did in fact record this masterpiece at Sunlight, but intense Death Metal though it is, it has a sound and identity all its own, thanks in part to the amazingly clear, yet still brutal production. And that only fits with the music, as these complex compositions required clarity so that everything might be heard in its gory - I mean glory. I had thought their Born to Suffer demo to be quite good, but the superior production of this album prove, once again, how much a good band needs a good production to become great. Evilized is not only a very impressive debut album, but just an all around godkilling evil time. Favorite track: "Born to Suffer." - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC12**

IMPIOUS - Terror Succeeds · Black Sun / Century Media
Are there any bad recording studios in Sweden?!? Hail the unholy triumvirate of Sunlight, Abyss, and (the evil memories of) Unisound! I probably just wasn't paying attention, but I don't remember hearing of "Studio Mega" before. That's where this was recorded, and the sound is fairly awesome; very crisp and clear, yet edgy and powerful. As for IMPIOUS, it's been three years since the excellent last album, Evilized, and I'm glad to say that this sonic ass-kicking lives up to my high expectations. The speed and intensity are high, and are interlaced with occasional moments of relative calm, which serve to reinforce the rest of the sonic assault. - 9 - <Ray>

IMPRECATION - Theurgia Goetia Summa · Repulse
This disc compiles the band's demo and 7" tracks, which consist of mostly overpowering Black Death, with an occasional injection of a very dark atmospheric element. The newest three songs are the heaviest and most bleak, and point the way to greatness for these unholy Texans. - 9 - <Ray> **MC10**

IMPULSE MANSLAUGHTER - Sometimes 7" · Relapse/ Nuclear Blast
How can I describe this EP? Fast. It's usually Grindcore speed, but not always. The title track is a lot slower, in fact it sounds like kinda slow Punk with near Death vox - until it drops into a super fast Blast. I really like everything about this 7": it has really fast, short songs, and one longer, more complex tune. These guys have been around for awhile and deserve more recognition. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC7**

IN AETERNUM - Forever Blasphemy · Necropolis
Really impressive, ultra energetic Thrashy Black Death. And with a production so clear that you can even hear the bass, but still extremely powerful and raw. Man, USURPER have some serious competition for the title of Best Band on Necropolis. - 9.75 - <Ray> **MC12**

IN AETERNUM - The Pestilent Plague · Necropolis
Faster and more intense than ever, IN AETERNUM is back with a new slab of Black / Death destruction. - 9.5 - <Ray>

IN AETERNUM - Past and Present Sins · Necropolis
Hold your loads, this is not the new album from Swedish Black / Death gods IN AETERNUM. There are a few new tracks here, like "Cursed Legions," which is the patented high-speed brilliance I've come to expect from this band. Too bad they let (pap)Schmier from DESTRUCTION ruin 30 seconds of it. Track 2 is by far the best original song here, originally found on the Demon Possession 7". Up next we have five tracks of the band's older material ('95-'97), which is not nearly as good. Sort of like a slower, not-as-talented version of DISSECTION. However, the next two tracks are recently recorded covers of VENOM's "Countess Bathory" (this has to be the 666th band to cover this fucking song), and KING DIAMOND's "Abigail." Both covers rule, the latter being a major selling point for me (especially since the King's wailing was not imitated). This is followed by four live cuts which is all well and fine, but from the conservative Metal-buyer's point of view, I'd hold out for something new. If these guys can keep pace with their last two albums, it'll be worth it. - 8.75 - <Jack>

IN BATTLE - The Rage Of The Northmen · Napalm
Talk about truth in advertising! IN BATTLE are in a rage and you can really tell! This is some violent, War Black Metal in the veins of SETHERIAL, DARK FUNERAL or MARDUK. Musically, these guys, like the others mentioned, play in that hyper-fast realm, where things often get chaotic and IN BATTLE doesn’t disappoint. The only thing that could be improved on is the production, which gives the guitars a rather thin sound at times (especially when things really, really speed up. A thicker guitar sound (or making them louder in the mix) and maybe a more prominent bass sound would really make this stuff heavy! The inclusion of keyboards this time around has added a little bit to the atmosphere of the music, but they are not overused and are rather minimalistic. The drums dominate the sound and I often wonder what drugs the drummer is on that allow him to play this fast! - 8.75 - <Ychoril> **MC12**

IN COLD BLOOD - Hell on Earth EP · Victory
More ass-kicking Hardcore from our friends at Victory Records. The only real fault with this is that at 22 minutes, it’s over too quickly. - 9 - <Ray> **MC11**

IN DARKNESS - Too Cold Inside · Guardians of Metal
Impressive atmospheric Death / Doom Metal. - 9.25 - <Ray> **MC11** - "Last Second Additions"

IN DARKNESS - Too Cold Inside · Guardians of Metal
IN DARKNESS is an atmospheric Black Metal band from the land of MOONSPELL, Portugal. This band is fairly typical in style to many of the other bands that hail from Europe, but they are good at what they do. Their music has a lot of keyboard integration and is more "Gothic" sounding than most others, but they still have a structure that is definitely EMPEROR or early CRADLE OF FILTH influenced. IN DARKNESS aren’t direct clones, but they do sound "familiar," if that word can be used. They do, however, really shine when it comes to their guitar soloing. They really shred when the solos kick in. I notice that very few bands actually use a guitar solo in their music, but many of the bands out there today couldn’t pull it off very well to begin with. This is one band that can and does. Luckily, the production on this allows this to really show up clearly. As I said before, this sounds very familiar, keeping them from getting a higher rating, but if they inject a little more originality, their next release will turn some heads. - 8 - <Ychoril> **MC12**

IN EXTREMO - Verehrt und Angespien · Metal Blade
Holy Hell is this ever a bad fucking idea! German Folk, or some such shit, combined with Metal guitars, bagpipes, and stupid costumes. The press release calls this "A real spectacle." Yeah, I'll bet. - 2 - <Ray>

IN FLAMES - Lunar Strain · Wrong Again
Complex, atmospheric, even sometimes experimental, music, with sort of Black Metal screeched vocals. But these guys are not lyrically a Black band. Not that they're good guys, though. When something is this tough to describe and this cool, then you know you've got a real masterpiece. The excellent production only adds to an already unbeatable monster. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC9**

IN FLAMES - Subterranean EP · Wrong Again
More evil Space Metal from the supreme masters. This is somehow even more intense than their Lunar Strain album, but just as unique, and technical. Very impressive. And I must respect any band with the balls to put out an acoustic track, as some insane (in the bad way) people are not very receptive to music unless it is exclusively "brutal," which is a stupid way to think, so some might not like this due to one track ("Timeless," which is a hell of a piece of work), which would be nuts. I'm anxiously awaiting their next release. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC9**

IN FLAMES - The Jester Race · Nuclear Blast / Wrong Again
More melodic Death Metal from this very talented band. IN FLAMES can always be counted on to deliver innovative, interesting music, and The Jester Race encompasses much of the Extreme Metal spectrum, but never even begins to hint at being forced or contrived. The ferocity of their fast Death onslaught blends perfectly into an acoustic part, or an ominously Doomy bit, or any number of different styles. The vocals are somewhat more restrained, generally being a Black / Death combination. The Jester Race is a more than worthy addition to the collection. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC10**

IN FLAMES - Whoreacle · Nuclear Blast
It’s easy to listen to this and be impressed with the musical ability displayed herein, and the stellar production. But there is far less aggression than even on their last LP, The Jester Race. A technical masterpiece, but not a very moving one. - 8 - <Ray> **MC11**

IN FLAMES - Colony · Nuclear Blast
I’m always impressed by IN FLAMES. I don’t think they know how to write a bad riff, and are experts at creating memorable Metal. But something keeps them just this side of perfection. Maybe the production is somehow too good... I’m just not sure why, but as awesome as this is, it’s somehow not flawless - even though I can’t really name any flaws. - 9 - <Ray> **MC12**

IN FLAMES - Clayman · Nuclear Blast
After really liking this band's previous releases, this album has left me cold. It's got some glimmers of their past glory, but for every second that's interesting, they counter with an equal amount of dorky Alt Rock or other lameness. I'm just not impressed by all the different "textures" and "sonic experimentation" -especially with the vocals, as some of the strategies used here are far too wimpy and limp-wristed to be taken seriously. Oh how I despise "sweet" vocals! Stop the madness! When this band wants to write good riffs and kick ass, they have no trouble with it. The problem here is that they don't care about doing that 100% of the time - or even 50%. I'll just go listen to Lunar Strain. - 7 - <Ray>

IN FLAMES - The Tokyo Showdown · Nuclear Blast
It's really hard for me to give a shit about a live album, even when it's a band I worship like DEICIDE or HYPOCRISY. There is some good stuff here. I didn't mind Clayman, so those cuts don't bother me, but there's a little bit here I'm unfamiliar with. The best songs are those from the Jester Race / Whoarcle era, but once again, I'd rather just go listen to all these aforementioned studio albums than fuck with a live a LP. - 5 - <Jack>

IN MEMORIAN - Centuries of Sortilege · DEMO
I was expecting Black Metal, but not of this sort. IN MEMORIAN play a style which is like a rawer version of ROTTING CHRIST - more Death Metal, perhaps. Their songs are not predictable, either. I was actually surprised several times, and always happily so. I'd be disappointed if this didn't get them signed pretty quickly. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC9**

IN MEMORIAN - Insantification · Rock Machine/Heavy Metal Rock
The "kiss of shame" cover alone would be worth the cost of this disc. I'd kill to get a poster of it! Anyway, that is far from the best reason to pick this up. IN MEMORIAN have come up with what may be the best combination of Black and Death Metal I've ever heard. I'd put these guys up against anyone you care to name. The use of keyboards and acoustic guitars is perfectly balanced with the relentlessly murderous onslaught of guitar and drums. Every song is instantly extremely memorable, but upon repeated listens a great depth is revealed. Wilson's vocals are perhaps the best aspect of this recording: he has the most powerful and diverse Death growl I've heard since Sick Nick Hernandez and DYSPHORIA parted ways. Insantification is in every way a classic. I am honored to bestow upon it my highest rating. - 10 - <Ray> **MC10**

IN RUINS - Four Seasons of Grey · Metal Blade
New wave melodic Death. They do it very well, but even that isn’t exactly special anymore. Still, this is a strong effort. - 8.25 - <Ray> **MC12**

IN SLAUGHTER NATIVES - Recollection · Cold Meat
As weird as it sounds, this is a "best of" disc, featuring two songs from each of this band's four albums, so for existing fans, this is of little use. But for those unfamiliar with ISN's Dark Ambient Industrial (what else from Cold Meat, right?), this is a great introduction. And although this isn't exactly my area of expertise, I do think this is an interesting CD, but I'd have to be in the right mood and situation to want to play it. - 8.25 - <Ray>

IN SOLITUDE - Eternal · Grade / Independent
The first thing to jump out at me about this band is what a strong vocalist they have. His gruff, yet melodic, singing compliments the music well. And what does IN SOLITUDE’s music sound like? Picture a hybrid of newer METALLICA and Clouds-era TIAMAT and you’d be in the ballpark. I’m actually surprised that I like this, but this band’s talent and ability to write concise, catchy songs is pretty hard to ignore. My only complaint is this: "Horizons Lost," is very blatantly built around the same chord progression as METALLICA’s "Fade to Black." We’re talking lawsuit-worthy similarity here, so IN SOLITUDE better hope METALLICA doesn’t tour Portugal anytime soon! A very nice layout and a strong production top off this CD. - 7.75 - <Brainhammer> **MC12**

IN SOMNUS - Somnus est Imago Mortis EP · Counter Attack
Majestic, sorrowful, dark dirges, that oddly enough also speed up and become sort of Thrashy at times. And this is topped off with excellent Death growls, and clean male and female vocals. Hopefully a full-length will be coming soon, ‘cause I’d like to get some more of this. - 9.25 - <Ray> **MC12**

IN THE WOODS... - Strange in Stereo · Misanthropy
IN THE WOODS... should not be dismissed out of hand, or else you will miss out on something very unique. Nominally labelled "Progressive Metal," this act ranges a bit farther than that label would suggest. "Dark Experimental Metal" would be a better description. While obviously deeply influenced by Black Metal, I.T.W. have opted to concentrate on the "Black" and leave off most of the "Metal." This has given them a broader canvas to work on and they use it well. Ranging from very ambient sounding tunes, to Nordic Folk with Metal guitars, to something reminiscent of THE FIELDS OF NEPHILIM, they cover a lot of soundscape on this album. - 9 - <Doktor Necrosis> **MC12**

IN THY DREAMS - Highest Beauty · Century Media
Six years later and we still have an unhealthy bevy of Swedish Death bands trying to write Slaughter of the Soul part II. But I have to admit, IN THY DREAMS do have a crunchy melodic trick or two up their sleeves (check out "Spirit's Forge," "Selfpity Human," and "Razorsharp"), and even a desolate dirge here and there for good measure. However, logically speaking, this style has been done to death, and one simply cannot afford every worthy imitator, can one? - 8.25 - <Jack>

IN-QUEST - Windquest · DEMO
Vocalist Noise Grinder has the same, high vs. low style of Barney Greenway (NAPALM DEATH) except Noise Grinder is more raw. The music varies from a slow, heavy, memorable, chug, to an all out Blast, which will rip your face off. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC9**

IN-QUEST - Xylad Valox · DEMO
On the back of the J-Card it says, "raw insane intense power." You'd have to read the lyric booklet to understand the "insane" part, but that pretty much sums it up. IN-QUEST plays fast, brutal Death. The weird part is that it's actually very memorable. And that's somewhat due to the ultra clear production, but mostly to the exacting skill of the band. The playing on these songs is utterly flawless, and at speeds like this, that's extra difficult. But do Noise Grinder's vocals keep up? Indeed. His style is actually like that of Glen Benton, but about twice as fierce. - 9.75 - <Ray> **MC10**

IN-QUEST - Extrusion: Battlehymns · Teutonic Existence
Long have I been a fan of IN-QUEST, and long have I awaited their debut CD release. I knew to expect Death Metal of the highest caliber, but I wasn’t ready for this total perfection. The band likes to use the phrase "Insane Intense Power" in reference to themselves, and while that’s certainly accurate, this is more than an exercise in brutality. The cool part is that in addition to being ultra-heavy, these freaks are also supreme masters of their instruments, but they don’t feel the need to show off, and just use their knowledge to write memorable songs. Plus this has an amazing production, allowing you to distinctly hear everything that is going on (the kick-ass basslines, for example). And then there are the excellent vocals of Mr. Noise Grinder. He covers the spectrum from his usual deep growls to perhaps more Black Metal inspired yells, and he’s inspirational in all modes of operation. This is one of the best Death Metal (or any other) debut albums of all time. - 10 - <Ray> **MC11**

IN-QUEST - Operation: Citadel · Shiver
While not quite as flawless as their debut, Extrusion: Battlehymns, this is still a solid slab of Death. I can detect some "modern" influences this time, but for the most part everything is fine. If this album came from another band, I'd be singing their praises, but from IN-QUEST, I expect nothing less than perfection and, while this certainly kicked the asses of my neighbors as I reviewed it, I am left somewhat disappointed by its non-perfection. - 8.25 - <Ray>

INCANTATION - Deliverance of Horrific Prophecies 7" · Relapse
Interesting... Pretty brutal Death Metal, but it seems to be missing something. Perhaps this is due to the production, which is at best adequate. Yeah it's heavy, and yeah it's brutal, but so are about a billion other bands. A little originality would completely save them. That and a better produced effort. However, I do understand that no one puts the money into a 7" like they do a full length album. Anyway, I think their debut album could solve all the production faults. - 7.75 - <Ray> **MC7**

INCANTATION - Onward to Golgotha · Relapse
This album was a bit disappointing, but it's still a great piece of work. It's just not as good as the Deliverance... 7". This only has a few new songs, one of which is the totally kick-ass title track. Craig's vocals are still awesome, but the production could have been a little better. But this still kills. - 9 - <Tom> **MC7**

INCANTATION - Mortal Throne of Nazarene · Relapse
Heaviness without end. Unparalleled brutality. This is an intense album! Super-powered Death from the first second to the last. - 9 - <Ray> **MC9**

INCANTATION - The Forsaken Mourning... EP · Repulse
Wisely they have kept the songs short concentrated bursts of pure Death. Speaking of DEATH, we are treated to a very convincing cover of "Scream Bloody Gore." Nothing new here, but nothing bad either, and 44,000 great riffs, too. In this case, the old saying "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" applies in spades. Glad they didn’t try to "fix" anything. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC11**

INCANTATION - Blasphemy · Necropolis
For over a decade INCANTATION has stood strong in the Death Metal underground, and while their albums have always been evil and super brutal, this is probably their most memorable and best effort ever. The slow-death, almost MY DYING BRIDE-esque, "Once Holy Throne" is just beyond belief, and provides a very effective balance and intro to the warp speed of the next track, "Crown of Decayed Salvation." This is a very well thought out and written album, and with it INCANTATION has come damn close to Metal perfection (weird outro excepted). - 9.5 - <Ray>

INCANTATION - Decimate Christendom · Century Media / Olympic
Up until 2002's Blasphemy LP, the highlight of INCANTATION's career, to me, was a DEATH cover. I just never really got into them back in the day. They have always been one of the most brutal Death Metal bands around, there's no question about that, but for me, it has to be memorable, too. As I said, I thought with Blasphemy they had finally turned the corner and discovered the formula for both attributes, but sadly with Decimate Christendom, they have reverted back to old habits. Again they have crafted an extremely brutal album, but aside from the standout cut, "Dying Divinity," nothing here sticks. Not even the slower stuff is catchy this time. This album goes by like a heavy blur, sterile and forgettable. Maybe they can bounce back and make another solid album, maybe I'm just nuts in the first place. Either way, this is a disappointment for me. - 6.5 - <Jack>

INCESTUOUS - Brass Knuckle Abortion EP · United Guttural
Six songs in about 16 minutes (plus around 6 minutes of wasted "blank" space before the last track starts)! But, these sick fuckers play so fast, this is probably 90 minutes of music, just at warp speed most of the time. If I hadn't seen them live a couple times, I'd wonder if it's even possible to play the drums this rapidly. But the Gore Grind extremity and insane speed drumming aren't the most impressive things about this band. No, that honor lies within the twisted mind and throat of my old friend, Sick Nick, former growler of the true DYSPHORIA (now sadly borken up), from the Chicago area. He's easily one of the most versitile and demented Death-screamers I've ever heard, and brings this short album up from "good and fast" to "great and fast." - 9 - <Ray>

INCINERATOR - Thrash Attack EP · Sound Riot
Okay, I was more or less enjoying the first song ("Scream Queen") on this aptly titled album, until the singer proved that in fact he is the scream queen by letting out an ear piercing wail heretofore unknown by those of us possessing testicles. And then the ball-less squeals continute to appear throughout the rest of the songs, too. Early DESTRUCTION and KREATOR perfected this style aeons ago, and INCINERATOR could stand to take some lessons from them. - 6.75 - <Ray>

INCRIMINATOR - Who Are You To Say? · DEMO
Under the restriction of listening to INCRIMINATOR for the first time on my Walkman (being it was just after 1 AM), I missed out on the full force volume I appreciate, but I was not disappointed at all. This band can be accused of no crime, other than the production of a good demo. For a first release, from a band that has been together for roughly 3 years, and are still sometimes carded when purchasing cigarettes, only applause is welcome. These 6 songs are a mix of unique, yet endemic-to-Thrash, style conglomeration. Traces of their influences can be detected: the eerie musical qualities of KING DIAMOND, the clarity of Hetfield, D.R.I., DEAD KENNEDYS, and SCATTERBRAIN, to name a few. - 8.25 - <Rolan W> **MC7**

INDECISION - Release the Cure · MIA
This is really more modern sounding Hardcore than I was expecting, but with the stamp of approval from none other than AGNOSTIC FRONT's Roger Miret, I can hardly say any more about that. Actually, I am hard pressed to find many flaws here. There are occasional riffs I don't much like, and sometimes the vocals get a little overdriven, but for this kind of Metal-influenced Hardcore, INDECISION might be about as good as things get, and they probably have the best lyrics. There are also some total monsters on here, such as the crushing "Save Me," which, even at only 1:36, might be worth the cost of the disc by itself. Seriously. - 8.25 - <Ray>

INDUSTRICORE - The Great Barrier · DEMO
The production is really muddy, and the vocals are way too loud, and none too good. It doesn't get a lot better beyond that. Maybe if it was recording quality was a little better, I could make out what's going on. As is, this is not too good. - 5.25 - <Ray> **MC8**

INFAMOUS SINPHONY - Hell is Round · Chainsaw
Uninspired Thrash, with slightly pissed off vocals. Every now and then I heard something of interest, but then I thought, is this a SEPULTURA cover? It wasn't. - 7 - <Ray> **MC9**

INFAMY - Infamy · DEMO
Very intense and fast Death. They inject a little Grind for high speed destruction. When they slow down a bit, like the beginning of the second track, "Frantic Mutilation," they can be pretty heavy, too, but mostly go for the brutality award. - 8 - <Ray> **MC9**

INFAMY - The Blood Shall Flow · Repulse / Qabalah
Memorable, intense Death Metal. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC11** - "Last Second Additions"

INFAUSTUS - Re-Creation · DEMO
I really like this. Everything sounds great and I even think the lyrics are good. Very heavy production and vocals, as would be expected for a Death band. Nothing is really missing, although the drums are mixed pretty low, but the level isn't too high anyway. They even vary the speed within the songs and never lose their intensity. Excellent job, guys. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC8**

INFECT - Three Song "Pre-Demo" · DEMO
For some reason, I really like this a lot. They certainly don't bring anything new to this fast Death style, but this is pretty catchy, in addition to the necessary brutality, and it also has something I can't quite identify. Maybe it's the clear production or the vocals, I'm not sure, but I dig it. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC8**

INFERNAL DREAMS - And I Dream... · Guardians of Metal
I was tempted to say that INFERNAL DREAMS plays melodic Death Metal, but that's not exactly true. More accurate would be to say that this band plays fairly brutal Death Metal that makes use of keyboards, and occasional melodic passages. And they do it more or less to perfection - musically. The only drawback, minor though it may be (other than the overly long intro), is that their singer tries to match the heavy / atmospheric dynamic with his voice, and will sometimes bust out a word or two "cleanly," which is very distracting. He also has quite range of growls and screams, but all those kick ass. Plus you get a pretty cool CD-ROM video track, too. This is just a rough edge or two shy of flawlessness. - 9.5 - <Ray>

INFERNAL LEGION - Your Prayers Mean Nothing · Moribund
Very primitive, raw Old School Death Metal with a back-to-basics approach that commands my respect and attention. The main hindrance here, however, is an all-too-common one with which I have personal experience with as a musician, repetition. So much of this album is killed by excessive repetition that it’s almost sad. Make no mistake, these riffs are awesome, but most are played way too many times. The end result is boredom. Factor in a lackluster production and Death vocals so irksomely gruff they are begging for some studio polish, and unfortunately you see which direction we’re headed in. I wanted to like this, and deep down I do, but there is so much room for improvement that I have no choice but to end this review with a stale cliche. Better luck next time. - 7 - <Jack>

INFERNAL MAJESTY - Creation of Chaos · DEMO
INFERNAL MAJESTY are finally back and this time they look as mean as they sound. This four song demo is a Deathrash classic. Lyrics, thanks list, a strangely colored cover, and brutal yet memorable songs. I don't really have that much more to say, except that I know this may not be exactly what you expect from this legendary band, but I think you will like it. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC5**

INFERNAL MAJESTY - Unholier Than Thou · Hypnotic
Their self-congratulatory press release ("they were the main influence on ‘80s + ‘90s Death Black Metal") aside, I’m glad to see that I.M. have returned. And they wisely left the big Glam fag hair and chicky makeup at home this time. All that said, this is an excellent slab of evil Thrash, but not exactly a classic like their 1987 debut (and only other album), None Shall Defy. - 9 - <Ray> **MC12**

INFERNAL TORMENT - Instincts · DEMO
Some bands try to be the goriest, or the heaviest, or have the best production, or the most memorable riffs, or the most brutal drums, or the more intense vocals. INFERNAL TORMENT utterly destroy them all. No band has lyrics more overflowing with gore than this band of post-mortem motherfuckers. Never have I heard a demo with production this powerful, or clear. The riffs and drums are worthy of CARCASS at their splatterific best, which, in case you didn't know, means that they fuckin' kill. And then there are the vocals. Scott is in the running for the sickest Death pukes in the history of the world. This is truly worthy of the description 'brutal." The intensity is just beyond belief. I think you should put this zine down immediately, and write to these guys. If this doesn't get them signed, then the world must be destroyed. - 10 - <Ray> **MC9**

INFERNAL TORMENT - Man’s True Nature · Diehard
Now we get to the sickest motherfuckers (literally!) around. INFERNAL TORMENT are (at the time of this CD’s release) arguably the heaviest Death Metal band on Earth, & it’s between them and PATHOLOGIST for the most utterly brutal Death vomit vocals I’ve ever heard, although I.T. do vary the vox, and are sometimes they are "only" as brutal as those on CANNIBAL CORPSE’s Tomb of the Mutilated. If you want ultra-intense Death with the sickest lyrics you’ll ever read (probably sicker than you think!), then look no further. I must add two more comments: I don’t know how they do it, and maybe it’s because I listened to their flawless Instincts demo about 2 million times before I got this CD, but this stuff is really catchy! And, according to the liner notes, the guitar lead in the track "No Longer A Virgin" was "recorded while watching a nun being penetrated with an 18" cock." Knowing these guys, they might just mean they personally witnessed it! If you ask me, that’s cool. - 10 - <Ray> **MC11**

INFERNAL TORMENT - Birthrate Zero · Diehard
It seems that whenever a band changes their logo, their sound changes, too. Gone is the completely over the top Über-Death and gurgled vox that made me freak out over their debut CD. Not to say that this isn’t heavy as Hell. It’s certainly still brutal Death Metal, but is now in a more controlled style. I’m sometimes reminded of the precision Death groove of the last two NAPALM DEATH albums. I’m also glad to report that there is still some sickness here. I suppose that I.T. had no choice but to go in a different direction. After all, how could they improve upon perfection? Birthrate Zero is in no way a sell out of any kind, but rather a choice of surgically removing one’s head, rather than smashing it to a pulp. - 9 - <Ray> **MC11**

INFESTER - Darkness Unveiled 7" · Moribund
Like the other Moribund 7"s, this has excellent sound quality, and both these songs are intense Death. Also memorable, which is an unbeatable combination. Sick cover art and red vinyl add the final touches to this great release. - 9.25 - <Ray> **MC8**

INFESTER - To the Depths, In Degradation · Moribund
Vocals brutal enough that a lyric sheet is useless (at least when trying to follow the songs), actually it's even a brutal font on the lyric sheet: Old English. As you'll guess, the style is insane Death Metal from the depths of depravity and Hell itself. So that pretty much means that it's a great album. - 9 - <Ray> **MC9**

INGROWING - Perverted Look at the World · DEMO
This band plays some of the most aggressive Death/Grind I’ve heard, but thanks to their supreme riffs, drumming & vocals, it’s also fairly easy to remember. This combination of brutality with "catchiness" is actually less uncommon than it once was, but it’s always cool to hear. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC11**

INGROWING - Sunrape · Obscene
I'm sure that it's no surprise to any fans of musical extremity that INGROWING has delivered yet another brutal slab of intense Grind. These guys concentrate on sonically pummeling the listener into paste with their speed and ferocity, and yet have little trouble simultaneously creating memorable songs. - 9 - <Ray>

INGURGITATING OBLIVION - Voyage Towards Abhorrence · Unmatched Brutality
Ingurgitating Oblivion? Even the band name is unmemorable. Nothing like a moniker that takes several seconds of mental preparation to pronounce. It should come as no surprise that the music is equally as redundant. Not to say that this isn’t extremely brutal, well-played Death Metal, in fact, I’m almost tempted to call it second rate IMMOLATION, much more a compliment than an insult in my eyes. They also take a slightly deeper lyrical route than your standard gore or Satanic fare, but as far as enjoyability goes, the album reaches its peak on track 3 ("Veil of Perception") with a catchy vocal pattern intact with actual hook. From then on it becomes a brutal blur, despite attempted melody. Impressive, but it never really hits home. - 7.25 - <Jack>

INHUMAN - Inhuman · DEMO
These guys take super-memorable Death riffs and add a little Doom. This already impressive mix is supported by an honestly stunning guitar sound, & positively bestial vocals. I didn't notice that they use a drum machine until I examined the J-card, so I'd have to say that it's extremely well programmed. - 9.75 - <Ray> **MC10**

INHUMATE - Internal Life · DEMO (CD)
The promo tape I got to review only has 6 of the 18 tracks from the CD, but that’s enough to tell what the band is about. This is well produced and generally pretty intense (mostly thanks to playing fast), plus the growled vocals are excellent. However, there are some rough spots in the music, but certainly not enough to be much of a problem. - 8 - <Ray> **MC11**

INHUMATE - Ex-Pulsion · DEMO (CD)
Very intense Death Metal, with excellent production. - 8.25 - <Ray> **MC11** - "Last Second Additions"

INIQUITY - Five Across the Eyes · Mighty
Brutal Death Metal with a somewhat modern sounding production and the occasionally weird riff. This sort of spans the Death Metal ages from the more technical leanings of latter-day DEATH or PESTILENCE to the genre's more simplistically brutal beginnings, to more recent sounds of extremity. - 8.25 - <Ray>

INKLING - Minute · An Object at Rest / Double Down
This band mixes somewhat groove-oriented, although at times brutal, Hardcore with some sparse Metal influences, and also the occasional mellow vocals, which I think might be what "Emo" means. The Emo bits can be a bit much for me sometimes, and so can the musical repetition, but as it turns out, they're not too problematic. - 8 - <Ray>

INNER FEAR - Disfavour of Humanity · DEMO
Some bands just have a way of writing catchy riffs. INNER FEAR is one such band. But that’s hardly all they have going for them. The raw, yet understandable, growls and great production really put this Death Metal band over the top. One listen and you’ll understand, and won’t be able to forget. - 9 - <Ray> **MC11**

INNER FEAR - Promo ‘98 · DEMO
Although only consisting of two songs, this is enough to convince me that this excellent Death Metal band must be getting some label offers. They’re fast and intense, and the strong riffs and great production keep things memorable. The vox are raw, yet somewhat understandable, and seem to fit perfectly with the sound of the music. Hopefully I’ll get to hear more than two songs soon. - 9 - <Ray> **MC12**

INNER FIRE - In Blood We Trust · Painkiller
Cheap-sounding Death/Doom. Nothing special happening here. Try to imagine GARDEN OF SHADOWS minus the talent. - 4.75 - <Jack>

INNER THOUGHT - Worldly Separation · Dwell / Witchhunt
Not exactly what I was expecting from Bobby Sadzak's new band, but pretty damn good. I had thought that this would be raw Death (I guess I expected SLAUGHTER II), but instead I found very precise, sort of Thrashy, music and a drum machine. Not that it sounds Industrial - it doesn't. They just use a machine, and have some samples and the occasional keyboard. Vocally, Kelly sounds fairly unique. He's raw and is the Death Metal element of the band really, but it's pretty easy to understand him. Every now and then the drum machine doesn't seem quite right, or the vocals are maybe not exactly heavy enough, but for the most part, this is a fine album. - 9 - <Ray> **MC9**

INNER THOUGHT - Perspectives · Witchhunt / Dwell
Although retaining their Industrial influences, such as use of a drum machine and samples, this album is somewhat less mechanical sounding than their debut disc, Worldly Separation. This is a darker, heavier, and in some ways more traditional Death Metal release. That is not to say that they don't still have some eccentric elements within the music. They do, but everything is more fully integrated and, for the most part, put more into the Death side of things. I think it works very well for them. - 9 - <Ray> **MC10**

INNER WAR - Inner War · Frozen Dawn
This album, which may possibly only be available on cassette, is an absolute fucking steal at $3, and I assure you that it would be three bucks well spent. INNER WAR's somewhat Thrashy Death Metal is backed up by a flawless recording, and perfectly brutal vocal growls. - 9 - <Ray>

INQUINOK - Entranced by Twilight’s Gaze · Demo
Symphonic yet savage Black Metal in the vein of old DIMMU BORGIR and even older EMPEROR. Nothing a grizzled Black Metal veteran hasn’t already heard, but certainly not lacking the elements he/she appreciates. An effective compound of rage and grace. Suggested mix selections: "Excidium" and "Fields of Mourning." - 9 - <Jack>
www.inquinok.com

INQUISITION - Into The Infernal Regions... · Sylphorium
INQUISITION return with their second release of infernal Black Death Metal. The thing that strikes me about this band is the vocals. I have, to date, not heard anyone quite like Dagon. This guy gives me the fucking creeps. I’ve heard my share of evil vocalists, but this one has to take the proverbial cake. Like MORTEM, INQUISITION has a singer who is actually understandable. Unlike MORTEM, however, INQUISITION’s vocalist does not really require a lyric sheet to follow along. Musically, this is some rather primitive Death in the old vein (imagine stuff from the early MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, POSSESSED). While they occasionally break into a full-on attack of brutal speed, INQUISITION stay in the mid-paced realms, which gives them a heaviness and a darker atmosphere. Somebody arrange these guys a tour so I can see them live! - 9.75 - <Ychoril> **MC12**

INQUISITOR - Blasphemous Accusations · DEMO
This is a totally professional job: Full color J-card and amazing sound. The songs are even better. Fast Death, with somewhat screechy vocals. Very impressive, especially the drums. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC8**

INQUISITOR - Walpugris, Sabbath of Lust · Shiver
The music is nearly all fast Death (although there are some sort of odd parts), thick guitar tone, and intense drumming. The vocals are multi-layered screeches and yells, with some impressive highs as well as demonic growls. The lyrics give a massive clue that these guys might prefer the term Black Metal for themselves, as they are exclusively blasphemous, but they refer to their style as "pure God-damned Metal," so I'll just stick with that. - 9.5 -. <Ray> **MC10**

INSANCTUM - Ignite the Skies · Cacophonous
This band is actually marketed as Deathcore? Are you fucking kidding?! These guys don't have the attention span or rhythmic skill to even attempt a breakdown. What they really are is sloppy, irritating, terribly-produced Black/Thrash with embarrassingly awful overdriven vocals. Put that on your promo sticker. - 4 - <Jack>

INSANITY - Phobia · DEMO
The only fault with these songs is that there are only two of them. INSANITY's brand of Thrashy Death is pretty memorable, and the sound is thick, and bass heavy. Hopefully they will release some more material soon. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC9**

INSANITY - Mind Crisis · Muvuca
After a little intro, my old friends get started with the ass kicking and don’t ever let up. This is sometimes straight ahead brutal Death Metal, while at other times, it’s more complex, technical, and even, dare I say it, experimental. With the last, "hidden," track being the most so. INSANITY aren’t afraid to take chances and try new things, but unlike other bands who like to experiment, they wisely know that they should also keep some things within the realm of Death. - 9.25 - <Ray> **MC12**

INSANITY PUPPETS - Who Brought the Corpse 7" · Kill A Tree Hugger
This 7" has 3 pretty Thrashy tunes. The vocals are yelled and usually the music is fast. There is a pretty interesting intro and all things considered, the production is the only low point. However, nothing extra exciting happens here. It's not bad, but it's not great. Maybe the production detracts from the material, or maybe the songs just don't have the necessary element. Write to 'em and decide for yourself. - 7.25 - <Ray> **MC6**

INSATANITY - Divine Decomposition · Unisound
Massively heavy Death Metal, with gurgled vocals and Satanic lyrics. Nope, I'm not talking about IMMOLATION, although INSATANITY are certainly not totally dissimilar from them. Crushing, pro-evil Death. That should be all you need to know, one way or the other. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC10**

INSATANITY / IMMORTAL SUFFERING - Split CD · Mortal Coil
INSATANITY start with 6 tracks of their blasphemous Death. They more than get the job done in terms of brutality & evilness. And this is a "great" match up, since I.S. deliver 6 more cuts of the same style. It might have made a better CD if you could more easily tell the difference between the bands, but if you want a Satanic sonic ass-whipping, these two bands of god haters will gladly fuck you up. - 8.25 - <Ray> **MC11**

INSIDIOUS DECREPANCY - Decadent Orgy of Atrocious Suffering · Unmatched Brutality
"This album is dedicated to the life and music of Dimebag Darrell Abbott, a true metal god. You will be missed." - 1 - <Jack>

INSIDIOUS DECREPANCY - The Inerrancy of Profanation · Unmatched Brutality
Okay, so maybe I overreacted with my review of their prior album. It’s just when it comes to smut like Christianity and PANTERA, I have to adopt a zero tolerance policy. It’s not like I completely regret the rating, as it was a boring listen, but nothing validates a second chance like seeing Jesus crucified inside a pentagram with his cross shoved up his ass. The truth is, this isn’t so bad, and as far as one-man Death/Grind attempts are concerned, I’d have to say it’s among the best. Gut wrenching, high speed, inhumanly brutal Death/Grind recommended if PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT or PUTRID PILE float your boat. The crowning achievement of Inerrancy... is the drum programming. This just might be the best programming I’ve ever heard! I couldn’t program a drum machine if you put a gun to my nuts, and I’m just wondering how in the fuck he got such natural sounding cymbals and realistic fills. He could’ve easily taken credit for live drums, no one would’ve suspected shit. I guess when you factor in his vocals are brutal as fuck and the riffs this time are actually memorable, this Shawn Whitaker guy can pretty much do it all. I’m not saying this is the greatest record ever made, but I can admit when I’ve been too harsh, and dude’s work is a lot better than I gave credit for. - 9 - <Jack>

INSISION - Meant to Suffer · DEMO
Death Metal from Sweden. And INSISION does not sound like DISSECTION, nor DISMEMBER. No, these guys have their own form of rapid-fire intensity, more akin to US Death than what is normally associated with Sweden these days, and have just about perfected it with these four songs. - 9 - <Ray> **MC12**

INSOMNIUM - Since the Day it All Came Down · Candlelight
If you’re like me and you really miss the three years of their career that AMORPHIS were cool, you’ll warm up to INSOMNIUM like a Jew to a stock point. This album is absolutely overflowing with the same kind of rich, majestic melodies that used to grace their fellow Finns old records. I suppose a comparison to old IN FLAMES wouldn’t be too far off as well, but INSOMNIUM are not just copycats, in fact, they are actually heavier than either of these noted influences. Niilo Sevänen has the perfect Death/Doom vocals. His growls are low, deep, and dark, yet somehow understandable, the perfect compliment to the band’s despondently poignant lyrics. These guys usually choose to crush at a mid-pace, but will occasionally speed up and are akin to an acoustic interval a la OPETH. Essential listening for the forlorn. Favorites: "Daughter of the Moon," "The Moment of Reckoning," and "Death Walked the Earth." - 9.75 - <Jack>

INSTITUT - Great Day to Get Even · Cold Meat
Rhythmic electronic noises, and occasionally what might be shouting. If I wanted this, I could just turn on my TV to channel 1 and beat my head against the wall. Speaking of "one"... - 1 - <Ray>

INSULT - Live at "Farview Hospital" for the Criminally Insane 7" · Decapitated (USA)
The kool-aid red vinyl is pretty neat, and the music is intense, umm Hardcore Punk, I guess. Soundwise, this is not too awesome, but it was recorded live. - 8 - <Ray> **MC9**

INSULT II INJURY - Point of This · Century Media
The great drumming and guitar sound are utterly wasted on these ancient riffs. How many times must I hear the same riffs METALLICA stole from whomever 10 years ago? It is pretty funny to hear the singer yell "yeah" in his best PANTERA imitation during the first 30 seconds of half the songs, though. - 3.25 - <Ray> **MC9**

INTEGRITY / MAYDAY - Split 7" · Game Two
Each band has two songs on this red disc. The MAYDAY side is pretty heavy, and the speed varies a lot. INTEGRITY are also heavy, but with more yelled vocals. Well, sort of painfully yelled, in a deep voice. - 8.25 - <Ray> **MC9**

INTEGRITY - Humanity is the Devil · Victory
As you would expect from the Victory label, INTEGRITY play very intense Hardcore, although these guys seem to have a little more of a Thrash influence than a lot of their peers. The vocals are in the traditional Hardcore style, though; pissed off and screaming. INTEGRITY also have a pretty weird view on humanity, as they apparently think that 75% of the world's population has been replaced by demons, and that "Hell has been relocated to earth." The first 20 minutes of material on here is great, but skip the last two tracks. They consist of some pathetic spoken word bullshit, feedback, 15 minutes of dead space, and some terrible "hidden" songs. It would have really been a great idea to release the first 6 songs alone as an EP, and skip all the crap. - 7.75 - <Ray> **MC10**

INTEGRITY - Seasons the Size of Days · Victory
INTEGRITY combine Hardcore and Thrash, and do it well. This is superior to their last disc, Humanity Is the Devil, but the entire booklet is wasted with only band photos. Maybe I’m crazy, but I’d say that the fucking lyrics are more important than their faces. - 8.25 - <Ray> **MC11**

INTEGRITY 2000 - Integrity 2000 · Victory
I’m not really sure why they felt the need to change their name from INTEGRITY to INTEGRITY 2000, but their Thrash-infused Hardcore is still pretty much the same, and that’s the real important thing. Well, and on the press release they pay their respects to Anton LaVey. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC12**

INTEGRITY - Closure · Victory
Never one of my all time favorite Hardcore bands, INTEGRITY (who I thought had changed their name to INTEGRITY 2000 as of their last album) seems to be venturing into some divergent territory with this release. The song "Empty Shell," for example, is soft and quiet, just this side of Ambient, almost. Of course much of this album is more intense, but there are plenty of "experimental" parts here, too, which can seem a bit out of place. The vocals are a little distorted or overdriven sometimes, which I don't really like and furthermore don't think is necessary, since they're otherwise just fine. Possibly the coolest thing about this whole package is on the press release (and cheers to whomever wrote it): "INTEGRITY will not be on Ozzfest as they do not RAP." I just wanted to make sure everyone got to see that. Also interesting is their strange, although not bad, cover of THE MISFITS' "Hybrid Moments," and cryptic lack of information in the CD packaging (it's just images, the song and album titles, band logo, and the Victory contact info - nothing else). - 8 - <Ray>

INTENSE - Indifference · DEMO
I think their name says it all. They are certainly intense and nonstop. The vocalist has talent for a Death / Hardcore style of singing that’s completely understandable. They have definite guitar riffs and great production. An impressive piece of work from these Hungarian masters. - 8.25 - <ANG> **MC11**

INTERNAL BLEEDING - Voracious Contempt · Pavement
I was warned that the production was a little weird, but really other than a lack of bass, and a thin guitar sound it's fine. It's very clear, but I won't lie and say that the thinness of the guitar sound doesn't hurt them, because it does. A better recording would have been a plus. But let's discuss the music, shall we? It's very intense Death Metal, or as the band likes to say, "it's fuckin' slammy, and full of pit riffs!" And this description is pretty accurate. I've seen these guys live twice, and when they play, all I can think of is dropping everything and diving into a big swarming mass of freaks. The only drawback is that to the owners of this band's 2 other CDs (both on Wild Rags), this album presents only 4 new songs (of 10), albeit with far superior sound, and of course their "new" singer, Frank, utterly destroys their previous vocalists. I predict that their next album will be one for the vaults of eternity. - 9 - <Ray> **MC9**

INTERNAL BLEEDING - The Extinction of Benevolence · Pavement
Now this is more like it! I.B.’s first full-length CD, Voracious Contempt, suffered from a thin production and a lack of new songs, but those problems have been solved with this monster. Frank’s vox are more demonic than ever, and now the full power of their "pit-riffs" has been released. This Death Metal will kick your ass until you remember it, then throw you into the pit to die. - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC11**

INTERNAL BLEEDING - Driven to Conquer · Pavement
Back again with another album of pit-inducing Death Metal. And another new singer. I hope they can keep this line up, since I think it’s their best so far. And thanks to ironing out the past problems of production and fine tuning their songwriting, this may be their best album to date as well. - 9.25 - <Ray> **MC12**

INTERNAL BLEEDING - Alien Breed (1991-2001) · Century Media / Olympic
Aside from one awesome brand new track of patented power-mosh pit riffery, longtime fans of INTERNAL BLEEDING will find nothing new here other than a documentation of the horrible sound productions that plagued this band's first three demos ($1 Demo, Invocation of Evil, and Perpetual Degradation; the latter two featured here in their entirety). But surely for the newer fans this is absolutely essential. As we know, one must be "anointed in servitude" to truly comprehend the impact this band has made on the scene over the years. - 9.25 - <Jack>

INTERNAL BLEEDING - Onward to Mecca · Olympic / Century Media
Much like the recent reformation of fellow NY Death legends, PYREXIA, this incarnation of INTERNAL BLEEDING is hardly authentic. Drummer, Bill Tolley, is the sole original member. Nevertheless, all worries and doubts were immediately cast aside upon first listen of this monstrously aggressive slab of USDA-approved prime cut Death Metal. Massive waves of crushing groove envelop the listener while brutal riff after brutal riff detonate in a campaign of shock and awe. INTERNAL BLEEDING’s riffs have never been more pit, nor have their beats ever been so trippy. All joking aside, this is a flawless album. The guitars, drums, bass, vocals, and lyrics are the embodiment of the word "heavy." This is a masterpiece of negative energy that hits like the curb on an open jaw. And by the way, while a lot of the kids today may believe mixing the brutality of Death Metal with the intensity of Hardcore is a novel idea, these guys (regardless of lineup status) have been at it for 14 years. Show some respect and add an impeccable album to your collection in the process. Best of the best: "Bleed by Example," "Siege in the Clouds," "Far Above You," and "Hatefuel." - 10 - <Jack>

INTERNAL SUFFERING - Supreme Knowledge Domain · Qabalah / Repluse
Holy fuck is this seriously brutal! It's the kind of Death / Grind that can kill from 1000 feet. As you might expect, the songs aren't particularly easy to remember, but while its playing, this is as massively intense as things get. - 8.25 - <Ray>

INTERNAL VOID - Standing on the Sun · Relapse / Nuclear Blast / Hellhound
These guys play Doom sorta like SAINT VITUS, and have a very similar religious standing, also. Of course this is the most ancient style which exists in Metal. I mean, BLACK SABBATH released their first (and best) album in 1970. However, as dated as this sound is, this album is really pretty good, and at least they know what band to emulate. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC8**

INTERVALLE BIZZARE - Promo 99 · DEMO
Super brutal Death / Grind with monstrously sick vocals. Too bad there are only three songs. - 9 - <Ray> **MC12**

INTERVALLE BIZZARE - 2000 Promo · demo
God damn, I guess we’re a little behind the ball here. Oh well, fuck it! It’s a brand new release in dog years, right? Fortunately it’s too awesome to ignore. Insanely brutal, spastic Grindcore like only the Czechs can do. If you miss bands like IMPERIAL FOETICIDE and FOUR SEATS FOR INVALIDES (you see, the Czechs are allowed to misspell because they’re cool) half as much as I do, you will welcome this promo into your collection like it was Aurora Snow’s asshole. This showcase of frantic speeds, demented Death Metal growls, and dazzling instrument punishment is even diverse and dizzying enough to give Tech Metal geeks the world over infinitesimal erections. What’s sad is that it’s six years later and this band is still relatively unknown, hopefully not dissolved by now. [Editor’s note: since the release of this demo, IB has been on a split CD with MALIGNANCY and Relapse’s flawless Czech Assault compilation CD along with IMPERIAL FOETICIDE, NEGLIGENT COLLATERAL COLLAPSE, CONTRASTIC, and FLESHLESS.] This TERRORIZER cover alone should’ve gotten them signed to Sony! - 9.75 - <Jack>
Kolej Sazava · Chemicka 952 · 148 29 Praha 4-Kunratice · Czech Republic
bizzaretommy@seznam.cz

INTESTINE BAALISM - An Anatomy of the Beast · Repulse
I.B. play an interesting form of melodic Death that occasionally slows down into more Doomy territory. Well played & recorded, this is a must for fans of precision murder that’s also full of emotional power. - 9 - <Ray> **MC11**

INTO ETERNITY - Buried in Oblivion · Century Media
Wow, it's Death Metal JOURNEY. Excuse me, I have to throw up. - 1 - <Jack>

INTO THE SUNLESS MERIDIAN - Into the Sunless Meridian · Near Dark
After suffering through the Ambient noise intro for almost 3 minutes, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to listen to the rest of this CD, and I guess I shouldn't have bothered. With a band name as ridiculous as this one, I was expecting totally flaming-out-of-control "artsy" pseudo-Black Metal, and I got that, but worse. The stupid song structures aren't even really the problem. I could almost accept them as some twisted, but failed, form of experimentation. What totally destroys this recording are the different vocal styles. Weak, generic B.M. screeches are the best of the lot, with the others ranging from drones to something like a little girl talking "all scary." I'm sure this guy (it's a one-man band) was going for King Diamond (he even covers "A Corpse Without Soul," just so you can be totally clear as to how inferior his vocals are), but this is just a lame ripoff. There's only one King for a reason. - 4 - <Ray>

INTRICATE - [va:l] · Century Media
Sorta Industrial, sorta Death (with some Thrash elements), sorta Hardcore (at least the vocals). Really it's a good combination, although a bit difficult to describe. Check this out. Favorite song: "Turning." - 9 - <Ray> **MC8**

INTRUDER - Escape From Pain · Metal Blade
This is only an EP, not a full length album and there is only one brand new song: "Escape From Pain." Other than that, there is an incredible cover of the CHICAGO classic "25 or 6 to 4" and three songs written in 1987. All the songs are very well done, and the sound is excellent. James Hamilton’s vocals are very aggressive, but not raw, they are what Joey Belladonna (ANTHRAX) and all the other "singers" want their vocals to be: powerful, enthusiastic and melodic. Normally I hate this kind of vocal strategy, but it works very well for James and he puts a lot of effort behind his vocals. This makes an interesting combination with the fast pace of the music, which is not so heavy as say, MORBID ANGEL, but still gets the job done. All the original songs tell stories, they are ballads (that’s what a ballad is, dick) and I think that’s cool. This EP ought to get INTRUDER recognized as a leader in the Thrash field. I highly recommend it. - 9.25 - <Ray>
{I haven’t listened to this EP in years, but I still miss these guys.} **MC3**

INTRUDER - Psycho Savant · Metal Blade
This is pretty much straight forward Thrash. The vocalist, Jimmy Hamilton, actually sings and this is somewhat interesting. Sometimes it works, as in the song "Invisible," and sometimes it simply does not. The music is heavy, for Thrash, and reasonably fast. Some double bass can be noticed too. The songs are all a bit too long and this is distracting, but it doesn't ruin anything. It all could have been better. Although this is not awesome, it's not bad either. - 7.75 - <Ray> **MC6**

INVASION - Conquered · Baphomet / The Plague / Connected
Totally gay! No, just kidding!! Actually, this is one of the most intense Deathrash releases I've heard in quite some time. And I'm not just saying that because I know them and did the layout! Conquered is a half-hour of unrelenting brutality in all ways. - 9 - <Ray>

INVERACITY - Circle of Perversion · Unmatched Brutality
First off, let me just say that I wholeheartedly love the cover art. I must fantasize about this exact vision 50 times a day. I can only pray that the hole getting her due is a cock-teasing lesbian or a promiscuous airhead slut. Or maybe just a random Usher fan. That works for me, too. As far as the music goes, this is severely brutal Death/Grind. How brutal? Imagine VEHEMENCE and INIQUITY tag-raping a nun while BROKEN HOPE and DEEDS OF FLESH watch. The band's most vital asset is their vocalist. His Death growls are inhumanly bestial and they never let up. Brutality fiends, you will feel this one in your bowels. - 9.25 - <Jack>

INVERTED - Empire of Darkness 7" · Regress
INVERTED always come through with heavy, yet memorable riffs. The production is pretty punishing, but maybe that suits their brutal Death attack. - 9 - <Ray> **MC9**

INVERTED - There Can Be Only One · Shiver
INVERTED have returned to deliver unto us more Satanic Death Metal. The intensity and brutality have been turned up, but I don’t find this album to be as completely memorable as The Shadowland, but that may be because I’ve not yet had the time to listen to this as frequently. - 9 - <Ray> **MC11**

INVERTED - The Shadowland · Shiver
Near perfect memorable Black Death. Get this or get dead. - 9.75 - <Ray> **MC11** - "Last Second Additions"

INVICTUS - Mind Control · DEMO
This five-piece Thrash outfit sounds raw. The vox and production especially. Kind of screechy, the vocals could get annoying, but the music is pretty intense. Sorta Punk-like energy, but with a little Death Metal power thrown in. The rawness of the recording adds to the overall effect of energy. The songs are even kinda catchy, and I really like 'em. Not awesome yet, but they have the potential. I'd keep an eye on this band. - 8 - <Ray> **MC7**

INVOCATOR - Alterations · DEMO
Impressive. Two color cover, photo, lyric sheet and a thanks list. This is a professional looking and sounding demo. It has excellent production and all four songs are brutal Death Metal. I can find nothing to criticize here, so this is about the best it gets. My only question is: why aren't these guys signed yet? - 9.5 - <Ray> **MC5**

INVOCATOR - Excursion Demise · Cargo/ Black Mark
Reasonably speedy Deathrash. Jacob's vocals are, perhaps, a bit too Thrashy, but their lyrics are interesting, so maybe they want people to be able to understand them from the first listen. Anyway, I have no complaints about this album. It's really good, but just not completely awesome. I think the production has left their sound too "thin." But that can easily be fixed and I'm really looking forward to their next release. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC7**

INVOCATOR - Weave the Apocalypse · Black Mark / Cargo
This is a lot Thrashier than I expected, but that's hardly a problem, just a bit of a surprise. Actually, this album is incredible: Very powerful, yet memorable music, good vocals, and interesting lyrics. Amazing. - 9.25 - <Ray> **MC8**

IOWASKA - Vine of Souls · Alternative Tentacles
I hardly even know where to start with this excellent album, except to say that for some strange reason they put maybe the least-great track first... Okay, now let's get to it: the singer / guitarist, Sam, used to be in the seminal Crust band AMEBIX! However, her vocals, along with the music, are drastically more far ranging than you might think. Musically IOWASKA seems to be almost boundless, effortlessly moving from Punky Metal to seemingly BAD BRAINS inspired Reggae-Hardcore ("Woman"), to Crust ("Big Deal Get Real" - althought it is somewhat lightweight by today's standards). And Sam has no problem matching her enchanting voice to the music, no matter should she need brutality or sensitivity. Okay, she also has a hot English accent, plus she could probably kick your ass. I like that. - 9 - <Ray>

IR8 - IR8 · DEMO
Do you give a damn what Jason Newsted has been doing in the 200 years since METALLICA's last studio album? I don't, but here it is anyway: IR8. I guess that Jason has been hanging out with Rob Halford, since these 3 songs sound like out-takes from FIGHT, with perhaps the worst elements of FORCED ENTRY thrown in for the hell of it. How many times must Mr. Newsted screech "I am colossus" before I lose my mind? I think he says it about 10,000 times in a row. This is just stupid. - 4 - <Ray> **MC9**

IRM - Oedipus Dethroned · Cold Meat
Weird, Ambient darkness that comes screaming into the forefront with an electro-noise distorted assault. One does not listen to this CD so much as live through it. Depending on how you think about things, that either makes this a one or a ten. - 1 - <Ray>

IRON ANGEL - Hellish Crossfire · Old Metal
This is a name I haven't heard in a long time and it's actually cool to listen to this again. Hellish Crossfire is the first and probably the best album by IRON ANGEL. It mixes the early Thrash style (kind of like old DESTRUCTION or maybe a little KREATOR) with the traditional Metal sound (JUDAS PRIEST / NWOBHM) and really fucking rips. The singer for IRON ANGEL really sounds a hell of a lot like Halford and that is only a good thing. Few others can really do that "tormented soul" banshee wail like Rob Halford, but the throat behind IRON ANGEL sounds so much like him that it's uncanny. Comparisons can be made to PRIEST's Painkiller in terms of aggression and power, though Hellish Crossfire was done many years before that particular PRIEST album. Yes, the guys look a bit moronic in their early '80s "rock star" duds but I think all the traditional Metal bands sort of looked like that before MOTLEY CRUE and POISON proved that particular mode of dress was really, really fucking gay. If you can overlook the hokey photos of the band, this is a kick-ass old Speed Metal album with more than a little Thrash influence, some great hooks and more Metal in one song than anything that calls itself "Power Metal" today. - 9.5 - <Ychoril>

IRON FIRE - Revenge · Napalm
A seemingly infinite number of bands want to be various combinations of JUDAS PRIEST, HELLOWEEN and MANOWAR. Or maybe these newer bands don’t even go back that far and just want to sound like PRIMAL FEAR and HAMMERFALL, or whoever. I don’t know. In any case, IRON FIRE’s attempt is competent, certainly, and if you still don’t have enough Dungeons and Dragons Power Metal in your collection, you could do worse than Revenge. But the band name and album title should tell you just how derivative this group is. - 6.75 - <Ray>

IRON LUNG - Chasing Salvation · Diehard
I.L. do a pretty good job mixing the sludgier moments of SABBATH with something like KYUSS. Doom/Groove Metal, I guess. Every once in a while, they write a truly amazing, soul smashing riff. But just as often the vocals are goofy, so I suppose it balances out. - 7.5 - <Ray> **MC11**

IRON MAIDEN - No Prayer for the Dying · Epic
This album has brought nothing but disappointment for IRON MAIDEN’s legion of fans. Excluding "Tailgunner," "Holy Smoke," "No Prayer for the Dying," "Public Enema Number One," and "Mother Russia," this album is worthless. I wonder if this failure with the other half of the songs is due to the absence of Adrian Smith, the former lead guitar (who was replaced by Janick Gers)? Or could it be because Bruce has turned into a sissy after trying his luck as a "Tattooed Millionaire"? At any rate IRON MAIDEN has lost its balls. Proof of this can be found in Dickinson’s "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" and the Dickinson-Smith tune "Hooks in You." I can’t imagine who would like these two songs, perhaps a BON JOVI or GUNS ‘N’ ROSES fan. Not me! Maybe the IRON men should have thrown out the poor songs and just kept the good ones. I would have much rather had a five song EP that I really thought ruled, than this ten song effort wherein I don’t like half the songs. This is the 1st MAIDEN album that I don’t worship. - 7.5 - <Mars>
{Mars’ first review... You know, it’s odd how things turn out. IRON MAIDEN have never really recaptured their early (or even mid) glory. Eventually Bruce Dickinson left the band, and was later rejoined by Adrian Smith (who left before him), to write and record (so far) two absolutely incredible Metal albums, Accident of Birth and the flawless The Chemical Wedding. So, although I don’t exactly know why MAIDEN haven’t been kicking the ass they should recently, and didn’t on this album, it clearly wasn’t because of Bruce and Adrian, although it sorta looked that way at the time.} **MC3**

IRON MAIDEN - Best of the Beast · Castle
This 2-CD best of oddly enough leaves off such classics as "Powerslave," and "Flight of Icarus," but makes up for that by supplying us with two tracks from the infamous Soundhouse Tapes, the brand-new cut "Virus" (which is pretty good), a live version of "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" with Blaze on vocals (they should have included a live version of "Wrathchild" with Blaze singing - it was stunning when I saw them), digital remastering of all the career-spanning tracks, and a little hard-cover book with all the lyrics, a timeline and a band "family tree." If you're a MAIDEN fan, like me, you have no choice but to immediately go buy this. If you're not a MAIDEN fan, you have no choice but to immediately shoot yourself in the face. - 9.75 - <Ray> **MC10**

IRON MAN - Generation Void · Brainticket
Wow, are there ever a lot of bands that sound like BLACK SABBATH! And honestly, a lot that rip them off better than IRON MAN does. One of the major problems that I have with this recording is the severe lack of heaviness. The guitars should at the very least be thick and loud, but even the best moments here are too light-weight, their sound too weak. That may not be the band's fault, but it doesn't matter, really, because the result is an album that could have easily been better with just some studio adjustments. But not perfect; in fact, far from it. The lack of guitar crunch isn't the only thing holding back IRON MAN. I could almost get used to that. The other component is their singer, who often phrases his vocal lines as if he were form the Bizarro world, and almost always tires too hard to "sing," which thanks to his transparent, restrained, unemotional delivery, ends up making him sound like a pansy. A Bizarro pansy, at that. Which is weird, because the band photos make them (except for the chick, of course) look kinda tough. More attention paid to the guitar crush factor, and either no vocals, or a different singer (or maybe this dude could try doing it like he means it, and really let loose), and we might have something here. - 7 - <Ray>

IRON MONKEY - Iron Monkey · Earache
Heavy, sludge Metal, with vocals from another dimension of raspy screeches that can somehow be low pitched. And the lyrics seem to come from smack-induced fever dreams. Insanity Sludge Junk Metal. Whatever it might be called, it’s pretty cool. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC11**

IRON MONKEY - Our Problem · Earache
More Devil-worshipping Insanity Sludge Junk Metal. This time with cover art by convicted evildoer Mike "Boiled Angel" Diana. The music is sick, heavy, and raw, with plenty of feedback. While the vocals are beautiful screams from another reality of pure pain. So, I’m pretty much all for it. - 8.75 - <Ray> **MC12**

IRON RAINBOW - Iron Rainbow · DEMO
Oh shit. Someone took the brown acid, and is living in the 70's, or 80's or when the fuck ever this psychedelic crap was passed off as "Metal." If it were slower (so as to be not as goofy sounding), possessed any heaviness, and not so clearly a rip off of all that is wrong with CATHEDRAL, then IRON RAINBOW might be okay. It makes it all the more horrible that these guys somehow consider themselves to be the "meaning of Metal." Let us hope not. - 6 - <Ray> **MC9**

IRON RAINBOW - Never Settle for Less Than Metal · DEMO
I've got to give them credit for at least having the right attitude. And this is certainly improved over their self-titled demo; the music is a bit heavier, the playing is in some places impressive, and the sound is thicker and more bass-heavy. They sometimes seem to be influenced by the Groovier aspects of CATHEDRAL, or perhaps by whatever influenced them, and I don't like those parts as much as the rest. But really it's the vocals I don't like. Jeff sort of talks his way through, more than doing any actual singing. He is slightly more restrained in "The Castle," and it's a bit more tolerable, but perhaps an aggressive style would work better for him. It's not that I'm against "clean" vocals (IRON MAIDEN is one of my all time favorite bands), just bad ones. - 7.25 - <Ray> **MC10**

IRON SAVIOR - Dark Assault · Noise
A sci-fi concept album, plus a JUDAS PRIEST cover ("Delivering the Goods")?!? A Traditional Power Metal band with a singer who isn't afraid to get a little gruff with his vocals when necessary, and is just plain good at what he does?!? What the fuck is going on here? Ahh, Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, HELLOWEEN)! His presence answers all my questions. Checking into this band a little more, I see that I'm a bit behind the times, as this is hardly their first album. I'm not sure how actively I'll seek out their other releases, but this is certainly making me consider it. - 8.5 - <Ray>

IRONSWORD - Promo-Tape/95 · DEMO
I think that these guys try to re-capture the old MANOWAR feeling, but the level of my copy is so low (rarely ever getting above -30 dB) that it's difficult to say for certain. I detect some high-pitched yells and what sounds like very simplistic drumming, amid fuzzy guitars, keyboards, and a healthy bass-tone. I'd like to hear what they could do if a label put some money behind them for studio time, since I think there is a lot of potential here. - 8 - <Ray> **MC10**

IRONSWORD - Promo-Tape/98 · DEMO
Well, the sound here is certainly an improvement over their last demo. IRONSWORD play Traditional Metal, and for the most part do a great, high energy, job of it. There are a few improvements that could be made, though. In the first track, "Avenger," they must repeat the title a million times, which starts to wear thin quickly. The next track, "Call of Doom," seems much stronger, even in terms of the production, so I’m surprised they didn’t put it first. Anyway, it’s great to see that IRONSWORD have made some improvements, and that they’re working hard at perfecting their craft. They’re not quite there yet, but if things continue at this pace, they may be soon. - 8.5 - <Ray> **MC12**

ISACAARUM - Menses Exorcism · Obscene
HOLY SHIT!! Am I fucking dreaming? Can this really be this cool? Am I really listening to the first band to successfully mix bludgeoning Gore-Grind with raw Black Metal? If I am dreaming, for once do the decent thing and let me die in my sleep. This is just amazing. It is honestly like listening to CARCASS, BATHORY, EXHUMED, MARDUK, HAEMORRHAGE, DESTROYER 666, SQUASH BOWELS, IMPALED NAZARENE, and NASUM all in one! I just came!! The only flaws I can find, and believe me I had to dig deep, are a sickeningly disturbing layout (I just hope that piss was digital), and a pretty shaky understanding of English which leads to confusing song titles and lyrics. That's it, two minor, superficial flaws that really take nothing away from a splendidly deranged listening experience. Any connoisseur of musical extremity's collection is simply incomplete without the Menses Exorcism. Favorites: "Cock Control," "Cummand & Cuntquer," "Menstrua," and "The Menses Exorcist." - 9.75 - <Jack>

IT IS I - Evolve · Dwell
Let's have some feedback, and slow, chuggy riffs, please. There is a sort of Industrial feel to this, in both the drums and riffs (sometimes), but the vocals are all Death sickfest. The idea here is excellent, however the execution isn't quite up to it. - 8 - <Ray> **MC9**

IT WILL COME - 47/Bound · demo
Very moving, melancholy Doom with female vocals from Sweden. A touch derivative of most female-fronted Doom bands, but done well nonetheless. Cruel or not, I have to be honest, I’d like this a whole lot better with male vocals, preferably Doom/Death growls. However, Louise Halldin has a pretty voice and she gets the job done. Perhaps Metal maidens across the globe will dig this, but in my neck of the woods, if it ain’t USHER, MAROON 5, or some kind of Jesus-infested Pop/Country, the dames won’t go near it. In fact, I can’t recall ever meeting a woman with good musical taste in my entire life. Sad, isn’t it? - 8.25 - <Jack>
www.itwillcome.se

IVORY NIGHT - 7 - Dawn of the Night · Housemaster
Power Metal. - 1 - <Jack>

IVORY TOWER - Beyond the Stars · SPV / LMP
God damn it, if you want to be a "Power Progressive Metal" band - what the fuck ever that's supposed to mean - or any other kind, you must have a singer who does not utterly suck! This wimpy Prog Metal might be tolerable if not for this fruitbooty's horribly annoying wailing. - 1.75 - <Ray>