Review by Szymon on December 31, 2019.

Gregor Mackintosh apparently liked the sounds of forging old-school death metal very much since just after burying Vallenfyre founded a new band.

I must admit that I like all those death metal side projects, carried out by the sad men from Paradise Lost. I like them even more because of the high level of "Medusa" which indicated that their mother band also benefited from the side games of Nick Holmes and Gregor Mackintosh. Of the two, Gregor seems to be more productive one. When, after three solid albums, the presumed expiration date of Vallenfyre arrived, the guitarist did not wait long to form a new band.

Mackintosh formed Strigoi together with bassist Chris Casket who once scrolled through the lineup of Extreme Noise Terror, he also toured with, you guessed it, Vallenfyre. Drum parts on the debut album were played and recorded by drummer of Paradise Lost (and, what a surprise, Vallenfyre), Waltteri Väyrynen, who did a splendid job. This way, everything stayed in the family. Mackintosh and Casket also co-produced the material, while sound wizard Kurt Ballou, who also worked on the last two Vallenfyre albums was responsible for the mix. The result is superbly legible, and at the same time still distinct and natural death metal sound of Abandon All Faith.

The key to the album's success is compositions. Strigoi is, of course, a natural continuation of the path chosen by Vallenfyre, which is clearly heard on several levels, especially when you consider the 2017 "Fear Those Who Fear Him". However, while the death and doom metal mix performed by the project preceding Strigoi sometimes tended to silt up one-dimensional gloomy tracks, Abandon All Faith brings a whole range of new (and better!) ideas. Short tracks are nothing new to Mackintosh, but the less than two-minute "Nocturnal Vermin" brings unprecedented, almost d-beat power, boosted by slightly industrial reverb and carried by furious work of drums. Even shorter "Throne of Disgrace" was built according to the best canons of classic British death metal, and equally good things happen in the lively "Seven Crowns". There is more life here, more energy, and the head is eager for headbanging.

At the other extreme end are equally successful, long-lasting, doom rollers - "Carved Into The Skin" and the closing album, epic and bone crumbling "Abandon All Faith". They are a great counterweight to the rest of the material, constructed around catchy, though free from all sweetness, death metal. The best example of this could be single material "Phantoms" or the equally unique "Plague Nation". I have always liked the sound of Mackintosh guitar, who can smuggle his unique style not only in Paradise Lost, but also in more underground playing, which can be heard perfectly in Strigoi. One cannot fail to mention the industrial inclusions heard here and there, previously announced in the interviews, which, although they only play the role of additional flavors, work very well, for example, in "Parasite" or in the title track mentioned above.

All these ideas make up an extremely appetizing mix. Abandon All Faith remains in the drawer of death / doom playing, but it is neither as raw nor as gloomy as Vallenfyre, whose formula along with the third album began to run out. The creation of the new team apparently allowed Mackintosh to gain some distance and catch the wind in the sails again, which came out good for Strigoi. This is one of the best albums of the past year, not only in the debut category.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Allan on February 26, 2003.

After a two-year hiatus South Florida’s Where Fear & Weapons Meet is back with not a full-length album, but a MCD simply titled “Control.” Their intention: to create some real hardcore. No more indecipherable howls, none of that Swedish influenced crap, and certainly not any of those ‘so-technical-you-won’t-know-what-hit-you’ leads. Nah, “The Weapon” isn’t about that. They’re about creating that traditional hardcore sound with that much needed modern edge, and you know what? It’s working.

There’s something about catchy songs with a heavy edge that gets the listener every time. It’s identifiable, and more importantly, it’s fun. “Control” is a good album to sit back and rock out to. The rhythm - guitars, drums, and all - leads the songs forward with its high paced, high-energy, and positive style. And what would a good hardcore band be without a vocalist – in this case Alex Roundhouse – that had that same energy as the music and the will to bring the listener right up onto the stage with them? Vocals are a big part of The Weapon, and Roundhouse’s “listen to me I have something to say” attitude is perfect for the part. When all of the band members get together to shout out some lyrics together, it really gives “Control” a great punk feel, which further pushes the traditional hardcore-ness of this album and the positive feel of things.

While “Control” is an MCD that only clocks in at around 14 minutes (yes, 14 minutes), it is definitely welcome by fans of a band that is coming back after two years. If The Weapon keeps pushing themselves at this rate, there’s no doubt that their absence will be put behind them and they’ll be able to jump right back into the scene.

Bottom Line: Traditional hardcore fans, this is for you.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 5
Overall: 7

Rating: 6.6 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on March 23, 2020.

Jenner is Serbia's speedy thrash metal trio that issues its first EP and second official release aptly named The Test of Time. This is actually my first exposure to the band, despite having seen the name bandied about in various forums or social media platforms. It seems I should have paid a bit closer attention to these ladies early on it, because while I'm always a proponent of the “thrash-is-over” sector, occasionally ab and comes and kicks open a door or three. Jenner did that to a solid degree.

First, the production is very full and heavy in all the right spots, which, as a child of the 80's, is about as foreign to me as speaking Swahili in a Mexican restaurant. As production values grew stronger over the years, the true power of thrash and speed metal could be heard with all of the ferocity that it was originally supposed to be heard all along. I do enjoy the ripe, heavy-mix sound Jenner captured here; the bass is nestled nicely in the songs, the guitars are crisp without overstating their presence, and the vocals crest effortlessly over the mix. A winner there, for sure.

Now, the songs...this is thrash with speed elements abound. What I find overly tangible are the galloping riffs, a veritable necessity for thrash metal to be in any way effective. The blueprint of forming a 'wave-riff,' or main riff, to set the pace is well done in each of the songs, but particularly in the second track, 'Test of Time', a true banger if ever there was one. The speed and pacing is genuine and interesting throughout and I couldn't help but dig what I was hearing, even if I've heard the style so much over the last 35-years I'm practically able to dissect it in my sleep. The familiar sonic nuances that make up the core of thrash metal are also found scattered within, by way of riding, galloping verse riffs and chugging bridge cascades (as there's really no avoiding the need for them); but as with any genre, it takes a special band or artist to take an old dog and teach it some new tricks. Jenner manages it pretty damn well.

Guitarist Aleksandra Stamenković has taken over the vocal duties, and she manages to pull it off nicely, shifting between a turbulent growl and a clean, flowing tone so evenly that the seams never show. Her vocal style fits this type of thrash perfectly, and she never comes across like she's trying to embellish or over-compensate, which is always welcome in this house. The right amount of weighty powerhouse delivery whets the palate so well here.

My first foray into these ladies won't be my last; overall, a very palpable slab of speed / thrash that will no doubt lull the masses accordingly.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by JD on November 14, 2008.

I have to say, I heard some really good things about Left To Vanish through out the scene... and they were all over the place with the hype that was being generated. My great crushing disappointment came when I was charged with reviewing it, and I heard it for the first time.

As a Nu-metal band that is seemingly trying to be heavier and faster while making a real name for themselves... Left To Vanish fall way short of the mark. It sounds good, the packaging is awesome and everything. It does seem like they are exceptional musicians, and their lyrics seem to be top notch as they explore things that are funny yet serious as well... as a whole, they just simply don’t bring it across in a way that is at all really believable.

They are very ingenious in how they crafted their material, but they lack the one thing that would bring them out of the shadows of all of the other Nu-Metal bands... believability! Songs like ‘Dirt Merchant’ and ‘Eyeless in Gaza' show Left To Vanish have more than just amazing potential, as these are so well written yet very nasty truthful songs... but overall the feel of the album lacks that believability that it needs.

Don’t get me wrong, Left To Vanish has a long career ahead of them, and I see them getting way better than this in a really short amount of time. "Versus The Throne" is a good start for the band but it is only that... a good start.


Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 7
Originality: 5
Overall: 7


Rating: 6.2 out of 10

Review by JD on November 25, 2012.

With a name like Last Beautiful June on an album I was going to be reviewing I was expecting some sort of Prog Rock/Metal band with some very strange ambiance going on in its musical shell. Fuck was I wrong!! This German band I think picked the wrong moniker for its act.

Post Punk meets Screamo/Mathcore with shadings of Metal tagged into the whole thing. LBJ seems to be a hastily conceived patchwork of different extremes of music that just never come together. Horrid guitar work that a first year student could do without a second thought, very predictable and dull songwriting, questionable recording practices and a singer that sounds like a chainsaw cutting through a pig. I have found a band that is pretty bad.

I listened to every last second of this album - doing it three times like I do with all albums I review - and I came up with the same thing. I wondered how this band got this far, offering up music that has no real direction, structure or sense of musicality to it, with members that seem to have no clue what they are doing. It is clusterfuck of nonsense and very badly played music.

I would rather choose to listen to ABBA for ten hours (this being my number one most hated band in the universe) than have to listen to this album one more time. Last Beautiful June needs to get into a better line of work here before real Punks and Metalheads kick their asses. Picking fly shit out of Pepper would be their best bet as a career choice, since no amount of music lessons would help.

This is my opinion... deal with it.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 2
Atmosphere: 1
Production: 1
Originality: 0
Overall: 1

Rating: 1.0 out of 10