Believer was one of the first real "Christian death metal" bands around. But they simply borrowed from many death metal bands and forged their own sound.

Yes, you can detect a "bravo" from me. There are so many textures to this album (though on the whole I think it lies somewhere in the industrial vein) it would take a scholarly article to lay them all out. And I have more interesting things to do.

So listen. This is part of Roadrunner's "breed beyond" (along with Cynic and Pestilence). Okay. I would only ask why every band couldn't be interesting and experimental (though then I wouldn't be jamming such cool Bad Religion discs all the time). Ignore the tangent.

Don't be afraid. I know you fucks don't care about the religions of the bands you play (Living Sacrifice and Tourniquet come to mind most recently), so play this because it is rather good. Amazing, even.

Also known as Circle of Dust, this album is more guitar driven than that project. To continue the Ministry reference, this is more like Psalm 69...

CMJ gave this a rave a few months back (geez, I hate getting stuff late), and I'll have to concur. There are not many out there doing anything this interesting, and Brainchild/Circle of Dust/whatever deserve the same notoriety.

As a special note, look for Circle of Dust remixes of Brainchild and Living Sacrifice material later this year. Seems the latest trend is techno death metal. Could be worse. Could be grunge versions of Lionel Richie songs.

Reasons not to like Broken Hope: I've heard it all before, didn't like it then, um, I guess that's it, really.

Sorry to be so hard on the guys. This isn't as bad as the stuff they put out on Grind Core (it's better produced, for one thing), but I still can't escape the urge to fall asleep whenever I hear them.

On the other hand, a lot of you like stuff that sounds like this, so enjoy. (That wasn't a cop out. It is the truth.

As most of you know, R.E.X. was the original home of Believer and still houses such bands as Living Sacrifice. Here comes their industrial onslaught.

Reminiscent of Rape and Honey-era Ministry, this is more than mesmerizing. Yes, since it's on R.E.X. there is Christian content, but much more in line with the real world than the guys you see on TV.

And good music transcends all philosophical differences. In case you still hadn't caught on, this is good music.

Not sure what else I can say to make you dig this, so I'll just implore you to listen. Metal djs have been picking up more and more industrial these days, and with the aggression level this high, there is good reason.

They've passed through their cheez-metal stage (kinda) and are now into their "boy, when George Harrison cruised the guru, he was really cool" stage. Not to make fun of anyone's religious beliefs or anything, but the stuff that's written here is so incoherent I can't imagine how it adds up to philosophy.

I'm not even going to touch the pro-life song, since Death did it already a couple of albums ago. While I don't agree with the view, that doesn't mean my saying this far oversimplifies things is biased in any way (so I did touch it after all).

As for the music, it's rather fully-produced, and the guitars have a bit of annoying Motley Cruee-esque harmonizing. Actually, a lot of this has a bad glam edge. I think I spoke too soon about the cheez-metal thing.

There are hard-core remnants wandering around, but this is just too awful. I thought their "comeback" had some potential. I don't see it anymore.

Where is the sound?

I thought Scott Burns had produced himself into a rut, so this really changed my mind that way. But the sound seems to have simply dropped off the face of the earth. I can't find any bass to save my life, and the bass is cranked in my equalizer.

And it's really too bad, because this stuff is both catchy and creative. And anything but death metal. Not sure if I really like the manipulated vocals so much, but oh well.

Boy, if there were a fuller sound I could really dig this, but it's pretty fine as it is.

To lead off an album with a track describing how cute Agent 99 (Get Smart) is, you have to have a little chutzpah. Well, if you want to be taken seriously, I mean.

Thankfully, that's not on the Didjits agenda. Yes, kids, punk can be playful and while they are routinely stupid, the Didjits don't claim to have any golden keys to heaven.

This is pleasant and goofy. I don't know what else to say. If you've heard the Didjits before, this is right up the same alley, a little better than their previous EP. Good summer driving music (now that fall has already arrived up here).

If you have the ep, you know why this is essential. Unfortunately, if you have the ep, you have half of this album already. But this is too good to quibble with.

Everyone I have spoken with about this has used the words "atmospheric" or the like. It certainly is a new direction in doom and death metal.

Of course it takes talent to make music like this. And influences other than the obvious. I'm not sure what all the "for we will not pass this way again" stuff is. I know some of the members have an ambient project as well, but jeez.

While I would hate to see them forget "all this noise," at least they did record a project that can never be forgotten. And if they record again, it will be the stuff of legend, I'm sure.

Excellent sparse production; reminds me of early Pungent Stench. And we know how good that is!

Nothing far from the ordinary, but with this sound, their musicianship is on the line. Dismember passes without a doubt.

With each release a definite maturity has arisen, and that continues here. A real devotion to fine riff work and solos that don't blaze, but really sound good and mean something. Funny how a little blues background can make all the difference.

A simple "this rocks!" cannot suffice. Instead of succumbing to overwrought production and absurdity like many bands, Dismember have stripped down and kept the real spirit alive.

Rather technical sorta-doomy stuff, like a mix of latter-day Voivod and, well, Metallica, really. And while I thought I detected some doom, I must have been mistaken.

They need to work on their own sound. More time to jam, more time to work out. While nothing spectacular yet, these guys can play. As soon as they find their collective muse, something could really happen.

I would put these guys in the die-hard evil camp, but you have to have a plan. This is pure pain, delivered to the ears with the most amazing sound possible.

Their first was a little on the sparse side, and I liked it. The pain here is created by wondrous arrangements of feedback and general sludge.

To call Eyehategod brutal is a severe understatement. These boys have found a sonic synonym for agony; it almost bleeds into your ears.

Sure, this stuff is hardly radio-ready, though most of you folk have figured out that currently the F.C.C. has no legal grounds to nail stations for indecency (let's all watch the Howard Sterns case together, shall we?). So fuck it, and play this bastard into the ground.

Rather accessible death metal. Decent riff work and not half-bad production. I've heard worse released on CD.

There is a technical element in this, like they trust their talent more than their emotion. In time, the playing should meld with what they want to say and yield a more pleasing product.

Not to gripe about this. But I hear so much more waiting to be unleashed.

Lillian Axe signed to MCA back when the glam revolution was about over. Now that even Poison can't sell that many records any more, how is it Lillian Axe is still around?

Well, for glam, this isn't bad (and might I say that single was a terrible choice). And there is no cheesy rendition of a bad seventies song on this one, so an obvious improvement over their last effort.

Actually, I am familiar with all their stuff, and this is easily their best album. It sounds dated and is a little silly, but hell, that didn't stop the Spin Doctors, now did it?

Used to be Exhibit A, but you know those lawyers...

Straight for the neck riffola, this is fine metal in a traditional vein. Reminds me of early Anthrax (which, of course, is a good thing). Fine production for a demo, everything comes out nice and clear. They do get a little happy about their technical proficiency, but I've ridden that horse long enough this issue. This is great.

Their recent EP was awful self-indulgent and pretty dull. This takes the whole pop psychedelic thing and makes it more interesting.

I still don't really like this scene all that much, but Seam is loads better than all that stoned-out mush wandering over here from England. I refuse to even discuss the stupid things most American bands have tried to do with distortion and a lack of melody.

There is melody here, and the feedback seems to be crafted as part of a plan. I can handle and appreciate that. I can understand the words (not necessary but really nice, considering there's no lyric sheet) and they are fairly interesting.

This isn't going to convert me into an acid-popping Blur freak or anything as dumb as that, but I like this album.

Rather cool Bay-style thrash. The production is a little muddy, but not too bad. Think of Exodus and you're halfway there.

And I really liked early Exodus, before they kinda cheezed. Strike Force is very aggressive and has a hint at a melodic core, with a strong rhythm section.

Nothing terribly original, but a classic form done well. Nothing to sneer at.

These two seven-inches (see Broken Hope) are Metal Blade's attempt to convince us they are really underground. That or it is a cool way for the bands to score a little cash with collectibles. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

Thought Industry are one of the few "experimental" kinda bands that still manage to really sound great, much in the way Last Crack did. No, they don't sound like Last Crack (well, the a-side kinda does), but they do sound verra, verra cool.

The flip is a Gary Numan piece called "Metal". In case you were wondering if TI was cool or not, you have to hear it. I'd better get the new disc real soon.

Dreamy, distortion-laden pop that sometimes wanders into Sabbath territory. Bordering on cheeze at times, but I've heard many worse. The sound is very impressive for a demo. These folk have something.