Oddly dissonant goth. The flat singing and odd use of keys must be intentional, but it sure is unsettling, especially with the lush backgrounds provided.

The songs cover mostly ethereal topics; the bonus tracks are odes to the elementals: fire, earth, water and air. So if you're looking for something a little more temporal, search elsewhere.

Of course, if the odd psychic trip is on your agenda, then Aurora is an interesting place to start. The strange sounds created are worth studying in detail. This is not for the easily queasy. And if you go in expecting some silly new age stuff, then think again.

Merging touches of thrash, industrial and death metal with a base of mid-eighties power metal, Battalion have successfully updated one of my favorite metal sub-genres.

Close enough to their roots to satisfy any NWOBHM fan, Battalion are light-years heavier than most of those influences. The playing is top notch, the songwriting emphasizes the strong points of each player. Lee Davis has a voice that keeps its strength even as he climbs the register. To top it off, the production is major release quality. Whoever was on the knobs knew exactly how to capture this band.

Everything just came together correctly on this tape. Now it's time for someone out there to notice and give these guys the deal they deserve.

When the band backed Jack Brewer's poetry, trying to improvise everything, I thought things were a bit limited. Sure, the guys could play, but their improvisations seemed to go one way: play a funky beat and stick to the major scales.

And that's where Blowhole sticks, as well. Bazooka tries its hand at some bop rhythms, but doesn't riff like you're expecting. Just nice, tuneful playing.

I know I'm unconventional; when I listen to jazz I like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Coltrane, Monk and Branford Marsalis's bop records. Stuff that challenges you. Bazooka is light years ahead of stuff like Kenny G, but unfortunately their simple music is aiming at the same audience.

When something like this comes along, you just wish more people would sit down and record their views of history.

Collette relates tales of Charles Mingus (lots of Mingus), Charlie Parker, Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson and many more. In fact, the only real sense of Collette's own life is seen through conversations he remembers with others.

And the idea works. Even if you haven't heard of Collette as a musician, it's easy to slide in and be mesmerized by his stories. Two discs worth. A real treasure trove of jazz memories.

Good melodic pop, at times as punchy as early Superchunk, but often mellow enough to just roll along.

Folks speak of summer records, and this is one of those. There isn't the big standout track, just one upbeat sing-along tune after another. The kind of tape you throw in the deck and drive out to the beach with. Of course, it's still 85 degrees here, and there's only mile after mile of beach ten minutes away. Hmmm...

Yes, DOR passed that field test. Perhaps not the most distinctive band, these boys have crafted some fine tunes that will make most anyone smile.

Amazingly sparse gothic pop. The usual layer-upon-layer style of production for this sort of thing, but every sound is remarkably distinct, without the de rigeur wall of distortion mucking things up.

It can still be hard to keep track of everything going on (and the lack of speaker hum forces you to locate every track of music), and Electric Hellfire Club doesn't have much of a coherent concept of songwriting.

This is perhaps the first real gothic sound sculpture band I've heard. The emphasis is on concept and art, not melody and bliss. EHC requires a good bit of work to even start to understand.

To sell records, most acts condescend to their audiences. EHC refuses, instead compelling us to search within ourselves and find the resources necessary for our journey. Highly imaginative; highly recommended.

Rhythmic metal hardcore, much like the sort Biohazard has made popular (though not nearly as cheesy). Still, I think I've heard it before.

The boys are energetic and have a few nice licks. In particular, Eric Hansen's bass is pretty much amazing. And they play the game pretty well.

But it's still a sound that is far too trendy these days, and Fiftylashes doesn't improve the formula. Perhaps this is a little closer to the hardcore purity that some seem far too concerned about these days, but originality still makes a difference in my book.

On this, their fourth U.S. release (third on Earache), Fudge Tunnel finally returns to the sound of their earliest recordings (albeit with much better production).

Taking the garage attitude of Creep Diets and merging it with the raw power of First Movement (which, of course, wasn't that at all), Fudge Tunnel has crafted an album that accurately portrays the world as vicious, cruel, ignorant and painful. One might make the mistake of calling the boys of Fudge Tunnel pessimists. But I don't hear that message.

Instead, I hear a voice calling to end all the despair. Through all the pain and suffering, there has to be a better way. Okay, so Fudge Tunnel doesn't have the answer. Do you?

Yes, you have to think about this one. The music is the finest ever created by the band, and the urge to simply crank along is immense. But don't give in. Do your duty and fully experience the greatness of Fudge Tunnel. To do less would be a disservice to the band.

Yes, another load of rap-metal-hardcore. Like most other bands who tread these perilous-yet-trendy waters, Groovezilla's music is over-produced and quickly forgettable.

But the lyrical delivery is much closer to a rap style than other bands in this area. In fact, the only place where the vocals run into trouble is where the songs are constructed with hardcore conventions, not the more free-flowing styles.

Still, Groovezilla has put together a fun disc. Nothing too extreme or aggressive, but punchy enough to pick up a party. With a little more attention paid to the backing grooves, the next album could really be something.

Last year's reunion disc was merely tepid. The band hadn't quite jelled, and the songs were simply not up to what I was hoping for.

Here, there are King Diamond histrionics a plenty, but also a few nods to current musical trends. However, Mercyful Fate is smart enough to stay away from becoming just another doom or Euro-metal revivalist outfit. After all, didn't these guys help start all those trends years ago?

Yes, and the music here is fresh and inviting. In the Shadows is but a mere apparition when compared to this disc. Sure, in many ways it is the same old Mercyful Fate cheez, but the comeback is complete, with an album that is as inventive and fun as any in the past.

Orange is fond of the anthem, and the sound that Warrior Soul and Mother Love Bone made popular all those years ago.

Well, Warrior Soul went downhill quickly after the stunning debut, and we all know what happened to MLB. So it's about time someone out there rediscovered their cool formulas.

It's all right to be pretentious, as long as you're low-key about it. Every song on Pill has a point, but there isn't much preaching. Precisely the way to approach communication.

I got a comfortable cheez feel as soon as the first chords washed out through my speakers, and it continued throughout the album. No new sounds or terribly creative musical ideas. But Orange is a solid band, and the album is worth more than a few spins.

AKA Simon House, who has previously manned the 'boards for Hawkwind and David Bowie. House has plotted a deep space course, for all those who dare.

The main tenet of space music is to be lush and understated. Oh, there can be trills and such, but the music is supposed to be relaxing. As little loud stuff as possible.

House violates that idea with a vengeance. His music is dramatic (well, what could you expect with an ex-Hawkwind keyboardist?) and often almost overbearingly loud (even at low volumes). The music is simply overpowering at times.

Yes, an acquired taste. Spiral Realms challenges you to think about music without chords, music without shouted vocals. Music that often enough really has no center. And that's the point: you're supposed to get lost. So let yourself go and enjoy.

Attempting to merge a glossy anthemic glam sound with industrial cheez funk, Sweaty Nipples sound like Love/Hate trying to be Queen, run through a latter-day Motley Crue filter. Really.

Take that as you like. I think this is awfully silly music, years behind the trends. It's not like there is any attempt at anything serious, but why record absolutely throwaway music? At least get a big advance first.

I listened to the whole disc trying to find something nice to say about it. Well, it's mostly upbeat and manic, which might be good for the occasional spin. There. I hope Thumper's happy with me.

Words of Tiamat's demise turned out to be rather premature. The band did split, with Johan and Johnny deciding to keep the name Tiamat alive as a duo. They recruited some studio musicians (and, I assume, some for a live tour) to fill out the orchestra.

And that's exactly what's going on here. Wildhoney is a the next progression from Clouds, with almost no references to death metal, a few passing nods to doom, and a real embracement of the world of lush, beautiful sound.

No, Tiamat didn't go new age. And yes, this album is still best listened to LOUD. But there are many parts that can only be described as gorgeous. Old Tiamat fans with an open mind can get into this, and many new folks should also discover the wonders of that Johan and Johnny have put together.

An intriguing and exceptional album. Wildhoney isn't death metal, it isn't space music, it isn't new age, it isn't anything that can be defined. And therein lies the wonder.

With all the subtlety of a Sam Peckinpah climactic sequence, Today Is the Day rumbles through a vicious and distorted vision of modern life that would scare even Oliver Stone.

As near as I can tell, this is an album devoted mostly to necrophilia. Well, that and the way you kill your loved one in order to make love to the corpse. The lyrics are as convoluted as the music, so it's kinda hard to tell. But that's my take.

Thirty minutes of raw hardcore chaos. I've heard of the band before; now I know. Destined to wallow in the gutters of society, Today Is the Day has created a loving portrait of a rotting, bloody corpse. I'd say that's pretty cool.

The sticker on the cover says "ambient trance space purity". While I'm not exactly sure what that means, it does seem to be a superficial description of what lies within.

Of course, all that lies over techno beats (I suppose that might be the "trance" part; my terminology on these things is a little weak), so things do move along. And there used to be a space music show on this station where I went to school (not the station where I worked). I used to tune in on Sunday afternoons while trying to sleep off a hangover. It worked wonders, keeping me asleep another two hours.

But while Virtualizer certainly lies in the mellow techno universe (that's why the "ambient" is there), it is anything but boring. A lot is going on, and there isn't that much repetition.

This may not be everyone's bag of goodies, but I like it.

Aversion
Fall from Grace advance cassette
(Doctor Dream)

Rather groove-laden traditional hardcore. Heavy and catchy at the same time. Some slight metallic touches add rather than detract; sounds absolutely great.