For quite a good amount of years, Century Media was my favorite record label on the planet. They could do no wrong and were picking up fresh bands that could change the metal landscape (Shadows Fall, Lacuna Coil) or old timers who were already established as well-rounded reliable bands (The Haunted, Iced Earth, Dark Tranquillity, Napalm Death). Over the years though, they've made an abundance of questionable decisions that ranged from signing unoriginal bands that would most likely be forgotten in 10 years (In This Moment, IWABO and the Agonist anyone?), to bands only designed to cater to the new emerging deathcore phenomenon (Arsonists Get All the Girls, Winds of Plague, and, no offense to them, Despised Icon). They've become a shadow of their former selves, but with this new compilation, celebrating their 20 years of existence as one of the most "extreme" labels on the planet, they gathered together all of their current roster and asked them to cover a song from a band (past or present) to add to the piece.
When I first heard about this, to say I had mixed feelings might be an understatement. I was happy to hear some of the bands on the roster giving us new materal, though I was just as unenthusiastic to hear about some of their choices of bands
And now, I shall break down and review each cover, letting you which might warrant you picking this up and which are better off downloaded from random music blogs. Or if ANY of these might just be a better excuse for you to check out the original track instead.
1) Arch Enemy-The Book of Heavy Metal (originally done by Dream Evil). The intro certainly feels like Arch Enemy thats for sure, as does the first verse. Angela's vocals on here are definitely NOT a plus though. She tries to above and beyond her typical death growl on this (no, don't worry, she is NOT doing clean singing). If you were to listen right after Amott's solo, you'll see what I mean. She sounds more like Minnie Mouse getting a vasectomy on here than the strong female she's set out to sound like on their past few albums. Disappointing, but not overall bad. Just please Angela, don't do that higher than high voice again. Ever.
2) Dark Tranquillity-Broken (originally done by Sentenced) This was my most anticipated cover on here, being a HUGE DT fan and though I was never a huge Sentenced fan, I thought their lyrics were kind of close to the other. Mikael rarely uses his clean vocals in songs these days, but uses them to GREAT effect here, before bring out the "good cop/bad cop" part towards the end of the verse. Kind of depressing that this was the last track to feature long time bassist Michael Nicklasson, who departed the band not too long ago. So far, my favorite of the album and one that'll probably keep listening to even after tiring of this.
3) Heaven Shall Burn-Whatever That Hurts (originally done by Tiamat) While the first two covers on here kind of make sense (Arch Enemy had Gus G. of Dream Evil tour with them once, as did DT and Sentenced tour in the states together for their first times over here), this is an oddball. One is a German straightedge, vegan metalcore band, the other being a Swedish doomy, goth metal band. This is very cool though. They've given the track an almost Daylight Dies/heavier Katatonia vibe, and the sparse female vocals work wonderfully here. A pleasant surprise.
4) Shadows Fall-December (originally done by Only Living Witness) If I'm not mistaken, they've already released this elsewhere. Good for the Shads to give props to the old metallic hardcore scene that they grew out of, now just go on and make good music again dang it! Oh yeah the song. Brian doesn't hold a candle Jonah Jenkins when it comes to singing (go listen to his contribution on "Grim Heart/Black Rose by Converge to see what I mean). Not too shabby, definitely one of the groovier things they've done lately (groove n gloom baby). Solid job.
5) Brand New Sin-Watching Over Me (originally done by Iced Earth). This was one of the few ones I was very nervous on. One thing is certain, this dude ain't Matt Barlow. Nor is he trying to be. BNS has always been a hard rock band with some slight southern metal influences, so I would expect that covering a power/thrash band wouldn't come out perfectly. The solo is pretty spot on, and it retains some of the same sorrow that the original had. I was actually hoping the whole song would be done acoustically like the intro was. But it wasn't. Pretty good one here. Now if Godbelow (their old band) had done this...hahahaha.
6) Wolf-Alma Matter (originally done by Moonspell). Well another odd combo haha. Wolf rule, Moonspell kinda do. But they ain't down to do the evil thing. They managed to turn a rather dark, evil track into quite a drinking song that sounds like something that could have come out of the early 80s. I wonder if the Moonspell guys even party, because if they do, I'm sure they'll get a kick out of this. This ruled.
7) Mercenary-Burning Angel (originally done by Mercenary). One band I kinda like covering one I got sick of. But hot DAMN do the Danish blokes give this song balls again! Mercenary's high vocals have always been one of their high points and it doesn't disappoint. The guitars sound just as tight as the original, with the solo actually sounding even more varied than Amott's from 2001. Probably up there with the DT and Wolf tracks as my favs so far.
8) God Forbid-Master Killer (originally done by Merauder). I AM DA MASTA KEEELAAAA. Oh what a classic of NYHC. Good to see they haven't forgotten their roots either. The production makes it sound like an outtake from "Gone Forever." Its a good two-stepper much like the original was, though I think the drums get to sound like overkill at times. Byron sounds a little bored here too. Though GF has had some tendencies to do covers live these days (they covered Sepultura's "Propaganda" when I saw them last year), I doubt they'd perform this even after numerous requests.
9) Warbringer-Execute Them All (originally done by Unleashed). And here, one of thrash's new upstarts covers one of death metal's OGs. Fitting that the guys obsessed with war and the apocalypse would choose a true viking anthem. Lyrically, I could actually have believed Warbringer would write a song like this. Quite thrashy, with some of the same death metal attitude left intact. I'm sure it'll be easy to get the kids in the pit to scream along to "EXECUTE THEM ALL! THAT'S MY FINAL WORD!"
10) Grave-Vermin (originally done by Asphyx) Grave only reformed a few years ago and decide to cover the recently reformed Asphyx (playing at MDF next year!). These two were always underrated in the death metal scene (Phil from ATR said Grave influenced him to start singing), so it should be perfect. And it is. This is the first track to actually almost make me headbang. Groovy, catchy, heavy as hell. I actually hit replay on this one.
11) Architects-Officer Down (originally done by Stampin' Ground). And now we approach CM's newer roster of mostly "odd" bands. Architects are from the UK, as were the band they're covering (if you've never heard of SG, you're better off). They're touring with Sceneacide Silence and Manure, but I don't know why. This is fucking GOOD. They've got bits of the same chaotic noise that I find in bands of the heavy hardcore variety, though that could always be parts of the SG song that I'm hearing.
UPDATE: after listening to Architects online, its definitely the SG parts. Oh well. Architect (no s) is better anyway. :P
12) Napalm Death-Outconditioned (originally by Despair). Its ND, what do ya expect? This went by rather short, though I suppose thats common practice for Barney and co. At first I had trouble trying to figure out which "Despair" band this was. Turns out its the old thrash band who put out 3 albums between the late 80s and early 90s. This song is half the time that the original was but it still thrashes quite well. Cool, but Napalm's had better covers.
13) Krisiun-Human Dissection (originally done by Demolition Hammer). I've always had trouble getting into Krisiun due to most of their production, but ironically its a cover that lets me finally listen without getting irritated. Yet another nod to an underrated thrash band. Lyrically, this song still sounds silly, even with a trio of crazy dudes from Brazil singing over it. Definitely a good headbanger though for the thrash and death dudes who would be interested in this comp.
14) Cryptopsy-Oh My Fucking God (originally done by Strapping Young Lad). Probably my 2nd most anticipated cover on here for various reasons. Partly, I wanted to see if there was ANY ounce of the old Cryptopsy left after that ATROCIOUS album they released this year, and partly because anybody covering SYL better do it right. Or Devin's skullet may find them and eat them. The sample is still in there. The drums sound off in the distance towards the beginning, but once the sample is done, it kicks in. Its got some of the same vibes as the classic, but the vocalist sounds like he's trying to be Devin a little too much at times instead of himself. Flo's drumming on here is top notch though. Weird to see one drumming great cover another. However the big blunder that knocks this down a peg, is the lack of a certain classic line from the original. It helps make the song so unique, but yet I guess a "serious" death metal would rather not demean themselves with such silly song banter. Boo at you gentlemen. Boo.
15) Maroon-Baphomet's Throne (originally done by Samael). Another case of HSB/Tiamat here, though Samael has more flirts with black and industrial than doom. Instead of playing it slow though, they kick it into overdrive. Vocals are quite wicked, with the keyboards keeping its original black metal feel intact. It develops an almost metalcoreish groove towards the beginning, which started to scare me, but its saved by one little fast break at the end. Okay.
16) Watch Them Die-Breeding Death (originally done by Bloodbath). Love the intro sample. Don't remember if it was in the original. WTD is an interesting band, crust punk one minute, death/thrash the next, metalcore the next. But thats why they rule. The gross out lyrics of Mikael Akerfeldt's other band, oddly fits them. Obviously, Mikael's growls are better. The middle of the song is where it goes from good to fucking awesome. Pat's delivery here makes him sound like a demented killer, whereas Mikael kinda sounded like another gruff death metal d00d. Another pleasant surprise.
And now on to disc 2:
16) Firewind-Believe in Nothing (originally done by Nevermore). Wow TWO covers of this song this year? All That Remains did a pretty decent on their newest album. Sadly, one of my most anticipated songs on here is also the most disappointing on here so far. I love both bands, seriously. But Firewind just sound BORED here. Where's the same explosive passion they usually have? I mean yes this is a slow song, but the original still had some crunch to it! And those vocals toward the end...ughhh. At least Gus G. does a pretty good impression of Jeff Loomis' solo.
17) Dream Evil-Let the Killing Begin (originally done by Arch Enemy) Wow TWO AE covers on here? Kinda cool, I guess. At least this is from the Johan-era. Thankfully, the main singer doesn't try to sing like Johan (sorry AE fans reading, but I think the dude sucked on those first few records). I always thought this track needed a clean singer over it and I'll be damned, they took a mediocre song and turned it into an awesome, fist banging power metal song! The guitars, ironically still sound like Michael Amott's though. Like his exact tuning, production over it, etc. Maybe they did some wonders in the studio and just took out their own guitars, while throwing in the original's.
18) Fear My Thoughts-The Weapon They Fear (originally done by Heaven Shall Burn). One German band covering the other, difference being that the intro this time is spoken as opposed to being screamed. This is definitely not the same. Feels kind of like FMT gave this their own little spin, but with the frontman trying to imitate the singer from A7X. Too bad its spinning in the wrong direction. I'm ever so stoked that German nu-metal is still alive, though I wonder if it were ever even alive. This was an interesting one to say the least, though not in a good way.
19) The Agonist-Monochromatic Stains (originally done by Dark Tranquillity).
20) The Forsaken-You'll Never See (originally done by Grave). The Forsaken have always worked better as a cover band than an actual band (go seek their Metallica covers to see what I mean), so its no surprise that this is pretty cool. Vocals are kind of comical, and don't really have the same impact that the original Swedish band has. Kind of disposable, though fun.
21) Devian-Isolated (originally done by Morgoth). Well I'll be honest. This is the first track where I've heard of neither band, so this was like a completely new experience for me. I'm sure there are many death metal fanboys who are taking a break from metal-archives to call me a poser while reading this. As for the song itself, its got quite an evil riff towards the beginning. Vocals kind of remind me of Jeff Walker and Ross Sewage (Impaled) at times. When its slow parts kick in, its a little reminiscent of Morbid Angel and Obituary. Its a pretty rockin tune, very early 90s sounding.
22) Heaven Shall Burn-Downfall of Christ (originally done by Merauder). Two HSB tunes, and a second Merauder cover? Look nothing against either band, but I'm sure there are plenty of bands that you haven't paid homage to yet. Song's kinda standard stuff. At least they're playing this one at normal HSB speed. I can't imagine slowing down a Merauder song and having it sound like anything but garbage.
23) Aborted-Playing Dead (originally done by Turmoil). WHAT THE FUCK. ARE. YOU! DOING. ABORTED. THIS. COVER. BLOWS. See I made a little Turmoil pun/reference. I r teh funnaye. Well, at least its more ironic than this joke of a cover. I suppose its fitting considering Aborted talk about death and gore so much to pick Turmoil's most "violent" sounding song. Too bad none of the lyrics are gorey/bloody you imbeciles. I suppose it does take some talent in order to turn a classic metallic hardcore song into a completely unlistenable deathcore turd. Skip this one.
24) Terror-Boxed In (originally done by Subzero). I wasn't even aware Subzero was on CM. Though I love Terror, I kind of wish they had picked a band to cover that didn't sound so similar to them. I know at one point the Cro-Mags had a brief partnership with CM. That would have been rad to hear Scott Vogel singing "Don't Tread on Me."
25) Napalm Death-Messiah (originally done by Hellhammer). This is from an older CM Napalm Death release (Leaders Not Followers Part 2) that came out 4 years ago. Kinda feels weak that they'd throw this one on here considering most people have already heard it. Don't get me wrong, this still rules hard. But I wonder if they could have used this vacant spot for something else.
26) Asphyx-Os Abysmi Vel Daath (originally done by Celtic Frost). These old timers just got back together, and for their first new piece of work, they covered one of Celtic Frost's NEW songs from 2006's Monotheist. A lot of old time CF fans didn't care for their new record, complaining that it was "slowed down" as opposed to being fast and evil like the CF of old, so its odd that any band, much less an old legend like Asphyx, would choose to cover one of the songs from that record. This is a pretty decent one, though it gets somewhat boring halfway through.
27) Zimmer's Hole-Doommaker (originally done by Old Man's Child). Zimmers Hole brings teh lulz, OMC does not. Its quite a task to take a serious black metal song and strip it down to a groovy, beer-raisin' thrasher while still throwing in their little brand of ZH humor. But my god Jed and co. did it. This must not have been hard for Gene Hoglan to do, seeing as how he drummed for both bands. Another one I hit repeat on.
28) Fu Manchu-Words to Live By (originally done by Penance). Modern doom/stoner gods Fu Manchu have never really gotten the credit they deserve, and neither has the band they're covering here. This. Fucking. Rules. Go smoke a bowl and listen to this one. This is the equivalent of finally getting the hot girl you've been lusting after for so long. It may have actually taken the top spot for my favorite song on the record.
29) Manntis featuring Maria Brink of In This Moment-Heaven's a Lie (originally done by Lacuna Coil). Much like my review of The Agonist, I think this sums up my thoughts on this one.
God that was painful.
30) Kivimetsan Druidi-Leaves (originally done by the Gathering). How does one go about pronouncing that name anyway? Anyways, pagan/folk metal covering one of the classic bands of the gothic metal genre. This one just doesn't work. The harsh male vocals sound awkward, and the female singer doesn't carry nearly the same range or emotion that Anneke (who if you're reading this, I love you and want to father many babies with you). I'm sure this band's own material sounds great, but they can't seem to pull off a cover well. At all.
31) Intronaut-Dixie Whiskey (originally done by Eyehategod). Oy FINALLY we reach the end. And what an end! Slooooowwww and heavy covering sllloowwwweeerrrrr and heavierrrrrrr. It seems like a match made in heaven, or rather, maybe in an ABC store. Even though CM's been a bad signing spree lately, Intronaut was one of the few ones that stood apart. And for good reason. They aren't playing grade-D metalcore and aren't trying to please the br00tal kids looking for something to wear under their Emmure and Carnifex hoodies. Its progressive metal for the sludge/doom crowd, and they cover this song with class. Bravo gentlemen. May you have a bright future in the world of extreme music.
In conclusion, its a much more solid release than one might expect. Though there are quite a few mediocre, and downright awful tracks here (most of the former and latter are from the newer signings), there are just as many that remind us of when this label used to be the king. Its a nice addition to any metal fan's collection, and remind us that cover songs can still be fun and even a joy to listen to. If I had to rate this, I'd give it, oh, 7 out of 10. If you can find this cheap, buy it. If not, download it and keep the tracks you like (though I hope you don't like the Manntis and Agonist tracks. Them shits sucked yo). I myself, will most likely be uploading some of the tracks I appreciated most from this to the blog in the next few days from now.
Until then...I AM DA MASTA KILLAAAAAA.
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