The Stuff You Haven't Heard 07.05.06: Century Media Edition
Posted by Matt Shoemaker on 07.05.2006
This week, we're taking a look at three of Century Media's best metal acts that you might not have heard of.
Hey, welcome back, everyone. And a happy 4th of July weekend to you. Hope you've been celebrating properly. I know I have. I drank a bit too much at a friend's house last night, so I couldn't really type very well, not to mention I've started playing World Of Warcraft. And yes. It's really that addicting.
I plan on picking up two albums for review this week, the new Shadows Fall CD, and the new Rise Against CD, so expect reviews for those by, probably, the end of this week.
So since people liked my feature on Metal Blade Records so much, I figured I would do something similar this week. This week, I'm looking at Century Media, home of metal icons such as Shadows Fall, Arch Enemy, and Dark Tranquility. However, there are a lot of bands that need some heavy attention on here.
So let's start it off this week with Diecast. Focusing on fast, heavy music, Diecast pumps out some amazing, head-banging riffs over blindingly fast drums, and powerful vocals. The band also uses a lot of melodic breakdowns and choruses, which also displays the singer's diversity in his vocal style. This band is not your typical metal, even though they sometimes sound like it. All of their songs bring a form of aggression that not many new metal bands can duplicate, blending intensity and technique into a magnificent hybrid. Of course, being a drummer, the drums in this band stand out the most to me. The band's drummer is one of the best I've heard in a long time. His feet and incredibly fast, while his hands are able to range from slow to quick fills and the typical heavy metal drum beats.
Check This Out: "These Days"
Next up is Heaven Shall Burn, a German metal band with one of catchiest sounds I've heard in a while. The band puts out some great music, and their CD Antigone is definitely worth at least 15 bucks to buy, or worth the spyware to download the whole damn thing. Their songs have a very electronic metal sound to them, in a way not unlike bands like Rammstein. However, their sound is much heavier and much more powerful than Rammstein's. Again, this band is so musically sound. The guitars flow so well with each other, usually creating an almost humming kind of riff, before one goes into a lead riff, and the other keeps the rhythm. The drums are also excellent. When the double bass isn't going at a fast, pounding pace, the drummer is throwing some incredibly heavy beats into the songs. The vocals are also excellent, considering the vocalist's English isn't exactly what you would call…. Ummm…. Good.
Check This Out: "Voice Of The Voiceless"
Finally, we have Naglfar. I found this band simply browsing on the Century website. Eerily similar to Dimmu Borgir, Naglfar is some great stuff if you're into black metal. Oddly, this band has been around for over 10 years, but I've never heard of or seen anything by them, so I figured they were worth a mention. Like any black metal band, Naglfar is blast beats thrown over grinding guitar riffs, with some dark melodic sections thrown inbetween, and thrown in with growling vocals. Everything about this band is very catchy. The vocals are really what makes this band, however. Without the vocals, done by Kristoffer Olivius, the music would be a lot more bland, almost thrown in with most other general European metal. To be honest, without the vocals, the band almost gives off a Children Of Bodom-type sound. But definitely worth a listen if you're a fan of Black Metal.
Check This Out: "The Perpetual Horrors"
So there it is. Century Media at it's finest. Hope you enjoyed this week. I'll be back next week, probably for another record label edition of the column.
