Surprise was the key word when I heard this album. Surprise that it's a Swedish band. If you would have asked me before I knew, I would have said American, West Coast, probably around San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Captor deal in the same sort of heavy riffladen metal as Machine Head and other Bay Area bands, with one notable exception: there are no guitar solos. Instead they add a slow scary undertone to most of their songs, and keep the pace down from the frantic hardcore speed sometimes found among today's heavier bands. Nice.

Captor's debut album has sort of faded from my memory (I can't even remember its name!!!) but their second album is sure to stick there for quite some time, because there's a lot more going on here than tuned down guitars and distorted vocals. There are actually good songs too, a rarity these days among metal bands (there's also the ugliest record sleeve in a long time).

Intense songs like opener "Disconnect", slow number "All My Pain" and "Lofi", where the vocalist demonstrates a voice capable of other things than halfassed screaming, which is what most vocalists in this genre manage to come up with, combine to make "Dogface" the metal monster that it is. Surprised? I am.

// Martin Larsson

Cold
Cold (A&M Records / Polygram)
2/10

Anything that producer Ross Robinson gets his hands on turns to gold. Bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Sepultura and Max Cavalera's new band, Soulfly, have all benefited from the talents of Mr. Robinson.

Looking at Cold, you realize that they might have what it takes to make it bigtime. A debut album produced by Ross Robinson and mixed by Terry Date (producer of such bands as Pantera, White Zombie, Soundgarden and the Deftones), and they have the image of the moment, with goatees, baggy clothes and the whole nine yards (though they are lacking a bit in the piercing department). What they do not have, however, are songs.

If Cold's album had surfaced a couple of years ago, in the wave of post grunge bands like Bush and Silverchair, it would probably have done OK, if those trademark heavy as hell Robinson guitars hadn't been in there. However, they are, and you get the feeling that this is a band that tries to change an out of date concept by utilizing contemporary sounds. It doesn't work. Period.

// Martin Larsson

Far
Water & Solutions (Immortal / Sony)
7/10

Somehow Sacramento, California, seems to spawn great bands by the bus load. Superstars Deftones, hardcore noisecrew Will Haven, and now, Far.

The quartet's second album, "Water & Solutions", is a collection of harmonic and powerful songs, carried mostly by the incredible voice of vocalist Jonah Matranga. This is what most people these days would call emo core, which includes bands like Quicksand, Handsome and others. Far, however, fit into that mold while at the same time expanding it in unexpected directions.

Incredibly powerful, yet melodic and fragile, "Water & Solutions" might just as well appeal to fans of softer "hardcore" as to Weezer fans. Few albums manage to stradle several genres like this without coming across as pretentious or constructed. In this respect Far are related to fellow Sacramentians Deftones, but whereas that fearsome four move towards metal, Far increase the pop factor and even add some strings to the mix. Good stuff.

// Martin Larsson

Junkie XL
Saturday Teenage Kick (Roadrunner/MNW ILR)
8/10

Analogue synthesizers + fucked up break beats. Add some distortion, throw in a few weird samples and voilá - you've just created a hit! Quite the musical trend, these days.

Good stuff. Or is it, really? Aren't there just too many bands that try to conform to this retroish style?

Yeah. There are. But Junkie XL does it with elegance.

Being responsible for a few of the remixes on Fear Factory's "Remanufacture", Junkie XL's first full-length album seemed like a must-have. I didn't have a clue what it'd sound like.
On the album, Junkie XL has worked together with Fear Factory guitar player Dino Casarez, and the guitar adds a nicely distorted dimension to the music.

Imagine that Chemical Brothers, Prodigy and Beastie Boys got together in a studio and had some fun. That's what it sounds like. My cup of tea, in other words.

It's quite easy to point out Junkie's influences. Fortunately, he's managed to invent a style of his own, creating a fresh blend of the above mentioned sources of inspiration.
One thing that I've always missed in the glorious world of breakbeats, as well as in other more or less modern genres of music, is well-written melodys. Not only has the Dutch fellow created killer beats; he's managed to incorporate a melodical perspective as well.

Well done.

// Pär Almqvist

Klank
Still Suffering (Tooth and Nail Records)
7/10

Daren "Klank" Diolosa used to be known as the guitarist and keyboard player of New York's Circle of Dust, but now he has his own band. His debut album, "Still Suffering", sees him moving into that labyrinth of musical influences and bands that is the so called industrial metal scene. Sadly, too many bands within that labyrinth seem to run around, trying to find a way out, all the while bashing their heads against the walls, making little progress and producing nothing but dull and mindless soundscapes.

However, this is not the case with Klank. Combining samples (mainly from the Hellraiser movies), guitars and strong melodies with a personal touch that manifests in the angst ridden lyrics, Klank ends up somewhere in the same area as the sadly diseased Prong or perhaps November 17. Not the worst company one could choose.

As a debut album, "Still Suffering" is damn good. It packs the metal punch many "industrial" bands lack, while at the same time incorporating the samples and electronics smoothly, and Diolosa shifts his vocal style from one akin to that of Prong's Tommy Victor, to a deep, almost death metal like growl. If he keeps this up, who knows where Klank will end up with the next album (which by the way is due this summer)?

// Martin Larsson

King Diamond
Voodoo (Massacre Records / House of Kicks)
2/10

I have to admit that I have never been a King Diamond fan, and listening to this I probably never will be. Prime 80s "metal", with orgiastic guitar solos, falsetto singing and everything. Somehow I can't avoid thinking of Alice Cooper. And that's scary.

"Voodoo" is, as the name suggests, a concept album based around the mythology and characters of voodoo, the blood magic of the Caribbean. The lyrics and imagery of the sleeve feels typical for the genre. Pictures of the characters mentioned in the songs made up to look like old fading tarot cards, gothic imagery complete with bats, and every single band member wearing black and a serious face. Seriously, I thought we had enough of this in the 80s, or among the really gloomy goth bands of today.

I'm sure there's a market for this stuff even nowadays, somewhere, or else bands like King Diamond would be long gone into those deepest parts of our memory that we so desperately try to forget.

// Martin Larsson

Lion's Heart
Under Fire (Music for Nations / MNW ILR)
2/10

In the bio from the record company, Lion's Heart is described as something akin to Whitesnake, the (in)famous 80s metal crew. Unfortunately, this is true.

Even though the production is state of the art, one cannot overlook the fact that this sort of music should be as dead as Abraham Lincoln, which is to say it should be a fond memory in the minds of those that care, and merely a historical fact for others.

// Martin Larsson

Pitchshifter
www.pitchshifter.com (Geffen Records / Universal)
9/10

English blokes Pitchshifter never cease to amaze me. The transition from "Desensitized" (released 1993 on Earache Records) to "Infotainment" (released 1996 on Earache Records) was made in an unexpected but somewhat logical direction, adding more electronics and some drum'n'bass influences, all the while keeping the rumbling bass and the mindcrushing guitars, and not leaving their metal roots behind. The end result was incredible.

It's 1998, and time for the next step for the ever evolving musical entity that is Pitchshifter. Enter "www.pitchshifter.com" (a brilliant album name, by the way). Already during opener "Microwaved" do you realize that this is not a typical "90's metal" album, nor does it aspire to be labelled "techno metal" or "industrial". This is a Pitchshifter album, and nothing else.

JS Clayden and the boys have, once again, successfully merged the current sounds of urban Britain (in this day and age, bizarre rhythms and electronics generally associated with drum'n'bass) with a metal kick to the head and killer choruses that most metal bands only come up with in their most intense wet dreams.

Make no mistake. This is indeed a metal album, even though the definition might have to be stretched somewhat and the more conservative metalheadz may shiver at the very concept, because there's simply no way one could listen to songs like latest single "Genius" or "W.Y.S.I.W.Y.G." and say that it is not.

With "www.pitchshifter.com" Pitchshifter show that it is indeed possible to break new ground in today's musical climate, and that a little innovation and free thinking goes a long way. Genius? I'd say. Almost perfect.

// Martin Larsson

Pro-Pain
Pro-Pain (Warner Chapell / House of Kicks)
4/10

OK. Four cool West Coast boys with lots of adrenaline, no hair (except for the drummer, who has hair enough for them all), major Biohazard tendencies and lots and lots of attitude. Unfortunately, attitude and adrenline only get you so far. And no hair gets you nowhere at all [hehe-just look at yourself, ed.].

Initially, I actually thought I would like this album, but as you continue listening to it you realize that it's been done before, and you can't help but wonder why they include a guitar solo on every single track. There are a number of bands that sound like this, and there are some of them that move ahead of the rest. Pro-Pain are not among those. Dull.

// Martin Larsson

Rage
XIII (Gun Records / House of Kicks)
2/10

Music is a highly individual experience. What someone deems as worthy of the gods might not be considered as a CD clock for someone else. This falls into the latter category for me.
How a band called Rage can sound like this is beyond me, because there's not a hint of rage or even the slightest irritation anywhere on "XIII". What there is plenty of, is pompous, overly pretentious semigothic "metal", with the addition of a full orchestra, that doesn't add to the credibility of the name Rage. Next, please.

// Martin Larsson

Refused
The Shape of Punk to Come (Burning Heart)
7/10

Refused's third full length album sees the Swedish hardcore mob veering off in quite an unexpected direction. Had I been a betting man, I would have had my money on them doing yet another album filled with short, furious, politically explosive hardcore songs. However, it was not to be.

Dennis Lyxzén and the other boys from Umeå seem to have decided to shock the hell out of their diehard straight edge fans, and perhaps all the others too. "The Shape of Punk to Come" is indeed something different from what "punk" (if you want to call Refused's music punk) sounds like today.

Sure, the guitars (even though they at times are heavier than before) and Dennis' raspy voice are still there, as is the energy and barely contained rage. But would anyone have guessed that we would ever find analogue synthesizers and drum loops on a Refused album? Honestly??? Not I

It is when they successfully merge the two, such as in new single "New Noise", that you realize that they should have done this long ago. Actually, I have never heard a better choice for a first single of an album, as "New Noise" is arguably the best song the band has ever written.

The album also contains other small excursions into previously uncharted territory. An acoustic track, that suddenly explodes in trademark hardcore fury, a whole track consisting of those synthesizers and drum loops (house, anyone?), and other things as well.

All in all, "The Shape of Punk to Come" is a refreshing preview of what is to come, if Refused are to be believed. Even if that is not the case, it's still a good album, and the finest Refused has ever put their name on.

// Martin Larsson

Roachpowder
Viejo Diablo (Outside Society / House of Kicks)
7/10

From the remains of Swedish grunge band Skintrade arose Roachpowder, with a new vocalist and a whole new sound. Gone is the angst and softer acoustic tracks. Now it's time to rock.

Think distortion. Think beer and a smoky back room in a pub. Think groove, and a guitarist with a cigarette hanging from his mouth (don't ask me why - that's the image I get!!!). Basically, think heavy seventies inspired rock. If bands like the Hellacopters or Backyard Babies got their act together, or if Dave Wyndorf and his Monster Magnet ever got that next album done, it would perhaps sound like this.

Heavy as a pregnant hippotamus and with a nicely laid back vibe, Roachpowder rocks the earth, and every other planet within listening distance. Massive.

// Martin Larsson


Soulfly
Soulfly (Roadrunner / MNW ILR)
9/10

Whether Max Cavalera left Sepultura or Sepultura left Max Cavalera is a point that will probably be argued as long as those involved have breath left to do it with. Whatever the case, Max Cavalera has moved on, and I'll be surprised if those other Sepultura boys won't have trouble besting him with their next album.

Soulfly is the name of Max's new project (if it feels familiar, that's because Max can be heard shouting it over and over on "Head Up", from the Deftones' latest offering, "Around the Fur"), and it takes the whole tribal metal thing from Sepultura's "Roots" one step further.

Actually, the feeling you get reading the who did what list on "Soulfly" is that of a hiphop album. Not that there are any real connections to the hiphop scene (aside from DJ Lethal, ex member of House of Pain, who guest stars on one track, and producer Mario Caldato, of Beastie Boys fame, appearing on another). Instead it is the feeling of community you get, somewhat similar to that of a WuTang Clan album, seeing as how there are a multitude of familiar names guest starring on the album, including Chino Moreno from the Deftones, Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit, and Christian Olde Wolbers from label mates Fear Factory. Quite an impressive list.

Once again, Max has collaborated with producer Ross Robinson and mixer Andy Wallace, and with "Roots" in mind, the result is obvious. Lots of bizarre tribal rhythms, courtesy of some Brazilian fellows and ex-Shelter drummer Ray Mayorga, combined with massive guitars and Max's characteristic voice. Basically, world music for the metalhead.

// Martin Larsson