PARADISE LOST "Symbol of Life" Koch Records by Scott "Painkiller" Courtney Long ago, in a "galaxy" far away, PARADISE LOST were one of the best doom/death metal bands in the scene. Along with MY DYING BRIDE and ANATHEMA, they were considered pioneers of the genre. Through the years, the band's sound has drifted further and further away from the doomy monolith it started out to be. Yes, bands should progress or evolve...to a certain degree. PARADISE LOST should have just changed their name because their "evolution" has changed them into a disgrace of gothic electronica. Seriously, this newest effort, Symbol of Life, is just plain sad. It is slow, boring, and uninspired. The only redeeming quality of this mess is the crystal-clear production. I had to laugh when I read the warning on the back of the disc which says "this product features copy control technology." Relax, boys, I don't think you'll have to worry about pirated copies of this disc floating around in the underground...not unless people learn of the insomnia-curing capabilities it contains. Symbol of Life...my ass! Change the title to Devoid of Life!

Norma Jean "Bless The Martyr & Kiss The Child" Solid State by Paul Autry I can describe this release with one word...hardcore. But, that's about it. I like this style of music as long as it can hold my attention from song to song. I don't like heavy music just because it's heavy...the attraction has got to be there. Now, there's some fine moments on this release. But, I sat here listening to it and, after some time had passed, it all started to sound the same and I grew tired of listening to it. The album clocks in at almost an hour, which is a good thing. But, I feel they used up most of their best material early on in the game. Don't get me wrong, Norma Jean isn't a bad band. In my opinion, they just ran out of steam in the middle of this release. http://www.solidstaterecords.com

SHIP OF FOOLS "Lets Get This Mother Out Of Here" Peaceville Records by: Jonathan Mariante "OK, space cadets, get ready to be hurtled through the universe!", says the voice sample that kicks off this CD, and that's a good way to describe this band's music. They play trippy, spacey, instrumental, progressive rock. Two of their main influences seem to be Pink Floyd and Rush. The guitar playing is very influenced by both Alex Lifeston and Dave Gilmour; the bass playing is very Geddy Lee; and the drumming very Neil Peart. They use keyboards heavily on this album as well, the style of which can be compared to both bands. They also use a lot of strange, spacey sound effects, like the ones in Pink Floyd's "Breathe", plus the whole album has this spacey "vibe" to it that can be found on any given album by Pink Floyd or Rush ("Dark Side Of The Moon" is the first one that comes to mind). The album's opening cut, "Diesel Spaceship", has guitar playing that reminded me of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again". The band can also be experimental at times, using some rather unusual instruments on some of their songs, such as a tin whistle, organ, flute, and mandolin, along with many classic elements of progressive rock. The also use many voice samples throughout the album, some of them rather strange (I suppose that's the idea), such as the one I mentioned earlier, as well as one of Dorothy from "The Wizard Of Oz", on the last song, "Guidance Is Internal". The band certainly are capable musicians, and what they are doing is interesting and unusual. One gripe I have about this album, however, is that some of the songs are kind of long, plodding, and self indulgent, one in particular being "From Time". This is a snail paced song that drags on for fifteen minutes (the album's longest track). While the playing is good, it goes on much too long, and doesn't excite much. If you get this album, I would recommend giving this song a miss, unless you use it as background music for getting stoned, or whatever. Aside from this, however, this album makes for a rather interesting listen (if nothing else). It's nothing to turn cartwheels over, but these guys so know what they're doing musically, and they're doing something a little different. This crew are no fools when it comes to playing.

MACTATUS "Suicide" Napalm Records by Alex S Johnson Much as this album deserves praise -- indeed, as only the fourth full-length album from these Norwegian black metallists, and the third on Napalm, its polished, crisp production work (courtesy of Lars and Peter of Abyss); its aggressive, monumental axe attack; its careful, measured song structures, all merit plaudits -- it still lacks one crucial element: Originality. Things wouldn't be half so tough were Mactatus the only game in town, and the playing field not so choked with talent. But think of Emperor, who developed in their brief and glorious career from a grim, icy band of scythe-guitared Satanists to composers of a no-less-grim but captivatingly fresh brand of extreme neo-baroque. With that example in mind, consider whether an album thematically unified by snuff really advances any aesthetic worth advancing; or whether we need factory-perfect delivery of what by now are black metal cliches, versus music that takes some real chances. "Shocking and controversial cover artwork" aside, Mactatus has the chops and artistry -- they just need some new ideas.

The Varmints "Assorted Varmints" 2002 Endoras Box Records By Wayne Klinger Nothing more irritating than getting a compilation of a band you never heard of which is the case here with a band out of Boston that some indie label had a hard-on over. They didn't do much for me since they come across like a Punk Rock/AOR version of Tom Petty. Everything is pretty simple with an emphasis on guitar harmonies and easy-listening type tunes that would be more for the aging listener and not for those, including myself that endure more pleasure out of odd time signatures and complex songwriting. Time and various bands have proven that "the more you keep it simple, the more people that will get into it and give it a listen" applies here and despite my gropings, they aren't a bad band but offer nothing in anything spectacular or ground-breaking barriers. I guess im just one of those oddballs that stay away from simple rock 'n roll and need a more diversified listening experience. yardleygrl@aol.com

Vicious Circle "Self Titled" Nightmare Records By: Paul Autry Well, first of all, this isn't the same Vicious Circle that released a disc called "Live Long & Suffer," which I've had for some time now. This Vicious Circle is Steve Cichon's one man project, who wrote, produced and performed everything on this self titled, twelve song release. As far as the production goes, it could've been a little better. It's cool to do everything yourself and there's been some excellent "solo" projects out there. Anyone remember Lifeless...a good example of a one man project done the right way. Anyway, the music on this release is rather simple to describe. It's your basic, straight forward, heavy rock. There's some good material to be found here that could've been a lot better with the right production. I wouldn't ignore this album because it's obvious that there's potential here and I'm sure this guy's gonna make some great music in the future. So, if anything, at least be sure to give it a listen. It's worth that much! http://www.nightmare-records.com