Back in 1989 and 1990, the phrase "
death metal
is here to stay" would have raised eyebrows in some circles; back then,
's critics argued that it was too limited, too harsh, too extreme to have real longevity. But
has turned out to be surprisingly durable -- and despite the limitations of most
bands, the
death metal/black metal
field has maintained an enthusiastic cult following. In the early to mid-2000s, the Scandinavian countries provided an endless supply of new
and
black metal
bands; one of the
combos that came out of Stockholm in 2002 was
Vicious Art
, which includes people who have been a part of
Dark Funeral
(guitarist
Matti Makela
and drummer
Robert Lundlin
) and
Entombed
(bassist
Joergen Sandstroem
). Some Nordic bands have sidestepped extreme
metal
's limitations with the very comparable styles that have been termed "melodic
" and "
symphonic black metal
," both of which combine
elements with the sort of musicality and intricacy one expects from old-school headbangers like
Ronnie James Dio
,
Iron Maiden
, and
Queensryche
. But one won't find that type of outlook on
's debut album,
Fire Falls and the Waiting Waters
; this CD, like most
, is an exercise in bombast for the sake of bombast.
doesn't provide
grindcore
; the Swedes have no problem playing at breakneck speed, but they offer a lot of breakdowns and can easily pummel the listener at a medium tempo. Whatever the tempo, this album is ferocious -- and while the material certainly isn't groundbreaking by mid-2000s standards, those with a taste for extreme
will find it to be a decent (if derivative) example of the hammer-to-the-skull approach. ~ Alex Henderson