#2007 music

Minotauri:II

© 2007 Minotauri/Firebox Records

• —–Professional Reviews—–
• Metal-Temple.com: 7/10 (Good)
• MetalStorm.com: 8.7
• Metalfan.nl: 62/100
• Bloodchamber.de: 8/10
• —–Personal Rating—–
• 9 out of 10 (Sexy!)

Let me start of by saying that this was not an easy album to track down. Limited copies, virtually no record stores here in New York & outrages prices on both eBayandAmazon made this a mission that was almost impossible. Doom Metal. What can I say? A genre that for so long I’ve ignored only to find out that I had been a fan all along in the form of early Black Sabbath songs like Electric FuneralandHand of Doom.

Hailing from Finland,Minotauri’sIIalbum was actually my introduction to the genre in the form of a complete project. The band didn’t have a great vocalist. They didn’t even have stellar production but what they did have were a set of skills….. no wait. What they did have were a set of slow, heavy, riff driven songs that absolutely worked. The absence of quality production actually helped as the guitars sound even heavier and distorted despite the riffs having quite a bit of melody to them. This the highlight of the album and you’ll be humming the riffs for days. The lyrics and the songs cover a variety of topics such as love and the betrayal that may come with it (the track “Misery”  is an example) or the cliché accusations of worshiping the devil as was the case in the excellent track “Under The Cross”. As with most Doom Metal albums, the lyrics are full of darkness, sadness, satanic imagery and despair which may put off newer listeners but if you’ve listened to Black Sabbath, then it should come as no surprise to you. At only 10 tracks total, Minotaurimanaged to record an album that was nearly perfect from start to finish. If you want quality Doom Metal, this is it.