November 4 2002

The Headstones

The Oracle of Hi-Fi

Maple Music 2002

KakKK

The Oracle of Hi-Fi is the Headstones fifth studio album, and though it lacks the polish of their previous release (Nickels for Your Nightmares), it is some their best work in years. Released this year by MapleMusic Recordings, this record is what Headstones fans have been waiting for. In this CD the Headstones con- tinue to pump out the kind of hard-hitting rock that has made the popular. Though not all the tracks are examples of their best work, this album is definitely worth buying.

-Dave

| Rating Guide

| & Oh God.My spine!

| *&* It's OK. Just OK. kk Pretty Good k&kkx* Dude! Sweet! *kkkkk The Nuns of Our lady of Perpetual Motion Catholic School think you should buy this CD. Then wash your ears. You filth Progle poy: /

Immolation are very much an underground band. They’re been building up their fan base with constant touring, and a string of strong releases, and their latest album Unholy Cult is earning them new fans already, since I’m one of them.

Immolation formed in New York in 1988, the same city

known gothic serenaders, and personal favourites of Immolation, Type O Negative.

Unlike Type O however, Immolation have always stayed close to their under- ground spawning almost 15 years later. “Kids respect that. We get better, but hold true and stay in touch with the underground,” Ross Dolan (vocals and bass) muses. And it's true, although they're fine tuned their sound over the years, Immolation haven't taken any artistic left turns, prefering instead to pump out some brutally heavy but engaging death metal, sup- porting themselves the old fashioned way, touring. But why would anyone want to tour, and face the rigors of the road?

“We're more of live band, we shine there,” Dolan explains, “its spontaneous and when the crowds are on, we really get into it 110%. We love tour- ing and hitting the road. The essence of any band is the live show, it’s where it counts, so we try to tour as much as we can, we can play new material and make a few new fans

that churned out the greater.

every time we come through.”

The new material on Unholy Cult lives up to Immolation’s reputation as writers of crush- ingly heavy metal. “We don’t put much thought in, we just

try to do our best. We write what we enjoy, but we’re really picky. There’s only 8 songs on the new album, but that’s the best of what we have, we get it to where it needs to be.” Dolan

Pic courtesy of Century Media Immolation’s Bass player and vocalist, Ross Dolan on Immolation’s own brand of death metal: “We’re not about being the most brutal, the fastest or the heaviest. There’s a lot of variation, and if you lis- ten a few times, there’s stuff that you don’t catch right away, but it may not necessarily appeal to you right off the bat.”

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responded when | quizzed him about the latest material. “Unholy Cult is our shining moment, our best release, the music, lyrics and production are a step above what we’ve done previously. Nothing fights with each other, the dynamics are all there, everything is fast moving, interesting and twist- ed.”

Twisted does describe their sound, it’s dark, menacing, sinister, epic and dark to sum up Dolan’s own description of Immolation, but the best thing about Immolation as far as I’m concerned is their depth. “We're not about being the most brutal, the fastest or the heaviest. There’s a lot of varia- tion, and if you listen a few times, there’s stuff that you don’t catch right away, but it may not necessarily appeal to you right off the bat.”

Immolation’s music has matured since their last album, 2000’s Close to a World Below, it’s a bit more complex and experimental than the average death metal release, but how will Immolation’s fans respond to a more refined album? “We’re mentally in a different place now, but we know what direction and path we’re on. The new album has a little bit of everything.’ Dolan answers, “Our fans are really supportive. You really love us or you really hate us, but the diehard fans are a key factor in our success.”