Game Over is N.A.'s debut album and set the formula that their good albums nary deviated from. This album set the basics. It's a rumbly, murky affair; held together by grit, grime, speed, apocalyptic fury, and a keen understanding of the power of the riff. Also, plenty of slower breakdowns that are suitable for moshing. Some longer songs bog this album down, as they do not yet have the technical chops or songwriting skills to hold together a 7 minute epic beyond boredom.
Chateau
Kivilinake is perched atop the southernmost peak of the Kradiken
Socrat. Atop the misty
peak, the gray stone fortress looms like a sleeping behemoth. The high walls cover the peaks of two adjacent mountains. At one end the great tower rises up into the persistent gloom. Upon the carven ramparts, spectral warriors drift in and out of sight, their gauzy armor shifting with the winds. All is
silent in
the snowy wilderness, but in the dining hall, where Mistress
Crowbastard has gathered the metal warriors of Centon, a debate is
taking place. Iron Dan is on one end of the table, across from
Mistress Crowbastard who watches on as he carries on a heated
discussion with Duchess VonDoom. Dan speaks heatedly, "No, no,
no. We are all rebels now. The only way is to storm Jenkabala. We
have the warriors, we have the magic users, let's take this dick
down!" Duchess VonDoom looks across the table at the rest of our
party, seated around the rectangular crystal table and answers Dan
with clipped words, "You underestimate Headron. Bloodmace and
Demon Scourge need to enter the castle through the gate here at Narn
and face them in the outer dimensions." Iron Dan raises his fist
and slams it to the table, "I don't like it. These two are no
more ready to take on those titans than two children. They may have
the tools but these buffoons are incapable of defending themselves
against Headron and Bloodhammer." Mistress Crowbastard holds up
her hand, revealing a spiked gauntlet beneath the loose fabric of her
cloak and speaks, "I shall open the gate. Bloodmace and Demon
Scourge, you must find Lars the Berserker in Narn before you
transport to the chaos dimension from the peak of Mount Andervarl. Let
us abandon this discord and I shall descend to the gateroom where I
shall reveal the true powers of the battle jacket to the young
adepts. Iron Dan, you shall lead the forces to Jenkabala palace and
reclaim the seat of power from the army of Headron when Bloodmace,
Demon Scourge and Lars the Berserker bring their leader into the
temporal world." She beckons to Bloodmace and I and we follow
her down a dim corridor in the north wall.
peak, the gray stone fortress looms like a sleeping behemoth. The high walls cover the peaks of two adjacent mountains. At one end the great tower rises up into the persistent gloom. Upon the carven ramparts, spectral warriors drift in and out of sight, their gauzy armor shifting with the winds. All is
Their next album, Survive, corrects these flaws. The songs are streamlined, emphasizing speed, making this easily their most brutal mosh fest. The production is a bit murky, and the album is marred by a truly bad classic rock cover. Fortunately, this is tucked away at end of the album, so otherwise, this is a no frills punked up thrash, the faster the better.
Adventure in
Samur Part 3.2 - Behind The Mirror
We are descending
stairs in the darkness, down into the stone heart of Mistress
Crowbastard's fortress. In the formless, inky blackness that engulfs
us, time has stopped. There is nothing but step after step into the
abyss. Profound silence closes in on us, like a heavy blanket. I feel
for the Dio patch to light my way but it has no power here. I can no
longer tell witch direction I am walking, so I close my eyes.
Suddenly, I can see clearly. Bloodmace is before me walking down the
rocky passage, and in front of him is Crowbastard. I try to call out
to Bloodmace to close his eyes, but i can make no sound, as in a
nightmare. Our hostess turns her head and puts a finger to her lips.
Bloodmace, groping about slowly begins at once to move confidently
and looks back at me. The passage levels out and we pass through a
crystal studded cavern, rainbows flaring out from the rough walls.
Then darkness. I
open my eyes by reflex and before me is a
breathtaking sight. We are not in an underground passage at all, but
in a deep, misty valley with impossibly tall peaks rising up on all
sides, a verdant eruption frozen in time. Directly ahead of us a
gate, made of bones like Mistress Crowbastard's throne room, dwarfs
us. The arching structure of whitened skeletons thrusts vertiginously
into the foggy sky. This is the dividing point between the world of
the living and dead on Centon. Mistress Crowbastard motions for us to
take a place around the fire pit and once again begins to speak in
her measured northern dialect, "Sit, brothers, for there is much
to learn and much that will be left out. You have been told the history of your vestments by Chanthoth but he only gave you an
inkling of their real power, for he was in league with your father
and Headron. These jackets you wear are not just powerful weapons for
you to destroy anything in your path, they, with the others, are the
key." Remembering the words of Chanthoth, I speak, "There
were more than just these two made?" A slight smile spreads
across the Mistress' face as she answers, "There are five.
Yours, the one that belongs to Lars the Berserker, mine, and one more
unaccounted for. With these five garments you will be able to once
again claim the world of Centon for the people of all its nations.
Come, let us burn these sourwood branches to call the elder gods. We
shall leave our skins here and commune with the pantheon of legend!"
With a grand swoosh of her cloak the world goes dark again and I feel
the cold rush of the vortex around my cheeks.
open my eyes by reflex and before me is a
breathtaking sight. We are not in an underground passage at all, but
in a deep, misty valley with impossibly tall peaks rising up on all
sides, a verdant eruption frozen in time. Directly ahead of us a
gate, made of bones like Mistress Crowbastard's throne room, dwarfs
us. The arching structure of whitened skeletons thrusts vertiginously
into the foggy sky. This is the dividing point between the world of
the living and dead on Centon. Mistress Crowbastard motions for us to
take a place around the fire pit and once again begins to speak in
her measured northern dialect, "Sit, brothers, for there is much
to learn and much that will be left out. You have been told the history of your vestments by Chanthoth but he only gave you an
inkling of their real power, for he was in league with your father
and Headron. These jackets you wear are not just powerful weapons for
you to destroy anything in your path, they, with the others, are the
key." Remembering the words of Chanthoth, I speak, "There
were more than just these two made?" A slight smile spreads
across the Mistress' face as she answers, "There are five.
Yours, the one that belongs to Lars the Berserker, mine, and one more
unaccounted for. With these five garments you will be able to once
again claim the world of Centon for the people of all its nations.
Come, let us burn these sourwood branches to call the elder gods. We
shall leave our skins here and commune with the pantheon of legend!"
With a grand swoosh of her cloak the world goes dark again and I feel
the cold rush of the vortex around my cheeks.
Their best album is the third album, Handle With Care. This represents the total perfection of their sound, full of crisp, metallic riffing, and a big, clean production making every instrument audible. Only slightly less ferocious than Survive, the songwriting is much improved, as is John Connelly's high pitched rasp. Songs like Search and Seizure, a full blown thrash anthem with a rollicking riff and almost power metal-ish chorus, make this album valiant headchurner. Even the goofy, funked-up instrumental can't ruin this albums shined-up crossover vibe. Winner of the night, in my humble opinion.Words of the Elders
The land of Narn is a chain of islands shifting about in the great spirit lake on Mount Andervarl. Bloodmace and Demon Scourge must now find Lars the Berserker then battle Bloodhammer and Headron in the chaos dimension. Fly, children of Centon! Fly to the outer worlds where the gods eat of the sacred fig tree and send down curses and blessings on this mortal world!
Until next week, face beaters,
Horns
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