Death Metal for a ‘Dying Language’

The News Review:

- Death Metal for a ‘Dying Language’
- Absence grows fonder at mention of Malmsteen
- Adding a Touch of the Poet

Death Metal for a ‘Dying Language’
Forward – Sep 20, 2007
Yiddish is my mother language and a mother is never really dead. ? Ans so what better musical expression for an ever-dying language than death metal? Enter Gevolt a six-member Russian-Israeli metal group that sings in Yiddish. The band?s music is not a pasquinade but rather a nuanced embrace of both serious Yiddish lyrics and serious metal traditions. Gevolt?s rendition of the traditional ?Tum Balalaika? casts clean articulate vocals against a chilling background of liquid metal that closely resembles the German Neue Deutsche Harte (New German hardness) movement. Gevolt?s affinity for this style of music is on one level shocking. Rammstein the NDH scene?s best-known band has courted controversy by toying with fascist imagery (such as using excerpts from a Leni Riefenstahl film during one of its videos)… Yiddish is my mother language and a mother is never really dead. ? Ans so what better musical expression for an ever-dying language than death metal? Enter Gevolt a six-member Russian-Israeli metal group that sings in Yiddish. The band?s music is not a pasquinade but rather a nuanced embrace of both serious Yiddish lyrics and serious metal traditions. Gevolt?s rendition of the traditional ?Tum Balalaika? casts clean articulate vocals against a chilling background of liquid metal that closely resembles the German Neue Deutsche Harte (New German hardness) movement. Gevolt?s affinity for this style of music is on one level shocking. Rammstein the NDH scene?s best-known band has courted controversy by toying with fascist imagery (such as using excerpts from a Leni Riefenstahl film during one of its videos). But it is the dichotomy between the militaristic NDH sounds and the sincere intonations of ?Tum Balalaika? that elevates Gevolt?s music above a cheap novelty act (metal and Yiddish!) and makes it a musical phenomenon that merits attention.

Absence grows fonder at mention of Malmsteen
Georgia Straight – Sep 20, 2007
“I can’t even understand how the guy plays so well because he was drinking at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and he was still drinking by the time he went on at midnight but he was just ripping. It was like the alcohol didn’t even affect him which was kind of weird. ” It’s almost equally weird that this Florida-based quintet is more influenced by the ’90s Swedish melodic- death-metal scene spearheaded by Gothenburg outfits like Soilwork and In Flames than by homegrown grunt-mongers such as Malevolent Creation and bituary whose grim assaults darkened the Sunshine State as early as the mid ’80s. n the Absence’s new CD the sophomore release Riders of the Plague Pintavalle and fellow axeman Peter Joseph riff away on tracks like “World Divides” and “Awakening” with a devastating anthemic fury that recalls Michael Amott’s dark constructions in Carcass and Arch Enemy. Straightforward and catchy song structures make the raw-throated ranting of vocalist Jamie Stewart more accessible. The guitarists also trade off soaring crystal-edged leads with a touch of Joe Satriani?esque melodic flavour on the instrumental “Prosperity. ” The persistent chugging energy here also evokes the classic Bay Area thrash movement and that’s confirmed by the band’s decision to cover Testament’s “Into the Pit”.

Adding a Touch of the Poet
Jewish Exponent – Sep 20, 2007
Who knew that a survivor’s encounter with a Nazi apologist could inspire something so playful?The closer “The Sky Beetle” is a sleepy instrumental until its steely end taken from one of the last things that Celan wrote before his suicide. Laden with reflection with the sky-beetles inside the mountain Templeton intones. The death you still owe me I carry it out. Drummer John Bollinger carries on a little bit longer like a heartbeat fluttering to a halt as the body dies. But for Celan unlike most poets the sentiments remain long after his life was snuffed out. Dan Kaufman and his collaborators have done a mitzvah by transmuting his guilt-racked labor into such haunting music. · · ·n a happier note the kids of the Paul Green School of Rock have a few intriguing shows this month in West Philly… · · ·n a happier note the kids of the Paul Green School of Rock have a few intriguing shows this month in West Philly. Later this month they’ll focus on the Clash and the Sex Pistols at Millcreek Tavern. If you’ve been meaning to check out the young talent but were turned off by ponderous programs like Zappa and metal showcases now’s your chance. See more articles in: Arts & Entertainment.