Man, I used to just hate compilations. Granted, it is a cool way to hear a bunch of new bands inexpensively, but the drawbacks are so great sometimes that they're usually not worth even that investment. Realizing this, many labels have tried a few differnt approaches: lowering the cost (Century Media); offering a TON of songs (Nuclear Blast); or giving us rare and out of print material. War Dance definitely falls into the third category. Since most of WAR's (formerly Wrong Again) back catalogue is out of stock, this is really the only way to hear excellent older tracks from In Flames, Eucharist, Naglfar and Cryptopsy. The quality of artists and the songs they chose is also above par, solidifiying that this comp is a must have. Opening with the out of control Blades, we also get Enslave the Astral Fortress from the hard-to-find Vittra release. Newcomers Carnal Forge (Who's Gonna Burn should be available now) really tear it up with their particular brand of speed death, very impressive and one of the shining moments on the album. Darkane is another band to look for. Featuring percussive artiste Peter Wildoer (Arch Enemy, Armageddon), July 1999 and Convicted are excellent tracks, building lots of anticipation on this end for their Rusted Angel debut (out in February 1999). If you haven't yet heard Eucharist, here's the best way to listen to the monumental leap they have made between their last two releases. One of the best records to come out in the last two years, Mirrorworlds is a masterpiece, here represented by the album's opening track. Wounded and Alone, a rare track from the W.A.R. comp is also good, yet suffers from poor sound quality. This problem also affects other tracks, giving the album a peak/valley sound experience which can get a trifle annoying. It's worth it for the aforementioned In Flames though, as until it's re-released, you can't find the Subterranean E.P. anywhere! Arch Enemy's Losing Faith is one of the bonus tracks from the Japanese version of Black Earth, and is pretty colse to the sound of that album, albeit not quite as strong. The Dimension Zero track is unreleased, but I can't fathom why it wasn't put on their Penetrations from the Lost World E.P., which only clocks in at 12 minutes! In Thy Dreams' Forgiven Sins is another one that impresses me heavily. Coming from the NWOSDM school, they're a band to look for. War Dance closes off with an alternate version of The Juggernaut Divine (from Crossing the Rubicon). More great drumming, although it doesn't sound all that different from the album version. All in all, a downright excellent compilation featuring some of the more creative and talented bands out there today. You can't go wrong (again) here!

One cool thing about compilations is that many labels are pretty much giving 'em away nowadays, meaning that you can get almost 75 minutes of "quality" music for like $5. That's 10 cents a minute (no, just kidding). Anyway, Century Media is the leader in this marketing push, and lo and behold, here's the 5th installment in their now famous Identity series. If you've ever picked up one of these before, then you know what to expect. Basically, these are recorded songs off of most of CM's roster, nothing really out of the ordinary (hence the low price). But, if you wanted to check out a couple of tracks by a band you didn't want to drop $15 on, then pick this up. I'm not going to go through each band, but I'd say that standouts would include Skinlab, Cryptopsy, Katatonia, Old Man's Child, Blind Guardian, Opeth and Angra's modern Maiden sound (this is a new signing for CM, and these guys fucking rock!). You really don't have much to lose if you're at all interested in a couple of these bands. Check the CM website for more info...

To many, Relapse Records are known for their heaby hitters (Amorphis, Neurosis), to others, their grind (Nasum, Agoraphobic Nosebleed). Well, to me, they're known as the label that doesn't seem to discriminate, signing bands from all fields, the only common ground being that they all excel in their particular medium. All bands of the spectrum are represented on this sampler, ranging from new tracks by the heavies to other more obscure acts in the Relapse catalog. Judging from the tracks selected, this year is going to be killer for these guys. The new Neurosis track is so damn thick is runs out of my headphones, Today is the Day continue to annihilate, and even Bongzilla look to dish a pile a whoop-ass to unwary listeners. Of course, we also get some tracks from bands that are proven killers, Soilent Green, Nile and The Dillinger Escape Plan all turning in a few from their latest releases. Definitely something for everyone here, and charging like only $2 for this, it's worth it just to hear the love 'em or hate 'em Mortician take on Celtic Frost.

The only consistency on Earl Root excellent underground compilations are that whatever's on there, it's guaranteed to be something unordinary. Most compilations put out are an easy way to hear a majority of the label's signed or distributed bands. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that a lot of labels tend to sign acts that are very limited in scope, making it more of an example of a sub-genre. The Root-O-Evil comps are a tad different, and remind me of the underground of old, complete with professional "joke" songs, badly recorded basement demos, and a "major" act or two thrown in for good measure. Really experimental in that Earl throws in noise tracks after death metal after spoken word singles, forcing anticipation to grow towards the completion of one song, as you can only guess as to what will hit you next. Standouts for me include: Impaler's live version of Graverobbers from Outer Space, Usurper's noisefesty Soulstalker '96, the majesticly pompous Lorde of All Desires, Swordkiller (complete with their poseur hell intro), Brian Bart's nod to Praxis, and The Coup de Grace's awesome 80s power metal Grave World track. Overall, another killer comp from a guy who has been deeply mired in the underground for longer than most people have been listening to metal. Worth the mere pittance he charges for these things.

I bet this seemed like a good idea at the time. With Tribute albums being all the rage, I guess someone felt that it was time to pay homage to one of the greatest hardcore bands in history. The thing with Bad Brains was that they lived the life, and they also made sacrifices. Basically banned from their home of D.C. due to a dispute with a more powerful dude in the scene (I guess they caused a little Fugazi), the displaced Bad Brains went on to create some of the most memorable music in the scene. OK, tributes can be cool, but who the hell decided that Moby should lead this thing off? His cover sucks, and honestly, I was ready to throw the disc away in disgust after hearing that track. Things pick up a bit with Ignite and Skinlab, but there are so many fucking stinkers here that it's abasing. It also goes to prove that good production does not a band make, as the Bad Brains were also very adept at their instruments, something not to be said of all the artists here. Now, I'm not going to point fingers and blame, but even the once mighty Entombed embarass themselves here with their just horrible version of Yout' Juice. Are there any winners? Well, Vision of Disorder's Soulcraft has some of the sound, and some of the vibe, as does 16's Right Brigade, but then Sepultura kicks in and ruins everything. I say stay away, but I bet this sells a ton of copies to kids that have never even heard the originals. You want to honor the band? Rerelease their older, hard to find albums like the original Rock for Light along with this brown nugget.

The fourth compilation in only about a year, Earl Root has once again managed to compile some truly eclectic bands for this issue's Roots compilation. Including quite a few ROE roster artists such as Lorde of all Desires, Impaler, Le'rue Delashay, Plan E and the 612 Crew, Zoso also features long lost tracks from recent recorders like Fleshgrind and November's Doom. All I can say for these, outside of there being some really killer tracks you won't find anywhere else, is that if approached with an open mind, any of the Root-O-Evil compilations should remind you of the days of yore, when compliations had 20 bands that all sounded different in both production and style. Pretty cool stuff, and even Impaler live on this disc sounds tighter than ever, woo-hoo!