BY ANTONY MOORE

This week will be a round up of the various new releases that I've received from a range of record labels in the metal genre and many thanks to those who supplied me with their material.

Dying Fetus – War Of Attrition

Relapse Records

Much like what their name suggests, Dying Fetus offer pulverising death-grind layered in fret frying guitars and double kick madness. John Gallagher's distinct low death-grunts are parallelled with more abrasive upper-throat screams on gory themed tracks like Homicidal Retribution, Raping The System and Parasites of Catastrophe, but each are delivered with percise and masterful musicianship. The obvious war influenced lyrics are accompanied by the graphic artwork of American flags draped over a skeletal Statue Of Liberty resting upon crossed nuclear missiles. Although only consisting of eight songs, the War Of Attrition makes it up with the complexed technical death metal entailed in each. Dying Fetus play Dublin on May 22. 8/10

Man Must Die –

The Human Condition

Relapse Records

For many years now no real example of good heavy metal has come out of Scotland but Man Must Die really do their country proud. The band dips into the depths of death metal as well as create a truly extreme form of music due to the uncompromising death roar of front man Joe McGlynn and the intricate metal guitars on offer. In a declaration to the hard men of Glasgow, Cardboard Gangster describes the dead end life they live and the impossibility of escaping that life and for me is the best song on the album. The quartet's
debut for Relapse really
cannot be faulted and deserves the recognition of any true metal fan. 9/10

Mayhem – Ordo Ad Chao

Seasons Of Mist

There are very few bands that have been through what Mayhem has but then again that's what has made the name Mayhem infamous. With internal murders, multiple line-up changes and prison sentences, sometimes the music has been overshadowed but now with a clean slate the band, with their 1994 line up take Order to Chaos to the surface. One of the most notable things about Ordo Ad Chao is that it sounds like it was recorded in the darkest cave with the light of little more than a match to clear the murky atmosphere. You could say production is poor as the drums haven't been equalized and the overall mix is bass heavy but Mayhem is one of few bands that could justify such a move. There's no doubt that it's a depressing offer, no light is at the end of the tunnel, in fact the tunnel is ever lasting and there's thorny obstacles along the way but it collectively makes the experience a worthy one and shows the true mayhem haven't lost the hatred and suffering that shaped their past. 8/10

Miss Conduct – Sinner Vs Sinned

Visible Noise

For a devote metal fan to say I like this band is quite a disgrace but what's on offer is pretty likeable. Vocally Kim Waterson may as well be singing in the Pussycat Dolls with her poppy yet sultry voice but she compliments the rock guitars and soft drumming that accompanies her and ultimately compiles a credible emo package. The five-song mini album does have its highs such as Devotion but the weak Sinner Vs Sinned soon brings it down to the teenie pop it really is. 6/10

Nine-Inch Nails – Year Zero

Interscope Records

After the fantastic 2005 release With Teeth, everyone thought NIN had found their feet again but Year Zero potentially brings them back to zero once more.

Year Zero takes on a far more industrial stance than its predecessor and often it fails to really shape many of the songs but then again tracks like Capital G and Survivalism manage to balance the both to create brilliant NIN efforts capable of being from albums of yesteryear.

Spanning 16 songs, there's the potential of a flawless 11-song album however those extras songs make it a forgettable monotonous affair that really hazes your interpretation of NIN again. 7/10