The Album Reviews:

	Title: Lucifer Rising Artist: Kaamos Label: Century Media Records Release Date: 3/22/05	Judgment Committee Reviews	Rating
			3
			3
			4
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Abyss's Review:
Lucifer Rising is a solid death metal outing that will probably suffer due to the fact that it simply isn't all that unique. That's not to say it's bad, but it's just not very memorable. The band plays a style of death metal that falls somewhere between brutal and technical, owing a lot to Morbid Angel (minus the overuse of artificial harmonics) and numerous Stockholm death acts.

"One word review: Great."

If I'm giving you the impression that this album is boring, that is not my intention. Because for any metalhead in the grip of a death jones, a few CCs of Kaamos will stop the bugs from crawling over your skin. It is a compelling album in many ways, but it feels like the band is still trying to sort out their own identity. Definitively old school, Kaamos don't possess the nostalgia of more established acts, or the pedigree of a band like Bloodbath. But they've gone a long way toward establishing themselves here, as it is easy to say that fans of Bloodbath and the like will enjoy this record, I'm just not sure they'll get overly excited about it.
That being said, however, Kaamos have quite a base to work from, and have a great amount of potential as a result. They've already proved they can hang with the middle tier, which in this genre is more than admirable. If they keep writing songs like "Inaugurating Evil," "Gnosticon," and "Dark Void" they will find themselves amongst the elite, but as of now this band has yet to prove that they can make a more profound mark on the death metal world. I don't want to have to struggle to remember how good this band is, I want it to be etched in my brain. One word review: Great.

Death's Review:
Sweden's Kaamos return with their second full-length album, Lucifer Rising, released on Candlelight Records. Full-on brutal Swedish death is what you can expect, a la Hypocrisy, Dismember and Grave, with a bit of hyper-speed, evil New York death metal thrashiness thrown in for good measure, a la Incantation. It is the juxtaposition of these two elements that give Kaamos their unique feel and help them to stand out from the pack a bit. Lyrically, Satan is the preferred topic, and with song titles like "Black Revelation," "Inaugurating Evil," and Sacrament in Red," you know what you're getting in that department (my favorite title: "Gnosticon").

"Full-on brutal Swedish death is what you can expect."

All in all, the riffs are cool, but nowhere near as cool as the most recent Bloodbath album, for example, while attempting to tap the same vein. This is the perfect example of good but not great, nothing wrong with this solid metal outing (and even kinda cool and unique in its thrashier elements), but perhaps not standing out enough to move to the top of my playlist. I think I'd enjoy seeing the band live, and yes, an argument can be made that this is a four skull record. But I'm going to hold back a little, give it a three, and wait to see if the band can develop a bit more in the songwriting arena for the next record before I consider a higher score.

Hel's Review:
Well, hell, I don't care what anyone says, Kaamos rules the underworld with devastating blasphemous fury. This is the kind of Swedish death metal I want in my player in 2005. Lucifer Rising has blasted its way straight into my heart.

"Kaamos rules the underworld with devastating blasphemous fury."

Prior to pressing "play" on this fierce beast, I had knowledge of the band by name only. Now, I'm naming myself a fan. Sure, the album isn't perfect; at times the drums have a funny echoing sound and perhaps the band isn’t a sterling example of originality. But dammit, it's hellafun. The musicianship is solid, I dig the gurgle-y vocals, and the songs are pretty catchy. "Lucifer Rising" gets me singing along every time.
Sure, if you're going to be a snob about it, maybe this isn't the perfect album. Regardless, I found myself truly enjoying it, and actually looking forward to listening to it again. And in a week when they're against a long time favorite of mine, Corrosion of Conformity, in vying for my attention, for them to succeed in doing that, I think that says a lot. Get Lucifer Rising and wallow with satanic glee.

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