Review by Jacobo on August 28, 2003.

It is a pleasure to have in my hands a new release from the always-entertaining Lake of Tears. "The Neonai" is another great offering from the Swedes, but I have to say that after listening to it several times, it is still far away from their greatest opus, "Headstones", which in my opinion will never be surpassed by the band.

"The Neonai" starts with a good keyboard intro used to present 'The Return of the Ravens' (familiar song title?), which is a melodic rock / metal song that has the typical Lake of Tears sound. This sound is maintained throughout the CD with no exception, aspect which is related Jennie Teblers unique voice pitch and of course, the bands composition.

Other great songs are 'The Shadowshires,' 'Sorcerers,' for its great dreamy atmosphere and female vocal delivery, and 'Nathalie and the Fireflies,' which has a very 80's / Pink Floydish feel and shows the richness that LOF can print in their music. Listen to the hidden track, you will be surprised.

This time the band decided to change the live sound they presented in "Forever Autumn" for a more produced and modern one, but don't worry, it is good but different. If I had to criticize something in this department, it would be the drums, I really hate drum machines for their linear and artificial sound and "The Neonai" has them.

As I mentioned before, from the beginning you can tell that Lake of Tears is sounding through your speakers. This time they decided to incorporate some electronic elements in to their songs and this really raised the quality of the overall product (maybe we could hear more on the next one).

The fifth release from Lake of Tears is a good CD that will appeal to the old fans, but will definitely not gain new ones. They prove once again that you can write catchy songs with simple riffs. For the next one we hope to hear a little more experimentation guys. See you in Ravenland.

Bottom Line: An OK Lake of Tears CD that only proves how far away "Headstones II" really is.

Categorical Rating Breakdown:

Musicianship: 7
Originality: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Overall: 7

Rating 7.4 out of 10

Review by Jack on April 29, 2003.

Now that we have the bright colors out of the way, onto the review... Lake of Tears were at one stage apparently a 'metal' band (you'll have to excuse me if you are a big fan of the band; I have absolutely no prior familiarity with them), but now have delved deep into an abyss of bright colors, and dare I say... pop commerciality. What does this mean in laymen's terms? "The Neonai" is a non-metal record, from what really does appear to be a non-metal band.

However for the sake of this review, I am surely not going to dismiss these folks for being non-metal. Hell no. Heaps of crap around the Metalbite block gets reviewed if it ain't metal. Doesn't mean its good, but it still gets reviewed.

"The Neonai" is frankly one of the most oddball records I have had the odd pleasure (or displeasure... still no idea yet) of listening to. The first time with Lake of Tears I was simply dumbfounded by the flower-power cover of "The Neonai." The second Lake of Tears experience I summoned enough courage to pop open the CD tray and slide the CD in. I have to give credit where credit is due here, and say that the music on "The Neonai" matches perfectly the sort of musical experience you would expect to receive from a cover that portrays magical birds, bright rainbows, smiling suns, green gnomes, blue rabbits and mushroom houses.

As much as I am opposed to the cover, I can't really fault the music too much. The production is crisp, the guitars are full, and the vocals powerful. A lazy attempt to describe Lake of Tears would place them in a moody 70s rock café with a lot of psychedelia happening. "The Neonai" has hints of a gothic undercurrent, so perhaps it may be a record that gothic folk could get into.

To buy or just fly on by? In most occasions I would recommend the latter option, but there is an aura about Lake of Tears (albeit a shiny and happy halo) that begs a listen at least. Lake of Tears have a knack of writing some material that is actually addictive as it is sadistic. On your own head be it...

Bottom Line: If hippies and bright colors are your thing, then you could really do with a blown up copy of "The Neonai" cover. It would look ace (seriously, this record just demands to be pulled out a peace party protest over the illegal logging of a protected rainforest: it just has 'pacifist' written all over it). However, if trees, weed, birds, rainbows, and the 'environment' aren't your cup of eco-friendly tea then "The Neonai" should be approached with a bit of caution. There are some nice moments, but possibly a wee few and far between to promote any real emphasis on a possible purchase.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 6
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 6
Overall: 5

Rating: 6.2 out of 10

Review by Adam M on March 27, 2010.

An obtuse approach to Death Metal is to be found with Murder Therapy. Their rhythms are jagged, which makes them somewhat different from what one would usually hear within the genre. The question is: can they manage to create cohesiveness and still remain interesting?. For the most part the band is able to do these things, though they verge into slightly strange realms at times. The outfit uses its uniqueness as a standout characteristic to attempt to pull in as many listeners as possible. They switch gears and often grind it out for small portions that are somewhat entertaining as can be seen from 'Two Shots in Colbroke'.

The ability for the band to vary their styles is one of the best things to take from the release. Unfortunately, they can become slightly mired down in this constant shifting at times and become slightly out of focus. They don’t quite have the controlled ingenuity of Decapitated, for example, though they are making strives to attain that. The album ends strong though on a bit of an unfinished note because of the short length of the material. If the band could make the music sound a little more refined, they might be able to push the standard of their stuff up even more. They have an abstract sound created that sets them apart, but don’t quite put everything together in a way that would be the most musically precise and listenable.

Thus the outfit definitely have room for improvement, even if they’re already a reasonably good unit. I could see this appealing to fans of Obscura, Cryptopsy and other technical outfits. Those looking for an abrasive yet obtuse recording might be interested in checking these guys out.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 7.5
Overall: 7.3

Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Review by Fernando on April 30, 2023.

The Kolkata Inner Order strikes again! This time with Kaal Nagini, a new entity from the increasingly evergreen Indian extreme metal underground who through the Inner Order’s stalwart ally from the West, Iron Bonehead released their debut EP Refracted Lights Of A Blind God.

Now most of the true maniacs of death metal and especially the more obscure side are already familiar with the scene at Kolkata, and much like its predecessors. Kaal Nagini play unrelenting and merciless death metal with layers of harsh noise and filled with vitriol and absolute disdain for humanity. That being said, and much like their brethren, Kaal Nagini is its own entity and has its own sound. The band is composed of vocalist ChVZAR, guitarist and bassist OTzADAGOWAH, and surprisingly a Thai veteran from the Thailand underground, MVOQH on drums. And these three from the onset with this EP let the listener know exactly what they stand for, which is utter sonic devastation. And it is MVOQH who truly stands out, his drumming is the driving force of violence that gives these songs their destructive qualities, as the band reaches near inhuman levels of speed which is then boosted by OTzADAGOWAH’s string onslaught and the bestial howls of ChVZAR to create the most caustic sounding death metal that pushes the extremes of the genre to their next stage. In short, this record will truly put your tolerance for noise to the test, and at no point does Kaal Nagini let up, if you can’t keep up, you might as well listen to the latest flavor of the week, cookie cutter OSDM band.

In more technical terms, the most interesting part of Kaal Nagini’s abrasive sound is actually not just how fast and downtuned it is, but it's actually their use of martial ambiance, all the songs open or close with synthesized noise soundscapes that create an ominous atmosphere as a preamble to all the chaos that comprises most of the music. It's interesting how the band were able to use both chaotically aggressive death metal with very understated but no less visceral martial ambient and for both to feel cohesive to the band’s overall intent and execution. However one thing I found myself enjoying more was those ambient parts which surprised me since I’m not that big on ambient music. That’s not to say that their death metal isn’t interesting or unique, as mentioned above the speed and brutality in this EP is jaw dropping, and the production the band employed works very well as they overcame having a plastic production, as well as not having their music induce migraines via inaudible distorted noise at 400 bmp. But and on the bright side, as a first taste and a display of what Kaal Nagini are capable this is a remarkable EP and whenever they decide to release an LP I’ll be interested to see if they’ll expand on the ambiance, or double down on their unhinged brand of bestial death metal, for lack of a better descriptor.

Overall Kaal Nagini did a good job at presenting themselves, and bolstering the ranks of the Kolkata Inner Order and their ongoing crusade against modernity.

Best tracks: 'Refracted Lights Of A Blind God', 'Double Tongued Serpent Of Kú'

Rating: 8 out of 10