Grim Scary Tales | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 31, 2011 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:36 | |||
Label | Hammerheart, Willowtip | |||
Producer | Geoff Montgomery | |||
Macabre chronology | ||||
|
Grim Scary Tales is the fifth album by American extreme metal band Macabre released in 2011. The album cover depicts the notorious Romanian prince Vlad the Impaler holding a goblet filled with blood. The album focuses on historical figures famous for killing people, such as Vlad Tepes, Countess Bathory, Gilles de Rais, and Nero. [1] It has been described as "primitive death metal, occasionally erupting into nursery rhyme or cartoon-theme melodies, and the vocals go back and forth between guttural growls and high-pitched, hoarse shrieking". [1] It is also Macabre's first release since Murder Metal in 2003. [2]
The album focuses on historical figures famous for killing people, such as Vlad Tepes, Countess Bathory, Gilles de Rais, and Nero. [1] Corporate Death described the album concept as "document[ing] the history of murder from the earliest recorded killers in chronological order", and suggested that there would be a second part "finish[ing] the timeline". [3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
About.com | [1] |
Allmusic | [4] |
George Pacheco, in About.com, described Grim Scary Tales as "more of a novelty than anything else, despite the band's crisp, thrash riffs and steamroller rhythms" and suggested the album "isn't really worth more than a few cursory, curious spins at best". [1] Allmusic's Phil Freeman was also ambivalent about the album, suggesting that "longtime Macabre fans, who find depth in the band's lyrical fixations, will doubtless be thrilled at their heroes' return. Most metalheads, and everyone else, can safely skip this one, though". [4]
Lizzie Andrew Borden was an American woman who was tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and, despite ostracism from other residents, Borden spent the remainder of her life in Fall River. She died of pneumonia at the age of 66, just days before the death of her older sister, Emma.
Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian history and a national hero of Romania.
Black Metal is the second album by English heavy metal band Venom. It was released in November 1982 during the new wave of British heavy metal, and is considered a major influence on the thrash metal, death metal and black metal scenes that emerged in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Macabre is an American extreme metal band from Chicago. Since their formation in 1985, the band has featured the same three members with no lineup changes. The group's style blends thrash metal, death metal, and grindcore. Lyrically, Macabre have a strong focus on serial killers, mass murderers and humorous elements. The group is currently signed to Nuclear Blast.
Sinister Slaughter is the second full-length album by American death metal band Macabre and was released in 1993 by Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork is a parody on the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band featuring the band members, serial killers and mass murderers instead of famous people. The album was re-released in 2000 in a digipak that included the songs off the Behind the Wall of Sleep EP as bonus tracks.
Gloom is the debut album of American extreme metal band Macabre, released in 1989. Several versions of this album exist. Some versions include the Grim Reality EP, other include a few live tracks and two songs from the Grim Reality EP.
Behind the Wall of Sleep is an EP by American extreme metal band Macabre released in 1994 on Nuclear Blast Records. It contains three new tracks and one cover of Black Sabbath's song "Behind the Wall of Sleep" from their 1970 debut album Black Sabbath.
Morbid Tales is the debut record by the Swiss extreme metal band, Celtic Frost, released in November 1984. It was originally released in Europe on Noise Records as a mini-LP with six tracks, while the American release by Enigma/Metal Blade added two tracks, bringing it to the length of a regular studio LP. The band retrospectively refers to the LP release as the band's debut studio album.
Necrodeath is an Italian extreme metal band from Liguria. It is one of the first extreme metal bands originating in Italy. They take inspiration from Slayer, Dark Angel, Possessed, Venom, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Bathory and Sodom. The band is also renowned for its live performances, and notably for their "wall of sound".
Black One is the fifth studio album by American drone metal band Sunn O))). As the title implies, the album is very black metal-influenced, utilizing many guest musicians of the genre, including Malefic and Wrest from Xasthur and Leviathan, respectively. Malefic, a sufferer of claustrophobia, was allegedly locked in a casket during his recorded performance to the vocals on the track "Báthory Erzsébet".
Locusta or Lucusta, was a notorious maker of poisons in the 1st-century Roman Empire, active in the final two reigns of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She supposedly took part in the assassinations of Claudius and Britannicus. She was a favourite of emperor Nero for several years, and Nero had her provide training to other poisoners in his service. Following Nero's death, Locusta was executed by his successor, Galba.
Panzer Division Marduk is the sixth studio album by Swedish black metal band Marduk. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss in January 1999 and released in June 1999 by Osmose Productions. The theme of the album is fire, as Nightwing was blood, and La Grande Danse Macabre would be death, forming a trilogy of "Blood, Fire, and Death", Marduk's vision of what black metal is, unending grimness. Panzer Division Marduk was the last Marduk release by Osmose Productions.
Nightwing is the fifth studio album by Swedish black metal band Marduk. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss between October and November 1997 and released in April 1998 by Osmose Productions. The theme of the album was blood, as the band's following, war-related studio album's Panzer Division Marduk would be fire, and La Grande Danse Macabre would be death, forming a trilogy of "Blood, Fire and Death," an homage to Bathory's Blood Fire Death album.
The influence of Countess Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture has been notable from the 18th century to the present day. Since her death, various myths and legends surrounding her story have preserved her as a prominent figure in folklore, literature, music, film, games and toys.
Untoten is a German musical group based in Berlin. It was founded by David A. Line and female vocalist Greta Csatlós in 1994. The lyrics are written primarily in German and English, supported by female vocals.
Rabid Death's Curse is the first studio album by the black metal band Watain. It was released in 2000 on Drakkar Productions. It is notable as being the first and only album for which the band had two guitarists; from Rabid Death's Curse onwards, the band would be a trio. The song "Rabid Death's Curse" contains an audio sample from the film Friday the 13th. The album is considered a classic and was featured on German Rock Hard magazine's list 250 Black-Metal-Alben, die man kennen sollte.
The Guessing Game is the ninth full-length album by the British doom metal band Cathedral. It was released on 26 March 2010. It is the first double-album from the band.
Kurbads is the fifth studio album by the Latvian folk metal band Skyforger. The album was released on 26 April 2010 in Europe and on 11 May 2010 in the United States through Metal Blade Records.
"Countess Bathory" is a song by English heavy metal band Venom. The song originally appeared on the band's 1982 album Black Metal as well as their 1986 live album Eine kleine Nachtmusik.
War of Ages is the fourth full-length studio album by Austrian symphonic metal band Serenity. The album was released on March 22, 2013 in Europe and sometime in March or April in North America and Asia, via Napalm Records.