Biaxadent

Biaxadent has gone through so many line-up changes since releasing its debut CD, The Dawn of Eternal Nights, three years ago, that the only original member left is singer-guitarist Dion DeSantis. An opinionated, fang-wearing frontman who hasn't been afraid to take on local promoters, DeSantis has continued to feud with Spotlight Entertainment and its pay-per-publication Bottom Line -- the local metal cartel, if you will. But DeSantis, who hosts the annual Festival of Fury (a bill of local metal acts), has often been misrepresented; he cares about the growth of the local metal scene as much as its self-promoting proponents, and he has kept his band going even when no one in town would book it.

He recorded this album two years ago, but has only now gotten around to releasing it (he plans to burn about 300-500 copies, to have available at shows). As a result, much of the material sounds dated -- the title track, "Under the Knife 2000," and "Sin After Sin" have the kinds of bellowing vocals that sound derivative of Slayer. When the band explores its industrial/goth side, the results are better. The pairing of synthesizers, rumbling drums, and parched vocals gives "Meet Thy Doom" a tempered heaviness, and the song ends in a frenetic climax, with chugging guitars and rumbling drums. Although it indulgently uses the band's name in its refrain, "Flatline Remix (Voodoo God Pets)" has elements that compare favorably to White Zombie, and the band explores uncharted territory with the chirping guitars and hushed vocals of "Trust."