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The Japanese
thrash, heavy metal masters of darkness are back, with their fifth
full-length release to date. This disc features eight songs of
traditional heavy metal mixed with some aggressive thrash metal. The
guitars are played with a lot of skill, are well written, and well
performed memorable patterns. The guitarist knows how to write and
mix both mid paced sections, with lightning fast guitars, all
accented with some nicely played solos. The drummer is extremely
tight and can play both chaotic and fast patterns on down to a more
middle tempo style. The vocals are done with raw blackened thrashy
screams, mixed with more traditional heavy metal screaming vocal
style. If you are a fan of Abigail’s musical style, then be sure to
buy this new released today, it does not disappoint. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/ABIGAILBARBATOS-208365735859610/
http://www.nwnprod.com/
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Abuse are a
brutal death metal band who come out of the Canadian death metal
scene. “Nothing Is Safe” is the bands second full length in sixteen
years featuring ten gore filled songs. The guitars on here are
played with a mix of heavy, mid paced patterns that do speed up to a
faster and more crazed guitar style. The vocals are low brutal death
growls, and a few screams are mixed into a few of the songs. If you
are a fan of no holds barred brutality then definitely pick up
Abuse’s new disc once it is released. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/youwillsubmit http://www.comatosemusic.com/ |
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Do you enjoy
folksy melodies, mighty guitar solos, kinetic rhythms, and choruses
fit for the gnarliest of pub sing-alongs? Well, pick up your
drinking horns and boffers, lords and dames, for we have a massively
fun chunk of folk-influenced melodic death metal for you. Æther
Realm had been working on this album over the past few years up
until its recent release on June 7th of this year. They released its
first single back in 2015, titled “The Chariot”, which had fans
biting their nails for two years in expectancy of the next full
length after One Chosen By The Gods. Now, fans can hold in their
hands the compact disc that they have been waiting for since 2013,
and its weight is all at once light-hearted and hard-hitting. This
spectrum starts on one end with “King of Cups”, boasting of a
mystical brew and calling comrades to “Chug! Chug! Chug!” with an
all-too-appropriate featured vocal performance from Chris Bowes of
Alestorm. On the other end, we have the title track “Tarot” that
blasts away as one of the most straightforward, true-to-form, yet
exceptionally Æther Realm-esque melodeath tracks on the album.
Straddling these two poles are tracks like “Death” that take a
slower pace with a loping rhythm and a dismally optimistic melody
that conveys a positive view of mortality from the perspective of
someone experiencing the afterlife as a wandering soul. Everything
about this album is memorable and enjoyable, not to mention it shows
that the band has moved far ahead of the bar they set for themselves
with their debut. I was most looking forward to hearing their sound
mature further, as well as the production quality improve, and I am
pleased to say that both of these hopes were met and then some.
Definitely give this album a listen if you want an engaging folk
metal experience, or if you just want to have a good time. Both will
surely happen. – Aaron
https://aether-realm.bandcamp.com/
http://www.primitivewaysrecords.com/ |
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If I had to
describe this album with one word, it would be torrential. The
Unraveling is teeming with potentiality—always on the cusp of
the next kickass movement in a series of grappling hooks. Each track
on this album has a personality that distinguishes itself from the
rest, exhibiting the acute depth of thought that Ails put into
weaving together their work. (I know it seems a contradictory
statement for them to weave something together that is “unraveling,”
but bear with me.) They navigate the challenging waters of contrast
with ease. For example, the first track, “The Echoes Waned,”
showcases Ails’ tact with combining blackened metallic craftsmanship
with earthier tones in the clean vocals (which most immediately
contrast with the more prevalent blackened shrieks) and brief
stripped-down moments that bookend the composition. The very next
track, “Dead Metaphors,” begins in a doom-laden manner, but
transitions into “Any Spark of Life,” which often finds itself at a
confluence of exuberant riffing and more patient sections. Ails work
with all of these dynamics with immense control, constructing an
album that listeners can fully immerse themselves in while still
feeling a sense of direction, of propulsive momentum. If “Mare
Weighs Down” is looking over a cliff’s edge into a cyclone, “The
Ruin” is the subsequent descent and experience of the whirling
rapids. Everyone comes out on top in the end with the ultimate, epic
finale of “Bitter Past,” which begins with a slightly twang-y guitar
line that puts into music the recollection of a caustic memory that
sticks in one’s cranium like an irksome bur. This track leads the
listeners out of the album through craggy rapids, leaving them with
a sense of catharsis. Listening to The Unraveling is an
exercise in refiguring the familiar with the energy of the
present—even though we exit the album through the “past,” Ails still
demonstrate that progress can be made in habituated mediums. I would
highly recommend this album to any fan of forward-thinking extreme
metal. – Aaron
https://theflenser.bandcamp.com/album/the-unraveling
http://theflenser.com/ |
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I really enjoyed the morbid packaging and
layout of this disc. Also, the whole inside of the booklet, contains
a fairly detailed account from the band leader, on the entire
history of the band start to finish. It really gives that personal
touch and connection. I liked the story, where their local youth
centre put on a local battle of the bands type festival. Where Tim
took it upon himself, to invite extreme metal bands from around the
area, to sign up and dominate the line up much to the organizers
displeasure. Apparently, even Marduk, in full corpse paint made
their debut live performance at the event! Now on to the music… I
love the raw feeling and atmosphere on the recording of the first
demo tape. It is really dark, and evil sounding, it kind of reminds
me on the sound on the great demos of Grave. I think some of the
influences going on here (on the first demo) are things like early
works of Grave, Bathory, Death, Celtic Frost, Possessed, Autopsy
etc… I really like this first demo tape, and I am happy to have it
in collection, it is a real gem from the early days of the death
metal scene. Now, on to the second demo entitled “The Twelfth Hour”,
the production still sounds good and has a little touch of darkness
to it, but it is a cleaner and more professional. Here they have
decided to reach even further, back into their root influences, and
they have added more of a mid to late ‘80s German thrash metal
attack to the mix. The result is good, and there are some heavy
killer riffs on here, but I have to admit despite liking this newer
style, I prefer the primitive style and recording, to this newer,
more polished demo tape. But, you really can not go wrong, with
album length compilation. Which unearths an important piece of the
fabled Swedish death metal underground, which many people did not
know of or maybe just need a reminder. - Dale
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Amenophis/104155
http://www.ihate.se/ |
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The Swedish
thrash metal attack continues, coming at us in unrelenting waves
violence; with the excellent I Hate Records urging them onward and
bringing support artillery up from the rear. Antichrist sound quite
different from their countrymen Entrench, which I just reviewed, but
they also harken back in every way to mid-80s thrash nostalgia and
greatness! “Sinful Birth” erupts out of the gates from all
directions with swirling, blazing guitars, sounding like they are
perpetually on the edge of collision. Like when you see someone on a
motorbike and the front wheel starts wobble and weave, you know
either the driver manages to smooth and straighten things out, or he
is about to crash and scrap his flesh across the pavement. This is
what the guitars sound like, the audio version of that most of the
time, they are great, but almost going faster than the players can
handle and are on the verge of spinning out of control at all times,
they always manage to straighten out the wheel just in time, but it
keeps you on the edge of your seat, as a listener let me tell you.
It is also very infectious, keeping you spellbound with it’s high
energy, forcing your heart to pound and your blood pump as you
headbang along. The only time they seem calmed down and in control,
in the zone emotionally is during the great emotive, epic ten minute
instrumental track “Chernobyl 1986”. I get sped up early Slayer and
Infernal Majesty “None Shall Defy” vibes from this album at times
and I like it. Speaking of which, let’s move on to the excellent, if
not off kilter manic vocals, which to make another analogy remind me
of someone in a horror movie who is being hunted down by some entity
and the prey in this case is out of breath, distraught and losing
his mind in terror and verbalizing it in gasping fright. Just
imagine adding that to the guitars I mentioned above and between the
two this is a white knuckle thrill ride of thrash metal insanity.
The vocals definitely have threads, by my ear of the vocalists of
the two bands I mentioned above, with a mixing of Tom Araya on the
first few records and Chris Bailey thrown in a chaos blender. This
is easily one of the most intense thrash metal records I have heard
in the last couple decades! Fuck me! Get this now and wreck your
neck!! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/antichristsweden/ http://www.ihate.se/ |
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I have been
championing the South American scene the last couple years. But, I
have been surprised to often be met with comments, like “Oh yeah
that scene was good way back in the day from the late ‘80s to the
mid ‘90s”. Well, I agree it was great back then, but also I say
fucking wake up, and take another look the South American scene now,
it is one of the top scenes in the world! That area of the world is
fucking killing it in recent years, and only getting better, one of
the current hotbeds of that UG scene these days is Peru (endless
bands from there like Runa, Anal Vomit, Blaspherion, Kraken, Mortem,
Profaner etc…), which is the country Antichrist hails from as well.
“Pax Moriendi” creates a dismal audio landscape of death doom,
dripping with sinister evil, which torments and suffocates the
listener into submission. Yes, it is death metal, but it is
extremely doomy in pace and feeling, pounding and crushing you in
glorious slow motion. If you were to mix the albums “Mental Funeral”
by Autopsy, “Transcendence Into The Peripheral” by Disembowelment
and “Rites Of The Black Mass” by Acheron then you would probably
have something that sounded very close to this album. Now, that I
read that description, it is little wonder I like this album so
much, as those are three of my all-time favourite releases in the
history of extreme metal. The vocals are obscure, suffocating
elongated rumbling growls, with emphasis more on the sound they
create than the words they form; often words are drawn-out before
and after with this vocal sound attached, and the result for me is
quite satisfying. Now and again, there are some clean half sung/half
spoken passages that are equally obscure sounding, and melt into the
background of the wonderfully rumbling, lurching music. For me, the
style of sound the band creates are the perfect union of death and
doom metal, while always keeping things extremely dark and morbid.
Recommended! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/antichristperu
http://www.ironbonehead.de
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It has been four
years since this Indianapolis, Indiana bands last album, has it been
worth the wait? Let’s dig in and find out. For those unfamiliar,
Apostle Of Solitude play doom metal, in the classic old school
style, but with a definite heavy metal base mixed within the
foundation. I found myself immediately struck by the great
despondent sounding guitar tone, which has a real richness to it and
conveys very well, the general emotional tenor of the bands sound. I
found this overall staple tonal guitar sound, which runs through the
entire record, to be very captivating in it’s melancholic
atmospheric majesty. The two guitarists Steve Janiak and Chuck Brown
share vocal duties, though Chuck Brown (ex-The Gates Of Slumber
where he played drums – talented dude) seems handle the bulk of them
and takes the lead. The vocals are clean sung traditional style;
with Brown often choosing to extend words and phrases, adding some
extra feeling and range that suits the music well. The music and
vocals do a fine job at mirroring the seemingly grey and emotionally
overcast mood of the lyrical content. I think one of the biggest
compliments I can give the band, would be that within this well
trodden style of doom, to my fairly educated ear, they seem to have
managed to create an own sound that I have trouble comparing to any
specific bands. Which, certainly is no mean feat, especially in this
day and age. Cruz Del Sur just keep finding quality band, after
quality band, it is impressive and a real pleasure to follow along
with this excellent record label labours, they have done it once
again in spades with Apostle Of Solitude. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/apostleofsolitude
https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com |
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This band’s name
reflects the two driving artistic forces behind this band. You have
vocalist Brian Balich, formerly of Penance, currently of the
impressive Argus. Vincent Arduini, is a real veteran of the scene,
in recent times he was a member of Freedom’s Reign. But he is best
known as a founding member of Fates Warning, he was with the band
from the start until just after their second album. I get the
impression, reading between the lines of the bio, that Butch Balich
may have been originally brought in by Victor just to do the vocals.
But as two kept collaborating, Balich became an integral part of the
song writing and creative process, morphing it into a full time band
named after two. Either way, the result of these two forces
combining, is impressive and exciting. The musical style I would
call a marriage of classic clean doom in the vein of Black Sabbath,
Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus etc… Combine those sounds heavily,
with emotionally deep progressive rock, such as you might hear on
Queensryche “Operation: Mindcrime” era, Captain Beyond or for a more
modern example Fates Warning from the late ‘90s onward (“A Pleasant
Shade Of Grey”). The musical tapestry, these two men have woven
together is lush, and darkly striking in it’s depth of feeling and
atmosphere. Victor is impressive on guitar, with his intricacy,
while never sacrificing flow or impact by just showing off his high
skill level. You can feel Balich’s influence, on the material is
quite evident, his vocals are an intricate part of the fabric
gliding in an and out, and all around the instruments with grace and
dexterity, completing the music in every way possible. The music
builds up the atmosphere, while the vocals crescendo over it all,
delivering a satisfying impact every time. That delivery is there,
whether it be triumphant, sorrowful or whatever other emotive term
you want to use, his vocals just drip with passion and feeling! I
have to listen to my Argus album again, I remember him being good,
but not this fucking good, maybe it is case of the fantastic
material on here that pushed him to new ranges and heights vocally?
Balich’s vocal performance, at times, reminds me of the amazing
vocal performance by Urban Breed, on Tad Morose’s “A Mended Rhyme”
album, which is high praise from me, I assure you. The album closes
out, with no less, than three cover songs (Uriah Heep’s “Sunrise”,
Beau Brummels “Wolf Of Velvet Fortune” & Black Sabbath’s “After All
(The Dead)”). Now, if I had heard the entire hour long album of
original material, I would have advised the band do not screw it up,
with cover songs. But, it is impressive how well they incorporated
their sound, and chose covers, which fit surprisingly well with the
rest of the album and comes off like icing on a delicious cake. No,
this is not easy listening, by that I mean not immediately
accessible, but if you are a fan of the genre’s I mentioned above
and open to giving it the requisite attention span needed. Then you
will be greatly rewarded, with a hell of an epic emotional,
memorable audio journey. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/arduinibalich
http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/ |
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Italy’s
Baphomet’s Blood have released their fourth full length record of
thrash and speed metal mayhem. Baphomet’s Blood really know how to
create, and write, well written and performed speed metal. The
guitars are extremely fast, but are done, with a lot interesting
patterns and solos mixed into the songs. The drumming as well, is
done with a lot of skill and experience, going from fast and crazed
drum arrangements, to a more mid paced range. If you are a fan of
the early days of speed metal, then you will definitely want to
check this release out, as soon as humanly possible. - Patrick
https://baphometsbloodofficial.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ironbonehead.de/ |
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B.C:A.D. come to
us out of the Connecticut scene, they are a two member band, which
consists of Simon Tuozzoli and Phil Swanson of Vestal Claret along
with drummer Brian Harris. This is quite different than Vestal
Claret, though there are heavy metal elements present, but the music
heavily resides in the old school early to mid ‘80s punk crossover
style. The music and lyrics have a fun energetic feel, and attitude,
which is infectious and you might just find yourself singing along
with the choruses. The music is not overly similar, but the vibe of
the songs reminds me a little of classic Dead Kennedy’s stuff.
Another band that comes to mind is Gang Green, a band I was a pretty
big fan of, who were another band who kept the music and vibe light
and fun, but always were serious about the music as I believe
B.C:A.D. are as well here. Phil Swanson’s vocals are varied at times
and great, again bringing to mind early ‘80s punk bands in general
mixed with the vocals of Gang Green or Canadian legends Dayglo
Abortions. All of these vocal influences mixed together with some of
Phil’s heavy metal stylings you have come to know him for in his
other bands. Let me just say Phil did a great job and the vocals are
a fantastic highlight on this release. There are more early ‘80s
punk bands on the tip of my tongue, I am not a hardcore fan, but it
is something I do listen to from time to time, but those influences
do not seem to want leave the tip of my tongue at the moment. While
punk music is certainly the backbone of this band, but I don’t want
to understate the heavy metal influence in the guitars a times, they
do chug along and can even induce a light headbang now and then.
Just some good shit here I am enjoying. As the title would suggest,
a little under half of this 44 minute album is from their cover
songs ep. You get some entertaining covers of bands like Black Flag,
Satan’s Massacre, Landlords, Warfare and Big Boys. This is a great
release for fans of those old genres and bands mentioned, but this
tape is quite limited, so don’t waste any time in picking up a copy.
However, if you do miss out on the physical release, you can still
get the mp3 through bandcamp. - Dale
https://novisiblescars.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NoVisibleSacrs/ |
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This is my first
time, hearing this Canadian death metal band, but their third album
overall. The music starts off, very chaotic and heavy; the guitars
are played at extremely fast speeds. The guitarists know how to
create and write, some memorable riffs, which range from both
extremely fast sections to slow mid paced guitars sections. The
drumming is in the same vein, with heavy and fast drumming patterns,
that slow to a middle tempo in a few of the songs. The vocals are a
mix of death growls and a mix-in of some vicious black metal style
screams. If you are a fan of well written, and played, death metal
then be sure to pick this new Begrime record today. - Patrick
http://begrimeexemious.com/
http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
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Beldam come to
us with their sophomore album, second for H.P.G.D. Productions, the
band were originally from Virginia and now have transplanted to the
opposite coast in Seattle. They play a mixture of doom metal and
sludge, for me, it is not always a seamless marriage of these two
genres, but largely works out okay. There are some death/doom growls
here and there, but the mainstay of the vocalizations is solid
sludge style raspy grating vocals, which are pretty good, but I
would not have minded if they were a little more energetic and
unhinged for lack of a better word. I find that style of vocal best
when it has those qualities. The band keep things slow, but more in
the slow to moderate pacing, rather than a crushing steamroller
crawl tempo of a band like Winter for example. The final track “That
Which Consumes You” sees the band coming up with their most
interesting track, by far for me, especially with regards to the
overall song writing, creativity and flow areas. They create some
interesting sounds on this song, such as the wobbly sound effect
that becomes a running theme throughout the track, it is like the
guitar and vocals have some kind of almost wah-wah bar like sound
that is actually really cool, moody vibe. The entire sound of this
long song is interestingly structured, creating a kind of mind
fucking, crushingly heavy atmosphere. If the entire album was in
this vein, and had this level of quality in all aspects, this album
would be great. I am hoping they continue in that direction in
future. But, unfortunately for me, the rest of the album outside of
some brief little moments is just decent. I mean the bulk of it to
me, largely sounds like just middle of the road, somewhat uninspired
sludge metal, mixed with pretty good (better than the sludge side of
thing) doom metal. It is still quality enough, that I think die
hards of the sludge/doom that buy a lot of releases will be happy
with. However, the more discerning fan that only likes the best
bands of this subgenre will not be disappointed, but may come away
slightly underwhelmed with this album. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/BeldamOfficial
http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/ |
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Coming to us out
of the Colombian black death metal scene is Bestialized, with their
third full-length “Termestella Cvltvs”. The music is very chaotic
and violent in nature. The guitars are played at a blistering,
extremely fast speeds. The lightning speed of the guitars does let
up now and then, slowing to a mid-tempo pace in a few of the tracks.
The drums follow in the same vein with blasting drumming, the
drummer puts in an extremely well done playing, he knows how to
write some fantastic patterns that compliment the songs well. The
vocals are raw, blackened screams mixed in among some dark death
growls. If you are a fan of chaotic black death metal, then look no
further Bestialized, with their fine new album. - Patrick
http://satanath.com/
http://satanath.bandcamp.com/ |
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Blood was a
(great - Dale) German band, from the mid-eighties onward making
their mark on the scene in the 90s, releasing and playing their
brand of brutal death metal with grind influences. The guitars are
performed with a lot of crazed and extremely fast guitar chords. The
guitarist is not all extreme fast riffs though, he does slow to a
more mid pace, in a few of the songs. The drumming is done in the
same realm, with both extremely violent drum patterns, but the
drummer is not afraid to it down, which keeps the music fresh and
interesting. If you are a fan of the early nineties death/grind
scene, then definitely favor, and pick up a copy of Blood’s
excellent O Agios Pethane now. - Patrick
http://www.bloood.de/
http://www.dunkelheit-produktionen.de/ |
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Bloodshot Dawn
are a newer force to be reckoned with in the field of melodic death
metal. Their previous album Demons came out about four years
ago, and was given fairly high marks across the board by fans of
this style of death metal that maintains fidelity to melody at its
core while occasionally accenting compositions with technical
flourishes. So, does their recent anticipated release,
Reanimation, fall short of, meet, or surpass the established
standard? Honestly, while that question is apt for any band that
moves forward with their project toward new outputs, I believe
listeners of this album should take into consideration the almost
completely new lineup for this album. Josh McMorran, guitarist and
vocalist, is the only remaining original member of the band. Some
slightly different artistic choices are going to be made for this
album that will sound different when compared to Demons, like
the drifting guitar melodies that we hear in such tracks on
Reanimation as “Survival Evolved”. Even McMorran’s vocal
technique is marginally different for the first few tracks,
abandoning for the most part the throaty death growls of Demons
for vocals that are more clearly discerned. Upon the fourth track,
“Upon the Throne of Fear”, though, we see a return to form as it
begins with much more menacing riffing and deeper vocals. As this
song progresses, higher-pitched shrieks accompany the growls, adding
some more texture to this layer of the composition than in the
former tracks. This more multifaceted approach remains consistent
for the remainder of the album, making it a more familiar and
enjoyable listen for fans of the band. The first few tracks are not
necessarily poorly done, they just seem to miss the mark for the
standard that Bloodshot Dawn had established with previous releases.
Having a new lineup may have contributed to these initial
departures, but the album as whole more than makes up for them if
you are not too keen on the first few tracks. – Aaron
https://hostilemedia.bandcamp.com/album/reanimation
https://www.hostilemedia.net
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I'm on the second song,
as I begin this review. The first thing I
noticed was the production. It has that "Swedish Melodic Death
Metal" sound, is what I call it. I'm not sure that's the "proper
term"...but that is what I have in mind. I use to not like that
sound, but I'm open to more things these days, it seems. It's -
actually - quite powerful. HEAVY! The songs, here, however - are
becoming quite redundant, already. I'm on track three. It just
sounds like the same song, basically. The vocals are really mundane.
Lacking quite a lot of intensity. The songs' rhythms are pretty
boring. I guess this is kind of a Hypocrisy sound overall. Yeah.
Fourth song and the basic premise of song one is still being
rehashed over and over. Song five - same. Where's the variety?
Where's the experimentation? The vocals, I'm not fond of whatsoever.
No dynamics at all. Yeah, this is boring, to me. If you like been
there, done that "Old School Death Metal" without any creativity -
then, this is for you. The only thing that stands out on this
material is the production. Superb. Heavy as a four hour heart
attack! Or - maybe - a stroke? Shivering and shuttering. Body
heaving...gasping...clutching...yawn. Die, already. Be gone from my
tortured mind! - Anders
https://bloodstrike.bandcamp.com/
http://www.redefiningdarkness.com/ |
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Buzzard Canyon
come out of the gates in style, with the song “Highway Run”, which
embodies what they are all about. Which is a brand of hard rocking
stoner music they call Camaro Rock. I have to admit this first song
is easily the best song on the album. It is a real anthem type tune,
which for me is a classic in the making and gets you hooked early. I
suspect that they probably open with this song live too, as I would
bet it really gets some heads nodding and some arms unfolded.
“Hellfire & Whiskey” is more on the stoner rock side, but there is
clearly a classic doom metal influence (Sabbath, Trouble etc…)
strongly running through this band, alongside the fuzzy southern
blues tinged driving guitars. The main vocals are handled by Amber
Leigh, her voice really fits the music well, there is no commercial
or angelic vocals here, she has that traditional stoner / doom style
with a little attitude and touches of raunch mixed in with some
cleaner singing. There are also some male lead vocals on a couple
tracks, those are decent as well, but I prefer Amber taking the
reigns vocally. I am not going to lie, the rest of the material
after the opening track, while good, never comes that close to
matching that fucking awesome song. But having said that, there are
some good moments to be had and it is a pretty enjoyable listen as a
whole. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/BuzzardCanyon/
http://www.saltoftheearthrecords.com/ |
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This listen was
very interesting, and not what I was expecting, it is more than I
was expecting and a pleasant surprise. The entire album, save a song
or two is about different serial killers. But the songs are
presented in a less conventional style, almost a horror theater
feel, to the proceedings. Yet, it is undeniably still a death metal
album, but much more than your run of the mill death metal album. It
is hard not to think of my all-time fave bands, with this concept,
and that would be the legend band Macabre! Who carved out a place in
UG metal infamy with their brand of equally creative and theatrical
“Murder Metal”. Obviously the connection is strong, with the serial
killer theme, running through an album is / was something pioneered
by Macabre, as is tailoring each song into a roller coaster ride of
mental audio theater with each song reflecting that killers horrors.
The biggest difference with Casket Robbery they do not bring a
humourous side their creation like Macabre. Having said all of that,
this is where the comparisons begin and end, as Casket has a
different method and approach to their metal sound and ambient
theatrical approach. “Evolution Of Evil” musically evokes a very
dark, morbid and foreboding aura, and the songs while keeping a
central thread are quite diverse from each other. As I mentioned, I
would call the style death metal, but they break the conventions
here and seamlessly add dramatic elements with accent voices,
instrumental touches, audio serial killer interview samples, and
creative song structuring flair. They do this while keeping that
brutal death metal edge which holds the entire carnage together down
to it’s foundations. They also keep things very catchy and
memorable, they invoke the darkness and debauchery of the acts the
lyrics speak to, but always keep in mind for the lack of a better
term the headbang factor that must make them a very entertaining
live band. The main vocals are deep growls, which are very
decipherable to the point you will be singing along to certain
wonderfully crafted choruses and random lines in your head upon
repeated listens. The production reflects the music very well; it is
dark and heavy with a gritty edge. I have to be honest; I did not
anticipate this album being anywhere near this fucking good going
into this review. I do not think I could possibly recommend this
enough for fans first and foremost of brutal death metal, who also
like bands like Macabre, The Accüsed and even King Diamond this is a
must have! - Dale
http://casketrobbery.bandcamp.com/
http://www.mortalmusicinc.com |
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Here’s an album
that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser for people like me who are
nostalgic for good ol’ Floridian death metal. You’ll know most of
what to expect sonically on this album if you’re a fan of Death
and/or Obituary, but I would encourage you to give this album a
listen regardless because while it does sound like one of the best
executed homages to this scene of OSDM that I have heard in a while,
it still sounds like a completely fresh record all the same.
Technique and skill are what set the Russian band Cist apart from
their contemporaries; their riff composition shows ample proficiency
in this vein of death metal, as does their incorporation of
intriguing and audible bass work throughout the album. There is also
refreshing, yet frugal use of sound effects and voice overs on this
album, which, while sparsely distributed across the tracks, adds a
lot of flavor to the presentation like some obscure herb on an
otherwise already fantastic plate of food. The whole setup is
invigorating, especially with Vitaly Luschenkov’s vocals ripping
through the mix with both transparency and brutality reminiscent of
John Tardy and/or Chuck Schuldiner (depending on which track you’re
listening to). The production quality of this EP certainly permits
all of these elements to be heard and enjoyed to their fullest
potential without sounding too sterilized. Cist’s excellent
songcrafting does not stop at the execution, though, but rather also
includes the lyrical content. So far this year we have seen some
pretty interesting lyrical topics tackled by death metal bands (lookin’
at you, Slugdge), and Cist are baring their artistic integrity in
this arena as well with some of their tracks gathering inspiration
from cell biology as an avenue or metaphor for sociocultural/societal
critique. Overall, the package that is The Frozen Casket
secures Cist’s place as an act to keep an eye on in the coming years
since it displays abundant potential for an awesome future
full-length debut. – Aaron
https://cist.bandcamp.com/
http://www.redefiningdarkness.com/ |
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This is the
debut release from new French band Confessor A.D. coming out on the
long running and dedicated Nihilistic Holocaust Records. This
mini-album consists of five tracks of old school blackened death
metal, with some excellent healthy hints of thrash influence weaving
it’s way in and out of the proceedings. Confessor A.D. definitely
embody the very late ‘80s / early ‘90s Scandinavian and Netherlands
sound, which is clearly coursing through their veins. The pacing is
not lightning quick, most of the time, reminding me both in pacing
and structurally of the late ‘80s thrash influenced musicians who
were starting to play this new death metal style emerging at the
time. You could hear and feel the transition, and early first steps
of figuring out this then new style, being caught between the old
and new in a charming and interesting way, at least to me. I
remember that time period well and loved those bands that had a firm
foot in both styles, keeping their thrash roots, but adding these
fresh brutal elements. When I mention the middle pacing, back then a
lot of bands were more into the atmospheric vibe, being sure to
leave room for a bit of melody and just room musically to breathe,
and the listener to digest, so to speak, rather than just going as
fast as possible and brutal as possible which was the next step in
the death metal evolution. The vocals follow suit with amalgamation
of the gruff thrash yell and the dm growl, keeping everything
entirely intelligible and easy to still follow along with the
lyrics. With all of the old ‘80s/’90s styles coming back around in
the 2000s, it is good to see this often left behind, pivotal
seemingly viewed as a relic style, getting some attention from a
young band who does it some justice here. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/nihilisticzinedistro
https://nihilisticholocaustrecs.bandcamp.com |
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I am guessing I
am not the only one, who is thrown off by this Swedish one man bands
name, but apparently it is an Old English word meaning “death”. That
one man goes by the name Astraeus, he handles all instruments and
vocals. I can appreciate him not using a fucking drum machine, as he
went all out and hired a session musician in the form of Jocke
Wallgren, the drummer in Amon Amarth. I guess I would have to label
the music on here, as mid 90s melodic and symphonic black death
metal. There is a lot going on here, there are slight hints of
influence from other exotic genres like middle eastern tidbits, at
times it even seems to venture into progressive territory. Despite
the keyboards being a little higher in the mix, than I would like,
the main thing you will probably notice is how everything is written
and performed at high speed, with only occasional brief somewhat
slowed down sections. That speed goes through everything from the
blitzkrieg drumming, to the hyper speed tremolo picked guitars and
even a smattering of guitar solos / fills, also performed at a
frenzied pace. As good as this is, and it is good, and well done. I
can’t help but think by slowing down a bit more at times, and
letting things breathe, leaving room for all the instruments would
take the songs to another level. But this is the bands debut and it
is a strong debut at that, it is impressive how Astraeus manages to
keep things as heavy and dark as he does, when considering the
extremely high level of melodicism on display, which fights with and
threatens to lighten up those elements. An impressive release,
considering it is the bands first and only release, not even a prior
demos or an ep, they come out of the gate very strong and I look
forward to hearing how Astraeus progresses from here on out. -
Dale
http://www.cwealm.com/
http://www.dusktone.eu/
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Italy’s Deadly
Carnage return to the fray with their fourth release “Through The
Void, Above The Suns”. They start things off with a short
introduction of chants and screams, then the music picks up,
beginning with a mid paced to slow-ish doom style with some
moderately tempo black metal elements sifted into the musical mix.
The guitar work is accomplished with some very well performed
patterns, moving within the aforementioned slower black doom style.
The vocals are a mixture of whispering low end vocals, but also add
some screams and hollering throughout the body of the album. The
band does do a good job of combining newer generation black metal
and doom influences, so if you are a fan of these genres or if you
are familiar with Deadly Carnage then be sure to check this release
out soon. - Patrick
https://deadlycarnage.bandcamp.com/
https://www.atmf.net/commilitones/a-sad-sadness-song/ |
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Atlanta’s Death
Of Kings return, with a brand new full length release “Kneel Before
None”, featuring nine songs of intense and savage thrash anthems.
The vocals are a mix of high pitched screams and some raw death
growls used in a few of the songs. The guitar work is done with a
lot of skill and good songwriting ability. The music goes from
hyperspeed fast guitar riffs, to a more controlled mid paced style.
If you are a fan of Death Of Kings earlier work then be sure to pick
up a copy of this new release. If you are new to this band, take the
most extreme aspects of Kreator, Slayer, Exodus along with the bands
ability to put their own touches within the solid barbaric thrash
metal making this album one you guys need to check out today. -
Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/deathofkingsmetal https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/ |
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After a nice
torturous, flagellating and unsettling intro, this Massachusetts
band launch into a harsh and murky brand of warring black death
metal mayhem. The vocals are ferocious, evil gurgling growls and
inhuman snarls, clearly conjured up from the pits of hell itself! I
mean, I have not heard vocals this bestial and possessed, since the
early glorious days of Impaled Nazerene. The pacing of the guitars
and drums are relentless and vicious in their intent, but there is
actually more nuanced guitar work than you would expect from a
blackened war metal band, which adds a lot of depth to the sound. I
can hear, amongst this barrage of heavy fucking death metal guitar
riff bits, some actual short parts where they slow down to almost a
standstill glooming up the atmosphere, not to mention we get a
couple wild frenzied guitar leads! Speaking of influence, the three
most profound influences I hear are the early works of the legendary
bands Blasphemy, Beherit and Impaled Nazarene, all melded together
in superb fashion. Listening to this, I feel like I am experiencing
a depraved Occult ritual mixed, with an orgy in audio form. It has
covered me in vomit, blood and cum and I do not want the experience
to end. - Dale
https://novisiblescars.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/deathgodmessiah
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Sweden’s
Decomposed are back with their third cd “Wither”. This is my first
encounter with Decomposed, so I can not say, if this is different
from their previous releases. This is a very good sounding band;
there is not a whole lot of the early Swedish death metal sound in
the music, but it is well written and performed. The guitars are
played with a little variety, going from a heavy slow pace to a mid
paced style in some of the songs, but the guitarist is not afraid to
go for faster chaotic sections at times. Whether the guitarist is
playing extremely fast, or at a more controlled middle pace, it
displays a level of experience and talent. The vocals are heavy
death metal growls that really fit this bands music perfectly. This
is a great release, filled with heavy mid tempo death metal, with
some faster guitars and drum sections mixed into the songs. -
Patrick
https://soundcloud.com/Decomposed-swe
https://www.facebook.com/chaosrecords |
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The Ukranian
Defiant play what is commonly known these days as power metal. Back
in my earlier days, power metal was a bit of different animal, the
base of old power metal and heavy metal is still there, but these
days power metal is commonly applied to very melodic heavy metal
bands which use liberal amounts of keyboards. Within those
parameters, Defiant plays this style and they play it well, the
talent is there and the song writing is pretty impressive. I enjoy
Defiant the most, when they put the synth slightly more in
background (I wish they did more of this), letting the guitars
gallop and showcase themselves with some good chugging heaviness.
They keep the energy high and the flow silky, everything blends
together skillfully with some interesting structuring on display,
while never forgetting to keep things very melodic. “Time Isn’t
Healing” is the bands first attempt, to translate their lyrics, and
conversely their vocals into English. They seem to have changed
singers in the process, replacing the previous lady who handled the
duties, with a new male counterpart. Considering they apparently do
not really speak much English, it must have been quite a challenge
to make this move to reach more people. Due to that transition, I
try to give them a break in this area, the vocalist you can tell has
tried very hard to translate this performance in this more universal
language. It can be a tad clunky at times, his accent bleeds through
pretty strong (this could make it an acquired taste for some), but
generally it is very well done and impressive under the
circumstances. The only thing is, with this kind of music you kind
of need a singer with a lot of range, and variation in his voice,
vocalist Stanislav does not posses that sort of range but he does what
he can and he has the lower end of register well covered and varies
things decently within his limited range. But as I said on the
musical side, and the song writing side of things, Defiant is
nearing world class within this newer power metal movement. I think
fans of newer melodic synth heavy / power metal will really dig this
album. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/DefiantBand/
http://www.ferrrum.com/
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This is my first
time hearing about this Canadian band and my introduction is their
debut full length recording. First off, it is good to see record
label CDN is still going strong, back when I first had contact with
them a long, long time ago; it was called the Civilian Death
Network. I believe they shortened it to initials, because some
idiots in the Canadian gov’t and elsewhere, thought it must be some
kind of terrorist organization Ugh…haha. Anyway, on to Deity, who
have unleashed a power house of a brutal death metal debut album. I
am struck right away by the speed and brutality of the thick
churning guitar riffing. It blew back my hair, so to speak, and was
only a sneak peek at some of the great guitar work to come. The
second item that caught my attention was the tight as fuck, super
precise drumming. So, I check into their bio after that thought,
where I realize they have hired drumming god Flo Mournier, as a
session musician to play the beats on this album! You can definitely
hear the bands Canadian influences strongly from bands like
Kataklysm and Cryptopsy. They probably are a little more musically
mournful and introspective than those bands in some aspects though.
By the way, I do not mention Cryptopsy only due to the Mournier
drumming, as you can hear it in the guitars and song structuring as
well that they are a big influence. The vocals are really good deep
ass growls, making me think of the roar of a savage bear going into
for an attack. Yes, I dig the vocals, I do not say this often about
death metal records, but they are actually a little under used at
times. There are no less than three instrumental tracks on here; the
first is a short gloomy and beautiful piano intro track to set off
the album. The second instrumental is an epic whirlwind of a classy
death song, which balances adventurous technical playing, alongside
straight ahead brutality and atmosphere. That song is possibly the
bands finest section of the record (alongside album ending opus “In
Turmoil”) and displays the bands top end song writing skills. The
third instrumental song, “Of Time” is a guitar only instrumental and
I could not help but think it may have come about due to a cash
flo(w) problem, if you catch my drift, as in they could only afford
to use Flo for so much time and had to fill in time. The album is
nearly an hour long, so I guess time fill idea of mine does not make
that much sense, but it feels a little like this song is that. Which
is not to say the instrumental is not good because I did enjoy it,
as it is pretty poignant and moody, but it also drags on for far too
long and could have easily been cut to half of it’s nearly seven
minute run time and been much more effective because of it. I do
forget sometimes this is a new band and this is their debut release,
it is easy to forget that fact with this level of quality. All the
same, I can assume some of the necessary reworking and editing,
which would take this excellent young band to another level, will
likely come with time as this young band mature as song writers.
That is my one and only critique, really, on an otherwise impressive
debut by this up and coming future death metal beast. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/DeityMetalCA http://www.cdnrecords.com/ |
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Hmm... This is
labeled as "Death Metal"? This sounds more like "Black Metal", to
me. I'm kind of liking it, really. The production is a bit "thin"
compared to the last album I reviewed - but, the song structures -
here - are more interesting, to me. But yeah...this is kind of
"Blackened Death", maybe? More "Black Metal", in my opinion. Even
the production seems more to that area of the spectrum, really. Kind
of early Samael? A little Handful of Hate? The flowing of the music
is pleasing...albeit, not that "original sounding". The vocals are a
bit muffled in the mix. Which is fine. They fit fine the way they
are. A little more pronounced than "Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk"
by Emperor...but - slightly - reminiscent of that? The music isn't
to that caliber but it has "feeling" to it, at least. There's a
longing in a Transylvanian mountain range forest type of vibe to
this music. "Desolate Shrine" is a good name for this band. They've
captured the atmosphere, here, quite readily. This music SOUNDS like
a "desolate shrine". Artistically, this is a fine achievement.
Kudos! These are some long songs, I've just noticed. This one is
over nine minutes! Wow! Almost ten, actually! It's got a driving
force to it. A menacing presence! A ghost circling it's
victim...swirling...swirling...arms outstretched...grasping
maniacally. Haunting chaos - madness! Insidious! - Anders
https://www.facebook.com/desolateshrine/
http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/ |
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Distant Sun
comes out of Russia presenting their sophomore album for perusal.
The band play power metal, with touches of thrash influence
flittering in and out, here and there. They are clearly skilled
musicians, capable of creating some good riffs and nuanced emotive
and introspective guitar parts, as well as some solid lead guitar
and fill work. Within this framework, you will find that melodies
abound, which are often of the bright, bouncy and happy variety. I
must admit I am not always the biggest fan of what they consider the
new power metal sound (which for me is veering off what old goats
like me considered power metal back in the day), but I find newer
power metal is at it’s least desirable to this listener when the
melodies are on the happy and lighter side. Though I will admit at
other times, I am saved, as now and then they mix in heavier thrash
elements that remind me of Annihilator or Iced Earth. An example of
this is in the middle section of probably my most liked track on the
album, entitled “Andromeda”, where it really picks up the song and
gives it some guts and much needed sandpaper. It is during these
moments, and sections, Distant Sun are at their best, unfortunately
those cool thrash moments are too few for me. I would say some of
the more clear influences I can hear are from bands like Blind
Guardian, Angra, Gamma Ray, and Running Wild during their “Victory”
period. The vocalist, kind of sounds like a mix between middle-era
(Load / Re-Load) James Hetfield, and Dave Mustaine, mixed together,
which at times works and other times just did not work for me. The
pronunciation of the vocalist, much like the overall musical
compositions themselves, seems over thought, too forced and lacking
a certain needed flow. It is a mixed bag for me, some stuff is
brilliant, while other elements I would be okay with deleting from
their sound altogether and going back to the drawing board haha.
Despite that, I could see a fair number of newer power metal style
fans, who also like a little thrash getting into this more than I
did. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/distantsunband http://metalism.net/
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The infamous
Swedish black metal band Domgård are back, after a five year
absence, presenting their third album "Ödelagt". The band formed
back in 1997, soon afterwards became notorious in the scene and
outside of it, when nearly the whole band were imprisoned for arson
after burning down a number of churches. Their sentences ranged from
2 ½ to 5 years each in prison. The singer, a couple years after his
five years in prison ended, took his own tumultuous life when he
hung himself from a bridge. So, as you can see not even counting the
music, the band has quite the turbulent and chaotic history. I am
not sure what brought on the five year gap between albums, but
Domgård have stormed back on to the scene with an excellent hour
long album. The music on here is surely rooted and steeped, as you
may expect, with the early ‘90s Scandinavian black metal sound and
tradition. Anyone who knows me well enough knows I am a sucker for
this time period in bm and this sound. Domgård use that sound as
their base at all times, but are actually more imaginative as far as
using time changes, structuring and the odd eccentric elements
(while still employing traditional instrumentation) than your usual
second wave of black metal band would venture to do. They also
incorporate some small viking metal type tropes with some cleaner
gang sung choruses and musical nuances. As well, this is not new or
different, but I also hear some moderate Celtic Frost influence such
as you might hear on some Dark Throne releases ala “Panzerfaust”,
though not overly pronounced or over used. No, in fact, despite the
frost dripped black metal hate and darkness clearly present, this
ends up being a moody, somewhat atmosphere driven record at times.
This is partly due to the epic sixteen minute second to last song
entitled “Förgånget”, as well as album closer “Ødhe Vi”. All in all,
they furthered their malevolent legacy, by delivering a strong,
multi-faceted yet decidedly dark and evil sounding black metal
record that is worth your time. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/DOMGARD http://www.carnalrecords.com/ |
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Druid Lord are
finally back, I am not sure what caused the long delay (five years
since the last EP and eight years since the debut album), but was it
worth the wait, let’s find out. For those unfamiliar, with this
Floridian band, they play death doom and have been doing so since
2010. But the members, especially guitarist Pete Slate &
bassist/vocalist Tony Blakk, have been in some excellent bands
mostly together for a very long time. We are talking all the way
back to the start of the 1990s with bands like Acheron and Equinox.
This is a little indulgent geek out moment, for me, but Pete Slate
was the main guitarist for one of my all-fucking-time favourite
albums with Acheron’s “Rites Of The Black Mass”, released way back
in 1992. I have always liked Acheron, but in my opinion, that was
their best release and their sound changed a bit after that, which I
now wonder if it was due to the departure of Slate, as I hear some
underlying “Rites…” masterful guitar sounds/tones on here. Okay,
sorry, now back to the album at hand. It is a record that is a
depraved mix of crushing sinister doom as it’s foundation, upon that
foundation are building blocks of straight up brutal death metal.
There are some extremely well done and tasteful elements, more
accents of old school ’80s heavy metal (ala Omen, Witchfinder
General, Satan, Lucifer’s Friend etc..) in the guitars, along with
some nice fills and soloing that almost seem like they should not
belong in this music. But those elements are so seamlessly woven
into the into the death doom maelstrom, that it becomes hard to
imagine this music without them. As far as the death and doooom
influences I hear things like old Celtic Frost, Winter, early
Autopsy, early Paradise Lost, Goatlord, Grave, Necrovore all
combined in a very brutal and filthy fashion. Yes, it is as cool as
those descriptions sound; the atmosphere this creates is extremely
moody, haunting and suffocating in a damn good way. The vocals are
good extremely decipherable growls, which are half sung / half
almost spoken word, they add to the creepy vibe and compliment the
cruel gloomy music so nicely. The lyrics and various movie audio
clips are interlaced smoothly into the music, serving as a sort of
love letter to some of the old great evil and degenerate 1970s
exploitation and horror B movies upholding another old metal
tradition. If you can not tell, the verdict is yes! This was worth
the wait, and yes, it is damn good and you should check it out if
you love brutal death/doom with some heavy metal touches. Here is to
hoping the wait for the next release will be much shorter! -
Dale
https://www.facebook.com/DruidDeathCult/
https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/ |
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