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With the sword
and sandal cover art, I was a bit surprised by the music contained
on this release from this US trio. I was expecting pompous Manowar
styled anthems of heroism, women, and sorcerers. Instead, I get some
sloppy thrash with vocals that are more death oriented than
anything. The songs are hyper fast and in many cases short. Reminds
me at times of old school thrash from the mid to late 80's (SOD
comes to mind) but without the riffage. The production is rough and
raw but it works for this type of metal. I see the band members are
formerly of Your Kid's On Fire. I don't know if that's an indicator
but I'm not sure how serious to take this band. "The Law of Iron"
sounds like they're having a good time doing the music but are they
serious about making it a career? I doubt it.
- Mark
http://nvslabel.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/eldersoftheapocalypse
|
There have been
more than a few bands named Embalmed over the years. This particular
one is from Mexico. They were formed in 1989, but strangely did not
release their first demo until 1994, they work at a snails pace
apparently, as over the next 10 years they only released 2 eps and a
demo (which consisted of a rehearsal & live tracks). That takes us
to 2004 and since then they have been silent, maybe split up? Hard
to tell with their release rate, but in any case we get their debut
album Exalt The Imperial Beast after a seven year silence. I am sure
you are thinking was it worth the wait? Now it is not bad, but with
that sort of wait and nearly a decade to perfect this material, it
falls a little short of expectation. This is basically a worship
release of old war metal style stuff like Blasphemy, Angelcorpse,
Conqueror, Bestial Warlust, Oath of Black Blood Beherit. As I said
it is pretty good, but still it does not come that close to touching
those bands. But I can still enjoy it to a certain point though for
sure. I think this is only for die hard fans of war metal that just
can not get enough of it and are up for buying everything in this
great old chaos driven blitzkrieg style. –
Dale
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/embalmed/
|
It seems like
Hammer of Hate specializes in bands that are very unknown and hard
to find info on. Much like Valoton, this Russian band seems to be
quite new on the UG scene radar. My past experience with Russian
bands, for whatever reason, the production is usually quite bad but
Nightside Of Eden dispels that perception that Russia does not
possess any proper recording studios. The guitar and huge bass
guitar sound in particular is really nice here. Some of the songs on
this six tracker are long, like 7 to 9 minutes. I am not really sure
they have the goods to be carrying off epic pieces such as those. I
think I enjoy the guitars on here most, some long drawn out dark
riffs that produce a gloomy mood. On the other end the vocals are
often talk / growled and are not great, I mean they are passable,
but they do not seem to fit he music very well. Speaking of which
for me the drums at times feel like they were constructed for a
different band or song than the one they are being used on. The
drums just do not seem to fit and at times I actually find them a
little distracting to be honest. The sound on the drums is also fine
but sort of feel like they were mixed in by a different engineer
than the rest of the band or something, something weird going on
with those drums. Well some interesting stuff going on here, but
honestly I think the band would have been more suited to marinate
and release a couple demos before going for an album. There is
something there though, hopefully some time and patience will refine
that talent further. I stand corrected, just realized this was
recorded at Endarker studios in Sweden, which serves to strengthen
my suspicion that there are not many or possibly any good recording
studios in Russia. – Dale
http://www.hammer-of-hate.com/
|
Well going on
nearly two decades after their inception. The doomy masters Evoken
continue to steamroll across the landscape like a creeping fog. I
see Dave Wagner is now part of the band. I know Dave’s work well as
I am a fan of his other bands Abazagorath and Funebrarum. Evoken
present four songs (only one under 10 minutes – it is basically a
full length Evoken album!) of primordial doom death that is
guaranteed to rip you a new asshole, even if the ripping is done in
slow motion. The measured riffs are so heavy and foreboding,
creating a truly desolate atmosphere peppered with some nice guitar
fills and drumming that accentuates the obscure suffocating feel of
it all. The vague growling vocals sort of float in and out of the
background with stealth and add to the mental scenery the music of
Evoken paints in your mind. Evoken are both ugly and beautiful at
the same time. I found myself in awe of their power. I believe this
is my first experience with Beneath The Frozen Soil. It appears like
they have been around some years but as of yet no full length album
released. There is nothing wrong with that however in my view, too
many bands rush into their first album, especially it seems in
Scandinavia. Beneath hit us with three songs, for just over 20
minutes of music. They do not have the same devastating effect on me
that Evoken did, but all the same this is very good Swedish doom
death metal. Beneath are maybe a little less obscure and ever so
slightly more upbeat than Evoken, but just as dark and depressive.
They are more into the keyboard accents yet it is not done in an
intrusive or overpowering fashion. Some crushing stuff from these
Swedes, I find myself already wanting more already. The more I
listen to Beneath The Frozen Soil the more addicted to their music I
seem to become. To be honest I do not see how any self-respecting
doom devotee could possibly not even just want, but must have this
split album in their collection. In my view, it is a landmark
release in the genre, pure and simple. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/evoken
http://www.ihate.se/ |
From the heart
of the doomy sludge lands of Louisiana comes Excommunicated. They do
not exactly fit in with the locals musically however. The members of
Excommunicated come from bands you may or may not recognize like
Suture, Despondency, Catholicon… They are a young as an entity,
though obviously the members are not going round the block on their
trike for the first time, nevertheless this is the debut album from
the band. These blokes also have a few friends and/or connections as
they managed secure a couple brief guest appearances from the likes
of Vincent Crowley of Acheron & Andy Larouque of the almighty King
Diamond fame. Not bad company at all. The Music on Skeleton Key is
brutal and technical death metal that could probably be said to be
somewhat in the Florida style ala more recent Cannibal Corpse
material. The vocals however are not garbled growls (think of
something closer to Martin Van Drunen of classic Pestilence fame),
but they have more definition to them and the vocalist Chad Kelly
has a quality to his voice and inflection that adds some originality
to the band and sets him and them apart from many others in the
scene. Not exactly groundbreaking granted, yet Skeleton Key is an
excellent piece of darkened death metal. –
Dale
http://www.facebook.com/pages/UW-Records/162216050503802
|
Now this is the
way punk rock and hardcore should be played. These raunchy bastards
really rip it up, they have the speed, the good songs, the attitude
and you can shout along with the lyrics. I have heard more than a
few punk bands from this period in the early 80s and not many of
them are this heavy or belligerent. I had never heard of this band,
not that I am an expert on this genre, but all the same I was
surprised after hearing the quality that I had not heard of them. I
did a bit of digging online and apparently this Californian band
never released any proper releases, just some had tracks on some
compilations and shit. I find that even more amazing, this is a
great band, the recordings sound great. Maybe they did not have
enough material was the thought that crossed my mind. I mean I know
all the songs are like 1 ˝ to 3 minutes long, but still there are 29
tracks of pissed off punk and hardcore on here. A lot of labels
really missed the boat back in the day apparently. Some of this shit
was ahead of it’s time. All I can say is if you love old music from
the above mentioned styles then you really need to check this out
sooner than later. - Dale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpjM3_VZqQs
http://www.patacrecords.com
|
Ahh, a doom
metal band. While I'm not much of a doom fan, every now and again it
hits the spot. The dark, sludgy anthems can really rattle one's
brain when done right. Faces of Bayon do it right. Their "Heart of
The Fire" release is six songs of US darkened doom metal. I felt
like I was going back to the early 70's when I listened to their
music - walking through a forest that never ends - only to end up
right back where I started. A trip. The production is rough but that
just adds to the atmosphere. Good stuff and worth checking out! - Mark
http://www.ragnarok-records.com
http://www.myspace.com/facesofbayon |
I do not think I
have ever heard black / viking / folk sort of epic metal this good
from a North American band before. I was sure when I pressed play
that I would find out Falls of Rauros were from somewhere in
Scandinavia. So imagine my surprise when I investigate and find out
this quality outfit hails from the mist swept forests of Maine. At
times they make me think of one of my all time faves of this style
Kampfar. Falls produce some grand mental landscapes and produce in
me waves of introspective and mournful emotions. They interweave
some heavy galloping parts with flowing folkish acoustic guitars
displaying a dexterity that illustrates their mature song writing
skill. I really enjoyed this but you probably have to be in a
mellow, low key kind of mood and be willing to let yourself be
carried away with the current. For me it is a fine counterpoint to
put on against the hate and extremity that often fills much of my
musical preference. –
Dale
http://fallsofrauros.blogspot.com/
http://bindrunerecordings.com/
|
Originally
formed by Aleister (vocals, guitars) in 1992. The band was put on
hold while Aleister fulfilled his duties with Ancient. Well a new
time and day are here and Aleister is back with a new all-star
line-up and release. The line-up features Steve Digiorgio (bass,
Sadus, Death) Luca Princiotta (guitar, Doro) among others who
contributed. Faust has created some extremely well crafted and
executed technical Death Metal. The band seems to be in the vein of
early 90's technical death metal like cynic and Death - “Individual
Thought Patterns” era, but also has a lot of the modern technical
influence and sound. I am not a huge fan of technical Death Metal
but Faust have done a good job of mixing in straight-forward Death
with a lot of modern technical guitar, bass lines. Fans of technical
Death Metal or the above mentioned bands should definitely give this
a listen. – Patrick
http://www.paragonrecords.org
http://www.deathmetal.it/
|
Winter of sin
was originally released in 1992 but thanks to the US label Abyss
Records it is now being re-released so both old and new black/death
metal fans can bask in the greatness that is Fester! Fester comes
out of the legendary Norwegian underground and lets face it back in
the early 1990's no other country came close to releasing great
black metal like Norway. Fester was definitely ahead of their time
and went against the norm {remember this was originally in 93 before
black/death was blended together by so many} instead of the raw,
primitive style that Norway was known for Fester played fast black
metal but their guitar riffs/chords were a little thicker and even
had a few solo's intertwined with the riffs to give them a death
metalish feel and sound. Fester even went a little further to make
Winter Sin a "classic" within the black metal scene by adding some
avantgarde and melodic interludes to their already gloomy and grim
sound. Even today in 2011 this still stands out as a great and
original masterpiece. Definitely get this if you like original and
dark black metal. - Patrick
http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/festernorway
|
March Into Firelands marks the return of Finland's Flame. After a
six year hiatus March Into Firelands is 8 tracks of violent blackend
thrash metal. The guitars are fast and well executed. The drums are
intense and well precise considering the speed and intensity. Flame
has crafted and released one of the best old-school blackend thrash
releases to be heard in quite sometime if you enjoy old-school
blackend thrash with a lot of heart and dedication to keeping the
old-school spirit alive then Flame's March Into Firelands is a cd
you must hear!!
- Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/flamefin
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
I always heard
this bands name, but until now I have never gotten around to hearing
them. This is interesting and not quite what I expected, though I
suspect this may be a tad different from their past releases. Just
going off of things I have read. I see the drummer from Satyricon,
Zyklon B, Gorgoroth etc… is behind the skins here as well, busy
fellow. To be honest knowing what a purist I am at heart, this is
something I would probably dislike outright in the past. I mean it
is gloomy and foreboding stuff but also extremely strange and quirky
and off the wall for something that would be put in the black metal
arena. It is so far down this path it would almost have to be called
original and against all odds it somehow enthralls me in fits and
spurts. There is nothing fancy or really technical about it, the
combinations of elements at odds with each other is skillfully done.
Some of the music on here reminds me of the more introspective
spacey moments of classic 70s Black Sabbath mixed with weird chimes,
bells, xylophone and peculiar guitar strumming that clearly came
from a mental lunatic with no sense of the instruments unwritten
rules. Part of me hates this album a little and a part of me likes
it a lot. I do not know how else to attempt to put it into words.
Probably best left for the more adventurous, an acquired taste to be
sure, a bit of madness mixed with schizophrenic brilliance. I do not
get it yet I have this yearning to keep on attempting to try to
grasp it. Gonna go listen to some early Sabbath now – see you next
time.
– Dale
http://www.furze.no/
http://www.agoniarecords.com/ |
I like the
layout of this album; it comes on a fold out cardboard case with the
booklet in one pocket and the disc in the other. The layout is kind
of stark, simplistic with classic landscapes and artwork that gives
off a really melancholic wandering sort of feeling. It reflects the
music itself quite well. This German band is another in a line of
one man atmospheric and black metal bands. The hymns on Bluostar are
just that an atmospheric, again wandering forlorn and introspective
music mixed with aggressive short bursts of all out early 90s style
black metal. The vocals are pretty sparse at times, but I think the
instrumentation is what is supposed to be on display front and
center. But you do get the yelled black metal rasps as well as hymn
like chanting and the odd spoken word bit. Overall I really got into
this and it took me on a mental journey with this project. It is so
perfect the time I listen to this album as it is a dark, overcast
morning where I live in the mountains, a heavy fog has been steadily
rolling in off the mountain peaks. Yes this is the soundtrack for my
environment and that is probably adding to my enjoyment. It is hard
not to recommend this record. I think the only criticism I would
offer is the depressive atmospheric mainstay and the transitions to
the harsh black metal material could be married together a little
smoother at times. But that is a small complaint on an otherwise
recommended record all done by the hands and mind of one man.
Impressive. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/fyrnask
http://www.templeoftorturous.com/
|
This is the 3rd
Rising record and as far as I recall my first encounter with them.
Straight off the bat, I should mention that this is a two-man band.
Godless is made up of guitar shredder extraordinaire Toby Knapp
(Darken, Onward etc…) and death metal legend (at least to us old UG
fanatics) Jeff Gruslin of Vital Remains fame. It would at least on
paper, seem like a highly unlikely combination. The imagery, lyrics
and vocals scream brutal death metal. The music, minus the vox,
though is really in the speed metal / thrash (though an evil
sounding brand to be sure) arena with the odd dm sounding touches.
In fact some of the music on here reminds me a little of Testament’s
Demonic album. I am huge fan of that record, so that is a plus for
me. Now I am sure many of you are thinking what I was thinking,
which is how, even if he is metal guy, does a guitar shredder mesh
with this style? The answer is at times it works beautifully, yet at
times those guitar histrionics sound forced and veer off into
wanking territory. Those sections are few and far between though and
short. The riffing and drum work on here are malevolent as hell and
sound great, just pounding you in the head. Jeff Gruslin definitely
out does himself on the mic here. It is truly a frightening vocal
performance he puts on, not to mention multi-pronged with growling,
hissing, gurgles and screams that sound truly possessed. A zombie
could not sound any more undead than Gruslin does on this record.
Trumpet of the Triumph is an interesting release. Give it a try.
– Dale
http://www.myspace.com/godlessrising
http://www.moribundcult.com/
|
Gravdal are back
with their pummeling adrenalized blitzkrieg and it sounds better
than ever. Torturmantra is more focused than the debut, without
losing a single step of their energy that made the first record an
infectious listen. Quite honestly this album makes me want to run
around the house in rage smashing everything in my path. It is black
metal and sounds evil; it is a rare combination when you can combine
that such head bang inducing fury and while being sickeningly
catchy. I find myself quite enthralled with this record. Which is
something that is a mean feat for me in this day and age. As I
mentioned the riffing is extremely memorable, it almost seems betray
how extreme and cold this album is, but I will go ahead and say it.
This somehow manages to also be a very rocking album (usually that
term mixed with bm is a kiss of death for me) in a way that would
make classic Carpathian Forest proud. There are some breaks in the
wrath of speed as evidenced on the second half of “Eg E Ditt Helvete”
and immediately followed up and surpassed by “Mishandlet”. This
showcases a very mysterious and brooding side to Gravdal that will
send you to a gloomy headspace and provides a rich depth to the
album. It only makes you appreciate it that much more once the
blitzkrieg is once again commenced with cannon firing in all
directions. I like the production on here it is very clear, heavy
and first-rate without falling into this trap of over produced like
so many releases these days. The guitar sound is raw and organic and
the drums sound like thunder claps. I am so fucking pleased with
this album and it receives a high recommendation from me. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/gravdal
http://www.unexplodedrecords.com/
|
Brazilian black
thrash the way you expect it to be played with the past rich history
of bands from South America. You know that obscure sounding, dirty
riffing and dark echo style production, the recording here is better
than many old releases. But you can hear influence of the earlier
works of bands like Sarcofago, Vulcano type style mixed with early
German thrash releases like Sodom and Kreator. The solos on Insult
are smoking hot and hit you short and quick, but definitely add
something to the song. The guitars at times are more mid paced and
heavy with some break neck speed bursts. The mix of those speeds
giving Grave Desecrator a more fleshed out sound. The vocals are
classic old school whispered shouts with that thrash growl and their
marriage with the music is well met. I think this record would be
appreciated by all old school thrash metal fans who like their music
on the dangerous and sinister side.
– Dale
http://www.myspace.com/gravedesecrator666
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
It is good to
hear Gravewurm once again, it has been a little while for me. It is
too bad to hear that this album will be the final curtain call for
the band. They have been around 20 years! I used to be in contact /
friends with the main man of this band (we lost contact over the
years). In fact, I recall doing a couple tape trades with him and he
recorded me some great Macabre stuff among other things. Shit I am
old as that tape trade was about a decade ago haha. Anyway, back to
the album at hand here. Gravewurm still worship the sounds of old
and I hear some stuff like Nunslaughter, Varathron, Sathanas,
Acheron etc… I suppose in some ways not a lot has changed, it still
sounds like some metalhead coming up with some good heavy straight
forward riffs and just basically jamming them without much variation
or dynamics. Then take those jam riffs and fit some drums and vocals
over top of it rather than attempting to make the riffs fit the
other instruments and vice versa. So it is straight forward and can
get a little monotone at times, but it still has a cool aura to it
and you can definitely headbang to it. Being able to bang your head
while having that raw old school sound is a good thing. Followers
that like intricate song crafting will not get into this. The vocals
are raspy whispered growls that are not a strong point for the band,
but manage to get the job done. Nothing too essential here yet die
hards of the old school sound that are not too picky will surely
find something to like here. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/gravewurm
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
Guilty As Sin is
mainly the musical vision of one Zak Ovoian and one thing you can
never accuse this dude of being is formulaic. In fact, I think the
words eclectic and eccentric would be a much more apt terms to
describe this musical nomads path. The albums starts with a weird
intro that sounds like it would have been the sound of a muted
computer voice from some 80s movie like War Games or something. Then
out of left field somewhat, going on their past releases come a
couple raging tunes with speedy punk / crust sort of guitars and
shouted hardcore vocals. I know this band is all over the place, but
going by the last record that took me off guard, decent tunes with
lots of energy and still strange for me to hear. Those hymns are
followed up by the epic vocal-less (nothing unusual for Guilty As
Sin) wonderful mental landscape of a song going by the name of
“Addicted To Cyanide”. This is much more of what I would expect out
of this band. The first half of the song is really introspective,
kind of melancholy and soothing with some amazing guitars that are
both simple and powerful, dripping with emotion. As the song wades
into the second half the same beautiful rhythm is slowly sped up and
played through thrash guitars, but it is a slow build up of the
speed and honestly it showcases, in my opinion, Guilty As Sin at
their best. I mean Zak knows how write some truly emotional shit, I
would love to see him do a whole flowing album of this style one
day. We follow that up with “Gobekli Tepe”, another instrumental but
this time we are treated to some more mind bending guitar landscape
that takes heavy middle eastern influence with that belly dancing /
snake charmer music vibe. I shit you not someone is even credited as
their instrument being belly dancing in the liner notes. It is a
pretty emotive intense experience complete with trumpets, finger
cymbals and whole deal. It is very well done but I could see it
taking the more open minded metal heads to enjoy that. Did I mention
I mention the first part of the record was ripping punky guitars
with tough guy vocals and songs titles like “Boston Beatdown”? Did I
tell you on their last record they called themselves viking / biker
metal?! See what I mean when I say eclectic and eccentric now? Well
you should be starting to get that mental audio picture now. There
is always something I want to leave cut out on each Guilty album,
but there is no denying the talent and vision at work. I absolutely
loved their last record entitled “III”, more so than this one yet
this is a fine piece of work in its own right. I find it impossible
to write short reviews for this band. Damn you Ovoian! –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/guiltymusic2008
|
The Hat keep the
old Norwegian classic black metal traditions alive. I never tire of
this sound, style no matter how many times I hear it again and
again. It is probably only fair that you know that about me – I
worship old school black metal. You can tell listening to this that
Hat themselves have listened to and possess great reverence for the
old bands on their early works like Darkthrone, Immortal, Emperor,
Graveland etc… It is just so hateful, cold, cutting you to pieces
with cruel torture. Yes I do not tire of their archetypal obscure bm
rasp vocals, tremolo picking and hypnotic driven drumming. Vortex of
Death is really well done and you can just feel the men behind it
are dedicated to what they are doing. I simply can not resist
recommending this album highly to you. –
Dale
http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/Evighat
|
We have some
dense churning black metal heaviness from France. The vocals kind of
sound an evil husky growling biker that crashed his hog a couple
times and does not believe in helmets. For me the album starts off
decently and creates a heavy brooding sort of mood. Before long it
becomes unraveled and disjointed and progressively worse. This is
not a good thing when it was not that amazing to begin with. I am a
huge GG Allin fan, despite what some say, he did made some great
music and was not all shit and piss. So without looking at the song
titles first, it surprised me hear a GG cover coming out of my
headphones. I suppose they do an alright job on the cover, though it
could have been better. But in the context of the whole album it
stands out as a sore thumb and does not help the flow one bit. This
is further highlighted by the fact that this cover is in the middle
rather than a bookend to the record. I will be honest and cut to the
chase. This is just not that good and definitely not up to the usual
Debemur Morti caliber of release. It seems all of the members of
this French band are in about half a dozen other bands as well.
Which leads one to think it is hard to do all of them right and that
appears to be the case here. Especially considering most of their
other bands are of much better quality (such as Antaeus, Mutiilation,
Arkhon Infaustus etc…). The most creative or stand out thing about
this release is the album title that kind of tells the whole story
right there.
– Dale
http://www.myspace.com/hell_militia
http://www.debemur-morti.com/
|
Well we have
some German thrash and yes, in case you were wondering, it is of the
classic old style of their homeland. There are so many influences
you could throw out there, but a few that come to mind, which are
influences for HC are Poison (yeah you know which one I mean), Iron
Angel, Kreator, Sodom, and especially Slayer and even a newer band
like Desaster. You can just feel how much these guys love thrash
metal through they’re playing. Bloodrust is a really excellent
record, not a lame retro attempt, but all the same very clearly
rooted in the days of old and they do manage to bring something
substantial to the genre. You can even hear some little nuances
going on at times that remind me of classic Priest or Maiden. This
is pretty unrelenting stuff with a plethora of memorable riffs and
headbanging parts to get your blood boiling. I dig those frantic
Slayer-esque guitar leads that pop up now and then. Hellish
Crossfire is not all full speed ahead all the time though. There are
slower moody moments, sort of like a brooding tank slowly creeping
along, barrel simmering with smoke, searching for victims of their
next assault. Those brooding ominous moments definitely add a little
more depth and personality to flesh out the bands sound. The vocals
complement the music nicely with their classic early Slayer and
Kreator tendencies. All that is left to say is, if you like to
thrash, then you will love Bloodrust Scythe, it is as simple as
that. –
Dale
http://www.ihate.se
http://www.myspace.com/hellishcrossfirethrash
|
Well it is odd
to me at least that these guys have been around for 15 years and
this is the first I had recall hearing of them. Praising Satan is
apparently some sort of best of / compilation release that
apparently is celebrating “15 Years Of Ultimate Satanic Sleaze”. I
can not seem get a handle on whether this is supposed to be a joke
band or something serious. Obviously the logo is a homage or simply
mocking the logo of Beherit. I seen an interview online and the guy
in the interview acted serious in it and said he was a devotee of
Beherit, Barathrum, Mayhem, Root, Darkthrone. So I guess I will give
the benefit of the doubt there is supposed to be some sort of
serious intent behind the band. The whole presentation of the band,
album and song titles such as Horns of Hell, Thunderbelial, Pure
Goat Glorification, Black Metal Overlords had me wondering though.
The music itself is decent for what is, and is simple sloppy punk
rock with a metal undertone and some definite Venom worship. Which
is always a good thing in my books, being a Venom maniac myself.
Nothing amazing here, but I could still appreciate it. Obviously any
black metal fans who pick it up that are looking for pure bm or
sympho type crap and do not care for punk, will be easily and
quickly disappointed. They are certainly unique that is for sure. I
would say fans of raunchy punk, Venom and Piledriver type stuff will
like this.
– Dale
http://www.myspace.com/hereticmaniacs
http://www.soulsellerrecords.com/
|
First I just
wanted to send out a greeting to Bear Bee, the vocalist of
Humiliation for sending this in personally. It is always good to get
a release from Malaysia. I used to have a tape trader in Malaysia,
he turned me on to a lot of great old dedicated Malaysian UG bands
like Sil-Khannaz, Brain Dead, Langsuyr, and Suffercation. There is
some straight forward but solid death metal to be found here. The
riffing is often mid paced and heavy with the odd speedy bursts that
I am sure induce some nice headbanging live. I can maybe hear some
old Bolt Thrower or Malevolent Creation type stuff, the bands is
keeping it old school, which is just fine by me. The vocals are deep
dark shouted growls with a little bit of an obscure texture to them.
Those vocals again remind me a lot to the very early 90s death metal
approach. A pretty good first release from a young band and I think
there is room for some improvement. I am left wondering why no demos
or anything were released before the mini disc? Either way this
short player leaves me wanting to hear something more. And I am in
luck as Bear Bee has sent me the follow full length album as well!
– Dale
nebiulaprod@gmail.com
humiliationband@gmail.com
|
Humiliation pick
right up where they left off the year before on their mcd. They were
only in year one as a band as I understand it with that first
release. Now year two sees them already storming back with their
debut full length. Despite that short period between releases and
their infancy as a band, one can already hear a little maturity
creeping into their songwriting. They are still brutal and heavy,
their riffing and general song flow are smoother and pack more punch
this time around. I have seen the Bolt Thrower comparisons and it is
hard to deny that. They sound a lot like them and it is in a good
way. I think I can detect some early Death influence on the music as
well as the vocals and maybe a touch of Benediction (one of my fave
dm bands, quite underrated). I am not sure if I can add much more
than I have in this review and the one above. Some killer death
metal for fans of Bolt Thrower and the great 90s British death metal
bands. The one question I do have is why neither the label (which
has been around a long time) nor the band seems to have a website? I
remember my old friend from Malaysia some years back said the
Malaysian government was harassing labels that distributed any metal
music that was related to gore or satanic / occult themes etc… Some
of them seemed to be keeping a real low profile. I am not sure if
that is the reason or not?
– Dale
nebiulaprod@gmail.com
humiliationband@gmail.com
|
The prolific
Malaysian death metallers return to the pages of Canadian Assault!
It was a welcome sight to see this disc in my mailbox. For me the
Malaysian scene in recent years seemed to go down a bit, but
Humiliation is helping to breathe life back into the scene. Like a
fine wine Humiliation, a relatively young band, keep getting better
with age. You see the development in their song structuring and feel
for the emotion needed. They are not afraid to have some brooding
moments more often that create a great atmosphere and lend that much
more power to the speed and brutality. Yes this is early to mid 90s
brutal death metal done the way fans of the genre love. You can hear
homage in their music to all the great dm scenes of the day back
then, from the Florida (Malevolent Creation, Death) sound to the
British sound (Bolt Thrower, Benediction). I am starting to hear the
Holland scene creeping in like Asphyx or Sinister. Yes I think
Humiliation is still searching a bit for their own sound with this
album, but also on Seek To Survive they are showing signs of finding
it and creating something of their own. The vocals range from eerie
whispers in the gloomy parts to piercing growling screams that
always feel old school and I like them. The sound on this album is
fantastic and everything is professional, while never forgetting the
UG spirit. This album made me bang my fucking head! Hail Malaysia! –
Dale
http://www.humiliation.my/
|
The mini-bio
nails it when they mention Bathory as an influence. I can hear a lot
of “Blood Fire Death” on this short player (clocking in at barely 21
minutes). I admit I have a bit of a soft spot for Aussie bands and
their filthy, dirty, wicked old school ways. Hunters Moon is a
little rough around the edges, but they know how to create a strong
atmosphere with their music, that provokes emotion in the listener.
The music manages to be both epic and flowing while juxtaposed with
a certain cruelty and barbaric thrashing (especially evident on the
Angel Witch cover of the song Baphomet). I like the vocals from
Lust, yet at times they seem not to always fit the music and tend to
fade into the background of the mix. Not entirely certain if that
was intentional or not? Upon repeated listens though, I find myself
not noticing or caring as much about the vocals, which originally
struck me as a problem. All in all, I enjoyed this platter and find
myself curious to hear their full length debut. Assuming of course
that is in the plans.
– Dale
http://www.huntersmoon.cjb.net/ http://huntersmoon.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
The first thing
that springs to mind is for a one man band, just how full and
fleshed out the sound is. As well as how competent that one man must
be at all of his instruments. It definitely takes some vision for
one person to map all of this out and execute it. I guess technology
these days helps you do this sort of thing more easily than in the
past. Infestus play slick black metal in the newer way, generally
speaking that is not something that interests me overly much. When
they are so overproduced like most modern black metal and melodic
death style bands, it just seems to lose much of its originality and
feeling and starts to feel more like a product mass produced rather
than being built on emotion and feeling (see a Famine for an example
for the opposite of Infestus). As I said I can really appreciate
that one man managed to put this all together, but that alone does
not necessarily make this a great album. It is just an okay album
for me and that is all. – Dale
http://www.infestus.com/
http://www.debemur-morti.com/ |
Inquisition
probably are a band you will totally fall in love with or you will
hate with every fiber of your being. I don't think their will be
that much in between. The music is in the vein of early to mid 90's
european black metal and is not horrible but I have heard much
better and the vocals are annoying and don't really fit the music. I
personally would say pass on this band as Hells Headbangers have a
lot more great bands worth checking out. This is a re-release of
their 1998 debut album. Also Hells Headbangers have out the US
version of their new album Ominous Doctrine… – Patrick Schroeder
http://www.myspace.com/inquisitionusa
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
The South
American band that has changed locations, changed musical styles,
and has survived amongst the sea of underground black metal
artists. This newest release from Inquisition reminds me of late
90's black metal. A solid production really helps this album. While
I don't like to compare bands in reviews, the vocals and many of the
music aspects remind me of latter day Immortal. Froggy vocal
delivery, time changes, memorable riffs, etc. At the end of the day,
I always ask myself, would I listen to this again? In Inquisition's
case, the answer would be yes! - Mark
http://www.myspace.com/inquisitionusa
http://www.moribundcult.com/
|
A dual debut,
the first album of the band and the initial release of Forgotten
Path, with both entities hailing from Lithuania. Despite this being
the labels start up release, they have not gone the cheap route, you
get a beautiful looking digi-pak with a sixteen page booklet inside.
Inquisitor are billed as progressive black metal and they have a
penchant for epic length songs, all but one clock in at over 9
minutes long. I think I would call them more of a straight symphonic
metal band, as honestly there is not much in the way of black metal
elements and the music is not that dark. I would say only the vocals
which are dark whispers with a hint of the bm croak underneath would
be your only link to that style of music. Inquisitor employ a lot of
piano and keyboards, but I will at least say this much for them,
they do not fall into the trap of so many bands of letting the synth
dominate the mix and drown out the other instruments. The song
structures as you might guess from the self professed progressive
moniker, are quite avant-garde and free flowing. It is no secret I
am not the biggest fan of keyboards, but I will give Inquisitor
credit for employing them in a tasteful way that furthers the song
development. They do not come across as forced, in the old we need
to be atmospheric so we will insert and force them in in unnatural
ways even if they do not fit the song structure or mood. I suppose
the only thing I can fault the band for is with the length of the
songs. It almost seems like in order to keep it all free flowing at
times, they let some of the songs meander on a little longer than
necessary. Not normally my cup of tea very often, but The Quantum
Theory of Id managed to win me over to an extent, it can be an
enchanting and addictive listen. I think fans of things like
Arcturus and the like might find this of interest. The bio states
“The CD is released under ‘Creative Commons’ license – you are free
to copy and share the music without any commercial purposes”. So
apparently, if I understand correctly, if you find this review of
the band interesting, as long as you use for personal use, you have
permission to go find it and download or copy it. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/inquisitorlt
http://www.forgotten-path.lt/
|
Insidious Omen
are from Canada and more specifically from the area I grew up and
spent the first 25 years of my life. So immediately the band peek my
interest. As near as I can tell this release was released as a 7
inch vinyl a couple years ago and there has been nothing added on
here as bonus. The recording definitely reminds to me to some of the
old low-fi recordings from the late 80s and early 90s before
everyone could record on their computer and use that pro tools shit.
Those that love a crisp, full sound on their releases will
immediately want to avoid. Think of Blasphemy on their Fallen Angel
of Doom record, where it sounds like they are in a cave and someone
is holding a microphone in the air outside the cave. I like it and
some of my fave old releases sounded much like this. I mean who does
not love early Beherit and the like?! There are only 3 songs on here
but they are long songs ranging from the 8 to 10 minute mark. I
think I have also thrown out some comparables to give you an idea of
their sound. Like I mentioned early Beherit, Blasphemy, Conqueror
possibly mixed with a little more ambient sounds and interludes ala
Acheron on Rites of The Black Mass, though without the incantations
and evocations. They also employ some more somber, reflective
sections in between the bombardment. I enjoyed this and I am sure
ardent fans of the warring metal style will also, but at the same
time this is far from essential stuff.
– Dale
http://insidiousomen.blogspot.com/
http://www.ahdistuksenaihio.com/
|
This is my
introduction to Jex Toth. I do think I shall be searching out some
releases by the group. I would posit that they will appeal to fans
of traditional doom metal and fans of epic heavy metal. What grabs
me immediately are the monolithic, ploddingly heavy riffs that set
the atmosphere for the fantastic and hypnotic vocals of Jessica Toth.
They draw you in and you quickly lose yourself in their mental
tapestry, drawing a superb melancholy range of emotions. You kind of
forget about everything else around you and your eyes are closed
even when they are open as your mind is off swimming in the ether.
For those of you that have experienced this sort of trip, it is
magic and there is no slight of hand involved. There are only 3
songs on here so it is only a taste of what is to come. It leaves me
wanting more and hoping it comes soon. –
Dale
http://www.jexthoth.com/
http://www.ihate.se/ |
This Finnish
black metal band has been in existence 10 years already and this is
their debut album. During that time they only released a couple of
demos, eps and a live disc. I am sure they have had their offers, I
really have to respect that they waited until they were ready, and
it is obvious they create this music for the right reasons.
Jumalhamara have their own distinct character and I do not find
myself saying every other song this sounds exactly like this band or
that album. I think you could call them atmospheric, but not the
usual way of that term, in this genre. They use a lot of organic
sounds to achieve this goal, something that is harder to do than
just smothering everything in sight with synth (hello Xasthur and
the like); it takes more creativity and imagination than that, in my
opinion. I like their use of percussion, it is very spiritual yet
dark sounding, uplifting at times and melancholic the next moment.
This album is all about flow, and feeling the songwriting, rather
than just putting parts together, it is a highlight of their years
together and emotional maturity as a band. Such words in this day
and age, I do not throw around lightly. The vocals tend to be used
sparingly and the guitars are drawn out to the point that they melt
into the background and become part of the scenery, though an
important part. I am a proponent of traditional black metal purity
in sound, but when something is done this well, it is impossible for
me not to respect and enjoy it. I could see other staunch purists
having a hard time liking this, I can only stress that you are
missing out and making a mistake passing it up. – Dale
http://www.ahdistuksenaihio.com/ |
This is one mean
fucking hateful slice of North American black metal. Yes, I have
heard it called USBM, but when one of the main members is Canadian,
that title becomes a little less than accurate, no? The two foremost
players in Kerasphorus are Pete Helmkamp (the mighty Order From
Chaos, Angelcorpse, Feldgrau etc…) and James Read (Revenge,
Conqueror, Cremation etc…). So there is plenty of experience and
seasoning going into Cloven Hoofs. I would say you can definitely
hear influences or probably better stylistic signatures of these
individuals past endeavors. There are most definitely bits and
pieces of Order From Chaos, Angelcorpse and Revenge in here and on
here. Maybe if you have those releases you do not need this one? I
would look at like the perfect compliment to that collection, I
suspect devotees of those former bands, will absolutely love this.
It is a monstrously acidic release and will not let you down. I
would in fact even go so far as saying this is as good and possibly
better than those past bands, with the exception of Order From
Chaos, who virtually untouchable, in my view. Just splendid
blitzkrieg warring metal with classic Helmkamp vocals striaght from
the masters. You will only wish it was longer. – Dale
http://www.nwnprod.com/
http://www.myspace.com/helmkampkommand
|
This 2 disc
release from Ukraine's Khors is basically a re-release of their
first two full lengths from 2005 and 2006 respectively, along with a
few demos and live tracks to add the "newness" to the package (for
the diehards). As I sit here listening to the music, it reminds me
of bands such as Behemoth - black n death. Not as high tech as said
band but I would not categorize Khors as a black metal band,
regardless of what others think. The atmosphere for me is almost
non existent which instantly disqualifies them from the BM scene
alone. Having said that, the music is decent. The level of skill in
the band is above average on some tracks. There are keyboards on
some tracks for those that avoid such bands. Vocals are harsh mid
level growls and scathing screams. Blast beats and a few time
signature changes permeate both discs. The demos on The
Flames....disc are pretty close to the final versions - not much
worth with their inclusion. Overall, not a bad release for the
uninitiated but I think there are more inspired bands out there in
the scene. - Mark
http://www.myspace.com/khorspagan
http://www.themetalunderground.com/ |
Another release
from UW, and another band from them producing their debut album.
This California trio vomit out some brutal grinding death metal that
is noisy and heavy as hell. Some of the vocals are of the garbled,
undecipherable constant stream variety, which I know turns some off,
but I like some of that flavour now and then. The drummer is the
back bone of the insanity level of the music, he punishes his kit
with such speed and fury, you would think it stole money from him or
fucked his girlfriend or something. The guitars could have a little
more punch and be a tad higher in the mix for my liking, as they get
drowned out by the drums and vocals at times. But that is only a
minor complaint; this is some really decent anti-christian death
metal that die hards of the genre will enjoy.
– Dale
http://www.myspace.com/killgasm
http://www.facebook.com/pages/UW-Records/162216050503802
|
New York's
paragon records have struck gold again! It seems very few labels are
able to sign and release quality one after the other, but paragon
has done it with the last 4-6 releases. This time they released
Serbia's Kozeljnik. The duo have crafted a very dark journey of
mid-paced black metal with some outbursts of insane, blasting drums
and razor-sharp guitar chords. The band never really lets completely
loose with the violent black metal side instead opting to use it
more as a mood-breaker from the dark mid-paced songs. The vocals
remind me a lot of mid-era Immortal, with the raspy, gruff vocal
patterns. There is also some deeper, clearly chanted vocal pattern
used throughout the songs and is placed very well. The drums seem to
stick out most of all for me. Going from the hyper-speed intensity
of early european black metal to a more controlled and mid-paced
beat with some well executed solo's. Kozeljnik is band that fans of
old Immortal, or quality black, dark metal can appreciate and listen
to countless times. – Patrick Schroeder
http://www.paragonrecords.org
http://www.kozeljnik.com/
|
A little
something different than what I usually get, I had not heard of them
previous, but this is already their 4th album. For Death…
has a certain ambient quality to it, whilst still being a fairly
riff driven rock record. When listening I think of influences from
bands like possibly Fugazi, Mastodon (though not as crushing),
Neurosis (not as trippy or as heavily atmospheric / psychedelic).
Another band that comes to mind to a small extent musically and a
large extent vocally is Godflesh, especially with vocals from their
Pure album. Kruger bounce around from being heavy and rocking on
some riffs to much more introspective, drawn out soundscapes that
let the mind float around and get lost in a spaced out fog. You
would think this would be somewhat jarring when transitioning back
and forth between aggression and the ambiance, but Kruger seem to
pull it off with skill and subtlety that probably comes from being a
veteran band at song crafting. Generally speaking this is not the
sort of thing I would listen to much. I did not expect to like
Death, Glory and the End of the World when the first song ended. Yet
somewhere along the way they managed to win me over. Check it out. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/krugerband
http://www.listenable.net/
|
Canada's
Lacrimae Mortalium have released one of 2010's best death/doom/black
metal releases hands down. The album starts off with some heavy and
bone crushing riffs. The band seems heavily rooted in the early 90's
death/doom with their approach. The band picks up the tempo to
mid-paced range with some impressive guitar riffs and solo's not
normally heard in death/doom bands. The drumming is just as
impressive and devastating with some heavy crushing beats but picks
up the pace right along with the guitarist and makes for an
interesting and enjoyable listen. The vocals are really where the
bands black and death metal influence can be heard with some vicious
and brutal {yes I know brutal is not a word normally used to
describe a doom band} growls and some insane black metal screams the
two very different vocal patterns fit very well with Lacrimae
Mortalium's music and add an extra layer to the bands already heavy
sound. I am not really sure if traditional-doom fans will enjoy
this. But if you are a fan of death or black/doom then Lacrimae
Mortalium is a must hear! Buy this now! – Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/lacrimaemortaliumdoom
|
I am not deep
into the Doom UG but I do wander that path often enough. With that
in mind I must admit I had not heard of this band or put my claws on
any of their releases. This is a traditional American doom band from
sunny and sweltering California. I can picture the palm trees,
shading a crispy patch of lawn, a small table with a whiskey bottle
and a couple of glasses with the rapidly melting rocks and a nice
breeze blowing through as strains LNA waft out of the garage.
Leather Nun America are a doom band and like most doom bands they
borrow some from Black Sabbath. Sab did it all man and it that is no
knock, it almost impossible not to let a little of the godfathers of
this classic sound seep into your subconscious. I think you can hear
it most in some of the song structuring and even their mix of songs
styles. They have the straight up doom but much like the Sabs mix it
up with some introspective, melancholy songs and passages ala a
Laguna Sunrise or Planet Caravan vibe. But in overall sound when
they start to rock out in slow motion I just can not help but think
of The Obsessed and I think they were a big influence as well. I
love and virtually worship at the altar of The Obsessed so you could
say I enjoyed Kult Occult quite a fucking bit. The vocals are a
little different though than those bands and definitely sparingly
used but there are a few different styles employed like clean
spoken vocals, then cleanly sung but slightly more gravelly ones and
some bits of others that bring Corrosion of Conformity to mind.
Either way there are so few vocals that they do not make or break
the album one way or the other. I really enjoyed this record and
recommend it to classic doom hounds that like it a little more on
the mellow side at times. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/leathernunamerica
http://www.psychedoomelic.com/
|
Well now, you
may remember my review of this bands demo way back in 2006, and to
be honest I kind of ripped it a new asshole. I was a dick in the
review to be honest (I am known to be like that now and then),
saying it sounded like a one man bands home riffs cassette. With
this two song CD single, this Swedish horde has come a long fucking
way since that demo. I mean huge improvement and Legions now will
proudly give me the middle finger and make me eat my words. This is
simply some fantastic blackened thrash metal that has a little bit
of everything for fans of the genre. Yes this is only two songs, but
two killer songs, the music is a mix of newer razor sharp thrash
mixed with lots of the old school brutality and raw sound. It even
has some gang sung choruses which make think heavily to the old days
and love it, more of this boys. The main vocals though are a melding
of gruff thrash yells with a smattering of black metal rasp. The
drummer is a monster and provides a strong backbone and the guitars
flesh things out with some nice underlying fills. It is only two
songs, I wish I had more, this leaves me lusting for more. You will
find the energy infectious as you put the release on a continuous
repeat loop as you become hooked more and more by the Blitz! I am
really looking forward to hearing an album now. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/theworldoflegionsofwar
http://www.inferno-records.net/
|
Former member of
Hungary's Wall of Sleep's new band Magma Rise which means more doom
metal. The music is nice and sludgy but once the vocals kick in -
eh, things take a turn of the worse. The clean delivery is fine
especially for doom metal. But the vocalist has a really odd
sounding voice. Maybe if I were stoned I'd like it but since I
don't smoke weed, that's not much help. As the rest of the album
plays, I really like the music. The production gets the job done as
well. But, yeah, I've made up my mind. They need to sack the
singer. Gabor (ex Wall of Sleep) should stick to just playing bass
and hire a new vocalist. If they do that, Magma Rise will indeed -
rise. - Mark
http://magmarise.net/
http://www.psychedoomelic.com/
|
Some fucking
death metal of the old school worshipping variety, straight out of
mighty Sweden. It just immediately hits me with healthy dose of
influence from one of my all time fave bands Autopsy. Not to mention
a dash of Repulsion. You also get the old Swedish sound ala
Dismember, Repugnant mixed in and anyone who reads Canadian Assault
knows I absolutely love that stuff. So it is probably of very little
surprise that I greatly enjoy the to some extent doomy and brutal
sounds of Maim. The riffs on here sound so classic and they are
extremely heavy and memorable. The band also manages to slip in some
tasty little guitar solos to assure you are hooked. The vocals are
dark sounding and obscure growls that seem to fit the music well. I
honestly do not have a lot more to add to this. But if you like the
classic stuff from the bands I mentioned above then you will want to
check into getting yourself some Maim. Their new album is supposed
to be out any time now. Argh!
– Dale
http://www.soulsellerrecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/maimdeathmetal |
Sick and ugly
French black metal - originally released in 2006 but re-released in
2010. This EP of material is full of hatred and dissonance. The
band also has one demo and a split to their credit. The conviction
is there with this band - something mandatory for any band, but
particularly, for black metal bands. I want to feel like I'm about
to be burned to the ground when I hear a black metal release. This
one captures that feel nicely. Instrumentation reminds me of
countrymen Eternal Majesty in places but much more hateful. While
not original by any means, it definitely has the black metal appeal
of old. I'd like to see what this band can do with a full length
release. – Mark
http://www.ahdistuksenaihio.com/
http://www.myspace.com/malhkebre
|
I am a Maniac
Butcher from way back and yes I am an old coot. Just like these old
warriors and I would like to think I still have just as much fight
left in my black heart as the Butcher. Who make a triumphant return
after a decade long hiatus. I always respected Maniac Butcher for
never giving into the trends of synth, goth, angelic female vocals
and such things – they were always true to their roots. The intro is
cold and creepy sounding as hell, dank ambient backdrop and what sounds
like a great pre-historic beast breathing and snorting in a hypnotic
rhythm, each breath sending tendrils of steam in the darkness. You
can not see the beast through the night and are paralyzed with fear.
We then launch into bombastic black metal dripping with ferocity and
driving at an electric pace. This new album may be a little more
rocking than in the past, but no less evil sounding and still mean &
hateful. It is simple and cruel like any good barbarian horde. Masakr is a great
combination of catchy speed riffing, blasting rapid fire
drumming and some truly sinister rasping black metal vocals that
help create a real eerie atmosphere. All the songs are good, but the
highlight for me was “Projizdka hvozdem”. It really marries the epic
early classic black metal sound I worship with the memorable tremolo
riffing and vocalist Barbarud simply sounds possessed and maniacal.
The Butcher is back and they are not fucking around. The black metal
scene needed an album like this right now and so do you.
– Dale
http://negative-existence.com/
http://www.maniacbutcher.com/ |
We have some
melodic death metal from Sweden on tap. I like only a very select
few bands in this genre. So a band in this style has to be quite
remarkable to capture my interest. In fact, after the initial
quality releases in this style, the early works by Dark Tranquility,
In Flames etc… I have found very few albums of any use really. A
second mark against Marionette is they seem to have decided to meld
the Goteburg melodious death style with a genre I mostly actively
dislike. That would be American metalcore, some call it deathcore
and others call it mallcore. I mainly call it garbage. There are
some quality harmonious riffs and interesting structural moments to
be had. The band has some talent and are young – so it is impressive
from that point of view. At other times the music is just too sweet
or drowns you too much in metalcore for me to truly attempt to enjoy
it. The production on here is slick, almost to a fault, but if you
like things over produced as many do these days, then you will enjoy
“Enemies” on that level. You have heard it all before, one thousand
times, but if you are a big fan of the styles I have described
above. Well then I see no reason you will not enjoy Marionette.
Excuse me though if I pass on this. – Dale
http://www.listenable.net
http://www.myspace.com/marionettesweden
|
Another band
from the fertile ground of Quebec, Canada. Massive Slavery are
proficient at playing what they play, which is modern melodic death
mixed with metalcore. I am not the biggest fan of either style, so
the mixing of the two only tends to amplify things for me. As
mentioned though they handle their instruments well and I found
myself if nothing else enjoying the individual performances from
each musician. The musical whole however is not overly distinctive
or memorable and lacks a little focus. I mean they have a lot of
quality parts and sections but they are put together in a somewhat
clunky, patchwork manner and seemingly lose the plot a couple times
over within a song. The vocals from Jonathan are the style we
usually hear with melodic death bands. You know they are growls but
laced with a little thrash gruffness and kept clean and decipherable
enough so that all the lyrics can be understood to those that listen
closely. I can appreciate the talent and the performance, but as
mentioned the execution in the song writing department needs to
mature and refinement that should hopefully come with time. I am
always excited to get new releases from my mighty homeland, despite
that Global Enslavement missed the mark for me. Admittedly I am not
a fan of this style in general though. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/massiveslavery
http://maplemetalrecords.bigcartel.com/
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Symphonic power
metal from Finland and Masterstroke hit us with their third full
length album. The first moments of the opening track really grabbed
me and got me excited. It reminded me a little of the great &
underrated Tad Morose A Mended Rhyme album. From there though things
sort of settled down and the energy drained and mellowed a little.
As the album continued to wind along my interest seems to be
dropping bit by bit. I think another band that comes to mind as an
influence for Masterstroke would be Nevermore, though not as
powerful or quite as memorable in my view. I am probably being a
little hard on them though. There is some quality material on here,
some solid melodic riffs and they do have the ability to draw
emotion out of the listener. Something for me that is integral to a
good band playing this style as things can get very stale, very
quickly if they do not have that emotional hook to draw you in and
keep you there. As obviously with this mid-paced flowing style with
the keyboard atmospherics do not lend themselves to heaviness or
speed. The best part of this band may just be vocalist Jari Tiura
whose has a great soaring set of smooth pipes and he carries off the
sound beautifully. I would say the biggest drawback for Masterstroke
might be is that from song to song they start to get kind of same
sounding and lack identity from one another. I am being a little
picky here as stated, but this is a talented band who are on the
cusp of turning into a something special if they play their cards
right. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/masterstrokefinland
http://www.dynamicartsrecords.com/
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Some doom coming
out of Oklahoma via Sweden with I Hate Records. This is my first
experience with Memory Driven. Animus is a pretty diverse record and
I would say not as accessible or as immediate as many of the bands
on this label. It will probably take a few listens to really grasp
what all is going on here. The more I listen to it though the less
inclined I am to the doom tag that comes with the label reputation
and is around the band. A reputation that I think in large part owes
to the main creative force being Dennis Cornelius, who has been in
bands like Place Of Skulls, Revelation, Doom Stone etc… But to be
honest a lot of this record both musically and vocally probably has
more to do with the early 90s grunge sound than it does with doom
rock. Both musically and vocally I can hear some Alice In Chains,
Pearl Jam and that type of music. I mean do not get me wrong these
guys are great musicians and have some really interesting things
going on in the music and I really can dig some of it. Maybe it just
was so much of the opposite of what I was expecting that I just had
a hard time really getting into Animus. I really do not care much
for the vocals either. I would say if you like some of the better
stuff from the grunge days mixed with some doom rock type tendencies
then you would most likely like Memory Driven. However for me it was
just not my cup of tea, I gave it a good shot and listened to the
record 4 or 5 times looking for stuff I liked. But ultimately the
things I did not care for about Memory Driven outweighed that which
I liked.
– Dale
http://www.myspace.com/memorydrivendoom
http://www.ihate.se/
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This is a one
man band and that one man should be known to anyone into the UG
heavy / speed / thrash metal scene of the last decade or so. I am
talking about Athenar (aka Jamie Walters) besides Midnight, he was
also in Destructor and in the past was part of Boulder, Abdullah and
more. Just listening to this album, it is painfully clear Jamie is
one dedicated motherfucker and is a devout worshipper at the altar
of metal. Despite Satanic Royalty being the bands debut album,
Midnight has been releasing demos, split eps, eps, and even a live
album since 2003! This is some mean, dirty shit bro, I am telling
you I have never tangibly smelt Canadian Whiskey, cigarettes, pot,
leather and the crotch of bar sluts emanating from my speakers
before, but there is a first time for everything. You get fast and
angry speed metal with lots of energy and some large nods to the
early works of bands like Piledriver, Kreator, Destruction, Celtic
Frost and big dose of the almighty Venom with a dash of punk. Hah
even the vocals sound an awful lot like Cronos. So yes it is retro
and nothing new, but it is done with such dedication and ferocity
you can not help but respect it. Not to mention it is catchy and
memorable as hell, with great singable choruses and all out head
bang inducing riffage. It is really a must for old school goats like
me that can never get enough of this classic sound. Satan himself
could not have conjured such a cacophony of audio debauchery! – Dale
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/athenarsmidnight |
Mincing Fury
come at you like a screaming fireball of metal coming from the Czech
Republic. The Czech is a country that longtime underground minions
will recognize as a hotbed of grindcore / brutal death mix the last
couple decades. It will also come as no surprise that Devolution
fits nicely into that description as well. You could even say they
helped solidify that reputation as they have been mincing it up in
the Czech scene for a decade now. I always find it a little hard to
describe these releases. It is basically gurgling, toilet growling
vocals, on top of spastic fast guitars intermingled with slower
sections, always return to lightning fast blast beat insano
drumming. Mixed in between all of this sickness are many crazy,
off-beat samples. It is probably an acquired taste for some people.
Especially those that like all their metal to refined, thought
provoking, presented on over produced albums. You will not find that
here at all. Personally though, I have always loved the lunacy and
the break neck speed and resulting destruction left in its wake from
this style. If you like that shit too, then check this out, by all
means. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/mincingfury
http://www.unitedguttural.com/
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This is a
re-issue of this classic German thrash bands debut album. The album
itself was recorded as a demo in 1987 and then one year later was a
repackaged as their first album with three new tracks added. This
new version seems to have the demo tracks plus four new songs
recorded in 2009. Anyway Power of Darkness is done in the
traditional old school German thrash way, it is extremely fast and
ripping. The music is sure to remind you of old Kreator and the
vocals do the same as the singer sounds very close to Mille. Yes it
is may not sound too original even for the time it came out. But I
can tell you it is great and Minotaur created their own feeling and
atmosphere, picking up the gauntlet of their heroes and immediately
charging into battle. The freshly recorded tracks sound a touch
different, but still great and show the band know how to play raging
thrash. As you have come to expect with I Hate Records everything is
done the right way fully draped in dedication and worship to the
foundations of metal we all love. –
Dale
http://www.myspace.com/minotaurthrashers
http://www.ihate.se/
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A band that has
been around since the 90's - from far away New Zealand to boot. This
is a difficult album to describe. In parts, such as on the opener
"Everything You Believe Is A Lie", the band seems dead serious and
inspired. Yet, there is a trace of this almost humorous tone to the
songs at times. It's hard to put a finger on whether that's
intentional or not. In any event - Monsterworks play a varied mix of
metal. At times chugging along like old Pantera mixed with black
metal type vocals with a dash of progressive metal thrown in as
well. On track three "Reprieve" the band starts things off
acoustically with some choral type voices. It's just an interlude
piece (with a nod to the religious references of the album title I
can only assume). The album also reminds me of the Swedish
death/technical metal scene in places and wanders into pagan metal
territory at times, too. It's interesting this release. I'm not sure
I like it, though. The band has some decent chops but none of the
tunes stood out to me. Oh - I'd also consider changing the name. I
can't take a band too seriously that calls themselves Monsterworks.
- Mark
http://www.myspace.com/monsterworks
http://www.coprorecords.co.uk/casket/
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Caduceus Chalice is Moon's debut cd and a very impressive one to say
the least. Six tracks of cold, dismal atmospheric black metal. The
guitars and drums are played at a mid-pace and done perfectly. The
vocals are a raspy, whispery whispery voice. Mixed within the music
is some well-played keyboards that add another dimension to Moon's
already dark sound. This is a band and release that should appeal to
all fans of "atmospheric" black metal. – Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/moonmyth
http://www.moribundcult.com/
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Another Dutch
band - this time playing Pagan inspired black metal. Supposedly this
was the bands last release in 2010 as they have since split up. The
usual order of the day - black metal screeches, rough guitar, and a
rhythm section that is definitely the weak link in this band,
particularly the drummer. His lack of skill is holding back the
music from rising to another level. I
like the overall vibe - it has that pagan metal feel which some
bands have difficulty capturing. But having said that, this is an
average release. The band doesn't have the talent even if they have
the vision.
- Mark
http://www.heidenshart.nl.nu/
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This is by far
one of 2011's best death metal releases!! The Swedish masters
combine crushing, heaving guitar riffs, pounding fast drums with
sick and deep growls. Mordbrand isn’t worried about playing two
thousand miles an hour or trying to be as technical as ever, instead
they rely on their ability to perform flawless, old-school death
metal. With bands in the scene like Mordbrand, Cianide, Deus Otiosus maybe
death metal will return the greatness it once had. - Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/mordbranddeath
http://www.deathgasm.com
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There is quite
an array of notable items with regards to Mr. Death, at least to old
time die hards like myself. Firstly this release was engineered by
the legendary Tomas Skogsberg (who twisted the knobs of many early
90s death metal classics) and produced by Fred Estby of the mighty
Dismember. It does not stop there however, as the bands members
themselves were in notable Swedish bands such as Treblinka, Tiamat,
Septic Grave among others. A slightly different take in the bands
photo imagery, corporate suit ‘n tie guy, with the more literal
mindless bloody zombie visual makes a statement. The music, as you
can guess is very much in the classic early 90s Swede death metal
style. Though it is probably a little looser, with a touch of old
American thrash, and maybe not as hectically paced as much of this
genre in the past. It is easy to throw out Dismember, early
Entombed, first Hypocrisy as influence and a general audio starting
point for those reading this. The vocals could probably be thrown in
the early Entombed or Grave type realm, though not as good or as
distinctive as either comparison. I am a big fan of this sound and
style, so I enjoyed this for sure. But honestly Mr. Death does not
stack up that well against those classic bands. Especially so for a
fan of the style, that is a bit more discerning and, not just the
type to get everything in this style. –
Dale
http://www.mrdeath.se/home/
http://www.agoniarecords.com/
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An Italian band
playing that melodic harmonic death we know well in the old Swedish
style. You know everything from Dissection (at their most extreme
moments) to Dark Tranquility to In Flames to Children of Bodom and
beyond. The band is polished and intense and sounds like so many
that came before them. I can not deny Nefarium are forceful with
their speed and the riffing is catchy as hell. I have to confess as
well that I am not the biggest fan of this style, except maybe a
select handful of classic bands that championed this style. They
look like a black metal band but as I stated do not sound like one.
Those of you that love super slick productions that are pro tool’d
up the wahzoo. You will dig the sound on here, for me as most
Assault readers know; I do not care much for it as albums come off
sounding cookie cutter and plastic. So as you can tell though this
is decent enough for the genre, it will not be receiving repeated
listens from me. But those into the bands above that can not get
enough of this style. Well you probably can not go wrong on this
one. –
Dale
http://www.nefarium.org/
http://www.agoniarecords.com/
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Some black metal
from the dark, festering armpit of Colorado. The first thing that
struck me was how long each song is on this 10 track album. To cut
right to the heart of the matter, some of these songs are too long
for their own good, and tend to meander along over staying their
welcome. Also something about the speed of their songs is weird to
me and so often unchanging with little to no thought given towards
range. The pacing reminds me of a nervous person, who is hyper and
drumming their leg up and down in a weird sort of jerky motion that
people with no rhythm often exhibit. It just never settles into a
cadence or pulse that feels comfortable and as I mention there is no
dynamic with speed changes. The drums often follow suit though at
least there is some variety and up and down range that lets the
drums to stay fairly interesting. The vocals on here are obscure
black metal rasps with some hint of a dm growl in the bottom end of
the vocal projection. The vocals are pretty good, though a little
low in the mix and as a result tend to fade into the background at
times. The synth and atmospherics feel like they were added more as
an after thought, rather than something intended from the beginning.
I am just not feeling this album, it evokes little emotion in me,
and the album as a whole is a tad forgettable with nothing standing
out at any particular point in time. I am sure there will be those
that like Apocalypse Sun, but it did little for me personally. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/nightbringerofficial
http://www.theajnaoffensive.com/ |
Hells
Headbangers pump out new releases like nobodies business. I am not
sure sometimes how they even find the time away from
releasing/promoting to scour the planet for so many good new bands
to release. It is evident immediately to me that Nocturnal Blood
worship at the feet of Blasphemy, Archgoat and the very early works
of bands like Beherit, Sodom, Incantation, Bathory. I mean the very
creepy and low-fi, old school production itself just absolutely
smacks of Beherit and Blasphemy. I would suggest Nocturnal likely
worked hard to get that sound on this recording. The atmosphere of
the recording definitely helps create a very sinister classic early
days of death and black metal sound. I guess one difference between
Nocturnal Blood and some of the mentioned bands is they are fairly
monotone and mostly unchanging from song to song and within each
track itself. Something about that just draws me in and manages to
keep me there. Not something that is essential by any means but
devotees of some of the above bands mentioned will doubtlessly love
this.
– Dale
http://nocturnalblood.hellsheadbangers.com/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
Here is a real
treat for all of you long-time metal-fanatics brought to you by the
US legends of death and one of the leading pure-metal labels Hells
Headbangers. Nunslaughters first 6 demo's and various 7 inch tracks
are included on this release. As if this was not enough for a real
metal-filled treat included on the double cd or 4-lp box set is a
demo from Death Sentence {a band some members had pre-nunslaughter!}
Just in case some reading this are new to the scene or if you have
never crossed-paths with Nunslaughter. The band Nunslaughter has
been a major force within the true, diy death metal underground for
22 years! Yes 22 you saw that right. Nunslaughter play death metal
the way it was meant to be played raw, filthy, uncompromising and
just plain heavy. This is a band that doesn’t follow any trends or
worry about what’s the flavor of the week instead they just keep
pumping out one great metal-release after another. If you are a fan
of this band you know what to expect so buy this! As mentioned if
you have never heard Nunslaughter and enjoy the old-school raw
sounds of early death metal then buy this you will not be
disappointed! - Patrick
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
http://www.nunslaughter.com/
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The album begins
and ends with ambient synth tracks, both of which clock in at
exactly two minutes and two seconds. I have no idea of the
significance of that, but it seems too simpatico to be a
coincidence (unless they are Chuck Woolery fans or something?). The
main portion of the record from these French black metallers, is
comprised of four lengthy songs that weigh in from the 6 to nearly 9
minute mark. Which always conjures the word epic in my mind and I
think it applies here to an extent. But also Militiae has an
avant-garde sort of feel to it and is rife with atmospheric
tapestries. That is not to say the black metal foundation of their
description is virtually non-existent, it definitely lives and
breathes an icy cold breath of hate into the material. I think the
track “Les Symboles de la Catharsis”, illustrates this point nicely
as it is a meaner hymn and the Nyseius’ aggression and darkness are
allowed to spread its wings. That is the classic black metal sound
I love and that old way is ever present in the raspy vocals. I like
that the band has not let their experimental avant-garde side run
rampant. They refuse to forget their roots at this point. Militiae is a record worth
exploring. – Dale
http://nyseius.free.fr/
http://www.myspace.com/nyseius
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