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This Californian
band is brand new and just hot off the presses. But the two members
that make up this duo are anything but green around the gills, in
the UG scene, as they span many years and sub-genres. These two have
been in hardcore, crust, thrash, death and grindcore bands over the
years. Those two members are Federico Davila (who plays or has been
in Unurnment, Primal Rite, Permanent Ruin, DeadEyedStare etc…) and
Jeremy Meier (from current or former bands like Cøndition, Sanctum,
Primal Rite, Scalped, Yadokai, Ritual Control, Effluxus etc…).
Abysmalist play old school brutalizing death metal, but not in the
death metal way you may assume filled with grind and blast beats, no
they play more middle paced death metal with doomy touches. They
place an emphasis on creating a very morbid, creepy graveyard
rituals type atmosphere and aura, which permeates the whole sound.
Some bands that come to mind as I listen to this demo are Obituary,
Asphyx, Grave, Autopsy (Mental Funeral era), Bolt Thrower,
Benediction (ala Grand Leveller), early Incantation, Morgoth etc… I
dig the deep growling vocals, they have that guttural, garbled edge
to them, but still solidly enunciated enough to follow along and
decipher much of the lyrical content. Yeah man, I fucking love those
vocals; they even throw in lyrical echoing backing (clean) vocals in
a spot or two that I enjoyed. I would not really call them a
headbang or moshpit type of band, but they do have sections here and
there like in the songs “Chain Ripper” and “Black Lacquer” that got
me nodding and headbanging like a madman with those killer brutal
infectious riffs and catchy song structuring, while still
impressively retaining that dark, sinister cruelty in the sound. I
enjoyed this demo and look forward to their next release, maybe a
seven inch or will they go for it with a full length? Either one
sounds good to me! - Dale
https://abysmalist.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.caligarirecords.com/
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This is the
debut release (the European version of this tapes release) for
Nekrassious Tapes label from France. The release itself comes out of
the great South American UG scene. This Argentinian band at the time
of this recording was a duo consisting of Annabelle (drums) and
Gisselle (guitar & vocals), who are twin sisters, which is pretty
damn cool to see sisters doing a band like this together. The music
itself is rough, dirty and loosely played low-fi yet quite enjoyable
and even infectiously listenable death metal. This tape feels like a
demo I would have tape traded for at the start of the ‘90s and I
like that. The musical whole has this dark, evil aura across it with
some really heavy slower riffing mixed with some fast biting
rhythmic riffing sections, which remind me of some classic demos by
North American and European bands from that early ‘90s time period.
The growled vocals are semi-decipherable, but keep a strong obscured
whispery edge to them and fit the music very well. If you are into
the South American scene, demos (you should be damn it!), cassettes
and old school raw death metal then I think you will definitely dig
this release. It is pro printed and comes with a pin and sticker.
- Dale
https://apofenia.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Nekrassious-Tapes
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This is an
interesting recording, there is very little included in the promo
package I received from the band. However, after a little digging, I
was able to find out this band was formed out of the embers of
Unhallowed Torment from Florida, this recording was made in Florida
yet the band appears to now be based out of Tennessee (north of
Knoxville). Adding to that background is this recording was actually
done on analog way back in 2013, but due to problems with the studio
owner and then chaos within the band (a couple moves to different
states and a death, more on that in a second) the recording sat
dormant unreleased until now. The band recently was able to secure
their own mixing board and other equipment and finally mix the
recording some seven years later. The death I spoke of was when the
band was in New Orleans, after moving from Florida, where member
Bestial Revelations was apparently gun downed in 2017 in an exchange
of fire. Bestial Revelations (J. McBride) does appear on this
recording as far as I can tell. So finally on to the music itself,
my apologies, I am sucker for band history and especially a storied
history. Beware compose and perform old school black metal, which
probably has it’s roots more in the first wave of black metal than
the second (Scandinavian) wave. A few bands, in addition to those
‘80s first wave bm bands, which come to mind as similar reference
points are the early ‘90s works of Ancient Rites, Varathron, Absu,
Master’s Hammer, Grand Belial’s Key demo, Mortuary Drape,
Necromantia, early Destroyer 666 etc… They have a touch of their own
sound in there, but that is what I hear and I am a big devotee of
those bands time period, so it should come as no surprise I enjoyed
this demo tape. I should mention in addition to the above
description, they do use keyboards and sound effects (wind, bells
etc..), but only as sinister atmospheric accents to the main music.
They also incorporate at times a very doomy metal element into in
their dark sound, and do generally keep a slower, deliberate
stalking pace. The vocals are great too (also of that time period
mentioned above), they are very murky and obscured, haunting
whispery black rasps and yells that create a roiling, evil sounding
malignant aura. I enjoyed this tape, now I can only hope the wait
for the next recording will not be so long next time around. I could
see a label picking up this recording, but until then contact Beware
and order a copy ASAP, as it says my copy is #25/50. - Dale
thebellsofburial@protonmail.com
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Brain Stem hails
from my homeland of Canada, even more specifically my home province,
and even the same area that used to be my stomping grounds for live
gigs. I moved to the USA in late 1998, so surely there is no
connection with this band back to my day? Actually, there is as I
seen two of the members past bands (bass player of Section VIII &
drummer of Dead Jesus) play live in Edmonton around the ‘97/98 era.
Okay, so that only means shit to me mostly, but still noteworthy
considering we are talking 22 years later!! Those old goats are
still kicking in the UG scene, and so am I haha. I must confess when
I read the tag “experimental death metal”, I had worried sugar plum
visions of wall to wall synth, goofy audio samples, non-traditional
instrumentation, lots of clean female vocals and watered down,
softened melododeath with pretty melodies. What did I get? None of
that shit thankfully! No, Brain Stem keep things heavy and brutal
never sacrificing either of those key elements to advance their
experimentation, but instead it is the song structuring itself, time
changes, speed modifications and creativity that deservedly earns
them the experimental tag. This is the kind of experimentation I can
get behind, while the music is technical and very much so at times,
it also brings the speed and aforementioned brutality that should
please straight up death metal fans with it’s high quality, skillful
and memorable material. The vocalist Jessy Leduc kills it with deep
infectious growls, which are forced to stay on their toes to match
the music’s ever churning, morphing song structures and consistently
altering speed shifting – well done sir. The music to me has a
respectful foundation in the past death metal ala classic ‘90s era
you and I love, but also at the same time looks to take you into the
future with some new twists and turns. This EP comes recommended
from me for death metal fans new and old. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/BrainStemBand
https://brainstemmetal.bandcamp.com/music
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Their band name
is the French word for funeral procession. This is something a
little different, not sure I liked it at first to be honest, but a
few more listens in a row has been changing my mind and winning me
over. Cortége compose and perform (using the word play seems wrong
here somehow) very atmospheric and ultra slow moving doomy droning
metal. There are also subtle doses of electronica, which sounds like
it comes straight out of ‘70s progressive rock and moody dramatic
sci-fi movie soundtracks from that same period (have you ever heard
the brilliant soundtrack to Beyond The Black Rainbow? That sort of
vibe). It is minimalist in every aspect and instrument, but so slow
moving it is almost like if you think of the creepy audio version of
time-lapse photography. This album does feel, to me, like auditory
artwork is being painted across the canvas of my mind as I listen to
“Capricorn”. Despite how slow it is going, you can tell it is based
on a certain amount of melody and musicality which has been
stretched out almost beyond belief, as opposed to the mindless
droning that most bands in that style do. I guess I should mention
this is instrumental music; there are sounds of crows, bells and
things like that, but vocals, not so much. When I say droning, don’t
get the wrong idea here, it is not that grating, noise drone, no it
is far more smooth and flowing than that, literally like taking a
doom metal band and slowing it down by a factor of a hundred. The
epic length 17 minute title track that finishes off the album, makes
me think a lot of if a droning doomy metal band that incorporated
sound the gloomy soundtrack from Twin Peaks into a song. For me,
this is something different than what most bands are doing, it is
not original sounding per see yet it is different as they take
elements that tried and true, manipulating them into some thing you
probably have not heard before in this way. But it is good; if you
like hypnotic musical soundscapes then Cortége will scratch that
itch in a satisfying way. - Dale
https://cortege.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/cortegeatx |
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This is a Salt
Lake City, Utah band whose previous EP I reviewed in CA a few years
back. That last release was pure old school middle ‘80s thrash metal
goodness. I would say on this, their second full-length album, the
band still have that high quality traditional thrash core going
strong, but maybe it is the song structuring or heavier production,
or maybe even both that I hear a little bit of death metal style
punch. I also hear a more looseness and in the music and attitude
that feels a bit punk rock to me. It is a real killer mix though,
and make no mistake thrash is still king in their sound; and those
vocals still absolutely scream 1980s thrash. There are some smoking
solos and nice guitar fills mixed in to their blitzing juggernaut
songs. The music on here is heavy and fast, but also really catchy
and memorable with some good lyrics, which are infectious and hard
not to sing and nod your head along with (look no further than the
opening track “Brain Bugs” haha). I think the band has also done a
good job with increasing the emotion and atmosphere that bleeds
through songwriting. Before I wrap this up, I should mention the
killer cover artwork courtesy of Axel Hermann (who is an UG metal
staple artist that has done artwork for the likes of Asphyx,
Bloodbath, Demolition Hammer, Grave, Morgoth, Runemagick, Samael,
Unleashed, Wargasm and many more) is fantastic, so full of detail,
colour and is very affecting to examine. But back to the music I
have probably said enough, but this comes recommended for fans of
old school thrash and metal in general. - Dale
https://deathblow1.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/deathblowofficial |
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This was an
interesting and welcome sight in my mailbox, and now worming it is
way into my ears and taking possession of me. Dogma Omega is a new-ish
band rising from the German land with a storied metal tradition with
a very fertile UG metal scene the last decade or two. These demons
play old school death metal mixed with the heart of dark ‘80s thrash
metal to the bone and I am stoked about that. This trio draws
inspiration from some of that amazing early ‘90s Swedish dm, a
little of that punishing ‘ole Australian barbarity from the same
time period, and a solid dose of early pounding Floridian death
metal. This is all wrapped in a cloak of ‘80s thrash ala Slayer,
Dark Angel, Sadus, early Exodus and Possessed. You know the good
stuff. It makes for a nice mix of so many crucial bands and styles
that made me into the life long metal maniac I am – so you know I am
enjoying this ride! There are some killer, crushing riffs on here
and some nice scrumptious guitar solo attacks. The band employs an
interesting line up of dm growls from the early ‘90s Swede style, to
the early to mid ‘90s American style. There is this interesting
growled voice that is nasally, but not that usual high nasal sound,
no, this is low and guttural but almost sounds like the singer has a
bad sinus cold, it is pretty unique sounding to me. They of course
also mix in some vocal tinges of traditional dark thrash style
whispery and gruff edges to the voices at times. Dogma Omega really
knows inside and out the ancient underground scene and metal
traditions and attitude, so if that appeals to you contact the band
pronto. There are five tracks on this EP for a run time of about
twenty minutes of music. The price (including sticker) is €7.50
Germany, €9.50 worldwide. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/DogmaOmega
dogma-omega@posteo.de
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This ep release
is the bands first release period as a band. When you hear the level
intricacy and skill displayed on the fifteen minutes of music is
highly impression, showing the members of this North Carolina band
clearly have been around the UG scene paying their dues in a number
of bands over the last number of years. Ergodic compose extremely
energetic and intense technical brutal death metal. The multifaceted
musicianship, the speed it is played at is as impressive as the fact
they main good flow in the songs and keep the brutality quotient of
their music high. The vocals of Zach Senicola are commanding and he
has a solid arsenal change up in his guttural growls whilst spitting
them out often rapid fire and deftly with the stop on a dime time
changes, twisting and turning speed shifts are difficult ask, but
the man is up to the task. This is an extremely impressive debut and
fans of technical and brutish dm need to turn an ear in this
direction of Ergodic posthaste. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/ergodicmetal
https://ergodic.bandcamp.com
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Inhumanity
Vortex sent me a physical promo disc of this mini-album in the mail
and it is much appreciated, it shows how serious this Polish band is
with promoting their music in this day and age. That is not to even
mention the pestilence that has been sweeping the globe this year
that only further complicates these things. The band has been around
releasing material since 2009, functioning through Tom D. as a one
man until 2017 under the name Inhumanity (changed Inhumanity Vortex
and expanding the line-up to five members); they released three
demos over those years. All of the visual and lyrical concepts deal
with futuristic and/or dystopian sci-fi themes, which is something I
have always been a fan of, so that is all welcome to me. The music
itself is death metal, but of the very crisp clean variety though,
it is also very heavy and extremely intricate. The song structuring
here is superb and elaborate, it is easy to see that a lot of time
and careful planning went into it, but the thing I like about that
is the song flow and memorability is always a top consideration and
never stifled by that intricate musical web presented. The band in
addition to being complex, also adds inventive progressive writing
elements and various imaginative sci-fi electronic feeling FX
layering, samples and synth accompaniments. Does it sound like a lot
to make mix in? Well, it is, it will surely take you a number of
listens to hear it all and have it all sink into your cerebral
cortex in order to get the full effect of what this talented band is
striving for. It really does feel at times like you are listening to
a moody, intense serious sci-fi movie soundtrack that your mind,
upon repeated listening will start play in your head with all the
requisite visual trappings. The vocals are classic cleaner death
metal growling, which became more popular in the mid to late ‘90s
when a lot of death metal got a little cleaner and “more
professional” sounding I suppose. But they are good vocals, and well
done, they fit the music well. If you are into highly produced death
metal with progressive touches and love Sci-fi like I do, then you
need to check this out and remember the name Inhumanity Vortex.
- Dale
https://www.facebook.com/inhumanityband IHV
Vimeo
https://inhumanity.bandcamp.com
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Mæntra is an
interesting band, a little out of the ordinary of what I often
choose to review. This Californian band is a trio (near as I can
tell) that features members of Origin, Cartilage, Terrorizer L.A.
and Ghoul. The music is technical yet frenetic brutal death metal
with large doses of industrial mixed in. The industrial I am talking
about is think about the early releases of Pitchshifter, Godflesh
and Fear Factory to illustrate the speed and pounding extremity at
the heart of things here at all times. There are some not overused
sequences which do not really fit either of those descriptions, such
as the middle-eastern section to close the track “Vishuddha” and the
like sprinkled in a couple songs. The music is quite dynamic and
shape shifting at times, but as mentioned and a big part of what
attracted me was the bands dedication to keeping things brutal and
often crushingly heavy. I do like some industrial death metal ala
the bands I mentioned above, but only when the industrial side while
still prominent at times, is used in a backing role to the death
metal nucleus. I like the balance and marriage Mæntra has achieved
on this album. The vocals much like the music is a real myriad of
screams, nasally maniacal yelling / shouting, at the forefront is
charismatic dm growling that manages to create some range and convey
emotion really well. Now okay, as sometimes happens with me in all
honesty, a bands whole lyrical content or concept is something I can
pretty much ignore entirely. That is largely the case with Mæntra as
their whole concept as a band, the entire notion of this album is a
kind of new age-y, Chakra inducing, anti-ego, inner piece stuff
philosophical focus. As the saying goes take it or leave it I will
leave it, but if they believe it and it works for them have at it. I
am not sure how all of that vibe ties into the dizzy technical song
construction or consistent raging brutality, but I have time for the
music all day long. So I encourage you to give it a try if you even
you just dabble in death metal industrial as a casual fan (like me)
and I highly recommend it if you are a big fan of this sub-genre.
- Dale
https://www.facebook.com/maentr3
https://maentr3.bandcamp.com/releases
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I cannot resist
raising as much awareness as I can when it comes to awesome,
independent, North Carolinian bands producing new material. I saw
Mo'ynoq for the first time last year at Raleigh Deathfest, and they
put on an amazing stage performance that contrasted greatly with the
lineup of mostly death metal bands (as the name of the festival
suggests) but also certainly complemented the general ethos
of the concert. They were a breath of fresh air because I don't know
about y'all, but taking in some black metal that invokes slightly
colder climes during a sticky Raleigh, NC summer is just about as
refreshing as it gets when water bottles cost $1.50 a piece (that
shit racks up!). The main vocals in particular have that consistent
howling quality to them that makes one think of the 50 mph winds
that gust through the mountains of NC more often than the Piedmont.
The guitars also often have a certain edge to them that's not quite
ice pick, not quite serrated knife—somewhere in between that is both
pleasant to listen to in moments like those at the beginning of and
throughout "These Once Tranquil Grounds" as well as energizing in
passages like we find in the dominant riffing and tenacious
percussion of "Carve My Name." Mo'ynoq have crafted an album that
rides this balance with precision and grace. You'll understand what
I mean if you listen to the middle three tracks—how they lead
seamlessly in and out of the central interlude, "Doomed to Endure,"
a piano track that is boldly emotive in such a way that stands
head-and-shoulders with the character of the rest of the album. But
don't just take my 303 words for it—definitely give these guys a
listen if you have a taste or curiosity for quality NCBM. –Aaron
https://moynoq.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/moynoq
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This is my first
time ever hearing the Texas based Nilhilistic Outlaw Criminal Order,
who play an experimental style of music with some industrial touches
added here and there throughout the songs. This is decent band, but
hard to put into any one or even two genres as the band seems draw
influences from a genres and bands. The songs themselves are short
in length with there being 14 songs and the run time is around 15
minutes. If you are a fan of this bands previous releases and enjoy
experimental metal with touches of industrial then do yourself a
favor and check out N.O.C.O. today. Send orders of physical copies
of this tape to either of the following: Doomsday Today Records,
Eternal Darkness Creations, c/o Keith Dempe, PO Box 268,
Coraopolis, PA.
15108 and also thru Ralph's Records, c/o Doug Stapp, 3322 82nd St.,
Lubbock, TX.
79423 USA - Patrick
http://www.RalphsRecordsTX.com
https://therealnoco.bandcamp.com/ |
‘Depredation’ is
this Wisconsin bands second full length release, which features
eight tracks of brutal yet complex black metal terror. The guitar
work is done with strong skill and also displays some excellent
writing ability. The guitarist plays a range of fast and chaotic
guitar passages even adding in some thrashy guitar elements. The
guitarist does slow things to a more mid paced range in a few of the
songs, and add some well played solo's that add a level of depth.
The drums are performed in the same range with fast blasting drum
patterns that are executed with skill and the drummers experience
writing ability shows through. The vocals of Luka Đorđević are evil
and grim black metal screams with some deeper death metal growls
also used throughout most of the songs. If you are a fan of furious
black metal with some complex guitar and drum patterns utilized
within, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of ‘Depredation’
today. I believe a record label named Dread Records has also
released this full-length on cassette format, so any tape
aficionados might want to also look into that. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/Prezir
https://prezir.bandcamp.com/ |
I have been
touting the quality of the French death metal scene of last couple
years; and low and behold a demo by a death metal band from France
shows up in my mailbox, coincidence? I do not know, but either way
it was a pleasant surprise. Rotten Brain play dirty, grimy and
brutal dm that has an evil, necro sort of air running across all the
songs on this demo. There are some killer riffs on here, and with
that gloomy atmosphere I mentioned it really adds an element of
menace to these super heavy riffs. The drumming on this demo is
relentless and enjoyable; Eddy Polo really punishes his kit and in
turn pummels the listener into submission. The vocals are sewer
growls with a real broiling, gurgling acid edge to them, these
vocals are some really throwback stuff to the earlier days of death
metal and I really dig the hell out of them. Yes, this entire six
song demo takes me back in a good way to early days of death metal,
with a mix of Swedish and American classic band influences. I am
surprised my old friend Gabriel from the French tape label
Nihilistic Holocaust has not tried to snap up his countrymen in
Rotten Brain for some kind of release, they are right up his alley
in my opinion. Anyway, if you love dark, gritty, raw and guttural
death metal in the late ‘80s & early ‘90s tradition then I think you
will find something to like in Rotten Brain. I know I did and I look
forward to future releases. - Dale
https://rottenbraindeathmetal.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rottenbraindeathmetal/
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This is the one
man band of David Baxter (ex-Plutonian Shore, ex-Skrew, ex-Škáŋ).
The man’s talent shines through on this full-length of ‘progressive’
black death metal. The roots of the progressive touches are centered
on things like acoustic parts, progressive rock influences, latin
rhythmic incorporation and some small outside the box thinking with
regards to song structuring. The black death elements are thankfully
strong, pronounced and enjoyable to my ear, these metal rudiments
are really more of the foundation of the music than those other
things I named above. All instruments are solidly performed here,
but the drumming in particular is a highlight, so I probably should
not have been surprised upon further inspection to find out David
played the drums in his past bands. While a lot of the rhythms and
riffing is catchy, those elements are also generally kept heavy
and/or essential to the song itself. Which for me, thankfully
largely lacks the too sickly sweet melodic levels, seemingly just
for the sake of being melodic, a pitfall a lot of melodo death bands
fall into in my view. I do say largely, as there is a few times
where I feel the core metal sound on here is slightly undermined,
but those moments are brief and fleeting. Another highlight in
addition to the drumming, for me, is his vocal performance where his
echo-y, rasping growls are commanding and run up an down a register,
which includes short transitory hints of clean-ish singing voice
with a hint of gruff thrash style vox. Yes, the vocals really flesh
things out and honestly they are probably a little under used on
‘Solivagus’ as a whole (and not at all in the title track as an
example). Some of the progressive elements do not always hit the
mark for me, but that said for an old goat black death purist like
myself I still found a lot to like here. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/sarpahorde
https://sarpa6.bandcamp.com/
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This is a
special release for me and for the band I am certain. If you have
been following my series of reviews of releases from this band, you
will know these cousins originally formed a band together called
Morbid Darkness that was in existence from the late ‘80s to middle
‘90s. I was a big fan of this Canadian band (and really though
different from many years passing, Shadu is a tangential or in some
ways not so tangential continuation of M.D.). With that in mind, for
this release they have decided to revisit that original incarnation
in many ways including using the old guitar tone and some stylistic
elements. To say I am stoked for this release is definitely an
understatement. There is even a killer Gustave Dore artwork cover,
another nod to the early days. The guitar tone on here is really
warm and dark sounding; it suits the material on this nearly 30
minute EP (full marks to Shadu for always listing their releases as
EP’s, how many bands these days try to pass off 10-25+ minute
releases as “albums” these days? Too damn many in my opinion). It is
impressive to me how these guys turn out so many releases and nearly
every damn song features excellent, rhythmic heavy riffs that are
both imminently headbangable and memorable. As is usual with Shadu
the vocals are really varied with varied charismatic sounding and
very decipherable growls, gruff yells, plus a myriad of roiling
vocal acidic accents always backed with quality lyrics that tell a
story and infectiously imprint themselves in your memory. As gloomy
sounding as this release is that classic heavy metal sound always
bleeds through their blackened death metal sound. That traditional
metal bleed through encompasses these old goats many metallic
influences, hard earned through long years of dedication. This is
reflected in some really refined guitar fills and smoking guitar
solos, all craftily woven into their sinister musical tapestry.
Apparently this return to their early roots with the guitar tone is
planned as a one off I believe, but I enjoyed it and that old sound
mixed with their matured songwriting and advanced experience is a
lethal combination on ‘The Eternal Wore’. All of which makes this a
high recommendation from me. I look forward to what is next from
this extremely prolific band (9 releases in just over 2 years and
that is not to even mention Chris Shavers two quality solo projects
Transir & Edifice), so I know I likely will not have to wait long.
What more can you ask for from one of your fave UG bands? - Dale
Shadu Youtube Channel
https://shadu-nar-mattaru.bandcamp.com/ |
The Canadian two
man band Shadu-Nar-Mattaru brings their shadowy and deadly sound
back to the pages of CA yet again. I have to say I like the guitar
sound on here, it may be my faulty memory but it feels like the
guitar has a touch more bite and heft to it on this recording. I
found with this twenty-five minute EP hat my head alternating often
between nodding and outright headbanging and that is a damn good
thing, even impressive at times considering how long (7-10 minute
range) the songs are this time around. Shadu have a knack for always
keeping things dark and sinister sounding, they always keep the core
of their sound intact yet are often changing up their general
approach sometimes release to release. You will get one release that
features shorter rip ‘n tear thrashier songs, another with long
doomier songs, another that goes heavy on the darkness and evil etc…
It is possible to spread your wings a little musically without ever
losing sight of what you set out to do with the band and keeping
your roots firmly in the ground. Despite the long songs, unlike
lengthy songs on a couple past releases this time they do not feel
doomy. I mean that gloomy oppressive aura is there but they keep
things at a middling pace with the odd brisk gallop mixed in. I want
to make sure to praise succinct and classy guitar fills / solos that
dot the landscape; they add a real emotional depth that puts some
extra flesh on bone. The bands trademark vocal creativity and high
quality is as reliable as the day is long. Those vox are a multitude
of charismatic and comprehensible growling, gruff yells and other
tumultuous vocal chord manipulation from both men. Lyrically this
band always capably crafts and paints mental scenes that would
probably make the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and Frank Frazetta proud.
I have reviewed a lot of releases (this is the ninth in three years
I believe!) from this very musically fertile band. So, it can be a
challenge to come up with new things to say, but when the band
consistently delivers quality it makes that challenge a pleasure. Do
yourself a favour and stop sleeping on this great dark deathrash
band. - Dale
Shadu Youtube Channel
https://shadu-nar-mattaru.bandcamp.com/ |
 
The everlasting
and ever flowing stream of artistic musical inspiration and
consistent proliferation of releases never ceases to impress me.
Shadu as many of you know is a Canadian band that consists of
cousins Chris and Clayton Shaver. Their latest EP presents six
tracks and over twenty-five minutes of music. Something I have
pointed out in the past is the band always maintains their strong
musical nucleus and rich range of old school metal influences. While
still managing to skillfully augment their style slightly from
release to release, sometimes it is raging speed, sometimes long
doomy songs or headbanging deathrash, and other times marathon
length songs that are not doomy juxtaposed the next time with short
ripping tracks. An example of this is their last release “Doomwards
And Downwards” had epic songs that were seven to ten minutes in
length each, this time around not one song reaches the seven minute
mark. The opening track ‘Wraiths Born Of A Black Expanse’ is a
mid-range paced tune that has this pounding and galloping quality,
coupled with melodic adventurous guitar work. It is anthem-like
where you will probably find yourself unconsciously stomping your
foot and nodding your head along the music. That opening song
certainly gets the adrenaline flowing for me. I think it is fair to
say that first song is a prelude of what is to come on the next song
‘Winds Of Decimation’ with more of an emphasis on pounding, anthem-esque
feel, which features some buoyant traditional metal sounding guitar
fills / solos, melodies and memorable infectious choruses. The
lyrics (which are always great with Shadu) despite the more stirring
airier songs are a contrast to me, as they are really dark, stark,
gloomy and haunting. Which, being totally honest gives me a slightly
uneven feeling when listening to that tune. Having said that I think
the unevenness finds a better level in the last two tracks
“Anunnaki” and “Ghost Parades of Murdered Children” (I imagine this
is influenced by recent news from their province of the discovery of
hundreds of native Indian bodies of children on old church/school
grounds). The first of those two tracks brings a more serious and
introspective mood, where as the last song, a portion of which the
title of the release is lifted from, turns a darker shade of night
to match step with the exceptionally chilling lyrics. This excellent
song is the best on the release for me and it is dripping with
emotion, a great vocal performance filled with morbid darkness and
some really poignant guitar work. This is another very enjoyable EP
and I continue to heartily recommend this great band to all that
will listen. - Dale
Shadu Youtube Channel
Shadu Bandcamp
Shadu
Facebook
Shadu Spotify
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Hot damn! After
releasing nearly a dozen twenty five-ish minute EP’s over the first
three years of their existence (2019-21), Shadu have unleashed their
debut full-length album. This Canadian band tends to like to shape
shift a little with their sound, while always retaining their old
school foundation, which pulls inspiration from everything from
speed metal to black metal, thrash metal to death metal. This time
around they have a lot of shorter songs; the music is more direct
and driving this time around with the usual emphasis on crushingly
heavy songs that have a catchy element to them that is perfect for
headbanging. Whether they play doomy on one release or a cold and
evil style on the next, they always seem to manage convey a strong
level of effective emotion through excellent deft guitar work and a
dynamic varied vocal performance. Despite the shorter songs (most
are two to four minutes) this album is still a robust length of
around 45 minutes projected across 14 songs. Speaking of the guitar
work some of the sequences and fills on here are fucking gorgeous, a
fine example of this is a track I am listening to now entitled
“Eldritch Dawn”. Back to the driving aspect of this album, it has a
rapid pacing a lot of time, not blinding speed, just this steady
stalking pace that is unrelenting and something I found quite
compelling. Something Shadu always has is superb timeless classic
extreme metal lyrics that are always delivered vocally in a severe
and dark fashion. Those vocals are delivered through an array of
yells, screams and charismatic growls that are always decipherable
enough you can easily follow the lyrics as you listen along.
Speaking of this area, check out how long the great growl at the end
of “Lord Of Lies” is, I dug that. As much as those vocals are a
feature they are only second to the guitar work and song
construction here, both of those areas are first-rate and in my
opinion help elevate Shadu apart from much of the UG metal crowd. I
can recommend any and all of this bands many EPs, they are all
quality releases, but in some ways they seems like they were
training grounds to sharpen their skills leading up to the creation
of ‘The Sorrowful Frost’ – highly recommended! - Dale
Shadu Youtube Channel
Shadu Bandcamp
Shadu
Facebook
Shadu Spotify
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Anyone who has
been reading Canadian Assault the last few years knows this is one
of my fave new (and old, more on that shortly) Canadian bands, which
features cousins Clayton and Chris Shaver. I have a long history
with these fellows going way back to the duos original band Morbid
Darkness, who did battle in the UG scene from the end of the 1980s
until the mid 1990s. As I often comment on, this band has been
extremely prolific during their three years releasing no less than
14 EPs (!!!), most of those EPs clocking in at 25 minutes or more.
Oh, and they also released a full-length album as well, see what I
mean that is a lot music in a short period of time. It is also a lot
of great music in that compact timeframe. Thus, it is with some
disappointment I sit down to review this EP, as Clayton tells me the
working relationship has once again gone sour and this may well be
the bands final recording. This release follows along on their
patented great old school deathrash fashion with some classic heavy
metal influences creeping in now and again. Clayton told me they
went for a production similar to Darkthrone albums like 'Dark
Thrones And Black Flags', 'Hate Them’, 'The Cult Is Alive', it is an
interesting choice and gives their style a different nuance. Their
music always pounds relentlessly with endless cool riffs, stalking
paced drums and the odd cool fill and guitar solo. Their music is
also always heavy, catchy and dark with ‘Naught…’ strongly
continuing that tradition with five new tracks of quality music. The
vocals are always fantastic and feature charismatic deep yells,
shouts and growling with some of the most memorable and interesting
lyrics around that you can clearly follow along with. They branch
off a bit and try a couple new things on this release, but it
decidedly is still classic Shadu and that is a good thing. It is sad
if this is the bands final release, but hot damn man this band
burned bright the last few years, taking up the ancient metal flame
and leaving behind a lot of music that will live on for many years
and keep wrecking ears throughout the UG scene! - Dale
Shadu Youtube Channel
Shadu Bandcamp
Shadu
Facebook
Shadu Spotify |
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Sxuperion is a one man band (who is also a member of Valdur, Weverin
& Garden Of Hesperides) that plays a form of heavy, crushing death
metal with some lethal black metal influences thrown into the deadly
mix. The guitars are played with a nice blend of fast, chaotic
guitar patterns, but things do slow down to a more controlled mid
paced tempo at times. The vocals are low, deep death metal growls
along with some gruff growling mixed into a few of the tracks. The
drums follow along in the same vein with a fast blasting
arrangements blended in with some slower, more controlled drums.
This was my first time hearing Sxuperion, but if you are looking for
a band that plays some destructive old school death metal similar to
old Incantation then “Endless Spiritual Embodiment” is right in your
wheel house. - Patrick
https://bloodymountainrecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.bloodymountainrecords.com/
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This is my first
encounter with this Detroit band. They have been around for over a
decade, though looking at their discography it is a little sparse
with a CD single, two EPs and one full-length prior to this new
Twenty-six minute Extended Play disc. The high level of musicianship
and skillful nuances of the impressive song construction became
apparent very quickly upon pressing play. Theandric combine
influences (ala Maiden, Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Queensryche,
Fates Warning) of heavy metal, progressive hard rock/metal and
classic doom metal. The songwriting on here shows a real flair and
feel for writing emotional yet heavy memorable metal music that
builds and crescendos by manipulating the listener’s emotions with
the aplomb of accomplished puppet master. I am not generally that
into bands lyrical content in many cases. The lyrics on this release
have a very theatrical dramatic feel, sometimes they really hit with
some poignant clever lines and other times border slightly on being
a bit too melodramatic to minor cringe levels in my opinion. When it
works though it is great, a sequence that comes to mind is from the
track ‘The Battle Of Sherramuir’ and goes along like this “The
King will separate the goats from the sheep, Soaked in lukewarm
apathy, Cloaked in black hypocrisy…” That is damn good stuff
especially when you hear it come from the soaring pipes of vocalist
Paolo Tiseo, who silkily delvers the lyrics, he is a real talent
combining influences and tendencies of legendary singers such as
Geoff Tate, Bruce Dickinson and Messiah Marcolin to superb effect.
Theandric wear their influences blatantly on their sleeves and that
might concern some, but not me. When it is pulled off with this
level of proficiency in all areas of the music’s composition and
execution then I am all in on this impressive release. - Dale
https://theandric.bandcamp.com/ www.facebook.com/Theandric
https://www.theandric.com/
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Torrefy hail
from Victoria, B.C. Canada and explode out of my speakers with some
high energy yet dark sounding speed thrash metal madness. This is
the bands third full-length release. Torrefy do change up the speed
dynamic from time to time, but generally not for long as it is
certainly not an understatement above, these fuckers fucking fly at
supersonic speeds at nearly all times with everything just dripping
in adrenaline. The drums are lightning quick and powerful, the
guitars are a blur with some really swift and enjoyable guitar fills
and solos. The vocalist John Ferguson’s has some cool wall to wall,
acidic and searing maniacal screams, which are punctuated with some
classic gruff touches and whispers of a death metal growl now and
again. The range of the vocals is pretty impressive, as is the
verbal acrobatics Ferguson is forced into to keep up with the
velocity of the ever changing and morphing song structures. The band
list themselves as “Black Speed Death Thrash”, outside of slight
elements of black and death in the vocals, I just did not hear it.
As stated above I see them more as a pure mixing of speed metal and
thrash. However, the more I listen to this, the more I am feeling
this influence with regards to the elements in the song construction
just not in overall tone and style. I could see it if you are a die
hard black death metal fan, but do not care for thrash (what is
wrong with you?! I know you are out there though haha) this may not
be your cup of tea. Whatever you want to call it is fine, I just
call it a good extreme metal record by a talented band that deserves
your attention. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Torrefy/
https://torrefy.bandcamp.com/
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Unburied is an
old goat, gray beard entity (much like me) in this UG metal scene.
The band having formed in 1994 and releasing their first demo in
1996, then carried on to release another demo, three split EPs and
two full-length albums through 2012. At this point I think main man
(now the only man as Unburied is a one man band nowadays) Matt Pike
was burnt out and fed up with all the line up hassles and the like.
So the band appears to have went on ice, but Mr. Pike decided to
wake the slumbering beast, whilst taking all control over his bands
music, recording, mixing, production and even cd pressing /
distribution of his releases. This move resulted in a return with
Unburied’s first album in seven years entitled “Primitive, Raw,
Underground” in 2019. This brings us to this release, Matt’s second
full-length since the revive – let’s dig into it. I liked the short
River’s Edge movie clip he used at the start of the second track
“From Beyond The Grave”. Actually, much like those early death metal
demos in this genre there are a lot of movie clips mixed in from
movies like Fight Club, Drive, Dark Side etc… I am here all day for
those as these clips are nicely timed and mixed into the songs here.
This release in some ways feels to me like a really killer death
metal riff tape, to base future songs around. I don’t mean for that
to sound harsh in any way. But whether it is the lack of a
consistent bass guitar rumbling foundation, or the song
construction, or the overall mixing of the individual recording
elements (and no not because it is raw – I love a raw and gritty
sound), perhaps even due to a combination of all of those factors.
It just feels to me like there are small gaps in the song flow that
need minor cohesive strands of sinew and connective tissue to bridge
those little gaps. I understand and respect why Matt is going it
alone now, but maybe the music would benefit from more members? A
good one man bands makes you forget it is a one man band. Having
said all of that, I feel like things come together best on a track
entitled “Criminal Underground” towards the end of the album, which
is the best tune on the release for me, more of this please. The
vocals are gruff shouted growls and the band could use a bit of
upgrade in this department, but Mike does his best and the raw
violent and biting emotion really convey his this man’s dedication
and commitment for what he is doing. He does bring some doomy
elements, now and again, into his songwriting that I appreciate. I
would say if you like raw, primordial and stripped down mean death
metal demo tapes like those from the early ‘90s you will appreciate
this and it will bring back some of that old great feeling. The
passion Matt has for death metal and UG scene bleed through every
second of this album in the music and lyrics. That is a good thing
and my hat is off to him for soldiering on throughout these long
years!
<Bonus Review>
LEATHER & CHAINS ‘Zine Issue #1 *28 Side Stapled Pages* I
have to give Matt Pike props, he was disappointed in the UG metal
‘zine situation in the US, so instead of just bitching he did
something about it. He made this whole fanzine in one month and it
is better than a lot of first issues of print ‘zines that I have
seen in my long experience in this scene. I like how he made sure to
fill up his pages, not use huge kindergarten font in order to make
sure there is lots of content. There are four pages of proper length
well done reviews of albums, demos and fanzines. Then you have
interviews with Deceased, Flesh Crawl, Nunslaughter, Bad Luck 13
Riot Extravaganza, Immolation, Gravesite Productions and lastly,
probably least with me (Canadian Assault – thank you my metal
brother!). The interviews are great, just like I like them long and
in-depth! There are flyers re-printed, it is just pure UG support
and devotion. There is nothing at all I can say bad or critical
about this whatsoever. I just hope there are more issues in the
future. - Dale
https://unburied.bandcamp.com/
https://unburiedbandmerch.wixsite.com/website
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This is the
debut release from this Rochester, NY band presenting five tracks
totaling just under 20 minutes of music. This young band plays raw
sounding stripped down yet not stripped down, brutal old school
metal of death. What do I mean by that? Well, it is stripped down
death metal, but the simplistic main body is supported with some
well crafted song structuring and subtle yet skillful guitar playing
and drum work, which brings that straightforward foundation of their
songs to a higher level. Ultimately Undeath it seems are more
focused on making memorable, headbang inducing songs than trying to
fit a million elements into a song or just playing as fast you can
just for the sake of it. I really enjoyed some of the great
energetic guitar fills that propel the music forward amongst the
mainstay slower mid paced moody death doom style elements. Some
influences I hear bleeding through this killer demo are stuff like
Disembowelment, Demilich “Nespithe”, early Immolation, early Gorguts,
Morbid Angel (2nd & 3rd album period) etc... I
might even say some of the more finesse guitar work reminds me a
little bit of early to mid period Death. I also really dig the dark,
obscured sounding growls with rolling whisper undertone to them,
definitely a highlight for me. Honestly, recording is only slightly
raw, slightly muddy sounding. I think it suits and accentuates their
music well, if I was in this band I would seriously consider
recording their next release the exact same way. That thick, heavy
and deep guitar sound is really pleasing to mine ears. I already can
not wait for this new bands next release! - Dale
https://undeath.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/CaligariRecords
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David Vora
through his one man band VDC has hung in the underground scene
creating music for 25+ years! I admire him for that and for
everything he lacks in musical ability and songwriting prowess, and
he does, he makes up for in dedication and perseverance. I do not
speak Gaelic, but I believe the title track translates “Why Don’t
You Die?” David usually does mostly originals with one or two
covers, but this time around it is mainly covers as you can see
above in the track list. The musical performance on here as sub par
as it is, still as all of his releases in my opinion, has a
charm to it and I always dug this cool Irishman’s gruffly sung
voice. Something else I appreciate about his releases is he puts it
all out there and is not afraid to explore in poignant detail his
mental health struggles and give the listeners a small window into
what it is like to try and deal with all of that. It is inspiring
for me. What I have to say to wrap things up is keep doing what you
have being doing David, never give up no matter what anyone says,
stay UG and stay extreme brother. - Dale
https://youtu.be/u4_1kJDSY6k
davidvora10@hotmail.com
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I was surprised
and extremely pleased to receive this tape in my mailbox. This is
one of the many one man bands (Edifice, Transir, Worms Of The Birth,
Eat Your Maker plus more) from Chris Shaver, who is one half of one
of my fave Canadian bands in the scene UG scene today, which is
Shadu-Nar-Mattaru (the band he does with his cousin Clayton who
created music together from the end of the ‘80s thru middle ‘90s
under the name Morbid Darkness). I should write in here that the
recent whispers of Shadu’s demise were premature and that mighty
band is taking a short breather, then they will be back!! Just the
band Shadu alone is exceptionally prolific, so I have no idea
whatsoever how Chris can create so much varied music, so fast and it
is all good, just mad respect from me for this talented man. VHOD
produces some excellent dark death metal with heavy doom influences,
which in combination creates a enticing dank and heavy atmosphere
that I found myself submitting to again and again, as I hit the play
button repeatedly. There is some killer guitar work on here, keeping
things fresh and it showcases Chris’ memorable, interesting
songwriting. The growling vocals on here are well done, the
inflections on the voice and his timing really convey the emotion
needed and if you listen closely you will discover some cleverly
crafted lyrics. Death doom fans should take note here. Chris has
some superb, tempting deals on his bandcamp site for large swaths of
his projects combined catalogs, so go load the fuck up his releases!
You will not be sorry you did. - Dale
https://www.instagram.com/VHODofficial/
https://vhod.bandcamp.com/music
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