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This is the solo
project of the talented and prolific Lord Sxuperion aka Matthew
Schott (Garden of Hesperides, Sxuperion, Oreamnos, Valdur, ex-Weverin).
This album is a maelstrom of chugging, rumbling, discordant guitar
mixed with much white noise and sound effects dissonance and topped
with brooding ugly atmospherics. There are fleeting moments of
beauty and finesse, but you have to search attentively through the
audio file folders to detect them. The music in a lot of ways is
more of an overall experience than individual compositions, it is
less defined and formless than that yet still a real journey. I mean
everything about this release is pretty unconventional in all ways,
right down to the roiling obscure growling yet not truly growled
vocals. It is all well-known, but when all of these elements are
combined the way they are here it is also something very unfamiliar.
You will have sections with great brutal death metal riffs and then
transition into detuned and untuned clean guitar that keeps you
off-kilter, then suddenly a profound emotive bleak bombast sequence
and that is just the opening track “Claustrophobic Dysentery
Excreted from the Chiffonier”. Oh, did I mention the song titles
alone are a confusing trippy and disturbing ride all of it’s own?
For example how about “Lilliputian Flicker of Fasciollasis”, which I
believe means a very small flicker of a liver parasite. There is
plenty more of that lyrical subject style to delve into if that
interests you in any way Haha! I was not sure I liked it at first,
it took a while but it continued to grow on me like a liver fungus
with repeated listens. “Claustrophobic Dysentery” is an interesting
listen and it surely goes to show you can be experimental without
softening your music. You do not need pretty melodies and musically
cultured influences, it is very much the opposite here, it is
progressive in the uttermost and evil and ugly with it’s boundary
pushing of extremity. This is for those who complain it all sounds
overdone and tired, this is something different and challenging in
the severe. - Dale
https://bloodymountainrecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.bloodymountainrecords.com/ |
On the current
time frame, in the midst of my horrid and abhorrent life, I’ve
always believed death metal was based on evil. “Narrow minded shit
with nothing significant to show besides our cocks”, they say. Oh-fuckin-kay,
these fuckers are a few bricks shy of a load. “This is Satanic punk
‘till bestial death!” Uh, umm, hmm, alright then, let’s pop this
fucker in. Whoa, this is fuckin’ “A” DM! Think vocally of 1991,
early Necrophobic “Unholy Prophecies” demo ’90 and their debut, let
alone Macabre End “Consumed by Darkness” 7” ep and though the
production is mediocre, it fits with the killer vox and instruments,
perfectly. Melodic, yet in your face, laced with killing leads,
pounding drums are displayed in a way they are really adding to this
sickening mess! On “Side Chaos”, Goat Devil is an evil pleasure as
the Sacred Spear is an instant favorite. Crucitatus on grrr and drrr,
Johan on vrrr and brrr and Necrophiliac Bonegrinder on drrr as 2nd
grrr. Vocallly on “Side Desecration”, Vital Remains Jeff Gruslin
comes to mind on “Worship The Demon”. At times it’s like Impetigo
meets Carnage and check out the solo on WTD. Musically, “Witchcraft
Bloodbaths” reminds me of very early Incantation meets Acheron (USA)
riffage with hints of “Dawn of Possession” Immolation ~ fuck me!
Alas, “Death Metal or Die” is just what the title indicates,
memorable, to end an album I could play all night. Buy this for the
true DM feel alone, Cacodaemon rule!! Now what do you say, Mika Akim?
Long live the pigs of Sadistik Impurity, Slaughter the rest!! –
Clayton
http://cacodaemon.dy.fi
cruciatus@hotmail.com |
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Coming out of
Greece is Caelestia with their debut album. They are not an easy
band to categorize, as they are a melting pot of styles, and genres.
Honestly, with this ten song album, it feels like they sat down and
said let’s write four death metal songs, three symphonic black metal
songs, two goth songs and a thrash metal song. Then once we are done
that, let’s put all the songs into a blender, hit the random mix
setting and see what the final outcome sounds like. There is no
denying it; there are some quality riffs on here, some quality
sections, and talented musicians playing it all. But as far as the
songs go, as far as the arrangements go, this album seems like a
real clusterfuck. I am sure some will call this progressive
wonderment, but it really feels like a mishmash, and a band that
could not decide what they wanted to be, so they decided to go with
it all, either that or possibly it is just beyond their ability to
craft something this ambitious. It is sort of like a sports team,
which is filled with talented players, but it is not the right mix
of players, not enough grit or heart or whatever it is that is
missing, and no matter how talented they are they still lose. I
should probably mention the vocal set up here, as it is a very
prominent element. Much like the music, it is a contrast of styles,
as you probably get a 60/40 balance of female operatic (annoying to
my ears) sickingly sweet vocals, mixed with good male deep growling
and grunted gruff half spoken bits. Again, no doubt these are
talented musicians, who can write quality elements to music, but as
a whole it is a hodge podge mess of styles that are not mixed very
well, and do not fit together very well. - Dale
https://www.reverbnation.com/caelestiaband
http://www.inverse.fi/ |
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Woohoo! A gothic /
dance / industrial compilation. Just what I need, geez this blows! The
bands included are: Mandanus Imperium, Autumn, London After Midnight,
Type O Negative, Therion, Moonspell, Left Hand Path, Ever Eve, Lacrimosa,
Switchblade Symphony, Love Like Blood, The Gathering, Tiamat, Dreams Of
Sanity, Clan Of Equinox & Christian Death. One thing I will give NBA is
they have stuff on here from other labels to give people who like this a
good selection of bands. Let me see the song/band I like on here is…ummm…The
Gathering track is OK, but that is it! The packaging and layout are
stunning (yes, I found something good!). Chant after me G.I.L.!, (Goth
is lame!). –
Dale
Nuclear Blast
America,
P.O. Box 43618, Philadelphia, PA. 19106, USA
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Psalms for the dead is Candlemass' final "studio" cd and what a
release! The doom legends have certainly outdone themselves and
released their best most memorable release to date. Heavy,
traditional doom riffs that are both extremely heavy and powerful
but also extremely catchy and will be stuck in your head long after
the cd is over. Vocals are performed by the great Robert Lowe {of
Solitude Aeturnus fame} are sung amazingly as each note is delivered
masterfully and sounds perfectly. The production for the release is
just as great as it is not too over-produced but it is done just
well enough for each musician to shine with their
individual instrument. It is a shame that this is the end of one of
the doom greats recording days but Psalms For The Dead is about as
perfect of a cd as you will ever you hear. So nothing like going out
on top! {Special Note: The band is not breaking up but will not be
recording anymore studio-releases from here on out instead just
focusing on touring and playing live so keep an eye out on the
Napalm and Candlemass web-sites for all the latest updates and news
concerning this great doom band}.
- Patrick
http://www.candlemass.se/candlemass/
http://www.myspace.com/candlemass |
A two man black
metal band from the USA. One man handles the instruments, one
handles the vocals. Their name comes from the ancient breed of wolf,
the dire wolf. Musically TMP lays down some great instrumentation. A
bit of the early suicidal black metal sound is evident. A bit epic
in places. Good stuff. Vocally, anguished screams that in my opinion
are not on par with the music. I would rather hear this album as an
instrumental. Or, improve the vocal performance. A good
release. I'm not sure if this is their only material but I'd like to
see how they've developed since this came out. - Mark
Sugiyama
http://www.myspace.com/thecanisdirus
http://www.moribundcult.com/
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This Czech band
have been around for over ten years now. This release came out in
2009. Sort of a hybrid of styles - doom, metal, even a little folk
in the overall feel. Musically they are competent. The vocals take
a bit of getting used to, though. Main man Blackie seems to be a one
man band with the exception of drums. It's nice to hear bands that
are one or two members that can pull off the band sound. It's not
easy. You have to have vision to really hear what the other
instruments should be doing to pass yourself off as 4 or 5 member
band. This isn't really something I would buy but there's no denying
it's quality music. - Mark Sugiyama
http://www.myspace.com/calesclan
http://metalbreath.cz/en/metal-breath/ |
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Generally I am
happy to see a release by a Canadian band show up in my mail box.
Despite where they are from I often wonder how releases like this
even manage to find their way to me. Seriously. We are a mix of
commercial radio rock and poppy ska-raggae emo type shit, let’s send
it to Canadian Assault they might love it! Lots of energy and a good
recording that is about all I can think of to say positive about
this feces. Hey get this out of the cd player quick, it is starting
to draw flies. – Dale
www.capdown.net
www.fiercepanda.ca
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I have been lucky enough to follow this great band since their
debut cd in 2006 "morgue mutilations". Now up to their fourth
masterpiece of old-school horror-gore drenched style of death rot.
The band has unleashed "Vortex of Violence” the bands most
devastating release to date featuring 11 songs of uncompromising,
aggressive death metal in it's truest form heavy, straight forward
riffs and solo's that are both relentless but also original and
varied as you can tell each of the songs apart of one another which
is not easy task in this form of metal. Adam Scott's vocals have
never sounded more sick or vicious growls that are definitely some
of the best of the best in scene today. Vortex of Violence will
definitely go down as one of 2012's best death metal releases. So do
yourself a favor and buy this it will please both long-time and
new fans of this great Illinois band. - Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/deathrot
http://www.ibexmoonrecords.com
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Before I get
started I should mention the disc for this album is on the bands
main label Momento Mori is out late July, with the vinyl version on
Boris not coming out until September. Cardiac Arrest present to us
no less than their 7th full-length (not to even mention
the spate of demos, eps and splits along the way) for this veteran
Chicago band. The music on here is heavy, crunchy sounding classic
death metal with some great tremolo picked, utterly headbang
inducing riffs interspersed with some enjoyable guitar fills and
brief, but impactful guitar solos. The drumming on here is a
highlight as well, they are pummeling and unrelenting in their
energy and influence upon their overall sound. The vocals come from
all the members (excepting the drummer) and are a varied yet
relatively cohesive mix of guttural death growls, nasally growling
yells, deep grunting roars and general maniacal voices. Some of the
vocals even reminded to be the almighty Steve-O from Impetigo. Yes,
these guys play pure death metal unapologetically in the early to
mid ‘90s tradition of everything from Impetigo & Repulsion to
Benediction & Grave, from Master & Dismember and early Death &
Massacre to Cianide & Autopsy! So many classic bands whose
traditions and legacies these boys hold up proudly. I chose to do
this review because I feel like Cardiac Arrest has been a dedicated
band, working hard in the UG scene for such a long, long time now
and deserve more recognition than they have received. So it goes
without saying that I enjoyed this album very much and highly
recommend you support these veteran metal merchants! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Vassafor/
https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/ |
This is a WAR Music,
release who have now inked a distribution deal with Relapse. C.F. hails
from Sweden and it shows as they thoroughly rape early ‘90’s Swedish
death metal w/ the late ‘90’s Gothenburg melodic sound topped with a
little dose of American aggression. Other than the vocals this is a
indistinctive, unoriginal act. However, having said that, C.F. puts
together some amazing melodically harsh material that still smokes and I
verily enjoyed. –
Dale
Relapse Records,
P.O. Box 251, Millersville, PA. 17551, USA website = www.relapse.com
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The Carnival
– Three tracks from each band. The Carnival play crazy and violent
old school speed / thrash metal. We should expect nothing less from
Bestial Burst. The music kind of reminds me of some sort of twisted
take off on the classic Sacred Reich stuff. I do not come across
many bands playing this sort of style so this is a breath of fresh
air.
Enormity
– Extremely sadistic thrashing metal with catchy as fuck riffing.
Also intermingled with the thrash base is some chunky death metal
influence and the balance they find is a good one. The vocals are
diabolical, following suit with the music. This release is just
chock full of mayhem and it is a good time listening to it. –
Dale
www.bestialburst.blackmetal.fi/
bestialburst@blackmetal.fi
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This listen was
very interesting, and not what I was expecting, it is more than I
was expecting and a pleasant surprise. The entire album, save a song
or two is about different serial killers. But the songs are
presented in a less conventional style, almost a horror theater
feel, to the proceedings. Yet, it is undeniably still a death metal
album, but much more than your run of the mill death metal album. It
is hard not to think of my all-time fave bands, with this concept,
and that would be the legend band Macabre! Who carved out a place in
UG metal infamy with their brand of equally creative and theatrical
“Murder Metal”. Obviously the connection is strong, with the serial
killer theme, running through an album is / was something pioneered
by Macabre, as is tailoring each song into a roller coaster ride of
mental audio theater with each song reflecting that killers horrors.
The biggest difference with Casket Robbery they do not bring a
humourous side their creation like Macabre. Having said all of that,
this is where the comparisons begin and end, as Casket has a
different method and approach to their metal sound and ambient
theatrical approach. “Evolution Of Evil” musically evokes a very
dark, morbid and foreboding aura, and the songs while keeping a
central thread are quite diverse from each other. As I mentioned, I
would call the style death metal, but they break the conventions
here and seamlessly add dramatic elements with accent voices,
instrumental touches, audio serial killer interview samples, and
creative song structuring flair. They do this while keeping that
brutal death metal edge which holds the entire carnage together down
to it’s foundations. They also keep things very catchy and
memorable, they invoke the darkness and debauchery of the acts the
lyrics speak to, but always keep in mind for the lack of a better
term the headbang factor that must make them a very entertaining
live band. The main vocals are deep growls, which are very
decipherable to the point you will be singing along to certain
wonderfully crafted choruses and random lines in your head upon
repeated listens. The production reflects the music very well; it is
dark and heavy with a gritty edge. I have to be honest; I did not
anticipate this album being anywhere near this fucking good going
into this review. I do not think I could possibly recommend this
enough for fans first and foremost of brutal death metal, who also
like bands like Macabre, The Accüsed and even King Diamond this is a
must have! - Dale
http://casketrobbery.bandcamp.com/
http://www.mortalmusicinc.com |
A large
smattering of blackened death metal is offered up this time,
straight out of the swamps of Louisiana. It would be rather
difficult to list the influences here. Due to the fact Catholicon
sound like a mix of just about everything out there. It is task to
detect anything of their own within the 13 tracks presented. That
does not necessarily make “Treatise on The Abyss” a bad album. Quite
the opposite and is a really solid piece of hate and malicious
aggression. Standing out in this scene is going to be a problem for
them as there just is nothing here to say “hey check this out,
despite having no sound of our own, you have never heard it done
this way before”. So I would unfortunately expect Catholicon to end
up one of those bands who put out some good albums but slipped
through the cracks largely unknown. I would only recommend this to
die hard freaks that have to have just about everything that comes
out (I have met and have been friends with some of you and I am
always amazed you come up with the money for this haha) in the black
/ death scene. –
Dale
www.negativityrecords.com
www.fuckyourgod.com
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It has been a
while for me since I have heard any Celestia stuff. I think the last
thing I got my hands on may have been their 2001 promo tape. Which I
quite enjoyed thoroughly. Despite that 8 year gap, I see, looking
through their discography that they only released an album, ep and
demo during that period of time. Though of course let us not forget
the band leader is quite busy with his label Drakkar Productions.
One thing I always liked about Celestia is they play black metal but
somehow always managed to imprint a touch of their own sound and
identity into the style. Something that is much easier said than
done these days. I would have to confess these days they are
probably less black metal than in the past but all of those elements
are still here in smaller doses. Celestia is very atmospheric and
melancholy in an epic emotional sort of way. They also thankfully do
not solely rely on synth to attempt cheat and create cheap
atmosphere. There is some real thought put into the compositions and
playing. A fact that is certainly not lost on me and adds another
layer of enjoyment to my appreciation of this release. I can
definitely recommend this album and it comes out on an excellent
dedicated label as well. Check this out. – Dale
http://membres.lycos.fr/celestia/
http://paragonrecords.org/
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This Finnish band is a relatively young band, having only released a
demo in 2016 and an EP in 2017 (five songs in total), both on Iron
Bonehead, who now present the bands anticipated debut full-length
album. I would say in a lot of ways Celestial Grave sound like the
early ‘90s Scandinavian wave of black metal you might expect when I
say they play this style. However, they take that sound and put some
of their own sound on this standard style, but the way they play it
is quite different than most black metal bands in this style. They
produce long songs, all in the 6-10+ minute range, but they
construct them in an interesting way. With normal bm bands in this
style you expect the harsh melody, the structuring with the usual
cycling song structuring, but Celestial Grave just keep the song
going without that much traditional structuring forcing the tremolo
riffing to just stay in largely in one pattern with little variation
on speed. Which, produces a rather freezing, hypnotic trance-like
atmosphere and the songs structurally speaking has no hooks or
breaks or traditional arrangements. Which mostly creates, like in
the third track ‘Grasping From Lips Of Night’ this perpetual motion
song that just eventually ends, but could be put in a continuous
loop and the beginning and end would be hard to distinguish. I could
see some fans of traditional song arrangements having a hard time
getting into that, but if you are willing to view it as a rhythmic
mental journey, as an overall atmosphere and not just a song, then I
think you will get a lot of out this record. The vocals themselves
are sort of obscure, like they are there and you can make out the
growling and rasping vocals clearly enough, only if focus
specifically on them. But, they are also again obscured somehow like
they melt back into the mix of the instruments, and become somewhat
part of the audio tapestry, again producing an effect of not knowing
where the instrumental sounds and the vocal sounds begin and end. As
you may be able to tell, I have a hard time putting this bands sound
into words, but I do know it is different than most black metal
bands out there, but it is still firmly black metal and it was also
a very pleasurable listening experience for me. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/celestialgrave
https://ironbonehead.de/ |
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'Only Death...is Real!', (A slogan
that has survived till this day) from the days I spinned Hellhammer
and Frost and Tom Warrior (despite using the Fischer name
replacement) will always be my metallic icon despite my departure in
disgust of what once predominated Frost after 'Into The
Pandemonium'. Naturally as most of you, as my 19 year stalemate done
away with and the 'Warrior/Ain' comeback had me skeptical, and who
wouldn't be but those that just were not there (unlike myself) when
they began their legacy?I must exonerate all my critique as the true
CF is alive again as sure as shit like white on rice! Indeed I spin
and shall remain spinning 'Apocalyptic Raids/Morbid Tales' unto my
dying day, but now comes the moment of truth. Many of you expected a
'Morbid Tales, Part the Second' leaving me bewildered. It simply is
unintelligible to expect another 'Dethroned Emperor', 'Procreation
(of The Wicked' or 'Circle Of The Tyants' (nearly all near 14 years
old) and CF would have failed direly attempting so. The Frosties are
notorious via expansion from one album to the next unlike the
abomination of 'Cold Lake', Momotheist offers much of the greatness
of 'Morbid Tales' yet are heavier than ever with outstanding vocals
laced in a thick melancholy and emotion which pales anything
remotely sullen on 'Into The Pandemonium'. Here the heavier is
heavier, the morbid more morbid all laced with a genuine depressive
sadness, sorrow, apathy, hatred and a darkside yet unexplored
previously. The newbies shall by ignorance disregard this statement
and you can simply lick the shit off my dick when I'm done with your
petty disagreements! Just spin this near 70 minute affair and feel.
Seriously, has ever The Morbid Ones once repeat an album twice? No.
Did they fail in doing so? Yes in 1988(Tiny Tim admitted to
this)...on Monotheist there is beauty in darkness with a handful of
softer songs as cunning(and at times more so) than 'Danse Macabre'
that only Monotheist and said band can only do justice to; unlike
your doom and gloom band of the month of BM elevator music of the
day cannot near compared to the Godfathers of a morbid darkness as
heard on monotheist. In truth the frost bites harsher than ever, who
humbly began it all in 1982 and yet have not lost the midas touch
still in 2006.Take fucking heed of Monotheist and remain morbid in
the dark. In end after so many passing years Monotheist is CF before
the fucking lake and the vanity that lacked nemesis! Remember,don't
piss in my helmut as it truly Frost's my Celtic, so buy or I'll make
you cry if you don't support this album! It's Celtic Frost at 666%
and the Emperor's have returned to reclaim the Jewel Throne!I am
honoured to have done this special review and so should you of a
cult band that still stands the test of time...Are You Morbid? -
Clayton
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This Georgia
based band compose brutal death metal that clearly and confidently
bases it roots in very late 1980s & early 1990s Floridian UG dm
scene. Some bands that spring to mind when listening to this debut
album are works from that time period from Morbid Angel, Brutality,
Deicide, Malevolent Creation, Monstrosity etc… A lot of the songs
feature really musical and stylish sounding guitar solos, there is
even a short yet sweet little bass guitar fill/solo in the song
“Churning Of The Shallows” that I enjoyed quite a bit. Speaking of
the bass guitar, I feel like the bass is a little more prominent and
integral to this bands sound compared to most death metal
traditionally. The guitar work in general on this record is very
nimble, sharp and speedy, featuring some killer riffs and rhythms,
which lend themselves well to headbanging and probably moshpits too.
The vocalist Matt Kilpatrick (also guitarist in the very good Death
Of Kings) has deep, well done dm growls that are commanding and
agile in inflection and speed changes depending upon what the
underlying music is up to. Cemetery Filth are so loyal to that late
‘80s / early ‘90s period in death metal, that to me even the
production job on here sounds like it was recorded back in that time
period. It is just clear and does not feel over produced and pro
tool’d up the ass, like most modern recordings in this genre.
‘Dominion’ may be too much of a back to the roots, non-contemporary
sounding band for some newer death metal fans, but hopefully not and
hopefully they appreciate this album as much as I do. - Dale
https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/ |
This is a new band
for me and released by a new label as well, I am sure we can expect to
hear a lot from this label in the years to come. Centuries of Deception
play atmospheric black metal, that I got into but in the wide spectrum
of the scene this is pretty average. Still a worthy addition to the,
extreme black metal devotee's that must have it all. Available through
Deathcult Distribution...
–
Dale |
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After nearly
nine years of dormant silence Holland's Centurian have awoken once
again to spread their violent vision and sound. They play
unapologetic, uncompromising blackened death metal with heavy, fast
chaotic riffs. The drumming is fierce non-stop blast assaults, the
vocalist reminds of {early} Glen Benton growls/screams but fit
Centurian's brutal style perfectly. Contra Rationem is one of the
best blackened death releases I've heard in awhile, it is great to
see Centurian back in action. Do yourself a favor and buy this
today!
- Patrick
http://www.centurian333.com/
http://www.listenable.net/
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Another band
comes at us out of the great Polish metal scene. Centurion really do
not sound much like most of their countrymen, in fact they play a
style with a big nod towards 90s American brutal death metal. And it
is vicious, straight ahead extremity lunging forward like a speeding
bullet train. The vocals are rapid fire growls that try to match the
break neck speed of the music, they are pretty imposing and
frightening sounding. I do not have a lot to fault Centurion for,
they do everything pretty well, but at the end of the day this album
just does not stick with me that much. I would say extreme die hards
of this style might want to give this a try, otherwise I might
pass. - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/centuriondeathmetal
http://www.wydawnictwopsycho.com/ |
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England and
death doom go together like leather and spikes and Centurion’s Ghost
are one hellbent incendiary bulldozer of creeping metal. I was
struck immediately by the quality of this band, the fluidity and
nose for knowing when to keep the songs simple to increase the skull
crush factor, call it the Asphyx principle. There are a lot of great
influences wrapped up in this record, in the biography they list
Venom as a big influence, I can hear it but not in a strong way in
my opinion. They also list Cathedral, Candlemass & Celtic Frost and
all those are fair but I also hear traces of Benediction (way
underrated band!) alongside traces of early Afflicted or Disharmonic
Orchestra. For that matter very early Paradise Lost or My Dying
Bride, you know before they went all commercial and keybored-y , may
not be completely out of line. The guitar work going on in the
background is actually more involved then one would notice upon
first listen but really accents the uplifting moments and keeps our
eyes filled with gray during the emotional melancholy passages. The
vocals of Mr. Begley are utterly fantastic and are some magical
doomy mix of early Kreator Mille, Martin Van Drunen, Goatlord and
others I cannot even explain, my ear knows it but my tongue and
finger tips get confused. I just dig these vocals a whole lot! I can
sense the confusion? Why all the thrash references and doom, it is
because their sound is rooted in dark thrash but make no mistake
this is a doom metal band, first, second and third but they have
denim filled with stitched on patches, in their minds and know how
to induce a headbang fury. One other thing that strikes me, is for a
young band they have mastered flow to their songwriting and
incorporate fleshy nuances and vision that is beyond the bands
paltry few years existence would suggest. I am finding myself
increasingly more enthralled with each listen, I am beginning to
think an interview might not be out of the question here. Is there
any better recommendation for a band then that? – Dale
I Hate Records,
Box 13023, S-60013, Norrkoping, SWEDEN
http://www.ihate.se/
www.centurionsghost.com
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It has been a
long, long time since I have heard any new Cerebral Turbulency. For
those keeping score, I reviewed their split tape with Gride and
Malignant Tumour, in Canadian Assault. That was a 10 years ago! I
guess both myself and the band are turning into old bastards in this
scene. The layout of the booklet is very interesting. The lyrics
come on a smaller, separate book, it is strange but cool. Part way
into this album on the first listen I found myself saying what
happened to Cerebral Turbulency? Where did the all out grind attack
go? There are still some small signs of it but it is mixed with a
lot of American sounding metalcore and some hardcore vibes and even
some industrial overtones. It almost feels a little bit so called
lousy ‘nu-metal’ like at times (but no rap vocals, thanks to hades
for some small favours). You know I really hate this sort of thing.
To be quite honest I find myself rather disappointed with this
album. I wish if bands are going to change this much they would do
their fans a favour and change their name. It is the respectful
thing to do for their fans and their own legacy. I suppose some
might consider this an expanding of their horizons but to me it is
like they erased the horizon completely and painted over in the
colour of blank boredom. There are some small and short decent bits
on here but they are too far and few between to enjoy. Do you like
groovy, dance-y music that you can jump up down to on an imaginary
pogo stick? If yes, then “Crash Test”, might just be for you. I am
hoping on the next album of Cerebral Turbulency, which I will review
soon, will be much different and closer to the old grinding days. –
Dale
http://www.khaaranus.wz.cz
http://bandzone.cz/cerebralturbulency |
|
Czech grind is a
thing of legend in the UG and one of the best and most prolific
grind scenes around. One of the good ones and one of the well-known
are Cerebral Turbulency. Who are coming fresh from going off the
rails last album with the semi-awful and decidedly bland “Crash
Test” mallcore train wreck. Will Cerebral look to get back on track
and make amends to the loyal followers who were disappointed and
dejected? I am happy to report that Turbulent ones are back steaming
ahead on the right path. The real aggression and trademark grinding
have thankfully returned in a big way. Some sections of the album
are an intense rape ‘n pillage assault with chainsaw guitars and
lightning quick, scatter shot drumming. There is a lot of very good
things going on but it is a mixed bag as well. Because they
incorporate so many different things (samples, effects, tons of
different vocal styles etc…) into the songs. Some of the off the
wall things really work and other times it does not and seems like
they were forced into the song just to have it there. But do not let
that statement keep you away as there is plenty of good material to
go around and Cerebral Turbulency give you a taste of what made them
so good in the first place. Yes this is some intense shit. Which is
all the more pity with this being the bands final release as they
have decided to split up after 15 years of grinding. – Dale
http://www.khaaranus.wz.cz
http://www.myspace.com/cerebralturbulency
|
This is a new band from Denmark's underground metal scene, but one
I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot about in the coming months. The
music is heavy slow to mid-paced guitars that have a old-school
death/doomish feel and sound to them. J.P's vocals are a mix of
deeper death growls, screams and some gruff spoken type of vocal
patterns. Cerekloth have done a great job of mixing in old-school
death gods like Autopsy, Cianide etc and mixed in their own warped,
disturbed creative ideas. If you are looking for something
old-school sounding but with some originality to it then check out
Cerekloth.
- Patrick
http://www.cerekloth.dk/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
|
Ceremonial
Worship is the sole creation of one High Priest C.W. (ex-Skogen,
ex-Violator) who handles everything for this Greek band. The four
tracks featured on this release are exclusive to this split. The
music is performed with heavy and fast guitars that are delivered
with experience and showcases skillful writing ability. The music
does slow to a more controlled mid tempo pace throughout the bands
songs on here. Alright so up next on this split release is the
Philippines OmenFilth, who also deliver four exclusive tracks to
this split release to round things out to nearly thirty-three
minutes of music overall. OmenFilth's style is rooted in the old
school, traditional style black metal. Their music is more
aggressive with fast paced guitars and drums that are performed with
skill and a great writing ability. Both bands on this split deliver
a solid release of black metal intensity that should please all fans
of this genre.
- Patrick
https://ceremonialworship.bandcamp.com
https://omenfilth.bandcamp.com
eternal-death.com
|
|
Ceremony of
Silence are a two man thrashing death metal band coming to us from
Slovokia with their debut full-length album. The guitars are handled
by Vilozof, who does a great job of writing and playing some fast
thrashing riffs with some slower, mid paced guitar sections mixed
into the songs. Vilozof also handles the vocal duties for the band,
which consist of a mix of gruff screams alongside some deeper death
metal growls. Svjatogor commands the drum kit with a mix of
extremely fast drum patterns with some slower beats to counter
balance ferocity and add some musical depth to the material. If you
are a fan of the early ‘90s death metal scene, then definitely be
sure to check out Outis when it is released. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/ceremonyofsilence
https://www.willowtip.com
|
|
Black Mirror
Hours is an extremely powerful, bombastic and hateful black metal
album. Chaos Invocation like to keep things predominantly at a brisk
speed and there are some interesting things going on with the guitar
patterns and the overall song arrangements. I mean no, this is
nothing especially original I realize that, but it is a good mix of
old style and modern black metal played about as well as can be
done. I have to mention the drummer as well, this guy is fucking
relentless, he almost never stops, just plowing through with
precision and authority. Their style is a very raw one, but the
production on this album is exceedingly clean and clear. Almost too
clean and clear, I know here I am complaining about a production
being too good haha. That is just my taste though, old school black
metal and crystal clear productions do not mix that well for me. It
is not too bad when my only real complaint is the production is too
well done right? Yeah I would say so… One thing I am realizing
pretty quickly is WTC Productions, is they are a label to keep an
eye upon, if the three albums they sent me are any indication, they
put out nothing but quality bands. - Dale
https://myspace.com/chaosinvocation
http://www.w-t-c.org/
|
|
This is the
debut album from this relatively new band (having previously
released a couple demos and an EP) coming out of Denmark, and they
share a member with the excellent band Phrenelith. ‘Effigies Of
Obsolescence’ comes off sounding quite refined and mature in the
songwriting department for a young band. I would say they belong to
this movement of mixing some old American death metal with healthy
helpings of classic Finnish dm along with smatterings of UK death of
yore. Though it is decidedly death metal music, there are also
elements of doom death going on here for sure with Chaotian. Their
music is so densely pounding and crushing with a lot going on
musically with the guitar work, which features flourishes of
skillful refinement of tunefulness despite the utter brutality of it
all. It makes for an interesting mix in the song construction
department and really piqued my interest with rapt attention as I
listened. The deep brutish whispery growling vocals on here is very
enjoyable for me and compliments the bands oppressive all engrossing
dark atmosphere perfectly. A few bands older and newer that come to
mind to give you an audio compass point are Rippikoulu, Convulse,
Incantation, Bolt Thrower, Immolation, Funebrarum, early Autopsy,
Tomb Mold, Deiquisitor, Undergang and the like. I love it when
record labels work together on releases as I often mention. Dark
Descent and Me Saco have been doing it a lot lately, it is great for
the bands and fans, especially having one label in North America and
one in Europe. As usual with their partnership Dark Descent is
handling the CD, and Me Saco Un Ojo the vinyl. If you are a diehard
follower of the bands styles I mentioned above, you should check out
this album, it is another fine example of this killer musical form.
- Dale
facebook.com/ChaotianOfficial
www.mesacounojo.com
darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com |
Germany has
produced it’s share of quality dark death metal bands over the years
and Chapel Of Disease can be added to that company. This is some
ripping ‘n thrashing metal, some of the guitar patterns and song
arranging, is pretty clever keeping my attention well. I definitely
am getting an old school death metal vibe, like late 80s and early
90s era. I read another review of this and seen the comparisons of
Pestilence, Bolt Thrower, earlier Death and I really cannot argue
with those, pretty spot on. There is another old band or two on the
tip of my tongue, but I just can not seem to get them off. I can
hear maybe a little Demolition Hammer or something along those lines
in there. Anyway, Summoning Black Gods is good sinister thrash
tinged classic style death metal with some crushing, speedy riffing
and an atmosphere that will force your head to banging. This record
will make the old goats like me and just old school fans in general
happy. - Dale
http://chapel-of-disease.jimdo.com/
http://www.fda-rekotz.com/gx/ |
|
Coming out of
Colorado's black metal UG scene is Charon Kruk who combines harsh
and experimental black metal with some ambient elements to create a
unique style and sound. ‘Wrapped In The Morning Red’ is the debut
full-length featuring seven tracks of well composed musical
passages. The guitars are played with a heavier mid paced range, but
do speed up to a faster more aggressive pace throughout some of the
songs. There is some very well played guitar sequences on this
album, even adding in some solo's throughout. The vocals are all
over the place with harsh raspy screams and some deeper death metal
growls. Both of the vocal styles fit the music perfectly and give
each song it's own identity. If you are looking for a band that
combines harsh black metal and adds some ambient and even death
metal influences then be sure to check out Charon Kruk’s debut album
today. - Patrick
charonkruk.bandcamp.com/
bchrecords.storenvy.com/
plaguedemonrecords.storenvy.com/ |
|
I am a fan and
supporter of the Malaysian UG metal scene. Which is where, Chelation
Intoxication comes bursting out of; hitting us with this ep, that
clocks in at just under twenty minutes. They play grind, but it is
that sort of mid paced to slightly faster sort of brooding,
grinding, hypnotically churning style of old school grind I like so
much. You know that sort of early Autopsy / Repulsion doomy death
mixed with pure old school grindcore (ala Terrorizer, early Napalm
Death, Agathocles), only using the extreme speed as an accent. I do
not run across that many bands that play this these days, it is
usually just blinding speed and adrenaline, I like that style a lot
too, but this shit just rules. I listened to this bad boy on loop
over and over again. I am sure I will keep listening to it, on
repeat for hours, after I finish typing this review. Recommended.
- Dale
http://www.reverbnation.com/chelationband
http://www.grundar.com/ |
I love crossover
thrash bands. This particular one comes to us by way of Italy. Hells
Headbangers have really been diversifying the bands they sign lately
and in a good way. As can be expected with this style the songs are
often on the short side and the album comes in at under 30 minutes.
Goodness these fucking guys can rip, they hit you with those cool
tumbling riffs that trundle forward quickly like a sweet motorcycle
with timing problem in the overheating engine. Those killer riffs
make me want to mosh and headbang like a raving lunatic. I also love
those gruff and gutsy vocals that sound like the guy has been a life
long smoker and heavy drinker. This shit is getting me nostalgic and
wanting to reach for my Cryptic Slaughter, DRI, Tankard, SOD etc…
The audio insanity of Children Of Technology fits right in
perfectly. It is great to see bands like COT, Adrenicide, Short
Sharp Shock keeping this style alive and well. Not only that but
they want your beer, your bitches and think your teeth look silly
inside your mouth, so spit them out! There are limited cassette and
vinyl versions of this release, good luck searching them out. - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/childrenoftechnology
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
|
Italy's Children Of Technology return after four years with
their second full-length. They are back, with their brand
of cross-over thrashy punk. I would suggest Children of Technology
are one of the best in the scene in this style. The guitars are fast
punkish type guitar riffs with some heavier and faster
thrash parts intertwined in the music. The drummer is
really good, with keeping the pace, between the faster drumming
beats and more of a mid-pace range. The vocalist does a good
job with the screams and even some deeper vocals. This is
a band who knows how to play thrash and punk and do both scenes real
justice.
-
Patrick
http://childrenoftechnology.bandcamp.com/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
|
I have been on
such a heater of listening to only dark, dingy and oppressive death
metal the last month or so. As you may be able to tell from the
bands line-up of bands I chose for the monthly update this time
around haha. Church of Digust from Texas is not going to change this
trend I am afraid with their third full-length album ‘Weakest Is The
Flesh’. Which is their first for Hells Headbangers after putting out
their previous two records on Memento Mori, talk about going from
strength to even greater strength. The music is a nice mix of medium
to speedy death metal pacing yet there is clearly death doom
elements as well, which adds another layer of depth to their sound
and creates cool alternating currents of differing atmosphere. There
is often the main brutal super heavy riff, but also frequently
backed up with secondary guitar fill parts keeps the music varied
and interesting. This is some tremendous old school death metal with
some creative songwriting that manages to keep things mildly upbeat
and memorable, yet never sacrifices that repressive aura or its
crushing barbarity. Some bands that come to mind when I listen to
this album are Funebrarum, Gorefest, Autopsy, Cianide, Undergang,
Benediction, Bolt Thrower mixed with a dash of Deicide and
Malevolent Creation. Being that I am big fan of H.P. Lovecraft,
something which figures into creative process quite richly with this
bands lyrical history and imagery. I am also now interested in
checking out some works by author Brian Keene, a fellow who
apparently is quite influenced by Lovecraft and in turn also possess
a similar level of influence on the Disgust. Speaking of the vocals
they are classic deep growls that fit in quite nicely with the
influences I mentioned above, complimenting their murky sounds of
extreme metal sickness to near perfection. I just can not seem to
get enough of this style of death metal and if you are the same way
you need to check this out. FYI the vinyl version is set for later
this year, but the other formats are a go as of now. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/churchofdisgust
https://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/ |
|
Things happen
slowly, akin to the pace of the tunes played, is one of the most
used jokes in the world of doom metal. Yet even by those standards
the amount of time 'Minstrel Of Mourning' has taken to finally see
the light of the day is mind-blowing, as documented by the extensive
liner notes by both Stevo and Brett Fugate included in the album's
booklet. Yes, Stevo - the monster best known and respected for his
work in Impetigo, one of the most important and cult bands EVER in
the underground history. Undeniably, there are some parts on these
songs bearing resemblance to the classic that is Impetigo's 'Horror
Of The Zombies', which could hardly be a surprise as both those
albums have been written roughly at the same time, yet we're talking
a different beast here. Stevo switched from bass to guitar, added
the quite explanatory pseudonym "St. Vitus" to his name and
alongside the remaining three band members created and recorded a
doom album full of despair and mortal dread. An album that sounds as
good now as it would've sounded if released back in 1993 - probably
because the stench of death is eternal and some of it is captured
here by no-frills riffs and tempos, interesting, sometimes rather
bizarre, vocals and an overall atmosphere much akin to the one of
strolling through the graveyard on a harsh November night. 'Minstrel
Of Mourning' isn't the type of album to give you a
revelation, neither is the end-it-all doom masterpiece but it's a
good document of a band doing what's in their hearts, as morbid as
they might be, ahead of its time. Doom fans and Impetigo maniacs
alike should pay attention to this. – Vladimir Petrov
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Church_of_Misery/10708
http://www.razorbackrecords.com/ |
|
The U.S death metal legends return with their sixth full-length
release and the name couldn't be better "Gods Of Death". In
Cianide's twenty years plus in the underground the band has never
once compromised their sound or "added" any new elements to change
with the times or be more popular in the scene they helped create.
That is something to be respected whether you like this band or not.
Gods Of Death carries on Cianide's tradition of creating and playing
some of the heaviest death metal ever heard. Crushing mid-paced
guitars and heavy, mid-paced drums that keep up with the mood and
pace of the band. The vocalist delivers with some excellent death
growls with no effects, no pig squeals just angry growls. Cianide
are a band that doesn’t change for anyone. But they get better and
better with each release!! Definitely one of 2011's best death metal
albums! Buy this or die a poser. – Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/cianidekills
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
|
I am not quite
sure what to make of this band. They call themselves Philosometal or
something like that. Their whole lyrical concept is heady philosophy
meanderings and pondering that will probably go over most peoples
heads. The lyrics may have had a lot of thought and complexity to
them, but the music is a complete dichotomy to the lyrical content.
The music is so stripped down, so simplistic, especially with
certain songs that it barely a song haha. Quite often it will just
be something like a really slow, very low key riff with almost
background accent, basic drumming. I guess you could say the vocals
which are mostly gruff yelled thrash type vocals are pretty much the
supposed to be the center stage of the bands musical presentation. I
have to be honest I am not very interested in philosophy, especially
with my music so the main focus of this band does not do a lot for
me. The music is minimalist sort of late 80s commercial style thrash
riffing and structure, but slowed way down and stripped down to it’s
most basic level. The music was pretty good stuff. But overall I
would not give this a recommend to be honest. - Dale
http://www.reverbnation.com/circadianskizm
http://circadianskizm.com/
|
|
Here’s an album
that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser for people like me who are
nostalgic for good ol’ Floridian death metal. You’ll know most of
what to expect sonically on this album if you’re a fan of Death
and/or Obituary, but I would encourage you to give this album a
listen regardless because while it does sound like one of the best
executed homages to this scene of OSDM that I have heard in a while,
it still sounds like a completely fresh record all the same.
Technique and skill are what set the Russian band Cist apart from
their contemporaries; their riff composition shows ample proficiency
in this vein of death metal, as does their incorporation of
intriguing and audible bass work throughout the album. There is also
refreshing, yet frugal use of sound effects and voice overs on this
album, which, while sparsely distributed across the tracks, adds a
lot of flavor to the presentation like some obscure herb on an
otherwise already fantastic plate of food. The whole setup is
invigorating, especially with Vitaly Luschenkov’s vocals ripping
through the mix with both transparency and brutality reminiscent of
John Tardy and/or Chuck Schuldiner (depending on which track you’re
listening to). The production quality of this EP certainly permits
all of these elements to be heard and enjoyed to their fullest
potential without sounding too sterilized. Cist’s excellent
songcrafting does not stop at the execution, though, but rather also
includes the lyrical content. So far this year we have seen some
pretty interesting lyrical topics tackled by death metal bands (lookin’
at you, Slugdge), and Cist are baring their artistic integrity in
this arena as well with some of their tracks gathering inspiration
from cell biology as an avenue or metaphor for sociocultural/societal
critique. Overall, the package that is The Frozen Casket
secures Cist’s place as an act to keep an eye on in the coming years
since it displays abundant potential for an awesome future
full-length debut. – Aaron
https://cist.bandcamp.com/
http://www.redefiningdarkness.com/ |
I’ve never liked
hardcore but I’ve always dug what Coalese, were doing. Their
bludgeoning, pissed off style always seemed to me, beyond the limits of
music. This is pure aggression, no weak bones in this body. The title of
this album seems to fit their music and lyrics perfectly. Impatient?, No
argument here. - Jeffrey Kusbel
|
|
After releasing two demo tapes and split with
Molder, the band will release their debut full-length due to be
released in mid-October. “A Monument To The Dead” is a duel release
through the labels Blood Harvest and Rotted Life Records and feature
eight track of solid and intense death metal. The music is extremely
well written and performed, with both fast and mid-paced patterns.
The guitarist can really write and compose some well played passages
and even adding some well written solos. The vocals are a mix of old
school death metal growls and some more gruff growling as well. The
vocalist reminds me a little bit of John Tardy’s early vocal style I
love. If you are a fan of early Cannibal Corpse, Immolation and
other ‘90s classic death metal then I recommend you should
definitely give Coffin Rot a listen today. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/coffinrot
https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/ |
Coldworker
brings us their third album, the first to grace mine ears. The
mighty Dan Swano apparently was responsible for the final mix and
mastering on here and accordingly it sounds great, but retains a
heavy, non-plastic edge. No complaints there. This is death metal
and while it is not totally retro, you can definitely hear the great
old Swedish dm sound creeping into their material. The music is
really tight, has some catchy riffing and the drummer is a
whirlwind, he comes over the top scrape off any flesh that may be
left on your bones. This is some good death metal music guys, but it
is also pretty predictable, straight ahead fair which some of the
more discerning fans of the genre might not get that much from. I
don’t know I enjoyed, nothing remarkable, but good competent death
metal music with a little of that old Swedish flavour many of us
love. - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/coldworker
http://www.listenable.net/
|
Voices Of Wonder
have a great promotional dept. and their packaging are some of the best
out there! It’s a pity almost all of their bands are awful! Here we have
another trendy ‘jump metal’ styled band but w/ a bit more of a crushing
doomy quality than most of their counterparts. The vocals are extremely
lame. The singer, if you can imagine sounds like the guy from Crowbar
with a heavy European accent spiting out cheesy lyrics. So if you enjoy
that Skinlab / Machine Head style better fire a letter off to V.O.W. for
a catalog, after all it’s only a hop, skip and ‘jump’ away.
–
Dale |
|
This is the
debut release from new French band Confessor A.D. coming out on the
long running and dedicated Nihilistic Holocaust Records. This
mini-album consists of five tracks of old school blackened death
metal, with some excellent healthy hints of thrash influence weaving
it’s way in and out of the proceedings. Confessor A.D. definitely
embody the very late ‘80s / early ‘90s Scandinavian and Netherlands
sound, which is clearly coursing through their veins. The pacing is
not lightning quick, most of the time, reminding me both in pacing
and structurally of the late ‘80s thrash influenced musicians who
were starting to play this new death metal style emerging at the
time. You could hear and feel the transition, and early first steps
of figuring out this then new style, being caught between the old
and new in a charming and interesting way, at least to me. I
remember that time period well and loved those bands that had a firm
foot in both styles, keeping their thrash roots, but adding these
fresh brutal elements. When I mention the middle pacing, back then a
lot of bands were more into the atmospheric vibe, being sure to
leave room for a bit of melody and just room musically to breathe,
and the listener to digest, so to speak, rather than just going as
fast as possible and brutal as possible which was the next step in
the death metal evolution. The vocals follow suit with amalgamation
of the gruff thrash yell and the dm growl, keeping everything
entirely intelligible and easy to still follow along with the
lyrics. With all of the old ‘80s/’90s styles coming back around in
the 2000s, it is good to see this often left behind, pivotal
seemingly viewed as a relic style, getting some attention from a
young band who does it some justice here. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/nihilisticzinedistro
https://nihilisticholocaustrecs.bandcamp.com |
|
This devilish
triumvirate hail from San Diego, California and even though this is
Conjureth’s debut album these three musicians have done time
currently or previously in bands like Encoffination, Messial,
Sarcosium, Ghoulgotha, Gloomed, VoidCeremony, Father Befouled,
Eternal Suffering, Wooden Stake and more. Conjureth produce enticing
(at least to me haha) old school brutal death metal that very much
brings me back to the late ‘80s and very early ‘90s death metal. I
hear a lot of influence from bands in that time frame from the
northeast US and definitely Floridian dm, but maybe also some
occasional spicing of Scandinavian influence as well. During that
era you still had stronger remnants of ‘80s thrash metal in the
roots of most death metal bands, and I do hear some small hints of
that here both in the riffing and song structures on ‘Majestic
Dissolve’. I can most definitely headbang along to this and imagine
a pretty big churning pit down front when this band plays live. The
music on here besides always keeping the pace brisk, the meat of the
sound is always brutal, possesses a certain dark and evil aura that
I enjoyed. The growling vocals courtesy of Wayne Sarantopoulos are
perfect for the music and again remind me so much of those old days,
with a mix of the aforementioned northern and southern US
influences. They really top off a damn good listen in my view, so if
you love those old sounds from the embryonic days of this amazing
sub-genre of metal then be sure to check this out. Momento Mori will
be handing the CD for this album, while Rotted Life are putting out
the vinyl and tape versions for those wondering. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/conjureth
http://www.memento-mori.es
https://www.rottedlife.com |
|
Australia, for
me, has always had a very diverse metal scene and more often than
not the band members are filled with extreme dedication and gritty
attitude (a recent example would be the Road Warrior album I
reviewed last month). The latest quality addition from the Ozzie
scene, to my ears at least is Convent Guilt. They are a real
throwback band, and this album sounds like could have been lifted
right out of the late 70s / early ‘80s NWOBHM scene. Hell, even the
production here while clear and loud, feels much like a production /
recording from back in those days. The band produce this classic
hard rock and heavy metal sound very well with catchy, hook-y songs,
filled with some cool guitar histrionics and echo-y often gang sung
phrases and choruses. You can hear some of the old influences here
and there, in the guitars, with the song writing bringing to mind
bands like early Maiden, Saxon, Tank, Holocaust, Angel Witch, Uriah
Heep, Demon etc… This is very enjoyable for an old goat metalhead
like myself. The vocals are decent and get the job done fine, but
are not on the level in terms of quality and range as many of the
influences I mentioned, well that is not necessarily true in all
cases, maybe they are comparable to Tank vocally. If you can not get
enough of that New Wave of British Heavy metal sound, which leans
more on the mid paced hard rock side of things then I think you will
enjoy Convent Guilt quite a bit. - Dale
https://conventguilt.bandcamp.com/
https://www.gatesofhellrecords.com/ |
|
 
Coronary very
proudly throw goat horns in the air, while headbanging and playing
their brand of classic heavy metal with all the traditional
trappings that come along with it. Yes, this Finnish band revel in
it, and I can dig that, it is where I got my start in metal too way
back in the early to mid 1980s. There is one thing for sure for me
with this band, they know how to write heavy catchy metal songs that
are infectious and stick in your head. There are plenty of hooks and
good flow to the songs, alongside some really memorable lyrics and
unforgettable choruses (ala the song I am listening to now “Fight
Street 666”) with the odd gang vocals to add some good energy. There
is some real tasty guitar playing on here with some sweet fills and
the odd smoking solo. I think fans of Accept, Riot, Saxon, Grave
Digger, Rage, Running Wild etc… will appreciate this record. The
vocalist is pretty perfect for this music; he has that early ‘80s
combination of smooth middle range mixed with some grit and higher
soaring accents as well. If I had to make one critical comment about
this album, and this is probably down to just my personal tastes,
that being for me the recording feels a little over produced, a
little too controlled feeling and it would their sound to another
level if there was a little more raw punch, and less reserved
individual performances. I am not sure if it sounds like it, but
that is honestly a minor criticism, because this is an extremely
impressive debut album from Coronary that deserves attention. I will
look forward to what is next from this talented band. - Dale
https://coronaryfin.bandcamp.com/
https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com |
|
Like an old
festering wound that just won't heal, Corpsefucking Art has returned
with another death metal opus that worships the early- to mid-90s
sound of US death metal. These Italians specifically worship the
early sounds of Cannibal Corpse, Mortician, and midwest brutal death
metal in general. There's even a Cannibal Corpse cover on the
record, Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead, which is actually done
competently and convincingly. It helps that the drums are performed
by none other than Marco from Devangelic and Posthuman Abomination.
When Corpsefucking Art isn't genuflecting toward their gods of
death, they toss in some competent slam riffs placed perfectly to
accent the heavy atmosphere of each song, and some killer blasts on
occasion to break up any monotony they were in danger of creating
with simpler riffs. The only complaining I will do about this record
is the weird sense of humor the band has, since I tend to dislike
humor in death metal - it's not supposed to sound fun! They seem to
have a strange obsession with tomatoes, with two songs referencing
the venerated garden fruit. I can overlook that for an album that's
this good, and since the vocals are indecipherable anyhow (they're
kind of in the same realm as Mortician's vocals), it's not going to
bother me unless I read the lyrics and song titles, and most of
those aren't too bad. Overall, it's a better than average success
for this long-running underground institution, and it's certainly
worthy of your cash and time if you expect brutal death metal to be
simpler and in time signatures you can actually understand without a
music degree. – Andrew Parrish
https://www.facebook.com/sachertorture/
http://www.comatosemusic.com/
|
|
I had heard the
name of this Finnish band in the past, but I had not heard any of
their releases until now, which I now view in a regrettable light.
As this old school death metal band bring to life those old UG death
ways, keeping the ancient flame burning bright, while cutting a
moody brutish swath all their own through the scene at the same
time. The guitar sounds they got on here are so ominous, and cruelly
suffocating, which in turn creates such a dark and wonderfully
morbid atmosphere for the listener. You will be reminded of the
classic brutal death sounds on early the works by Morbid Angel,
Incantation, Grave, Autopsy, Repulsion etc… Also, I am reminded of
their great fellow countrymen, and death metal pioneer band
Abhorrence! I would say, even the vocals remind me a lot of Jorgen
Sandstrom from Grave, with hints of guys like Glen Benton of Deicide
and Dave Ingram of Benediction. Those three growlers are three of my
favourite death metal vocalists of all time, so as you can imagine,
I dig the vocals on this album a whole lot, they are fan-fucking-tastic
and marry with the sinister brutal music brilliantly! The band
finish off the album by expertly flexing their proficient skills at
song writing, by penning a great epic album closer, entitled
“Starless Event Horizon”, which clocks in at nearly 11 minutes and
is a tremendous song from start to finish while taking you on a
brooding brutal journey that will leave you satisfied. -
Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Corpsessed/
https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/ |
Ever commit
brain-death, coma-inducing suicide without heart palpitation? I have
(yes, seriously!) and if I had a mic in my valediction, this is what
it would have been. Following “Tormented Belief”, both main man
Horrendous and Necromorbus have unleashed their second opus into a
conceptual 2nd of trilogy album affair. A vinyl version
of this album is available in a limit of 500 copies, which are
pragmatically sold out by now. “All Hail (Master Satan)” from the
“Saeculum Domini” CD is present on this disc. The vocals sound like
a homicidal dying mortal gone insane while having suicidal mental
breakdowns rarely captured in BM, no matter how many times you
repeat this; it don’t let up. This consists of such atrociousness
and sorrowful emanating that one may point at “Salvation”-era
Funeral Mist, yet you can not. The neurotic higher pitched vocals
sound savage, rabid, coldly and hatefully unto anyone that bears
human flesh, it detrimental to your life! Add this to with musical
moments from 1990-94 Nordic-era true BM and Satanic metal on their
behest of black-heartfelt riffage and we’re getting there! The
grievance of many fallen angles, the extraordinary torture of
existence, the hatred upon all mankind, the exiled dementia-precox’
souls, unavenged Demoniacs, that now have increased a ten-fold more
than that and you fathom what CC sounds as the more it molests you.
I am certain these two travel amidst their native Portugal with
razor blades deeply embedded through their ‘skin suits’. I’d partake
razor raping my own pelt with this release, but Corpus Christii has
already done a fine job of that! Satanist myself, their name in the
Roman Catholic church, CC is a festival in honor of Eucharist (the
fucking Messiah!) on the first Thursday of the trinity; the eight
Sunday after Easter. Posers beware, this isn’t the Funderground,
this is pure Satanic BM formed from the scorned souls of Hell in
earthly form. Professional, well produced and one of the best out
there today, question is, have you got the guts? - Clayton
www.undercover-records.de
www.corpuschristii.com |
|
Corpus Mortale
come at us out of Denmark, the Danish underground metal scene seems
can produce some interesting bands and seems to be a little
underrated. They have produced in recent times, a lot of good bands
like Victimizer, Deus Otiosus, Altar Of Oblivion, Denial Of God
(okay so they have been around forever, but still going strong) etc…
CM play some chunky, thick death metal with guitars that cut into
you repeatedly like a gatling gun on the field of battle. The vocals
are deep, vile growls that flow across the music like a spreading
sickness. There is some solid guitar work on here and smattering of
cool short guitar leads, which adds a little extra dynamic to the
proceedings, the drums are relentless. Yes, Fleshcraft is a solid
chunk of death metal that might please fans of old bands like Grave,
Hypocrisy Swedish style sounds mixed with a healthy dose of somewhat
non-descript older Floridian death metal influences. It is not mind
blowing really, but it is some really solid death metal that should
please the genre die hards that have to have it all. - Dale
http://www.reverbnation.com/corpusmortale
http://www.deepsend.com/
|
|
Nothing like listening to some good ole old-school brutal Swedish
death metal to get the adrenaline going is there? Apparently
the musicians in corrosive carcass feel the same way and have
created some of the Best and heaviest Swedish death metal to be hard
in some years. As soon as you hit the play button to listen to this
monster of a release of you are instantly hit with heavy, thundering
drums fast whirlwind guitars that are equally as heavy as they are
fast. The vocalist fits the music perfectly with his deep vicious
growls. Fans that enjoy early Dismember, Entombed and the more rawer
Swedish style bands will love Corrosive Carcass I know I can't wait
to hear what these guys put out next.
- Patrick
http://www.reverbnation.com/corrosivecarcass
http://www.officialabyssrecords.com |
The opening
track is an instrumental, that sets the table and let’s you know
straight away that you are listening to accomplished, controlled and
stylish musicians. Then you are followed up with the song “Chaemera”,
which it is immediately hard not to think of Thin Lizzy, it is that
subdued but still rocking type of vibe, replete with Phil Lynott
sounding vocals. Then things change up and you get more of an
energetic rocking sound with a real progressive tinge to it like
King Crimson or something, but without forgetting to come back
around to rocking out. This is really a very interesting record. I
must admit though, despite the sound being clear, it is so over
controlled sounding, lacking a lot of bottom end and oomph, for a
lack of a better word. I think if they got that kind of production
and fleshed things out that way more, it could really take their
great sound to a whole other level. This is something to check out,
not for every extreme metal fan to be sure, but devotee’s of old
school and new school progressive hard rock will want to give this
one a listen. I must say Shadow Kingdom records for me, are starting
to become one of the best labels in the world at identifying new
talent and releasing it, yet also digging up really worthy gems from
a forgotten yesteryear that were unfortunately overlooked. -
Dale
http://www.skykrakken.com/
http://shadowkingdomrecords.com |
|
This is the
Michigan Coven, not to be confused with the Pacific Northwest or
Chicago bands that used the same moniker. Also up front you should
know this is a re-release of an album the band released in 1987, but
it was only ever released on vinyl! So does this fall into the
hidden or forgotten gem category, I would say the answer is yes it
does. I find their music very cool, quite hypnotic and leisurely
paced but still heavy metal and not really slowing down into the
doom regions. The vocalist has this very obscure, laid back trippy
vocal delivery much of the time and I really like that, he does turn
up the emotion now and then and even has an epic Norse (reflecting
the lyric imagery) flair about his vocals. Now that I think about it
I might have to take the doom comment back as now and then
Candlemass comes to mind. But I must say Coven on this album have a
sound of their own. I mean I can list a couple bands just to give
you an idea of the type of melodic, atmospheric heavy metal they
play. Some bands like Manilla Road, Omen, Cirith Ungol come to mind
as having a vaguely similar sound and more than anything probably a
similar pacing to their music. I’m not saying this was the ultimate
find of all finds, but I am damn happy someone dusted off this cool
album and brought it back out of obscurity for us all to enjoy and
give the album some new life. This is my first meeting with Shadow
Kingdom Records, going by this release and looking over their roster
of releases I hope to be hearing again from this label and soon!
- Dale
http://www.reverbnation.com/coven13
http://shadowkingdomrecords.com/ |
|
Count Raven is a
name well-known to doom heavy metal merchant followers like myself.
The Raven had been silent, for some, long thirteen years now!
Apparently the original band tried a reformation, but despite some
good live appearances was once again not destined to continue. The
mainman of Count Raven, Dan Fondelius decided to carry on regardless
and recruited new members Fredrik Jansson on bass and Jens Bock on
the skins. What with so much time passing and some original pieces
falling by the way side. Has the old magic faded away? It is the
question swirling in my mind as I prepared to play “Mammon’s War”
with muted anticipation. The biggest positive for me is Fondelius
staying, as he is the vocalist and much of the character of the old
foundation. His Ozzy Sabbath-era vocals, are perfect for this style
of classic doom, and, I am admittedly a sucker for this vocal style.
The opening track, “The Poltergeist” grabs you straight away as a
hooky, traditional heavy metal burner that should please fans of
old. You get some of everything, from the heavy to the emotional,
melancholy and introspective. But you are snapped out of the trance
with great rocking as well and memorable riffs. It is hard not to
enjoy the sullen, epic atmosphere on this album and some of the
nuanced and classy background guitar accents of Fondelius are not
lost on me. This is a grand return to form for Count Raven in my
view. I hope the new line up is solid and they stay around for
another long run. Get this. – Dale
www.ihate.se
www.myspace.com/ihate666
|
|
This British
band has released demos, an EP and two albums, and now their third
full-length ‘Forked Tongues’, surprisingly for me as deep as my
tentacles are in the scene this is my first encounter with the band.
Before even hitting play, just knowing it is on the well respected
Dark Descent Records usually previews the quality to come. It is
apparent quite quickly that one of bands calling cards is intensity,
in spades, as they race and rip along with their brand of explosive
black deathrash metal. I hear influences from American and Aussie
greats like Destroyer 666, Ares Kingdom, Gospel Of The Horns, Absu
feel like core influences to me. But you can also hear other things
in there for sure like Bathory, early Sodom, Bestial Mockery,
Desaster and the like. But what might surprise some is they sprinkle
and splice in classic dark and evil heavy metal band accents ala
Mercyful Fate, Satan, Angel Witch, Brocas Helm, Manilla Road, Cirith
Ungol Altar and other archetypal legends. It is impressive how
smoothly they weave and intertwine those very old school accents
into their lightning quick and punishing extreme metal foundation.
They even mix it through the vocals as well as you will have the
excellent growled, yelled, acidic screamed mainstay vocal, then all
the sudden you will get an injection of early to mid ‘80s siren
screams or screeches and it sounds flawless. They never sacrifice
the black, the darkness and evil if you will in their sound, nor the
power and punishment in their attack to meld these seemingly
conflicting influences. This is a testament to the detail and vision
that went into the song construction of this album. I am a fan of
both worlds so this hits a real sweet spot for me, but it is still
more than pummeling enough to satisfy the more modern extreme metal
UG maniac in my view. This album comes very highly recommended from
me. You will not regret this purchase. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/cravenidol
https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/ |
|
Cretus are a new
band coming out of the US metal scene and playing a very interesting
style of music. They have influences from older rock ‘n roll bands,
with some thrash and speed metal influences as well all mixed into
the music. The music itself, it is hard to categorize, with both
rock and faster metallic guitars, in a few sections. The music is
not all fast and speedy rock / metal hybrid, there are portions
where music slows way down to a mid paced range, before building
back up to a more speedy musical style. The vocals are sung with
clean vocal patterns and some screams. If you are into old-school
rock, with some metal influences you might enjoy Cretus’ music. -
Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/deathtoCretus
http://www.pavementmusic.com
|
Old-school
death/thrash lives and it has never sounded better or more fierce.
Ohio's Crucified Mortals have nice catalog of back demo's, splits,
but have unleashed their full-length debut with eleven tracks of
early 80's aggressive thrash guitar oriented music mixed with some
early 90's u.s style death metal this is a perfect blend of
uncompromising, unrelenting death/thrash. The guitars are played
with a lot of chaotic violent riffs and pure metal solo's but also
within the chaos the band showcases some well-written and even
complex structures. The vocals are gruff growls. The production is
pure-perfection it is not extremely raw/thin sounding like so many
from the 80's were but is also not over-produced and weak like so
many of today’s bands. It fits the band chaotic sound very well
giving the listener the chance to hear every guitar note, thunderous
drum or horrific growl. Crucified Mortals is a must have for all
fans of old-school death/thrash - Patrick
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/crucifiedmortals
|
|
Cryptic Shift
hail from the U.K., and after a string of demos, splits and ep’s
have honed their craft to the point they felt it was time to unleash
their debut full-length album. I think that was time well spent, as
they sharpened things up and have produced one of the most
impressive debut albums I have heard in some time. The band plays
highly technical, extremely skilled and accomplished Deathrash
metal. Despite the grand level of technicality and elaborate time
shifting, there is still room created, from time to time, for very
emotive guitar noodling and sweeping memorable riffs to momentarily
spread their wings. They also manage keep a certain level of flow to
their compositions, and brutality is injected through the heaviness
of the riffing and the brutish, gurgling ‘n shouting growls that mix
vocal influences from thrash and death metal capably. When listening
to this some influences for the band that certainly spring to mind
are later day Death, Cynic, Atheist and Gorguts. I also hear that
intricate style of a little dirtier and heavier sounding techno
metal bands ala early Theory In Practice, Nocturnus, Decapitated,
Timeghoul, Martyr, Watchtower etc… This could be a bit of a
challenging listen for some (look no further than the epic opening
26 minute song!), but if you put in the attention to detail, and a
little mental focus then I think you will come to appreciate this
multifaceted metal creation of audio artwork. Cryptic Shift deserves
a healthy share of attention and appreciation based on the merits of
this debut record, hopefully that is exactly what will follow. -
Dale
https://www.facebook.com/crypticshift
https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/ |
|
This is my first
encounter with these Lithuanians and this only their second release
as a band. Their first was a self release full-length that got the
attention Transcending Obscurity, who snapped them right up and I
can hear why they did. The material on here is some top notch dark
and brutal death metal, which is largely reminiscent of the early to
middle ‘90s American death metal style. Despite the crushing nature
of Crypts brand of death metal, they do manage to inject a good
amount of memorability to the riffing. They also project level of
emotive and gloomy atmosphere intermingled into a healthy portion of
the songwriting. The vocals are deep growls with a morose and
shadowy edge to them with accents of more guttural or higher /
clearer registers. The vocals are really enjoyable for me. They (the
band and engineer) have managed to strike a good balance of a crisp,
highly produced recording yet unlike many recordings that do this
with extreme music, they have managed not to throw a toned down wet
blanket upon the acute barbarity and crushing meat of the music.
‘All Light Swallowed’ is a really solid album that will satisfy fans
who truly appreciate the foundation and traditional sounds of death
metal. - Dale
cryptsofdespairdeath.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/transcending
https://tometal.com/
|
|
Cult Of Eibon from Greece presents their debut
album after previously releasing two EPs and a split EP. The band
may have only been in existence for five years, but the members have
done time previously or currently in bands like Kawir, Black Blood
Invocation, Lykaionas, Nergal, Walpurgia, Hate Manifesto, Funeral
Dusk, Wargrinder and more. It is no secret I am die hard follower of
the amazing early to mid ‘90s Greek black metal scene with it’s
diabolic blend of the first wave and second wave black metal that
also incorporated hints of dark heavy and death metal. Cult Of Eibon
also worship this period of their countries UG metal scene and their
music carries on that tradition superbly. They create sinister
sounding evil black metal that is mostly middle paced, but
absolutely permeated with that gloomy atmosphere and aura that
seemed to be a trademark of those old great bands. I mean the music
is filled with those foreboding and ceremonial drums and hypnotic
guitar rhythms. It all brings me back to those nostalgic times for
me being possessed by listening to the early works Varathron,
Necromantia, Rotting Christ, Thou Art Lord and the like. Also yes, I
know they are not from Greece, but they also a little of Mortuary
Drape which is a musical cousin to that scene in many ways. If you
adore the old days of classic Hellas black metal and simply can not
get enough of it, as I do, then you should get a copy of this album
posthaste. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/TheCultOfEibon
https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/ |
This Polish horde is somewhat of a mystery as very little is known
about the members. Well Haxan is the bands "debut" originally
released in 2008. Hells Headbangers has decided to re-release it for
the maniacs who might have missed it the first time around. The best
way to describe Cultes Des Ghoules sound would be filthy, raw
old-school death metal with touches of black metal within the
thin/raw guitar riffs and screechy style vocals. Cultes Des Ghoules
is definitely not a band for everyone but if you enjoy the older
bands like Varathron or early Mortuary Drape then this should give
you some idea on the great style the band has continued to carry on
within their sound.
- Patrick
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/cultesdesghoules/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
|
Occult death metallers Cultes Des Ghoules are back! Henbane is five
tracks of dark mid-paced death metal with some blackened influences.
The band is not afraid to unleash their violent side with brutal
outbursts of blast beats, raw, primitive guitar riffs. The vocals
are harsh death growls & screams. Each song is a lengthy ranging
between eight and twelve minutes, not a horrible release but
honestly the music does get a little boring, drawn out for this
style. If your a fan of Cultes Des Ghoules past releases you will
enjoy Henbane or if you enjoy dark, primitive/raw death/black metal
you might wanna check this Polish blacked death metal band out.
- Patrick
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/cultesdesghoules/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
|
We have some UK black, thrashing punks return with their new release
'Hells Teeth'. This is a band from the old school of metal, picking
up right where they left off, but there is more of a punk sound and
feel to these songs. The guitars are played in the raw black metal
style and fast punkish style. The vocals are done in the old school
style of black metal vocals, with some thrashy vocals on a few
tracks. I really liked the bands first release, so I was excited to
get the chance hear/review this one. If you love the old school
metal style, then definitely should pick this one up today.
-
Patrick
http://unholycultfinder.bandcamp.com/
http://www.eldritchlunarmiasma.com/ |
|
At times is an
unfortunate statement that black metal has become a watered down,
caricature of itself. There is an absolute grey mass of bands
littering the landscape like some beaten down, demoralized war torn
country about to surrender. The problem for me is too many bands and
not only that but too many bands who do not even really care about
black metal, who do not truly believe in black metal but do it for
fun and do not take seriously. In addition, the influx of fruity
synth heavy “atmospheric soundscapes”, goth infusion, and fancy
studio recordings via pro tools etc… have sapped black metal of all
the reasons we worship it in the first place. Raw feeling, utter
darkness and evil strangled out of traditional instruments and the
depths on one’s own wicked soul. Clean productions / recordings is
like stoking a huge bonfire and when it is really blazing reaching
for water instead of more wood and throwing it on the fire. The
result is a pathetic smoldering glow. Enter Cryfemal, not overly
talented, they keep things simple and straight forward attacking you
head on. “Perpetua Funebre…” blasts forth with a certain diabolic
energy and Satanic ritualistic atmosphere, striking at the heart of
my discontent with determined ferocity. I really like the drumming
too, it has an off kilter, loose charm that brings back early Judas
Iscariot memories. The guitars have a hint of the “Deathcrush” gut
fuck to them and wind their way through the material like a snake
being charmed by a piercing yet melodic musician. The vocals are
decidedly for me a twisted mix of early Burzum and present day Lust
with a touch of something else I just cannot put my finger on. Yes,
those black rasps really stand out and accentuate a fine malicious
record. Cryfemal stock the coals and keep a bit of the igniting fuel
missing in so much of our scene and no I am not referring to the
rumours that certain past & present Cryfemal members are facing
incarceration for various crimes. – Dale
Oniric Records,
c/o David Prado, C/Olmo N. 1, 7 I, 06400 Don Bento (Badajoz), SPAIN www.oniric-distro.com
oniricrec@yahoo.es
www.cryfemal.cjb.net
|
Cryptic Tales
are quite an old band from Poland, and was formed back in 1989!!
They are existing for some years, then stopped doing music, and now,
7 years of silence the band is again upon metal throne. I didn't
hear the music they played early in its path, but I hear music now
which they created, and I'm totally satisfied with this record! The
music CT plays is amazing yet original death-doom metal mix, with
keyboards as well. The whole stuff consists of fast killing guitar
riffs, as well as drumming, and great keyboards together with good
growl vocals are here. Lots of fast and slow parts, really unearthly
atmosphere of despair and depression… I was really killed by this
CD, I listened to it many times, and I can't stop to listening to
this CD. The death-doom metal scene nowadays isn't the best, and our
guests decided not to play in a modern way, but in that truly
obscure old one! Music is really "live", catching and just amazing!
Each chord, each tune is totally filled with ALL means which should
be in such music as death-doom metal. And I think soon this band
will get high level here in the UG! So let's support them!
-
Aleksandr Maksymov
cryptictales@interia.pl
www.cryptictales.pl |
Well, my Canadian
brethern have come back with their 3rd album and first for
Century Media. The bio mentions the departure of vocalist Lord Worm but
fails to mention that after the material to the second album was written
guitarist Steve Thibault (one of the main songwriters and now manager)
also departed the fold. Wonder if Steve still writes with them? I
wouldn’t know as I have a promo copy with no liner notes. First off, I
don’t think Cryptopsy can ever top their amazing debut album “Blasphemy
Made Flesh”. New vocalist Mike Disalvo (ex-Infestation) is very good
with his deep, heavy death growls. I miss Lord Worm, I imagine Cryptopsy
is really gonna miss him live as he really commanded a crowd and it was
fun watching him eat earth worms. But, I must move on as Cryptopsy did.
The boys come back with another great technical and intricate and
lightning fast tempo changing death metal mindfuck! Did I mention the
drums yet? They are as per usual phenomenal and the best in the
death/grind genre. Flo is a human whirlwind, go see them live and
experience first hand what a I mean - God!! This will please all extreme
brutal death/grind fans. Cryptopsy show again why they are considered
one of the best there is in the genre.
–
Dale |
|
Cursed 13 are a Swedish black metal band that features Hel Jarmadr {Domgard}
on vocals. This new release Triumf is a collection of the bands
material from 1998 through 2013; musically it is very well played
dark, uncompromising Swedish black metal. Cursed mixes in some dark,
eerie mid-paced guitars and drum patterns with an evil atmosphere
within the music. The vocals are a mix of gruff death
growls and black metal shrieks and screams within the more rawer
blackened metal sections. Not as good as Wan's {label mate} release
but still a worth checking out if you enjoy cold, dark nineties
Swedish styled black metal.
- Patrick
https://soundcloud.com/cursed-13-official
https://www.facebook.com/Carnalrecords.sweden
|
CWAF
– Play a simplistic and stripped down but very heavy metallic style.
They like to keep things rhythmic and unchanging for long periods.
Which when they do change things up, it has a much larger impact
than technical bands, who stop on a dime, a dozen riffs and time
changes in each song. I love the Police State intro on here, check
that shit out. Cwaf is a little hard to pigeon hole, they have some
connection to death metal yet also are owing of their origin to
sludge bands like Cavity or Eyehategod. The drumming on here is
massive, a great performance. I would say this disc is worth picking
up just for the 4 Cwaf tracks.
Noosebomb
– is a band I had not heard of either. Noose, are purveyors of
Sludge metal as well, so the pairing is a natural one. Though, they
have a very different take, on the style than Cwaf. Noosebomb are
more active and have a much more traditional heavy metal base. The
last song on here entitled “What is the World Coming To” is an epic
doom influenced masterpiece. It is probably worth mention that Noose
features members of Disrupt and Grief in their line-up. – Dale
http://noosebomb.com/
www.bestialonslaught.com
|
|
I am guessing I
am not the only one, who is thrown off by this Swedish one man bands
name, but apparently it is an Old English word meaning “death”. That
one man goes by the name Astraeus, he handles all instruments and
vocals. I can appreciate him not using a fucking drum machine, as he
went all out and hired a session musician in the form of Jocke
Wallgren, the drummer in Amon Amarth. I guess I would have to label
the music on here, as mid 90s melodic and symphonic black death
metal. There is a lot going on here, there are slight hints of
influence from other exotic genres like middle eastern tidbits, at
times it even seems to venture into progressive territory. Despite
the keyboards being a little higher in the mix, than I would like,
the main thing you will probably notice is how everything is written
and performed at high speed, with only occasional brief somewhat
slowed down sections. That speed goes through everything from the
blitzkrieg drumming, to the hyper speed tremolo picked guitars and
even a smattering of guitar solos / fills, also performed at a
frenzied pace. As good as this is, and it is good, and well done. I
can’t help but think by slowing down a bit more at times, and
letting things breathe, leaving room for all the instruments would
take the songs to another level. But this is the bands debut and it
is a strong debut at that, it is impressive how Astraeus manages to
keep things as heavy and dark as he does, when considering the
extremely high level of melodicism on display, which fights with and
threatens to lighten up those elements. An impressive release,
considering it is the bands first and only release, not even a prior
demos or an ep, they come out of the gate very strong and I look
forward to hearing how Astraeus progresses from here on out. -
Dale
http://www.cwealm.com/
http://www.dusktone.eu/
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Florida's Cystic Dysentery have released their debut album, which is
eight tracks of brutal, fast, technical death metal. There is
nothing really new or outstanding on Culture Of Death. I suppose if
you are a die-hard fan of technical death metal and buy/collect
every band that releases something in this genre. Then I'd say buy
this release. But otherwise I would just recommend listening to your
older Deeds Of Flesh or Dying Fetus releases.
- Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/cysticdysentery
http://www.deathgasm.com/
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