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Acid Witch start off the seven inch, with their song “Evil”, a heavy
doomish rock song, with some keyboards and heavy guitars. The vocals
are growls with a dark tone to them. Their second track, “Fiends
Of Old” is a little faster, with a rockin’ doomish anthem. I’ve
never been a big fan of Acid Witch, but these song are pretty good
and catchy. Up next, is the legendary Nunslaughter, also offering us
two new songs for this release. First up, is “Two Spooky Tales”,
which is a really good song filled with heavy guitars and some great
drumming. The vocals, are done in the early nineties realm, with
some screams thrown in. Nunslaughter have crafted two great songs
that are definitely Nunslaughter. I'm not sure how many were made,
so if you are an Acid Witch or Nunslaughter fan, I would get this as
soon as possible.
-
Patrick
https://myspace.com/acidwitch
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
Greece’s Aima
start off this split vinyl, with an intro of whispering vocals
before they burst out with their song “Pagan Necromancy”, which is a
solid blackened death metal hymn. The music is played with a lot of
aggression, and skill, displaying extremely fast guitars and
blasting drums. Spain’s Supremative unleash two songs, consisting of
raw death metal, with some black metal influences. The first song
from them is “Triumphant Vengeance Of The Antichrist”, which is
played in the chaotic and fast raw, old school death metal style,
featuring very well written music and well executed musicianship.
The last song is “Omnipresent Morbid Excitement” (great crazy song
title haha - Dale), which starts off with a heavier sound and style,
then speeding up into to a faster realm in the middle of the song.
The guitars are fast, chainsaw riffing backed with blasting drums.
If you are a fan of well written, well played old school blackened
death then be sure to pick up this split 7 inch. - Patrick
https://supremative.bandcamp.com/releases http://www.bloodharvest.se/
|
 
Originally, this
was released in 2007, “Deathcult Barbaric Hell” is the debut album
from this US war metal band known as Amputator. Greyhaze Records is
re-releasing this classic on vinyl, for the first time, if you have
never heard the band they play a barbaric and vicious form of
blackened death war metal. The guitar work is done with chaotic and
extremely fast guitar riffs and patterns. The guitarist does slow to
a more mid paced controlled speed, in a few of the songs, before
going back to the extreme and crazed guitar sound and style. The
vocals are harsh, raw screams and some deeper, gruff death growls
used throughout the release. The music has been remastered for the
LP version, but still holds things up in the barbaric blackened
death war metal scene. - Patrick
https://greyhazerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.greyhazerecords.com/ |
|
Argentina"s Black Vul Destructor, start off this seven inch, with
two tracks of violent blackened death. The guitars are done with a
lot of sheer power and crazed guitar riffs. The vocals are done with
death growls and some gruff vocals as well. Up next is Chile's Et
Verbi Sathanus, very chaotic with some thrash influence, as well.
The guitars are crazy, all over the place, and the drums are just
vicious blasting. The vocals are done with some crazy black metal
shrieks and screams. The second song "Gehinnon", has more of a death
thrashy feel and the vocals are growls, with some higher pitched
screams. I would say, both bands, are equally great on this split.
-
Patrick
http://etverbisathanus.bandcamp.com/ http://www.bloodharvest.se/
|
|
The Texas based
Blaspherian, return with a brand new seven inch, containing two
tracks for this release. The music is heavy guitar laden death
metal, with some crushing mid-paced drums, but the drummer is not
afraid to let loose with some faster drum patterns mixed in. The
vocals are heavy death metal growls, which are done extremely well.
Blaspherian has released a great new 7 Inch, if you are a fan of
this band or a heavy old school death metal fan, then definitely
give this band a listen right now. - Patrick
http://www.reverbnation.com/blaspherian
http://www.ironbonehead.de/ |
This is my first
encounter with COS, spoiler up front; I very much hope it is not my
last. The track on first side is the title cut; it captured me
almost immediately, as the music and the singer are filled with
infectious charisma. The song features a rich tone and silky flow,
the music is classic doom metal influenced, but there is much more
going on as it also has hard rock influence and a touch of
progressive rock flair. The guitars dance and gallop along, but
always return to that emotional doomy heart punch, it is hard to
even call this doom at the same time, because in certain sections of
the tune the pace is very quick. It is so damn infectious, I can not
stop listening to this song, I am convinced it will be a future
classic! I can not move on to track two without mentioning the
vocals of G.E., he has one of the best classic doom style vocals I
have ever heard!! His voice is smooth, so deeply achingly emotive
that I can feel it is my soul as it soars through my headphones with
such a dynamic range, reflecting the poignant sentimentality of the
music step for step effortlessly. It is just wonderful and I am not
sure I have ever written so much about one song before haha! Side B
of this record features a live recording of “The Hangman”, which is
a song from their debut self titled full-length record. Honestly,
the first reaction is a slight letdown, but that is partly due to
such a drastic drop in sound quality, the recording on the first
song is stellar, loud and full then it drops way down here to kind
of a flat low level. About halfway through the song, it has this
metal or hard rock version of a latin inspired beat / section. It is
strange and maybe an acquired taste, but it does seamlessly weave in
and out of the hurriedly mournful metal mainstay of the tune better
than you would think. This side of the record is a step down from
the first, a true B side in that sense, but Side A is more than
worth the price of admission, all on it’s own. That title song is a
fucking masterful work of art, from the beginning of it’s six minute
length, to the last second! Get this posthaste! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/caveofswimmers http://southerndruidrecords.storenvy.com/ |
Cloak is a band
that comes out of Atlanta’s metal scene, and they play a very
interesting style of metal. The first song, “In The Darkness, The
Path”, which is a good song, which displays newer death metal
influences. The guitars are played at various speeds, starting off
with a mid paced range and tempo, it does speed up to a faster pace
in a few parts of the song. The guitarist also does a good job of
writing, and playing some well done riffs and interesting patterns.
The vocals are death metal growls with some screams intertwined in
the music. The second song, “The Hunger”, which is done in the same
vein, with some very well constructed and performed drum patterns
and mid tempo guitar riffs that were really satisfying to hear. This
is a hard band to put into one genre, as there is a few different
genres, and a variety of bands that Cloak are influenced by. Cloak
is a band that has a lot of good ideas, and they have the
musicianship to back it up, so if this sounds like a band you might
like then hurry and get this limited vinyl before it is sold out!
- Patrick
http://cloakatlanta.bandcamp.com/releases
http://www.boris-records.com/
|
|
Datura came out
swinging in the second week of June with their debut full-length The
Harrowing, celebrating its release the day after at the Raleigh
Deathfest with one of the best performances on stage that night.
These guys have been a part of the local metal scene in North
Carolina for many years, and in their current incarnation have been
making music together since around 2015. They began recording The
Harrowing last October, and now the fruits of their labors finally
manifest! The album expertly combines various influences within its
43-minute playing time, most significantly from thrash and death
metal, although one may find sprinkles of doom here and there in
such tracks as “Haxan” and “Keeper of the Light”. Regardless of
subgenre nitpickiness, the album will have you headbanging no matter
what track you listen to. Give “Battle Worn” a listen, and the
initially mid-paced riffing will guide you into each verse, building
anticipation up until the chorus calls out at the “battle-worn
betrayer” with righteous indignation, then releasing you into the
rhythmic aftermath that eventually winds down like the falling
action of a story within the track’s latter half. Or maybe you would
prefer the next track, which showcases Kellie Gates’s vocals at
their best, in my opinion. Listen as the guitars at times punctuate
the verses, and at times gallop along, keeping the composition
moving in a constantly forward direction until you get the
broken-down form in the chorus where Gates takes over with deadly
delivery of punching lines and contrasting soaring screams. Needless
to say, there is a lot to love about this album—more than I can
succinctly determine in a single paragraph. Navigate to Datura’s
Bandcamp or Spotify in order to hear for yourself why Datura is one
of the most promising extreme metal acts coming out of central NC
today. – Aaron
https://datura666.bandcamp.com/ https://www.rustyknucklesmusic.com/collections/datura |
|
Portland
Oregon’s Dead Conspiracy (one of the pioneer late ‘80s dm bands
making a comeback), return with a brand new LP and digital download,
consisting of nine songs of pounding, heavy old school death metal.
The band knows how to write solid and memorable death metal in the
old tradition. The guitarist does a good job of writing and playing
a mix of mid tempo, heavier riffs mixed with some aggressive guitar
patterns. The drumming is done with a mix of heavy mid paced drum
patterns and an all out assault of fast, chaotic drums. The vocals
are raw death growls and gruff old school style growling used in a
few of the songs. Anyone into pure old school death metal will
definitely want to add this self titled record to their collection
today. - Patrick
https://deadconspiracy.bandcamp.com/
https://www.reverbnation.com/deadconspiracy |
|
We see the
return of the old school thrashing maniacs to Canadian Assault, with
a new two song EP. The first song, on this vinyl, is “Hell Comes To
Life”, which an aggressive thrash metal attacking track featuring
ripping guitars played with a lot of skill and fierce patterns. The
vocals are some raw screams mixed with some blackened style vox. The
second song is a cover, Judas Priest’s classic “Hell Patrol”, the
band does a great job capturing the intensity of that song, but also
adding a dash of their own style to the song. If you are a fan of
the early years of thrash, such as Kreator, Exodus, Judas Priest
“Painkiller”-era, then be sure to check this slab of vinyl out as
soon as it is released. - Patrick
https://deathofkings.bandcamp.com/ http://boris-records.com/
|
|
So up first on
this split vinyl is the Philippines own Deiphago with three songs
from their recent demo “Lucifer Alpha Omega”, which was a demoed
version of songs that wound up on their “Satan Alpha Omega” album
released on Hells Headbangers some years ago. The music is raw,
crude black metal that stays true to the early black metal genre.
The vocals are raw screams mixed with some deeper growls that are
used throughout the songs. The guitars are played with aggressive
and fast guitar chords, but do slow down to a slow to heavier mid
pace within some of the songs. Flipping over to the second side, we
have the U.S. war machine known as Amputator, who presents two
unreleased songs for us. Amputator’s style is barbaric and vicious
war metal. The drums are blast beats, performed with fierce brutal
attack, going from an all out assault of blasting beats to a calmer
and fast drum pattern. The vocals are gruff screams and growling.
The end result of this split release is a pretty great one uniting
two of the underground’s best blackened death war metal bands. -
Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/deiphago/
https://www.greyhazerecords.com/
|
Australia’s
Destruktor, starts off the split, with their song “Beseiged”. The
sound on here is a great sounding brand of old-school death metal
bombast. The drumming is performed with a lot of talent and power
with crazed blast drumming, with a few parts of more mid-tempo
drums. The guitars are just as fast, with some insane riffs and a
few solos mixed into the song. Up next, we have Poland’s Throneum,
with their song “Cthonian Lust” and again this is a band that
totally respects and lives the old-school death metal way. There are
some great guitar chords and fast drumming patterns driving home
their ancient sound. I am not sure, if this is a limited release or
not, so if you interested, then I would check the labels site as
soon as possible and pick this one up. - Patrick
http://www.destruktor.com/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
There is no
beating around the bush here, from theme, to look, to the music
itself is a violent and evil sounding love letter to the German
thrash scene of the early to late ‘80s. You could maybe even narrow
the focus even further and call this Sodom worship (“In The Sign Of
Evil” MLP and the first couple albums in particular), but there is
no doubt bands like Kreator, Destruction etc… also played a part in
shaping this band. I am sure, with this being nothing new or
experimental, progressive or whatever the fuck focused fans have
already stopped reading this review. Which is just fine, this not
made for you, so continue moving along as there surely is nothing
new here. This Swedish band features members (which has been kept
kind of hush, hush for the most part) who are currently or formerly
members of bands like Destroyer 666, In Aeternum, Centinex,
Interment, Hypnosia etc.. After finding that out, you may not be
surprised to discover the ferocious Teutonic thrash, played by these
maniacs is picture perfect old school blitzkrieg metal of the
highest order. This is truly top shelf thrash; played at break neck
speeds with amazing riffing that had my head banging like a puppet
on a string, leaving me no choice to bow to it’s will. Yes, it is
that fucking good! The only problem is it is too short, only two
original songs, followed by a scathing cover of “Tormentor” by
Kreator. All of which, barely breaks the nine minute mark, so a
rather short 12”, but one thing I can promise, if you worship ’80s
German thrash. You will be standing close to the record player,
because you will be flipping and replaying this constantly, as you
punch the air with your spiked fist and bobbing your head in between
swinging that arm back to the beginning of the record time and
again. Take it from me; during the course of writing this review, I
am literally 30 listens deep on this thing with no end in sight!
- Dale
https://www.facebook.com/DreadfulFate/
http://www.edgedcircleproductions.com/
|
|
 
Birmingham,
Alabama’s Ectovoid returns with a brand new release featuring three
brand new tracks of extremely solid and heavy death metal. The
vocals are a mix deep death metal growling and some old school gruff
style growls. The music is interesting and keeps your interest at it
chugs along at a brutal edge and a fast tempo. The band does play
some brief slower, mid paced sections as well. If you are a fan of
early Autopsy and Immolation then be sure to pick up a copy of this
nice piece vinyl audio violence. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/ectovoid
http://shop.bloodharvest.se/ |
|
Originally,
these three songs were a part of the split release with Brutal
Distortion, which was released way back in 1990. The Expulser half
of the split have been remastered, but the songs still hold a raw
sound and feel to them. The first song “Vomiting Paradise” is a
semi-fast thrash style, which features some very good musicianship.
The guitarist even adds some well written and performed nice solos.
The second song is “The Offensor”, which is a faster, more crazed
tune that goes for it. The final track is “No Resurrection”, which
is probably the heaviest out of the three tracks on this LP. The
drumming on here is done at hyper-speed and the vocals are more old
style death growls with some gruff screams intertwined throughout
the growling. If you are a fan of old school thrash metal with
elements of the early days of death metal, then be sure to pick this
up today.
- Patrick
https://greyhazerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.greyhazerecords.com/
|
Exterminator was
an early Brazilian thrash metal band with some early death metal
influences. This recording was originally released in 1987; it was
the bands debut (as it turns out also their final release) which is
now getting the vinyl treatment with this reissue on Greyhaze
Records on the thirty anniversary of the original release. The
vocals on here are raw thrashy screams mixed with some early death
metal growls that really fit the bands musical style. The guitarist
wrote some very aggressive and memorable riffing patterns, he even
mixed in some well played and written solos. For the most part, the
guitars are played in mid paced range with some faster parts here
and there in some of the songs. The drummer does a solid job of
combining both middle speed drumming and faster paced drums, which
he uses throughout the recording. If you are a fan of original, well
played thrash mixed with elements of death metal you should pick up
a copy of “Total Extermination” as soon as it is available to the
public. - Patrick
https://greyhazerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.greyhazerecords.com/ |
I was not sure
if I was that big of a fan of this record, on first listen, but upon
subsequent spins this Swedish band is really winning me over. It
probably comes as little surprise, looking at the band name and
cover artwork, that this band is a retro ‘80s heavy metal throwback.
This ‘80s love is achingly on display, in the lyrics about fantasy
themes, there are even songs about campy cult classic Kung Fu and
Ninja movies like Kill And Kill Again and Ninja III: The Domination.
If that were not enough, it is clear they went for yes a clear
production, but one that mimics aspects of early to mid ‘80s
production, lacking the extra punch at times in the guitars and
subdued thinner sounding drums. Being and old school guy myself I
can appreciate this touch, but I do wish at times the guitars had a
little more bite to them, also that they would let them gallop a
little longer now and then on some of the killer riffs. All of that
aside, if you do not mind retro for retro’s sake, then you will find
Gravebreaker write some great infectious melodic songs, which
showcase some solid song writing talent and feel for emotional
highlights in the structuring. The keyboards, at times, are a little
over used and unnecessary, but at other times on certain sections of
songs like “At The Gates Of Hell” and “Messenger Of Death” they
assimilate into the musical tapestry in a wonderful catchy way. The
vocals have that cool old school; slightly gritty edge to them with
the Swedish accent bleeding through, but only slightly and for me in
a very enjoyable way. For reference some influences I could hear,
think of early albums from bands like Accept, Omen, Ozzy, Mercyful
Fate, Dio, Liege Lord, Running Wild, Acid, Judas Priest, Helstar,
Tank etc… I think fans of early 1980s heavy metal will love this
beauty of a record. - Dale
https://gravebreaker.bandcamp.com/
http://www.gatesofhellrecords.com/
|
|
Haunting were a
band that was part of the Atlanta, Georgia underground metal scene.
The band only put out one release, entitled “Sealed Shut”, which was
a limited run demo tape that came out in 2014. That release plus a
new intro is essentially what this is, so a re-release, but now on
the vinyl format for the first time, giving a chance for those that
missed it the first time around to get on it. Just reading the bio
from the label, apparently the band was very important back in the
2013-1016 time period in helping revive a local Atlanta seen that
was in decline. Haunting’s music is a nice blend of thrash and early
death metal. The guitars are played with crazed, fast guitar
patterns. The guitarist has a talent for writing some well executed
guitar riffs, and even adds some solos, which are weaved into the
music quite skillfully. The vocals are old school gruff growls and
some screams are used here and there in a few of the songs. If you
are a fan of old school death and thrash metal, then make sure to
you check this one out and pick up your own copy today. -
Patrick
https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sealed-shut
http://boris-records.com/
|
Coming out of
Atlanta, Georgia’s black metal scene is Hellgoat, who return with a
new two song seven inch of unholy and barbaric music. The first song
is “Inner Sanctum Ablaze”, which is a good song of true satanic
blackness, featuring hyper speed and blasting drums that are done
with a good style and interesting patterns. The vocals are harsh
blackened shrieks and screams. The second song is “Scars Of Our
Devotion” is in the same vein except there is more of a brutal and
violent approach in this song. The drums are forceful and chaotic
drum patterns. The guitars are played at a very fast pace, but the
guitarist does slow down a little song, giving things a more
controlled feeling. The vocals are done with a lot of power to the
harsh evil dark screams. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/Hellgoat-359498710801448/
http://boris-records.com/ |
Originally
released in 2005 Hellgoat’s debut is getting a vinyl re-release
through Boris Records. “Blasphemy From Serpent Tongues” is eight
songs of intense early nineties raw black metal that has both fast
and a more mid pace range of the songs. The guitarist does slow to a
more controlled mid paced range in a few songs. The vocals are raw,
grim black metal screams of anger. If you are a fan of Hellgoat’s
new releases, but missed out on the debut that started it all, then
be sure to pick up this beast today. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/Hellgoat-359498710801448 www.boris-records.com
|
 
This came out of
left field for me, as I had never heard of Hellthrasher before now,
at least not a band by that name. As I understand it, you might be
able to call this Memphis band a bit of project band featuring
members of Incineration, an ex-member of influential crust punk band
His Hero Is Gone and some other local musicians. The result is a
pretty brutal mixing of death metal, grind and crust, which is heavy
and chunky as fuck, not to mention just catchy enough in many
sections that I can not even help myself from headbanging to the
metallic maelstrom. The pacing is up and down, from middle pacing
chunky death metal to vicious outbursts of high velocity grinding at
times, with crust-like structuring and vibe. The vocals, much like
the music, seem like a hybrid of the above subgenres with an
undertone of aggressive hardcore crust screeching cutting through
the slightly more predominant dm growling. I find that combo pretty
satisfying, but I guess it depends on how particular you are with
those styles, on whether you would mind or not the mixing of those
styles. The drums are really the backbone of this record in a lot of
ways, it is a rather menacing forceful drum performance, which sets
the tone, strongly backing up the thick rumbling bass and stout
guitar riffing, and propelling the whole thing in a forward motion
in a lot of ways. I am uncertain of the running time, I would guess
somewhere between 15-20 minutes, but it is an intense ride you will
want to take repeatedly, so you can keep the intensity rolling and
trust me you will want to keep it rolling. It is always a treat for
me to receive vinyl for review, it is like an Xmas present for me,
so cheers to the label for sending this cool limited (300 copies I
believe) release on beautiful dark red marbled vinyl (it comes in
three editions of red & black marbled and straight black). I
listened to this on bandcamp just for comparisons sake and the
sound, in my opinion, kills on the vinyl version. - Dale
https://hellthrasher.bandcamp.com
http://blakskul.bigcartel.com/ |
Death metal
seems to be experimenting quite a bit this year in terms of bringing
influences from other sorts of music into its compositions. Death
doom often reigns in this area, but recently psychedelia elements
have been sneaking their way into the brutal form. Enter John Frum,
a super group of sorts, with “A Stirring in the Noos” released on
May 12th in association with Relapse Records. This album merges
psychedelia with dusky death metal with seasoned competence, as is
to be expected from a lineup that includes members like bassist Liam
Wilson of The Dillinger Escape Plan and vocalist Derek Rydquist of
ex-The Faceless fame. These two band members produced the elements
that I found myself focusing on the most when I was listening to the
album, not because of their status in the scene, but rather because
of just how much control each has over their deliveries. Wilson’s
bass at times pummels through the composition, and at times acts as
the pulse to the music. Rydquist’s vocal performance demonstrates
his wide range, fluctuating from mid-lows to blackened mid-highs. He
has complete power concerning the verses he conveys. However, the
drums and guitar do not feel as exceptional in comparison, even
though they both show technical capacity throughout the album. Matt
Hollenberg’s guitar solos are often astoundingly tortured in the
manner that has become familiar in this brand of death metal, but
they sometimes fall short in terms of being memorable. Similarly,
Eli Litwin’s drumming exhibits his mechanical proficiency, but there
were only a few sections on the record where I truly noticed the
drums as being brilliant. This is not to say that the album overall
is lackluster. Quite the contrary—I believe the band will only
better from here because this album presents much promise for their
future. John Frum carve out a space to call their own in the vein of
psychedelic death metal, but whether they will maintain their rank
alongside so many other fantastically written experimental death
metal projects churned out this year remains uncertain. - Aaron
http://johnfrumband.com/
https://john-frum.bandcamp.com/
|
|
It is an
interesting choice by this Finnish band to start off the opening
song on their debut album with a cover tune. After listening to it
though, it does feel right, as they really add their own style
heavily to this cover of Darkthrone’s “The Serpent’s Harvest”, from
the Total Death album. They end up largely making the song their
own, yet still paying homage to the songs immense cadenced
foundation riff. This is my first encounter with this young band,
after apparently having missed their digital single and ep, both
released a couple years ago. Khanus has been hard at work on this
introductory record ever since and that hard work shows. I suppose
you could call the band avant-garde or progressive to some extent,
as the band incorporates many unusual elements, such as all sorts of
primitive sounding ritualistic and occult or Shamanic ceremonial
type elements such as chants, hypnotic rhythmic drumming, overall
tempos and timing. Like I said, I guess you can call them that, but
unlike most bands placed into the avant-garde / progressive realm
Khanus never abandons their root sound. Which is very heavy and
slightly doomy darkened death metal, that brutal underpinning is
always the anchor with everything else spinning around it’s orbit.
Despite that description everything on here is solid and well
performed, but there is really nothing overly technically impressive
or amazingly complex going here with their slow-ish to middle paced
music. But, the way it is all put together, the vision and song
crafting are where it is special or at least different, and somewhat
original (okay so maybe Master’s Hammer and Root have done something
approaching this) when combined together as you all know that alone
is an achievement these days. All the above described, conspire
together to create a very shadowy and mysterious atmospheric vibe
that is magnetic in a sinister trance-inducing manner. The vocals
display an impressively wide spectrum of styles, often featuring
spoken word or partially sung and spoken passages in a brutish
intimidating style, as well as growling, clean voices, triumphant
almost classic doom style singing and as mentioned previous various
iteration chanting. As I said earlier, there is nothing mind-blowing
here with regards to it’s unremarkable individual elements, but the
manner in which they have all been masterfully woven together, in a
different and original sounding way is what makes this a special
record, worth your attention. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/khanusband
https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com |
This Spanish
band is new, but it’s members have been around for years in other
bands (Sheidhim, Graveyard, Morbid Flesh etc…), so it is no surprise
how mature this mini-album sounds and the performances within.
Things start off with a possessed demonic intro that reminds of the
early vocalization of the infamous Hellhammer. Following the intro,
the music explodes out of your speakers with an exciting burst of
forcefulness, which is sure to invigorate the listener into a frenzy
of adrenaline filled headbanging fury. It is a straight shot to the
veins of potent, swirling guitars producing a catchy and heavy riff
storm. The energy is high, often with a rapid pace to match, but the
band does slow things down now and then to create an underlying evil
atmospheric to underpin the barbarity. Think of a blitzkrieg melding
of early Venom and Celtic Forst, mixed with newer influences like
Vomitor, Dissection, Bestial Mockery, Nifelheim, Destruktor and
Gospel Of The Horns. So yes, it is in my mind, a caustic love letter
to some of the most vicious bands from the Australian and Swedish UG
scenes. There is not that much of an own sound, but fuck it, when
they do it this fucking good and put this much dedication and
diabolic energy into it. I can do nothing but praise what they have
accomplished here on this six song, twenty minute recording. Not to
even mention, how do you not love a band with high quality music,
who also have a song title called “The Great Masturbator”! -
Dale
https://krossfyre-spain.bandcamp.com/ http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
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Atlanta’s death
metallers Malformity return with a new 7” EP, which features two
tracks of old school brutal death metal. The first track is
“Rapturous Damnation”, which is four minutes of solid and raging
barbarous death metal music. The vocals are growls that fit in the
musical style very well. The guitars are played at a mid paced
tempo, but do speed up a few times, before calming back down to the
middle paced realm once again. The second and final song is
“Unraveling”, which is a much faster and chaotic piece of music
compared to the first track. The drumming is played with some
blasting drum parts that do slow down slightly to a fast style
similar to the mid ‘90s US and Swedish bands from this era. The
vocals in this song are a mix of gruff growls and some deeper
brutish growling as well. If you are a fan of quality old school
death metal, which has influences from both American and Swedish
death metal scenes, you should definitely pick up this seven inch
when it is released. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/Malformity/
http://boris-records.com/ |
 
If anyone knows
me, and my musical tastes, they know how big of a die hard I am for
early to mid ‘90s Greek black metal. I worshipped at it’s malevolent
altar back then, and since tape trading, buying releases and
following this scene. It unfortunately, over the years, largely
morphed stylistically and sound-wise into something I largely did
not care for. I long for those olden days, so does Medieval Demon,
who are keeping them alive and attempting to return the scene to
past glory. I immediately think of one of my all time favourite
black metal releases when listening to this, which is Necromantia’s
side of their split album with the mighty Varathron, released way
back in 1992, a pure masterpiece. Before anyone gets the wrong idea
that M.D. are a new young band, picking up the old mantle, forget
that straight away. despite having called it quits for 15 years at
the end of the ‘90s, Medieval Demon actually formed in 1992
releasing demos, a split ep and album prior to the hiatus. The two
main driving forces of the band are brothers Lord Apollyon &
Sirokous, who also run a record label called Cryptia Productions, as
well as running a black/death record store together in Athens. This
release spews no less than fifty-five minutes of the audio
personification of blasphemic darkness and evil! The old Greek bm
style, while similar to the early ‘90s second wave of black metal
coming from Scandinavia, tends to possess more ritualistic drumming
and effects. These bands also show more passion for the first wave
of black metal, in the late ‘80s, with more traditional metal
elements than many of their Scandinavian counterparts. The sound
also often includes dark and freezing synth accents, frequently
coupled with a building crescendo of dramatic hypnotic beats. When
performed and crafted correctly it can truly take the listener on a
sinister emotional mental journey. I know I have built this album up
high, I do not want to mislead here, it may not rival those early
classics, as good as it is. But, it does capture that sound and
tradition with an authentic reverence, assuring that the flame is
lit again and that the air crackles electric with the old magic once
again. So, if you miss the early years of Greek black metal, as I
do, and adore the early releases of bands like Necromantia,
Varathron, Rotting Christ, Nergal, Kawir, Agatus, Zemial, Thou Art
Lord and more (not Greek but I even hear a bit of Mortuary Drape in
there) then you will need to look into this straight away! -
Dale
https://medievaldemon.bandcamp.com/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
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I was lucky
enough to receive this beautiful looking piece of vinyl in the mail.
It looks great, the artwork suits the music, looks nice blown up
this big, and the record itself is sweet clear vinyl, with black
smoke wafting from the center of the vinyl outward. Monobrow are
from my homeland Canada, always a plus for me. These Canadian
heavyweights, play rocking stoner fuzz hard rock / metal, with
healthy doses 70s hard rock doom and progressive rock from the same
time period, plus topped as mentioned with a modern stoner feel. All
are influences that fall directly into my wheelhouse. Monobrow tend
to stick to a middling pace, but they do slow it down, always
propelled by catchy as fuck riffs and rhythms. The drumming on this
record is great; it really drew me in at times and helped take me on
a journey. Which, for me is something, that very rarely happens,
coming that particular instrument. There are some sweet little bass
noodles on the breaks, in between the riffing heat, that are the
perfect accent. I also dig the somber, psychedelic moody moments;
they linger in the air like a murky bitch of a head trip, before
jumping back into the fray once again. The music on this album, is
so good and delivers such a full sound, that I did not mind or
really even think about there being no vocals on this album. I have
to think, Monobrow would be a great band to experience live, not
mention I want hear them say, “The next song is Old Man
Mouthbreather” haha Killer song title. Get this! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/monobrowmanband
http://monobrowmanband.bandcamp.com/
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Well this was a
bit of a surprise for me. Until now, Boris Records had only sent me
bands they championed, from their home base area of Atlanta,
Georgia. Which, as it turns out, is more of a hotbed of quality
extreme metal bands than I would have imagined? The label has
reached way out of the area this time, and out of the country,
searching all the way down south to Peru and the mighty South
American UG scene to find Morbid Slaughter. There are two songs here
“Wicca” and “Nightly Breath Of God” on this lovely little slab of
vinyl. Morbid Slaughter play some great old school thrashing black
metal that I often find myself missing these days. The songs and
riffing are straight ahead and simple, but driving and very
effective, creating a cold and sinister atmospheric feel to the
music. There is a cool piercing guitar lead on the title track, as
well as a more frenzied possessed lead, on the second track as well.
Which fits the music surprisingly well and is not out of place at
all. The vocals took me a couple listens to get used to and became a
highlight for me after a while. I think it took me some time, to get
into them, as they are just different than you usually hear these
days and again are harkening back to the old days, like early
Mortuary Drape or something similar. The vocals have some of the
traditional bm rasp to them, but it is cloaked under a cool long
drawn out creepy whisper, that only further adds to the ominous
feeling the music gives you. This is well worth getting your hands
on and it comes with a liner insert as well. I believe as of this
writing, the vinyl is still available (I think I read somewhere it
is limited to 500 copies), but if it sells out by the time you read
this, the music on this vinyl is available in high quality download
purchase for less than two bucks on the labels bandcamp site, as are
most or all their releases. - Dale
http://www.reverbnation.com/morbidslaughter
http://www.boris-records.com/
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Morbosidad have
unleashed their brand new Mini-LP “Tortura”. They mix a nice blend
of old-school black and death metal elements, together with some
influences of war metal chaos. The drumming is non-stop, fast and
chaotic, just all over the place, which really fits the songs. The
guitars are equally as fast, with some excellent patterns and riffs.
The band is not all speed and chaos, they do slow it down in a few
songs to a more mid-paced range, before pummeling the listener with
yet another barrage of high-speed guitars and drums. - Partick
https://www.facebook.com/MORBOSIDADOFFICIALPAGE
http://www.nwnprod.com/ |
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Starting off
this cool piece of split vinyl is the American warring blackened
death metal horde Morbosidad with a new track, entitled “Verdugo”,
which is an excellent death black metal assault of real destruction
and fury. The vocals are cool raw gruff growls and screams. The
music is mid paced with a few outbursts of intensity mixed into the
anarchy. The second song is “Pureza Del Martir”, which is a more of
a little faster paced, and straight to the point with blasting drums
backed with a mix of gruff growling and tortured screams. Sweden’s
Kill (featuring Carl Warslaughter whom long time CA readers will
remember well from the infamous band Bestial Mockery) like their
counterparts on this split release are veterans of sick UG game.
Kill appear with one longer song (well longer than the two
Morbosidad tracks) entitled ‘Prayer Of Destruct’, which is a
frenzied piece of blackened death metal music and a real beast of a
song! The music is played with a lot of raw intensity that is grim,
but also showcases the bands experience and sadistic song writing
abilities. The vocals on this track are raw, harsh hateful sounding
screams. This is an excellent release for fans on truly dirty and
evil metal from the depths, so check it out and also support the
great Hells Headbangers who have fine taste in music and champion
true death and black metal. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/thetruekill
https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/
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The first band on this release, is Columbia's Nebiros with their
song "Yo Pecador", it is mid-paced black metal with some death metal
influences. The song is done great and the vocals are raspy screams.
The band members are really good with their instruments, and one
song is not enough, hopefully they will release a new MLP or cd
soon. Next is Bolivia's Nekrmanteion, with their song ''Occult
Revelations'', it is a dark song with a big black/thrash elements
going on. Not as good as Nebiros, but their still a young band, so
maybe their next release will see continued improvement.
-
Patrick
http://www.ironbonehead.de/
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I thought this
was a real coup, for the label, when I heard they were releasing
this. I am sure many of you, reading this know the cult classic 1985
horror movie, by the same name. This release is in conjunction, with
the movie re-release, by the rapidly gaining in popularity Vinegar
Syndrome. Who are releasing all sorts of old film classics from
vintage sex movies, to horror movies, that the die hards have being
waiting for on DVD and Blu Ray. This soundtrack, of course is not
metal in the least, but I have always had a thing for horror movie
soundtracks, and this is a hell of a collectors item and very cool.
I believe this thing is already sold out. There was a pressing of
500 with 400 on black vinyl and 100 on blue and bone coloured vinyl.
So while you scour online, for a second hand copy, you can preview
the tracks at the link below. This thing looks beautiful, the old
school looking; broken-in layout is fantastic in my opinion. I was
told by the label owner Bill, there might be more Vinegar Syndrome
soundtrack releases in the future. I really hope so, this is killer
gem that is going straight into my collection, mine is #302 out of
500 and you can not have it! Support this one of kind label, they
deserve it! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/NoVisibleSacrs
http://novisiblescars.bandcamp.com/
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Nuclear War Now
has unearthed and released, the early demos, from one of the
earliest U.S. death metal hordes and legends. The “Science Of
Horror” 1988 demo starts off this slab of death thrashing mayhem,
with four songs of early death metal, peppered with some thrashing
influence. Even in the bands early demos they recorded, you can hear
the beginnings of their technical guitars and trademark sound. There
is no doubt, in my mind, that this band is one of the pioneers of
the genre and the death metal scene the movement spawned. Up next on
side two, is the 1987 demo titled demo 1, which possesses a much
more raw production, though you can still make out all the
instruments. The guitars are much faster, with a thrashy sound, even
in this early demo you can hear this band was extremely focused and
knew how to play their instruments. The drumming is performed with a
variety of fast drum patterns, then slowing to a more mid pace range
at times. I would say this is a must have, for any fans of Nocturnus
or if you are a fan of early death metal, this is a great release to
your hands on today. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/NocturnusAD
http://www.nwnprod.com/ |
 
Wow after an
epic eight year absence, October 31 graces itself upon the ears and
fears of the scene once more. It is good to have them back! Holy
shit, that meaty riff off the hop, bursts out of my headphones in
rocking fashion. Then we immediately launch into a brief, frantic
guitar solo, just before the almighty King Fowley clobbers you with
his wonderful, charismatic voice / yells dripping with traditional
heavy metal / thrash goodness. I could listen to that man sing over
classic style heavy metal of yesteryear all night long. Howl it out
brother! Whoooo!! On side B of this sweet piece of vinyl, we are
absolutely treated to a rousing, spirited cover of Uriah Heep’s “Too
Scared To Run”, one of my favourite Heep tracks. They knock this
thing right out of the park, it sounds so great, that stylish chunky
riff starts things off and running, with King pouring his heart out
all over the microphone! His voice is saturated with emotion and
conviction that is perfectly matched by the music. I am getting
fucking chills listening to cover man, fuck me this is soooo good it
hurts!! - Dale
https://myspace.com/october31
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
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This is a
re-issue of this notorious legend bands final album that originally
came out in 1996. The album starts off with a short intro before
kicking off the music with a middle paced thrashy old school black
metal sound. The vocals are a mix of old style gruff growls and some
screams mixed in. There is also some clean singing believe it not
and even some whispery spoken word type of vocals used in some of
the songs. The guitars are done mainly with mid paced guitars, but
do speed up to a faster pace now and then throughout the recording.
‘The Worst’ (a very apt title as this has to be the worst thing the
band released - Dale) is Sarcofago’s last full length release, while
this release is nowhere near as fast or chaotic as the bands earlier
releases, but the ‘The Worst’ does still have some good music on it
at times. - Patrick
https://www.greyhazerecords.com
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Boris Records is
really doing a good job, at putting the Altanta, Georgia scene, on
the map. All four of the releases, they have sent for review have
been from Atlanta. I must say, I am impressed, at the quality coming
out of there. This time around, we get a dirty, grimy band which
plays crusty thrashing death/grind insanity. Some of the higher
pitched mainstay vocals, remind me slightly to the vox of the mighty
Macabre, so you know I like that shit being a big Macabre fan. The
more I listen to this record, the more it feels like there is a
Spewtilator sound, so to speak, where they have taken a lot of
influences and created something of their own with it. I did not
feel that way, after the first listen or two, just thought well this
is just okay, but the more I listen to it, the more I hear and the
more their sound started to click with me. So much so, I am becoming
kind of addicted to listening to this, five song circle of vinyl
raunchiness, over and over again. It does not want to seem to come
off of my turntable! This release, sort of reminds me of many years
ago, when I got heavily into a band named Drogheda. Spewtilator
remind me of them somewhat stylistically, but more the atmosphere
they create and their consistency, within that feel to their music,
from song to song. I think their sound has a certain crossover
sensibility to it, from a few genres like crust, punk, thrash,
death, grind and maybe even the slightest hint of black metal
vitriol spit in there. This is some good shit; it just may take a
few listens to really sink in like it did with me. Just stick with
it and you will be rewarded. I will tell you what, Boris Records and
the Atlanta scene have captured my attention, they will capture
yours too if given half a chance. - Dale
http://spewtilator.bandcamp.com/
http://www.boris-records.com
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From the Bay
Area of California we have some fresh, hearty meat entering the
contemporary death metal scene: Succumb’s self-titled debut. This
album was released by the band formerly known as Cloak on May 5th in
association with Flenser Records, and has made ripples in the metal
community, or at least in the metal blogosphere. Coming in at about
34 minutes of spin time, this record wastes not a single second
within its tracks, moving from passage to passage seamlessly with
such ferocity that you will wonder when you are truly allowed to
catch your breath and massage your neck. Harry Cantwell’s drumming
especially adds to the band’s mercilessness, taking a methodical
approach that reigns in the other elements of the compositions while
still maintaining his own furious pacing and rhythm. Indeed, the
guitar and bass consistently feel like they are on the brink of
becoming chaotic throughout certain areas of the album, but the
drums chain them to the coarse earth while the vocals shout down at
them from above. Cheri Musrasrik’s feral, yet controlled, yells
exchange lines with bassist Kirk Spaseff’s deep growls
intermittently in such tracks as “Bedchambers”, providing a terrific
contrast that helps keep the listener invested in the well-crafted
verses. Altogether, the elements combined on this record rightly fit
together, and thanks in good part to the masterful mixing by Jack
Shirley, they only rupture at the seams when it is strategic for the
band to do so. Oftentimes heavily rhythmic, and always heavy,
Succumb’s self-titled debut brings a hardcore flare to death metal
that will definitely see their ripples in the medium turn into
waves. – Aaron
https://succumb.bandcamp.com/album/succumb http://theflenser.com/ |
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Kentucky’s
blackened death metal band unleash their brand new two song 7 inch
upon the metal underground. The first song “Scared To Death” is a
violent and chaotic hymn that mixes in both heavy mid paced tempos
along with some faster, crazed parts. The vocals are death metal
growls with some raspy vocals mixed in. Flipping over to side B, the
track is entitled “Treads Of War”, which is played in the same vein
starting off with heavy mid paced music, but wastes little time
before going to hyperspeed crazed metal passages. The drumming is
mid paced and heavy beats that at times break into an all out
assault of blasting drums. The vocals are deep death growls with
some gruff screams mixed into music. If you enjoy heavy, chaotic
blackened death metal then be sure to check out this release today!
- Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/tombstalkerband https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/
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This recording
was originally released in 2005, on cassette tape, which as you see
has been reissued on vinyl through Palehorse Records. Vpaahsalbrox
plays a very raw form of black metal, which is mainly in the mid
tempo range. The guitars are played with a lot good patterns that
stay well within the early black metal genre. The guitars do speed
up in a few of the songs, but mainly played with mid paced riffs.
The drums go from a mix of fast patterns to a more mid paced
drumming style. The vocals are raw vicious black metal screams. If
you are a fan of harsh, raw black metal then you will definitely
want to pick up this release immediately. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/PHROfficial/
http://www.palehorserecs.com/
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This is the
debut album from this young Finnish band, having formed in 2013,
subsequently releasing a demo and a couple seven inches since then.
I am extremely pleased that I chose review this album; it is one of
the best black metal albums I have heard in recent years. White
Death proudly continues the old traditions of early 90s black metal,
but put their own stamp on this classic sound, whilst updating it in
their own way. I also get impression, unlike so many black metal
bands these days, they are serious about the philosophies and
meaning behind what originally started the black metal scene and
made it severe and evil. This album takes everything you love about
early ‘90s Scandinavian black metal and stokes that fire up to a
full northern blaze! The mainstay of the music, is mainly a
blitzkrieg attack of seething hatred and violence, tearing asunder
everything in it’s path. Despite that being the staple of their
sound, at times it is also surprisingly diverse, in it’s emotive
qualities and thoughtful song structuring. There are also times,
when it is almost perplexing that the music is this grim and harsh,
yet also incredibly melodic. I say that, because all too often a lot
of melodicism is the enemy of musical barbarity and violence, not so
with White Death, they marry the two into a catchy, stealth-like
savage beast. Always present within the sound, is the classic bm
freezing grim atmosphere, which produces that tangible feeling of
darkness and evil within the listener that has made me a slave of
this movement for nearly three decades. There are some keyboards,
but they are mainly kept as a background accompaniment, filling in
the atmosphere and not dominating in the forefront, which is just
way I prefer. The vocals, much like the music, are harsh and varied
in an interesting way, the icy rasping quality is great, but has
some depth to it and as mentioned containing some diverse nuances.
There is even one vocal bit that sounded like a tortured demon
possessed horse snarling or something fucked up like that. This is a
fantastic debut album, showcasing what traditional black metal is
really capable of, while still staying true to it’s roots and deadly
tradition. I simply can not recommend this enough! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/unholywhitedeath
http://neuntoter.org/
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This is an
interesting release. Wintercoffin hail from Memphis, this release is
actually nearly six years old, and is the only recorded material by
the band. Apparently this was a two man band, that had originally
planned to carry at some point in the future, but some time after
this recording, Jimmy Blitzkrieg died. The remaining member Rob Evil
(from the band Evil Army) probably never thought it would see the
dark of night. But Black Skul records decided this single song
“Forest Of The Blitzkrieg”, needed to be heard. I am glad they did,
this song is a pretty fucking awesome, it is a combination of
headbanging thrash, and harsh early 90s tradition Nordic black
metal. It is far from the first time, these two sub-genre’s have
been mixed together, but it may be one of the best examples of
having done it well. They really capture thrash when they thrash,
you can do circles around the living room, nodding your head and
punching the air, in an adrenaline frenzy. They also managed to
capture and transition, back and forth from classic atmospheric
sound of foreboding, freezing black metal, which will chill you with
it’s evil vitriol. It is kind of hard to explain properly, but damn
I wish they had been able to carry on with this. Because if they
could have written, an entire album this good, it could have been
something truly memorable, amidst a scene often devoid of that
quality. This track was recorded on a basement 4 track, but the
sound for me is perfect, it’s clear but low-fi and heavy. I am not
sure, there is much more to say going on only one track, but believe
it or not, even though this is only a one song release, it is well
worth your time and money. The vinyl itself and the packaging are
quality and nice to look at, this was limited to 550 and currently
it is still available. - Dale
http://blakskul.bigcartel.com/
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