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Australia’s
Eskhaton return with their third full length ‘Omegalitheos’, which
features fourteen songs of aggressive and heavy death metal. The
guitars are done mainly with extremely fast and well written
patterns. The guitars are not all aggression and speed all the time,
as the guitarist does slow to a mid paced tempo with some excellent
passages and even adds some solos throughout the songs. The drummer
is equally as vicious and chaotic with his performance; he is rapid
fire with the blast beats though he does catch a breath with some
slower paced patterns here and there. If you enjoyed Eskhaton’s
previous releases then do yourself a favor and check out
‘Omegalitheos’ today. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/eskhaton666
http://www.lavadome.org
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This is the
debut album of this young band bursting out of the mean streets of
Helsinki, the country’s capital city, situated on the frozen
northern shore of the Gulf of Finland. Excuse play a slightly more
stripped down speed metal style similar to bands like Sacrifice,
early Razor, Exciter, Onslaught, Forbidden, Omen etc… mixed some
Iron Maiden and other heavy metal influences. The music is
aggressive, but always keeping this unrelenting dark atmosphere
dripping from it’s edges. There are some pretty killer ripping solos
and guitar fills, ala the one in the second half of the song
“Goddess Injustice” or the one in the middle of “Blade Of The
Antichrist” for a couple good examples. They write some fairly
catchy, heavy and headbangable songs with some good hooks, rapid
pacing as well as some memorable lyrics and choruses. The vocalist
Oskar Lindström has a cool, clean yet slightly gruff vocal style, it
fits the gloomy aura of the music, but he does use copious amounts
of echoing effect on his vocals, probably a little too much, but it
does sound cool as long as you do not focus too hard on it’s
constant presence. I am not saying this is some kind of instant
classic by any means, but if you are a die hard fan of ‘80s heavy
metal and speed metal who can not get enough of that classic sound.
Then I think you are going to be pleased with a purchase of this
very solid debut record. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/excuseofficial
https://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com
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Expulser are a
heavy, thrash metal band coming to us out of the Brazilian metal
scene. “The Unholy One” was originally released in 1992, but here it
has been remastered this reissue with full liner notes and also the
“Fornications” ep as a bonus on here. The guitar work on this record
is executed with a lot of skill, and ability to write and construct
some excellent classic heavy metal anthems. The vocals are old
school gruff growling and some blackened screechy screams are spread
throughout all the songs on here. If you missed out on this classic
release the first time around, as many of us did, then definitely
check out this unearthed gem of blackened heavy metal art today.
- Patrick
https://www.greyhazerecords.com/
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This is my first
go ‘round with the British band Exxxekutioner, who fire off a
strafing audio experience of wicked thrashing speed metal, with a
small dash of punk crossover vibe in there as well. This is all done
in the olden tradition and you can hear the early German and
American thrash influences abounding on this snappy 24 minute
release. The first listen through, I was punch drunk on the
blitzkrieg pace and explosive energy. I thought to myself this is
pretty amazing stuff, okay, so maybe that feeling dwindled a bit
upon repeat listens. But, I only consider that as a very slight
caveat, as I really got into this mini-album and every spin it makes
me fucking headbang and that is a good thing! The riffing is super
heavy, and as catchy as the common cold, almost exclusively played
at breakneck speeds with rapid fire pounding drum whirlwinds to
match. This is all backed with some gruff yelled vocals that have
this slight whispering, rasping edge to them that brings a certain
darkness to the bands sound. Another thing I love about the band,
and the music is a real old school attitude that just drips off this
recording clearly fuelled by spikes, bullet belts, leather jackets,
cigs and booze! Okay, so there is nothing utterly amazing or
groundbreaking on this record, and you have heard it before. But, it
is so well done; almost perfectly capturing that old magic! It is
enjoyable the spin they put on old style thrash speed metal, and it
is just a fun listen for real goats like me who lived through this
period and height of this style, those who like and respect that
description should make sure to add to this musical grenade to their
collection. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Exxxekutioner/
https://ultharrecords.bandcamp.com/
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Hailing from Southern Germany, Firtan bring us a truly immersive
experience of a pagan/folk black metal album in Okeanos. Now,
I can't swim worth a damn, and in fact have had several
near-drowning experiences, but this album makes me feel like I can
brave the most tumultuous of currents. I gain a sort of tranquility
listening to it that makes me believe I can confidently drift
through its abyss and come out changed, yet unscathed. The first
track, "Seegang", is an experience akin to this: an exercise in the
push and pull between stillness and the tide that feels more like
symbiosis than combat. As you wade into the next track, "Tag Verweil",
the pace quickens almost dramatically but still returns to an
acoustic moment around the 4-minute mark that illustrates the
welcome possibility of calm before the next towering wave of kinetic
energy. Most of Okeanos continues thusly, with exceedingly
well-crafted melodies guiding the listener through different
movements within each track, persistently enveloping said listener
into moments of beauty that develop into dark yet grand statements
of marine omnipotence. I contend that "Nacht Verweil" does this
especially well with the addition of violin during the mid-section
of the track, bringing an additional layer of heightened emotive
expression into the serene mix that builds into an epic,
electrifying section of grisly guitars that shock the listener out
of their previous lull. While this construction does get a little
predictable over the course of the album, it is still absolutely
gorgeous to behold. Each track (aside from "Purpur", which is a
quieting interlude) approaches the bare bones of this song
composition but develops fresh themes for it and ultimately becomes
a new experience for the audience. If you are familiar with the
conventions of black metal, the earthy roots (whether found in
frigid or fertile soil) and the otherwise obscure trappings of the
genre (putting the black in black metal), then you will have
absolutely no obstacles in recognizing the splendor of Okeanos.
What have you got to lose? Let Firtan teach you how to swim. –
Aaron
https://www.facebook.com/Firtanofficial
http://www.aoprecords.de/
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Pyrrhic is
Frosthelm from North Dakota’s first release (and second full length
overall), but the wait was worth it. The album features seven tracks
of aggressive and relentless black metal with a lot of melodic
passages intertwined throughout the music. The guitar work is done
with plenty of skill and impressively created structuring going from
extremely fast to a slower and melodic pace throughout the songs.
The vocals are a mix of raspy black metal screams and some gruff
growls / cries used throughout the album. Frosthelm have created and
released a unique blend of melodic blackened death metal with some
furious passages intertwined resulting in an original sound and
style. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/frosthelm/
https://revengerrecords.com/
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Being that I am
of Canadian descent, even though I moved from there long ago. I
spent the first 23 years of my life in Canada and it is always a
source for pride for me, to find and support good UG bands from my
homeland. Now, having said that, some of the bands I have reviewed
from there in recent times have been just okay, and nothing overly
notable. Will that change with this release, let’s dig in and find
out. Goathammer definitely have some influences that immediately
stand out for me including their countrymen Blasphemy, as well as
early Beherit, Ungod and Profanatica yet they do take it some
subtle, and not so subtle directions those bands do not. The band
definitely plays a very grimy, sadistic form of warring black/death
metal, but at the same time they are prone semi-regularly to…I don’t
want to say melodic parts, let’s more musical sections than the
bands I named above, mixed within the chaos and high velocity
violence. They never stop the sickness and brutality, but they do
add those accents above coupled with some good brief somewhat
frenzied guitar fills and solos without ever really being one (Okay,
okay the one at the end of the second track “Invoking…” that is a
fucking solo haha). All of which, as devout followers of those
bands, who I mentioned as influences can tell you are not normal
elements of this style. But, as I said they do never soften up or
take away or sacrifice the evil necro atmosphere or the cruelty of
the blackened death metal foundation their music is built upon. It
is nice to review a new Canadian band putting out their debut album
that I can really get behind and support got a change. Check this
out and continue to watch for Hells Headbangers to search out and
find all bands in the scene that have one word names ending in
(Death, Goat…)hammer. :) - Dale
https://goathammer-canada.bandcamp.com/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
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Lately there has
been a deluge of death metal releases that cover all the forms of my
favorite style of metal, but that makes it difficult for bands to
stand out from the pack. We’re in an age where a perfect production
can be had for not a lot of money, and musicians’ chops are better
developed than ever before. Goregӓng does an exceptional job of
delivering real death metal the way it is meant to be played –
heavy, well-written, vicious, and musically varied enough to keep
the listener from being bored. From the opening track, I was met
with a barbaric onslaught of sound, well-recorded but not overly
sanitized, delivering a punked-up old school sound along the lines
of Autopsy meets Celtic Frost meets Ghoul meets chainsaw-style death
metal from Scandinavia (although they tone down the chainsaw to
where it almost sounds just like a normal downtuned distorted
guitar). The most important thing to me was the thickness of the
sound on the recording – death metal should sound big, bad, and
monolithic, and Goregӓng pulls it off well. Not to mention the
sick-ass mid-paced riffs in many of the songs that induce headbang-whiplash
with an immediacy rarely encountered in metal today. The vocals are
also refreshing, being varied and ultimately vile all the way
around. From pukes to growls and gutturals to – gasp – gang vocals
in the band’s namesake song, the tones and patterns the vocalist
uses are always entertaining, and they punctuate the rhythm section
as well as complement the songwriting. This one gets high marks from
me, and any metalist that worships at the feet of old death will dig
this shit. - Andrew
https://www.facebook.com/goregang
https://tometal.com/
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Graves are a new
a new band coming out of Portugal’s black metal scene and play a
primitive old school style. The guitar work is performed with a mix
of fast and crazed guitars, along with some slower mid paced
sections. While the guitars are played with rough chords and
patterns, there are some extremely well written and played rhythmic
patterns. The vocals are extremely grim black metal screams and some
death growls used throughout the recording. They even use some clean
vocals in a few songs that add another element to the bands sound
and style. If you are a fan of old school black metal with a raw and
primeval production vibe then definitely be sure to put a copy of
Liturgia Da Blasfemia when it is released. - Patrick
https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ironbonehead.de/
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Hath are a band
coming out of New Jersey’s death metal scene with their debut
full-length. This album features nine tracks of complex and well
executed death combining both old school and newer style influences
together for a style all their own. The guitarist plays a good mix
of both extremely fast parts with some slower mid paced patterns.
The guitars on here really keep my attention with interesting and
complex structuring; even adding some well placed solos mixed into
the musical whole. The drumming is done in the same vein as the
guitars with an all out assault on the drum kit with some intense
blasting. The drums do slow down to a heavier, calmer at times
throughout the songs to add little more variety to their sound. The
vocalist however, is all over the map with an array of low, deep
death metal growls and some raw black metal screams are blended in
to some of the tracks. If you are looking for a unique and
interesting band, then do yourself a favor by picking up a copy Of
Rot And Ruin. - Patrick
https://hathnj.bandcamp.com
https://www.willowtip.com
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For those not in
the know, Unspeakable Acts is an imprint label, under the mighty
Dark Descent Records. It is where they indulge mainly in their love
of old thrash and thrash mixed with black and death metal. Hellish
are from Chile and thrash to the fucking hilt they are! These guys put
their foot on the gas and rip shit up, in an extreme ‘80s thrash
metal manner flaying your skin and peeling the paint off the walls,
with their vicious sonic attack! I can definitely hear some early
influences from bands like Exodus, Razor, early Death Angel,
Destruction, Kreator, Sodom etc… They have some great killer
melodies injected into the speedy riffing, and it is an exclamation
point, when they hit one of those blazing short frantic guitar
solos. The vocals are classic thrash screams, but they possess
influences of the gruff classic mainstay style, with hints dripping
down the edges of black metal rasping and a slight death metal
growl. Yet, those vocals in the sub-genre’s tradition always stay
very decipherable, where you can make out everything being sung just
fine. Now comes my only nitpick, and I am usually not that picky
with regards to the recording, I mean the production overall is
decent, but everything could be a little beefier and heavier, but it
is the drums I have an issue with most. Do you know when you hear a
song that has been ripped into mp3 at terrible quality setting like
112 or 128 kbps? Where everything gets really tinny and has slight
high pitched whine sound, thankfully that is not present on
everything here but when the drummer hits the cymbals, which is
often, it sounds like that big time. That is the only nitpicky thing
I can say about an otherwise great old school thrash metal album!
South America proves once again to me at least, it possesses
probably one of the top 5 best extreme UG scenes in the world in
recent years!! Get this if you love thrash metal done the ancient
way. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Hellishchile
http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com
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Hellvetron is
set to release “Trident Of Tartarean”, the bands second full-length
next month in mid August. The music on this release is a mix of
blackened death metal with some doom elements woven into some of the
tracks. The music is played with skill and some powerful guitar
work, which is matched step for step with an excellent drum
performance as well. For the most part the guitar pacing is done
with slow to mid pacing, but they do speed up to a more rapid tempo
in a few of the songs. The vocals are heavy, deep, death growls and
some clean singing and hollering type of vocals are used at times.
Hellvetron play an interesting mix of black death doom metal, so if
you are a fan of the band or a fan of the genre then do yourself a
favor and check out “Trident Of Tartarean” as soon as it is
released. - Patrick
https://hellvetron.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions
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It seems like
very little is known about The Heretics Fork, something that seems
to be very much by design. Which often makes one wonder if it is
members from bigger bands that do not want to be officially
affiliated with the style this side band plays or they could just be
extremely private guys I suppose, I could understand it if that was
the case. So let’s get on to the music, which is what they want us
to focus on here. ‘Tormentore’ is the bands debut record featuring
eight songs of intense and brutal metal, with influences from both
the ‘90s US brutal scene and newer brutal dm bands. The vocals are
low, guttural growls that fit the bands style very nicely. The
guitar work is done with a mix of both slower and heavier guitar
patterns, but there is plenty of extremely fast and vicious guitar
chords. If you are a fan of bands like Mortician, Devourment,
Brodequin etc… then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of
‘Tormentore’ as soon as it is released. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/p2loggia
http://p2omerta.blogspot.com/
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Surprisingly, to
me at least, this is the first time I am listening to this Swedish
one man band. As this Rafn since 2012 has released no less than
seven full-length’s and over twenty ep’s, splits and a demo! I mean
talk about having a seemingly inexhaustible well of creativity, not
to even mention time invested recording and releasing it all. This
release represents two ep’s Hermóðr have released this year,
combined into this one disc, previously only available digitally.
There are only two songs on this release, yet the total run time is
around the 35 minute mark! As you can tell they are both very epic
tracks. Hermóðr play a very flowing, long form style of black metal
that is both extremely atmospheric and depressive, but in a longing
somber fashion, not in the wallowing in suicidal depression sense of
depressive black metal term. The music is pretty sparse with one
long gracefully flowing riff played continuously in a very
monotonous style. Which sounds like a negative, but it is quite the
opposite for me, as it is a majestic quality somewhat melodic riff
in each song that mentally carries you on a journey. There are some
slight change ups, used sparsely, as well as some secondary guitar
or synth accents also quite meagerly employed strictly as accent
support for the main riff. The drumming is also very low key, again
subtle, but a well timed counterpoint for the winding stream that is
the great main riff. These two releases are nearly instrumentals,
though there are some excellent obscure yelling rasps in “Northern
Might”, which may remind you of a more subdued version of the vocals
on early Burzum releases. Actually, I think you could say a lot of
the music on here is like the early Burzum, especially the longer
epic sections with a little more emphasis on atmosphere. Everything
here is well done, but I do suppose you may have to be in the right
sort of reflective, meditative mindset to truly enjoy this release
as I was and did. The cover artwork is very fitting, the music on
here makes me think of one of my pleasures, which is standing and
staring or strolling through mysterious misty mountain landscapes.
This is not hard for me to imagine personally, as I live on in the
valley on a mountain with multiple mountain peaks closely
surrounding my home and are often covered in mist and fog. But the
great music on this disc makes me mentally feel like I am the mist
caressing and flowing around this magnificent darkly imposing
creation of mother earth. Since I have only heard these two epic
songs from Hermóðr, I have a hard time imagining this man creating
an album full of short songs. But, that is apparently exactly what
he does on his albums, so I am very much looking forward to finding
out what that is like very soon as I have some catching up to do!
- Dale
https://hermodr.bandcamp.com/
https://www.wolfspellrex.com/
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The new Hobos album brings the violence full force and in your face!
The music is a sturdy mix of dirty-ass old school death metal and
Motörhead-fueled crust/hardcore with no-nonsense arrangements and
occasionally some bluesy guitar work to keep the hooks flowing. I
always tell interested people that they sound like Motörhead playing
old Entombed with Venom writing the songs and a demon on vocals
singing in Italian (Damn I need to check this band out after reading
that description! - Dale). This band is as loud as loud can be, and
they make no apologies for who they are. It’s a perfect example of
what is old being new again, taking these old styles and mashing
them into a new form. The whole album is fresh-sounding and killer.
It’s head and shoulders above their previous work in both intent and
execution, and I can’t wait for the next round of ammunition. It’s
music that bangs your fuckin’ head for you whether you like it or
not!
– Andrew Parrish
https://www.facebook.com/hobosband
https://www.spikerot.com/
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My history as an
Imprecation listener goes back a long, long way. It stretches back
to the early/mid ‘90s, when I was an avid tape trader (I had regular
traders all over the globe) I traded for the bands “Ceremony Of The
Nine Angles” 1992 demo tape. I was getting so much stuff back in
those times, it took a really good band to stand out for me, which
Imprecation did with their distinctive brand of blackened death
metal just dripping with atmosphere. I have been a fan of
Imprecation’s early works ever since. Imprecation was active from
’91 to ‘95ish(?) I want to say, and then as many old bands do they
reformed around 2009. I must confess having said all of that, I have
not followed the re-incarnation of the band as closely as the
original incarnation, of which two original members remain, that
being the vocalist and drummer / keyboardist yet the band sounds
very much today like they did back then. So, also not to worry when
you see keyboards, they are no where near wall to wall and are used
as a sparsely, used as an accent for added atmosphere which, in my
opinion, this is the only way they should be used in extreme metal.
The music on this release is damn good, dark & sinister death metal
that drips with a gloomy, necro aura alternating with speedy tempos
and gloomy slower sections. The vocals of this band courtesy of Dave
Herrera (Christ Dismembered, ex-Bahimiron) are that evil roiling ‘n
broiling growl with that certain tonal charisma underneath, which
only a small percentage of death metal vocalists just naturally
possess in their voice. Yeah, the vocals fucking kill…period! Which,
then in turn helps result in a tremendous record that I am proud to
place in collection, alongside their now classic compilation album
Theurgia Goetia Summa. Die hards that love dark death metal done in
the ancient tradition need to get this as soon as possible. -
Dale
https://imprecation666.bandcamp.com/
http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
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Billed by the
label as death/black metal, In Hell sounds like a band coming into
its own sound by fits and starts. At times they remind me of
Diabolic or Monstrosity, especially in the blast-beaten,
Floridian-inspired sections of their songs. Vader comes to mind as
well, with the amount of super-fast alternate picking they do over
certain rhythms. They add a bit of melody here and there with a few
freezing black metal riffs that do not detract from the heaviness -
this is essentially a death metal band playing with diverse
influences. The vocals excel at being monstrous, and weirdly enough
remind me a little of Abhorrence/old Amorphis vocals - sick, low,
gurgly, yet with good diction, with a more hurried and spastic
delivery. Occasionally an impressive (because that shit ain’t easy
to do, trust me) super-high scream is added, along the lines of the
singer from Razor - a shriek which Dani Filth from CoF has emulated
time and again, just so you know what sound I’m describing. Often
the band plays what I affectionately call “circular riffs,” which
means you can easily windmill-headbang to them, hair whipping like
fuckin’ crazy! Or in my case, just my head. I’m fuckin’ bald. While
France may be more notable for its contributions to black metal
overall, there are quite a few excellent death metal bands active
there right now, and this is one of them. – Andrew Parrish
https://www.facebook.com/inhellofficialband
http://www.mystykprod.com/
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Are you a fan of
crazy noise (or as sometimes referred to as noise core) in the vein
of Agathocles, Unholy Grave or Anal Cunt? If yes, then you will
probably like IPV then because they are right up that up the same
anal cavity, maybe a touch sloppier and looser though, but still
very similar. There are a few other bands that I am tempted to cite
as influences to give you a better idea of their sound, but I
hesitate, as outside the first song on here those other bands have
heavier death metal sounding guitars and mix in bigger doses of dm
and grindcore into their noise. I do like listening to stuff like
this once and while, but not often, it can definitely be an acquired
taste, even for extreme UG metal fans to get into. But, if you do
like powerviolence and noise with some grind thrown in to the
musical tornado you might want to check out this tape. The packaging
and everything, as always with Doomsday’s Today is top notch and
professional looking. Feel free to send orders of physical copies of
this tape to either of the following: Doomsday Today Records,
Eternal Darkness Creations, c/o Keith Dempe, PO Box 268,
Coraopolis, PA.
15108 and also thru Ralph's Records, c/o Doug Stapp, 3322 82nd St.,
Lubbock, TX.
79423, USA
http://www.RalphsRecordsTX.com - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/ipvgrind/
https://ipvgrind.bandcamp.com/
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I did not
realize just how long this Danish band has been around, not to even
mention how prolific they have been as well. The band started out at
the very end of the ‘90s releasing a demo, and then released two
albums on Noise Records, followed by no less than five more albums
on Napalm Records. Which brings us up to the current day with
‘Beyond The Void’ being the bands 9th full-length and
second album on Norway’s Crime Records. I have say this heavy /
power metal band has a lot of tools that are of very high quality,
from the excellent raw material, to the superb song crafting, to the
individual members skill and on down to the actual performances on
this album. There is very little that I can critique here, I mean
even the vocalist is fantastic and his smooth vocals are performed
with very good control and impressive range. This album has just
about everything you hope for in a power metal record with catchy
songs, memorable lyrics, some great riffs, brief smoking guitar
solos and powerful drums. The only even slightly negative thing I
could say, and is this even negative when it is just personal taste?
I wish at some points they kept things ripping along on the heavier
side of things and did not include some of those slightly commercial
hard rock touches here and there. Beyond that, I can not say
anything besides this is an impressive record that should please the
hell out of die hards of German heavy / power metal ala the best
material from bands like Halloween, Grave Digger, Running Wild etc…
- Dale
https://ironfire.bandcamp.com/
https://shop.crimerecords.no/
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Shadow Kingdom
Records has a very track record with me, we seem to be on the same
wavelength much of the time with regards to old school heavy metal,
thrash and doom in particular. So, this time around they introduce
me to the United Kingdom’s Iron Void, by presenting us with their
third full-length album. Iron Void come more from the epic late ‘70s
/ early ‘80s heavy metal and doom marriage side of things, along the
lines of bands like Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Pagan Altar, Realm
Builder type of style. As opposed to the more crushing, heavy
classic doom sounds of stuff like Black Sabbath (not that every doom
band on the planet doesn’t possesses a little Sabbath because they
do), Trouble, The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Solitude Aeturnus approach.
Within the doomy, somewhat downtrodden and musically triumphant
context, I.V. manages to write some very memorable and infectious
melodies that enchanted my ears. I also love it when, every now and
then, for a brief spark like in the song “The Grail Quest”, they
just let their hair down and fucking rock out with a headbang riff
and ride it for a little stretch. That element, when worked into the
valiant yet laidback mainstay vibe really stands out and adds, like
I said, a certain spark or dynamic; I would not mind them doing that
a little more often. There is some really classy and thoughtful song
crafting here, all pulled together into an emotional and flowing
musical collective. As I am sure you guessed from the album title,
this is essentially a concept album that is re-telling the King
Arthur legend. It is up to you whether you like historical
re-telling albums lyrically or not. For me, it is a fair enough
backdrop to write your music around, but I am more into the music
itself and not the lyrics (maybe the intricate and expertly woven
stories in Game of Thrones have spoiled me on quality levels of
medieval tales), but they have done an impressive job of attempting
to write a soundtrack to that old legend. Because, musically
speaking the album succeeds by transporting you, on a flowing epical
journey of doomy heavy metal goodness. If you are a fan of style I
described above you should definitely give this classy piece of
artwork a listen. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/ironvoid/
https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/
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This German band
produce a rollicking form of high energy speed metal thrash, which
runs and skips along with heavy riffing, forcing my neck muscles a
work out as my head bangs hard listening to this blistering attack.
As you can probably tell from the cover artwork, the songs are
mainly about serial killers, just from a quick look at the cover I
see the faces of Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Albert Fish(?),
The Nightstalker, H.H. Holmes (some convincing theories and a little
evidence H.H. was actually Jack The Ripper too!) etc… The music has
a lot of old speed and thrashing oomph as mentioned, but there is
also a cool dark sounding vibe. The vocals help with that as they
are evil sounding gruff thrash yells mixed with a whispery growling
edge I like a lot. The songs keep the tempo at break neck speeds,
but slow slightly at times to settle things into a pounding middle
paced musical pummel. The riffs and rhythms are always heavy, but
also fairly catchy yet they do not really get into soloing or
anything and just keep the velocity straight ahead and blazing. This
will appeal to the real die hard mid to late ’80s speed metal maniacs
that can not get enough of that fantastic sound from the days of
yore. JT Ripper keeps the ancient flame burning bright! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/J.T.Ripper.thrash
http://www.ihate.se/
|
Well now, this
takes me back in time, when this album was initially released by the
notorious JL America label. Which burst upon the UG metal scene, and
about three years later rapidly burned out. But it was an
interesting, if not short ride for the label in the early ‘90s; they
did the US releases for labels like Osmose & the German Turbo Music,
before striking out on their own signing and releasing their own
bands. One those bands they signed was Killing Addiction. I had a
handful of JL cassettes back in the day, like Goatlord, Impaled
Nazerene, Mortuary, Beherit, Acheron, Blasphemy and last but not
least Killing Addiction. This is a cool gesture towards the bands
legacy (did I mention they reformed some years back?) by Xtreem
Music, to re-release this album on it’s 25 year anniversary! Oh
shit, I guess that also mean I am a really old metal goat in this
scene. Oh well, at least I still have all my own teeth, not to
mention company like the members of this band still kicking and
screaming, after all these years. For newer fans of death metal, who
imprudently never took the time study the history of this sub-genre
and it’s bands, they might be in for a bit of a surprise here. This
is a window into the beginnings of death metal, it was a different
time, things were not all digital and pro tool’d to hell, for
starters. Also, not all of the bands were going for intricate
mathematical time signatures, and/or playing a million miles a
minute with twenty riffs in every song. No, this was a time for a
lot of bands when death metal was morphing out of the extreme end of
the thrash metal scene, just finding it’s feet and establishing a
new style. A lot of the bands like Killing Addiction played a more
stripped down, possibly to some newer ears a primitive style. But to
me, it was more about focusing on the song and the atmosphere it
created without using a lot of cheater effects, like synth or studio
tricks to create it. The riffs on here are crushing and rhythmically
catchy, which had me headbanging pretty good, honestly I experienced
a touch of nostalgia for the early ‘90s as I listened. I should also
mention, there are a few killer guitar solos expertly woven into the
brutality, which adds some nice depth to the songs. The vocals are
pretty guttural, early ‘90s style, near undecipherable growling,
which is something I like, but I know is an acquired taste these
days for some. Speaking of the vocals, in one song they alternate
with higher nasally growling, which something that became very
popular years later, but this in my mind seems like one of the
earliest examples of it. I am not sure I can place this record at
the upper echelon of ‘90s brutal death metal classics, but it is a
damn good album nonetheless, an album that did not get the
recognition it deserved, so here is to hoping this release sheds
more light on this record. It would not be a special anniversary
edition without some extras, you do get those as Xtreem has included
the bands “Legacies of Terror” 1990 demo tape (I dig the grimy,
cruel sound on it), and their killer 1991 “Nekrosphere” 7” ep as a
bonus. You know what you need to do posthaste, links below. -
Dale
https://www.facebook.com/killingaddiction/
https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/
|
|
King Heavy is a
mixture of musicians mostly out of the great Chilean scene spanning
an array of bands from that country, but the vocalist Luther
Veldmark (Hooded Priest) is from the Netherlands. So, that is
interesting, I assume it would present some challenges for writing
and recording, not to even mention rehearsing for live shows. The
style King Heavy play is a classic form of heavy metal doom in the
vein of bands like Saint Vitus, Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus,
Trouble and the like. The guitar tenor and drumming are the epitome
of that old style; the songs have some great flow, stirring up some
affecting emotive qualities in me as a listener. The vocalist has a
good classic sounding voice for this style and decent range as well.
Yet, having said that, some of it is probably due to the often
clunky lyrics, but the vocalist despite having those great raw
tools, seems to have very little feel and skill in how and when to
deploy them in a proper way. To my ears, this often results in
unwittingly sabotaging the flow and emotive impact of the very
quality music accompanying the vocals. It is hard to explain unless
you hear it; the vocalist slows up and presents awkward phrasing,
clunky timing, he switches registers at times that do not compliment
the flow of the music or the words being sung. Like I say, it is
unfortunate because the guy has a very good classic voice and tone
to his voice for this style. But again, in my opinion, he seemingly
has little to no feel on how to use it within the context of these
songs; it is a bit frustrating to listen to actually. I know that
sounds harsh, I do not mean it to be and it is not like vocalist
Luther Veldmark never gets it right, but he never really seems for
very long. I should try my best here not to paint the whole album
with this brush, though it is hard not to do as the vocals are very
prominent in the mix front and center. All the same, there is some
excellent classic doom underneath the vocals that is mostly really
quality emotive music, which can really not be faulted for anything
and still makes this a good listen for die hard fans of the genre.
- Dale
https://kingheavy.bandcamp.com
https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com
|
Coming out of
the legendary Finnish black metal scene is Krytamok, ‘Profaani’ was
originally released on cassette tape earlier this year. But now
thanks to Blood Harvest and Helter Skelter Productions, this release
is now getting a duel release on both CD and a twelve inch vinyl
pressing. Kryptamok’s musical style is the classic Finnish black
metal style (ala Horna for example) with some atmospheric passages
intertwined within the music. The vocals are grim black metal
screeches and screams that are used throughout the recording. The
drums are played with chaotic blasting beats that do slow down to a
more calm pacing, before returning to the hyper-speed blast beats
again. If you are looking for a band that can write and perform cold
black metal with some atmospheric elements incorporated into the
evil, then do yourself a favor and check out Kryptamok’s solid debut
today. - Patrick
https://www.bloodharvest.se/
http://www.helterskelterproductions.se/
|
This Finnish
group plays dirgy death doom metal. Imagine if you will a healthy
dose of early Grave’s brand of brutal Swedish death metal, which is
kind of doomy in it’s own right, mixed with the extremity of the
slow measured doom death from pioneer band Disembowelment. It
formulates together producing a crushing and imposing aura that will
envelope you and suffocate all of your senses in a most splendid
fashion. Once it grabs you, it does not let go easily as there are
long songs on here, with no less than three of the six clocking in
right around eight minutes. The vocals are deep, rolling and roiling
growls that flow and lengthen themselves to match the music, and
they possess a cool obscure sounding whispery undertone to them. The
vocals alone are very creepy and foreboding, both alternatingly
complimenting the music and melting in & out like a shadowy specter.
I like those vocals a lot! Krypts keep things very heavy yet almost
agonizingly slow, almost at all times, but there are fleeting
passages where they show their death metal roots and speed things up
like a normal death metal band. I swear I even heard something that
resembled a solo a couple times. Prepare yourselves for a massive
slab of slow motion brutality and an emotionally heavy dose of
foreboding and melancholia, which will leave you both drained and
very much satisfied. - Dale
https://www.kryptsdeath.com
https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com
|
This is a
compilation re-release of old material from the band (who recently
either reformed or returned from a lengthy hiatus), hailing from the
Bay Area and who play a blistering Deathrash style. I am not sure
why it is arranged this way on this release, but they arranged the
split EP tracks, demo tape and EP in reverse chronological order so
the tracks from start to finish are from 2013 and work their way
backwards to 2009. Not that I am entirely adverse to doing it that
way necessarily, still I do not get why they chose to do that as you
usually want to end on the best note and generally that is your
newer material, maybe they just wanted to be different? Haha. The
band write high energy riffs and rhythms that evoke a headbanging
spirit within your body and force it to spring into action (i.e. –
it is super heavy and catchy as fuck!). I can tell these guys spent
a lot of time worshipping at the altar of the almighty Slayer, with
particular devotion towards the “Reign In Blood” era. There is a
definite comparison also, in my opinion, to be made to Demolition
Hammer mixed with a smattering of early to mid Death. The vocals,
just like the music are a marriage of thrash gruff yelled style
vocals and the death metal growl, but very decipherable where you
can make out every lyric clearly. Yeah I am digging this release
quite a bit. The only knock for me, again it is me not liking the
sequencing of the releases, as the first like 70% this record is
awesome, but then towards the end the oldest material is
rudimentary, repetitive and undeveloped in comparison to the rest of
the release. I would have rather started there and built to the
killer stuff, rather than reducing the speed heading towards the
finish line having ran a very good race and now we are coasting into
the finish on fumes. But, even the later material is decent enough,
just not as good as the first half and a bit of this fifty minute
plus retrospective collection. This was put out as a retrospective
collection, yes, but also to garner interest for their upcoming
album and it certainly has done that for me so mission accomplished.
I wait with baited breath for their next release! Check this out
ASAP. - Dale
https://lacerationbayarea.bandcamp.com/music
http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/
|
UK’s Lethean
seems to have started out in recent years as a solo project from
James Ashbey (ex-Sostice, Deceptor and Cimmerion Shadows fanzine).
But, starting with this debut album, James has added Thumri Paavana
on vocals full time (though James still handles all instruments).
Lethean play epic heavy metal with pacing and feel, which is close
to a classic doom style, but never really departing too far from the
heavy metal confines. They keep things on traveling on a flowing,
emotive, and wandering journey yet never entirely abandoning the
killer heavy metal riffing for too long. I like that. The vocals
will probably throw some off, I’m not going to lie to you, they
throw me off a little at times too. The vocals are not what you
expect; no classic doomy medieval Messiah Marcolin or similar
vocals, which I think would fit this music wonderfully. No, they are
clean, elegant female and very feminine sounding vocals that are
probably closer to what you might hear on melodo heavy metal or even
gothic tinged metal bands. That is not to say they are not good,
because honestly they are pretty wonderful, it is a very beautiful
and graceful performance by Thumri. This style actually works better
than I would have thought because I would have thought they would
not work at all, but it does, at least at times it does. I enjoy the
music very much and the vocals quite a lot as well, but separately,
as they do not feel like they belong together to me. If you like
that description however, this is worth checking out as everything
has been created and performed with the paramount talent and
dedication. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/letheanuk/
https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/
|
I was pleased to
see a Lividity album show up in my mailbox. To be honest, I had not
realized they were still alive and kicking! Apparently, they have
been going all of these years and never broke up either. I was
really into their first couple albums (released in 2000 and 2002)
and then kind of lost track of them, though in my defense this is
only the bands third album in the 16 years since then! I seen
LIvidity live in 1999 at the Milwaukee Metalfest and I remember they
offered free t-shirts to girls in the crowd that were willing to
flash their tits and a couple took them up on their offer. So yeah,
that little story should give you an idea what you are in for, and
it does not seem like the band have changed all that much since
then, despite the time passed. As this album is filled with gore and
misogyny, so anyone sensitive (and/or overly PC in general) to that
this is not for you! There is even an anal sex clip of Dr. Ruth
Westheimer the sex doctor, who us old timers know was household name
back in the ‘80s and ‘90s haha. There is plenty of good entertaining
other good clips along the way as well. Okay, so lyrically and
attitude wise, nothing has changed in all of these years, but what
about the music? I am pleased to say the band has stuck to their
roots of just totally brutal guttural death metal, the type that
made this metallic sub-genre what it was and gave it life. If you
are into ultra technical, adventurous, cultured or diverse more
modern death metal, then once again this not fucking for you! Yes,
the band play old school barbarity with crushing riffs and pounding
drums, along with deep somewhat belching style growling that will
have you headbanging like a demon! I adore those bestial heavy
riffs! If you love old school brutal death metal that will
relentlessly bash your head in with a spiked fist, and leave you in
a satisfied in a bloody pulp every time you listen to it, then you
should check this out. - Dale
https://lividity-map.bandcamp.com/album/perverseverance
http://www.metalage.sk/
|
This is an
interesting Finnish band, which counts many members, no less than
eight members of this band though one of them is the former drummer
who now only handles all of the lyrics for the band. Speaking of
which, I am not even going to get into the horse shit lyrics (and
the bands belief system) because…well check into it yourself and
decide I suppose. But, musically on the other hand, my goodness does
this collection of musicians know how write songs and craft a truly
remarkable, creeping & crawling atmosphere of dark malevolence. Not
to even mention, at least to mine ears, they create a pretty
distinctive brand of doom music that has their own stamp and vibe on
it. Okay, so maybe I do not listen to enough of that style of early
style gothic music (before the wimpier end of the black/death scene
got a hold of it and combined it with goth turning it into a sappy
Twilight vampire teen books & movies soundtrack). I guess I can hear
some things like Fields Of The Nephilim, early to mid period My
Dying Bride or maybe some influences of early Type O Negative, but
probably a little less metallic at times, then those two latter
bands and little more experimental sounding (maybe a touch too much
for my liking at times). Maybe something like Jex Thoth would be a
more contemporary comparison to make? I would be remiss to not talk
about the impressive vocals, which are shared by Osmo and Alma,
though I feel like Alma is the more dominant force between two in this
skilled male / female vocal duo. They combine perfectly with the
music to create a truly sinister and doomy music whole, and above all,
an atmosphere that would bring out a sardonic smile from almighty
Satan himself. When I listen to doom, it is usually classic
style doom, but now and then, when you feel the itch to listen to gloomy
doom that strays a little from the beaten path then Mansion will
scratch
that itch very nicely. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/mansionalma
https://ihate.bandcamp.com/
|
Usually, the
most politically motivated metal that I hear these days comes from
the thrash and core scenes, but here is Mendacium with their
leviathan work of black/death metal, Decimating Titans.
Decimating Titans is the inventive side-project of Daniel
Jackson, who is known for his work with his main brainchild, Void
Ritual, which takes a more straightforward black metal approach in
terms of lyrical themes (e.g. odium and misery). This album,
according to the description from Redefining Darkness Records, takes
on the themes of abhorrence for and usurpation of conservative
establishments that maintain and direct power as they see fit. The
tracks take on just as lethal an edge as the topic matter indicates,
and to which the black/death metal form handily lends itself.
Crushing from the start, the title track is damn near anthemic in
its call for annihilating those in power, repeating the line,
“Decimating titans!” as well as decreeing with raspy growls, “Let
them die! Let them decay!” The rest of the tracks follow suit,
proceeding with the grimness of black metal and the ferocity of
death metal to detail sonically the toppling of the titans’ reign.
Every moment of Decimating Titans is packed with rage and
aggression, making it an energizing listen, and a cathartic one by
the end. Truly, this album is almost entirely well executed.
However, as someone who is not a fan of the fade-out, I cannot say
that I enjoy the ending to “An Invocation for Bloodshed”, though I
do love its overall composition. Including chanting vocals does
wonders for expanding the foreboding tone past the extremity of
everything else contained within the composition. Overall,
Decimating Titans will not disappoint fans of extreme music at
all—rather the opposite. Jackson does not waste a single second on
the album, making it feel like a complete release despite its short
run time. Definitely give this release a listen if you relish death
and/or black metal in all their ruinous glory. – Aaron
https://mendacium.bandcamp.com/
http://www.redefiningdarkness.com/ |
This is this
young Polish bands second full-length release and the band features
members from the secretive, studio only, veteran band Evangelist.
Like the band it draws members from Monasterium play a classic doom
and epic heavy metal mixture. I mean I would call them a doom metal
band overall, but the epic heavy metal influences are strong and
certain passages or songs end up crossing over into that style
almost completely, before returning to the slow & heavy (both
musically and emotionally) doom stronghold. Monasterium’s music has
a very forlorn and affecting aura to it that I enjoy. The vocals of
Michał Strzelecki have a heavy accent bleeding through his singing
voice, which is something you would normally expect from Euro
singers, but it seems like vocalists from foreign countries that
sing English lyrics tend to try to hide their accent. Either that,
or perhaps many just trying to sound like their influences, so they
just naturally sing that way and the accent melts away, not sure,
but in this case the Polish accent is quite prominent. This could be
something that turns off some listeners, but honestly, for me it
adds a certain element of uniqueness to his traditional doom heavy
metal singing style. I am not going to going to say this is the best
doom release in years or groundbreaking, but I will say this is a
really solid, enjoyable doom record that fanatics and die hards of
the genre should really dig quite a bit. I know I did and I look
forward to this young bands next release. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/monasteriumdoom/
http://shop.nine-records.com/
|
This is my first
time tangling with this U.K. doom metal band which features members
of Khang, Lazarus Blackstar, Solstice etc… Monolith Cult play
classic traditional epic doom metal, in the vein of bands like
Candlemass, Black Sabbath, Solitude Aeturnus, Argus, Iron Maiden
(some melodies and structural nuances remind me of them). Also, even
though they do not play doom death metal, as such, there are some
points they remind me a little of old Paradise Lost, partly in sound
and partially in the atmosphere create. Speaking of atmosphere and
feeling their music invokes, it conjure up in me a very mournful,
desolate mood, making me feel melancholic in a good way. This is not
a feeling I like feeling in everyday life, but Monolith Cult make it
feel like a warm, soft and comforting blanket to mentally wrap
myself within. The guitars and song structuring are really make that
happen, they get their hooks in you drawing you in and pulling you
along almost trance-like, with their heavy flowing melodies and
emotive, expertly crafted compositions. A couple minor criticisms I
have, well they may fall more into personal taste territory, but at
times, there is a cool heavier section and riff they could really
set down on a ride out a bit more to great effect, but they move on
to lighter or more subdued material too quickly. Finally, the bass
seems so low in the mix, it feels almost non-existent at times I
wish the bass was a little more prominent, which would give the
record more bottom end and density to properly back the great guitar
work and fantastic poignant drumming. This finally brings us to the
vocalist Bry, he has a very time-honored conventional doom style to
his soaring voice, which reminds me of a mix of Robert Lowe from
Solitude Aeturnus and Messiah Marcolin of Candlemass, but with
possibly more of an ‘80s heavy metal singer undertone like maybe
hints of Dio, Dickinson etc… that is not prominent and down in the
mix of influences, but I still feel it is there. His vocals do much
to proliferate and accentuate the somber vibe, which is steeped in
gorgeous misery. I have to admit all of this took a while to sink in
for me, it was not immediate upon first or even second to be honest,
but every listen there after, it started to sink and possess me with
it’s hypnotic and depressive charms. So, I would wholeheartedly
recommend this to doom maniacs, however I would suggest you be
prepared to give it time to work it’s magic. - Dale
https://www.reverbnation.com/monolithcult
http://www.transcendingrecords.com/
|
Spain’s Momento
Mori Records has crossed the pond in search of some of the finest
old school brutal death metal doom, and have struck gold, deep down
within the dark depths of Mexico. I had not heard of Morbid Messiah
before now, but cheers to this label for uncovering them and
spreading their disease around the globe. This whole recoding is
dripping with a suffocating, necrotic stench of an atmosphere, which
permeates all of your senses with a wonderful mix of audio grime and
tremolo picked brutality. I feel like a happy as shit metal pig on
mud bath day listening to this album! There is a lot of great old
death doom smudged dirty bands that influenced this bands sound like
Imprecation, old Incantation, early Death, Repulsion, Autopsy
(Mental Funeral era). As well as, some other classic bands in that
ancient grimy American style mixed with a little bit of old Swedish
death metal ala early works by Grave & Entombed. I would be remiss,
had I not mentioned another influence from Morbid Messiah’s
motherland in the form of the great Shub Niggurath. The vocalist has
a good deep as hell growl, which he clearly conjured up from some
evil plane of existence projected with demoniac fury all over hell’s
half acre on this recording. This is some truly heavy and crushing
shit; love it when they interrupt the furious and brutish speed
attack with a nice doomy interlude and/or a cool frenzied short
guitar solo. This homage is of definite interest for die hard’s of
the glorious origins of death metal that all the modern style death
metal bands you listen to today only wish they sounded this
genuinely depraved, gritty and atmospheric. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/morbidmessiahofficial/
http://www.memento-mori.es/
|
Sweden’s
Mourning Sign are a new band to my ears, and this is a review of
their third full-length album. The bands musical style is best
described as progressive death metal, the music is very heavy and
complex with newer death influences. The guitars are some well
executed and skillfully performed guitar arrangements, which are
both very heavy and fast, but also played with at a very
accomplished level showing the band member’s years of experience
with their instruments. The band even uses some keyboards that gives
the music a melodic sound and feel in a few of the songs. The vocals
are death metal growls that are raw and brutal with some screams
used throughout the music. I am not the biggest progressive death
metal fan, so if you are a big fan of this sub-genre then do
yourself a favor and give this album a chance. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/mourningsign
https://www.facebook.com/orchestrated.recordings
|
Meyhna was the
main man, sole composer and essentially a one man band for most of
the bands existence. So he is all you should be concerned about with
this release The Lost Tapes, which is a compilation of some of the
bands classic songs that Meyhna has re-recorded. Before you get
excited about a brand new recording, this was actually recorded back
in 2009-10 shortly before the band was ended. For those unfamiliar
with the bands musical style, it is filthy and grim black metal. The
music is extreme in every sense of the word, but it is also very
well played and enjoyable to listen to. The vocals are raw black
metal screams and screeches that fit Mütiilation's music perfectly.
If you are familiar with Mütiilation's body of work, and you are a
fan then do yourself a favor by picking up a copy of the new release
when it becomes available. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/meyhnach/
http://www.osmoseproductions.com/
|
|
 
This self-titled
album is this Swedish bands debut after releasing a single demo tape
prior to this, which must have been impressive in it’s own right to
land them on the respected I Hate Records label. The band play heavy
riffs and songs, but it is not raunchy and crushing heavy, it is
much more controlled and vaguely subdued similar to the musical
styles of bands like Warlord, Manilla Road, Omen, Stormwitch,
Attacker, Cirith Ungol etc… Yes, it is great old school classic
early to mid ‘80s heavy / speed metal worship, but done with an own
vibe and presented with a superb modernized recording (courtesy of
talented and experienced engineer / producer Magnus “Devo” Andersson
of Marduk). I enjoy the high energy guitar solos / fills that add an
injection of zest and energy into some of the songs ala a song like
‘Gallows Hill’, which really adds spice to their mainstay
unrelenting (and headbang inducing) riffing speed machine. I dig the
vocals on here they are belted out with a lot of ardor and a natural
sounding feeling of when to elongate and accent certain words or the
finish of sentence. These accompaniments add a lot emotion and a
level of dynamics, which sticks with you, as do the infectious
choruses, making the songs more memorable and enjoyable. It is cool
on the song ‘Lake of Necrosis’ where vocalist Julia von
Krusenstjerna sings a combination of Swedish and Enligsh lyrics, it
is how it changes up her style slightly having put different
emphasis on the Swedish phrasing. I enjoyed that and hope they do a
little more of that in the future. I should mention the drum work
here, performed by Sven Nilsson (Antichrist, Eviscerated), as it is
really solid supports the guitar & vocal feature attractions in
tasteful and competent fashion. If you are a devotee of early to mid
1980s heavy / speed metal, especially the American bands of that
era, you should enjoy the hell out of this debut record. Sweden is
keeping this hallowed art going strong with Mystik leading the way!
- Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Mystikswe/
http://www.ihate.se/
|
I was a little
surprised to see a band billed as Norwegian black metal on Shadow
Kingdom Records, a label that usually focuses on old school heavy
metal, doom, speed and thrash metal. Though Nachash does possess a
certain level of olden heavy metal and thrash to their sound. I was
also surprised when I did a little digging on this band’s members.
Apparently drummer Kenneth Tiller played in the black/death band
Nephrite at the start of the ‘90s releasing two demos. Then I can
find nothing on him (disappeared from the scene?!) until he showed
up in the band Celestial Bloodshed in the year 2000, and the band
released some eps, split ep’s and two albums. Okay, that has no real
bearing on this review, but I enjoy interesting history tidbits of
info like that on bands or their individual members. The other two
member of this band, by the way, seem to be new on the scene for the
most part. Now Nachash is a black metal band, but they incorporate a
lot of heavy metal into their sound, sort of like the first wave of
black metal did and the early bands of the second wave at the start
of the ‘90s. I like it though, a lot of the time they are more of a
black heavy metal band more than anything. But, there are definite
elements of early to mid ‘90s style black metal in there as well, as
well as slight traces of dark death metal from the same musical
epoch. I like the vocals they are part yell, part bm rasp with an
whispering of a death metal growl, but they sound evil and
commanding complimenting the evil music well, adding an extra
element of audio pestilence. I think my fave tracks on here are the
two opening tracks, starting off the beginning of “Red Death
Eclipse…” reminding me a lot of the opening title track to Venom’s
“Black Metal” (did I mention I worship at the Venom altar?), with
it’s caustic opening build up and finishing off with demon vocal
sounds straight out of early necromantic Impaled Nazarene. This
quickly leads into the second track “Apex Illuminous”, which
continues the build up and launches into an evil sounding yet
headbang inducing metal chugging with a killer tremolo riff and
infectious melody that Satan himself would dance around a bonfire
to. The rest of the album, while it does dip a skosh, ultimately
keeps a pretty high level of quality and settles into a little more
of hypnotic moody vibe on the final two songs, “Vortex Spectre” &
“Elder Night…”, which combined clock in at over fifteen minutes. I
would recommend this for fans of the current UG metal scene that are
also die hards for ‘80s dark heavy metal, and the first wave of
black metal from the late ‘80s and very start of the 1990s. -
Dale
https://www.facebook.com/nachashnorway
https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com
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Narkan come blasting out of my speakers all the way from Peru! Yes,
this is an old release, but I was sent it in for review and I love
South American bands so I will make an exception here. These guys
have not been very prolific with their output (1 demo, 2 split CDs &
this 2007 full-length album) since their debut demo in 2004. This
seems common in the SA scene, though all members of this band are in
other bands like Eternal Exhumation, Estigma, Psicorragia, Black
Heaven, Armagedon, Akraetia & Epilepsia – so I am sure that has a
lot to do with Narkan’s somewhat sparse release productivity. Now,
on to what brought us here and that is intense, energetic and
vicious deathgrind music! This is true deathgrind too, some bands
throw in the grind tag and it is barely noticeable, but Narkan play
some brutal and memorable death that is laced habitually with lethal
injections of potent grindcore insanity. The vocalist named Dr.
Gonzales is killer! At first, I was not sure whether or not it is
was multiple members doing the deep growls, higher pitched growls,
nasal high screams that will pierce the ear drums. But I watched a
couple rehearsal songs on their facebook and it all one guy on the
mic, moving seamlessly from one style to the next and he destroys
it! He is fantastic. The rest of the band is no slouch with in
writing a powerful death and grindcore mixture that even manages to
slide in some short, tasty guitar parts or a brief cool mini bass
guitar solo. I mean this stuff is impressive, it is a shame that
this band is not better known outside their country around the whole
world’s UG scenes because they are that damn good! I highly
recommend this and please to the members some new material soon
please!! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/narkan.deathgrind
https://myspace.com/mythicmetalprods
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This mighty trio
of musicians is led by Zack Ripper, formerly of Nunslaughter, who
moved from Ohio to Colorado and recruited two members of the band
Weaponizer to continue the fight with Nekrofilth on this, their
sophomore full-length. Just imagine if you will a slightly updated
sounding version of a mix of Celtic Frost, Venom and Slaughter from
Canada, but played faster and more brutal! I can also hear fleeting
hints of Repulsion and Autopsy – what a fantastically sadistic and
wonderful set of influences, at according to my musical tastes (all
among of my fave bands of all time). The energy and caustic
adrenaline radiating off of this bands music incredible, I feel like
destroying everything in the room with a spike fisted headbanging
frenzy! ARGH!! They have this sort of violent punk aesthetic or
vibe, then again so did Venom and Slaughter to an extent. They also,
like many punk bands have short lightning songs on here that are all
3 minutes or under, it hits you hard and it hits you fast. The
vocals match the music with a vile mix of yelled gruff thrash vocals
with a hoarse growling death metal edge, but it is all very
decipherable, and oh so grimy sounding in a very good way. I have to
say musically these guys live up to their band name, to an extent so
few bands can, because this is definitely great Nekrofilth-y metal!
If you like the description above then trust me you need to get your
paws on this thing. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/nekrofilth
https://hellsheadbangers.bandcamp.com/
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Imagine a bright green bouncy ball. This bouncy ball has
spikes--shiny steel ones. They glimmer grotesquely as they catch the
light from passing stars. Yeah, this bouncy ball is in space,
somehow rebounding off of planets as if they were only models in an
elementary school classroom. This ball is analogous for how
Nekrogoblikon's brand of melodeath sounds to me: a strangely
entertaining mixture of silliness that sometimes has an
unpredictable edge to it. It is superficially enjoyable with
indisputably catchy riffs and refrains, but sometimes they are
catchy to a fault on this album. While the verses of most of the
tracks on Welcome to Bonkers have suitably speedy death metal
riffing and Nekrogoblikon's trademark eccentric flair, their
quirkiness and repetitiveness can become slightly vexing in such
tracks as "Dressed as Goblins" and "Darkness" where the choruses are
springy earworms. Since I am not accustomed to listening to "party"
metal, or death metal pizza with extra cheese, heavier tracks such
as "The Skin Thief" strike my fancy more. However, that is also an
important point about the appeal of Nekrogoblikon: they
defamiliarize death metal for fans of the genre with their
incorporation of extra-genric components like vivacious keyboard
lines, as well as in this way make this genre more accessible to
newer/younger fans of heavy music. Their liberal and varied use of
keyboards on Welcome to Bonkers would have the potential for
putting this album on the cusp of being excessively bogus if it were
not for how well-executed and incorporated they are into the
compositions. The piano-toned lines in such tracks as "Dragons", for
example, foreshadow the animated tempo of the guitar riffs to come,
making it even more satisfying when they do make their entrance.
Listeners must keep in mind that the purpose of this album is to
have some fucking fun with conventions that folks in the metal
community often take too seriously. It is not cerebral, and it is
not downright brutal even though it definitely has its moments; it
is funny, fun, and certainly bonkers. –
Aaron
https://nekrogoblikon.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mysteryboxfortress/
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Now, it's time
for some thrashy Black Metal, I guess. A catchy type of raucous, so
far. It sounds like mischievous raccoons scurrying around fibrous
tree trunks on a moonlit night. The songs have a tight structure yet
have a deliberate sloppiness stemming from (or around) their core -
to make the overall atmosphere feel lively and present. They have
that "controlled chaos" aspect, I'd say. A little off kilter but
masterfully gliding along the left hand path - with a smirking
knowing wink, no doubt. A raw touch of the diabolical with a
seemingly aloof panache. I like the two different guitar patterns
going on much of the time (left and right variations - complimenting
each other). Keeps things interesting. Quality deviltry, here...or
pseudo-deviltry? Either way...it's pretty enjoyable. Oh...wow. Just
as I was about to end this review, I heard a familiar song
beginning. It's a cover of Slayer's "Angel of Death". Not bad. Not
great...but not retch-worthy, either. Seems a bit out of place,
though. Two more songs to go. Back to the more impassioned style of
their own. Yeah, this is some fine work, here. Recommended.
- Anders
https://www.facebook.com/nekrokraft/
http://thesignrecords.com/
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This
interesting and new to me record label from Russia sent me a big
package of discs. Some recent releases and some from past years, all
still available I believe (either on CD or mp3), in interest of not
having to wait while I slowly do a full review of them all. I
decided to do an overview of mini-reviews to give an idea of what
this dedicated label is all about. All bands are either from Ukraine
or Russia. Okay, here we go:
Sound Of
Ground “Sick” CD (2013): When the first song started I was not
sure I would like this, they threw in this funk part that did not
fit at all, but after that they settled down and I got into it and
dug it a lot more than expected. Sound Of Ground plays Stoner Rock
with adventurous song structuring thrown in now and then. Think of a
more progressive version of Kyuss mixed w/Acid Bath.
Solid Stuff.
Flower In My
Lung - Flower in My Lung CD (2013): This pure mood music. It is
completely instrumental, atmospheric rock music to just mellow out
to and let your mind wander and bathe in relaxing emotion. This is
not something I would listen to very often, but it is superbly
crafted and hard not to like, especially since they create this
soundscape with largely traditional instrumentation, which is
something I really appreciate.
Pressor -
Weird Things CD EP (2018): Pressor perform extremely slow moving
experimental doom metal with heavy synth atmospheric accompaniment
is what I got from the first song. Then the second kicks in and my
thought they were purely an instrumental band went away as the speed
picked up and rapid, caustic sludge style vocals spread across the
music like a plague. It feels like those vocals don’t belong with
this music. As things progress, they even mix in some stoner metal
riffing. I really love some elements of this release yet other
elements just do not work well for my tastes. The crushing doom
stuff is great - more focus on that in future would be welcome for
me.
Disen Gage –
Nature CD (2018): There are only 3 songs but do not let that
fool you this album is 45 mins long! However, if you tend toward
liking bands with mainly traditional instrumentation you will be
disappointed. The bulk of their sound is just taking sci-fi samples
(like from 70’s/‘80s movies & TV), random synth sounds and
manipulating them into what felt like to me a kind of directionless
audio stew of atmospheric sounds ‘n samples slap chopped into three
16 minute chunks. I am sure there is an audience out for this band,
but it is not me. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/NonameRecordz
https://noname666.bandcamp.com/
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Now part two from this interesting Russian labels package. As you
see above, all bands hail from the Ukraine or Russia, and this label
is doing a very admirable and professional job promoting them
abroad. Let’s keep it rolling:
Soom –
Джєбарс CD (2018): Soom play grinding, gritty and dark rumbling
stoner / sludge doom metal, which is slow and moody with sparse use
of vocals. I like that as the spoken word vocals are on here are
pretty so-so. The band is at their strength when they let their
morose hypnotic doomy riffs and foreboding atmosphere take control
of the proceedings. This is a band I will keep my eye on in the
future. Some really good stuff.
Pree Tone –
Kiddy CD (2018): Psychadelic Shoegaze rock? I have to admit I
really dislike sappy shoegaze. PT adding some psychedelic elements
softens the blow a little bit, but honestly I am trying to be nice
by saying that as I just hate this. It is not for me, even the robot
collage turns me off; does anyone
reading this like shoegaze stuff? Maybe you will like this, but I am
happy to hit stop button.
Transnadežnost' – Monomyth CD (2018): This band is instrumental,
for the most part, and it works for them. The production and certain
elements in the bands music sound modern, but overall their music
feels very ‘70s progressive space rock to me. Which, it may surprise
some; this is a style I am a fan of. This is some killer trippy
music that produces a kaleidoscopic of flowing atmospherics and
emotions. This is very good if you like that kind of music?!
Злурад
-
Во
благо злу
CD (2019):
The translation is Zlurad – A Blessing Or A Curse. This is some
crazy shit, it almost seems a bit out of place on this labels
roster. Apparently, this is at least partially improvised. It is
barely controlled chaos punk, hardcore, metal mixed with spazzed out
jazzy horns. There are multiple vocalists, which sound like it is
feeding time at the insane asylum and everyone has been starved half
to death. Have you heard John Zorn’s Naked City or Zorn’s
Painkiller? Well, Zlurad are basically attempting that exact style,
except they are not quite as musically accomplished as John Zorn and
company. But, if you like that style of insanity and can not get
enough (even if it is a bit of a low on ink xerox), then this
release might hit the spot for you. If you do like this, you need to
get the John Zorn stuff ASAP. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/NonameRecordz
https://noname666.bandcamp.com/
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The No Name
Records / Addicted Label catalog overview series continues here in
part 3 and finishes below with part 4. This is a very professional
label that does a great job promoting their bands, all of whom hail
from either the Ukraine or Russia. Let’s go:
Spaceking “In The Court Of The Spaceking” CD (2013) I know
the title brings to mind King Crimson, but this band sounds nothing
like them. No, this pure stoner rock in the vein of early Monster
Magnet, Fu Manchu, Slo Burn and that style of sound. The band does
get a bit daring with the odd progressive spice injected into their
songwriting, but for the most part it is fairly straight forward
stoner rock, but pretty good stoner rock that is worth checking out.
Just a heads up, the vocals are very sparsely used as it is mostly
instrumental.
Detieti “Ne eP” CD (2013) It is hard to describe this band. I
am not sure progressive would cover it, more like an extremely
eclectic clusterfuck that is at times is pretty brilliant and other
times a little confused sounding. I would say think of more of a
metal, hardcore, punk tinged band trying to re-create the quirky,
freeform jazzy tinged Frank Zappa material (replete with Xylophone)
that was often improvised on stage. It is quirky and most extreme
metal fans that read this site might not like it, but who knows, if
you want something very different this is a good place to try to
spread those wings. These guys are very talented to be sure and I
can respect them for their talent level.
Soom & ИЛ “ИЛ – Soom” Full-length Split CD (2013) The ИЛ
portion of this split I guess translates to IL, so that is the bands
name. IL starts things off two tracks, the first being 22 mins (!!)
long. It is a moody slow mix of Sludge and doom metal, with few
short spoken word bits. Not much going on, it feels kind of off the
cuff at times and forgettable. Next up is Soom who I liked last time
around, but that release was 5 years after this one. Honestly, the
Soom tracks on here are a slightly higher quality version of the IL
tracks, except maybe a little bit more doom and little less sludge-y
sounding. It is also lacking those spoken word tidbits; in fact,
their side of the split is virtually instrumental. I already know
the future that Soom will get better going forward, but this is a
decent start.
The Grand Astoria “Deathmarch” CD EP (2013) A cool name and
an even cooler band. Damn, nearly every song on this five song,
thirty minute EP is filled with excellent kinda Psychadelic fuzzy
stoner rock in the vein of Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu, Sheavy etc…
The first four songs are just killer stoner doom rock, like fairly
heavy, but also catchy and memorable as hell. The last song is a
moody, mellow number, still good but not quite on the level as first
four bad ass songs. If you love stoner rock you definitely need to
check this out. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/eskhaton666
http://www.lavadome.org
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Time to wrap up
this in-depth introduction / overview of this quality Russian record
label:
The Grand Astoria “The Mighty Few” CD (2015) It was a
pleasant thing to realize the next review was another Grand Astoria
review, after I liked their EP above so much. TGA has gotten
extremely ambitious since then, there are only 2 songs here, but the
total run time is 50 minutes!! Their old sound of fuzzy stoner doom
is still here, though very sparsely employed now. But now, it is
wrapped in again, an ambitious experimental greater whole filled
with atmospheric sounds, dabs of jazzy instruments & sounds, space-y
sounding synth accents, along with some swingy moody guitar
excellence. The vocals are a little trippier sounding too. These
guys are so talented, both in instrumental skills, but also in song
constructing vision. I am not sure I loved it as much as the
previous extremely catchy EP, but this release is surely at a higher
level than that and it is hard not to be impressed.
Mother Witch & Dead Water Ghost “Ruins Of Faith” CD EP (2016)
are a psychedelic doomy stoner rock band from the Ukraine. The doom
is not the crushing heavy doom you might expect, but it has that
doom feel, the stoner side of things is not as catchy and rocking as
most stoner bands, but still has that fuzzed out vibe to it. No,
MW&DWG is a very gloomy and lugubrious, pensive band that will bring
out heavy emotions in you. The vocalist has great range and great
feel, on how to manipulate her voice to maximize it’s relationship
with the music. This is a band for me to keep an eye on for sure.
Jahroom “Cut-Price Goods + Nyx” CD (2016) This is a real
mixed bag of psychedelic and schizophrenic prog rock fusion, mixed
with jazz improv / instrumentation and all 11 tracks on this album
are instrumental. It is an extremely eclectic and eccentric mix of
musical directions, as well as genres played with crazy melodies and
time signatures. I am not sure this is my kind of music, but damn
are these musicians exceptionally impressive. I say that in relation
to their wide scope of musical skill and ability to assemble
coherent interesting songs within a musical wind storm! This is next
level stuff, the only thing that comes to mind (in my limited
listening repertoire in this area) is the “Black Light Syndrome”
album from Bozzio Levin Stevens.
Dekonstruktor - Fuck Life We Go Further CD EP (2017) I
finally get to hear the 4 song EP follow up to their great debut
album (my review of which apparently brought CA to the attention of
Anton from Addicted Label). Maybe it is because most of the other
releases are not at this level; it is a nice change of pace for me
to listen to something so crushingly heavy and brutal, like the
opening track is on here, which is great. They dropped the ‘70s
exploitation movie samples as vocals, other than brief acidic partly
sung, partly spoken word vocals mixed with some more industrial
sounding vox. The rest of the release is more trippy, more chill yet
still introspective feeling. I am not sure I like this as much as
their debut record, but it is still pretty great and this band are
true artists spreading their artistic musical sickness like an audio
drug for you brain. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/NonameRecordz
https://noname666.bandcamp.com/
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Denver,
Colorado’s Noctambulist are a fairly new death metal band.
‘Atmosphere Of Desolation’ in fact is the bands debut release, which
features six songs of fast and heavy death metal music. The vocals
are low and deep growls, though the vocalist does add some gruff
screams in some spots in a few of the songs. I have to say these are
best vocals I have heard in quite a while and fit the music
perfectly. The music is weighty and powerful with some heavy drum
patterns that are both extremely chaotic and fast, but do slow down
to a mid paced drum style throughout a few of the tracks. The
guitars are done in the same vein with some very well written and
performed patterns that are mainly played with a lot of speed. The
guitarist does add some very well played solos and nicely placed
within the bands music. If you are looking for a new with a lot of
potential then you should definitely be sure this release out,
surely there will be some good things to come from this young band.
- Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/noctambulist303/
https://helterskelterproductions.bandcamp.com
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This is the second full-length album from this Chicago band; they
have been releasing material (two demos, a couple EPs & a split CD)
since 2012. I am a little disappointed it took me this long to catch
on to them. Because they play great old school heavy & mammoth metal
of death, with a great sci-fi concept enveloping everything from the
great cover artwork, to the lyrical content and bleeding into the
music itself. When speaking of this little sub-genre, it is hard not
to include Nocturnus in the mix when talking Sci-fi death metal, in
this case conceptually the answer is yes. But, I would say Nucleus
actually sounds different enough from especially early Nocturnus,
and their vicious speed and heavy synth use makes it is hard to
mention them as an influence. However, surely bands like Timeghoul
(who I was a pretty big fan of early ‘90s when I tape traded for
their demos), Demilich for sure musically, it is also hard not to
think of early Immolation, Adramalech, Rippikoulu, Purtenance,
Abhorrence, Demigod and a touch of later day Gorguts at times too.
The music and the dense roiling growls on this album remind me to
another old fave Convulse as well. None of those influences are a
bad thing, I am a big fan of all the bands I have named, and Nucleus
has managed to put their own touch on that sound. It is clear these
guys love the early to mid ‘90s Finnish death metal scene, and who
can blame them it was a great time for death metal in that country.
The speeds vary slightly, as do song structuring changes, which
morphs enough to keep things interesting. But the speed generally
speaking, stays in the middle tempo range, with brief slow and
quicker accents that serve to manipulate the listeners emotional
spikes. Every now and then, there are even some tasty guitar fills,
but it is kept to a minimum as the boys make sure the overall dark,
sinister atmosphere is nurtured and maintained throughout. This is a
quality about them I appreciate very much. “Entity” without a doubt
is one of the better death metal albums I have heard in the last
couple years, and I hear a lot of them! - Dale
https://unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/nucleusmetal/
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