|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Englufed is a death metal band from Turkey releasing their second album after a seven year gap betwixt this, and their debut full-length. Having been around as a band releasing their debut recording, an EP, way back in 2012. The band has built up a level of experience, despite not having a wealth of output, which admittedly may have something to do with it’s members also being in bands like Decaying Purity, Burial Invocation, Diabolizer, Hyperdontia, ex-Deggial, ex-Impuration etc… In fact, the members of Engulfed make up healthy portions of the bands Burial Invocation and Diabolizer, so their working relationship must be strong and undoubtedly shows in their focused songwriting here. Engulfed come at you with an absolute crushing arsenal of deadly, brutal riffs that tear up the scenery with razor sharp accuracy and leaves nothing untouched. It is clear not just from some of the superb guitar work on here, not to even mention the smoking lead work that this band is highly skilled. This band has a penchant for injecting emotion into their song construction, which makes for a deeper listen underneath all of that brutality. The drum work courtesy of Engin Güngör (aka Aberrant) is a commanding, tour de force of precise, organized chaos that it is a sight for my ears to behold, so to speak haha. The drum work does stand out for me here more than the average death metal album. Engin’s experience shines through here as man whose craft was honed in this band over the last decade, not to mention his contributions and time in the bands mentioned above. This brings me to vocalist Serkan who has that classic rolling growl down perfectly, his voice is a scrumptious amalgam of the vocals of some of the greats. I am especially of men from the Swedish scene like LG Petrov of Entombed, Ola Lindgren of Grave, Matti Kärki of Dismember, so yeah, those vocals are killer. It was a bit of a wait between albums from these busy veterans, but they did make sure it was worth the wait.
- Dale
https://www.mesacounojo.com/
https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
|
It has been a long road for this Massachusetts band, as it has been six years since their second album “Death Obsession” was released. Just looking over their line-up, it is probably a decent guess that the delay was due in part, to turnover in this area. Just guitarist Josh Berry and drummer Darren Cesca (ex-Deeds Of Flesh) now remain from the last their album. They have since added Christian Munzer (Eternity’s End, ex-Defeated Sanity, ex-Spawn Of Possession, ex-Obscura) on lead guitar, Scott Bradley (Inanimate Existence) on bass guitar, Mac Smith (Apogen, Arlen City Massacre) on vocals. That is quite a line up to add to the old Eschaton base already in place, I must say. They have coalesced and melded their talents together nicely on this record. The result is quite impressive. It should be of no surprise looking at some of those past bands that Eschaton produce technical death metal. The energy levels on this recording are through the roof, it is an adrenaline fueled, lightning pace. A pace that is made all the more impressive when considering the extreme complexity of the music as a whole. It is also impressive that the results of that are not just a techno wank fest, no, they also manage to create some very good fluidity and the songs flow along like a stream. They manage to give those heavy riffs just enough room to breathe, so that it is not a blur. The drumming is a beautiful example of this precise, pin-point accuracy, despite it being a whirlwind of controlled chaos and consistent motion. The songwriting skill and construction is off the charts with this record! Despite Mac Smith not having a ton experience that would put him on my personal, quite wide ranging radar. I can nonetheless see why the band brought him in, as he puts in one hell of an impressive performance on the mic. He has a great charismatic growling voice, he manages to shape shift, expand and contract it wonderfully to fit the wild serpentine morphing music. Mac accentuates that wonderful main growled voice with an arsenal of accent vocals from gurgling screams to sweet higher pitched nasal vocal emanations. These vocals often have an impressively high speed, rapid fire delivery. There is so much going on with this music that it is both an exhausting and exhilarating simultaneous listen. If you love the brutality of death metal, the intricacy supremely tech death. Which you like coming at you like a bullet train of pure audio fire! Then your nipples should be hard right now! Get your hands on this and wreck yourself already.
- Dale
https://eschaton-label.bandcamp.com/
https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/
|
Up until now I had not heard of Evilyn, to be quite honest. But that is none too surprising looking at their history. As they have only released an EP, a few years ago, which was a bandcamp download only type deal. The line up back then was a little different, they are still a triad but only main man, US based guitarist/vocalist Anthony Lipari remains. This time around Lipari has drafted Aussie drummer Robin Stone (Norse, Ashen Horde), as well as fellow American Alex Webster (whose band Malignancy’s new album I recently reviewed) to handle the bass guitar duties. Maybe or maybe not expected considering the levels of experience involved, but this album is extremely smooth, challenging, polished and mature sounding to be a debut. The music on here at it’s base is incredibly heavy and crushing brutal death metal. Yet, it is also much more than that because it is extremely technical, it is also a very busy whirlwind of expertly controlled musical chaos. This is where the challenging part I mentioned comes in. The songwriting and construction is complex, there is a lot of layers here and they come at you from every angle. By that I mean the volume of what going on is dense, but also the time changes and twisting direction changes are constant. Having said that, those morphing changes are anything but haphazard or erratic. I can surely see how you might feel it is that way, if you do not have the patience or attention to detail as a million objects fly at you from every direction. It can be a bit of an exhausting experience, but also a rewarding one in my opinion. I mean you could dial back your attention to detail a bit and just ride shotgun with the consistent brutality of it all and just enjoy it at that basic level too. While all of this is going on I can not forget to mention Lipari’s vocals, they are extremely enjoyable deep classic sounding growls that are both commanding yet still manage to melt back into the musical maelstrom when called for. This is an impressive debut album that fans of intricate, even progressive death metal that also never forgets you need brute force in death metal should to take note here. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/evilyndeath
https://tometal.com/
|
|
 
Faithxtractor out of Ohio returns once again to terrorize the pages of Canadian Assault. This album is the bands fifth full-length, and the third reviewed between myself and my metal brother Patrick. They used to have a fuller line-up, but have only been a two piece act for some years now. Those two being Zdenka Prado on bass guitar and founding member / main man Ash Thomas handles vocals, guitars & drums. These two have a long standing musical collaboration with both being in the bands Surgikill and long quiet yet apparently still alive Estuary (formerly Estuary Of Calamity). The veteran musician Ash is a busy man, as he is also in bands like the killer Shed The Skin and Crucified Mortals (also previously in notable bands like Acheron, Necrolatry and Thorns Of Carrion). The band picks right up where they left off on their very solid last album “Contempt For A Failed Dimension”. Which happens to be traditional brutal death metal, but they have a great dark and necro atmosphere that permeates everything on this album in a wonderful way. Faithxtractor do have a nice mix of pacing on here. They rip at breakneck speeds for some sequences, middling pace at others and mix in some great brooding and suffocating slower sections. This last element adds some good gloomy feeling emotion and the band transitions smoothly between each. Which really shows off their maturity and skill in the songwriting department. It also highlights their feeling of when to move and up down that emotive scale, to add dynamic emotive impact that often crescendos in a satisfying way. I have not even mentioned the odd penchant for cool brief thrash sections, and in general, some nice subtle and delicious guitar nuance. Ash’s growling vocals are excellent and mimic the vibe changes in the music well. He does so by conveying those temperature changes in the music from the vitriolic aggression to the sinister auras, and contemplative moments through his voice. The last album was good, but I feel like they have topped that this time around. Do not sleep on this band. - Dale
https://faithxtractor.bandcamp.com/
https://shop.redefiningdarkness.com/
|
This is yet another new solo band from the prolific, and busy Canadian metal maniac Brendan Dean. I have in recent times, reviewed albums from his other bands Gutvoid and Pukewraith. Brendan is a member in bands (some international line-ups) like Soul Devourment, Alucard, and Fumes. Some bands like this one, and Pukewraith are one man bands while the rest are fuller bands haha. So far, having only heard Gutvoid, Fumes, and Pukewraith, I have to say I am a definite fan of Brendan’s work. So, does this streak of success continue with his newest creation on the album “Hymns For The Lesser Gods”? The answer is most surely in the affirmative. He takes elements from classic death metal bands over the years, yes it is a bit derivative at times, but what this man does with those elements when he applies his considerable skill and songwriting talent to them, results in some very good outcomes. This album is no exception to that trend, as it teems with an unrelentingly dirty and grimy brutal death metal churn. The riffing sounds so massive, it continually chugs along, not at breakneck pace, but a hurried pace nonetheless that stalks forward with an unrelenting stride. It is amazing to me how many crazy yet tasty little small cracks that he manages to fill with an audio compound, which he spackles precisely with those brief fills and abbreviated manic guitar soloing. If you love, as I do, those wonderfully sick styled growling vocals that incorporate rolling, gurgling toad-y croaks at the end of each elongated growl then you will dig this. Because this dude does those vocals perfectly, they are splattered wall to wall on this album, and I personally can not get enough of them. There is a myriad of influences I could throw out, but if you can not get enough of this style and love the band Demilich, both musically and vocally, then you need to get a copy of this dark sewered and begrimed death metal album posthaste. - Dale
https://fathomlessritual.bandcamp.com/
https://tometal.com/
|
This release caught my attention pretty quickly upon sampling. It is a cool split with two relatively newly formed bands that I had not heard of before. They may be new bands, but both play very old styles of extreme music. This split vinyl features both bands debut demo tapes, comprising a combined ten songs and a run time of about 30 minutes. First up on the docket is Fessus from Austria. These guys play gloomy, grimy and filthy death metal with small penetrations of death/doom metal in some sections. If you think of old works of amazing bands like Autopsy, Pungent Stench, Righteous Pigs, Repulsion (but slower) and Impetigo then you would start getting the idea of what is going on here. I quite enjoyed their morbid and necrotic hymns on here and look forward to a bigger morsel in their future. Holding up the other side of cool split release is Germany’s Kill The Lord with their demo plus two newer tracks. They also play old school death metal to keep the theme going. But their influences are from a decidedly different branch of the old dm tree. The slower to middle pacing of the previous band was a good warm up for the crackling energy and speed of their self titled opening track! Which to be fair does slow down a little to stir in some emotion and atmosphere in the middle of the song. They play traditional death metal of the classic Swedish variety! It is is also grimy and guttural, while still being heavy and chugging songs that are so deep and brutal. It is a nice balance between skillful and somewhat catchy riffing with just battering, crushing bombast all over the place. You can really get some change up speeds and headbanging rhythms going while listening to this shit. The deep growling vocals remind me of some of the classic Swede death bands, but also it has accents of other vocal elements you do not hear that often with this signature style. It is a great mix, an all-around amazing performance on the mic from Andreas Kauffmann. I like to do my research on bands and I just realized Andreas was the vocalist for the band Impending Doom! I fucking loved that band, which was around from the mid ‘90s to the early 2000’s. How cool is that!? Fuck yes. Darkness Shall Rise Records knocked it out of the park for me by picking these two rising bands shine a light upon. You know what to do. - Dale
https://fessus.bandcamp.com/
https://killthelord.bandcamp.com/
https://darknessshallrise.de/
|
This Greek band has been in existence longer than I thought, starting out under the name Raven Throne. They subsequently, and after a legal challenge, changed the name to Funeral Storm a year later in 2002 (new name is better and fits their music well). It appears there were quite a few years where the bands line-up was quite turbulent and in flux, once the smoke settled bassist/guitarist (previously vocalist as well) Wampyrion is the only founding member left. The beginning of stability appears to have finally came when he added UG black metal veteran Stefan Necroabyssious of the legendary band Varathron to take over vocal duties. I wondered back then if Necroabyssious was only a temporary member to help out, but he has now been in the band since 2015. “Chthonic Invocations” marks his fourth release with them now in the form of two splits and two full-length albums. An indulgent side note I was in contact with Stefan in the early ‘90s, and it sticks out in my mind he told me he was writing me a letter from the studio while recording the classic “His Majesty At The Swamps” album! The current line-up is heavy on experience with the members currently or previously members of bands like Varathron, Disharmony, Katavasia, Karkinos, Oath Of Hermon, Kawir etc… The music on here is really so steeped in what made the ‘90s Greek UG scene so great, their distinct and entirely fucking awesome style that is/was different than most of the rest of the world. That black metal way is quite contrasting to the second wave Scandinavian style, yes it has it’s similarities, but ultimately is more of hybrid of the first and second waves of black metal. These Greek bands tended to mix some dark death metal yet still freezing, sinister and evil in it’s own right into their black metal style. It is more atmosphere oriented at times, often a little more middle paced and introspective and ritualistic sounding. It is no surprise that Funeral Storm has style down perfectly, they are extremely capable of writing interesting songs that show a poignant side to their spellbinding musical darkness. It goes without saying that Necroabyssious puts on a robust, diverse and malevolent vocal performance that takes this quality music to another level. His performance is impressive. The end result is an excellent album that should please the hell out of fans of other Greek greats like early Rotting Christ, Varathron, Necromantia, Cult Eibon from their homeland with moonlit dash of the mighty Italian horde Mortuary Drape. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/funeralstorm666
https://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
|
We are presented with this bands second full-length album, first courtesy of Dying Victims, from Poland’s feisty Gallower. They have also previously put out two demos, a split EP, and a couple own EPs. They lash out with a devilish style that mixes, melds and intertwines old school blackened thrashing speed metal. These Polish dudes know how to write some memorable songs, songs that while heavy and driving, also have an affecting emotive depth to them. They do know how to weave in some straight up violent thrashing and it will get you headbanging. Yet, they always surround the heavy guitars and general fury with infectious rhythm and interesting change ups. Another quality they pride themselves on is producing a dark aura around all of their music. Vocalist Bartosz Golonka aka Mighty Tzar has a great traditional thrash voice, nice harsh and gruff singing / yelled style that has a good flow to it. His vocal sound or tone reminds me kind of like if you combined Cronos, Tom Warrior, Schmier and Ron Reinhart into one lethal stew. Yeah these guys kick some some ass. If you are a die hard of that old style and worship bands like Venom, Sodom, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Living Death, Bathory, Omen, early Slayer, Helstar, Destruction, Dark Angel, Bulldozer Sabbat and Exciter. Then you need to check these musical demons out.
- Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Gallowerofficial
https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/
|
“I never intended to pick up with The Gates of Slumber ever again in 2014. While I did start the band and wrote most of the first album it was never intended to be a one man show.” - Karl Simon. How is that little tidbit from the bands bio for a hook to get you to read this review? The Slumber started in 1998, long time bassist Josh McCash passed away suddenly in 2014 and that spelled the end of the band for many years. As very strange circumstances go, and eerie in a way, both drummers that were in the band in the past also both passed away in 2016 and 2020. I mean damn, man that is a lot of grief and sadness for one band (and exteneded family/friends) to take in a short period of time. I can not help but wonder if those feelings were channeled into the creation of the bands new comeback album. This Indiana band, or well Karl Simon in particular was asked to reform The Gates Of Slumber for the Hell Over Hammaburg Fest. Which in turn led to the bands full reformation and wheels were in motion for this self titled album, their first in thirteen years and sixth album overall. For those not in the know The Gates Of Slumber play classic doom metal in the vein of legend bands like Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Saint Vitus. This album has a really great vibe and atmosphere to it. Yes, it does tend to plod along, but the music also tends to keep moving in a faster than the pouring of molasses musical fashion on a semi-regular basis. They have managed to create some memorable songs with good moody, dark lyrics that will stick in your head and haunt you. The other two members of this trio, Steve Janiak (bass) and Chuck Brown (drums) come over from fellow doom band Apostle Of Solitude. These two men do a fine job of holding down the foundation for this band and their years of experience together shines through. I really dig the gloomy yet uplifting and melancholy vocals of Karl Simon, his performance here is simply superb. It is hard not to think of Wino when he belts it out on the mic, which is a very good thing in my book. As is this straight forward, but very good heavy doom metal album that should please the diehards of this style. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/thegatesofslumber/
www.svartrecords.com/
|
GoatKrieg is a two man band with members in Germany and Hungary. Moloch handles all the intruments and writes all the music for GoatKrieg. The other half of the duo on vocals is Bálint, who you might also know from the bands Bál, Vargrike and Hollow. 'Satan's Legion Marches' is the debut full length featuring eight tracks of bestial and relentless black death metal. Both the guitars and drums are a barrage of fast and chaotic guitar patterns on this recording. The drumming features fast blasting drums that bulldoze through each song with intensity and total barbarity. The vocals emanating from Bal and are a mix of demonic and brutal growls that are delievered with dominating power. There is also some insanely blackend shrieks and screams that this demonn spits out, giving each song a nice mix. This release is a must have for all those who love bestial and brutal blackend death metal, you will not be disapointed. I believe the cassette version is a seprate release on Bal's label and both are limited editons so do not waste time in getting a copy. - Patrick
https://goatkrieg.bandcamp.com/
https://theblackwitch056.wixsite.com/mastersofkaos/shop
|
I do have this bands album from a couple years back, but if memory serves, this is the first time I am reviewing their stuff. The band comes out of the extreme metal scene of North Dakota, and this is their fourth album. They have been around for a minute as they released their first recording, a demo CDR way back in 2008. That longevity as a band comes across in the music, as it showcases a mature and concise collection of songs. Gorgatron play crushing, classic traditional American style death metal with some good razor sharp riffing, interesting songwriting that is aggressive while still injecting some emotion into the battering cacophony. The production on here is perfect for their music, it is crisp, heavy and highlights the guitars, as well as the piston precise pounding drum work. They definitely do not re-invent any wheels here, you will clearly recognize influences like Suffocation and mainly Floridian bands like Hate Eternal, Cannibal Corpse, early Death, Morbid Angel, Brutality, Malevolent Creation and the like. I enjoyed the dual vocal attack from Karl Schmidt and Paul Johnson, it is a nice mix of mostly deep commanding growl variations of goodness. I was going to comment on this by saying good album, but dumb band name. But apparently they named the band after a character from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which is still silly yet that animated show rule. So, I am a little more okay with it now haha. But forget all that, just check it out, the music is not silly, it is seriously excellent death metal. - Dale
https://gorgatron.bandcamp.com/
https://shop.redefiningdarkness.com/
|
It was good to receive the new Grave Infestation promo. This album is this Canadian bands second full-length. You can find my review of their debut long player, from three years ago, elsewhere on the CA site. This probably only means something to me, but they are from Western Canada, which is where I was born and raised. Anyways, the band still sound the same, as I hoped they would being a fan of their first record. They play gloomy, primordial old school death metal that rattles bones and raises corpses from their crypts. Their music is more middle paced, but always moving and driving forward with the odd speed burst, and occasional eerie yet brief doomy crawls. Their overall sound and atmosphere is sinister, dark and chilling in such a satisfying way. There is some really strikingly emotive secondary guitar fills that add good emotive depth and kinetic energy to their songs. The drumming on here is strong too, many of the sequences really spur on the suffocating, necro sections wonderfully and his overall style reminds me of the legend Chris Reifert. The echo-y rolling boil growled vocals of guitarist Graham Christofferson are fucking massive and so damn good. Again, I will site Chris Reifert here too, vocal wise this time, alongside Jörgen Sandström, which is always a big compliment in my books. I am not just bringing up Autopsy (or one of the greatest albums of all-time “Mental Funeral”) repeatedly because they recorded this with engineer Greg Wilkinson, who is now a member of Autopsy either. That band is clearly an influence for Grave Infestation, and I said so years ago with their debut album. I also mentioned back then Repulsion, Nihilist and Asphyx if memory serves. If I had to nail it down to two influences that should tell you what to expect, think of the aforementioned “Mental Funeral”, plus the demos and first couple albums of the Swede legends Grave. Grave Infestation have captured this morbid, dismal sound perfectly, while putting their own spin on it and writing some killer songs. Oh, for those wondering Invitus is covering all of Europe, and Dark Descent is spreading the bands sickness across North America. If you are a die hard of the bands I mentioned, and can not get enough, like me. Then you have to get your mitts on this album! - Dale
https://invictusproductions.net/
https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
|
This Norwegian solo band black metal band is the brainchild of Torbjørn Kirby Torbo (also of the band Hevn III). ‘The Redeemer's Festering Carcass’ is the bands second full-length recording, the first was released last year digitally only. Which also means this marks his first label release. Torbo really does do an admiral job in all facets and instruments he employs, as well some well integrated and mood setting interlude/intro samples. The guitars, drums and vocals at times have a really caustic, coarse and noisy quality to them. The sort you might find on a lot of early ‘90s black metal demos and elements of mid ‘90s war metal. You know that harsh, barreling out of control, raucous noise and detonated bombast goodness. But often times, and often at the same time you have this strong undercurrent thread of confident rhythmic melody cutting through the noise. I was not sure if I loved that, at first, but the more I listened this dichotomy and seeming disunion. It began to play off one another and coalesce into an interesting. This results in an entertaining, violent cocktail of barbarity and finesse. Which, as mentioned the more I listened the more I started to appreciate, and even become slightly bewitched by. Torbo’s vocals also add to that acerbic quality overall in their sound. They are very harsh and tortured yelling rasps, similar to early Burzum or Arkanum mixed with some old Abbath of Immortal. I would say, to give you a rough outline of the influences that have been ingested, mulched up and spat back out into a new interesting form. Would be stuff like the aforementioned Arkanum, plus Sorhin, Dawn, early Mayhem, Kvist, Gorgoroth and little dashes of Bestial Warlust and Blasphemy. I would definitely recommend this to fans of both raw, sulfurous black metal and those who like black metal more on the flowing melodious sides in pretty equal measures. - Dale
https://www.instagram.com/grylablackmetal
https://ironbonehead.de/
|
This is the debut album for the Australian band Gutless. The CD will be on Us label Dark Descent and the other two formats on the British Me Saco Un Ojo, both are fantastic record labels. Gutless prior had a demo and a split digital EP and a live cassette release. But this is release is my first twirl with this band and they grabbed me pretty quickly by the throat and throttled me into paying rapt attention. They play an old and revered style of brutal death metal that largely draws upon classic bands of the Floridian death metal scene ala Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation and Obituary. This augmented with dashes of a little New York flavour like Immolation and a pinch of Demolition Hammer. These guys write some truly brutalizing songs with speedy rhythmic riffing and sharp energetic songwriting twists and turns. Vocalist Tom Caldwell rips his throat to shreds with some cool sulfurous and acidic growling that just fits the music like a spike fisted glove to your eardrums. I dig those vocals and they play a prominent role in the overall gurgling gut extracting musical vibe. The drumming of Ollie Bellantyne is a powerful and precise, piston pounding backstop that serves the flying audio savagery nicely. There is nothing too fancy, nothing overly technical or adventurous here. Which is just fine to for me. It is just straight up, extremely solid OSDM that rips ‘n tears all in it’s path. - Dale
https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
https://www.mesacounojo.com/
|
The Canadian audio manifestation of death doom metal morbidity returns to the pages of Canadian Assault once again. I reviewed this bands debut album “Durance Of Lightless Horizons”, a short time ago and I was quite a fan of it. So, as you can imagine I was pretty stoked to get my claws on this new record. You have no idea how many releases I get which passes along that are like 20+ minutes in run time, and they proclaim it to be an album. Which is exactly why I must commend this band and the label on their honesty with this release. Which clocks in around the 30 minute mark and it is listed as a mini-album. Gutvoid returns with four long songs of moody, sinister and pernicious death doom that is crushing yet filled with a poignant gloomy aura. The bellowing and somehow also shadow-y growling vocals from Brendan Dean (whose solo band Pukewraith I quite like as well) are simply superb, and reflect the music as nicely as a pristine, shining knife stuck in a dripping wound. Brendan even throws in some sweet little gurgling and croaking accents to his mainstay growls that bring to mind old Demilich and fellow Canadians Morbid Darkness / Shadu-Nar-Mattaru. The songwriting style reminds me some to one of all-time fave albums “Mental Funeral” by Autopsy, alongside a dash or two of Immolation and Bolt Thrower. This is really good stuff here, and it is a bit scary that I feel like this band is still finding their footing and have another gear they can get to in the future. Check it out if love brutal, dark and dismal death doom that you can still occasionally bang your head along with. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/gutvoidofficial
https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/
|
I was introduced to Antimo Buonnano and his original band the mighty Disgorge, way back at the end of ‘90s, by my old friend / metal brother Jeffrey Kusbel (who wrote CA for years and with whom I co-founded the record label Autopsy Kitchen Records). Disgorge was fucking great, and Antimo to me, rightly or wrongly, was the heartbeat that made that band so good. I mean that band has done next to nothing since he left in 2004. I must admit for a while after he left Disgorge, I lost track of what Antimo had gotten up to. By the time he popped back on to radar, I was both pleased and amazed by all the activities he got up to in the ensuing time frame. Since then he formed quality bands like Demonized, Profanator, Reverence to Paroxysm, Castleumbra, and Skid Raid. That is not even to mention his stints in Impeity, Blood Reaping and Ravager! This dedicated motherfucker has been kicking the extreme UG metal scene in the ass for 30 years now! Anyways, okay on to his other band, Hacavitz. Which features members from his other above mentioned bands and now presents to us their sixth album. Antimo and his mates have many sides they explore with these bands from thrash metal to death metal to black / death metal. For this outing black metal and dark death metal is the mixture Hacavitz largely resides within. This band has a lot of energy to it in the early going of this record, painting all their music with an evil, necro aura that will frighten you. It does so by battering you with it’s duality of freezing sinister sounds and thumping, driving death metal gallop. Think of a mixture of the early works of bands like Morbid Angel, Immortal, Krisiun, Behemoth and Malevolent Creation. Antimo does some great shadowy and obscured, not mention ominous vocal work on this album that is different than his other bands. The song “Tsontekotl Ika Tletl” is kind of a sombre, almost introspective instrumental track, which upon first listen felt out of place, and strange with what had led up to it. But with subsequent listens it feels like more of a transitional, or a vibe adjustment. Which leads into the final song of the album “Conticinium”, which very much departs from the bulk of the album up to that point, with the more aggressive and punishing style, not even mention all those songs were considerably shorter than the ambitious 11 minute run time of this album closer. Which you can argue makes this album a tale of two different styles, but on repeated listens that instrumental track is a bridge that prepares you for this more laid back, and pensive, yet still dark and evil opus of an album finisher. It is an interesting choice, but for me it worked, especially when I gave it the extra time to mentally view the album with a wider frame. This is a solid work from Hacavitz, and continues to show what an old UG goat that is a talented, multi-dimensional musician Antimo is. He combines with some of his closest musical brothers in crime to create yet another quality album in a long line of bangers in their discography. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/hacavitz
http://www.moribundcult.com/
|
Well now, this is a nice surprise for me. I listened to this and immediately knew it was something I wanted to review. But what I did not expect, after doing so, is that they are from my native province in Alberta, Canada where I grew up. They have been around for a while too, somehow I am just hearing them for the first time. These guys play old school ‘80s thrash metal to the max! They have that classic sound down perfectly and can write hook-y, heavy ripping riffs all damn day long. A decade into their existence their maturity is showing through, as they know how to construct interesting, memorable and affecting songs that will make your neck sore. Everyone pulls their weight from the precise and deadly drum work, to the twin guitar attack, it all works together nicely. There are some nice guitar fills and super tasty guitar solos nestled into the ripping rage. You need to have a good vocalist to pull this style off properly, and Hazzerd has that in spades, and from a non-traditional place as the vocalist is the drummer Dylan Westendorp. This dude can fucking belt it out, a great traditional thrash voice and he can even hit some siren levels. Dylan does this all while more than holding his own on the kit, an impressive and awesome dual performance on this record. Just for the hell of it, I searched youtube to see if I can find anything live from the band and clearly you will see this dude can do it live, too. While you are at it be sure to check out their new music video man does that takes me back to my youth (‘80s and ‘90s) as a fellow spike clad and jean patch covered vest long hair in Alberta. Except I was not in the big city, but rather the bible belt small towns in the Rocky Mtn. House area. The judgment was thick there, and came often. Anyways, if you if you are a diehard thrasher like me, who worships ‘80s thrash like Death Angel, Megadeth, Razor, Annihilator, Testament and Exodus then I have a band here for you. - Dale
https://hazzerdthrash.bandcamp.com/
https://www.m-theoryaudio.com/
|
Sweden's Helvetestromb return with a new, third full-length assault of Thrashing black metal that is crazed and brutal in it's delivery. ‘Apocalyptic Fires’ contains eleven tracks of uncompromising fast paced blackened thrash metal. The guitars are played with a furious whirlwind of extremely fast lightning guitar passages. The guitarist does write and perform some well played patterns, and some short solo's throughout the songs. The drums range between fast beats, to insanely fast blast beats that are furious in their hammering delivery. The drummer does slow to a mid paced range briefly in a few of the songs.The music on here has a high energy level and some riffing adds a metallic chug that is brought out well by the production. The vocals are grim and raw black metal screams that are used throughout most of this release. The vocalist does add some death metal growls that are equally as intense and powerful. ‘Apocalypitc Fires’ is a great release that is full of violent fast drums and guitar passages that should please all fans of this genre. It is highly recommended from me. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/helvetestromb/
https://mastersofkaos.bandcamp.com/
|
I know I mentioned this already in the Sacrifice review this month. But man it is cool to have all these old goat bands that I grew up with continuing to put out records. It has been eleven years, but Hirax is back with a new album. They reformed originally way in the year 2000, and I believe I reviewed at least one of their early reformation releases. I think it was an EP back around 2007. But my beginning, as with many fans of the band, stretches way back into the 1980s. When the band burst out of the gate in 1985 with their debut album “Raging Violence”, and the equally furious follow up “Hate, Fear And Power” in 1986 (both via Metal Blade Records). It was a rampaging and stomping melting pot speed metal and thrash crossover lightning strike that burned out shortly afterwards. But this laid a killer legacy that is held in high regard by the scene. It is amazing Katon D. Pena is still going more than 40 years after he started Hirax (L.A. Kaos before that even)! I have mad respect for this man. The set up here is interesting as Katon wrote all the lyrics, and sings them of course. But apparently he wrote the record with a young man named Neil Metcalf from the other side of the country. Both Neil and the drummer Danny Walker (ex-Phobia, ex-Exhumed) on this recording are not part of the live touring band (which includes members of the thrash band Anathemma and long time ex drummer of Sadistic intent). I need a cork board with push pins and a red yarn to keep track of it all haha! But that does not matter Katon is the heart of the band, and if you see them live you will see, and hear him. Speaking of which, at 61 years old the man is still a wildman on the mic, he sounds great and kills it on this record! Damn he sounds good, he is ripping it up as good, as fast, as vitriolic as ever with his great charismatic voice. The music is a killer speed metal thrash extravaganza! I mean it just rips off faces, killer heavy, hooky riffs abound and are sure to make you wreck your neck headbanging along! There is some really great work on the songwriting, it is classic thrash at it’s best with infectious songs you will be singing for weeks. That song construction combined with Katon’s superb lyrics and vocal delivery make every song on this fantastic record into memorable bangers. I believe this is also being released overseas as well by the Doomentia Records on multiple formats. Get it! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/HIRAXOfficial/
https://armageddonlabel.bandcamp.com/
|
The old Finnish black metal demon gods Horna return with their twelfth full-length album. They first appeared in the pages of Canadian Assault with reviews of the CD re-released version of their second demo along with their debut album “Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua”. That was followed by an interview you can find elsewhere on this site shortly afterwards in the summer of 1998. I have reviewed many other Horna releases since then, but here we are again these grizzled goats being reviewed in CA once again over 25 years later! I am sure I have mentioned in years past just how much respect I have for Horna as they have always stuck to their roots and never softened or wimped out. As always Horna still play freezing cold and hateful second wave black metal infused with a ominous atmosphere. The songwriting is not just phoned in, there is always well thought out and meaningful songs that grab your attention and hold tight. They always have an old black metal guitar sound, but there is usually this slight heavy raw edge to the riffing that I always enjoy and often sets them slightly apart from others in this style. Let’s be honest, even though Horna has always had a full band, the black blood pumping heart is and always has been (the only founding member left) the mighty Shatraug with his signature guitar work and song construction. There has been some excellent vocalists in this band over years especially Nazghu in my view. But it has been Spellgoth who has put his stamp on the vocals and owned the position with his evil and distinctive voice with it’s traditional rasping tone and demonic sounding undercurrent. I want to also highlight Ville Markkanen’s (aka VnoM) drum work on here as he really supports the guitars, but not in a mindless way, he very much supports while carving out his own niche to propel the excellent songs forward. They do end the album with kind of a somber, emotive song that is a little different for them yet still ends on an brooding introspective note. That is a bit of departure for this band, admittedly (despite what I claimed earlier), but somehow it feels like a long winding outro to wind things down as the album closes out. Horna continue to do it and I am honoured to have been there right from the beginning, supporting (many reviews and two interviews, go read them) this great band who are legends in the UG black metal scene. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/hornablackmetal
http://www.w-t-c.org/
|
Okay, these guys surprised me and kind of blew me away with their energy and ferocity, immediately upon hitting play. Minnesota’s House Of Atreus is largely unknown to me (outside of the tangential connection of one of the members being from the band Maledicere), despite the fact they have already released two full-length albums. I must make up for lost time now, with this band, based upon this mini-album’s quality. The riffing on this album is absolutely non-stop, it just keeps coming, great riff after great riff! The lightning pace of the songwriting gives you nearly zero room for a breather, between every razor riff. I do not want to under sell the quality of the songs themselves, as it shows a strong level of skill and imagination, but it is understandable if you have trouble getting past the barrage of massive, monstrous riffage. It is hard believe with these hyper-speed tempos, that there is in fact some more refined guitar work going in the background, if you are able to pay it proper attention as you are being battered. This crackling and electric energy is also accentuated and supported further by some frenzied, sort of guitar solos, which seep through the tiny gaps in that adrenaline filled raging main riffs in each song. The drummer gets quite the work out as well, as he does admirably manage to keep up and command as much attention as he does on here. The singer Anxietous Nero (yes, they all have Greek mythology influenced names) belts and bellows out some pretty sweet, gruff, yelling thrash style vocals that have an aggressive growling, slight rasping edge to them. His vocals match up to the music nicely. If you love ferocious, intense music of the death thrashing variety with heaping helpings of speed metal, and an undercurrent of heavy metal then you really need to do yourself a favour and check out what is going on here. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/acclimatedbyforce
https://ironbonehead.de/
|
Hyperdontia return to the pages of Canadian Assault (I reviewed their EP a year or so ago). As time has passed I have only continued to in admiration towards the fine collection of musicians that make up Hyperdontia. Just looking through their resume I realize more and more, how much of a fan I am of most of the bands of which these gentlemen are members. If you search around this site you will find reviews of their other bands like Sort Sind, Sulphurous, Septage, Phrenelith and Engulfed. ‘Harvest Of Malevolence’ picks up right where their recent EP left off. Which is razor sharp, chunky and brutal classic death metal that rages through your eardrums violently. These gents have a penchant for mixing just enough technicality and stylish finesse within those precious empty spaces between that freight train barbarity. The songs have a lot going on, but also manage to have such a rapid silky flow, which speaks to these guys advanced and refined songwriting abilities. As mentioned as the speed kills, and great headbang inducing heavy riffs fly by in abundance, there is also some tasty guitar work going on underneath. I have to give a mention to the bass guitar here as well, there is some delicious and highly satisfying brief moments where bassist Malik Çamlica shines. Those trademark superbly deep rangy death growls courtesy of Mathias Friborg also continue to be a stand out quality piece of the Hyperdontia’s mighty arsenal. I can listen to those commanding vocals endlessly on a loop as they gurgle and flow across the late ‘80s thrash sensibilities so skillfully beneath their quintessential supremacy. This third album from the band shows them hitting their stride and riding high at the apex of their musical powers. Just a great album that inspires nearly endless looped listening from me!
- Dale
hyperdontiaofficial.bandcamp.com
www.darkdescentrecords.com
www.mesacounojo.com
|
The Finnish Iku-Turso make their storming return to the pages of Canadian Assault with another new mini-album. I reviewed their previous mini-album “Ikuinen Kirous”, not so long ago. That release forced me to like this band and start keeping a close eye upon them. The members of this band have an abundance of experience in other bands such as Order Of Nosferat, Nachtvrucht, Wrathage, Alkuharmonian Kantaja, From the Void, Serpentfyre and more. This five track release showcases a virulent brand of second wave, early / mid ‘90s black metal that is equal parts cold hatred, and eerie flowing majestic melody. Now, normally I am not the biggest devotee of heavy use of keyboards in black metal (what is often referred to as symphonic bm). However, with Iku-Turso, the way they employ them is very much to my liking. They are haunting yet played aggressively at moderate speeds, which really suits and enhances the freezing steel hatred of the underlying traditional instruments. The style of this band is challenging, while also quite familiar (it’s foundation surely being early ‘90s second wave Scandinavian black metal), they do things, and present certain elements in pretty unique ways at times. There is some good traditional black metal rhythms that will freeze your soul, as they drip down through streaming audio disgust. The one thing that might surprise here, with all of that icy vitriol I am describing, is the music is also explosive, and has a quality of grandiosity and driving bombast. It is a truly interesting mixture and shows a band that continues to sharpen their songwriting skill. The vocals of Lafawijn (who is from The Netherlands, the only non-Finnish member) have this wonderful grating quality at times, always cacophonous and cackling with an intensity that I find quite an addictive listen. He varies his vocal style in some songs, sometimes within a single song. His vocals always possess a harsh classic bm rasping base, yet as mentioned, his arsenal of weapons is quite varied and within that seething hate he manages to express different shades of emotive, sulfuric vitriol. They end things with a rousing cover of Emperor’s classic “Beyond The Great Vast Forest”. The overall result on this recording is Iku-Turso continues to get better and deserves your attention, if you are a black metal devotee. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/ikutursobm
https://www.purity-through-fire.com/
|
I do enjoy industrial metal, albeit I confess I do not listen to this style often. As a consequence I tend to only listen to the bands that I consider to be the cream of the crop. Which includes (the earlier works of) bands like Godflesh, Pitchshifter, Fear Factory, my countrymen and one of the originators in the movement Soulstorm and a few more. I am focusing as you can see more on bands that mix really heavy death metal leaning elements into their sound(otherwise you have to list the mighty Ministry in any such list). I mean admittedly I probably do not follow this particular sub-genre overly closely, then again not sure how big that scene has been short of a few sporadic ebbs and flows. This release is my first entanglement with Spain’s Inerth, though they have been at it a while, if you consider 2019 to be a while. Which is when they unleashed their first release, an EP followed their debut album a couple years ago. Which brings us to ‘Hybris’, which I see listed as a mini-album, maybe I am splitting hairs but eighteen minutes is an EP all day long in my book. But that is neither here, nor there, when it comes to the music itself. Which by the way is very good, it may not be quite as crushing as the embryonic classic releases of the bands listed above. But that is not to say it is not heavy, because it is on the slow side yet heavy as iron much of the time. The riffs are pretty massive. I can not help but to mention Godflesh yet again, as they are clearly a big influence for Inerth, maybe not so much their early period though. But middle ‘90s and onward Godflesh, oh hell yes, these fellows are big fans. Which is not a bad thing at all as I quite enjoy the music they have laid down here. It is heavy, it is moody and atmospheric with a maturity to the songwriting. They construct some memorable and effective songs, and they give off this epic feeling despite most of the songs run time of three to six minutes. I guess it is more they manage to make entire release, to where it feels like one longer musical piece with very short breaks in between movements. The vocals I like too, classic echo-y death growling, though not deep and they mix them with some cleaner accent vocals, again ala Godflesh. I suppose you could just listen to Godflesh instead, but these boys from Madrid do the their style extremely well, with aplomb and have the skills to back things up creating some quality music. Check it out if you dig industrial metal. - Dale
https://inerth.bandcamp.com/
https://www.abstractemotions.com
|
There has been a considerable gap in time since this bands debut album, it has been nearly a decade! I would say it may be down to vocalist problems, as they have had three of them, but that has been spread out over the last two years. I am sure that played a part in delaying things, but there was some seven years prior to that of near inactivity. The other three members are all founding members and have been in the band since it’s inception in 2012. Iniquitous Savagery produce a technical and decidedly brutal as fuck brand of death that clearly has heavy influences from classic American bands (with an assist from Canada) from the early ‘90s. They waste no time getting into things as they immediately blast beat their way out of the gates like an angry caged bear released from it’s cage. They do settle down before long by adding in some drawn-out sections that grind you into dust, slowly. They vary their pacing up and down, back and forth, always transitioning skillfully. While still blending some killer little guitar fill runs that remind me a bit of some old Cryptopsy / Gorguts stuff. As mentioned though they are clearly influenced by US bands, think the earlier albums especially of bands like Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, Deeds Of Flesh and maybe dash of Dying Fetus. These guys are fucking talented though, both on their instruments and in the song writing department, all is well put together. Those heavy brutal riffs stick with you and create some emotion within that fury. The song construction as well, while being technical at times always leaves room for headbanging, and I am sure creates furious pits live. I would be well remiss if I failed to mention the vocals. The bands vocal problems appear to have been solved with the arrival of Liam McCall (also a member of the band Aphotic). Liam’s vocals are massive resonant growls that brute their way through the songs with a commanding and impressive performance. I have not heard their old material with previous vocalists, but this dude brings the goods here. You might have heard this done before, I grant. But all the same Iniquitous Savagery do this style extremely well and I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. - Dale
https://iniquitoussavagery.bandcamp.com/
https://willowtip.com/
|
If my memory serves, our man Patrick reviewed this Spanish bands debut album a couple years back in the pages of Canadian Assault. Intolerance have now returned with sophomore record with the same labels teaming up once again, as Momento Mori will release the CD with Godz ov War handing the vinyl and tape versions. Intolerance play a very classic style of death metal that owes a lot of it’s inspiration to old European bands. Though not so much the Swedish scene as your mind may have immediately turned with that description. No, think more along the lines of Euro bands from Holland and England like Asphyx, early Gorefest, Benediction, Bolt Thrower, and Sinister. But one big American influence that is also obvious to me is the almighty Autopsy with classics like “Severed Survival” and “Mental Funeral”. These guys mix those bands styles together with a injection of their own character, and out comes a lethal cocktail of down and dirty brutal death metal sickness. They manage to imbibe into that crushingly heavy sound, a poignant and emotive underbelly to the brute force when they slow down the pace ever so slightly, with those dark brooding interlude sequences. Vocalist Pedro Moscatel puts on a pretty killer performance on the mic that very much follows along with the influences of the music as listed above. He mixes his voice up with higher gurgle-y and slightly screeching accents, along side his deep rolling boil mainstay growl. Intolerance are still finding their level to some small extent, but seem to be zeroing in on their signature style whilst creating a strong second album that you should give a try. - Dale
https://godzovwar.com/
http://www.memento-mori.es/
|
I was pleasantly surprised to see Iron Monkey are still around, or more like back around again. I reviewed their “Our Problem” album over 25 years ago, when it first came out! Just checking into some dates for a minute, it looks like they split up about a year later and reformed a while back. They only have two original members left, but back then they were a five piece band, and now they a trio, so really two-thirds of the current band are original members. So that is cool. I think you could probably put Iron Monkey up there with the first or early second wave of sludge doom metal bands, coming closely on the heels of bands like Eyehategod, Acid Bath, Grief, Noothgrush, Crowbar and of course none of this is possible without the grandfathers doom Black Sabbath. There is some really heavy, slow yet not too slow, monster riffs on here slapped with a coating of dark and murky sludge. Which I find extremely enjoyable and I say sludge, but they tend not be as feedback laden and screechy with it. This is where the stoner doom influences come in riding the line between that catchy Kyuss style fuzz pummel. That riffing is so infectious, it is hypnotic and almost ritualistic in a superb way. So one this is for certain, these guys did not mellow with age as they are still harsh, crushing, caustic and pissed off. This is reflected perfectly by founding member Jim Rushby (previously the guitarist only, he replaced the sadly long deceased vocalist Johnny Morrow). Jim absolutely takes a cheese grater to his vocal chords and shreds them with volatile aplomb and energy. He verbally creates an impressive tornado swath of destruction. It is damn good to have Iron Monkey back, and they are back in a big way! - Dale
https://ironmonkey.bandcamp.com/
https://www.relapse.com/
|
|
I reviewed a compilation release from this Finnish band a while ago. That release had two of their demos and an EP on one release. Now, the same record label returns once again to the land of the midnight sun to bring us the bands new release of all new music. There is fifteen songs, with only one song going over the two minute mark, and the total run time is under twenty minutes. As I have mentioned before, I generally like my hardcore punk music to be fast, violent and in your face. Well, Kouristus bring that in spades! They make dirty, filthy and ultra violent music that beats, batters and pummels the listener into mush. They push out some of the fastest, most savage and furious hardcore punk music you have ever heard. They then they take it up a notch by employing a crushingly heavy metallic tinged guitar sound. But, they have one more gear to reach, which they do by mixing in chaotic, caustic flourishes of blinding grindcore here and there. It is quite a total package in that regard. But don’t forget the hardcore punk rock rhythms, because these Finns do not forget about that as they abound in their music. I can only imagine with those infectious driving rhythms, alongside the train wreck of violence, these guys must induce some violent pits down front live! The vocals match the intensity of the music, believe it or not. They are cheese grater harsh, blistering vocals, a mix of a hardcore shout, thrash rasp, bellowing death growl and the insane outbursts that remind me of the insanity of the vocals from the mighty The Accüsed. Each and every time I hear this band, the more impressed I become. You definitely need to check this out if you like any kind of mixture of hardcore, punk and grindcore that will be a spiked fist to your ears. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/kouristus/
https://visceralcircuitryrecs.bandcamp.com/
|
|
This band is the work of one man, the Australian Krvna Vatra, who is also a member of multi-musician bands Dearthe, and the veteran Aussie band Pestilential Shadows. Despite Krvna only putting out releases since 2021, Vatra already has a demo, and two full-length albums under his belt. Which brings us up to date with this MCD, I seen this listed as an EP, but it said nothing about the two cover tracks (more on that later) on this release, which help bring the run time up near the thirty minute mark, and thus full value IMO for that mini-album status. There is three new original tracks on here, all are in the seven to eight minute range, but none feel like they were designed to be epic hymns. No, they flow nicely and the song lengths feel pretty organic to me. The music on here is decidedly black metal, through and through. While the foundation of their sound to me is early ‘90s, second wave black metal that seethes with hate and freezing Stygian blackness. There is also a more flowing, atmospheric (no, do not read that and think symphonic) layering that sweeps across sections of the music, and brings a different kind of sinister audio shadow creeping across the hate like a rapid fog. Krvna Vatra has a knack for weaving in drawn out guitar sequences with an introspective and/or emotional, affecting feeling, as a counterpoint to the cold malevolent darkness. This all gives a broad depth to the sound and experience of the music, a smooth, skillful juxtaposition of these two disparate musical elements, to create one lethal musical movement. The vocals are superb, traditional bm rasping yells that drip with venom and malice. Now, finally on to the two cover songs, those being the interesting, and good choice of Abigor’s “As Astral Images Darken Reality” from their 1995 album ‘Nachthymnen…’. The other being a much more common band choice, though not a common song to cover, with Bathory’s “Man Of Iron” from the ‘Blood On Ice’ album. Both are well done, and interesting enough, if you are not tired of cover songs, which luckily for me I am not. This release is apparently a co-release Third Eye Temple, who will release the cassette version, as well a vinyl version is on the horizon from Brilliant Emperor Records at some point. Whichever version you decide to try, I can recommend this release, and now I will look forward to the next album, in the meantime. - Dale
https://krvna.bandcamp.com/
https://www.zazensounds.com/
|
I was excited to get my mitts on this album. I have been a fan of this band under their recently changed name of The Skull. A band which featured two of the main members of the legendary Trouble during their classic years. Which is bassist Ron Holzman and vocalist extraordinaire Eric Wagner, not to mention other notable musicians. But that Trouble connection was what had drawn me to that band, and helped lead me to their debut album “For Those Who Are Asleep”, the self-titled EP, and follow up full-length “The Endless Road To The Dark”. The reason for the name change in a lot of ways was the untimely death of Eric Wagner. Whose presence by the way is still here on this record, from some of the lyrics, in the songwriting, and all the way up to him recording the vocals to the track “Heaven” on this very record! I was stoked to find out the band planned to carry on, under this new name, but what pray tell could they do to replace a legend on vocals?! Well, they did so in a fantastic way by bringing in not one, but two amazing vocalists in Karl Agell and Scott Reagers of Saint Vitus fame!! This is also special to me because the seemingly disappeared Karl Agell is back in the metal scene! He is a man who, in my opinion, put on one of the greatest vocal performances in metal history on the “Blind” album from Corrosion Of Conformity. It is/was an stupendously great performance on that classic album, and then he just seemingly vanished from the metal scene. So, needless to say, I was stoked to hear this man sing again, even though his performance while great, is pretty different sounding to that C.O.C. material. But the man still sounds great, just listen to the song (and look for the music video for it on Youtube) “All Good Things”. I mean what a rich, soulful vocal rendition of this Wagner written that he puts on here on this deeply affecting song. That song hit me good. That track may even be the least doom-y song on here, yet it still has that feel to it. While this record is heavy, it not crushing and the flow leans more on the side of dark atmosphere and smooth streaming emotion. It will come as no surprise Reagers also puts on a tour-de-force vocal performance on this record as well. I did not want to overlook him in my excitement in hearing Agell sing once again. What a vocal tag team this band has assembled (this a long term thing? I hope so). There is some wonderful, refined and tasty guitar work on this album, not to mention some crafty songsmith-ing. This record has a real repeated listen quality to it, which is a real vote of confidence from me. These guys really carry forward that great heavy metal and traditional doom tradition superbly on here, furthering the great legacy they started in Trouble and continued through The Skull. They also make sure to mention they are not finished, this is not just a Wagner tribute, and they are far from done. Cheers to that. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/legionsofdoomband
https://teepeerecords.com/
|
|
It has been a really long time since I heard any Limbonic Art releases (ala the late ‘90s). I must confess I did not realize they were still largely going this entire time, minus what looks some lengthy periods of inactivity. I lost track of them in the late nineties when I think Samoth from Emperor was releasing their stuff on his record label. I remember liking some of their early work. Though I have a recollection, if my memory is not too fuzzy of thinking they went a little heavy on the keyboards and that only got more prominent later on. I also recall always enjoying the vocals of main man (and now only man with the departure of long time member Morfeus over a deacde ago) Daemon aka Vidar Jensen. His vocals are not your usual fare, while they have threads of the old second wave bm rasp, they also include a lot first wave black metal style and accents of death metal influences. Daemon really presents a pretty deadly and well rounded vocal performance on this album, his voice is consistently morphing, writhing back and forth like a serpent from grating hate to sinister echo-y melancholic whispering and tortured sorrow. For me the vocal work on this album is almost worth the price of admission all on it’s own and stands out from the pack. That is not to take anything from the music which much like the vocals is an evil lightning attack, that is constantly striking forward in all directions with effective and accurate audio venom. It always feels like there is a lot going on to me, that is probably partially do to the constant adrenaline headlong motion, but Daemon also packs a lot into his musical movements. You might wonder about the symphonic end of things? Well, that is still very much present as a classic element of the Limbonic Art style, but for me the balance is better now than it was at times in the past. The synth and symphonic element is woven more into the fabric, rather than bleeding over top of it in a more profuse manner. Which incidentally if you did not pick up the hint already is much more to my personal liking. Daemon has not been prolific with the Limbonic Art releases, but I feel that is due in part to quality over quantity. Which I believe he has largely achieved on “Opus Daemoniacal”. You should give it a long listen if you are a fan of the band in the past or die hard in more recent times. - Dale
http://lnk.spkr.media/limbonic-art-opus
https://en.kyrck.spkr.media/
|
|
This is the fourth album of Chile’s Lucifer’s Hammer (named after the classic post apocalyptic sci-fi novel by writer Larry Niven). These warriors have been battling it out in the South American UG metal scene for just over a decade now. Unlike a lot of bands from that fantastically fertile metal scene, these guys are not in a bunch of bands. No their exclusive focus as been Lucifer’s Hammer, besides a recent addition on bass guitar, the other three are all founding members of the band. ‘Be And Exist’ is in a lot of ways a love letter the classic heavy metal I grew up on at beginning, and through the 1980s. I would say their main influences reside from the almighty United Kingdom scene back then with bands like Angel Witch, Saxon, Satan, Diamond Head, and Blitzkrieg. It is probably not a big surprise that their two biggest influences being Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. They wear those influences on their sleeves in a big way, but hell man, when it is done this well who cares when the music is this damn good. These chaps write some excellent, memorable songs that will stick in your craw in the best way. The melodies are infectious, the song structuring is highly skilled and they write catchy songs with choruses and lyrics that stick in your head. The classy guitar work on here is also impressive and shows an emotive tendency to everything, and some of the heavier galloping runs are among my fave moments on here. The vocalist Hades has a great set of pipes on him, he has a smooth delivery with a great traditional heavy metal voice and he has range that tops out with some nice eardrum shattering siren flourishes. If you can not get enough of the oldest school archetypal heavy metal of yore, then you really need to check this band and album out. - Dale
https://lucifershammerband.bandcamp.com/
https://dying-victims.de/
|
|
I have been into this band for a very long time now. I think I reviewed their demo tape in like 1997, then shortly afterward their debut album "Intrauterine Cannibalism". Back then they had Roger Beaujard of Mortician on drums (and later bass guitar). I must confess I lost track of them in recent years and did not know for sure they were still active. I suppose I can be forgiven for that since this album is their first full-length of new material in over a decade! Nevertheless, it is good to see them back and returned to my radar. The line up may have morphed a bit over the years, but their sound has not and these guys continue to stay true to their roots and their trademark sound. Which is heavy and crushing death metal with a strong technical sinews threaded through and wrapped around the bones and heart of their hallmark brutality. It is a nice balanced marriage between that pummeling barbarity and techno wizardry, never do I feel that they let one of those two prominent elements overpower one another. You can enjoy the intricacy while you punch the air and head bang while growling along to the vocals. Speaking of vocals, Danny Nelson (the only remaining original founding member) discharges a frightening and dominating barrage of killer growling voices that rides the line between deep imperceptible and just decipherable enough to understand all the lyrics. I really dug his vocals on here and he brings a lot to this quality music. Speaking of great individual performances within the quality musical collective. The drum work on here is superbly strong, commanding, and a precise performance with a lot of interesting arrangements. After admiring the drumming on here I looked up the man behind the kits history. I must admit I did not realize until, nor did I have it on my bingo card that the long time (since 2004) drummer Mike Heller is also a full time drummer of both Raven and Fear Factory!! Wow! As mentioned it has been a hell of a long time since I heard new Malignancy music. But these old vets have done a admirable job with this album making it worth the wait. Hopefully they stay more active going forward, I could certainly use a lot of this kind of material from them. - Dale
https://malignancy.bandcamp.com/music
https://willowtip.bandcamp.com/
|
Massacre has a very long, storied and at times winding band history, and you know I am a band history junkie. You have the obvious deep connections to the band Death. Where you had current and past members of Massacre that were also in that band at different times, from their inception, through to their second album “Leprosy”. There is even a healthy connection off and on to the band Obituary. But I could get sidetracked for a long time here on just the ties to other Floridian bands through the decades. But let us just focus a bit more on Massacre itself. Which in the last 20 years has been a bit of roller coaster ride. There seems to be almost a wrestling, or maybe an interest until there is no longer in an interest in keeping Massacre alive. I do not know the exact relations, or how good or bad they are between old members. But it seems like there were fights over the name, even briefly having iterations changing the name to Massacre X and Gods Of Death Metal, both of which accomplished little. There were various attempts to keep Massacre going during these last couple decades, it has been combinations of early members Kam Lee, Rick Rozz and Terry Butler. Most recently Rozz and Butler had the band going until somewhere around early 2019, as near as I can tell. That is when Kam Lee took took the mantle back up that same year, and they have been going forward since then. Kam brought back in to the fold bass guitarist Mike Borders, who was on the demo stuff in the mid ‘80s. I think probably Kam’s best get with this band was managing to bring in the extremely prolific Swedish guitarist Rogga Johansson (Furnace, Revolting, Ribspreader, Putrevore, Paganizer, Down Among Dead Men + many more bands!). I suspect the talented and skilled music creating machine Johansson is one of the main songwriters now in Massacre. Alongside of course the death metal vocal god that helped shape the growling style in Kam Lee leading the way with an amazing charismatic performance on this album. Kam has said recently this album is a tribute to ‘80s and early ‘90s death metal straight up. Lee also pens some great lyrics and bases some songs on H.P. Lovecraft stories brought to life on the big screen by legend director Stuart Gordon. The movies he writes songs about this time are classics like Re-Animator, From Beyond and Castle Freak. The music on here is just great direct traditional death metal with some brief, and enjoyable moments of straight up feels, nestled among the brutality. The music keeps a good pace, not too fast, not slow and not overly technical. There are some good chorus breaks and some mood setting foreboding interlude tracks. The vocal performance from vocal legend is excellent on here, a nice balance between gurgling and deep growl that is entirely decipherable to any half-way discerning death metal fanatics ear. Maybe it is because I am from the vintage that this album was crafted as a love letter for? A time period of embryonic formation of the early years of this great genre (which helped forge me into the life long metal diehard I am today), but I can not help but absolutely love everything about this album. If you also worship late ‘80s and early ‘90s death fucking metal then you need to get this record! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/MassacreBandUSA/
https://agoniarecords.com/
|
This German band in it’s early years existed as a one man band. That one man being Baptist, who as a solo act released a demo, a few EPs and their first two albums “Silent Ages Inter Arma” and “Axis Munde” in 2018 and 2020. At this point, in time, Baptist entered into a new musical pact with drummer Valfor, and it has been a fruitful alliance ever since. As Valfor (who was already in the bands Aseheim and Totenwache), he not only entered into Mavorim as the full time drummer, but these two men around the same time also formed two other notable bands together Eisenkult and Atronos. This album is the third full-length for this duo, and fifth overall for the band. These two have been prolific as that is now three albums and four demos in the last three years! "In Ominia Paratus” sees the band continue their deathly sinister style of black metal that strikes a balance between atmospheric synth atmospheres, and harshly scathing black metal. They do manage to inject some melody into their free flowing, frozen musical hatred. From what I recall on some of their past works, it is still very much present, but I feel like on this album they dialed back the atmospherics and heavier synth integration. Which, for me, this is only a big plus, as I feel they allowed their coarse black metal heart pump more freely on here. The chilling, scathing metallic edge, and second wave worship are steering the ship through the darkness with both hands on the helm. I would like to see them continue down this path, but that is just me. I can see why Valfor has found a home here, his performance on the drum kit is a strong and commanding one. Baptist’s vocals here is fucking excellent, such harsh and evil sounding classic rasping, reminds me a little of a mix of old Immortal vocals mixed with Horna. I do not want to under play the atmospheric element, through the synth work, it is still very omnipresent here, eerie and haunting, just not quite as overpowering as it could be in the past. Again, a nice balance. The recording and production on this recording is excellent, and manages to not be over produced. By over produced, I mean to the point it takes too much of the harshness or raw feel away, something that good bm must have, in my view, but on her it is also clear, metallic and powerful. I can not help but recommend this album to black metal diehards, and to fans of the band, this for me is their strongest work from them out of the stuff I have heard - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Mavorim/
https://www.purity-through-fire.com/
|
This band from Texas has only been around for about two years now. The musicians also do not appear to be veterans of the music scene, but the music they produce would suggest otherwise. As it is impressively put together and the members of this band have some serious skill on their instruments individually, and with regards to the song construction on this album. Well okay, it is listed as a full-length album, but at 27 minutes to me that is not a full album and so in interest of always informing my readers as much as possible I am calling this a mini-album. Maybe the label or band will get mad at me, but I stick to my guns on that with releases under the thirty minute mark as my personal cut off. Okay, time to get down off my soap box and get back to talking about the music. These fellows and lady play some absolutely top shelf heavy metal that is accented with some hard rock influences as well. For a young band as alluded to previously, they have some real songwriting talent and have real knack for building emotion and paying it off, resulting in some memorable infectious songs. They never slip into going off into anything remotely shredding type territory, but having said that there is some tasty refined guitar work with regards to the guitar fills and soloing. The vocal work courtesy of Janiece Gonzalez is superb, she has this old classic style down so perfectly. She has a strong voice, it has a slight feminine undercurrent, but the main tone of her voice has a lot of gutsy power and gravitas in contrast to that. She hits slightly more siren level highs (no not like Dickinson or Halford levels), she is very smooth when she goes up and down that scale yet never going too high or low. I really enjoy her voice quite a lot as you can tell, you need a great singer for this kind of style and she brings it. If you love a variety of hard rock and heavy metal from the late ‘70s and especially the early to middle ‘80s. You know stuff like early Priest, Diamond Head, Thin Lizzy, early Grave Digger, Saxon, Accept, Warlock, Grim Reaper, W.A.S.P., Cirith Ungol, Chastain and a lot of bands like that then you will dig this record. - Dale
https://meanmistreater.bandcamp.com/
https://dyingvictims.com/
|
|
I am making it a real habit this month with reviews of Destruktor, Massacre and Barathrum of going after the old storied bands I have been into forever. It looks like I will keep that going with Mercyless now too. I taped traded for one of their demos in the early ‘90s. Then I think maybe I got their 1993 “Coloured Funeral” album when it came out, then backtracked shortly thereafter and grabbed their debut album “Abject Offerings” that was released a year earlier. These French legend put out their first demo tape way back in 1988! Guitarist/vocalist Max Otero is the only remaining founding member, or even close to it really. But that is not uncommon these days with long running, or like this one, returning bands. Despite that Mercyless’ patented traditional late ‘80s/early ‘90s style death metal is remains strong and these guys stick to the bands rich tradition and roots musically. They play old school death metal that is straight forward, but has a lot of that dark necro aura that so many bands back then perfected. There is a certain charisma to it that many modern bands struggle to hold on to, and just go the for the slickest, or most techno, insanely speedy death they can manage (often heavily aided by modern production techniques). This band sticks to the traditional ways where the songwriting had to have feeling and atmosphere to it. Which often gave bands more of an own identity. Mercyless continue to bring that in big way with some poignant, stygian songs that kept my interest and made me headbang along to. They tend to keep things in the middling paced range with the occasional speed bursts that ramp up the brutality and energy manipulation very well. Otero’s growling vocalists are classic as fuck, riding that line between deep acid-tinged growls, while keeping his bewitching voice clear enough to follow along with the lyrics. It is a good performance on the mic for me. If you love that great old death metal sound on the early releases from bands like Pestilence, Morbid Angel, Death, Sinister, Benediction, Cancer, Monstrosity and awesome early bands of the genre like that. Then you should probably give this banger a try. - Dale
https://mercyless.bandcamp.com/
https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/
|
|
Meridion is a four man band coming out of Chile's death metal scene. The band features two members from the long running death metal band Trimegisto, as well as no less than three ex-members of Heretics, so these guys have been around and paid their dues in the UG scene. ‘Caverns’ is the second full length album from Meridion, it features eight tracks of heavy, crushing death metal at it's best. Each song is well composed and performed with utmost dedication and vigor. Whether it is a heavy, chugging mid paced or a faster more brutal approach both styles are delivered with intensity. The band does have some doomish elements added into a few of the songs. It is a little surprising that there is a synth presence (maybe a slight early Nocturnus influence possibly) with those heavy, brutish sounds, but it is blended well into the background much of the time. The vocals are powerful death metal growls that fit this bands musical style perfectly with some clean voice accents once in a while. If you are a fan of dark, morbid death metal then be sure to pick up a copy of ‘Caverns’ today. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/meridionoccult/
https://ironbloodanddeath.bandcamp.com/
|
This band from Austria has been releasing music in the underground scene since 2010 with their “Bandroom Misanthropy” demo. Somehow they managed to escape my attention until now, with this new full-length, their third overall and second on the great Transcending Obscurity. Along the same lines as the last album, this is a concept album about a serial killer, and this time around it is one of the ones I find most interesting, that being Ed Kemper. He was an interesting in part because unlike most serial killers he was extremely talkative and enjoyed talking about his urges, kills and possible mental psychosis and past experiences that led him down this path. The band uses clips between songs of Kemper talking about all of this and they are used with fantastic effect. This is a very old trope in extreme metal, but the way Monument employ it is about as well as I can remember in my many years in the scene. You really should also search out the music video on youtube for the song “A Nice Beheading For Mom”, they inter-splice scenes from the Kemper movie to absolutely perfect way. It is so good! As you probably guess by now Monument Of Misanthropy play death metal and they do so at a high precision level. The brutality is crushing in it’s crafting and execution on this album, it pummels and slices with supreme force and aggression. I find it difficult not to nod and headbang along to these songs while listening. They brought in Eugene Ryabchenko to do studio drums for this, and let me tell you that motherfucker did not phone that shit in! What a commanding and whirlwind performance on the drum kit. That brings me to vocalist George “Misanthrope” Wilfinger, who maniacal beast on the mic! I could listen to his vocals for endless hours, and I have done so. His main growling voice is super deep and powerful yet eminently decipherable. His voice is laced with so much magnetism while riding the line between going off the rails and complete controlled chaotic barbarism. Wilfinger also mixes in some great high nasal accent voices, it all hits you at a lightning velocity and wounds by a thousand cuts. If you really love brutal death metal in the vein of Cryptopsy, Aborted, Deeds Of Flesh, Cattle Decapitation and the like then you need to this record. Now excuse me while I go right a wrong and finally go listen to this bands first albums ASAP. - Dale
https://monumentofmisanthropydm.bandcamp.com/
https://tometal.com/
|
I have had no prior experience with Finland’s Moonfall, but when I sampled this promo to see if it interested me for reviewing purposes. It grabbed me and sucked me in. That probably had a lot to do with the fact that immediately I detected a number of influences from bands, in the later years of the first wave of black metal, that I tend to worship at the altar of. Firstly though, let’s focus for a minute on the two men that make up this duo. That would be Goatprayer (aka Antti Suomalainen) on bass & vocals who is also in bands like Necromonarchia Daemonum, Ceremonial Torture, Infernathan, Funerealm Gloom etc… Then you have his partner in many music related crimes, Black Moon Necromancer (aka Juha Laine), who is also in most of the bands mentioned above, as well as these two did Macabre Overdose ‘zine together. The music these two make on this debut album (after the release of a couple demos and a split EP) is gloomy, bestial black doom metal. They have recaptured the atmosphere of some of the great ritualistic classic Greek and Finnish black metal bands of the early to mid ‘90s. They have this very sinister, echo-y, whispering deep in a cave / tomb aura that permeates everything on this recording. They mix that with heavy use of foreboding, eerie synth spread across freezing slow to medium paced old school frozen black metal darkness. For me, it is very hypnotic, spellbinding music that makes you feel like you are experiencing a ceremonial sacrifice to the dark lord, deep within that cavern of crepuscular torch lit murk. The vocal emanations follow those qualities of the music with evil whispering bellows, bestial boiling deep throat growling and general inhuman echo laced voices. I should mention for some reason, despite their heavy use, I see neither member listed anywhere as playing the synth on here. The great bands that I mentioned are stuff like early Beherit, Necromantia, Barathrum, early Master’s Hammer, Varathron, Xantotol, Lemegethon, Mortuary Drape etc… Some great names in that mix, though I suppose the first three I mentioned above hold the strongest influence here. Many of Black Moon Necromancer’s bands also hold those bands as large influence, so it must have been a true honor when recently Necromancer was asked to join Beherit on guitars and vocals! But, back this album, if you worship at the altar’s of the bands I mentioned above then you need to own this record. - Dale
https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/
https://ironbonehead.de/
|
When previewing albums for possible review, this one jumped to the forefront quickly. Pretty much everything about first impressions with this band drew my interest, before even pressing play on the music. I mean for starters the band name is classic, the album title is killer, the album cover is aces. Then you top it off with their logo, which is clearly a tribute to the legends Impetigo! Myself and these metal demons from Finland clearly vibe. Does the music translate down that path as well? Oh yes, fuck yeah it does. These guys play massive old school death metal that with monstrous riffs, coursing with ritualistic pounding that tears shit up. The music is dirty, grimy and has this great suffocating, gloomy aura across it, which is the sort of thing I revel in. It is not doomy really, but still has little accents that make it feel that way, though the music itself generally resides in the pacing range of middling to moderately quick. They alternate between the two in a way that fluctuates and alternates nicely, featuring a good feel for the flow through some crafty song construction. It is always heavy and always brutal, but keeps an eye on perpetuating this eerie, haunting and deliciously smothering atmosphere. It pulls you down in the mire and holds you there. The vocals are cool roiling, stewing, echo-y and dark sounding growls that melt into the music and become to form one deadly concoction. I think fans of the aforementioned Impetigo, plus die hards of stuff like early Autopsy, old Incantation, Repulsion, Rottrevore, Baphomet, Grave, Convulse, Funebrarum, Undergang and Anatomia will dig the hell of this. This is the bands third album and it comes highly recommended by me. Memento Mori is handling the CD and Saco the vinyl. - Dale
http://www.memento-mori.es/
https://www.mesacounojo.com/
|
Some little tingles of nostalgia hit me as soon as I seen this name. I go way back with Morta Skuld, as I tape traded for their demos in the early 1990s, and then was a fan of their middle ‘90s albums. After that I kind of lost track of them, I do not even think I heard their 1997 album until many years later. I knew they broke up around 1998. Oh, I should mention I also reviewed a compilation album of their demos and other things, which Relapse Records put out over a decade ago. But, it was only a few years ago that I knew they had reformed and were kicking ass in the UG scene once again. As near as I can tell currently guitarist / vocalist Dave Gregor is the only member from the original ‘90s line up. Since reforming in 2012 Morta has released two albums, and an EP, prior to this new album. That is not the most prolific pace, but you could make the argument it is quality over quantity, with those two previous albums being bangers. So how does the new album, Skuld’s seventh overall, stack up? The answer is pretty damn well, honestly. This record is an excellent piece of old school death, it keeps up that late ‘80s and early ‘90s classic sound wonderfully. I mean this could have come out in the early part of that decade and not sound out of place, not to mention this is probably some of better music Morta Skuld has produced in their long tenure. It is straight forward, it is dark and heavy as hell, it sets a great tone and atmosphere from the start to finish. There is some great riffs on here, and quality songwriting that features some tasty guitar fills and brief solos. It rumbles along at times, while rapidly battering and bruising the next minute. The drum performance by ex-Jungle Rot drummer Eric House, is strong and commanding, he really punishes his kit with sweet precision. They still have that signature Skuld sound, which speaks to founding member Dave Gregor’s strong song construction, he has not lost his touch all of these decades down the road. Dave’s growling vocals are deep, brutish yet extremely clear hitting that sweet spot of barbarity while being entirely clear enough to understand each and every word he belts out. Yeah his vocals are great, he enunciates through his growls so well and his voice is so classic sounding to me. If you love old school death metal, and like me can not get enough of it, then you need to get your hands on this album as soon as possible. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/MortaSkuld/
https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/
|
I must confess despite liking when hardcore is mixed with thrash, and even often loving it. When it comes to death metal though, I am more often than not a fan of it, like at all, to be honest (even to the point of complete avoidance at times). But Mutagenic Host do mix some hardcore in to their death metal, probably not as integrally, or as in your face as a lot of those bands, however. Maybe that is why I found myself enjoying this album. The hardcore elements and song construction sequences are pretty skillfully incorporated on here. I mean do not get me wrong, they are there and you can not miss them, but all the same they do not detract from the wonderful death metal foundation. Speaking of which, the foremost meat on these bones is some crushing death metal with chugging riffs that virtually command you to headbang to them. They tend to keep things on the speedier side more often than not, but do mix in some killer, moodier doomy sections that are punctuated with the odd sweet brief guitar solo. The juxtaposition of those two ingredients make this record an interesting listen indeed. I had not heard of this band prior to this debut album, but that is probably not surprising as they only previously had a demo and a couple digital tracks in their arsenal. Their brand of death most definitely draws upon legends from their UK homelands like Benediction and Bolt Thrower. But I also detect bits of Americana like Autopsy, Incantation, Deicide and Immolation swimming in and out of their sounds. Shit, there is maybe even a dash of Swede sound in some some spots. This cocktail all mixed with the hardcore influence is quite an interesting and intense ride. The huge dominating and guttural growling of vocalist Ash Moore are fantastic, as they boil and grind across the bristling brutality of the music. This release lyrically deals with a dystopian, or maybe not even dystopian future of the way our society is headed, thus mixed with the monstrous possibilities of AI technology. This album is a really fine debut album by this promising band. For those interested in the different physical formats, it goes as such: Momento Mori (Spain) with the CD release, with Gurgling Gore (USA) and Dry Cough (UK) doing vinyl and cassette versions of the album. - Dale
https://www.gurglinggore.com/
https://drycough.bandcamp.com/
http://www.memento-mori.es/
|
I was recently listening to one of Meyhna'ch other bands, and out of curiosity looked up how long it had been since you quit doing what he is most known for, which of course is Mütiilation. It had been seven years since he laid this band to rest, but much longer than that since the last album, that stretched all the way back to seventeen years ago!! I had not heard anything about his decision to revive his legend band Mütiilation, yet here we are the album arrives in my inbox. It was an interesting and not at all unpleasant surprise for me. Despite that long slumber for his solo band, in my view, he largely picks right up where he left off with the last album “Sorrow Galaxies”. Which is exactly what I was hoping for, but with that long of a pause it is natural to wonder if it would be something quite different. This album strikes at the heart of what this started, along with a few other bands (Vlad Tepes, Black Murder, Belkètre etc…) created the French black metal movement and sound/style. They of course continued in the direction of the second wave of black metal out of Scandinavia yet put their character and charisma on this tradition, which had a different dimension to that style. The music on here is fast, attacking black metal music that retains a lot of atmospheric feeling flowing through hateful onslaught. It is freezing my soul and darkening my heart as I listen to this excellent album on repeat. The production has this raw and coarse edge to it that only makes that evil aura the music produces sound all the more grim. Yet, underneath all of that icy vitriol there is a whisper of rhythmic melody that slithers through it all like a serpent. Meyhna'ch’s vocals are as commanding, bestial and haunting as ever, with their rasping acid sound. Which is also mixed with a crepuscular spoken back up voice that sounds like a demon murmuring commands directly into your possessed brain. I had some slight apprehension going into this album, mixed with high expectations. I must say all of those expectations have been met and I walk away from this review with satisfaction. The album you did not think was coming, has indeed arrived with little fanfare (due to secrecy). Has emerged nonetheless, and leaves it’s deadly black mark to add to the notorious and long legend of Mütiilation in the underground scene. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/meyhnach
https://www.osmoseproductions.com/
|
I listen to and review a lot of Redefining Darkness bands, so I am not sure how I slept this long on Mutilated By Zombies, but I did. That streak has ended, and I am now introduced to what I have been missing out on with this impressive Iowa band. Maybe the fact that it has been six years since their last album had a little to do with it, possibly they are perfectionists? I could see that being the case with the high level of songwriting skill on display with this album. Mutilated play a highly enjoyable and massive style of crushingly heavy, razor sharp and technical death in the classic American death metal style. There actually is a relatively strong amount of rhythmic tunefulness going on here in the midst of all of that. But do not get me wrong here, we are not talking melodeath territory, no, the music here is far too heavy and severe for that kind of talk, in my view. They also have a penchant for song construction that, while it can change on a dime, it does so in such a smooth, morphing transitional manner that it never feels busy, or messy. The flow feels quite organic. That is not an easy feat, when you have this much going on, but it absolutely makes for an interesting listen that is far from predictable or formulaic. I think all of that also highlights the fact that they are a technical band, but pull back just enough on the techno end of things, as to not over do it. This band definitely brings to mind some New York and Floridian bands like Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation, perhaps also a little more technical minded versions of Obituary, Monstrosity and Malevolent Creation creep into my mind as well. I might even throw in a dash of Cryptopsy and Deeds Of Flesh for shits and giggles. All three men put in strong performances on their individual instruments, but another highlight is the beastly performance on the mic by vocalist Josh DeMuth, his growls are deep and powerful, adding the perfect accompaniment to this excellent fourth album by this band. Mutilated By Zombies is a real force to reckoned with in the US death metal scene. - Dale
https://mutilatedbyzombies.bandcamp.com/
https://shop.redefiningdarkness.com/
|
It has been a while since I have heard anything from Nails. I suppose that is not too surprising as in the near decade since their last longer play release, they have only released three songs on two short EPs. That is a running theme actually if you search through their old releases. They have what is listed in some places as albums and most of those are all in the range of 14-22 minutes in length. I may catch some ire from the band or the label, but that is not a full-length album, it is an EP. I believe in letting my readers know what they are getting and this release is just under 18 minutes. So I am listing this as an EP. Just so you know what you are paying for. Now what about that music? It is fantastic! This is band is adrenaline fueled ball of blazing musical energy that knocks everything down in it’s path and leaves destruction in it’s wake. The music is high octane grindcore that also has healthy doses of power violence and dashes of pissed off hardcore and Swedish death metal mixed in. They dial back certain sections of their songs just enough to headbang, or hit a seething groove that would create a pit down front. Then it is back to the tornado headlong, relentlessly grinding violence. The vocals sound like a damn caged animal that has not been fed for days and poked by it’s captors with sticks! It is pure inhuman sounding rage and vocals shouts, screams and vicious growling that is just electric. I think fans of bands like Trap Them, Full Of Hell, Pig Destroyer, Rotten Sound with maybe a sprinkling of early Napalm Death, Dismember and Terrorizer for good measure. It goes by fast because it is a short release, but word to the wise playing on repeat is your friend here. Just keep it rolling over again and again and enjoy being battered into submission. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/NAILSoxnard
https://shop.nuclearblast.com/
|
Wow…Naked Whipper is a name I have not heard, or thought of, for a very long time. I half wondered if this was even the same band I listened to back in my tape trading days of the early/mid ‘90s. Germany’s N.W. burned hot and burned out kind of quickly after releasing two EPs and the bands debut album between 1993 and 1995. That was the last I had heard of them, and the last time that they released new music, until now. From what I can gather Naked Whipper has been a one man show for the most part, that one man is Alex Schulze, though he did have other musicians on recordings (seem to be listed as guest/session guys). Alex himself burned bright in the UG scene, prior to the release of the first Naked Whipper materials, he spent a year in one of my all-time fave German bands Blood! Furthermore, during that year Alex recorded the vocals for Blood’s classic “Christbait” album! Now, I see in the band picture there are four members, are these session/live members again or has he finally found a full band? I am not sure, but who cares, I suppose. The music on here is dark, brutal and high energy warring black death metal with an injection of grind here, there and almost everywhere. This is some intense fucking stuff that got my black heart pumping as an audio blanket of sinister panic envelopes me. The barbarity brings you back to your senses though, as it punishes you into submission. Hold on tight this album is a wicked ride. The sections where they do get rhythmic, rollicking metallic riffing that adds a great dichotomy against the savage, relentless barrage of audio pounding and gets me headbanging along. Without going back and re-listening to all the music from back in the day, and going from memory. I recall the guitars and drums back in the day being a little more lively, and jittery, for lack of a better word, but they sounded largely the same from way back when. I feel like maybe they nail the evil necro feeling (aura) a little stronger on this newer material, and needless to say, I really like that. Alex’s vocals do a good job of complimenting the music with a distinct set of vocals that include an echo-y, growling voice that has small yet effective undercurrents of shadowy rasp, and roiling gurgle. He slithers in and out of those sounds and transitions, in and out of a raging lunatic voice you might expect from a frenzy killer in mid-attack. This is a hell of a return for this old cult band. If you already know them, and like them, then you must get this. If you have not heard them, imagine a vile and vitriolic mixing of the early works from Blasphemy, Blood, Repulsion, Dead, and the early works of Beherit and Impaled Nazerene. That should get you in the right mindset. - Dale
https://www.instagram.com/nakedwhipper/
https://ironbonehead.de/
|
This label team up is not like many recently you see on here as a trend as of late (where they split up who does which format worldwide). This is more of an old school dual release, where Ajna is handling the North American release of both formats, and Invictus will handle both formats for Europe. The disc is out in early January from both, with the vinyl to follow later on. It jumped out at me right away that bassist, a founding member of this British based bands near decade of existence, is also in a couple bands from Greece. Which had me scratching my head a bit. But upon doing a little research The One (aka Alexandros) is a native to Greece, and has lived the majority of his 45 years on the planet in his home country. Before obviously moving to England. He is also in the bands Macabre Omen, Razor Of Occam, Tome Of The Unreplenished, Thyrathen and more. I find this all to be very interesting. He is not alone, though, as some of the other UK based musicians in the band similarly are from other countries as well. Interesting. Anyway, enough geeking out on band history trivia. This is the bands debut album, it is coming on the heels of two demos and an EP. Necromaniac produce some excellent black death metal that has a thrashing edge to it at times. If I had to pin it down further I would call them a black metal band that is a mix of the first and second waves of black metal, with a lean towards the second with a definite Scandinavian influence and style. Now, I see a lot of past comments on those earlier releases by the band as pointing to more deathrash bands of old, as their foundation. I have not heard those earlier releases, that stuff may well have leaned more heavily in that direction. This album is freezing cold black metal and it produces a sinister, stygian atmosphere that is sure to haunt the listener to the core. The vocals from Carl Howler (Nightbringer, ex-Matricide) are absolutely acid dripped, classic black rasping that cuts through the music like a deadly slashing blade. If you love black metal that plants it’s roots in the glorious ancient path while forging a new one of it’s own then you should give this album a try. - Dale
https://invictusproductions.net/
https://www.theajnaoffensive.com/
|
This is the Californian bands third album, but my first time listening to the them. I have heard some buzz on them lately, so I had to check them out for myself. I feel Necrot has found a nice balance between a little melody, and rhythm, against dump truck full of heavy riffing and classic death metal brutality. It is a smooth mixture and highlights the bands feel for song flow and balance in their songwriting and arranging ability. Some of the various guitar fills on here have a great affecting energy to them, not just because they are played at light speed, but rather possess this emotional energy to that I find very infectious.There is some nice guitar work all around on this record, not too technical, not too simple, as Goldilocks would day this pacing is just right for their style. The vocals feature some excellent, well enunciated and deep growls that have that classic style to them, reminding me of some of the great old vocalists like Karl Willets, Dave Ingram, Ola Lindgren and the like. Yeah the those vocals kill and are the perfect accompaniment to the marvelously dark and brutal metal as the underlying music. Damn, looks like I may just have to track down the other two albums by these guys now. I think any big fans of bands like Bolt Thrower, Autopsy, Grave, Unleashed, Benediction, Funebrarum style of superb classic death metal will dig this one a lot. - Dale
https://necrot.bandcamp.com/
https://www.tankcrimes.com/
|
This may be the first time I have reviewed something by Kvlt Records, which is the record label of Sami from Thy Serpent (whose releases I have reviewed going back to the middle to late ‘90s). I believe this is the Finnish Nocturnal Sorcery’s second album on Kvlt, and their second album overall. The band’s first release came just over a decade ago, with the demo tape “Satanas Angels Victory Call”, followed that up with a split tape and second demo, before eventually signing with their current label. The band also features members of Daemonlust, Nefarious Rites, Vas Satanas, as well as two ex-Sadokist members. Nocturnal plays some freezing cold yet still hotly aggressive and hateful black metal in the second wave 1990’s tradition. Despite how violent and harsh the overall sound is, there is an enjoyable dichotomy of an undercurrent of melody amongst that icy hostility. A song like “Damned By The Laws Of The Stars” even features some gruff and barbaric bombast in some of the song construction and a vocal performance to match. “Joyless Dance In The Shadow” is sort of an atmospheric, interlude type of track with this strange shrilled, almost futuristic sound effect throughout, but is punctuated with strange disembodied yells, and distant wolf type howls and shit. I am normally not a huge fan of that, especially in the middle of an album, but this time it is surprisingly effective and chilling. If you are like me, a diehard ‘90s second wave black metal fanatic, you will revel in this. As Nocturnal Sorcery really bring THAT sound and style to life, or cold death and even put some interesting different touches to it. - Dale
https://www.youtube.com/@nocturnalsorcery3
https://kvlt.fi/
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
