The wait is over for the third A Transylvanian Funeral, it is here
through Forbidden Records. Sleepwalker {all instruments, vocals} has
created the strongest ATF to date with Funeral Goetia, it is 12
songs of raw, primitive black metal. Raw, razor sharp guitar chords,
fast unrelenting drums. For those familiar with past A Transylvanian
Funeral's releases, Sleepwalker is doing the drums himself on this
release and dropped the drum machine, he does a really good job
playing the drums fast, chaotic yet some well done patterns with the
guitars and vocals. Sleepwalker vocals are really
well sung traditional black metal screams and some vicious shrieks.
If you are a fan of the past releases definitely get this you will
not be disappointed!! One of the u.s black metal scene's best bands,
and if you are new to the band and you enjoy early to mid 90's
style raw black metal that is primitive and straight forward b.m then
get A Transylvanian Funeral today!!
- Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/atransylvanianfuneral
http://forbidden-records.com/ |
American death
metal though not of the old school I come from and tend to like. No
Genesis resides in new school sounds mixing death metal and hardcore
in the breakdown kind of style. There are even some traces of the
melodo Scandinavian metal ala In Flames or Children of Bodom ilk.
Some of the growling vocals are actually really good, but every now
and then they get kind of rhyme-y and rap like, which rapidly loses
the plot for me and turns me off completely. I like Abacinate best
when they put their heads down and just rip full force ahead with
their heaviest death metal riffing. Those moments are generally
interrupted with the breakdowns and hardcore sections. I have
nothing against hardcore, I like it, but not that many death metal
bands are adept at combining the two in an interesting way. The
melodic power metal influence at times does help to cut down on the
awkward transitions from dm to hardcore and add a touch of class to
proceedings. A mixed bag here, I think you really have to dig the
metal core thing or whatever they are calling it these days (hey I
am an old man I might be out of touch here), to enjoy this album, at
least it does not delve too far into the lame mallcore thing. We
must be thankful for small favours sometimes haha. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/abacinatenj
http://www.epitomite.com/
|
|
I am and have
been a big Abaza fan for many years. So I do not say it lightly that
with this release Abazagorath have out done themselves and clearly
show why they are leading the charge in the USBM scene! This is an
EP but does clock in at 23 minutes, so really they could have billed
this as a MCD or Mini album for what you get. I have much doubt that
my paltry words will be able to express or get across to the reader
how much of a masterwork this release is. Without doubt this is some
of the best cold and cryptic black metal I have ever heard. I put it
up there in the stratosphere of my all time faves. The five tracks
on here, even played on a bright summer day somehow make me feel
like I am alone in the dark, attempting to peer through the
blackness, the blood is frozen in my veins and my heart no longer
pumps bright red, it spews ink coloured hatred. The music on here is
simultaneously harsh and catchy, really catchy but vicious and
cruel, giving off a superb cryptic atmosphere every step of the way.
This is a must own for fans of old black metal in the early 90s
tradition. Order it now! – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/abazagorathhorde
http://www.reverbnation.com/abazagorath
|
|
That is
interesting, and kind of cool to see Hells Headbangers team up with
Osmose for a split release! I did not hear the bands debut album
back in 2016, which Pete Helmkamp (ex-Order From Chaos, ex-Angelcorpse
etc…) did as a one man project I gather. Now, apparently the UG
legend Cazz Grant (Crucifier, ex-GBK etc…) has joined the band full
time it would appear. That got my interest, as I am big fan of
Cazz’s lengthy history of musical output and I have been in contact
with him on and off since the early ‘90s, so I can attest that he is
a cool & dedicated motherfucker. I do not know if Cazz has just
joined just as a member out of necessity just to play Pete’s
material or if he is co-writing the material as well. I suspect the
latter. Anyways, on to the music after that lengthy preamble haha.
This twenty-four minute, six song mini features unrelentingly evil
black death metal music as it’s foundational core. I can definitely
hear a little Order From Chaos greatness, whispering through the
merciless attack on here with wave after wave of a speedy blitz of
dark hate dripped riffing, backed with a devastating saturation
bombing drum performance. It is angry and brutal as fuck music that
will infect your soul with wickedness and batter your brain into
submission. Those Pete Helmkamp trademark biting, grating and
caustic vocals are alive and well and sound in fine form here. I was
surprised how well Helmkamp’s guttural vocals work with, when
trading off back and forth with Cazz Grant’s dark, roiling death
metal growls. This really hit the spot for me, and I enjoyed this
blackened death metal album, which is proving this new duo
combination an impressive and sinister force to be reckoned with.
- Dale
https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/
https://www.osmoseproductions.com/ |
|
Abhor is a
experienced band coming out of the Italian underground scene,
presenting to us here no less than their 8th full-length
album! They stand strong and proud next to Italian legends like
almighty Mortuary Drape. Abhor play ancient black metal, but do not
let your mind automatically go to the second wave of Scandinavian bm,
steer your mind toward the first wave of black metal. You know that
period of the original bands (Venom, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost,
Bathory, Mercyful Fate, early Sodom, early Death SS) and their
passed down strong influences. I speak upon the continuation of the
first wave of bm into the late ‘80s, early ‘90s with bands like
Mortuary Drape, Necromantia, Master’s Hammer, Ancient Rites,
Varathron, Absu, Denial Of God, Necromass and the early works of
Root, Rotting Christ & Samael etc… Okay, history refresher 101 there
for you, I can not help myself sometimes, dear reader. As much as I
adore and worship the second wave of black metal, the first wave is
underappreciated these days in my view and it’s influence went
somewhat dormant for years. That does not include Abhor, who were
one of the few to pick up the mantle in the late 1990s and continued
it’s glorious traditions and cult sounds ever since. Their sinister
black metal music is an audio mist of cold yet heavy devouring
guitars, emotionally charged with crescendo cresting bombastic
songwriting, sharply backed up with haunting and creepy ritualistic
synth. Abhor has a penchant, as most good first wave does for
creating eerie, evil music that can also strike a balance between
freezing malevolence and the ability to induce you into a good old
fashion headbanging. For me, this is a thoroughly enjoyable album
that I can highly recommend to diehards like myself of those classic
influences and that deadly style. Just remember to keep the ancient
flame burning bright as for damn sure Abhor is here doing it with
you. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/abhor666
https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/ |
|
Abhorrent
Deformity come out of North Carolina’s brutal death metal scene.
They play some very well written, and performed, brutish death metal
with a combination of heavy and fast guitars. The riffs are played
at hyper speed, with some very chaotic and fast patterns, but also
the guitarist knows when to slow down to a more mid paced range
before returning to lighting speed. They also mix in some cool
guitar solos within the metal storm. The drummer is very skilled at
playing blast beats, but also knows how to slow down to a middle
pace with some very well placed and played patterns. The vocalist,
he does a great job, with his powerful growls and deeper vocal
arrangements. If you are a fan of well played, musical brutality,
then do yourself a favor and pick this album up today. - Patrick
https://www.bandpage.com/AbhorrentDeformity
http://www.comatosemusic.com/ |
|
The Japanese
thrash, heavy metal masters of darkness are back, with their fifth
full-length release to date. This disc features eight songs of
traditional heavy metal mixed with some aggressive thrash metal. The
guitars are played with a lot of skill, are well written, and well
performed memorable patterns. The guitarist knows how to write and
mix both mid paced sections, with lightning fast guitars, all
accented with some nicely played solos. The drummer is extremely
tight and can play both chaotic and fast patterns on down to a more
middle tempo style. The vocals are done with raw blackened thrashy
screams, mixed with more traditional heavy metal screaming vocal
style. If you are a fan of Abigail’s musical style, then be sure to
buy this new released today, it does not disappoint. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/ABIGAILBARBATOS-208365735859610/
http://www.nwnprod.com/
|
|
Japan's own Abigail should need no
introduction here, as they are legends in the scene. The black
thrashing marauders start off on this split with two brand new
songs. “Satanik For Slaughter” starts off the split setting an
extremely fast pace that intertwines 1980's black metal with classic
heavy metal and thrash influences. Next up is “Rock ‘N Roll Sluts
Forever”, which is a classic heavy metal anthem, with influences
from the punk and early the early rock and roll generation. It is
not as fast or heavy as “Satanik For Slaughter” but is still great
track. The other side of the coin on this split is Vulcan Tyrant,
who is a band coming out of the Netherlands that play an old school
thrashing death metal style. “Never Stop The Tyranny” is the first
song is a fast and frenzied rip roaring song full of energy.
“Infernal State Of Terror” is the second track, which is played with
a crazed and violent assault on the eardrums. Both bands play a
vintage and classic style of old school metal. - Patrick
https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/split-9
http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/ |
|
Coming out of
Canada's death metal scene is the new band Abjection. Godz Ov War
will be releasing the debut EP, which contains five songs of heavy
and crushing death metal. Cole Benoit {Anion, Dead Again} handles
the vocals, which are deep, powerful death metal growls, he also
uses some death metal screams and growls throughout a few of the
songs. The lead guitarist Troy Horton {Sinews, Wiser Fool} does a
great job of creating and executing some well written and performed
guitar patterns, mainly played with fast aggressive guitar
structures and even adding in some solo's. Troy does slow to a
heavier more calm mid paced range in the songs to give the music a
heavier sound. Sergey Jmourovski handles the bass and also plays
guitar in the band, he writes and perform some extremely tight bass
lines that are done with both intensity and tremendously fast pace
patterns. Josh Bueckert {Wake, Sparewife} handles the drums for the
band, which are played with power and showcase some skillful
writing. For the most part the drums are played at a high rate of
speed, though Josh does slow to a heavier mid paced drum patterns
throughout a few of the songs. Abjection plays a relentless style of
death metal that is both well written and shows off some excellent
musicianship and is filled with memorable passages. - Patrick
https://abjection.bandcamp.com/
https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/ |
|
Abuse are a
brutal death metal band who come out of the Canadian death metal
scene. “Nothing Is Safe” is the bands second full length in sixteen
years featuring ten gore filled songs. The guitars on here are
played with a mix of heavy, mid paced patterns that do speed up to a
faster and more crazed guitar style. The vocals are low brutal death
growls, and a few screams are mixed into a few of the songs. If you
are a fan of no holds barred brutality then definitely pick up
Abuse’s new disc once it is released. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/youwillsubmit http://www.comatosemusic.com/ |
|
This is
Abythic’s third full-length album, first for Iron Bonehead, and my
first encounter with them. From what I understand this German band
started out as more of a straight up death metal band, but as the
drummer MDB switched from then his primary instrument (in past bands
as well) to the guitar and primary songwriter, Abythic became a
doom/death band, heavy on the doom. ‘Dominion…’ creeps along at a
decidedly glacial pacing, but they always keep things very dark and
gloomy with a thin yet constant thread that traces back to those
primary death metal roots. I really do have to emphasize just
despite only really using traditional instrumentation this album is
very atmospheric. This is really my favourite method of creating
atmosphere in metal, not to mention the hardest to achieve without
relying upon synth, samples and the like. The result really brings
emotion out in the listener, ominous emotions of desolation and
sinister foreboding alongside whispers of threatening intent that
envelopes you like a suffocating wet blanket. The vocals of Ulrich
are deep, elongated death growls that also do well conveying
emotion, whether that be brooding despondency, potent menace or even
flashes of animus and acrimony. I like those vocals a lot and they
suit the music absolutely. Looking at that cover artwork, even for a
boob hound like me that is a lot of tits! If you are a fan of slow
motion murky doom/death yet not all the way over the funereal doom
precipice, then I think you will enjoy taking in some Abythic. -
Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Abythic
https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/ |
|
This record hit
me early and hit me hard right from the first listen. If I received
a bio with this, I somehow lost it. So it is not that surprising
that it was not until after my initial listen that I realized and
remembered I had heard The Accursed before. A long time ago a
contact of mine (who I used to hang out with from time to time at
metal fests) George Pacheco the bassist of this band sent me their
demo back in 2002. I must say these boys have come a long way since
then. Apparently I missed out on this the first time (no surprise
George and I lost touch quite a while ago – get in touch brother!)
in 2005 when it was originally issued by Screaming Ferret records.
It gets a new life through Locomotive Records. These boys know how
to their instruments that is for damn sure. You do not often hear
this many guitar solos and fills on a death metal record even if it
is a little thrashy. But they make it work well within the context
of the song, nothing seems forced and it does not come off as a wank
session, amidst some great heavy head bang riffing. The vocal
styling alternates between the main gruff ones, that are part 80s
raspy yells and more modern death metal growling, along the with the
more sparsely used (thank you for that) clean vocals which are not
very good. The Accursed showcase the bass guitar more than most. In
fact the intro to “I am Famine” is played on the bass and is a real
nice touch sounding great. A few of the songs on “Seasons of The
Scythe” could use a little more flow but otherwise this is just an
excellent album I can honestly recommend to you. – Dale
www.locomotiverecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/theaccursed
|
|
Vincent Crowley and Acheron return, with a brand new release and a
new label. The songs are in Acheron's traditional vein of
death/blackened metal, no gimmicks just the real deal, posers be
aware this is no weak shit here! The music gallops out with semi
fast guitars, that put on display the bands vast experience and
ability. The Drums are handled with fast and some slower mid-paced
beats. Vincent's vocals are death growls and some higher screams.
This is by far, Acheron's best work to date (high praise indeed
since their debut album, in my opinion, is one of the true metal
classics! - Dale), so if you are a long time fan, be sure to pick
this up and help support the scene.
-
Patrick
http://www.reverbnation.com/acheron
http://www.listenable.net/ |
|
I am not sure if
this just fell out of print from the excellent label Razorback
Records or what? But the album goes from strength to strength and
sees a re-release now through the almighty Hells Headbangers
Records. It did not take me long to find out why this album is
highly sought after by such quality labels. Acid Witch play a very
cool and unique brand of death doom metal. The base riffs are slow
motion bulldozers ripping up the ground like it is weak flesh from
bone, so heavy, added to that are these crazy spaced out guitar
leads all backed with out of this world sound effects. The vocals
are really deep, slow but intelligible growls that give me a classic
feel; you do not hear that many newer bands doing cool vocals like
this anymore. This album sort of makes me think if you took the
first My Dying Bride album, sent those bands members out to space
and got them hopped up on LSD the resulting album would be
Witchtanic haha. About the only bad thing I could possibly say and
it is a minor complaint, would be some of the keyboard / organ and
sound effects are kind of piercing and a tad high in the mix at
times. But really it is a petty little complaint as this is an
amazing death doom album. I dig it a lot, for me it actually blows
away their follow up sophomore album. - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/acidwitch
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/ |
|
Classic intro
mainstream documentary type clip on Satanism, that gives off that
Rosemary’s Baby sort of atmosphere. These clips continue to pop up
throughout the album. Some will see that as cheesy I am sure, but I
like it. Raunchy and evil fuzz death/doom/stoner metal is what you
get on Stoned. I automatically find myself thinking of great
American doom band Goatlord. The bio throws in Deep Purple as an
influence, maybe the pacing here and there but otherwise I do not
hear that at all. I like the mix of horror / Satanism alongside the
stoner aesthetic, it is different you have to give them that much.
The vocals are clear and understandable but also vomiting and deep,
it is a nice combination which works well with the music. The pacing
is good with the rhythmic ritualistic repetition interspersed with
more rocking and upbeat sections ala St. Vitus at times I suppose.
Some killer guitar fills and short soloing which really adds to the
atmosphere. There is nothing especially stand out or amazing about
Acid Witch. But they are a little off-beat and they roll out some
powerful fuzzed out death/doom with that sinister touch. I found
myself enjoying this album. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/acidwitch
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
I was not sure
what to expect from these British blokes. I was pleasantly surprised
when hitting the play button. I was greeted a fistful of raunchy
attitude and a side order of raw sloppy metallic soup. It is some
tasty shit too. But I mean wow this has to be first new crossover
band I have heard in a decade at least! As music styles go crossover
I find is a love it or leave it alone style. It does not always
appeal to metal purists or die hard punk and hardcore fanatics.
Crossover generally does not display the depth or emotion some look
for in their music. But it is catchy, energetic, rocking and heavy
and it is memorable, it always has the ever important head bang
factor. I like the production on here. It is good in general but
definitely has a little bit of the old school organic feel to it and
I like that a bunch. This is the way it was meant to be. I will take
this raw gritty feel over pro tool overdub to death stuff any day
and twice on Sunday. Adrenicide would be aces live I am sure. I am
sure the adrenaline would be pumping and it would be rather
difficult not to sing along with these crude and in your face lyrics
and signature choruses. I think fans of DRI, Cryptic Slaughter, Gang
Green, early COC and the like will be well pleased with Adrenicide.
It is a simple recommendation you know how scarce good crossover is
so you know what to do. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/adrenicide1
adrenicide@googlemail.com
|
|
After listening to Mexico's The Advent Equation's debut I'm amazed
for two reasons number one a band can combine brilliant melodic,
progressive music but in the next breath combine it with more heavy
straight forward death and make it sound so good and original. And
the second is why is this band not signed yet? When so many crappy
bands get signed over the quality ones like this, it is a shame. As
mentioned The Advent Equation seem to shine when playing both styles
of music, the more extreme and melodic sides of metal equally. The
vocals are done in mostly clean male vocal patterns which fit very
well with the bands music, but there are some deeper death growls
also used in the heavier parts which work just as well. This is a
band to watch out for in the future, to see where they go from here.
I see a bright future for them so I for one look forward to hearing
their future releases.
- Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/theadventequation
http://www.myspace.com/adventmx
|
|
I don’t know
what it is about Finland, but the country has one of the best black
metal (and death metal) scenes today. Aegeon is no exception; the
main man behind the band is Lord Aegeon. He is playing raw, vicious
black metal on this album, the way it was done in the early to mid
‘90s. The guitar chords are screechy and raw, ranging from fast to a
more mid-paced range and sound. The drumming is top notch, with some
extremely fast, chaotic beats. The vocals are raw demonic shrieks.
If you are a fan of raw, violent black metal, then definitely do
yourself a favor and buy this disc today! - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/aegeon666
http://www.elegyrecords.org/
|
|
Do you enjoy
folksy melodies, mighty guitar solos, kinetic rhythms, and choruses
fit for the gnarliest of pub sing-alongs? Well, pick up your
drinking horns and boffers, lords and dames, for we have a massively
fun chunk of folk-influenced melodic death metal for you. Æther
Realm had been working on this album over the past few years up
until its recent release on June 7th of this year. They released its
first single back in 2015, titled “The Chariot”, which had fans
biting their nails for two years in expectancy of the next full
length after One Chosen By The Gods. Now, fans can hold in their
hands the compact disc that they have been waiting for since 2013,
and its weight is all at once light-hearted and hard-hitting. This
spectrum starts on one end with “King of Cups”, boasting of a
mystical brew and calling comrades to “Chug! Chug! Chug!” with an
all-too-appropriate featured vocal performance from Chris Bowes of
Alestorm. On the other end, we have the title track “Tarot” that
blasts away as one of the most straightforward, true-to-form, yet
exceptionally Æther Realm-esque melodeath tracks on the album.
Straddling these two poles are tracks like “Death” that take a
slower pace with a loping rhythm and a dismally optimistic melody
that conveys a positive view of mortality from the perspective of
someone experiencing the afterlife as a wandering soul. Everything
about this album is memorable and enjoyable, not to mention it shows
that the band has moved far ahead of the bar they set for themselves
with their debut. I was most looking forward to hearing their sound
mature further, as well as the production quality improve, and I am
pleased to say that both of these hopes were met and then some.
Definitely give this album a listen if you want an engaging folk
metal experience, or if you just want to have a good time. Both will
surely happen. – Aaron
https://aether-realm.bandcamp.com/
http://www.primitivewaysrecords.com/ |
|
Aetherius
Obscuritas descend upon us from the mists of Hungary. This is
essentially a one man band with a studio drummer. So that quickly
answers my first question and always a general fear when you hear
the term one man band. That would be does it employ a drum machine?
No to that question is a good start off on the right foot with me.
What did get me worried was the bio claiming that Ancient “The
Canian Chronicles” as a large influence. Thankfully it is not that
noticeable, in fact, I actually think A.O. sound a lot more like
Burzum on here and that I can deal with. “Viziok” is not a bad album
though neither is it particularly good either. It is decent yet just
average black metal and a tad run of the mill. It has it’s moments
here and there and some quality material is to be found among whole
if you are listening for it. So I would say if you are not too picky
and like to grab just about everything you can get your hands on in
this genre. Then you will not go wrong adding this as well. If like
me, you do not fall into that category, then just go play some of
your fave black metal albums. As you likely already own this album
in some form or another spread across your record collection. -
Dale
www.paragonrecords.net
http://www.arkhorrl.hu
|
|
Hungary's
Aetherius Obscuritas have released their fifth CD "Black Medicine".
The bands core sound seems to have its roots in early 90's Black
Metal whether it is the cold-raw Burzum sound or the more melodic,
dark Dissection, Ancient influences. Main songwriter Arkhorrl
(vocals, instruments) has created a dark masterpiece. But also
proves throughout the songs on this release he is not afraid to add
some variety to the already dark, and unique sound of Aetherius
Obscuritas. Mixing in Black Metal screams, some spoken word passages
as well as clean male vocal lines. The guitars are fast and brutal
riffs and solos with some rawness mixed into the production. The
drums which are performed by Zson who does a magnificent job on the
drums. If you are familiar with Aetherius Obscuritas past releases
then you know this band unique approach to Black Metal. If you have
never heard the band and you are a fan of dark, Black Metal with
some atmosphere then check out this CD now. – Patrick
http://www.paragonrecords.org
http://www.myspace.com/aetheriusobscuritas |
|
I did not
realize, as I just looked it up that it has been like 5-6 years
since I last reviewed a release by this band. Now looking back and
reading that review, I was a little lukewarm on this Hungarian black
metal band back then. Aetherius play pretty slick bm with keyboards
adding a lot of the atmospheric element, to honest I think a lot of
their songs would be better off without the synth. Generally
speaking though this is some solid black metal, fairly standard but
well done with some good riffing. At times they are really trying to
push the aggression but for me it does not seem to translate that
well, I do not feel it if you know what I mean, it doesn’t burn with
that feeling. I would say some of the riffing and sound are a little
more traditional metal sounding and cleaner, also slower in pace
than a lot of black metal in this style. Which is not necessarily a
bad thing when it is done well and AO pull it off with very
competently. The vocals are good and remind me of older style bands
like maybe on the first Immortal mixed with maybe a hint of a less
screechy Cradle of Filth influence. The drum work on here is pretty
hectic and powerful. This band improved quite a bit in the last five
years and I went from being lukewarm / down on them to enjoying
Ventus, no not an amazing album, but a good album worth the
attention. - Dale
http://www.arkhorrl.hu/
http://www.themetalunderground.com/
|
This band spews
forth solidly written, tight and nicely produced melodic Euro
black/death metal. Do you know what my problem with that is!? In this day and
age there are so many bands doing this style (i.e.- Dawn, Sacramentum,
DarkTranquility, Night In Gales and the list goes on) and doing it well.
You have to be better than just good There are a few guitar parts like
those in “Tristetea Vehementa” and “Near Dark” that jarred me & stand
out. Agatodaimon have to add something to their sound to stand out above
the pack. On a side note the layout and photos chosen for each page of
lyrics are superb.
–
Dale |
Ahh, the
Carpathians, a world of wonder of isolation and elemental unfound
dark forces emanating around me. Home of Omega wolves, a netherworld
of uninhibited by man stretching to the frosty skies and mists
untrodden in Ukraine not unlike the dark greetings of the rockies in
North America. Vocally, the Hungarians remind me of Massacre meets
“Maximum Violence” era Six Feet Under and forget Napalm Death
already! High produced and more talented than many bands already
signed, old school riffs, early Death leads behind the killer drums
that lay waste like early Immolation and old Suffocation, a real
black and decker pecker wrecker. This is what death metal is all
about and it’s the incredible vocals of unmatched brutality that
makes the album fly or die, don’t miss out on this or you’ll be
kicking your own ass otherwise. Bigger things are going to happen to
AOA if labels have to the brains to help them. My copy is 110 of
333, it will likely be sold out when this is printed. Make contact
anyway, you never know. – Clayton
misanthrop@freemail.hu
http://synaptx.hu/agony/
|
|
Aggressive Mutilator comes out of Sweden's old-school black metal
scene with a healthy dose of early punk influence. The guitars are
well done with some at a brisk speed that has both the metal and
punkish influences, there are even some nice solid solos mixed in
with the crazed punkish / metal riffs. The drums are performed at
alternating speeds between hyper-speed and mid paced patterns.
Aggressive Mutilator has created a good mix of old school blackened
metal and early influences of punk rock.
- Patrick
http://aggressivemutilator.bandcamp.com/
http://ljudkassett.bandcamp.com/ |
|
They call this
an ep, I suppose because there is an ep of new songs with the title
above, but you also get their 2013 & 2014 demos (“They Want To Cut
Off My Head” & “Curse Of The Outlaw”), which all clocks in around 35
minutes. So if this is an ep, and sold as such, you really get a lot
of music. I must admit, it is different having a CD from Aggressive
Mutilator, after receiving many demo tapes from them for some years
now. Not a lot has changed with Aggressive Mutilator, well with the
exception of the production on the new album, with it being maybe
the most professional I can recall. A.M. has always embraced the
low-fi end of things, through rough and older sounding productions
and I appreciate that. They do embrace late 80s black metal like
Venom and Bathory, with a healthy dose of sound and attitude from
that era. Not to mention a mixing in of punk influence from that
time period as well. I can not help it, I simply love this stripped
down, ancient sound, where the feeling of the music is king, not how
technical you can get or how many riffs you stuff in a song at light
speed. I love the great rhythms and riffing they have going on, it
is very memorable, you will nod your head along to it, it even has a
slight hypnotic effect on me. This is saying something, considering
filthy and dirty this Swedish band really is. If you miss the old
days, and the old ways, played by dedicated worshippers of it, who
live and breathe it, then I implore you to get your hands on this
disc any way possible. But do not delay as it is limited to only 500
copies! - Dale
http://aggressivemutilator.bandcamp.com/music
http://www.wydawnictwopsycho.com/ |
|
 
It is cool for me to see Sweden’s Aggressive
Mutilator return to the pages of CA after a lengthy absence. I
reviewed I think four of their past demo tapes, and two CDs, one a
full length and the other with new and old stuff, if memory serves.
I think it has been about 4 years though since I reviewed anything
by them. The band always keep things rough & raw, dirty and low-fi
(but certainly still listenable) with lyrics, imagery and an
attitude that is drenched in blasphemy, vulgarity and a twisted
sense of humour. I love them for all of that. The music itself is
stripped down, unrefined old school thrashing black metal (first
wave bm ala Venom, Bathory, Sodom plus very early 2nd
wave ala early works by Mayhem, Ancient Rites, Mortuary Drape,
Necromantia etc…) with doses of heavy metal and healthy hints of
violent harsh punk rock. Their songs are usually feature catchy as
hell riffing and song structures, as mean as you like and probably
as filthy as you can handle. They usually keep things in the middle
range, as far as pacing of the music goes with some touches of
speed. The vocals are gruff yelled thrash style vocals, but with
hints of a growl and rasp yet they possess a very maniacal edge to
them that reminds me a little of the crazy vocals of The Accüsed,
whom I dig. Yes, those vocals might be a bit of an acquired taste
for some, but for me though they are simply fucking great and drip
with charisma. Possibly nowhere is the abrasive punk style stronger
than the final song “Victim #59”, which is so memorable and
infectiously good featuring a nasally whiny cleaner vocal, but that
vocal is still demented and filled with smarmy, oily attitude that I
like and reminded me a little of an old early ‘90s punk band from
Canada whose name escapes me at the moment (edit – I remember now it
was Grimskunk, look up the song “Rooftop Killer” ala the maniacal
laugh parts). I know I am highlighting the punk influence here, but
make no mistake this release is metal as all fuck! I want to thank
A.M. frontman / guitarist Mikael Holm, despite this being a CD label
release he made a special promo tape of it with the cover, inlay and
handwritten tape just for Canadian Assault! Cheers my metal brother.
Check these fuckers out, this is for all the UG metallers that love
raw and extreme music that you can headbang to! - Dale
https://aggressivemutilator.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/mythroneprom |
|
Anyone who has
read CA for a long time knows I am Aggressive Mutilator fan, so I
was pleased when I found this in my mailbox, courtesy of Mikael Holm
of A.M. But more on them later, as this split starts off with
Poland’s Cadaveric Possession, which is a first time listen for me.
Their five songs feature a wonderfully suffocating and hypnotic
atmosphere that blankets the senses with mordant evil. The music is
a raw, stripped down & primitive mixture of late ‘80s and early ‘90s
first wave black metal, which brings to mind at times the very early
works of Necromantia, Ancient Rites, Mayhem, Mortuary Drape mixed
with a slower paced version of the embryonic sounds of bands like
Necrovore, Beherit and Profanatica. This my first taste of C.M. and
it has left me hungry for more. Taking up the second half of this is
Sweden’s Aggressive Mutilator, who after a short calm and solemn
acoustic style guitar intro, suddenly burst out of the speakers with
the explosive and raucous metal energy one can come to expect from
them. As is the Mutilator way, they keep their songs short and fill
them with order through chaos metallic battering, which is cut
through by old school catchy heavy riffing. Their music tends to be
raw and loose, but generally always littered with runs of memorable
classic sounding metal that you can headbang like a maniac to! They
sound quite different than Cadaveric Possession yet they possess a
lot of the same influences to my ear like the fledgling works of
bands like Ancient Rites, Necromantia, Mayhem, Bathory, Master’s
Hammer & Hellhammer, but mix it with some more traditional metal
influences like early Sodom, Sadus, Possessed, Onslaught, Venom etc…
The band also always has little whispers musically, and definitely
in their playing style and attitude of really raunchy punk rock,
sort of like if GBH played first wave black metal! I love this band,
is it any wonder why, when you read that great melting pot of
influences, all delightfully coalesced into one gratifyingly extreme
and diverse musical entity known as Aggressive Mutalitor. This is
limited to 500 copies, so don’t sleep on picking up a copy ASAP.
- Dale
https://aggressivemutilator.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mythroneprom |
|
I should start
off mentioning the fact I became an Agnostic Front fan back in 1992.
During that time period for a few years my pathetic hardcore
collection consisted of and did not travel much beyond bands like
Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All, Black Flag and a scant few others. I
was on a strictly metal trip for the most part. But when I bought
the then brand new “One Voice” I was pretty well fucking hooked ever
since. In the years since I have gotten my grubby paws on most of
their back catalog and in my mind A.F. are hardcore legends and help
define what is hardcore. While they are hardcore as fuck. They have
always been a fast band and driven by rather metal guitars and they
are not ashamed of it or to my knowledge ever strayed from it.
Agnostic just always hits you hard with massive pounding drums,
razor heavy riffs and the vocals that emanate Roger Miret’s throat
are without any doubt some of the most distinctive hardcore vox
ever! So you ask what has changed with Agnostic Front in the last 15
or 20 years? The answer is not a whole fucking lot and I must admit
I like it that way. They are still just as energetic, pissed off and
these old bastards still hit you harder than most. A fair warning
that you will have those chant choruses ringing and bouncing around
in your noggin for hours after hitting the stop button. I have
nothing but respect for these pioneers. - Dale
www.agnosticfront.com
www.nuclearblastusa.com |
|
If I had to
describe this album with one word, it would be torrential. The
Unraveling is teeming with potentiality—always on the cusp of
the next kickass movement in a series of grappling hooks. Each track
on this album has a personality that distinguishes itself from the
rest, exhibiting the acute depth of thought that Ails put into
weaving together their work. (I know it seems a contradictory
statement for them to weave something together that is “unraveling,”
but bear with me.) They navigate the challenging waters of contrast
with ease. For example, the first track, “The Echoes Waned,”
showcases Ails’ tact with combining blackened metallic craftsmanship
with earthier tones in the clean vocals (which most immediately
contrast with the more prevalent blackened shrieks) and brief
stripped-down moments that bookend the composition. The very next
track, “Dead Metaphors,” begins in a doom-laden manner, but
transitions into “Any Spark of Life,” which often finds itself at a
confluence of exuberant riffing and more patient sections. Ails work
with all of these dynamics with immense control, constructing an
album that listeners can fully immerse themselves in while still
feeling a sense of direction, of propulsive momentum. If “Mare
Weighs Down” is looking over a cliff’s edge into a cyclone, “The
Ruin” is the subsequent descent and experience of the whirling
rapids. Everyone comes out on top in the end with the ultimate, epic
finale of “Bitter Past,” which begins with a slightly twang-y guitar
line that puts into music the recollection of a caustic memory that
sticks in one’s cranium like an irksome bur. This track leads the
listeners out of the album through craggy rapids, leaving them with
a sense of catharsis. Listening to The Unraveling is an
exercise in refiguring the familiar with the energy of the
present—even though we exit the album through the “past,” Ails still
demonstrate that progress can be made in habituated mediums. I would
highly recommend this album to any fan of forward-thinking extreme
metal. – Aaron
https://theflenser.bandcamp.com/album/the-unraveling
http://theflenser.com/ |
|
Starting off
this split release is Florida's A.K.U. who are a duo that plays
barbaric war metal. The four tracks presented on this release are
primitive in their delivery. The guitars and drums often reside in
the mid paced range. The instruments do speed up to a faster more
violent and destructive pace before long. The vocals are raw black
metal screams and shrieks that fit A.K.U.’s music perfectly. Up next
is Spain's solo project False Faith, which has three songs on their
side of this collaboration. They start things off with a intro, but
the music does not take long before to speeds things up to a more
vicious and violent speed. The guitars are played with razor sharp
slashing passages. The drums are done at hyperspeeding blast beats
and some well played patterns. The vocals are demonic growls with
some deeper growling employed in parts throughout the songs. Both
bands deliver chaotic and bestial war metal at it's best. This is
most definitely not for the weak and timid. - Patrick
facebook.com/A.K.U.
facebook.com/FalseFaithBM
https://plaguedemonrecords.storenvy.com |
|
Serbia’s Alitor
are a heavy metal band, with some thrash, as well as a little
progressive metal / rock intertwined throughout the tracks. Alitor
has crafted and created, a good debut release. The guitars are a mix
of thrashy fast guitar riffs, with some middle pacing, that is
played with of talent and power. The vocalist has a nice range,
going from a melodic clean singing voice, to a more raspy, thrashy
screams. This is a good release of thrash / heavy metal, with some
excellent progressive metal influence, especially in the guitar
department. So if you are, a thrash metal fan, who likes some
progressive metal mixed in, then give band a shot today. -
Patrick
http://alitor.bandcamp.com/
http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.eu/
|
I was a little
surprised initially to find out this band was made up partially from
the remnants of other Danish bands like Victimizer and Church
Bizarre. Those are extreme brutalizing metal bands. While Altar of
Oblivion are a slow paced, melodic heavy metal band, I hesitate to
call them doom metal, yet they do remind me of Candlemass and they
are a doom band, so let’s call a spade a spade here. So melodic
heavy metal doom band it is. Now normally when you see classic doom
automatically people tend to think of Black Sabbath and bands like
this, but Altar sound nothing like that and do not have those big
crushing riffs. Their music produces in me more of an epic, yet
somber mood and if you can get in that mindset, it is an emotional
journey Grand Gesture… will take you on. Despite the obvious
Candlemass influence the vocalist does not have the emotional or
dynamic range of Messiah Marcolin, he has some range but it is more
of a monotone, hypnotic delivery and I do like the vocals. I can
hear influences mixed within their doom sound such as Manilla Road,
Gothic Knights, Solitude Aeturnus and the like. As I said this is a
journey, not just a crush and grind you to bits with slow motion
doom riffs, nothing wrong with that of course, but Altar of Oblivion
spread that power out across each instrument and that glow stretches
across you like a wet blanket that just encompasses you in warmth
and despair. To sum things up, this is a damn fine album, which I
very much recommend and the scene in Denmark continues to show it’s
quality with this excellent young band. - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/altarofoblivion
http://shadowkingdomrecords.com/ |
|
This is the
bands second full-length album; having risen from the grave in 2013
they released two demos and their debut long player in back in ’16.
Altered Dead play my kind of metal of death, old school and brutal,
dirty and sinister, and drenched in decaying audio flesh. The
overall sound is extremely heavy yet suffocating, backed with
relentless drum work while showing a knack for interesting and
infectious songwriting that you will bang you head to all night
long. If I had to give you some bands as a general signpost as to
their sound it would be bands like Autopsy (“Mental Funeral” hell
yes!), Grave, Unleashed, Dismember, Bolt Thrower, Repulsion, Asphyx,
Impetigo and other filthy and gloriously depraved death metal bands
along those lines. The album wraps up with an outstanding high
energy cover of Celtic Frost’s iconic “Into The Crypts Of Rays”,
which sounds killer with their grimy, heavy death metal riffing tone
and those evil sewer growls. This is my first time hearing this
Canadian duo and I really hope it is not my last. If you are devotee
of the sound and style I described above, then you need to listen to
this as soon as possible. - Dale
https://altereddead.bandcamp.com/
http://www.memento-mori.es/ |
|
Coming out of
Austria's death, doom metal scene is Alvarez, who released their
second full length earlier this year. ‘Digitaria’ is a very unique
blend of death doom metal style with a strong stamp of the bands own
identity. Each instrument is played with both skillful writing and a
creative approach to the song crafting. The guitars are played with
slower and mid paced guitar passages that are creative in their
delivery. The guitarist also does write some memorable guitar parts,
even adding some well played solo's into the mix. The vocals are
death metal growls, which are delivered with power and some
sorrowful emotional growls that fit Alvarez's musical style
perfectly. If you are a fan of well written and performed death doom
metal then be sure to check out the ‘Digitaria’ release you as you
will not be disappointed. - Patrick
https://alvarezband.bandcamp.com/album/digitaria
https://plaguedemonrecords.storenvy.com/ |
We have some
black metal of the Norwegian persuasion. I do not know a lot about
the band. But apparently they formed in 2002, signed with a label,
but never released an album and then went on hiatus for some four
years. Elde represents their return to the scene for the first time
since their demo in ’03 and of course is their debut. It seems like
each song starts out really mid-paced and sort of atmospheric or
melancholic then shifts gears in the second half with some
quickening in the speed. The vocals from Loge are very vague
sounding whispered growling/croak and just sort of melt into the
background not standing out, which I am sure was intentional. The
drums back everything up well but are maybe more cymbal laden than
many bm albums. The riffing can really be hypnotic at times and sets
my mind wondering through misty landscapes and mountainous areas
covered in forest play in my subconscious. That sounds a little
corny I know but that is what Elde seems to do to me. I have a
feeling the band would not be unpleased by having that effect. - Dale
http://www.soulsellerrecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/alverg |
|
I really enjoyed the morbid packaging and
layout of this disc. Also, the whole inside of the booklet, contains
a fairly detailed account from the band leader, on the entire
history of the band start to finish. It really gives that personal
touch and connection. I liked the story, where their local youth
centre put on a local battle of the bands type festival. Where Tim
took it upon himself, to invite extreme metal bands from around the
area, to sign up and dominate the line up much to the organizers
displeasure. Apparently, even Marduk, in full corpse paint made
their debut live performance at the event! Now on to the music… I
love the raw feeling and atmosphere on the recording of the first
demo tape. It is really dark, and evil sounding, it kind of reminds
me on the sound on the great demos of Grave. I think some of the
influences going on here (on the first demo) are things like early
works of Grave, Bathory, Death, Celtic Frost, Possessed, Autopsy
etc… I really like this first demo tape, and I am happy to have it
in collection, it is a real gem from the early days of the death
metal scene. Now, on to the second demo entitled “The Twelfth Hour”,
the production still sounds good and has a little touch of darkness
to it, but it is a cleaner and more professional. Here they have
decided to reach even further, back into their root influences, and
they have added more of a mid to late ‘80s German thrash metal
attack to the mix. The result is good, and there are some heavy
killer riffs on here, but I have to admit despite liking this newer
style, I prefer the primitive style and recording, to this newer,
more polished demo tape. But, you really can not go wrong, with
album length compilation. Which unearths an important piece of the
fabled Swedish death metal underground, which many people did not
know of or maybe just need a reminder. - Dale
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Amenophis/104155
http://www.ihate.se/ |
|
The Amenta are probably one of the few bands from Australia that I
just don't like or at least can't get into that much {there are some
good riffs here and there} but then again the band is not total
metal either. The Amenta for those who don't know mix some metal
riffs with industrial noises and a lot of harsh noise influences
to create a very chaotic and dark soundtrack. Honestly the band is
hard to pin point in one certain category or genre as it changes
from minute to minute. This is good for what it is but honestly not
my style of music so if your a fan of experimental, industrial,
harsh noise with some metal influences. Then give The Amenta a
listen, but you might not like this if you’re a die hard metal-head
that only likes metal your gonna hate this.
- Patrick
http://www.reverbnation.com/theamenta
http://www.listenable.net/
|
|
Aldaaron have
been in the black metal underground for a few years now. Releasing
one demo {2007's "Des Legend Et Ancients Dieus} and one listen to
the new cd and you will understand why paragon records picked them
up for this release {and hopefully more in the future!} as the music
created is simply brillant. Eight tracks of early 90's styled fast
black metal with a lot of memorable and well used atmosphere blended
in nicely. The drums are furious and pounding away with so much
force and aggression. The guitars are just as fast with intense
riffs and blazing speeds. All mixed in with the whirlwind of guitar
riffs are some great sounding and placed solo's. Aldaaron is a band
that is a must hear for fans of {early} Dissection, Emperor and even
a little Immortal can be heard within Aldaaron's dark sound. –
Patrick
http://www.paragonrecords.org
http://www.myspace.com/aldaaron |
Here we have
some death metal with some grind elements dredging up from the mirth
and might of the Czech Republic. There are some great brutalizing
riffs on here and some killer dynamic drumming. But I must confess
over all Alienation Mental is just not really my thing. The flow of
the songs and structuring remind me a little too much towards the
boring metalcore sound that has flooded America in recent years.
Some have even taken to call this mallcore. I do not really keep up
on the hip terminology of youngsters. But if this is mallcore then
it sounds like metalcore to me and almost no bands in this style
interest me very much. If you like this sort of thing then
Alienation is probably as good as most of the bands out there that
play this way. The album is kind of short at just over 30 minutes
including a final track that is just sound sampling. From what I
understand their old material was pure grind. They should have stuck
with this way, it is what the mighty Czech scene is best at! –
Dale
http://www.khaaranus.wz.cz
http://www.alienationmental.com/
|
I have to agree with
my bro, Mike Rogers, from Sociopathic Despair fanzine. That All Out War
in the riffing department are unabashedly Slayer clones, but damn are
they heavy and rippin’! I know they are on Victory, but make no mistake
this is a metal band! The vocals are hardcore-ish with a hint of death
growl minced in. In no way original but in every way bad ass and
blasting! Fans of Slayer “Season In The Abyss” take note.
–
Dale
Victory Records, P.O.
Box 146546, Chicago, IL. 60614, USA website =
www.victoryrecords.com
|
|
I am surprised I
have not heard of this band before. This is without doubt some of
the best death metal I have heard in the last 5 years. I mean these
Ukranian wizards of brutality are just not fucking around. They have
the whole package really. Except for one, key flaw, in my opinion or
in my tastes, depending upon your view. That is their usage of
synthesizer. I am generally not a fan of their use anyway and
especially in a heavy handed way. On “Kravia” if they were used just
a little more sparingly as an accent then I would have no problem
with it. However, it seems in some songs they have synth stuffed
into them come hell or high water, no matter the consequence. Okay I
got that out of my system, I am probably being a little stubborn
here. Ambrazura do an amazing job of riding the line between
traditional death metal (I mean the brutal as all hell variety). All
the while being very adventurous and almost progressive in their
song structuring and time changes etc… The intense control they
maintain is impressive as well. What I mean is it is difficult to
produce such powerful dynamics while staying ultra heavy and
produces a very dark and suffocating atmosphere that keeps troops
marching in lock step. Oh, did I mention, the killer guitar soloing?
Just get this fracking thing already and you will be impressed too. – Dale
www.ambrazura.ru torture13@gmail.com |
|
Personally, I
was disappointed with these Viking nostalgic's last outing 'The Fate
Of Norms'. Hegg and company just were not making admirable songs of
DM worthiness. W.O.O.O.S. changes that with Brutal Vocals, shorter
and faster songs, and lyrics that are quite vicious. The songs are
very memorable, and aside from the 6 song bonus disc that is not
worth mentioning here, this is a killer album. It may not be
ground-breaking, but with half the DM out there these days, it's
stand's out like a fucking sore thumb...it's about fucking time! Buy
it or burn it, you'll surely be cranking this one up either way
- Clayton
www.metalbladerecords.com |
That long and
kind of over dramatic band name had me thinking this might just be a
straight goth band. With second lingering thoughts of an
atmospheric, sort of dreamy, emotional metal band with some black
metal style mixed in. I was wrong on the first count, but nailed it
with the second wave. AAFCC (sounds like an electrical term or
something) are full of moody atmospherics, but can be heard with the
odd burst of aggression and speed, via traditional instrumentation
from time to time. At first I was not sure I was a fan of the fuzzy
guitar tone, but it has gradually has begun to grow on me. It surely
beats the plastic, carbon copy sound that has been all the rage in
recent times (though maybe I am just showing my age and old school
nature here?). The vocals are fairly standard fair for the style,
you know the obscure yelled rasps, floating in the background like a
muted, far off Varg Vikernes or some such. Some of the guitar
harmonies do it for me, yet much of the music is too far on the soft
and trance like side of things to realize their full potential. They
could probably learn a few things in this arena, from label mates
Semen Datura, who are a wonderful band. I may be being a tad harsh
on them, as for the most part this is a good record and they have a
good grasp on what they are trying to achieve. I probably just would
have them take a slightly different path and that is probably more
down to personal taste, than anything else. If you like this style
of music you could do worse. I find myself left wanting just a
little more, as I think the band have it within them to give more.
They are a young band so… we will see. – Dale
http://www.atmf.net
http://www.myspace.com/crippledchildren2009 |
|
This Peruvian band, go straight for the
throat, with that band name and album cover! I like it. It takes
balls to truly be extreme in this politically correct world we live
in these days. Anal Vomit are veterans of the scene, having released
their first demo tape, way back in 1993, they also have released a
slew of other demos, eps and three albums prior to this tasty, moist
morsel of a record. The band plays extreme, dirty death metal with a
seedy grindcore underbelly. The recording here is really good, it is
really heavy and brutal, but also very clear. The music for this
style is top notch, really driving and grinding death metal with
lightning catchy riffing, good variation, and thought, in the song
structuring, which keeps my interest strong. Everything on here is
always, played at full hateful adrenaline, which gives the record a
fantastic bombast filled energy. These boys play everything to
perfection and really know how to handle their instruments. I find
death metal growls in languages like this or Spanish etc… when done
with a lot of vile and mean intent, end up sounding even more
vicious and cool then growls done in English, so I really dig the
vocals on here, which are in the bands native tongue. Yes, this
truly is a killer record that deserves the attention of any brutal
death metal and grindcore fan. - Dale
https://myspace.com/analvomitperu
http://www.gatesofhellrecords.com/ |
|
This Finnish
band play a brand of pagan black metal. Having released a handful of
demos, a full length, a best of (already?), and a split, this EP
came out in 2009. There are keyboards mixed in amongst the melodic
black metal - very nice production on the instruments on this
release. The vocals are very weak, though - black metal inspired
despair yelling. As
I sit here listening, I like the music part of the band but the
vocals don't really fit in with it. Either the band needs to get
more old school raw black metal for the vocals to work or the singer
needs to start actually singing to keep up with the rest of the
band. Decent.
- Mark Sugiyama
http://www.heidenshart.nl.nu/
http://www.myspace.com/ancestorsbloodfinland
|
…And Oceans play a
simplistic and flowing black metal that is destroyed by overuse and
smothering of keybored’s! Bloodthorn seems to play pretty much in the
same symphonic vein as …And Oceans. But, throw in some trendy operatic
female vocals. This is a goofy release, each band has 4 songs that break
down as 2 originals, 1 cover (each) of GGFH and 1 cover of each others
songs. Also it sure makes it more evil for me when a black metal sings
about either track running or car racing (…And Oceans) and on a military
strategic move (Bloodthorn). Fans of symphonic black metal will eat this
up for sure. As for me, it’s not my goblet of black blood and besides
that cover picture makes me feel like I have walked in on some sort of
uncomfortable moment during a mating ritual. –
Dale
Season Of Mist, 24
rue Brandis, 13005 Marseille, FRANCE Email = season@worldnet.fr |
Angmar
– 3 hymns of punishing Finnish black metal from each band. Angmar’s
music is really loose and pretty rough around the edges but the
atmosphere of hate and darkness manages to shine through. They
actually remind me a little towards a lot of American black metal
bands. “The Act In Worship” even has American death metal riffing
running smack through it. They need work but pretty good
nonetheless.
The True
Endless – An epic sort of feeling from these Italian black metal
beasts. By that I mean long songs that have monotonous riffing with
little to no dynamics or variation. Which is a formula that can
really work sometimes ala early Burzum but I would say Endless miss
the mark a little here. I like obscure vocals but on here they have
been so over hidden in the mix, to the point of near non-existence.
I would pass. – Dale
www.bestialburst.blackmetal.fi/
bestialburst@blackmetal.fi |
|
‘Necromantic
Grimoire’ is the debut release from Angrbodas Curse, a band which
originally started in Puerto Rico, but has relocated to the U.S.
Things start off with a short intro of whispering and fire sounds at
the end, followed by some rain and thunder sounds, pretty original
for a intro. Musically the band blends a nice mix of mid paced and
extreme fast black metal to create a wicked sound. The guitars are
played with intensity and are always well written and performed
passages. The guitars range from mid paced patterns to a faster more
aggressive style. The vocals are raw, grim black metal screams and
some gruff death metal growls mixed in. Both those vocal styles are
done with powerful and aggressive vocal patterns that fit Angrbodas
Curse's music nicely. - Patrick
https://plaguedemonrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://mastersofkaos.bandcamp.com/music |
Well this is
something new under the black sun for me. We have all seen and heard
hundreds of one man bands. But have you ever before heard of a one
woman band?! I have not and I have to admit I am intrigued by an
individual of the female persuasion being this dedicated and hard to
the core in the bm realm. Her corpse painted photos throughout the
cd booklet are fantastic and mirror the music perfectly. Also
believe it or not after all of these years and bands, she does some
poses in those photos I have never seen before. The depressive and
suicidal lyrics only intrigue further. This Finnish woman goes by
the name Possessed Demoness and is joined only as a session drummer
by some fellow going by the name of Mental Penetrator. The vocals
are hysterical, I do not mean that in a mocking way, she sounds
completely hysterical and maniacal with her tortured and yes
anguished screams and hollering. Think of the vox from the first
Cradle of Filth but turned up a notch on the intensity and more out
of control. I find myself to be fascinated with them and can not
stop listening. Every now and then she slips in a clean but still
dark sounding vocal, no angelic type stuff, just spoken / sung bits.
The music is solid, often mid paced almost introspective black
metal. The silence is shattered from time to time with some raging
speed and frantic darkness that runs headlong through the mist with
tortured hate. I could see the riffing and some of the sound being
akin to Judas Iscariot or a rougher, looser Horna type sound. I
could see due to the love it or hate it type vocals, that this is
probably a polarizing sort of band. As for me I enjoyed this album
quite a bit. – Dale
http://www.hammer-of-hate.com/
http://www.myspace.com/anguished666
|
I can’t tell you
much about this band as no bio or other information were supplied to me.
Having said that, I can tell you about the music within. Antestor are
masters of droning blackened goth metal w/ heavy atmosphere from the
guitars. They also show off their Bathory viking-era, Katatonia gothic
overtones and influence of the Gothenburg sound. Yes, Antestor are a
good band when not bringing their gay keyboards to the forefront and
taking away from excellent subtle epic guitar harmonies. With regards to
the album title they must be referring to the lyrical content, as
musically this is no return to black/death metal. Solid release, nothing
more. –
Dale
Cacophonous Records,
231 Portebello Road, London, W11 1LT, ENGLAND
|
|
The Swedish
thrash metal attack continues, coming at us in unrelenting waves
violence; with the excellent I Hate Records urging them onward and
bringing support artillery up from the rear. Antichrist sound quite
different from their countrymen Entrench, which I just reviewed, but
they also harken back in every way to mid-80s thrash nostalgia and
greatness! “Sinful Birth” erupts out of the gates from all
directions with swirling, blazing guitars, sounding like they are
perpetually on the edge of collision. Like when you see someone on a
motorbike and the front wheel starts wobble and weave, you know
either the driver manages to smooth and straighten things out, or he
is about to crash and scrap his flesh across the pavement. This is
what the guitars sound like, the audio version of that most of the
time, they are great, but almost going faster than the players can
handle and are on the verge of spinning out of control at all times,
they always manage to straighten out the wheel just in time, but it
keeps you on the edge of your seat, as a listener let me tell you.
It is also very infectious, keeping you spellbound with it’s high
energy, forcing your heart to pound and your blood pump as you
headbang along. The only time they seem calmed down and in control,
in the zone emotionally is during the great emotive, epic ten minute
instrumental track “Chernobyl 1986”. I get sped up early Slayer and
Infernal Majesty “None Shall Defy” vibes from this album at times
and I like it. Speaking of which, let’s move on to the excellent, if
not off kilter manic vocals, which to make another analogy remind me
of someone in a horror movie who is being hunted down by some entity
and the prey in this case is out of breath, distraught and losing
his mind in terror and verbalizing it in gasping fright. Just
imagine adding that to the guitars I mentioned above and between the
two this is a white knuckle thrill ride of thrash metal insanity.
The vocals definitely have threads, by my ear of the vocalists of
the two bands I mentioned above, with a mixing of Tom Araya on the
first few records and Chris Bailey thrown in a chaos blender. This
is easily one of the most intense thrash metal records I have heard
in the last couple decades! Fuck me! Get this now and wreck your
neck!! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/antichristsweden/ http://www.ihate.se/ |
|
I have been
championing the South American scene the last couple years. But, I
have been surprised to often be met with comments, like “Oh yeah
that scene was good way back in the day from the late ‘80s to the
mid ‘90s”. Well, I agree it was great back then, but also I say
fucking wake up, and take another look the South American scene now,
it is one of the top scenes in the world! That area of the world is
fucking killing it in recent years, and only getting better, one of
the current hotbeds of that UG scene these days is Peru (endless
bands from there like Runa, Anal Vomit, Blaspherion, Kraken, Mortem,
Profaner etc…), which is the country Antichrist hails from as well.
“Pax Moriendi” creates a dismal audio landscape of death doom,
dripping with sinister evil, which torments and suffocates the
listener into submission. Yes, it is death metal, but it is
extremely doomy in pace and feeling, pounding and crushing you in
glorious slow motion. If you were to mix the albums “Mental Funeral”
by Autopsy, “Transcendence Into The Peripheral” by Disembowelment
and “Rites Of The Black Mass” by Acheron then you would probably
have something that sounded very close to this album. Now, that I
read that description, it is little wonder I like this album so
much, as those are three of my all-time favourite releases in the
history of extreme metal. The vocals are obscure, suffocating
elongated rumbling growls, with emphasis more on the sound they
create than the words they form; often words are drawn-out before
and after with this vocal sound attached, and the result for me is
quite satisfying. Now and again, there are some clean half sung/half
spoken passages that are equally obscure sounding, and melt into the
background of the wonderfully rumbling, lurching music. For me, the
style of sound the band creates are the perfect union of death and
doom metal, while always keeping things extremely dark and morbid.
Recommended! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/antichristperu
http://www.ironbonehead.de
|
|
Coming out of
the French brutal death metal scene, we have Antropofago with their
second album to date. The band plays a very fast brutal death style.
The guitars are played with a lot of skill and complex guitar
patterning. The drumming is done with a lot of rapid blast beat
patterns, but the drummer knows how to create and write, some
excellent crafty arrangements. The vocals are deep brutal death
growls. If you enjoy mid 90s style brutality, with some of today’s
brutalizing elements, a mix of yesterday and today, this is a great
release you all need to check out soon. - Patrick
https://www.reverbnation.com/antropofago
http://www.kaotoxin.com/ |
|
Woah… I had heard
this bands name before, but I had no idea they have been kicking around
since the late ‘80’s! They put out a couple demos and this is their 3rd
album. This record does display, this German band’s, maturity as they
create a multitude of emotive layers. They do so by combining fast
guitar sections with slow plods, tasty lead work and throw in some
speedy blasts. The vocals are deep semi-decipherable gruff death growls
and top things off with some odd sprinkling of keys in the background.
All is structured very solidly. Death fiends check into this. –
Dale
Morbid Records,
Postfach 3, D - 03114 Drebkau, GERMANY |
|
It has been four
years since this Indianapolis, Indiana bands last album, has it been
worth the wait? Let’s dig in and find out. For those unfamiliar,
Apostle Of Solitude play doom metal, in the classic old school
style, but with a definite heavy metal base mixed within the
foundation. I found myself immediately struck by the great
despondent sounding guitar tone, which has a real richness to it and
conveys very well, the general emotional tenor of the bands sound. I
found this overall staple tonal guitar sound, which runs through the
entire record, to be very captivating in it’s melancholic
atmospheric majesty. The two guitarists Steve Janiak and Chuck Brown
share vocal duties, though Chuck Brown (ex-The Gates Of Slumber
where he played drums – talented dude) seems handle the bulk of them
and takes the lead. The vocals are clean sung traditional style;
with Brown often choosing to extend words and phrases, adding some
extra feeling and range that suits the music well. The music and
vocals do a fine job at mirroring the seemingly grey and emotionally
overcast mood of the lyrical content. I think one of the biggest
compliments I can give the band, would be that within this well
trodden style of doom, to my fairly educated ear, they seem to have
managed to create an own sound that I have trouble comparing to any
specific bands. Which, certainly is no mean feat, especially in this
day and age. Cruz Del Sur just keep finding quality band, after
quality band, it is impressive and a real pleasure to follow along
with this excellent record label labours, they have done it once
again in spades with Apostle Of Solitude. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/apostleofsolitude
https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com |
|
I reviewed this Indianapolis, Indiana bands
last album a few years back and quite honestly I simply loved it,
turning me into a fan of the band. So I was happy to see the promo
for this album cross my desk, where I then made sure it wormed it’s
way into my ears and swim around my cerebral cortex. Apparently one
of the members of Apostle has lost not one, but both parents to the
global pandemic that continues to ravage the planet. I can only
imagine how much of that deep residual sorrow and despair has
managed to bleed and seep into the music on ‘When The Darkness
Goes’. I say that because the doom metal music on here is possesses
an extremely emotional, mournful and introspective atmosphere that
was very affecting for me. The vocals of guitarist / vocalist Chuck
Brown (clearly a talented musician who also plays drums in The Gates
Of Slumber) compliment and mirror the music with clean classic style
vocals that feature a bouquet of emotion, often through elongating
lines of lyrics or just certain words to good effect. I can not
imagine most traditional doom metal fans that like a large helping
of the old school mixed with accents of more recent times not
appreciating this quality record. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/apostleofsolitude
https://cruzdelsurmusic.bandcamp.com/ |
|
Archemoron are a
black metal band hailing from Greece, which of course, is a country
with a great black metal tradition. This is the bands second album
and it is a killer. I like that Archemoron mix in some guitar
sounds, that will remind at times, of the original late 80s, very
early 90s wave of black metal. Which is something, the early great
Greek black metal bands such as Necromantia, Varathron and Rotting
Christ also possessed in their early incarnations. But the dominant
sound is definitely a more modern black metal one. The band keeps a
certain level of melodicism, to their evil sounding riffs, and the
drumming backs it up smoothly and skillfully. Their biggest talent
is the ability to compose and arrange songs, which create a really
dark, gloomy emotive atmosphere. That is not to say they are not an
aggressive band, because they are, but the aggression is often a
bookend to the brooding atmosphere. The mixing of both adds a depth
and dynamic to their sound, which gives both elements more power
through contrast. The vocals mimic the music quite successfully,
producing range of emotions, from the ominous to poignant
belligerence. They really serve to flesh out and finish off this
album. My conclusion is “Sulphur And Fire” is an album, that die
hard fans of old school, and newer black metal, should find quite
enjoyable. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/archemoron
http://cryptiaproductions.blogspot.gr/ |
During the early
days Arckanum was written off by some as nothing more than a Burzum
clone. While there is no denying a similarity in sound and style. I
feel that is selling Arckanum a little short. There is a lot more
depth there and it is not like they came on the block a decade later
like many bands worshipped these days. The first demo (spell) was
cast upon us in 1993. Just in case there is anyone reading this that
does not know of Arckanum. I should mention this is the debut album
and of course a re-release with more to come. One of the areas
people sell them short, in my opinion, is the overall emotion and
dark atmosphere this album and band exude. It grabs you and grows on
you, it envelopes you like a swallowing mist and takes you into a
trance state. The guitars on here are fantastic and just flow with a
melodic quality to them that keeps your attention fixed. Shamaatae’s
vocals are great, quite abrasive hoarse yelling with a touch of the
black metal rasp. Despite the uncompromising and rough nature of the
vocals it does not distract too much from that trance-like spell the
music holds over you. In fact, it is a welcome counter point to it
all. I really like this album and it is very good for a first
release, especially if you consider when it was released. This debut
album does not have the perfect production for the Arckanum style,
but it is good anyway. It could be a little more raw instead of
being as clean as it, but it is still good nonetheless. I am
thinking this must have been one of the early recordings at the soon
to be famous Abyss studios? It seems like the perfect amount of time
has passed for a set of Arckanum re-releases. It is surely an
underrated band that deserves to be well known once again in the
scene. – Dale
http://www.arckanum.se/
http://www.debemur-morti.com/
|
Listening to
these re-releases of old, reminds me to the early days of Arckanum.
It was when the so called black metal mafias were running around and
pointing fingers at all who were not true. I recall bands like
Fluerety and Arckanum labeled as the untrue and unserious. “He runs
around with a paper mache mask in the woods, pretending he is a
troll!” It is all humorous for me to think about now. Anyway, on to
the topic at hand, this is the 1997 sophomore follow-up for Arckanum.
The sound here for my taste is much more suited to the band. It is
more heavy and raw and powerful, it suits the guitars very well and
the drums have more ‘umph’ too. As I am sure some fans will mention
an Arckanum album must be listened to as a whole to get the full
experience. Just picking out a song or two in isolation produces a
great disservice to Shamaatae’s seamless vision. I would say the
pace on here is more intense and aggressive than the debut album.
You would think that might kill some of the atmosphere from the
first album, but really it just morphs it into a new feeling or
aura. An aura you soak in through your skin and not just your ears.
Shamaatae seems to really be perfecting his tortured spirit, emotive
yelling and rasp to perfection at this point in the Arc evolution.
With the lyrics all having been written in ancient Swedish, it
definitely gives a vibe all it’s own with the distinctive vocal
style and pronunciation. Something I have always respected about
Arckanum is the organic nature of it all and the resistance to take
the thin and easy way out with synthesizer all over the place.
“Kostogher” for me is an important release in black metal with real
vision and is surely a must own album. – Dale
http://www.arckanum.se/
http://www.debemur-morti.com/
|
|
This band’s name
reflects the two driving artistic forces behind this band. You have
vocalist Brian Balich, formerly of Penance, currently of the
impressive Argus. Vincent Arduini, is a real veteran of the scene,
in recent times he was a member of Freedom’s Reign. But he is best
known as a founding member of Fates Warning, he was with the band
from the start until just after their second album. I get the
impression, reading between the lines of the bio, that Butch Balich
may have been originally brought in by Victor just to do the vocals.
But as two kept collaborating, Balich became an integral part of the
song writing and creative process, morphing it into a full time band
named after two. Either way, the result of these two forces
combining, is impressive and exciting. The musical style I would
call a marriage of classic clean doom in the vein of Black Sabbath,
Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus etc… Combine those sounds heavily,
with emotionally deep progressive rock, such as you might hear on
Queensryche “Operation: Mindcrime” era, Captain Beyond or for a more
modern example Fates Warning from the late ‘90s onward (“A Pleasant
Shade Of Grey”). The musical tapestry, these two men have woven
together is lush, and darkly striking in it’s depth of feeling and
atmosphere. Victor is impressive on guitar, with his intricacy,
while never sacrificing flow or impact by just showing off his high
skill level. You can feel Balich’s influence, on the material is
quite evident, his vocals are an intricate part of the fabric
gliding in an and out, and all around the instruments with grace and
dexterity, completing the music in every way possible. The music
builds up the atmosphere, while the vocals crescendo over it all,
delivering a satisfying impact every time. That delivery is there,
whether it be triumphant, sorrowful or whatever other emotive term
you want to use, his vocals just drip with passion and feeling! I
have to listen to my Argus album again, I remember him being good,
but not this fucking good, maybe it is case of the fantastic
material on here that pushed him to new ranges and heights vocally?
Balich’s vocal performance, at times, reminds me of the amazing
vocal performance by Urban Breed, on Tad Morose’s “A Mended Rhyme”
album, which is high praise from me, I assure you. The album closes
out, with no less, than three cover songs (Uriah Heep’s “Sunrise”,
Beau Brummels “Wolf Of Velvet Fortune” & Black Sabbath’s “After All
(The Dead)”). Now, if I had heard the entire hour long album of
original material, I would have advised the band do not screw it up,
with cover songs. But, it is impressive how well they incorporated
their sound, and chose covers, which fit surprisingly well with the
rest of the album and comes off like icing on a delicious cake. No,
this is not easy listening, by that I mean not immediately
accessible, but if you are a fan of the genre’s I mentioned above
and open to giving it the requisite attention span needed. Then you
will be greatly rewarded, with a hell of an epic emotional,
memorable audio journey. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/arduinibalich
http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/ |
|
When you make a
lasting and let us not split hairs here, legendary mark upon the
scene, for better or for worse that legacy follows you around and
becomes the measuring stick by which all future accomplishments.
Your new bands cock is only 6 ½ inches but your old band is a porn
star worthy 9 inches of raging meat & muscle. Of course I am
referring to Order From Chaos, the classic band of wonderful chaotic
torment, whose members Chuck Keller and Mike Miller propelled into
prominent position of the metal history books. It will always linger
around them like the after taste of fine wine (or a cheap vintage
depending upon the view), matching that wonderment is a lofty goal
likely pushed into the back of their minds. A new day is dawning and
amusingly enough, despite a somewhat paltry output, Ares Kingdom has
been around at this point about as long as Order From Chaos. How
does A.K. fair to these biased ears? Pretty damn well by my measure
and I am not new to Ares as one of my best friends released their
demo tape (not to mention a 7 inch from Chuck’s other post OFC band
Vulpecula) in wonderful pro packaging (Keith Dempe where are you my
friend?! The Dark Lord whispers your name!). A much more middle
paced and introspective yet harsh (yes I know those do not go
together but you need to listen to this music to see what I
profess!) sound that peel back the flesh and meat, one sinew at a
time rather than just beating you over the head with a shovel ala
OFC, they protract your pain before unconsciousness. Vocalist Alex
Blume belts out his sandpaper howls with emotion and brute force, it
really adds a rough around the edges quality which juxtaposes itself
nicely on top of Keller’s wonderful guitar work (some of those
piercing solo fills had in ecstasy) and flowing structures.
Speaking of the guitars they are heavy as hell itself and roll over
you full force but with an underlying finesse and reflective aura
which wonderfully counterpoints the blunt force trauma. It is true
one minute you headbang and the next you are swept away to some
distant plane letting your grey matter go for a swim in the calming
seas of eternity. This is mandatory and should do any OFC die hard
proud with it’s quality. No surprise it is on a great label like
Nuclear War Now, you know what to do, get this and the D.H. vinyl
too. – Dale
www.areskingdom.com
www.nwnprod.com |
When I see that
album title, it reminds me of one my fave movies Almost Famous. If
you like that flick then you know what why. It has been almost 4
years since the last Ares Kingdom album. I must say, it was well
worth the wait. The band has taken their sound to new heights I had
not imagined. You can tell they used that time to perfect their
craft and give the material the attention it deserved. AK has never
been ones to rush things before their time, as evidenced by
Incendiary being their second record since their 1996
formation. They have taken the time honoured tradition of thrash
metal and molded it into something most remarkable. I was not
provided with lyrics, but I can make many of them out and as can be
expected from these fellows, they are intelligent and well thought
out. I love the lyrics to “Abandon In Place”, it is about the
Chernobyl meltdown and includes an actual emergency call from the
event. Which is all brilliantly executed and the emotion in the
music reflects the lyrics and the incident itself. It is not an easy
task to marry all of these elements in unison, but Ares Kingdom do
so masterfully. I enjoyed Alex Blume’s vocals and his growls are
clear and decipherable and at times remind me to early Grave (and I
fucking love Grave). They are not all over the place, but there are
some amazing guitar solos/fills on here that absolutely smoke and
yet add poignant emotive depth to the music at the same time. I
would be remiss not to mention the superb and tasteful drum
performance from Mike Miller. He supports the guitars wonderfully
and leaves enough room for the compositions to breathe. I like the
epic feel to Incendiary and how they kept things on the straight
forward side and not get tangled into too many riffs or a run away
train speed. It is not just epic in scope though. There are also a
number of quite somber and melancholic sections that really add
emotional dynamics to the whole. I know it is early in 2010, but
Incendiary for me, already has record of the year candidate written
all over it. - Dale
http://www.areskingdom.com
http://www.nwnprod.com/ |
I have been a
fan of Arghoslent for many a moon – probably around 15 years now!
That means I am old and it goes back to my tape trading days when I
traded for their demo tapes. They can be called death metal, but at
times in their history I have had a hard time nailing that down.
Some of their stuff seemed very traditional heavy metal influenced
to me despite always having vocals that never fit that mold. In the
past they have had some really obscure sounding vocals that melt
into the scenery. Though not any longer, now they have more of
classical death metal growler not from the belching school, but
rather from a Euro deep brutal origin. One thing that has never
changed is they do not give a fuck lyrically and image wise and
always stick to their guns. “Hornets…” is a fairly quickly paced
album and it is heavy, but also there is a lot of melody and
memorable structuring to be had. Yes this album is probably one of
the more easily digestible Arghoslent records and I think it shows
hints of European influence more than in the past. The antithesis of
in the past was part of the charm for me with Argho, but nonetheless
“Hornets…” is growing on me. Just because it is so easy to get
comfortable with does not mean it is not good. This is not my fave
‘slent work, but it is staying in my collection, let me put it that
way. Before I go, I need to mention the guitar work on here is so
good and worth the price of admission alone. A really emotional
performance that just tore at my soul. Just one listen and you know
I speak the truth. A quote from their bio that sums up the band up
“…yielding to no one, apologizing to nobody, and offending
everyone.” –
Dale
www.drakkar666.com
http://drakkar666.com/arghoslent/
|
|
I have heard
some good things about this band, so I was exciting to check them
out for the first time. They hail from the land of the Dawn Of The
Dead out in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. Just based on things
I heard I expected a straight classic doom metal band. But instead
what I heard is a very old heavy metal sound ala Iron Maiden, Jag
Panzer, Manilla Road type aesthetic with some doom pacing and some
doom metal influence in the Candlemass, Black Sabbath accenting the
strong heavy metal base. This band does borrow quite liberally from
some of the old gods, but they do so with superb skill and emotional
feel / timing. The guitar work on here is well thought out and
tasteful. The doom side of Argus does seem to rear it head a little
more forcefully late in the record illustrating the bands
versatility. The vocalist Butch Balich while not possessing the
piercing siren range of Dickinson or a Messiah Marcolin,
nevertheless his vocals sounds fit the music very well, mirroring
the musical influences exactly with a classic ‘80s power metal vocal
style mixed with a touch of the clean doom vocal influence. “Beyond
The Martyrs” is a very moody, emotive record, which is easy fall
prey within it’s clutches and become very engaged with. I would have
to recommend this to fans of the old school bands from the genres I
mentioned above. - Dale
https://myspace.com/theargus
http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/ |
It is probably
an understatement to say this is something a little different for
the mighty Hells Headbangers label. Armour might be on the lighter
end of the scale for many reading this. But I have always been a fan
of certain bands in this style. The first song Rock ‘n Roll Tonite,
would be a mixing of what you could hear on a Loudness, Dokken,
Sword or Accept record back in the day. The following song The Time
is Right has a massive Keel sound and feel to it mixed with a dash
of old Grave Digger. The third track is a rocker by the name of Sex
Demon, you can hear the WASP influence coming through here, maybe
some Tank as well. Are you sensing a pattern here? Yeah these guys
are none too original, they wear their influences on their sleeves
in a major way and the style they emulate or immolate (depending
upon your opinion) fluctuates from song to song. Some will surely
find this a little too cheesy for their tastes and make no mistake
it can be cheesy. Not to mention some of the stuff is probably a
little too close to so called hair metal for many people’s tastes.
For me I love stuff like WASP, Accept, old Grave Digger etc… So a
lot of the stuff on here is okay with me, not to mention that they
keep things just serious enough and heavy enough to keep me
listening. You always read reviews like this is not just another
retro band, well in my opinion you probably could call this just
another retro band. But it is a good one and it seems very clear to
me that these guys just bleed this style of music as fans. It is
hard not to tap into some of that infectious devotion. If you like
some or all of the above bands you will dig this one too. These guys
would totally win VH1 Rock ‘N Roll Fantasy camp battle of the bands
hands down haha. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/metalarmour
http://armour.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
I can not endure
listening to this over and over, but I’ve learned that with enough
patience and perseverance you can fuck a cat. This isn’t atmospheric
noir black art orchestrated metal entwined with ceremonies as your
tricked to believe. I believed Cradle of Filth was the worst band
ever, what the fuck is this? Seriously, what I think of
France is what Huskies think of poodles; that they belong to some
kind of weird chainsaw worshipping cult. It feels like I’m walking admist some tinker-bell gay parade, namely the pianist. This is the
commercially saturated shit balloon band that us true metallists see
scourging our beloved metal commands today. Soft voices and a
vocalist that sounds like a Raptor being corn-holed. The piano /
keyboards / effects is un-metal and perpetual shit that is really
pointless. This album makes Dimmu Borgir and Ancient sound extreme
which is sadder than hell. It’s all in French lingo too and gives me
more reasons to hate this poser crap. At least in Quebec, Canada
those French acts know their shit. Lock and load and eat lead you
assholes! The other day I had severe food poisoning and felt like I
would die. After hearing this I wish I had! This is over priced at
free! – Clayton
http://richardperel.free.fr/ |
Italian black
metal. Four piece band. A throaty shouted vocal delivery.
Musicianship is decent. I can't really find anything wrong with this
release. But, I also can't find anything right about it. It's not
bad but it doesn't have that extra spark to make it something
special. There are so many bands in the scene, I wouldn't be able to
pick Ars Macabra out from the rest of them. I would recommend riding
a few of the riffs out instead of constantly changing them. The
album goes by in a blur. Mediocre release bordering on good. -
Mark Sugiyama
http://www.arsmacabra.com/
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Greek black
metal band Askalaphos have unleashed their debut full length
release. ‘March Of The Damned’ is eight tracks of old school raw
black metal with high intensity. Dark Invoker Of Chaos once again
handles performing the music here (he also does Born label mate one
man band Woundcult). The music is performed with mid paced guitars
and drum patterns, but on the new release the music does speed up to
a faster tempo at times throughout all the songs. Both the faster
pace and mid paced passages are done with perfection and
proficiency. The vocals are grim black metal screams and along with
some gruff screams and hollering throughout a few of the songs.
‘March Of The Damned’ is a great debut of old school black metal all
those reading this that are into this genre should pick up a copy of
this disc today. - Patrick
https://askalaphos.bandcamp.com/
https://bornforburning.bigcartel.com/ |
Well, as I
understand it, Mark from Asteriods read my mag before sending this and
still sent it anyway. So I guess he gave me the benefit of the doubt, so
I will do the same. I just am not a good person to review this though, I
listen to metal pretty much exclusively a metal band this is not.
Asteroids play a upbeat adventurous rock in the vein of a happier Rush
or Jethro Tull. Great singer, talented musicians but I still don’t like
it at all, sorry. –
Dale
12 US to: Bishop
Records, Box 81488, San Diego, CA. 92138, USA |
This album was
actually released originally in 2003, but has now been given new
life through Obsidian Records. This time in digipak format with a
bonus of a live video of the song “Arborescence” as well as a photo
gallery in CD-ROM format. I guess one thing you will notice
immediately is the recording is pretty much picture perfect. I often
like a little rougher recording with my black metal, but it does
seem to suit Astriaal just fine. The music is generally pretty harsh
and fast, but always keeping an element of melody ala the old
Dissection style yet a little cleaner and slick. It is clear to me a
lot of thought and work was put into this album as it woven with a
lot of emotional tapestry and hatred. The vocals are done in the
classic raspy, shrieking black metal way with the occasional use of
cleaner vocals. I can see why this received a re-release, this is
some quality music, well worth checking out. Probably even more so
these days as the scene does not seem to be as flooded with bands
playing this style as it was in the past. Apparently the band has
been “on hold” for the last six years since this albums release – I
wonder why? – Dale
www.obsidianrecords.com
http://www.elementalist.net/astriaal/ |
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When I was
sampling albums on my various digital record label promo accounts
for something new and interesting to review Atræ Bilis jumped out at
me. These western Canadian metal merchants to me really have a
strong varied formulation of influences, and elements of death metal
that should please old school and new school fanatics alike. They
combine elements of tech death, a punishing old school base of
heaviness and brutality, along with semi-regular accents of
undercurrent melody and touches of newer school progressive song
structuring. That is why I say fans old and new school, as above all
even though they keep things inventive and interesting, but they are
also mindful that roots of death metal really do need to crushing
and brutal. Which is something they keep at the forefront at all
times, but skillfully interject and retract at various points very
smoothly, never interrupting the all important headbangable song
flow. When I say skilled above I do not just mean with their
individual instruments, because they certainly are skilled
individually, but I am also talking about their talent and feel for
quality song construction is strong. I should mention the growling
vocal work of Jordan Berglund, which I found very enjoyable with
those classic strong deep growls, they are relatively intelligible
and Jordan has a talent for elongating and roiling inflection of
words and phrases that adds another layer of depth to their sound. "Divinihility"
is one hell of a debut album for this new Canadian band, a
successful marriage of old world violent barbarism with new world
technicality and progression. - Dale
https://atraebilisdeath.bandcamp.com/
https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/ |
This disc came
with no information whatsoever. I mean not even a website or even an
album title or clearly marked record label that released it on the
packaging. I had to do some digging to find that contact information
for those reading this review, no clue why none of that was included
with the disc or on the packaging. This album is out on disc and LP
by the way, which I always love to see for fellow vinyl hounds like
myself. There are only 4 songs on here, yet this is a full length
album, with songs ranging in playing time between 6 minutes and 14
minutes. I guess you could call these songs and the album itself a
slow burner of sorts and some patience is required. The band calls
their music blackened death rock doom metal. Which is probably a
fair description, but the death rock title made me cringe and is
probably a bit misleading to some, it is not hokey like that term
might suggest. Atriarch are a dark doom metal band, they travel the
less beaten misty path and do so at a sluggish and measured pace.
The vocals sound like some far off yet all encompassing musings from
an introspective spirit and you can never quite locate their source.
Just really vague sounding but they fit with the music nicely and
help set the atmosphere. Forever The End washes over you producing
within you waves of grief and melancholy and forlorn. It is entirely
up to you to decide if you want let those deep feelings take hold of
you and take you on the journey. I know I did and the experience was
a powerful one. Doom hounds might want to make a trip to Seventh
Rule for another fix. - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/atriarchmetal
http://www.seventhrule.com/
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This would have
to be, hands down, some of the best thrash I have heard in the last
5 years. I think I need to play some catch up with their back
catalog now. As I mentioned Audiopain is definitely a totally pure
thrash band. They do not sound much like this band or that band. You
can hear some general influence but they have a sound of their own
which is a good and rare thing these days. “The Switch…” is really
good straight ahead dark thrashing that keeps the foot tapping and
the head nodding in mini-headbang. I am really digging Sverre
Daehli’s high throaty rasp vocals as they take me right back to my
roots in the 1980s. Which is a welcome and comfortable place for me.
Not to mislead anyone as the music is not retro made to me but
rather is modern thrash made by some dirty old Norwegian thrashers.
This is some high caliber music that you will not soon forget. Now
my only 1 small problem with this record is it is only 26 minutes,
which is a little short, to be passing off as a full length record.
I need to hear more from these guys soon. - Dale
www.vendlusrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/audiopain
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Aussichtslos are
a three man band coming out of Austria's black metal scene. Their
band name for those curious translates in English to “forlorn,
futile, hopeless”. The debut release ‘Vollig Aussichtslos’ contains
six songs of traditional black metal with some well performed
passages. Norsk and Garst founded the band in 2014 and some songs
with a drum machine. Now all these years later they have a human
drummer by the name of -Rest- to finish the recordings that result
in this debut full-length. Norsks vocals for the band that are raw
primitive black metal screams and screeches that will chill you.
Norsk handles the guitars that are played with a mix of fast guitar
passages and some creative well performed mid paced guitars that are
used throughout the recording. Garst handles the bass duties and
also plays some guitar on this album, Garst plays a balance of fast
and a more controlled black metal style that is done with skill and
proficiency. -Rest- handles the drumming that is executed with a mix
of extremely fast drum patterns and some slower more controlled drum
passages, The members of Aussichtslos have crafted a great debut
full of cold and majestic black metal that is highly recommended to
all fans of black metal. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/Purity-Through-Fire
https://shop.purity-through-fire.com/en/ |
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Avadryn is a
solo project coming out of West Virgina's black metal scene.
‘Guardians Of The Aethyric Shadow’ is the their debut full length,
featuring five songs along with a intro and outro. “Watcher Of The
North” is the first song and is played with a mix of mid paced and
faster musical passages. The vocals on this track are powerful grim
black metal screams. ‘Isle Of The Flame’ is up next, this song is a
much faster and more aggressive song. The guitars and drums are
played with lightning fast paced drums and guitars that are played
with intensity and skill. The vocals are harsh and raw black metal
screams and some screechy vocal passages are used in the song.
‘Horns Of The Moon’ is next and is the longest track on this debut
album (previously only available on digital download), weighing in
at just over nine minutes in length. The guitar and drums on this
song are very well performed with slow to mid paced passages, the
music does speed to a faster pace, but seems to be more at home in
the mid paced realm. ‘Watcher Of The South’ is comes next and
continues the faster, more fierce style in the previous songs. The
guitars here are played with extremely well written and performed
passages. ‘Dragon Of The Under Light’ is the final song and is
played with semi fast guitars, and drums that are done with some
powerful arrangements. There is some slower, more mid paced sections
that are done with skillfully played with interesting arrangements.
Main man Dalton L. has crafted a great debut of second wave black
metal that should please all fans of this musical style. -
Patrick
https://ulfrinn.bandcamp.com/music
https://planetarykingrecords.bigcartel.com |
After listening to Ave Maria's debut simply titled chapter one a few
times. I have to say this is one of the most impressive and
well-written dark, black metal masterpieces I've heard in years. And
another impressive fact is this is just the bands debut release! The
music is played slower almost black/doom to a more mid-paced black
metal pace. The guitars have the harsh, screechy sound in parts but
also there is a lot of really good solo's and well played
structures. The drumming is top notch while keeping up with the
guitars never really going full on blasting. Which is good cause I
think Ave Maria have a great style and sound within the
mid-paced realm {although as mentioned earlier this is the bands
debut so who knows the band might speed things up in the future} Ave
Maria are not strictly black metal clones and add a little variety
{ugh usually a horrible a word when describing black metal music in
my opinion} with some psychedelic and melody and somber moments to
add an extra layer of darkness to the bands already dark sound
and feel. Ave Maria are definitely a band influenced by pure black
metal but are also not afraid to mix in melody or different
elements. Highly recommended to all who listen and enjoy blackened,
dark metal.
- Patrick
http://www.ahdistuksenaihio.com/
http://airameva.bandcamp.com/
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I think if I had
to describe this Czech Republic band it would be as doomy black
death metal. I know that covers a lot of bases, then again so does
this album. Maybe some might just call this dark metal, hence the
album title. I am not sure but it is an interesting record, nothing
groundbreaking, yet Avenger do have a fairly distinctive sound in
this day and age when that is a hard thing to do. I really got into
it when they were doing their more doomy, atmospheric material mixed
with the extremity. But during the longer sections when they went
all out speed and hate, surprisingly to me I kind of lost focus and
interest a little. Not sure why as it is well done. Either way
overall I like what Avenger is doing and can only see them getting
more and more interesting on future releases, just have that
feeling. If you like doom and black metal first and foremost and do
not mind the mixing of the two, you should definitely check out into
Bohemian Dark Metal. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/avengerofficial
http://www.deathgasm.com/
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By Satan’s hairy
nutsack, is there ever an end to Swedish black metal, in the classic
old style? The answer of course is no and I fucking love that
answer! This is all assuming of course, that it is good and coming
across lousy bm from Sverige is a rare enough occurrence, at least
in my experience. Avsky label themselves as ‘malignant black metal’
and that is apt term. They incorporate some more slow, moody and
alternating rocking parts than many black metal bands in this genre.
Yet they never lose the trademark cold and evil atmosphere that is
always a welcome slow down of the blood pumping in my veins. “The
Beyond” is a fantastic gloomy and haunting instrumental. Which is
not something you hear a lot on bm albums. But it fits here nicely.
This is definitely one of the better black metal albums I have heard
in a while. - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/avskyband
http://www.moribundcult.com/ |
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Sweden’s Avslut return with their second full
length release. “Tyranni” is containing nine songs of well written
and sharply performed black metal with a high level of intensity.
The material on here is a blend of crazed, fast black metal with
some strongly constructed and skillfully played mid paced black
metal music. The vocals are raw black metal screams and some deeper
growls, which are used in a few of the songs. The drumming and
guitar work is done with a tremendous amount of ability, whether
they are playing chaotic or more controlled guitar work it is top
quality through and through. It is high praise I know, but in my
opinion, Avslut have created one of the best black metal releases of
the year. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/1008Avslut1008
https://www.osmoseproductions.com |
I would suspect
most people reading this have heard the Finnish Azaghal by now. They
have been doing it a long time now. They formed in 1995 and released
their first demo tapes in ’98. I will admit this is the first
Azaghal release I have got in hand and in my head in a few years. It
is good to see they are still delivering harsh, fast and dark black
metal like always and as was masterfully set out in the old days.
The vocals are striking and slashing classic black metal rasps, but
they help keep the atmosphere cold and mean. There are some sections
where Azaghal get a little too liberal with their use of synth, but
thankfully those times are short-lived and well spread out.
“Teraphim” is a cruel record but there is also plenty of melody
woven into the hate. A song like “Filosofi” is an excellent example
of this, some great texture and melody, but keeping the dank
atmosphere strong. You will be presented with ambient moments and
dramatic passages, but it all serves the greater good. That greater
good being a heaping plate of excellent black metal with great
emotional depth. I guess the quality after eight albums should be
this high, but I greatly appreciate excellence nonetheless.
– Dale
www.moribundcult.com
www.blackterrormetal.cjb.net
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Azaghal are old
goats by now in the black metal scene, having released demos, eps
and albums since 1998 at a steady pace. I believe is their 9th
album. I am a fan of some of their past works. Nemesis changes
nothing for these great old bm stalwarts, they have not progressed
or started adding a bunch of useless frills that would only serve to
dilute the purity of their sound. No Azaghal, much like their
countrymen Horna, just continue to raise their goblets, dripping
with blood towards the classic early 90s black metal that I know so
well and worship so thoroughly. This is some cold and cryptic music
with rasping screams adding a layer of frosty anger to the flowing
river of darkness. For those of you that do not follow the 2nd
wave of bm closely or only like to listen to the classic albums,
then this not for you as there is nothing new to see or hear here.
However, if you are like me and can really never get enough of this
style of music then Azaghal never disappoints and you will be
pleased with Nemesis. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/azaghalterrorcult
http://www.moribundcult.com/
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