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T.O.M.E. (Tome
Of Misanthropical Experience) from Finland is one of those
mysterious initials only bm bands. This collective turns out very
atmospheric black metal, now I know what you are thinking
atmospheric that must mean wall to wall synths, samples, angelic
voices etc… Well you should forget those thoughts. This band creates
deep encompassing atmospheres through traditional instruments
mainly; okay there are a few wind samples and sounds, but mainly
traditional instrumentation. The band while traveling along moderate
guitar driven pace, like to then transition slower and slower,
before you know it it is one note hanging in the frigid winter air
like steam, moving but barely moving. Then things usually speed up
eventually reaching a full on hateful, speedy second wave black
metal velocity and this build up and mixing has a emotional timing
and feel to it that is near perfect. The emotion and brooding
anticipation this slowly creates is pretty delicious in it’s own
sinister fashion, which makes the delivery of the stormy black metal
outbreak that often follows very satisfying and invigorating. Some
will be tempted to label this band in the depressive black metal
category, not sure they belong there, their music feels like
something else, something with a more malevolent intent. Despite all
the foreboding gloom and black blood freezing aggression there are
brief sequences, now and then, where they are actually verge on
slightly rocking and headbanging territory. I know that flies in the
face of what I have described, but it is there and somehow they make
it work in their own dark manner - It should not work, but it does
anyway. The vocals should be mentioned here as well, they are all
manner of evil shadowy voices, ominous howls (similar to early
Burzum perhaps) and emanations dripping with depraved, haunting
passion that are mixed with excellent traditional black metal
rasping mainstay vocals. I am not sure if this will be a band going
forward or a one off release, as T.O.M.E. have released only one
demo over a decade ago and it would appear the music here is the
same as that release possibly with some fine tuning and updating.
Either way, even if this is the bands only legacy, this is very
worth having for any black metal devotee that worships atmospheric
black metal with a hefty wintry primordial old school feel. -
Dale
http://www.mikseri.net/artists/tome.69189.php
http://spreadevil.net/
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This is the first full-length from Finland's two man band Taatsi.
The band plays mid to some faster black metal with a
lot of atmospheric elements. The guitars are done with razor
sharp chords. The drumming is done with a lot of precision, with
some mid paced beats and even some slower beats. The vocalist does a
great job with the vocals, employing some blackened shrieks
and screams. Taatsi even add some great keyboard and acoustic
guitars in a few of the songs. This is a great release, by a good
band, who knows how to make memorable blackened atmospheric metal.
-
Patrick
http://taatsi.bandcamp.com/
http://www.foreverplaguedrecords.com/
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Simplistic, pounding
heavy death metal from Russia. I liked their debut album ‘97’s “Endless
Sunfall”, but the sound (of which I’m normally not picky with) was
utterly tinny, so much so I got a headache listening to it. This time
around everything has been cleaned up nicely. T.O.D. write, catchy riffs
and throw in a few blasts but never really grind it up in their
American-ish tunes. My only two nit-picks are things could have been
tighter and I didn’t care much for their Acheron and Six Feet Under
(Ugh!) covers. – Dale
R.I.P Promotions,
c/o Vlad Korolenko, P.O. Box 72, Smolensk - 04, 214004, RUSSIA or band
contact: T.O.D., c/o Alex, Chelyabinskaya 14, Volgograd 400120, RUSSIA
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sup
The Temple Of
Baal, one of France’s best black / death bands, release their fourth
album to date. We get ten songs of fast, vicious blackened death
metal. The blasting drums are done to perfection, as well as
flawless guitars, which are played very fast and chaotic, but also
have a great deal of skill to back them up. No Temple Of Ball are
not all speed, they do slow it down too, to a more mid-paced tempo
on some tracks. Check this out.
-
Patrick
http://www.reverbnation.com/templeofbaal
http://www.agoniarecords.com/
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The purveyors of
demise and slow motion disaster emanating out of Detroit, Michigan
return with their third album, which is an immense slab of musical
suffocating darkness. I have heard a lot about Temple Of Void, but
this is my first up close audio taste of what the band is all about.
Beyond my possibly silly way in my opening sentence of describing
their sound, yes if it is not clear, Temple play doom death metal,
and they do so in a crushingly brutal form. Yet at the same time,
their sound has this engrossing hypnotic edge that undercuts the
melancholy and gloom in just the right amounts. When I listen to
this album with regards to the doomy side of the coin, I can’t help
but think of early ‘90s doom pioneers like My Dying Bride, Anathema
and especially Paradise Lost, before those once great bands
generally “progressed” and as a result distanced themselves away
from the great roots that to me made those bands special. Temple
have picked up that mantle, they embrace and embody that sound
faithfully and combine it with brutal death metal, which is more
akin to this side of the ocean in their native country, once again
in the 1990s tradition. All combined with superb quality and skill.
Yes, this album absolutely crushes, steamrolling all in it’s
unhurried deliberate path. The vocals by Mike Erdody (also guitarist
in Acid Witch) are monstrously guttural, roiling elongated growls
that are commanding as they weave in and out of the music like a
thick and creeping fog. Those vocals are fantastic. Do you like
early to mid ‘90s death doom metal of the highest order? If the
answer is yes, then I have an excellent album you need to add to
your collection that goes by the name “The World That Was”. -
Dale
https://templeofvoid.bandcamp.com/
https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/
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Tenebrae In
Perpetuum lurk out of the ruins in a deep, dark corner of Italy.
Tenebrae harken back to the mid-90s when a lot of bands were mixing
fast and harsh black metal with long and short melancholic
interludes. You know the slow, sort of haunting breaks with clean
vocals, introspective guitar passages with a touch of feedback and
reverb. During these forlorn passages it almost sounds like a
perverted church choir sort of haunting background atmosphere with a
trance quality to it. This album changes off between these two modes
quite consistently throughout the album with fairly equal measures.
They do this so much so that it becomes rather predictable after a
while and I found my interest and attention wandering at times.
Those transitions could be worked a little more smoothly. But the
talent is there, the song crafting is lagging behind, I am confident
that will come. It is
almost amazing how much this reminds me of the mid-90s and even the
production has that sort of feel. I guess that was intentional? The
vocals float around the background and are kept purposely low in the
mix. Which does in turn give them a slightly obscure quality and
seems work for them in my opinion. At the end of the day it is
fairly solid atmospheric black metal. – Dale
www.debemur-morti.com
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Well unlike the
Tzun Tzu/Altars split disc I just reviewed. This release has enough
meat from both bands to sink my Zombie loving teeth into (okay I
admit to being psyched at the new AMC series The Walking Dead and
thinking about it). My point is in the end you do get a full album
worth of material. I always find interest in bands chosen to do a
split together. I mean are they just comrades that wanted to do
something together or were they chosen because their styles either
dovetail together nicely or yet again maybe the contrast is what
makes it interesting. I would say Debemur went with the simpatico
card on this one. Though both being essentially one man bands might
have played a part as well. Italians Tenebrae start things off and
take us away on some somber, mentally draining, yet relaxing
dissonant soundscapes. The vocals are really obscure rasping hisses
that melt into the guitar and add a creepy texture to their sound.
It all comes off sounding sculpted and shows a real feel for what
emotionally feels right, a real patience and maturity of the craft.
Back on North American shores, by way of Washington State come Krohm.
The sound on this half of the record is definitely not as full and
rich. So it takes a few a minutes to adjust. Krohm present a similar
melancholic, atmospheric scene yet the pace is slightly quickened
and not quite as laid back as Tenebrae. The synth has a stronger
foothold and can somewhat dominate the mix to slightly annoying
effect. This personally is not something I like, but does not ruin
the listening experience either, by any means. Krohm does make me
appreciate further the advanced craftsmanship Tenebrae displays.
Though Krohm is not immune to evoking a similar emotional response
and possibly an even more downtrodden one. I think those that have
the patience for and enjoy this style of ambient black metal can not
really go wrong with this release. – Dale
http://www.krohmcrypt.com/
http://www.debemur-morti.com/
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Yes the mighty
Terrorama from Sweden return with their first full length in 4
years. I have to tell you it was worth the wait! Before you read
Sweden and think oh I probably already know what they sound like,
forget all of that, you do not know. Generally speaking they do not
have much in common with most Swedish bands. If anything these
thrashing black death metal bastards owe more of their sound to
North and especially South America. By their own admission bands
like Vulcano and Holocausto influenced them, I would add Sarcofago,
Blasphemy and also some old school thrash metal ala early Sadus,
early Exciter, early Razor. But it does not sound specifically like
very many bands, Terrorama shape their influences into their own
sound and execute it with such violence and hate it will send
shivers down your spine. The music truly reflects the lyrics and
overall concept of the album, which focuses as you can guess from
the album title, on notorious events throughout history, acts of
cruelty, brutality and callous systematic mass genocide. I know I
mentioned some war metal type bands above, but that is not what I
would call Terrorama, they take those elements yet are not just
mindless uncontrolled chaos, they channel the chaos very militantly
and focus it like a bullet to the head of a human being as they fall
into a mass grave. The vocals Peter Liden are terrifyingly ferocious
coarse and gruff yelling rasp growls, showcasing a heartless general
in command of vocal weapon. I do not think I could recommend this
album highly enough; it is a master work of hate and a hurricane of
metal violence. Get it now! - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/terrorama
http://tothedeath.se/
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I was sent a
link to download this album. I do not review a ton of link
downloads, but they described themselves as thrash crossover. A
style that is not very common these days, and a style that I have a
bit of a soft spot for. We’ll Show You Mosh, Bitch! comes as
advertised, ripping old school thrashing crossover in the vein of
DRI, Cryptic Slaughter, early Nuclear Assault mixed with some early
Slayer. The vocals are cool yelled gruff vocals in the old style
with enough of a Polish accent to give them a certain extra charm.
The drummer is a beast driving his drum kit straight through the
floor with blitzkrieg speed. This promo has just 5 songs from the
upcoming on Defense Records. If you love late 80s crossover, then
this hail storm of pissed off violence will not disappoint. – Dale
www.myspace.com/terrordomeband
www.terrordome.net.pl
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This is, I
suppose, a project band of Robert Williams (Ignitor & Witches Mark)
and features a cavalcade of friends/guest musicians who are
currently or previously in bands like D.R.I., Bat, Watchtower,
Dangerous Toys, Ignitor, Helstar, Manowar and probably every member
of Agony Column. We are talking 20+ guest musicians! Some of the
songs really reflect this revolving door, where things are going at
very high speed and they have tossed in so many elements that there
is little room to breathe or pay attention to everything. During
those times, for me, the songs do not work as the manic pacing and
vibe are kind of weird, there is wall to wall guitar fills and
solos, it makes it hard to enjoy the overall song flow or lack there
of. Back to the pacing, those parts or even whole songs, not sure
how to get it across but it is very happy, upbeat and all over the
place and those songs or sections just do not work for me. Now, I
don’t want to sound too negative here, because I love all the
elements that make up this heavy metal extravaganza, and every one
of those elements display a high level of skill and often times
creativity, but the overall song is not always there. However, later
on in the album like I say there are songs that are not like that
and work great the whole way through like the tracks “Black And
Green” & “Within The Spell” for example are killer from start to
finish. One of my other fave tracks I guess fortunately or
unfortunately, depending on how you view it is a cover song of
“Running From The Law” by Riot. The lyrics follow suit with the
music, there are some superbly penned lyrics that go together like
hand and glove and are thoughtful, then other times they are super
clunky, lame and awkward. Some vocalists have more than one song,
the rest only one song, the album vocally though does not feel as a
hodge-podge as the music, as there are some absolutely superb vocal
performances on many of the songs on this album and is a real
highlight overall. I found this album hard to review, you can not
help but appreciate the elevated levels skill and talent in every
song on this album, but that does not always equal great songs as a
whole, rather than a lot of fantastic individual parts and
performances. When the quality is at such a high level, it is hard
for me to be this critical of it, but I feel I have to at least to
some degree. It is a really mixed bag of an album here, but parts &
performances occasionally equal quality song writing then the result
is pretty magical. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/texasmetaloutlaws/
https://heavenandhellrecords.bandcamp.com/
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Thale comes out
of the long running and rich in history Norweigan black metal scene.
‘Daudens Kalde Auge’ is the bands debut containing five tracks of
raw black metal, but the band does add some elements of modern black
metal into the music to give the music a twist. Mainly the music is
played with mid paced guitars and drums that are played with some
really powerful arrangements and furious intensity. The musicians do
speed up throughout the songs to give a more aggressive and
destructive feel. The vocals are demonic shrieks and blackened
screams that fit the music like a glove so to speak. Thale deliver a
great debut of melodic black metal with some aggressive passages
intertwined within that framework to give each song it's own
identity. - Patrick
https://bchrecords.storenvy.com/
https://plaguedemonrecords.storenvy.com/
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Fuck man I used to
love this band and obviously I still do! This album is the perfect
melding & mixing of thrash and death. For the uneducated Thanatos
existed from 1984 to 1993 releasing a string of demo tapes & two
albums. “Emerging…” is filled with some of the catchiest heavy riffs
you will ever hear! They top it off with some motherfucking sweet
smoking guitar solos. I just cannot get the rapid-fire metal assault
riffing outta my head. Fuck yes! Did I mention in addition to the 11
original classick tracks you get a bonus of 8 (!!) songs from their
demos! Expect the 2nd Thanatos album re-released soon with more demo
material and then a new platter from the reformed band!!!
- Dale
http://solanum-crossover.bandcamp.com/
http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/
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I would like to
know more about the history of the this Swedish band, as they
started the band in their early to mid teens, played some shows and
released a couple demo tapes in 1987 & 1988!! Then broke up, and the
band was not revived again until 2014!! The band was rejuvenated by
two original members vocalist Herval Bozarslan and guitarist Jimmy
Eriksson, since then Eriksson recently left the band leaving only
Herval (he is also longtime vocalist of the band Sarcasm), as the
lone founding member. As is the case with many Swedish bands, the
rest of the members have lots of experience in bands like Catatonic,
Tyrant, Insision, Imperial Domain, Anguish etc… Since returning the
band released only one EP, but now 22 years after their initial
formation comes Third Storm’s debut album!! The band produce razor
sharp speedy black death metal, with some doomy elements sprinkled
in from time to time, to produce some nice contrast. These guys
handle their instruments very well, showing off some excellent,
sometimes intricate (at times even acrobatic) guitar work and
superbly composed and performed drum work. After getting cut into
strips by the speed and brutality of the first few songs, it is
interesting to listen to the band direct their talents towards an
epic length doomy and/or moody songs like “The Third Thought From
The Sun” and “Forgotten Diety” that are steeped in slow, emotive
mainstay passages. Having said that, even those two songs, somehow
in a very flowing graceful transition manage to convert to short
segments in those songs of racing heavy speed and cruelty. I have to
give the band top marks for those two magnificent songs alone, as
they successfully marry those two elements and not make it feel like
two songs that do not belong together. Having said that, I am not
sure I would want an entire album of that, it is the mainstay
crushing velocity of the rest of the album, which makes disparity
and contstrast of those two tracks that much more powerful and
dynamic – sometimes moderation of one element that makes that
element much more profound. The production on here is pretty
flawless; it is almost too good, too clean for my liking haha. Such
a weird nitpicky comment I agree, but I would not mind if the
production was a bit dirtier and more organic sounding, just being
honest. I did not mention the vocals of founding member Herval, but
they are excellent and another highlight for me, he projects a dark
rolling powerful growl that has a great dark whispery rasping edge
that I find quite satisfying. There is not much else to say, Dark
Descent Records seems to only be capable of finding and releasing
some of the finest death and black metal bands on the planet, you
can most definitely add Third Storm to the list of top notch quality
bands on their roster! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/thirdstorm
http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
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This full length
release from Thornium is reminiscent of fellow Swedish black
metallers Dark Funeral. The band put out a demo and a full length
and then went on hiatus. This is apparently their second full
length release as part of their reformation in 2007/2008. Well
produced black metal. Maybe too well produced. Very clean with
massive separation with all the instruments. Rather predictable
guitar lines and riffs with plenty of blastbeats from the drummer. I
think one quality that separates average black metal from excellent
black metal is conviction. That feeling you get when you play a
bands music - that they mean everything they say and play. There
are bands like Thornium that, while putting out a decent release,
are missing that fire, that conviction, to go from average to
excellent. Perhaps the hiatus did them harm but in 2010, this
release could of been released by a hundred different black metal
bands. Thornium needs to dig deeper on their next album to find
that element that will separate them from the rest of the hordes. –
Mark
http://www.myspace.com/thetruethornium
http://www.soulsellerrecords.com/ |
Oh man, I have
not battered my ears with the sick sounds of Thou Art Lord in a
decade probably. I loved their demos and first two 7”s and recall at
least liking their first album. Since then I have really lost track
of them and apparently they released a second album and then kind of
called it quits for a few years. I do suppose it is of note that the
old Greek band in question features The Magus of Necromantia and
Sakis of the once great now crap Rotting Christ. In the included
biography they spout off about how this album is a reaction to all
the talent-less, over proficient, over produced plastic recordings,
which have zero feeling and have literally flooded the market over
the last number of years. You know what I have to say to that kind
of belly-aching, bravo! I wish more people would tire of this
garbage, I mean where has the passion and aggression gone in metal?
It has been produced and pro tooled right out the door, if I never
heard another razor monotone robotic guitar line, looped typewriter
sounding drum run for the rest of my life, I would be perfectly
happy. It is things like this that make the old guard want to stop
buying new releases and bury themselves in a past filled metal
collection, reveling in ignorance at today’s scene. Can you tell I
too struggle with this from time to time? Okay, fine back to the
album. First of all the sound on here does have a real feeling to
it, the drums are played a little too tight for the vest and could
use a dose of reckless abandon, but otherwise just fine. They keep
things very simplistic and very rhythmic, often centering their
songs around slowed down mid pace headbang kind of riff, often it
works and other times not so well. Thou Art Lord certainly have
changed since my past encounter with them, gone are the harsh
straight ahead early 90s style black metal hell, well there are
small traces left but nearly diminished out of sight or sound. Now I
would have to characterize them as more of a black deathrash metal
band and you can hear a lot more of their 80s influences. I like it
to a certain point but I have heard this done better a lot of times,
which kind of makes it middle of the road for me. It is good but not
that good if catch my meaning, I do appreciate their attitude toward
this album and there are some great moments here and there. –
Dale
Black Lotus,
Jianni Ritsou 8, 17237 Himittos, Athens, GREECE
www.black-lotus-recs.com
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Alaska's Thousand Year War have released a great album of heavy
straight-forward death metal but their is also a lot of melodic
over-tones to give the band a nice mix of straight-forward brutal
death metal and melodic death metal. Fast thunderous drumming
patterns mixed with some intense outbursts of blasting rage. The
guitars are heavy and thick sounding within their approach but there
is also some well written complex riffs and solos. The vocals are
powerful, deep growls and some blackened shrieks. The band does have
some darker more melodic parts. TYW seems more comfortable and at
home when playing the heavier straight-forward death metal style.
- Patrick
http://thousandyearwar.com/
http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/
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It is always
tough to decide how to review a compilation record. Do you just give
an overview of the bands and which ones you liked best? Maybe you
attempt to do an mini-review on every band based upon just 1 song? I
will take the former over the latter most times. The truth be told I
love listening to comps but I hate reviewing them. Anyway Hirax kick
off the pure bred thrash assault with the explosiveness and
an adrenaline rush that one comes to expect from these old legends. The
Toxic Holocaust song kicks some ass and sort of stands out from the
rest as their obscured shadowy vocals contrast the rest of the bands on
here. This is a really strong quality compilation from top to
bottom. I mean there are more kill shot riffs thrown around on this
record than punches and kicks than in a Bruce Lee movie. This is put
out by Selfmadegod Records and I believe in association with Katon
De Pena from Hirax’s label Black Devil Records. The other poser
slaughtering bands on here are: Sabbat (JAP), Slaver (Brazil),
Hatchet (USA), Kat (Poland), Strike Master (MEX) and Execution
(USA). Classic stuff! – Dale
www.selfmadegod.com
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This is a
compilation of old material, limited to 500 copies, from the rather
obscure Polish band Thrasher Death - circa the late 80's. Featuring
their '87 and '88 demos along with unreleased tracks, what you get
is very nostalgic thrash metal that reminds me of German thrash of
the time mixed with Slayer and Possessed. The riffing isn't the chug
chug of bands such as Anthrax or Metallica but much more linear and
somewhat sloppy - but that's part of the charm. All the instruments
can be heard - even the bass which is somewhat of a rarity. Of
course being demos, the production is rough but it fits well. Kind
of a cool trip through old times for those of us that remember the
old thrash scene (if you're reading this then most likely you do).
But, that's about it. Nothing much else to offer here.
- Mark
Sugiyama
http://www.myspace.com/thrasherdeath666
http://www.ihate.se/
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Superb idea
releasing 4 old Finnish demo tapes in their entirety on a single
disc compilation. This review will go on forever if I do a full
review for each, so here is a few words on each. Just another reason
for me love Bestial Burst Records.
Lycanthropy
“Sickness Revealed” Demo 1989
– Raunchy thrash metal which kind of reminds me of old Canadian
bands like Sacrifice, Razor or something like Dr. Shrinker from the
States. It has a dark feeling to it and the vocalist does the husky
evil voice well.
Morphosis “Sick
Standard of Living” Demo 1989
– Not sure what describe these guys as but maybe speed metal ala
Nasty Savage, very early Voivod or something similar but with a huge
dose of snotty punk attitude. A fun listen to be sure.
National Napalm
Syndicate “Painful Ten Hours” Demo 1987 – Holy shit this band is still going. I looked up their page on the
Metallum site and the current and past members have been / are in a
million other bands over the years such as Ancestor, Eternal Tears
of Sorrow, Ancient Dawn, Sacred Crucifix and about 10 more… Tons of
energy from this pioneering band and some nice guitar work as well.
I would say I hear some early Metallica mixed with the German speed
raunch. Some wicked solos and guitar ripping for such a young band.
Mengele
“Abominable Thoughts” Demo 1989
– That band photo is pure gold, just look at those little bad asses haha! From what I could dig up on them they changed their name to
Insomnia shortly after this, then broke up but appears they reformed
as Wengele and released an EP in 2004, nothing since but it looks
like they are still active anyway. Classic soupy sound with I would
say definitely some Slayer, Sodom, Kreator type influences. I love
it. – Dale
http://bestialburst.blackmetal.fi
bestialburst@blackmetal.fi
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I like some
melodic death bands, but damn is it getting overcrowded! This act,
play upbeat & without an ounce of aggression. If that wasn’t bad
enough, now in T.O.C. we have a melodic symphonic death band. This
is totally drenched in keys, those melodies are so fucking gay!! It
sounds like a theme song to the “Lion King” or some gay shit! METAL
is supposed to be UGLY, EXTREME, AGGRESSIVE, VIOLENT, DARK & FUCKING
SICK!!!! That is what real metal is about. Screw this shit! – Dale |
Throne Of
Sacrilege comes out of the gate like a caged bear rampaging against
the bars of his prison. They hit you with just aggressive blackened
death metal, pure barbarity and dark hate, the music surges forward
headlong, never willing to let you catch your breath. The storming
riffs are excellent, the lightning barrage drumming is commanding
and forceful, the deep flowing growl vocals are frightening and
extreme. Damn I wish there was more of this band on here. Hell yes!
Onwards to Indiana’s Impurium, they also have three tracks, as did
Throne, on this twenty-six minute ball of sadism release. Impurium
are more on the black metal side of things, but that underlying
death metal element is still strong. It is hard to follow the
awesome might that is Throne Of Sacrilege, but Impurium do a
admirable job, with their manic, yet catchy cold strike of darkness
and evil. The guitars are quite frenzied; the drums do their best to
keep up to the savage speed the riffing sets. They do let you
breathe, a little more than Throne did prior, but only a little, the
guitars are really all over the place, but still have some real
order in the chaos that had me intrigued and kept my interest. The
raspy yelling hisses that fit the music well. This disc will be over
before you know it, the good thing about that is the quality is
strong, all the way through, and the music contained within is very
infectious, so repeated listening, again and again, is a pleasure.
Check this out. - Dale
http://impurium.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/orchestrated.recordings
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Extremely crude,
nasty and compromise-free, the Polish death metal throwbacks are at
your throat again. Based on the fact that this is already band's
sixth full-length (plus myriad of all kinds of splits and EPs) one
might be tempted to think that Throneum have had somehow lost the
urge to blaspheme, maim and mutilate. No chance, amigo. No fukkin
chance. Off-putting and gross to those who like it slick and
marketable, 'Death Throne Entities' is a raw sounding orgy of filth
and mayhem, just what the doctor ordered. Disorienting savagery in
full effect that could cast the most iron stomachs heave. Lovely.
Stay clear if you fancy your breakdowns and false productions, for
this is made for those who are not after the flavour of the month.
Divisive? Yes. And that's how it ought to be. - Vladimir Petrov
www.myspace.com/throneum
http://www.metal-archives.com/labels/Pagan_Records/97
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http://thrashirts.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thrashirts/
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This record is
billed as Industrial Folk Death Metal. I would say that is pretty
accurate, though I would throw in the term symphonic, as that
element is surely as strong as or possibly stronger than the
industrial sound. To be really honest my favourite parts of
Totentanz are the steamrolling heavy riffing and the intense,
emotional scream / growl mixed vocals, those two items are killer.
The rest, well the industrial stuff is not that prevalent or that
well done, the folk, the computer generated sound effects and
symphonic elements to me feel forced and come off a little weak,
ultimately dragging the main strength of the record. I can see what
Thunderkraft are going for; I just do not feel like they achieved
that goal very well on this album. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/thunderkraft
http://www.svarga.eu/
|
|
This is my first
encounter with the United Kingdom’s Thy Dying Light (assume the band
name is an homage to Judas Iscariot), who now present their debut
album after releasing 3 demos and a string of ep’s, so far in their
four year existence. The members of this band are well traveled, as
it’s three members having also featured in many other bands like
Atra Mors, Blood Countess, Ethereal Forest, Cave Dweller, Nefarious
Dusk Morte Lune and a handful more. Thy Dying Light play cold second
wave Scandinavian black metal, while faithful to that base sound,
also seems to have a root or two in the thrash scene with some big
flowing riffs. Now, when I say thrash metal, not to the point I
would call them black thrash, but more in the way that influence is
clearly present in mid to late ‘90s Satyricon or post “Blizzard
Beast” Immortal. Anyone who really knows me, knows I fucking worship
second wave bm so when it is done this well, it is hard for
me not to be on board. My only complaint is maybe the production,
for my taste is too clean, too big and too crystal clear. I
personally think their music would go to another level with a less
sanitary, dirtier and gloomier heavy sound. But, that is just my
hang up and probably not yours, so you should not hesitate to check
out this very worthy piece of majestic yet hateful black metal.
- Dale
https://www.facebook.com/thydyinglightuk/
https://shop.purity-through-fire.com/en/
|
This is pretty
disappointing. First off, they no longer claim to play black metal as
they did in the past and now play “Antichristian dark metal”. I was
really into their ’94 demo “Frozen Memory” and even further enamored
with their debut long player “Forests Of Witchery”. Mainman Sami has
also retracted his sole hold on the music writing and Azheim (who penned
3 of the 8 tracks). Gone is the luster and majesty of their symphonic
black metal replaced by a stripped down regression into goth metal. Some
parts are well done but come off as boring and uneventful. Back to the
drawing board, this doesn’t even close to cutting it.
– Dale |
In case the
lovely reader has not heard this story before, Canadian death metal
outfit Tomb Mold turned a shitton of heads last year with their
harrowing debut Primordial Malignity. It made a lot of "Album of the
Year" lists in the metal community due the band's professional
adeptness with making old school death metal sound fresher than a
(totally brutal) spring salad, and I personally found great
enjoyment out of the demo they released in a similar vein last
September, Cryptic Transmissions. That release in particular secured
a slot on my list of favorite EPs and demos released in the year
2017, right next to Thantifaxath and Devouring Star's respective
EPs. In short, Tomb Mold gained themselves well-deserved praise and
thus a larger audience last year, setting the bar pretty high for
future releases. Well, the future is here in the form
of...infinite...forms. The first takes shape in the title track with
winding doom riffing that curls like a dark vine through the rolling
fog of drums and vocals. There are moments in this track where the
vine drops you into the abyssal rhythm section before dragging you
by the scruff of your neck back into varied riffs and new passages.
In what is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, "Abysswalker" takes a more
straightforward approach with riffing slightly reminiscent of
Human-era Death with the affordances of modern production quality
and an eye on obsidian Finndeath, often making the riffing bear the
weight of a tank. With obvious and absolutely welcome loyalty to
this vein of death metal comes equally welcome hybridization of
genres--stewing together hook-laden doom metal and dank, murky death
metal, Manor of Infinite Forms will bring just the right amount of
fantastic filth to your sound system. Mark that Tomb Mold do not
sacrifice velocity for their occasional doom inspiration; they
instead expertly incorporate it into their riff construction while
still keeping up the pace for a headbanging audience. If you are a
fan of extreme metal that keeps brutality at the forefront of its
ethos, then you should definitely give Tomb Mold's work a listen.
– Aaron
https://www.facebook.com/tombmold
http://listen.20buckspin.com/album/manor-of-infinite-forms
|
I am not going
to lie to you this is some very derivative stuff, you have heard
this all before. But you know what I worship this style of music so
I still love the hell out of it! This Swedish band, featuring two
members that played in a bunch of bands, first you have Roberth
Karlsson who played in Darkified, Pan.Thy.Monium, Solar Dawn etc…
second you have Dread who was the vocalist of Marduk in the early
years, Infestdead, Total Terror etc… Both men were members of one of
my fave death metal bands of all time Edge of Sanity! So they
already have my respect. Now that you have some background, on to
the music. Tormented mix a dash of old Celtic Frost with pretty much
a total clone mixing of Dismember, Entombed and Grave. Which are all
classic bands for me I love their music absolutely to death, so as
unoriginal as this is I still fucking dig it. I just can not get
enough of the classic Swedish death metal sound. It is like an
addictive drug for me. I mean it is just so good as that amazing
rolling riff sound on here just hits you cutting you to pieces and
those killer semi-clear death metal growls would make Ola Lindgren &
LG Petrov blush, and just put me in ecstasy. I would say this band
is only for the true die hards of the sound, who just can not get
enough of it, if that is not you then you might as well just keep
spinning your Grave, Entombed and Dismember records. - Dale
http://www.reverbnation.com/tormentedsweden
http://www.listenable.net/
|
sup
The mental
images I conjure up when reading that album title hehe. The sleazy,
depraved possibilities seem endless to a disturbed mind. The song
titles only further feed that fertile imagination, you gotta love
ditties titled like “Autopsy Of A Cunt”, “55 Gallon Crypt”,
“Sulfuric Semen Skank Dunktank” and “I Can’t Believe She Got In The
Van With Me”. Yeah these are my kind of sickos. The level of
technicality and proficiency, on their instruments belies the
artwork, song titles and lyrics. This some real controlled chaos and
precise brutality. There is actually some groove bits mixed in here
and there, but only as accent, most of the time they race headlong
with the violence and ferocity. But if you listen closely, there is
method in that madness, there are cool nuanced guitar bits, and the
drumming is a varied cacophony of wonderful precision. The riffing
is feverish and brutal as fuck. The vocals are deep growls, nearly
indecipherable, but there is enough elongation and emphasis on
certain words, that you can make out some of the lyrics amidst that
wonderful belching. All of this has that thread of audio samples and
degenerate wanton lyrics of sexual torture and mental sickness.
Which for me, just tops things off nicely, like a tasty spice,
sprinkled across expertly cooked genitals. If you like your death
metal, with a little grinding and thought, put into the song
structuring nuances and do not get easily offended or grossed out,
then I have an album you need to check out. - Dale
http://tornthefuckapart.bandcamp.com/
http://ossuaryindustries.com/
|
 
Can you tell I
have been in a real old school ‘80s speed metal mood lately? I can
not seem to get enough, so I find myself searching out current bands
keeping the old tradition alive as of late, such as Bütcher & now
Torpëdo. This is actually the bands demo from last year, which has
now been picked up by Gates of Hell for a release in the new decade
we have just rung in. Despite it being a demo, which the band
admittedly recorded in their basement, it sounds good and old
school, but clear and heavy enough to compliment the music.
“Mechanic Tyrants” clocks in at just a little under an albums
running time at around 28 minutes. To say the band has a total
throwback sound would be understatement; they sound ‘80s as hell,
right down to the aforementioned production job. The attitude and
energy on here is infectious and there some really nice guitar work
going on, with some killer guitar fills and there was even a bass
guitar fill – sweet. The songwriting and construction is very catchy
and memorable with some satisfying, stick in your head choruses
belted out by vocalist Flo Fait, who has a sterling voice for this
great old style of music. I think you would have to be a pretty big
fan of traditional speed metal with roots in NWOBHM to really dig
this, but it is an addictive fun listen if you are and I am really
looking forward to their debut full length album! - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/torpedometal
http://www.gatesofhellrecords.com/
|
First off I must
say I love the cover artwork by Jon Zig, another fine piece from
him. Did I read right in another review that this Finnish band
started out as a Six Feet Under cover band?! I never thought much at
all of SFU and thought Chris Barnes really went downhill after
leaving Cannibal Corpse. So I am almost incredulous that a band
would be a cover band of that very average band. This is my first
encounter with Torture Killer and as I understand it, Chris Barnes
himself did vocals on their last record. Well alright then, not
starting off the best foot for me ha ha. So Barnes is now replaced
with vocalist Jani Sallinen who has quite a history it would seem
with being in many bands. Interestingly enough the vocals were
probably my favourite part of this album. They cool deep toilet
growls that are mean and scary sounding and really drive things
home. The music on the other hand, for me is just okay at best and
is ultimately pretty forgettable. Their sound definitely seems to be
rooted in the Florida dm sound of old and of course the SFU sound of
new. I guess if you like Six Feet Under then you might like this. I
will pass on it. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/torturekiller
http://www.dynamicartsrecords.com/
|
After releasing
a great mcd last year {...ever onwards also available on S.T.W} and
a split with Christ Dismemberment. The U.S war machine Towards
Global Holocaust are ready to unleash their debut cd Feuersturm. 9
songs of pure-war inspired metal madness. If you were lucky enough
to hear this bands previous releases you will know what to expect
but for those who are new to the band. T.G.H is a two-man band R.F.
{vocals, guitars, bass} and Blaash {drums, vocals} on Feuersturm the
band continues to defy being put into a certain genre or labeled. As
you probably guessed by the name of the band and cd the band is
heavily influenced by straight forward war metal insanity but there
are moments of more straight-forward death metal. And I hear a
bigger thrash influence in the guitars this time around.{T.G.H has
always had a thrash sound but it is much more front and center on
Feuersturm} Blaash's drumming has always impressed me with his
ability to play chaotic, violent blast beats but he makes them
memorable and even catchy in a few songs. Blaash is not all speed
and noise as he does slow down from time to time to catch his breath
and play in a mid-paced range with the guitars until he has caught
his breath and then attacks again with a barrage of chaos and utter
violent blasts. The vocals which are shared by both members are some
of the most unique and scary sounds ever recorded! With shrieks and
tortured screams. This is by Far Towards Global Holocaust's best and
most impressive work to date. Highly recommended to fans of chaotic,
violent war thrashing black/death metal. – Patrick
http://www.myspace.com/towardsglobalholocaust
http://scatteredtothewinds.com |
|
I have heard the
name of this band around in recent years, but this album, their
second is my introduction to this New York City quintet. The music
itself is fast and catchy and great, but hot damn the vocal
performance of vocalist Sarabeth Linden on the opening (and best)
track “Blood Moon” is so over the top fiery and explosive is amazing
and needs to be heard! The energy and power she put into that first
song is ridiculous and she leaves it all out there on the floor so
to speak. That is not to say her performance on the rest of the
album is lesser, because it is fantastic throughout, but yeah she
went above and beyond to kick things off. The band has a knack for
writing memorable hook-y songs that keep up the speed, while still
leaving enough breathing space for some classy emotive guitar work
and tasty little guitar fills. The song structuring and vibe does a
pretty nice job of mixing things up and they keep a varied style
from song to song as the album progresses along. I would say the
band musically, in my opinion, ranges from just decent to pretty
good, but it is the vocalist that puts Tower over the top and pushes
them to a higher level. You should check this out if you are a fan
of both old and newer schools of heavy metal. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/TOWERnyc/
https://cruzdelsurmusic.bandcamp.com/ |
Boy, are Holland’s
bands/labels ever into this romantic/melancholic death/doom style. Which
is precisely what T.O.T. from Norway present here on their debut record
for Holland’s DSFA. All the elements are here. Clean male singing and
growls, operatic female vocals, slow melancholic riffs, synths, violins.
You know the usual. I dug the production on here it is rich and lavish.
Some guitar bits are admittedly tasty and well played. This is good, but
I don’t care for this style and you have to be better than good to
impress me in this genre. – Dale
DSFA Records,
P.O. Box
5058, 4380 KB Vlissingen, THE NETHERLANDS
|
Transylvania
Stud is a solo band from Andrew Godrey, who previous I believe had
made his bones, as a musician in a commercial radio rock band of
some sort; sorry I do not follow that scene at all. This ep is
obviously a bit of a departure for him, it is slightly fuzzed out
stoner hard rock / metal as I think of it, or as they often now call
it desert (I assume this term stems from Kyuss desert music videos /
general visuals?) hard rock. It is fairly interesting stuff, they
have the guitar sound and stylings down pretty well, the title track
on this three song (plus bonus tracks) disc has a solid, addictive
hook and is pretty memorable. The vocals are sort of in this desert
/ stoner style, but honestly they are a little more on the lighter
side of things, in comparison to the usual vocals in this style, and
honestly the vocals were my least favourite thing, but I could see
fans of more commercial hard rock digging them more than I did. I do
like some stoner and I guess desert rock (yeah not a fan of that
term personally), so I think I have a relatively strong grasp on
what Andrew was going for here. But, I sort of feel like, he did not
or could not, manage to jump in with both feet with it. Maybe this
was exactly what he was going for, but rather than desert rock, it
feels like the Tragically Hip or U2 or similar musicians listened to
some Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Queens Of The Stone Age, Alice In Chains
albums. Then said, “Hey I wanna give that a try”, and it still ended
up sounding more like their original band and style they were
attempting to step away from. Like I said, maybe he wanted to merge
his scene and roots with this other style he likes now, I don’t
know, maybe I am just not a fan of taking and mixing it in with the
stoner hard rock sound, it just lightens it up and waters down it’s
potency a little too much. To clarify further, there is just not
quite enough bite and fuzz in the guitars, and the vocals are too
softened and clean around the edges to appeal to my tastes. Having
said that, if you are really into both of those worlds and like idea
of marrying the two, then I think you will like this because it is
well done for what it is and there is clearly some talent behind
it. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/Transylvaniastud/
http://www.transcendingrecords.com/
|
Trauma (formerly
Thanatos) are only second to Vader as the oldest Polish death metal band
having formed over 10 years ago! They have released several demo tapes
and their debut album on Vox Mortis in ’96. This is some great death
metal, somewhat along the lines of Vader taking heavy influence from the
American scene but still play, much of their material with true Euro
dexterity. Trauma have a flare for solid song structuring, which are
both driving and interesting with all spiced up by tasty drum work and
smoking guitar solos. Recommended. - Dale |
Trillion red are
a two piece from the U.S and the members have created a very
original and dark music style. Their are influences from the heavy
crushing doom riffs, but then the band also does have an aggressive
side speeding up the guitars a bit to a heavy metal/thrash feel with
a lot of progressive riffs and solo's intertwined within the duo's
madness. Also within the music is some experimental ambient
soundscapes that keep the listener guessing throughout the songs on
this e.p. This is a band that is not only hard but impossible to put
into a certain genre {which I believe is the way they like it} so I
will say this probably won't appeal to everyone. But I would highly
recommend two tongues ep to anyone who enjoys dark, extreme music
with a lot of variety. - Patrick
http://www.trillionred.com
|
|
Coming out of
the Oregon UG metal scene is Triumvir Foul, who play a heavy and
destructive style of death metal. ‘Urine of Abomination’ is four
tracks of violent and chaotic death metal that has an electric level
of intensity to it. The vocal duties are handled by Ad Infinitum who
does a great job of combining raw screams with some deep growling
that compliments the music nicely. Ad Infinitum also handles the
guitar duties, which are made up passages performed and played
skillfully at lightning speed. The are some memorable and well
crafted guitar patterns, the speed slow down at times to a heavier
mid paced range throughout the songs. Cedentibus handles the drum
duties, which feature extremely fast drumming arrangements that fits
very well the rest of the musical elements and style. If you are
familiar with Triumvir Foul’s previous works then do yourself a
favor and pick a copy of ‘Urine Of Abomination’ as soon as it is
released. - Patrick
http://www.vrasubatlat.com/
https://invictusproductions666.bandcamp.com/
|
Italy's The True Endless are back with a new black metal
masterpiece, the musicians have created some of the best violent,
cold, uncompromising black metal I have heard in quite sometime. The
music is vicious but quality written and performed with fast,
relentless drumming that is non-stop, alongside chaotic and furious
guitar riffs and some solos mixed in the insanity. The vocals are
deep dark growls mixed with blackened screams that are a perfect
match for The True Endless’ destructive, dark sound if you are
familiar with this long running Italian black horde you know what to
expect. But if you are new to The True Endless sound, if you
enjoy cold, violent straight forward black metal then Legacy Of Hate
is MUST hear.
- Patrick
http://www.reverbnation.com/thetrueendless
http://www.aphelionproductions.net/
|
|
Graf Werwolf,
the mastermind behind this one man band among many other well known
UG bands (ala Satanic Warmaster, White Death, Heavy Cross, Gestapo
666, ex-Horna and lots more!) he is a key member of. The True
Werwolf was formed in 2002, the band has released many demo's, ep's
and splits over the years. The “Devil's Crisis” is the cult’s debut
full-length featuring seven songs of traditional grim, cold black
metal. The guitars are played with a lot of skill, which are well
written and performed guitar arrangements. The guitars tempos are
slowed to a more mid paced range within some of the tracks to
contrast the faster high energy base core of the music. Graf Werwolf,
in addition to his acid black rasping vocals even adds some well
performed keyboards that add an extra dimension to the music. If you
are a fan of The True Werwolf's past releases, and second wave
Scandinavian early ‘90s bm in general, then definitely do yourself a
favor and pick up a copy of this album soon. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/werewolf.rex/
http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/
|
I must admit, I
really enjoyed listening to “Hierarchy”, the first full-length from
Finland’s Tunrida. They play a fast and melodic form of black metal with
some slight death metal touches. There’s a lot of music to be enjoyed
here and the musicianship is creative, with well thought out
compositions and some odd vocal effects ect. Added, here, and there are
a plus. The album doesn’t contain just one straight-forward style of
playing but mixes things up a bit with some more melodic non-double bass
tracks and piano interludes, ect. “The Calling” actually sounds somewhat
akin to something In Flames would release! The vocals are in the more
shouted death metal vein rather than the black metal rasp common for
this style and it perfectly suits the music within. I’m sure I will be
listening to this one quite often and I strongly recommend this to
anyone eager to check out new talent within the black metal scene. -
Jeffrey Kusbel
|
I missed this bands
debut album “Where Light Touches None”, but I am graced (?) with this
sophomore effort. Frankly, I am perplexed as to why C.M. snapped up such
a generic and inept unit like Twin Obscenity! These Norwegians are flat
out a demo level w/ bland guitar riffs that work their way thru
simplistic structuring, that mix in keys that really do not even sound
like they were written for the songs they appear in! They also paint in
trendy female operatic vocals across the musical canvass and are some of
the worst I’ve had the displeasure to hear. With regards to the sound is
this their full-length demo pressed onto CD!? Thin guitars, tinny drums
and an inadequate mix. I did enjoy a few of the off-beat vocalizations
but those are used sparingly. This LP gives a already limping and played
out symphonic black metal scene a bad name. - Dale
|
|
Twitch Of The
Death Nerve are a brutal, slamming death metal band coming out of
the U.K brutal death scene. “A Resting Place For The Wrathful” is
the bands second full-length featuring eight tracks of insanely fast
extreme metal, which is both complex and vicious. The music is
played with a lot of skill, highlighting the musician’s experience
which shines through and rages on with extremely well written and
performed passages. The vocals are guttural, low death metal growls
that fit the bands style perfectly and command the listener’s
attention. If you are a fan of brutal death metal, with some
elements of technical death influences then be sure to pick up a
copy of the new release when it is released. - Patrick
www.twitchofthedeathnerve.co.uk/
http://www.comatosemusic.com/
|
Gates Of Hell,
is a sub-label of Cruz Del Sur Music, and this is a review of the
new cd / lp of Tyfon’s Doom. This is a one man band, that one man
being Tommi Varsala, who handles everything for this project. The
music is in the late 70s rock style, with some mid 80s hard rock
influences. It goes from a raw, dirty loose guitar sound, to a more
streamlined and structured well played style. The vocals are a
blend, which consists of hollering and screams, to a more controlled
singing voice in a few of the songs. I would say, if you are a fan
of semi-raw and dirty hard rockin’ metal, then you be sure to this
album up as soon as possible. - Patrick
http://tyfonsdoom.bandcamp.com/
http://www.gatesofhellrecords.com/
|
Finland’s
Tyfon’s Doom presents to us their debut full-length, entitlted
“Emperor’s Path”, through Gates Of Hell Records. Tomi Varsala
handles the vocals, as well he writes and plays all of the music
doing a good job of writing some memorable heavy metal. The guitars
are mainly palyed in the mid paced tempo. There are some creative
guitar patterns and some nice solos mixed in to a few of the songs.
The vocals are heavy metal screams, along side some hollering vocals
that really fit Tyfon’s Doom musical style. I would say, if you are
a fan of traditional heavy metal, be sure to check out this debut
album ASAP. - Patrick
https://tyfonsdoom.bandcamp.com/ http://www.gatesofhellrecords.com/
|
It is hard
sometimes to get a very good read on a band, more less write a
review based on one song a piece from each band. At least the songs
are not short and the packaging the whole disc came in is fantastic
for this type of release. Altars kicks things off with an extremely
heavy death metal number entitled “Nepenthe… Sepulcher”, which is
cloaked in doomy metal trappings, which sets sort of an
introspective feel. But the pounding drums and extreme riffs do not
let you stay in that reflective head space for very long. Likewise
you get a wake up call in the form a hard smack going by the name “Kumosu”,
it hits from the first second with a blasting, drum barrage of death
metal played at break neck speed. There are some slowed down, subtle
breaks in this lengthy song, but they tend to only last five or ten
seconds. Then it is back to the attack over and over again with
bludgeoning bliss and guttural vocal emanations rising form the
murk. The whole release only clocks in at 13 minutes and still
manages to be quite a ride. You will really enjoy this if you put
the disc on repeat, as repetitive listens will not bore you despite
the length. Check this out, more goodness from the fertile grounds
of Australia. – Dale
http://www.myspace.com/tzuntzu
http://www.myspace.com/altarsofficial |
|
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z
|
I like
Pulverised Records because they seem to love old school death metal,
so we are on the same page there. There have been a few Ulcer’s over
the years, but this is the Polish one and they play old school death
metal that is heavily influenced by the Swedish death metal scene.
You can hear elements of Dismember, Grave, Entombed etc.. in their
sound. Their music is pretty straight up, standard stuff, but done
really well and shake your fist at me if you like, but I am a
fucking mark for old style Swedish death metal, I worship this shit.
These marauders have that sound down well, they pummel you over the
head with it, through heavy razor riffs that hit you with blunt
force trauma until you lose consciousness. There are a few fucking
sweet short solos smattered throughout this album, which really add
a nice little extra touch to the music. If you are not that big of a
fan of this style of dm, then you can probably stick with the old
classics, but if you are a die hard like me you will want to check
this record out ASAP. - Dale
http://www.myspace.com/ulcerdeathmetal
http://www.pulverised.net/
|
|
Ulcer comes out
of Poland’s old school death metal scene and hit our ears with their
third release to date entitled “Heading Below”. There are nine songs
of dark and heavy death metal with hints of Swedish dm influence on
the nine songs featured here. The guitars are played with extremely
fast and chaotic patterns. The guitarist is not all speed and
aggression though, as he does slow down to a slow to a more mid
paced, heavier style, in a few of the songs. The drumming is played
with some superb patterns, going from a heavy middle paced range, to
an all out high-speed assault on the drum kit. The vocals are low
death growls intertwined with some gruff spoken type of vocal
patterns. If you enjoy old school Swedish death metal like early
Entombed, Grave or the first Dismember album then you will
definitely want to add Ulcer’s “Heading Below” to your collection
now. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/Ulcerdeathmetal
http://arachnophobia.pl/
|
Neurotic sends
along a brutal little piece of vile death metal by way of Auckland,
New Zealand. I should clarify that “Of Fracture and Failure” are not
just more run of the mill straight forward grinding death metal
band. They have a penchant for mixing in doomy spirals for
atmospheric effect, not to mention mixing it up with different
levels of speed and time changes, wiping away any fear of generics
or monotony. Which for a debut album is quite commendable and as far
as the technical playing goes these blokes are proficient and
skilled. Their thick soupy wall of death has some influences to mine
ears such as I think I hear a bit of the godly early Cryptopsy
sound, Gorguts too (trying to butter me up with Canadian references,
it just might work here) and some Immolation thrown in. The
recording is really tight and fits their style well, no worries mate
you can hear the 1 thousand riffs on here just fine. Alright it
might not be terribly original but it is hellishly well done Kiwi
metal and I enjoyed the hell out of it. – Dale
www.neurotic-records.com
www.offractureandfailure.com
|
|
Coming to us out
of the United Kingdom’s growing black metal scene is Ulfarr with
their debut full length release. “Hate And Terror…” contains six
songs of savage and cold black metal similar to the early ‘90s black
metal gods but also mix in from time to time adventurous Celtic
Frost type catchy parts and even briefly slip into shouted fill
black ‘n roll sections. This two man band features Dominus (Thy
Dying Light, Atra Mors, Nefarious Dusk, Torver plus more!) and
Afallach (Úir). The music generally is played with extreme fast
razor sharp guitar chords; though the guitarist does slow down and
get into the odd slow to mid paced groove in a few of the songs, but
that does not last too long. The vocals are a grim, raw mix of raspy
black metal screams and screeches and are well done and well timed.
Ulfarr play a very destructive, varied and power black metal style
that is worth your attention. - Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/ulfarr666
https://www.purity-through-fire.com
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Okay, first
apparently Garm of Ulver was pissed at Century Media & split from them
and formed Jester Records (distributed by Voices Of Wonder) and released
this double album. This album is based on William Blake’s written work.
Bruce Dickinson has made it well known to everyone in the press since
his previous album was released in ’97. That his next album “The
Chemical Wedding” (Which beat this Ulver album into stores by at least 6
months) was going to be based on this exact same work by William Blake!
I guess nobody told Ulver. He (Garm) Probably stole the idea. Now let us
get on to this abomination of an album. I am not the biggest Ulver fan
but I did enjoy their early stuff and I am sure fans of the band early
or late will be sickened and disappointed by this! I could go into a
long list of all the awful points to be found. Just let me tell you this
imagine if you will (though it may induce vomiting) Tears For Fears and
Devo mixed heavily with a softer version of Ministry and KMFDM or some
other gay techno/rap inspired beats (showing their Beastie Boys
influence)! On top of this dung heap is Garm singing throughout in a
clean voice that sounds like Micheal Bolten attempting to be a viking
warrior. What a fucking mess! - Dale
Voices Of Wonder, PB
2010 Granerlokka, N - 05050, NORWAY website =
www.vow.dk
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We are presented
with torturous and atmospheric, black metal from this German horde
of barbarians known as Undor. The music is a dirgy crawling,
plodding rumbles with slow pounding drums. Undor are undoubtedly
quite clearly influenced by Abruptum. I must say they do not do this
style nearly as well as the old Swedish bastards did back in the
day. I am listening to this and I just do not feel it and I can not
shake the feeling this should probably have been released as nothing
more than a limited demo tape. I do like the vocals though which are
a cross between the Canadian gods Lust and early Burzum. Maybe it
will come with time for Undor. – Dale
www.bestialburst.blackmetal.fi/
bestialburst@blackmetal.fi
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Cool compilation. It
consists of all dark and evil black metal minus a few exceptions like
Vomitory, Nocturnal Breed, & Hellwitch. It struck me as pointless to
include so many well known bands on other labels: Mandanus Imperium
(NBA), Aeturnus (Hammerheart Recs.) ect... Other bands on here are
Sorhin, Hordes Of The Lunar Eclipse, Wallachia, Bethel, Legion, and
Primordial. This release is the first volley in a assault by D.H.R.
expect soon releases from The Black Witchery, Nebron, Lucifugum and
more. - Dale
D.H.R., 6435 West
Jefferson Blvd., Suite # 666, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804, USA
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Unmerciful hail
from Topeka, Kansas (which is a city that automatically makes me
think of one of my fave movies “Almost Famous”, fans of that film
will know what I mean). Anywho, on to the review, the band play late
‘80s / early ‘90s brutal death metal to the max. Like from the time
when this sub-genre was all about speed and brutality, before much
of the technicality and melody was injected into this style. That
lack of intricate or fancy time changes, and especially melody, I
could see that turning off some newer death metal fans that are only
conditioned to modern death metal. But for me, it does, I must
confess take me on a bit of nostalgia trip. It even took an old UG
goat (who was in and around the scene when it first started it’s
embryonic steps and growth spurts) like me, a minute or two to shake
my expectations of those elements listed above. But my love for the
roots of dm took over and I got back into that primitive, battering
mindset and got into this record a lot more on repeated listens.
They do this style up well. If you have an affinity for very early
days of straight forward death metal, during the amorphous and
primordial stages when brutality was king, then you will enjoy this
album, and if not you likely won’t. - Dale
https://www.facebook.com/officialunmerciful https://willowtip.bandcamp.com/
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