With our metal world comprised of “features EX-members of insert band name here” bands, it really isn’t hard to find ex members of Sinister floating around the brutal chum bucket community due to that bands longstanding revolving door policy. The Dutch band Weapons to Hunt is a new death metal entity with an affinity for the brutal, featuring all 4 members who spent time either creating, or killing for Sinister. Ron van de Polder (founding member for Sinister), Adrie Kloosterwaard, Paul Beltman, and sessions bass handled by ex-Sinister 4 string slinger Bas Brussaard are all in attendance, but thankfully W.T.H. Is far more than a family reunion emulating a once godly sound. Weapons to Hunt does glean a bit of teched out fire from the Cross the Styx era (one of my all-time favorite death metal albums) with some pretty amazing and atypical, free flowing riffs, but the end result sounds a bit higher tuned and tight than found in Sinister’s past. “Bullets for the Assassin” unleashes awe inspiring riff after riff that buries the senses in technically perplexed fretboard wizardry, yet maintains enough of a melodic spirit in the song writing to not confuse or cause panic attacks. In fact, a lot of these songs sound linear and literally cram packed with really great guitar parts. There isn’t 1 uninteresting, or “whatever” riff on this album. WTH could have cut up and streamlined these songs a bit and ended up with 4 more albums worth of material, but the devil is in the details and the resulting firestorm known as Blessed in Sin is quite an eye opening album. The vocals are just a touch quiet in the mix, but this is a good thing, allowing the music to rise to the surface and torment your air guitar with advanced note runs and inverted chord structures sure to puzzle the brainiest of mathematicians. The vocals center on a rather dimensionless brutal style, but they suit this album well… which is just odd to say. I tend to be tired by this type of performance, but the music is so good, I think a crazy crooner would have detracted something away from the true meat being flopped on your paper plate. WTH have chiseled out an albums worth of endlessly impressive and modern death metal, riling in the flames of the ancient sound and with 1 release, have nullified every post “Afterburner” Sinister album. I liked Diabolical Summoning quite a bit when it came out, but I found it to be a definite departure struggling in the wake of the eternally great Cross the Styx, but Blessed in Sin would have been the logical, if not perfect follow-up to Sinisters debut. They took the initial template, ran with it, but tightened everything up/remained Dutch sounding, rather than trying to adapt more of an American aesthetic like the resulting Diabolical Summoning. Weapons to Hunt are the band to watch. If you’ve been tired of the brutal genre for years as I have, I would recommend you come out of retirement, slip that dead skin mask back on and get ready to dance around your woodshed in ladies undies, for Blessed in Sin is worth the attention and have given me that spark of excitement that has somehow been lost along the way when it comes to technical death metal. -Marty
Vic Records
For info and samples, go here: http://www.vicrecords.com
Wither – Necropolis
•December 4, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Dark and dismal emanations arising once again from Australia, this time in the form of Wither’s debut full-length release. Haunting and disparate, dark/depressive themed black doom is this duo’s specialty and they are quite proficient in making the listener feel uneasy with their bizarre/unstable harmonies and seemingly crypt born sound canvas of dissonant chords and minimalistic drum work. They offset the wall of misery with equally bleak clean guitar passages that effectively offer more of a peaceful dynamic, before switching up again with pulsing/drone riffs that feel hypnotic due to the memorable qualities found in their songwriting. Vocally is where this band has been a point of contention with me. Vocal duties are shared between the members, ranging between harsh growling/mid-ranged black metal abrasion (my preferred style for this particular genre), but in order to capitalize on the varying waves of suicidal emotion arising from Necropolis, they take a stab at mournful pitch singing. Tracks 2 and 4 in particular, the most “post” black metal of the lot, finds Wither sticking with a clean vocal tone that warbles in and out of pitch. This was probably intentional. After repeated listens, I eventually got used to it and found the idea to be interesting and somehow fitting with the music, but I can’t help but wish for a more “accurate” performance. Meaning… find a key and stick with it. This has been my only real disappointment with Necropolis, for track 3 finds Wither getting back on track with misery drenched vocals and the riffs are so pleasantly depressive and tortured, that it’s impossible not to come away from this album feeling a little more unhappy than you did going into it. The bass guitar helps perpetuate this unceasing din, for it’s clean tone cuts through the mix, and the band has taken time with the instrument to ensure that actual and unique bass lines roll through the murk to further infect with sorrow. Wither have a definite unique style that may center on the dark/doom realm of black metal, but they aren’t afraid to borrow from other genres, even throwing in the occasional blast beat to keep this material off centered and interesting. This point alone speaks volumes when it comes to pondering the black metal world and how deeply and unmercifully it has been plundered of all good ideas. Wither have made a poignant statement and I can only envision them getting better as they work out the kinks. -Marty
Aurora Australis Records
Listen to sample and buy from this location: http://www.aurora-australis.com.au/releases/AAR_008.htm
Wormlust – The Wormlust Collective (demo)
•December 4, 2012 • Leave a Comment
An appropriately arctic post-Metal guitar line with a slowly thudding bass drum keeping time opens this well-executed atmospheric Black Metal demo from Iceland. When the energy of ‘Svarthol’ rears its head, layered, swaying guitars ping back and forth across the audioscape, as their chorded strings are bent all in unison. A single sliding, undistorted/reverb-drenched guitar lays atop the churning atonal riffery and the cacophony of blasting beats, while hoarse, half-hidden vocals have you imagining what Wrest trapped in a deep freeze might sound like. Knowledgeable use of dark ambient and noise/drone elements give The Wormlust Collective ‘s classic tropes of Black Metal their own hue, to the extent that you find yourself curiously guessing what will come next. Bullet points belonging to Blut Aus Nord’s majestic The Work That Transforms God are espoused here, followed by eerie post-rock and infrequent Doom Metal (on ‘Seven Paths’) that allow for ear-breathing. Final track “Opium Sleep” closes the album in a quarter-hour dark ambient timewarp, and does so nicely with a late-Vinterriket lilt, but I find myself wishing for more of the avante-garde psychosis of the first two songs.
There’s a sharpness to this ‘demo’ (using quotes because it does not sound like one) and a seriousness in its presentation I have found in other bands from Iceland. Maybe something about the dichotomy between fire and ice that its citizens live amongst everyday inspires meticulousness … (er, please hold while this reviewer pulls head out of ass ;). Whatever the case, someone pick these guys up. Wormlust’s Black Metal voice exudes cold promise. -Jim
Azaghal – Revelations In Black
•November 27, 2012 • 4 Comments
Since 1999, Azaghal has breathed the darkened breath of originality into the world of underground Black Metal, infusing hooks, harmony, thrash, musicianship and anthemic Metal into their particular Finnish cup of blast-beaten hatred. Despite sonic choices that stand them apart, Azaghal remains as ‘kvlt’ as any, with no dilution of attack or message to be found on any track in their discography. WG tracked down bassist/vocalist Niflungr looking for insight into the recent past, present, and potential future of Azaghal’s ongoing quest for aural nuclear proliferation. Read, then merrily weep tears of blood. -Jim
Greetings, Niflungr! And thank you for agreeing to do the interview. You joined Azaghal in 2008 as bassist, and did some vocal work even then, but for this year’s Nemesis album you fully took over lead vocals in Varjoherra’s stead. What stylistic differences exist between yours and Varjoherra’s delivery? Do you share differences in philosophy as well?
Hello Jim. For this album I didn´t use my full capacity of my vocal range that I could have done, partially because of lack of time. The Nemesis recordings were very quick, what comes to guitars, bass and vocals. The vocals itself were recorded during 2 days, couple of hours per day only. Basically I tried to focus on delivering something similar to Varjoherra´s mid-range growl but everyone can hear the difference for sure. Differences in philosophy? Well, we haven´t discussed about this issue that much, but I´m quite sure that I hate humanity in general more than he does, haha!
With Nemesis, Azaghal added another well-crafted, powerful album to the band’s lengthy and admirable canon. With your expanded role, what do you feel is your most significant contribution to Azaghal at this moment in time? If you could influence Azaghal’s direction in other ways, what would those be?
It is quite hard to highlight anything particular from my contribution to Azaghal really. Every riff and line of a lyric that I have managed to create for the band serve a higher purpose, which I´m equally proud of. I do not see any reason to change the “direction” or “state” that we currently are or we are going to (be). We are constantly developing mildly and adding new elements to our music but still staying true to our roots, that is Black Metal. This keeps me satisfied.
Azaghal can be commended for quality and consistency, remaining true to their core sounds while never fearing experimentation. To what do you attribute the strength of Azaghal’s back catalogue of albums written and recorded before you became a part of the band? What about Azaghal’s legacy, specifically, interested you in joining them?
The first time I heard Azaghal was around 1998 or 1999 while one of my friends obtained their demo from some local distro. I was blown away by their inhuman sound and blasphemic lyrical concept. At this time not that many Black Metal bands in Finland actually sang in Finnish language, so this was also one of the things that caught my attention. Later on they added some new elements to their music, but still playing furious Black Metal and not compromising their message. This has been the deal throughout the band´s history. It was not just the music that made me want to join the band, after being asked. I knew the guys for years before joining and our personal chemistry matched well.
This quality and consistency is even more impressive when you look at the list of bands the members of Azaghal are also involved in. How does this band’s music remain pure when everyone has so many other musical pursuits outside of Azaghal? It seems like it would be easy for other musical influences or characteristics from other bands to seep in subconsciously/infect the legacy that has long been established by Narqath.
Narqath knows exactly how he wants Azaghal to sound. There is no single riff or line that wouldn´t go through his “filter”. This is the main reason behind Azaghal´s sound in the past, now and in the future. He is the main creative force behind the band even though the other members create material as well.
With the glut of black metal now available worldwide, fans often encounter difficulty discovering above-average talent worthy of more than a passing listen. What current, possibly under-the-radar black metal bands give you hope for BM’s continued longevity, and that you would recommend to the overwhelmed listener?
There are few bands that I´ve seen worthy of my attention. With some I´ve also participated as session musician or producer. For example Anguished, who are currently signed with Hammer of Hate. Then I could recommend Moonkult, who are quite fresh and interesting Black Metal hand from my current home town, Hyvinkää. They are yet unsigned but currently finished recording their debut album and deserve major attention. I don´t know how known they are but Anal Blasphemy is something to check out for enjoying excellent perverse bestial Black Metal.
These are all Finnish bands but from abroad I would recommend Hexenfaust, Morbid Pest and Funera Edo and Noctifer (Ita).
How does a band like Azaghal separate themselves from the deluge of mediocrity lesser bands find themselves in? Are there any particular aspects of modern black metal bands you feel contribute to the stagnation of the genre’s growth and/or you’re simply tired of hearing/seeing?
Our main concern isn´t really what others are doing in the genre. However, what I´ve seen and heard, we are slowly getting rid of that Darkthrone clone invasion that was “the thing” in the late 90´s or so. People are getting their own ideas and ways to approach and not always copying their idols.
Taking the role of frontman in a live situation carries with it new challenges, like maintaining the ritualistic connection between band members and the audience, and keeping fellow members focused for a show’s duration. What new challenges do you enjoy and why, and which would you rather do without?
Being a frontman/singer of the band is nothing new to me really. I´ve been one in every single band I’ve participated in since the mid 90´s. Perhaps I have trouble staying on background somehow, haha! This is what I am, this is what I do.
A considerable amount of boundary-pushing appears to be a mark of Finnish black metal, as opposed to resting comfortably within the genre’s typical framings. Is this artistic tendency a consciously chosen one amongst your fellow Finn metal musicians, or is it something intrinsic, occurring naturally?
Actually, I´ve never paid attention to (that) fact that much, but now when I´m thinking about the Finnish genre these days, it seems that the Finnish bands have found their own sound finally. I guess things have changed a lot since the 90´s when a majority of the Finnish Black Metal bands were trying to re-create what Norwegians did few years earlier. I don´t know if this has something to do with nationality or if there is something else that inspires bands here to deliver their expression (in) such way.
I’m always taken aback by the successful infusion of melody within Azaghal’s works, and the band’s melding of the brutal alongside it. I’ve especially enjoyed ‘Vihasta ja Veritoista’ on Nemesis, a prime example of this merging of beauty and darkness. When composing material, how does Azaghal pair these polar opposites together?
It is hard to specify how these things come together in the creation process. Some things just happen unplanned and naturally. Just going with the flow of inspiration.
Well done, cleanly-sung vocals appear on Nemesis, adding color to Azaghal’s already formidable canvas of sound, contrasting well with the intended harshness of the album. How does the choice to employ this technique (as was done on the excellent ‘Ex Nihilo’ and title track, etc) come about?
The clean vocals were performed by Narqath and JL Nokturnal on this album. Ex Nihilo was originally composed for my solo project Niflhel as “Towards the Omega”. After I played it to Narqath, he was sure that it should be part of the Nemesis album. On the original version of the song all the vocals are performed by me but during Nemesis recordings I refused to do clean vocals at all. There are better clean vocalists in the band than me so why not let them to do it? But the reason why I decided to use clean vocals for this song originally was to bring a more atmospheric feeling to the song. I think it was the right choice.
Can you give us any insight on the next album, in terms of sounds and tentative release date? I assume you’ll retain the role of lead vocalist again …? Also, any plans for a U.S. tour?
We are not that far in the creation process yet that we could give any release dates, but probably sometime in 2013. The album will be most likely be sung mainly in Finnish this time. I wrote a bunch of lyrics that are somewhat inspired by the book of Revelations, so there would be a chance of a concept album, but we will see. I will do the lead vocals on this one, as far as I´m concerned. No plans for U.S. tour so far, as no-one has contacted us about the issue. If someone is reading this and has the resources to make one happen, feel free to send us some email. Our next tour will happen in South America in March 2013.
Speaking of the U.S., since 2008’s Omega Azaghal has been working with the U.S. label Moribund Records. What are your thoughts on the relationship? Are there any notable pros/cons to working with a label ‘across the pond’, so to speak?
The relationship worked absolutely fine at the beginning, as Omega was well promoted and so on, but something happened and we never received a response to our emails after we sent them the Nemesis master tape. Also we never received any copies of Nemesis either. So you can probably guess our feelings about the issue. Next album will come out through Finnish label Hammer of Hate, as we know their management personally and we can be sure that there will be no such issues with them.
Azaghal describes themselves as being ‘Black Terror Metal’. In this context, what does ‘terror’ mean to you? In what way do you feel this description separates the band from others in the style?
We like to add some King Diamond vibes to our lyrics as well and I think that this is the origin of “terror/horror” concept. Not every band does it the way as we do, so perhaps it gives us some characteristics.
One of the tenets of traditional black metal is an anti-Christian stance, a topic well explored within Azaghal’s lyrics and albums. Does this standpoint manifest itself for you outside of the confines of the band experience in any way, or offstage/in ‘normal’ life does it remain an inward spiritual warfare?
Personally I stand behind 100% of the lyrics I write. In “normal” life I also am openly anti-christian. My stage presence is not that different from what I normally am. It is just an expression of my beliefs and thoughts the more extreme way. My work continues also offstage, so to speak.
Are there any works of literature/authors that you refer to that help cement your resolve in the Left Hand Path?
My life philosophy cannot be found from books written by others than myself. Though I do have views closely related to Left Hand Path and Deistic Satanism, some of them differ. I suggest everyone find their own path and try to find the enlightenment that way. Otherwise you are not better than the ones who follow the Abrahamic beliefs.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, Niflungr; we at Worm Gear are looking forward to Azaghal’s future. You have final word below for anything you’d like to add, announce, or plug!
Thanks for the interview. Never forget your roots!
Abominable Putridity – The Anomalies of Artificial Origin
•November 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Although Abominable Putridity is considered a slamming death metal band and their debut is completely in this style, the technical fretwork and constant time changes on The Anomalies of Artificial Origin overpower the slam and dominate the major part of this album.
Still, I dig this record. Especially the opener and ‘Letting Them Fall’ and ‘The Last Communion,’ but there are two things that keep it from being truly special.
The first problem is that Abominable Putridity seems to be stuck on this arrangement concept— “Play the riff twice and move on.” So instead of well-arranged music where each part is given unique and meritorious amounts of time to develop, far too often, AP just give you the lick twice and jump to the next idea, which they play twice (and so on…). They don’t always do this, but they do it far more often than they should. In a way, it is like riff prison.
The other problem is that the singer, Matti Way, sings way, way, way, way, way too much. He’s just overselling his role, and often clutters up the mix when other far more interesting things are happening with the other instruments. There are way too many lyrics, and since he enunciates more than others in the genre, its just feels crammed in there.
There are a lot of riffing techniques on display on Anomalies…, from technical sweeps to chugs, a lot of pretty good stuff, though none of it’s great. Easily the best trick in the AP bag is the syncopated start stop chugging where the bottom drops out and the material opens up with some silence. I wish these ideas were more fully exploited—like tenfold—since they are almost all of the best moments on the album (hear those gaping chasms in the first cut and ‘Letting Them Fall’). Also, the bass drops/woofer kicks that precede some the breaks are cool.
Again, I like this album. In the End of Human Existence, their first album, had better arrangements, but this one has better riffs. Both have good musicianship, but the simpler debut felt like a real band playing whereas this feels like a studio creation (things like bass drops do that). The vocals on the debut were mostly solid, though wholly unmemorable gurgles, and here they are far more interesting, but often distracting and overdone. So yeah, Abominable Putridity changed a lot, and sound like a totally different band, and got a little bit better.
They have real skills, ideas and fire, but for them to achieve an album that truly matches the my favorite slamming death metal acts—Begging for Incest, Putrid Pile, Dystentery and Kraanium—they need to learn how to better arrange their material and restrain their singer.
The Anomalies of Artificial Origin is a fun album, but one that is less than the sum of its parts. -S. Craig Zahler
Brutal Bands
Abominant – Battlescarred
•November 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment
These Kentuckian old-timers produced the brief but potent Battlescarred EP this summer, and if you haven’t heard them before, or if you have and are looking for a good/cheap DM time, this low-cost, limited release slice of Southern death is for you. Face-puncher ‘Pile of Flesh’ opens this short player with Abominant’s technical (but not annoyingly so) riffery, a death metal blend that has black metallish open chords infused throughout. These ride together atop drums that have a decidedly(?) demo-ish sound that embody the ‘you get in the studio, we’ll get the beers’ DIY aesthetic rarely showing up for this style. That same aesthetic carries across the rest of the EP, with a rhythmically brutal cover of Pestilence’s ‘Out of the Body’ (nice blast beats over the solo sections), and a blistering and humorous rendition of Black Sabbath’s ‘The Mob Rules’, prefaced with a fitting sample from the 1981 animated film ‘Heavy Metal’ (which featured the original track during a notable battle-‘scarred’ scene…heh, sorry).
Short album, short review, short story – get over to the Deathgasm distro and buy it. One hundred hand-numbered copies, heshers!-Jim
Self-released/Deathgasm Records
Bell Witch – Longing
•November 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Recreating the feelings of the forlorn through sound is no easy task. Metal enthusiasts know that Doom, in particular, accesses our internal sources of despondency with ease. As with all things, our overexposure to these specific tropes of heavy music can inadvertently dilute our experience of them. What can practitioners of Doom Metal do, then, to ensure we listeners reach catharsis? Innovate however possible. Construct, or deconstruct. In Bell Witch’s case, innovation derives from the subtraction of Doom tenets of which we are most familiar – most notably, down-tuned guitar, or additional atmospherics of any kind (an understated use of cello on title track ‘Longing (the river of ash)’ notwithstanding). The duo of Dylan Desmond and Adrian Guerra rely upon vocals, bass guitar and drums alone, but unlike the Sleep remnants in Om, you won’t begrudge Bell Witch’s lack of six-string accompaniment (or have to worry about a lack of heaviness). The performance of Bell Witch’s three instruments – especially the intricate, powerful lines constructed by the distorted bass – are presented with such sullen skill and power you won’t feel anything is missing. The band’s drone-esque arrangements, perpetuated by the low and slow four-stringer, are rounded out with considered melody-crafting on the higher notes of the instrument, keeping song structure – however crawling and drawn out – intact. Both members handle the mic, with styles varying between DM throat roars with a satisfying, raging Mummy aesthetic, quietly sung/whispered moments, layered chanting-monk passages, and Black Metal shrieks sure to please anyone looking for some treble amongst the towering low-register notes. The single-track clean singing sounds strained in places, distracting at times, but as the earnestness in delivery ratchets up, so too does their effectiveness and quality.
I’ve been spinning Doom Metal more often than normally lately, and as I am typically more of a black/death/grind guy, my ability to empathize with the Doom artist’s true intention – what for me is the recreation of forlorn feeling – had been diminished somewhat. Longing has righted the ship.
I am distraught.
I am pleased. -Jim
Profound Lore Records
Dysentery – Internal Devastation
•November 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Internal Devastation is one of my favorite death metal albums of recent years, alongside the Hail of Bullets album On Divine Winds and Grave Damnation by Necros Christos. If I wanted to play somebody an album that would show the strengths of the often-derided subgenre of slamming death metal, Dysentery’s Internal Devastation is a shining example of the form. Although a band like Cephalotripsy adheres more strongly to the tenets of gurgling slowchug, and I applaud their narrow-minded approach, their full length has riffs that are so rhythmically uninteresting, it’s hard to remember the songs, and I am not yet a full believer. (Their newer 2011 material shows some real promise in the way of syncopation.) Similarly slam-centric (though a bit more varied), Dysentery achieves on Internal Devastation what that Cepahlotripsy album did not— a simple, but continuously engaging slam-focused death metal album.
Yes, the Dysentery band photo looks like three garage mechanics kidnapped a metalhead, but the music that this Massachusetts outfit plays is thoughtful and very, very, very well arranged death metal. Internal Devastation is simple, rocking and synergistic, with more chugs and chords than speed-picking, and other than the lyrical content, it’s not especially ‘brutal.’ Dysentery is easy to like the very first time you hear them.
My criticisms are limited to the few blasting sections and drum rolls, which do not connect to the music as well as they should, and also a few vocal ideas. Mostly, the vocalist employs pulsed growls and gurgles with occasional forays into the swamp of boars, frogs and crickets, and although the singer largely goes his own way, he occasionally chooses some too obvious rhythmic lines (the sort of thing where every beat is accented). But these complaints are minor.
Overall, Dysentery shows how slamming death metal can be very catchy without resorting to cloying melody— a different way of achieving the same ultra-heavy and headbanging death metal groove that bands like Bolt Thrower, Demigod, Asphyx and Necros Christos achieve. And I sure prefer the concept of slam, which emphasizes abstract vocals, meaty chugs and heaviness, over the dull ‘Operation: Technical Obliteration’ of Necrophagist and Fleshgod Apocalypse. Yeah, I’m yawning at their arpeggios and additive meters.
Every song on Internal Devastation has personality and purpose. Overall, it is sort of like a slower, less technical Putrid Pile (see the kidnapped metalhead’s shirt) or an update of Pyrexia’s classic, Sermon of Mockery, but with better riffs and more slam.
Seriously, seriously good lurching death metal comes in the form of ‘Entropic Putrefaction,’ ‘A World Apart,’ ‘In Remembrance of the Lifeless,’ ‘Genocidal God’ and ‘Bound By Disease.’ Get this. -S. Craig Zahler
Comatose Records
Humanity Delete – Never Ending Nightmares
•November 21, 2012 • 1 Comment
Steve Buscemi shoving a hacked-off leg down a woodchipper. For whatever reason, that image manifested itself in my head thirty seconds into the Never Ending Nightmares. Appropriately so, because herein you will find Grind-inflected DM done with absolute precision. Napalm Death collides with Bolt Thrower on a Swedish steel bridge of sound on this release, with all three elements spilling together into the North Sea below. And rightfully so, for sole Humanity Delete mastermind Rogga Johanson has plied his Swede DM trade for years now amongst many underground bands, and that perseverance has paid off in the songwriting. Though simple and not breaking new any ground per se, there’s a professionalism in the presentation of these tracks that can only come from experience. Yes, yes, the drums are programmed here, and some of that percussive warmth is missing, but overall the tone of them is full and gives that proper runaway-wagon-on-fire feeling you need when spinning this kind of raw rage. The album infects with a catchy vocal cadence and overdriven guitars that redline Rogga’s speaker cabinets with crackling sludge on the neck-breaking breakdowns. And armed with a lyrical content that digs a little deeper than most (really hope those written explanations make it into the final product, they are truly interesting), together these variables keep you focused on each track comprised of a pleasing 50/50 split between the aforementioned Swedish DM and UK Grindcore. Guitar solos are deftly handled by Lasse Pyykkö (Hooded Menace) and fuel the sorties flown by this one-man squadron, driving Johanson’s riff drones downward to complete their two-and-a-half-minute attacks (all the time one needs to grind).
This is an album to reach for when you don’t have time for pretense; put it on and keep yourself awake on those late-night highway drives. Just don’t spill your beverage of choice as you ‘bang. -Jim
Dead Beat Media
Manticore – Behold the Ascension of the Execrated
•November 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment
It has been some time since I’ve spun a release by Cleveland’s Manticore, but I have always enjoyed their twisting abyss of scorched black death metal. With Behold the Ascension of the Execrated, Manticore is sounding a lot like older Nun Slaughter on occasion in that stripped to the bone simplicity often found in old styled, underground death metal. The production is also rather off centered, putting more of a spotlight on the gruff death yells and shitztorted bass guitar. Once I adjusted to the production, I found myself lost in the unholy chaos of the title track that feels a lot more urgent and uniquely depraved… just the way I remember Manticore. The down-tuned guitars sound like they were recorded loudly to the point of the amp failing, so that cutting out rattle you hear piles on the chaos when the blast beats aggravate the song structures into a destructive frenzy. It sounds like this band rehearses at the city dump and that sonic mental picture alone gives you an unclean feeling when the crushing plod of “From the Darkness Below” turns all the crosses upside down. Manticore write sleazy and memorable death metal and they do it well. This sleaze is personified by their excellent rendition of Venom’s “In Nomine Satanas” which ups the ante to a much younger (and sloppier) Venom with a loose playing style and conviction that pours out of this track. Thankfully the bands pension for mid-paced ugliness carries this album to pleasingly brutal territories as it is the favored tempo that Manticore feels most effective in.
“Bowels of the Holy Anoint us in Evil” will always be my favorite release from these guys due to the crushing songs and the full sound (not to mention an amazing cover of Beherit’s The Gate of Nanna”), but it’s good to hear them forging on with their grotesque and very live sounding take on death metal. It never gets old! Yes I found myself yearning for a fuller tone when it comes to the production of Behold the Ascension of the Execrated, but the material is too solid and guitar sound so crazy, it’s hard to dwell on the negatives here. Good band. Good album. For the diehards! -Marty
Deathgasm Records
Sparrows – Mark of the Beast: Indoctrination
•November 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Dallas, TX’s own Sparrows is taking the DIY aesthetic to (black) heart with their self recorded, mastered, and released MCD, “Mark of the Beast: Indoctrination. Fierce vocals are at the forefront of this sawing attack and are so effectively harsh/over the top, they sound almost unstable. The vocalist prefers the mid-ranged cancer throat croak, but throws in more of a stretched out, deeper death tone which admittedly doesn’t seem as natural for him, but it does offer a bit of balance to his performance. Out of this batch of 6 songs, “Cellar of the Damned” strikes me as Sparrows most “black” metal in feel song with more mid paced, note based hooks and a swing feel in the riffs that utilizes a violent melody effectively. The rest of the album feels far more death metal minded, with a touch of the Gothenburg melody and detuned heaviness making it’s influence felt. Sparrows has taken control of their own destiny when it comes to marketing and promotion which I can fully respect and the fact that they are good at what they do shows that they believe in what they have accomplished. As I sit here and listen again to this material and enjoy it, I know it’s not really a style that I listen to often and likely won’t return to this MCD, if at all, but I think the band has a fire and execution that will connect to those of you out there that hunger for this full throttled strike of blackened death. -Marty
Self Released
Void Moon – On the Blackest of Nights
•November 21, 2012 • Leave a Comment
I greatly enjoy doom whether it’s traditional, blackened, or gristled death styled (this being my favorite of the lot) and Sweden’s Void Moon are toiling away in the desolate fields where acts like Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus lay down their misery to look up and ponder the vastness of the heavens. It’s too bad that a little of the greatness that permeates from both aforementioned bands didn’t rub off on what’s on display here. Honestly, my first trip through the bands debut, “Onthe Blackest of Nights”, was pretty miserable, for the bands pristine and treble heavy production really doesn’t allow a lot of depth or feeling to empower or hold this material aloft. This is now my 3rd crack at Void Moon and I have to say there has been a slight improvement as their music is at the very least interesting, if not just bizarre. The songs unveil a very “off” sounding feeling, or resonate at a frequency that’s hard for me to get into and wrap my head around. It doesn’t help that Jonas Gustavsson’s crooning style feels off pitch just enough to make it unpleasant as he takes a stab at an Eric Wagner mixed with Robert Lowe level of raspy pitch singing, but never comes close to the amazing skill or effectiveness of either vocalist. “The Word and the Abyss” is an exercise in stark minimalism with the drums doing very little while thin guitar lines range from an almost black dissonance, to completely boring palm muted crunching. In fact, the barren drum work on this album is a serious detracting factor to the listenable health of this album. The lack of flair and rhythmic texture forces the weak guitar riffs and poor singing (check out the wince inducing attempt at vocal harmonizing at the end of “Cyclops”) to have to carry the sickly spirit of this album. The bass lines are a stand out element, but sit equally thin in the sound canvas and somehow further contribute to the weird vibe that ends up being the defining trait employed by Void Moon. I get the impression that this was their intention, but honestly the overall effect is more of a turnoff than it is a sales pitch. People into traditional doom that need to hear everything up-and-coming may find a lot more merit in “On the Blackest of Nights” than I have, for I think the die hard fans are still searching for the next great band to fill the shoes, or walk along side the masters of the genre, but Void Moon still strike me as being more of a demo level entity that really needed to iron out their sound and skills before being handed a CD/LP deal. Perhaps the good is still yet to come, but I’ve heard enough here to not really be that interested in where this band ends up. -Marty
Cruz Del Sur Music
Desolate Shrine – The Sanctum of Human Darkness
•November 13, 2012 • 1 Comment
The short days and long winter season must really torment the Finns, for here is yet another band that strikes out at the world from their twilight kingdom with sonic misery and death-spair. Desolate Shrine’s second full-length, “The Sanctum of Human Darkness” is pretty difficult to fully embrace initially, for the dark and cavernous layering makes this album feel like a nightmare. Riffs boil and churn together in a nest of overdriven reverb, with the drums and the equally effected death moans acting as the main forces peeking through like an island in the storm for the listener to find refuge on. When note based riff ideas surface in the distortion, harmonic bends, or dissonant note choices rise and act as points of reference in your head that will mark the passage of certain songs on the album, allowing you to recall the moments again on future spins. I wouldn’t go as far to refer to these elements as “hooks”, for they are far and away from the true meaning of that adjective. “The Sanctum of Human Darkness” is actually a tough one to comprehend, but I must say there is something alluring about the nebulous swarm created by this band. I found it hypnotic and deeply sinister which greatly makes up for the fact there isn’t any of those cliché “good time” or traditional death metal songwriting elements on display. The cacophony is the spirit, dismay and brilliance of this material. When the guitars are stripped away on “Lair of Wolf & 1000 Lions (Nine Forgotten Name)”, allowing the drums and a poignant bass line to carry the foundation of this track, the result is almost jarring and profound. As the layers sweep back in, a melody tears through the meat of this track, making it a standout and offers more of a powerful impact. Not for the faint of heart, Desolate Shrine create devilish death metal that intends to hurt, or terrify the curious populace with their otherworldly adaptation of suffering through art. -Marty
Dark Descent Records
Hooded Menace – Effigies of Evil
•November 13, 2012 • Leave a Comment
“Never Cross the Dead”, the 2nd full-length by Finland’s doom death duo, Hooded Menace, was my first trip into their unhallowed world. Even though that album struck me as a bit long in the tooth, the bands full bodied union of doom and death metal characteristics was a well produced and uniquely written aesthetic that burrowed down 6 feet deep with excellent riffage and a growling style that was bizarre when it comes to this genre. With Effigies of Evil, Hooded Menace continue on their deadly path, but one notices a touch more of a stoner doom/Sabbath/Rock element entering their dense tone, especially on the title track and “Vortex Macabre”. The detuned guitar sound and more spacious movement in the riffs seems unencumbered and puts me in mind of older Cathedral before the “oooohhhh yeeeaaaahhh’s” entered Dorian’s kooky delivery. Other than more moment in the form of a rocked out vibe flowing through tracks like “In the Dead We Dwell”, Hooded Menace have stayed the corse and have worked even harder to make their songs more memorable and appealing to the ear. They do this with infectious melodies that soar high atop the riff foundations and even dip into some twin harmonies for more of a classic metal appeal. The solo work also mirrors this tasteful rock influence, but possesses enough of that sickly bend in the strings to embrace a vibe that puts me in mind of Paradise Lost (1st 2 albums). This influence feels quite buried, but peaks through the loping crawl just enough to let the listener know where Hooded Menace got the bread to put their butter on. Guitarist/Vocalist Lasse Pyykko’s growling style sounds like a long dead individual moaning for redemption from deep inside his sealed coffin. Where the music often takes on the spirit of having a lot of life and movement in it in spite of the death drenched sound, his vocals alone offer that miserable (in a good way) sense of hopelessness that suits this music perfectly. That and the fact that he avoids the Incantation brutalizations, or cupped mic ridiculousness and has found his own tortured delivery is commendable.
“Effigies of Evil” is one of those albums that calls upon the patience of the listener to fully appreciate due to it is largely slow to mid-paced delivery and fact that even though the songs are all well written, the formulamatic nature of Hooded Menace’s songwriting style can take on the aura of sameness as this slab progresses. The more you sit with this one, it allows the songs to sink in and come alive. This is the payoff. Great sound and feel is to be found on this one and it effortlessly upholds the old days without coming off as a cheese fest. -Marty
Relapse Records
Indesinence – Vessels of Light and Decay
•November 13, 2012 • 6 Comments
While most death/doom bands are either more death/less doom or more doom/less death, Indesinence have struck a balance between the two subgenres. Many moments surface on the album that will have you sitting in the dark surrounded by dead things on the floor, and just as many more will have you annoying your co-habitators with obnoxious volumes. After an appropriately wicked intro, ‘Paradigms’ opens the mausoleum, and you’re flooded with death/doom divinity. The DM chords, clear and with a pleasing mid-range pallor, usher in the monstrous doom riffs following them. But when the pace quickens and the palm-muting begins, you truly know your Metal sensibilities are in for a ride. The band skillfully hails the glorious earlier works of their UK godfathers, and these influences are all on display, but – albeit infrequently – some old Obituary divinations can be heard as well (ie, mid-tempo structures, memorable tom-work and tightly-locked guitar/double-bass battery) – especially on killer cut ‘Communion” – and for this reviewer, that’s a very good thing. Other notable moments, with references to the band’s more obvious influences, abound with no small amount of frequency. Epilogue of album-highlight ‘Vanished is the Haze’ disinters Paradise Lost’s reverb/delay heavy guitar and synth scapes with such class that the inclusions actually succeed in bringing you someplace new (and as a result, I will certainly be playing this song many, many times in the year’s waning nights). An Anathema-inspired trek reveals itself on ‘Fade Further Beyond’, culminating in a brief, Celtic Frost-ish homage in the latter half of the song. And if the agonizing pace and whispered vocals of My Dying Bride are your bag, know that ‘Unveiled’ awaits your glowering visage and solemn brow. But Indesinence’s six-years-in-the-making second album is far more than the sum of its parts; Vessels of Light and Decay elicits imagery, and all kinds of it. One minute you’re creeping through a torchlit tomb, seeking out a village Grendel with sword in hand, the next you are Karl Willetts sitting in for Messiah at a Candlemass rehearsal. And something about the hulking guitars on this album at times brings to mind a blacksmith hammering an axe to life, while at others evokes an executioner’s hacking of a traitor to death. Through all their aural conflagration, Indesinence keeps the mood eerie and stimulating, never letting the listener drift off too far before reeling him or her back in with head-nodding attacks of varying degrees. And for that reason alone, Vessels of Light and Decay warrants your attention.-Jim
Profound Lore Records
Maveth – Coils of the Black Earth
•November 13, 2012 • 2 Comments
My Finland themed triumvirate of reviews continues. No, this wasn’t planned, but with a name like “Rytkonen”, you know I’m going to roll with whatever the twisted souls still dwelling in my homeland can hurl at me. The debut full-length from Finland’s Maveth, “Coils of the Black Earth”, is killer. I could end it there and make you do all the work dear reader, but I guess that isn’t why I’m here. My first impression of this album was indeed just that… “Killer”. Atypical and evil riff style. Burly mid-ranged death vocals that bare no resemblance to anyone in particular. Excellent use of varying tempos. The intensity reigns in Maveth’s world, as does their pension for smart guitar lines that are paned both far left and far right, so you can easily hear both guitar parts even through the menacing wall of distortion. The tracks possess direction and never sound tired or out of worthwhile ideas which says a lot for a release in this style, clocking in at nearly 1 hour. Well rounded riff ideas exhume bizarrely memorable tremolo speed harmonies, ushered further to the forefront of their attack by crushing power chord rhythms and other deft musical weapons in their arsenal. As Maveth carve through mid-paced, then blasting, back to slower rhythms, their attack is so expertly considered, each track ends up being unpredictable, being hurled even deeper into the pits by Christbutcher’s unforgiving and burnt out vocalizations.
I could go on trolling the depths of my limited vocabulary to try and paint a picture of what you’ll experience on “Coils of the Black Earth”, but the reality is that Maveth have conjured one hell of a crushing death metal album, plain and simple. Even though there is nothing “new” on display here, the truth is that I don’t need a shiny new way of doing things as long as what I’m listening to gets the job done with conviction and well considered musical destruction. Maveth succeed and make it look/sound easy. Fans of the genre need this one in your collection for sure. -Marty
Dark Descent Records
Nominon – The Cleansing
•November 13, 2012 • 4 Comments
While their debut album did not appear until 1999, Nominon in one form or another has been nailing coffins since their demo days of 1993, and though their name may not be as familiar as some of their Swedish brethren, after The Cleansing it damn well should be.
Yes, Swedish-style Death Metal has resurfaced with a vengeance, with wannabe Entombed/Dismember/etc clones breeding like maggots. And, as with any resurgence of an art form, some are good, most are bad, but often those that have been churning out the darkness the longest tend to steamroll the rookies. Nominon’s new album couldn’t have arrived in a better environment, slapping the earlobes of the less experienced with riffs of hell-sludge that grease the rails of of Per Karlson’s anvil-slamming drumwork. Henke Skoog’s vocals spew forth from an appropriately mid-range place, suiting well the low-toned, sawing guitars. Alex Lyrbo’s leads are tasteful but not intrusive, entering and exiting the melee at the right moments without overstaying their welcome, all while Juha Sulasami’s bass lurks menacingly below the maelstrom. Together, Nominon’s onslaught gurgles like something dying facedown in a Swedish back alley puddle. Not to say that DM tropes are the only items on display here; scattered, open-chorded riffs played high on the neck throw icy black metal hints in a few areas (as in the track ‘Mausoleum’), giving just enough cold color to the humid warmth of The Cleansing for the album to help justify a modest ‘original’ tag it scarcely needs, for the songs themselves kill well enough without even that enticement.
From the excellent evil and old-school cover art to the demonic darkness this album inhabits, Nominon’s latest delivers Death Metal with a capital D, nothing more, nothing less, and at a level that can only be called professional. For a poser-killing playlist, immerse yourself in the filth of The Cleansing. -Jim
Deathgasm Records
Worm Gear 