This is my first brush with both artists, but have heard a lot over the years about Craig Pillard’s (Former Incantation) bass dominant descent into the realm of the plodding and experimental with his soul jarring project, Methadrone. As I anticipated, the descriptions I’ve read for this music is right in line with what is present for his tracks on this split. Simplistic, though emotive droning bass lines that writhe along to a programmed drum beat for the foundation, with ghostly sounding harmonies crawling over the top to perpetuate the unceasing din. Somehow, this thundering vibe is very hypnotic, if not nightmarish, only for Fragment to offer a hint of light on this split. This project is very heavily influenced by later day Godflesh, with uplifting pitch vocals possessed by reverb, confidently empowering equally effected guitar lines. The feeling of tracks like “Clay Dust” and “Golem” comes off as a darker take on post rock, but 10 times more powerful and moving. Methadrone as well dig in deep with filth ridden fingers into very emotive progressions on the meaty and melancholic “A View into the Empty” and “”Absorbed (version 2)”. Both projects weep sonic waves of sorrow and use this music to pine for a release from life’s torment. “Astray” is set up with alternating tracks for each artist, which I initially thought would have been a bit of an annoyance, but since both artists compliment each other so perfectly, the dense instrumental darkness of Methadrone is followed up quite nicely by the more reassuring warmth of Fragment and his vocals help break the otherworldly spell. This is a very powerful split CD for those of you trying to expand your musical horizons and fall helplessly deeper into the darkside. “Astray” is highly recommended!! –Marty
Locust Swarm Records
“Death… The Brutal Way” is easily my album of the year and the return to form that I have been anticipating for years. It’s not that Holland’s Asphyx in the later days have been bad, for albums such as “God Cries” and “On the Wings of Inferno” were enjoyable death metal, but the institution of Asphyx just lost a bit of the rawness and doom laden urgency that was such a vibrant part of their first 3 releases. “The Rack” in particular will forever reign as one of the best death metal albums… EVER. Martin Van Drunen’s vocals were purely anguished. The death and doom laden riff work was simplistic, but so earth crumbling that all one can do is bang thy head. And that tone… speaker cones wept beneath the shredding and pulsating rawness of the bands life ending guitar tone. Unparalleled. Mighty. Dank with the stench of coffin exhuming rot. “The Rack” will forever be a tough album for Asphyx… hell, for any band, to beat. “Death… the Brutal Way” features the long sought after return of Van Drunen, hot on the heals of Hail of Bullets popularity and proud upholding of ancient death metal, the time couldn’t be better for Asphyx to strike again. And to back it all up, they reconvened in the studio and did what they had to do… created 10 death bloated, doom hailing anthems to the darker path of musical extremism. This album has years of filth under its collective fingernails and the grime that detonates out of the speakers is so full of conviction, that long lost urgency is the very backbone of this album. Van Drunen sounds like he hasn’t missed a beat and his throat can withstand the torture of leading 2 bands. The music nostalgically falls in line to sound like material that could fit in quite comfortably after the “Crush the Cenotaph” EP and just before “Last One on Earth” full-length, for the writing trio of Wannes Gubbels (bass/Pentacle), Paul Baayens (guitar/Hail of Bullets), and of course the longstanding cenotaph of brutality himself, Bob Bagchus (drums),dug back into the vaults to rekindle the formula that works best for this band… agonizingly slow doom dirges as found on “Asphyx II (They Died as they Marched)”, that explode into furious progressions of blast-less aggression on the anthemic “Death the Brutal Way”. Effects ridden harmonies soar above the droning foundation in a simplistic fashion, but the impact is heightened by the fact that it doesn’t have to be complex to be good. Asphyx are the antithesis of what modern day “turbo” death metal has become and it’s good to hear an always solid band come back and show the new school that keeping it simple provides just as many effective and interesting avenues of brutality, while keeping the songs memorable and worth coming back to for repeated listens. Along with an albums worth of classic death metal, “Death… the Brutal Way” contains a bonus DVD featuring the return of Asphyx to the stage with their pro-shot performance at Party San Open Air Festival in 2007. Top quality and value all the way around. “Die by fucken Asphyx”… indeed! –Marty
A band is only as good as it’s drummer right? With Behemoth’s incredible skins man, Inferno, poised at the kit for Azarath, you know right away that this material is going to be over the top technical and perfect in every way when it comes to the rhythm section. To my surprise, Azarath do have the tendency to showboat a bit in the mathematical riff department, but a vast majority of this album is very well written and memorable. A lot of feeling and emotion in the riffs as well…. Something that really is lacking in modern day “turbo” death metal. The guitar work and accompanying harmonies are as evil sounding as the pro Satan subject matter. In fact this band possesses a hint of the old death metal spirit, the only difference being the pristine blast work and innovative fills effortlessly unleashed by Inferno. Such amazing speed was something never considered on the older classics because… well… they hadn’t mastered the technique yet. The guttural, though discernable vocal style of bassist Bruno fits this material perfectly as the band sculpts their way through 11 tracks of lethal material, full of crushing guitar work and potent tempo changes. Intricate guitar work doesn’t have to mean, “lifeless” and Azarath gets this point, and have created a very powerful and moving strike of death metal around one of the best drummers in the business. This material sits with me so much better than anything Behemoth has put out in quite a few years. Check it out if the overly technical and largely tuneless attack of the modern era has left you feeling cold. –Marty
Many hail “The Priest of Satan” as a 2nd gen, black metal classic. Mostly known for Jon Nodtveit’s involvement in the band during the mid 90’s, The Black to me was always enjoyable, but pretty derivative of the Swedish BM aesthetic. The cult vibe was there in Nodtveidt’s eerie synth work and the songs rang through with conviction and the necessary atmosphere, but I always found more worth and power in Dissection (even though both entities sound nothing alike). The Black’s lack of material throughout the years left them feeling like a one off project, more so than a full fledged band trying to refine their songwriting abilities as they forge onward. 14 years have passed since the debut and time has found The Black adopting more of a hateful, if not chaotic, modern black metal sound. Fans of Gorgoroth take note, for the churning clarity in the guitars and overall sharpness in tone is a similar breed of predator. The riff work however, is noticeably more complex and hard to initially grasp. By adding in this stylistic element to embrace this newer era of black metal, The Black have shunned any sort of atmosphere and creepiness that once was a part of their sound. Even though I’ve spun this CD several times and don’t mind some of the tracks (“Death Throes” and “A Contract Written in Ashes” are both standouts with their slower tempos and actual feeling in the riff work), the production just feels too clean. Too perfect. Too much emphasis on precision has entered this bands formula and severely neutered the overall concept of what The Black started out as. “Alongside Death” is definitely a sharp listen, one that begins to make more sense as one becomes accustomed to the songs, but really too many years of excellent black metal have come and gone for this CD to come off as anything more than “decent”. Too little, too late? –Marty
Once again, Deathspell Omega take the current day black metal listener to a realm far beyond jazz, far beyond the scales and “rules” of traditional BM or even rock guitar on the 1 track, 22 minute MCD, “Chaining the Katechon”. Very often, it sounds like the guitar is melting as atypical bends, finger taps, and a just plain bizarre playing style corrupts and augments this material into a unique breed of demon in the black metal world. Mikko Aspa from Clandestine Blaze fame still helms this misshapen and awkward vessel of sound with his burnt out gravel vocals and interesting placement of lyrics. The bends and pulling at the strings unleashes nauseous riffs that meld and twist between barren rhythmic ideas and full on precision blast beats that stop on a dime. Such a chaotic, but somehow sensibly unique style of creating a song, is fully engrossing. When the final note and beat ends, I find myself hitting play again just to see if there’s something new for me to pick out of this body of work. And as usual…. There is! It doesn’t matter if you prefer this bands older, more traditional black metal, or the artistic disheveling of the boundaries of metal, Deathspell Omega are one of the most creative and essential entities currently making music. You cannot deny their bold experimentation and obvious obsession for breaking all the rules. As always…. Excellent! –Marty
Call me an old curmudgeon, but if a band contains members that spent time in entities such as In Flames (the old stuff rules…. C’mon!), Liars in Wait, Darkified, old Dark Tranquillity, and the INCREDIBLE Miscreant… I guess I feel that a new album with those members should contain a bit of the ancient death metal spirit. I think I falsely clung to the hope that the old DM bug is still pumping through their veins going into this album for the first time… which is my perception and admittedly not something that is fair to judge a bands body of work on, other than the fact that this modernized, psuedo-thrash, borderline technically chic, borderline mall metal, and clinically perfect sounding recording just really feels like a million other bands out there right now trying to strike pay dirt with a similar, technically perfect sound. There’s definitely some VERY catchy riff work on display here, for Jesper Stromblad has always been a gifted writer, but that driving D-beat and overall lack of songwriting character between tracks makes the bulk of “He Who Shall Bleed” feel like one long, palm muted crunch dominant, unending track. Joakim Göthberg’s vocals are sufficiently scathing, finding him even dig a bit deeper on occasion for a darker death metal growl, but the bulk of his performance follows suit with the music…. Excellently performed, but generally colorless when introduced to the overall formula. Granted, this style of death influenced modern metal really isn’t my thing…. It lacks the full bodied organic grit that I tend to gravitate towards when it comes to death metal, I foresee that “He Who Shall Bleed” will appeal to a wider audience of kids just on the cusp of getting into the good stuff due to the high caliber and catchy riff work on this album. Dimension Zero.. a musical gateway drug? Perhaps… but is this really what the veterans in this bands ranks want at this stage in their career? –Marty
Damnation is eternal in the realm of Funeral Mist, and sole member Arioch (also lead screamer for Marduk… there known as “Mortuus”) has condemned you all with “Maranatha”, an 8 track descent into the dogmatic perversions of the cloth. With all the instruments (other than the drums executed by a sessions member), concept, and songwriting handled by Arioch, this CD was quite an undertaking and it shows. “Maranatha” unveils high quality black metal in the razor sharp Swedish vein. Though not focusing too closely on melody to hold ones attention as his country of origins style of black metal would suggest, Funeral Mist scours the airwaves with chaotic dissonance one minute, only for elongated riff drones to pile on the atmosphere, allowing an arsenal of vocal samples, odd synth work, and various choir snippets to come and go to maintain that unceasing feeling of spiritual perversion. It seems this release isn’t too well liked in the black metal community for some reason which seems strange to me. It truly does possess all the necessary staples of the modern genre, a very unconventional concept and layers of harsh sound that intertwine skillfully beneath the canvas of a clear, though raw production. Perhaps it’s the fact that this album plays out like a black metal themed art piece more so than straight up collection of digestible tunes. You really got to work at getting into this album and I found myself appreciating this sort of investment of listening time. “Maranatha” was particularly rewarding on headphones, for you can hear every nuance within these compositions and the forever scaring attack of Arioch’s vocal delivery. Fans of later day Marduk should appreciate this release due to his distinct vocal presence and the untamed speed blasts that do push the levels of tension on this release. There’s a very epic strand of filth woven into the fiber of this material and even though I cannot listen to this level of intensity on a daily basis, I found myself really liking what Arioch has created during his off time from Marduk. –Marty
Someone get this drummer a glass of water… his incessant blasting must get the best of him live, but it is this driving backbone that hurls the material on “Kadikalni Ateismus – Tvurcum Nadeloveka” into a firestorm of unrelenting blasphemy. The production on this album is top notch, even though that snare really pounds holes into your head due to the piercing ring of it, but this gives the album that uncomfortable feeling that should arise from good black metal. The vocals are the next item of interest. Noticeably loud in the mix, the singers deep croaking style is of the dark and twisted spoken word variety, very even keel in his performance, at times reminding me of Atilla in the way he phrases words and the overall style. The music itself is your standard black metal institution of frenzied and chaotic riffs that stir the storm of stress and agitation in the listener. This out of key noise attack makes perfect sense in this style of music, but it also makes it difficult to absorb the material, making the listeners still standing and wanting the abuse, have to dig back in numerous times to fully comprehend the “songs” that are on display. Kult Ofenzivy create 1 dimensional black metal and they do it well, allowing their over the top, dynamics be damned, writing style and overall sound, to propel them into the “keeper” pile in my collection. I’m not sure how often I’m going to spin something like this, but I have somehow enjoyed the simplistic material on display. –Marty
There’s no denying Leif Edling’s influential contribution, by way of Black Sabbath, to the past and present doom scene. The man is the ever prolific song writer, and with a “never say die” (wink wink) attitude/work ethic, he forges on with Candlemass to rekindle that bands impressive legacy post Messiah, and now with his own proper solo album. On “Songs of Torment, Songs of Joy”, Leif handles bass, guitar, and all vocal duties. The shining star of this material is really the overall tone and heaviness. Very simplistic music is on display, but the intent and the power is really prevalent, if not overwhelmingly catchy. There’s really nothing stylistically speaking on display here that musically separates this from a modern day Candlemass album, other than some funeral organ sounding keyboards that add a really nice touch to this album. I would have preferred hearing the master Robert Lowe’s (Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus) vocal stylings on this material, for even though Leif gets the job done, albeit a bit awkwardly, his vocal style is a rather subdued, gruff talking delivery that shifts in and out of key. His lack of vocal character and colorful dynamics tends to wear on me as this plodding album crawls along, but he does get the job done with little offense or foul play. For the head nodding might in the guitars and Leif’s unfaltering knack for writing powerfully memorable power chord dominant riffage, “Songs of Torment, Songs of Joy” is a worthy acquisition for fans of his full time day job. Could this material have set quite comfortably alongside Candlemass’ legacy of material? Yes… with some fine tuning for sure. –Marty
Not your stereotypical Swedish death metal band here. Skyfire opt for a much cleaner, prog metal persona in delivery and technicality, yet their compositions walk the line between complexity and strong hooks. A very punchy production unveils meaty harmonies that swim within a sea of flamboyant synth work that can be subtle, but most often finds the keyboardist showing off his chops as his fingers alight to match the precision blast beats and otherwise interesting twists in the song structures. I really have to state here that “Esoteric” really isn’t within a style of death influenced metal that I give much thought to or care about. The talent is commendable for sure, but this is where I tend to sign off on a band for being too commercial or polished. Yes, Skyfire is both of those things, but for some reason, after my initial indifference to the material on this CD, I left it in the player and started to become familiar with the music. It had a chance to get its hooks in me so to speak, for there are truly some powerful movements on this album that are very well considered and executed. Vocalist Joakim Karlsson’s delivery is a mid ranged, though completely discernable screaming style that’s always consistent and effective at highlighting the segments of music beneath him with power and clarity. Though I find the synth work on this album to be a bit excessive and far too polished to be taken all that seriously; it is the songwriting itself on “Esoteric” that eventually won me over. The riffs are bloated with memorable melodies and interesting phrases. There’s a lot of tight, palm muted crunch riffs that eventually give way to speed picking, and soaring harmonies that strike home every time with a strong sense of drama and color. Again… I’m quite surprised that I ended up liking this album, for I really tend to dislike the more mainstream side of extreme metal, but I’m a sucker for well written music and Skyfire have done their homework. Will I hunt down this bands past efforts? No. I’ll just take “Esoteric” as the personal stylistic anomaly it turned out to be for me, and pull it out of the collection maybe once a year for a dose of well written and proggy death metal. –Marty
I haven’t taken the time to check out any Obituary material since they came out of their self imposed hibernation because really, I quit caring about this US death metal juggernaut once the greatness of “Cause of Death” eroded into a long line of albums that sounded exactly the same as the 1st 2. In most cases, I can applaud a band that sticks to their guns, but when your formula is so painfully predictable, later albums can really offer nothing too spectacular once you made your mark with earlier releases. If Tardy Brothers side project band is any indication, all remains redundant on the southern front, for this grooved out death metal, though well written in the grand scheme of things, offers nothing different that couldn’t be found in another sub-par Obituary album. John Tardy’s drawn out drawl of a death moan? Check. Track after plodding track that centers around powerchord riffage and a tempo that rarely lifts its head up out of the marijuana haze, other than the energetic track, “Deep Down”? Check. Repeat the name of the song 4 times in a row chorus lines? Oh yeah… check. There’s some great grooved out moments on track like “I’m Alive” and “Fate’s Call”, accentuated by the always colorful solo work of guitarist for hire Ralph Santolla (Obituary, Deicide, Iced Earth), but again… it’s the same old formula that offers little surprise or excitement. Give me “Cause of Death”, or give me…. umm… death. –Marty
From the first listen, I loved this CD. Teitanblood could be labeled as a sinister blend of Necros Christos meets the Ross Bay cult of satanic death metal (Blasphemy, etc), for this bands style is lethal, over the top chaotic, at times sloppy, but always emitting an evil vibe that will poke unholy love into all goats within earshot. Reverb and delay soaked vocals vomit forth black incantations while the drummer unleashes a spastic barrage of blast beats. The riffage is down tuned and thick with an organic sounding distortion that is overdriven to a pure wash of fuzz, but the simplicity and intent behind the guitar lines paint a very bleak sound picture for insane solos and an unrelenting ferocity to literally explode from this CD. It is all held together by very dramatic interludes between tracks to further darken the atmosphere and give this material a welcomed dose of twisted theater. All the artwork in this impressively designed booklet is hand drawn, further embellishing the primitive nature of the material the artwork is glorifying. Perhaps this release could get overlooked by death metal fans out there looking for a more “Swedish” meatiness in tone and grooviness in execution, but Teitanblood are just simply an unholy and just plain mean force to be reckoned with. For fans of rabid, blood thirsty, and Satanic death. Don’t forget the misery! –Marty
Worm Gear 