I got to hand it to the label Unmatched Brutality, for they truly believe in the music they are upholding and spare no expense when it comes to the dismembered artwork and overall appearance of their releases. Even though I really can’t get behind this form of music anymore, their dedication is to be commended. I think all long time readers of the print era of Worm Gear and the webzine know where I stand on brutal death metal… I feel its time has largely come to pass ever since it’s bloated corpse cracked open during the mid 90’s, releasing millions of satiated maggots that all went on to emulate the forefathers of the genre. I guess that’s why it surprises me that I’m still listening to this Guttural Secrete CD as I type this. It has everything we’ve all heard before: technical/out of key guitar riffs that give way to heavy break downs that’ll get the circle pits circling like carrion over a ruptured roadkill, guttural vocals and the periodic movie voice samples to drive the depravity home. Yeah… it’s all here, but I keep listening because Guttural Secrete really bleeds their craft well. The vocals aren’t completely typical… Perhaps a lot sicker than you average mic cupper. The music fits the brutal aesthetic to the point of being a little too formula friendly, but out of the triggered drums and exacting fretboard work, some memorable riffs and interesting structures arise from the seeping mash of fantastical human gore. I even found myself air guitaring a bit as I sat at my desk, pondering the fate of the CD still pounding away at my disbelief. “Reek of Pubescent Despoilment” is in everyway the same old redundant brutal death we’ve all come to endure, but this band put some time into crafting actual songs that kept me interested in the direction of each track. Fans of Mortal Decay, Disgorge and the like take note. – Marty
UNMATCHED BRUTALITY
Gorgoroth – Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Yet another short, though diversely throttling album from Norway’s Gorgoroth. Aside from 8 tracks of creatively scribed and unique black metal, vocalist Gaahl is yet again the most notable and over the top element of this band. With music that embraces elements of thrash, death and cryptically torturous black metal, one needs a vocalist that can offer just as much diversity at the mic and Gaahl spews forth the goods without missing a step. His scathing and perverse highs are at the forefront of his delivery, but brutal lows and other such maniacal screams seem to spring forth from his being as if to open wide the gates and summon the dark lord himself. Gorgoroth’s music is built upon all the genres of music previously mentioned, which all congeal into a very organic/ravenous beast of prey. Gorgoroth continue to alternate between 1or 2 riff maximum songs such as the menacing “Sign of and Open Eye”, to the deeply penetrating dimension of “Prosperity and Beauty” where power chords offer the low foundation for more traditional Norwegian black metal harmonies to drift in for that melodically hypnotic trait. Speed sits quite comfortably alongside depressive mids and even slower tempo structures to further unlock the endlessly complex guitar work that buzzes between technically proficient riff ideas, to the burnt out roots of barren/dissonant chords that ruthlessly assault the senses. Sinister and sadistic to the blackened core, Gorgoroth offer yet another unique and punishing album that seems to take on a new shape every time I listen to it. The abyss lies open, dark and putrid and your worship of “Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam” is the next logical step in hurling your soul into its beckoning depths. – Marty
CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
Giant Squid – Metridium Fields
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
I’ve often heard about the eclectic and thriving Austin, Texas music scene and I must say Giant Squid is my first positive experience with this geographical musical hotspot. Giant Squid really strikes me as the type of band that desires to, and has in a lot of ways, tore down some mighty walls between segregated musical genres. The foundation of this bands sound is undeniably stoner rock by nature, with heavy emphasis on the “rock”, but they take the plodding Billy Anderson production and emerge with “Neonate” that begins its fascination as a well composed and dreamy lounge lizard type of song. The subtle horn section and shoe gaze type of vibe finally falls away to embrace a heavy guitar riff, but the band continues their exciting exploration by working in 70’s analog synth lines for that under the big top atmosphere. It all seems so odd and absurd to bend the laws of musical genre characteristics and specifics, but Giant Squid have taken the challenge and opened a few new doors with their well considered and engaging songwriting skills. Pitch male vocals co-exist with a soothing female croon from a woman that possesses the quality of pipes to have fronted Mazzy Star, or other such airy shoe gazer type bands. Fans of avant-garde bands such as Beyond Dawn, or the crushing thunder brought by the musical shaman in Neurosis, or even Isis should easily be drawn to this bands roomy production and gift for creating atypical compositions that’ll leave the listener filled with artistic wonder. “Metridium Fields” is the perfect album for those cold, gray rainy days. – Marty
THE END RECORDS
Fairyland – The Fall of an Empire
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Why I continue to give this genre a chance is beyond me, but symphonic power metal is about as interesting as listening to Danger Danger on repeat. OK… I’ll give them the darker fantasy imagery as being marginally more interesting as the aforementioned band, or maybe even Warrant’s “Cherry Pie”, but this well-groomed, noodley synth “metal” always makes me laugh 30 seconds into every album. Usually when the vocalist with chick hair cuts in with a smooth and effeminate… I mean “passionate” croon, is when I start the laughing. It’s impossible not to. Anyway’ if you like Italian power metal like Rhapsody with a heavy dose of German power metal harmonies and affinity for wankey synth lines, then Fairyland’s “The Fall of an Empire” is the latest cookie to slide out of the cutter. I like old and good power metal stuff, or even some of the more developed modern bands (Lost Horizon anyone?), but this material is just weak. From the band name to every note on this album… borrowed. Boring. There be no testes swimming around in that there sac. Fairyland? Nuff said. -Marty
NAPALM RECORDS
The Accused – Interview
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
I fondly recall hearing “Martha Splatterheads Maddest Stories ever told”, my first ever exposure to The Accused, shortly after the albums release, in the passengers seat of a rusting, blue, Mazda wagon. We should have been in school, but instead we were spending money meant to go for food, on music. The thundering bass and vicious/viscous tearing of vocal membranes that start the album off will always remain as one of the most eye opening and chill inducing moments in my early extreme music exploration. The catchiness and utterly savage strike of The Accused is a timeless gift from the crossover scene. At the crossroads where thrash and hardcore paused to mutilate each other, The Accused triumphed over all the rest of the bands in this genre with their gift for writing memorable and technically tricky riffs with almost effortless structures to give the allure of zombified and horror soaked punk, while the crippling double bass work and messy throat action of Blaine Fart dipped manically into the metal realm. The union was amazing and so was my backward discovery of this bands catalog on my journey to consume every song ever unearthed by Seattle’s savage sons of “Splatterock”.
Hearing that the band was poised to reform, filled me with intense doubt. Let’s face it… Reunions hardly ever work. For The Accused to reform and release an album worth of half assed, thrash by numbers music for the sake of nostalgia stood to taint a nearly flawless legacy in my eyes. Enter, “Oh Martha!” …14 tracks from an old band, sounding just as fresh, intense and vital as they did all those years ago in the front seat of that Mazda. Empowered by the recording and mixing talents of Seattle legend Jack Endino, “Oh Martha!” is a full-throttled strike of old thrashing hardcore… the kind that the fans who were there to witness its explosion, wish it never went away. The album is stripped down, honest and full of all the splatterock hooks and precision palm muted tremolo riffs that we’ve come to expect from The Accused. Repeated listens breeds an even closer connection to the music, past and present, of The Accused. Even though it sounds like this return to the firing line may be the bands epitaph, I for one am thankful for their efforts, for they came back just long enough to show the “scene” that music can still be fun, punishing and most importantly, that thrashing hardcore can still be a viable/ individualistic medium of expression in the 21st century. The following interview is a result of an email conversation that happened some time ago with lead screamer, Blaine Cook. Enjoy. -Marty
Welcome Blaine. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that The Accused were reforming. What’s the feeling in the band? Would you agree the hunger to create this style of music is still a vibrant part of your life?
It’s in my blood to shriek and scream and growl with loud guitars and pounding drums. I still crave hardcore music. More so making it than listening to it. At this point The Accused as most people knew the band has ended. We got back together played a string of really great shows had the opportunity to connect with some old friends and make some new ones along the way. The best thing that came out of the deal is that we were able to record a record/CD. And true to our original hardcore roots we put the thing out ourselves. Unlike the original Martha Splatterhead EP that had a pressing of 500 this new CD has a pressing of 5,000. Just like the EP, once these 5,000 are gone, that might be it.
How difficult is it to balance your responsibilities between band and family? Especially handling all the management and CD promotion on your own…
With the internet and the limited scope of what we can or could actually do, the responsibilities aren’t that great. This worldwide web shit is great. No more mailing letters or horrendous long distance phone bills. What we had this time around was almost like a turnkey operation. We’ve gotten a lot of support from long time fans. We’ve had stuff done for us that would’ve cost other bands thousands of dollars. I really respect and appreciate all that has been done for this band. Things would’ve been different if we were a touring band. But, with all the guys having regular jobs, homes, and families we were pretty limited as to how much time we were going to invest in the band.
I would say that the world is a better place with the Accused back together, for this style of music really was lost to the ages it seems before “Oh Martha!” came out. What are your thoughts regarding the popularity of death and black metal, not to mention the swelling crop of metal-core? Where does Splatterrock fit in the big picture? I for one really desire for the extreme music world to reset itself back to a more exciting era where bands possessed their own identity…
I agree with you that many of the newer bands lack their own identity. What’s really changed is the quiver of influences that bands have to draw from. Something that definitely didn’t exist in our heyday. These days the music seems to be so compartmentalized that every little variation warrants a new genre or sub-genre. That’s what most bands used to try to stay away from. That’s why we used the term Splatterock for our music. We never felt limited in what we could or couldn’t do with our sound. It’s very refreshing to see this resurgence of metal core or bandana core. Putting a little fun back into it. Not having to be so freaking serious all of the time.
Tell us what you were up to during the years post Accused.
After The Accused I got some of my buddies together and we had a band called The Black Nasty. We played around town for a few years. This was at the peak of the grunge thing so the interest in another hardcore band wasn’t that great. And no one really gave a shit that the band was fronted by me. Beyond that just living life to it’s fullest.
I’ve been following The Fartz… is that band now laid to rest due to The Accused being back together? There were definite similarities between the 2 bands, but The Fartz maintained more of a simplistic punk aesthetic.
The timing worked out in kind of a weird way that a few months after the bass player and original Fartz member Steve Fart bailed on us we pieced The Accused back together. The Fartz were a simpler band… nothing hugely dynamic about the songs. Just really straight forward in your face stuff. Right now the drummer for The Fartz, Karl, is playing in a band called Infect with former members of Portrait of Poverty… another northwest hardcore band. Alex Maggot Brain, The Accused bass player, The Fartz guitar player after we had to replace the original guitarist Paul Solger, is now playing with me and the drummer off of the Oh Martha disc, Steve O’ring Nelson in a new deal called Toe Tag.
It’s great to hear Tommy back in the fold and writing those memorable razor sharp riff lines. His playing style is a huge part of The Accused… could this reunion worked without everyone back in place?
The reunion wouldn’t have happened without Tom, Alex, and myself. We really lucked out when we hooked up with one of our old drummers. Everything we did is a combined effort and without that it would never work.
The Accused survived through metal’s rise to popularity during an era where the musical climate was a lot different here in America sans Internet. How would you compare the days when you were on the road with GBH for example, to what’s going on today? Is there much difference between the clubs and the people that go to them (turnouts, etc)?
There are a lot more bands out there that tour their asses off to stay competitive. I see that things have become more solid and business like. Back in the days you’d never expect to get any bottles of water on stage and you’d experience many a hassle when it came time to getting paid. This time around things went so smooth it was beautiful. For the crowds that we’ve played for it’s mostly been old fans. We did some all ages shows where you’d think the kids might be interested in trying something old that’s new again. When we hit the stage the room was empty.
This could be a related question, but what made you choose to release this album on your own? Advantages? Disadvantages? There was early talk of you signing with Relapse Records… what factors swayed your decision?
That decision in the end was one that was based on the culture of the band. Our best move would’ve been to sign with Relapse. The guys at Relapse are a real dedicated bunch that is really into the music. While I’ve enjoyed promoting and selling this new project, we would’ve gotten a whole lot more out of it had we gone with Relapse. In the end our decision was still a good one as we probably wouldn’t have been able to support the release as much as they might have wanted us to.
Image is an important factor to a band and the Accused have always rallied around very talented artists when it comes to album art. Oh Martha! Is no exception… please discuss the logistics of getting so many artists involved in the design of this CD insert. Were you familiar with each persons work before approaching them to come up with something? What Martha portraits are your favorite in the insert?
The CD insert is one of the best things about this disc. Many of the artists I was in contact with as we were planning on releasing a second issue of the Martha Splatterhead comic book. These guys and one gal worked so hard and quickly to get that booklet done. It was amazing. If you can believe that the whole thing came together in a matter of five weeks. I contacted everyone with a list of the songs and a brief synopsis of the lyrical content. I knew that some of the songs would be better suited for a particular artist. Once the songs were divided up I send everyone an advance copy of the new material. Before I knew it the art started coming in. We had the good fortune to have a buddy down in Texas who is a graphic artist put all of the stuff together. My favorite panels are the one for Hooker Fortified Pork Products, Slow Death, Life Kills On, Crappassreality. Damn I like every one of them. They each possess a sense of individuality that really goes well with the music.
I was wondering the reasons behind re-recording some classics from your debut EP. It was exciting to hear these songs again with a more powerful production behind them…
Why not? We were approaching the 20 year anniversary of the release of the Martha Splatterhead EP. Those tracks were recorded live in the studio with no overdubs or any other studio trickery.
To what extent is this reunion going to run? Will Martha have even more escapades after the dust settles on this album? There have been some loose rumors running about the net that The Accused has already broke up again… care to uphold, or dispel this?
At this point the accused as you know it is over. I won’t get into the interpersonal, social reasons that this happened. What I can say is that the past two years have really been great. We’ve been treated really well and it’s been a real pleasure for me to know that The Accused has achieved some cult status. We may never be regarded in the same light as a C.O.C. or DRI. I know now that we have made our mark and there’s no taking that away.
Extinction Agenda – The Grace Defile
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Having blossomed into a full band, MA’s Extinction Agenda continue onward into the firestorm of modern day blackened thrash metal ravenously chewing through the airwaves with their own blend of Destruction meets Tankard meets the good old US of A sponsored aggression. “Patron Saint of Chainsaws” is a certified scorcher and probably the best track I’ve heard from this band with its razor sharp riff work and unshakable, bottom heavy, distorted bass tone which does make it’s presence felt for all 4 tracks on this MCD. Scott Iconslaughter’s shouted vocal style never sounds weak or out of place as his discernable yells effectively fan the flames of total consumption and urgency in this music. A tight drum performance holds everything together as Extinction Agenda hurl riff after hard hitting riff at you, piling on the technical proficiency, yet never straying away from memorable hooks or other deep content sure to stick in the listeners brain. Where bands like Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust take the late 80’s thrash influence and add a pinch of tongue in cheek fun to it (don’t get me wrong, I still appreciate both bands), there is a close feeling of seriousness to beheld on “The Grace Defile” it seems Extinction Agenda are doing all they can to literally kill us all with their music. That kind of intensity is impossible to ignore. -Marty
Email: exagenda@veribox.net
Web: http://www.myspace.com/extinctionagenda
Everscathed, The – Razors of Unrest
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Out of the ashes of Enmortem and Corpsevomit, arises the old school death metal stench of The Everscathed. “Razors of Unrest” instantly struck me as very much an early 90’s Florida death metal derivative due to catchy, mid-paced riff ideas and a completely clean bass tone that shines through the mix to give this material a thundering presentation. It’s funny… if this band was active in 1990, I know I would have been all over them. Since so much time has passed and death metal has evolved into a messy hyper speed affair of out of key turbo brutality, death metal as found on “Razors of Unrest” really isn’t that common anymore. Due to the fact this band isn’t from back in the day nor are they something that I found a lot of personal connection to due to living with their music for years, I really went into this album with a skeptics ear. After 4 uninterrupted listens, I finally rewound my brain back 1 decade to fully enjoy The Everscathed’s unfaltering upholding of well-written, blast-less US death metal and it turned out to be quite a breath of fresh air. The Everscathed stick to the mid-paced and heavy push in their delivery and this allows them to put a lot more depth and interesting twists into the guitar work. The fastest they go, is an energetic thrash beat for a touch of much needed dynamics to rise up against the double bass dominant foundation found in all their songs. Vocally, a mid-ranged rasp leads the tattered charge and W. Frickenstein centers his inspiration around the drawn out eeeeyyoooowwwllsss of one John Tardy (Obituary). This influence is most apparent on tracks like “Wounds of Confusion” and “Shackled by Failure”, where he really draws out his phrasing and digs into the harshness and guttural density to sound a lot like Tardy, but with a far cleaner pronunciation of the lyrics. The Everscathed could have been yet another visionless and “brutal” band ala Cannibal Corpse clone # 6000, but they instead chose to center their efforts on writing melody based death metal that is bloated with heart and a conviction for what seems to be a dying art form. “Razors of Unrest” should appeal to those of you that still regularly spin your Obituary, Resurrection and Brutality albums, for all intensive purposes, The Everscathed sound like they were striving to recreate a working blend of all 3 bands. Ground breaking? Nope. Dated, but enjoyable regardless. -Marty
OPEN GRAVE RECORDS
Enslaved – Ruun
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
By jove… I think they’ve got it! You could tell that ever since “Monumension” was released, that the ever challenging Enslaved fancied themselves as “one with the prog”. Whether they successfully achieved this open minded sense of cross pollination or not is still up for debate, but after a brief pit stop on the amazing “Isa” where the band peered into their Voivodian well of creativity, “Ruun” has come along quickly to rekindle Enslaved’s journey into 70’s prog rock experimentation. With the incredibly warm and analog tone found on this album, it seems like they finally hit the right mix of atypical black metal and the aforementioned 70’s rock vibe. Grutle’s scathing vocals remain the unshakable black metal contingent in Enslaved’s sound and frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. His hell-pipes remain as one of my fave deliveries in the genre, but the inclusion of even more tasteful clean/pitch vocal backing lines really adds a nice contrast. The riffs themselves remain awkward, but so much more simplistic and unencumbered by blast beats (there are 1 or 2 only found on here thankfully), as if the rock vibe finally clicked in their minds as they were writing for this album. Add some organ sounds to creep in beneath the warm blanket of guitars and you have a very organic, even nurturing album that offers even more surprises as Enslaved continue to incorporate the Viking spirit in with the final mix. This influence is found in clean, slightly folk inspired guitar lines where the pitch singing seems its most powerful. Enslaved simply possess their own interestingly unique way of writing and Ruun is no exception. Honestly, “Isa” is a very difficult and awkward album to follow-up due to the powerful songwriting and moments of intensity found on that release (easily my 2nd fave album in their catalog, ranking in closely behind “Eld”). You go from something so grating and tense, to the endlessly flowing warmness of “Ruun”, the album initially feels rather anti-climatic. Face it… not 1 single Enslaved album is “easy” to initially comprehend. Like any well developed band worth a shit, you have to work at it a bit to fully realize the headspace needed to lock in on the artists intentions. Definitely fight through the urge to write Ruun off, for repeated listens unlocks the golden material in the form of monstrous riffwork, unshakable hooks and a sacred sense of the bizarre that is at the core of all of Enslaved’s albums. Ruun maintains an atmosphere that comes off as completely unique to me and you simply know the band is proud of this work, for I feel they finally realized where they were going on their long musical journey. Excellent. -Marty
CANDLELIGHT
Ensepulchred – The Night our Rituals Blackened the Stars
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
“Had Emperor had Xasthur as an influence back in the mid 90’s, Ensepulchred would be the outcome.” A rather bold/interesting proclamation indeed, but Ensepulchred simply cannot live up to the hype expressed in the bio. For one thing, “The Night our Rituals Blackened the Stars” is very 1 dimensional… that right there nixes both the Emperor and Xasthur comparisons in one fell swoop. Stylistically, Xasthur is the closest point of reference, for Ensepulchred maintains a synth heavy underground black metal persona, but where Malefic dooms the listener with infinite layers of dread and atmosphere with his keyboard use, Ensepulchred favors using the instrument rather 1 dimensionally. The synth lines act as the main guitar riff for every song and the mechanically altered guitar tone (they possess a very processed/industrial quality) is very minimal in attendance, often lurking off in the back ground beneath the cold veil of technology, if there is any guitar in the song at all. The style in which the keyboards are used are also very simplistic, focusing on progressions that are based on 1 finger melodies. Chords are seemingly never used which also makes this release feel very shallow. The drum machine sounds equally as lifeless due to the lack of musical layers which generally mask the thin/rhythmically sterile nature of rudimentarily programmed patterns. The electronically distorted vocal style is the only element on this album that I actually appreciated the most, for it’s the one thing that possesses an organic feel within the screamers mid-ranged, black metal rasp, even though the sameness in his lyrical placement and delivery does become tiresome by the midway point of this album. “The Night our Rituals Blackened the Stars” earns a few points for trying something different from the rest of the underground black metal realm, but their songs are greatly lacking in just about every category to make this album even remotely interesting. The songs all sound the same and it’s hard to find the ambition or desire to put on something for a closer inspection when you know a band puts all their cards on the table during the 1st song. – Marty
AUTOPSY KITCHEN RECORDS
Elvenking – The Winter’s Wake
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Initial spinning of this album indicated a Swedish location due to the thick guitar sound and twin guitar melodies often unearthed in that sector of the globe, but once I discovered that Elvenking was Italy based, I am once again amazed at how deeply the impact of Swedish metal has infected the globe. Musically, there’s a definite feeling of upbeat happiness flowing throughout the lengthy 11 songs which is to be expected from a power metal band, but add the virtuoso level of synth accompaniment (IE: using the keyboards at times like a solo instrument) and the energetic pitch singing and things really start to lose my interest. Mid-paced dominant music with various folk elements/instruments like a fiddle and acoustic guitar really offer a unique strain of musical influence when dealing with power metal, but once again, the feel good push of this material, as Elvenking attempt to lead us into their fantasy realm, finally makes me angry enough to be further bothered by all the trendy power metal staples that eventually enter this bands sound. Gang yelled chorus’ … jesus… It’s like nails on the chalkboard. Add uninteresting lyrical deliveries that follow the music to the point where each syllable is glued to every drum hit, or melodic movement in the guitar work. Even though the singer possesses a bluesy pitch style and refrains from falsetto wailing, his delivery still puts me in mind of the early 90’s glam era… add that to a heavy guitar tone and it’s 2 tastes that really sound fucked together. I can see connoisseurs of power metal really appreciating Elvenking for their musical diversity and somewhat more folked out approach to the genre, but really, I couldn’t wait for “The Winter’s Wake” to end and by mid album, really began to feel intolerant to this bands sound. Give me old Helloween, Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian. At least when they dig in with the cheesy elements found on every power metal album ever made, it seems much more acceptable to me since all the aforementioned bands helped create that style and backed it all up with aggression in their music and atmosphere. -Marty
CANDLELIGHT
Downlord – Random Dictionary of the Damned
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Aside from an abysmally terrible, triggered drum sound and overall bizarre/lopsided production, the songs on “Random Dictionary of the Damned” are a 100% improvement over the teched out, go nowhere material found on both demos released on 1 CD slammed elsewhere in the Worm’s digital lair. Downlord must have sat down and gave their older songs some serious scrutiny, for the intricacies are still very much a part of this bands riffing style, but the songs themselves are overall much more simplistic in structure, giving the riffs room to breath and even produce a hook or 2. Dave Ingram sounds like a good fit on this album, maintaining his trademark Benediction death howls and sounding completely like himself and completely unique for the death grind genre. His words are discernable and his straight forward delivery feels like the foundation this band can build off from in any direction, knowing that whatever they come up with, will already be something standing just outside the current flavor of the month in the extreme metal realm, simply because they possess a vocalist with a time tested style. Hearing him at the helm of this band teleports my thoughts back to the glory of death metal/grinds heyday and this feeling transcends, successfully giving Downlord an appealing old school presence. Some interesting riff ideas give birth to even more atypical harmonies and even some unexpected music breaks/time signatures that all work together to give “Random Dictionary of the Damned” a much deserved sense of excitement. In fact, the more I’ve spun this album, the more I notice clever/impressive guitar work that subtly writhes within this bassy/DIY sounding production. I will admit that Downlord are a style of band that I don’t listen to as much anymore, unless of course it’s a classic album from this genre’s early days, but they have adopted enough of the old spirit, where I can easily connect with their sound/ideas and even feel the desire to keep spinning this album long after this review is completed. Good stuff… In fact, this has been the 1st Open Grave CD that has made me raise and eyebrow. Let’s hope there’s even more exciting music on the horizon for both camps. – Marty
OPEN GRAVE RECORDS
Downlord – Grind Trials – The Demos EP
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Overall sound and technical proficiency with your instrument used to simply be enough in a young and developing death metal/grind scene for a band to turn the heads of those of us who acted like ravenous metal infants… eager to learn more, and absorb every new sound that happened to be erupting from the underground. As the years have passed and our metal world continues to explode into an overpopulated mess of identity lacking redundancy, I personally need something so much more than a heavy sound, an amazing drum performance, or a screamer in the line-up that used to be in some scene sculpting bands. Downlord, featuring Dave Ingram on vocals (ex-Benediction and Bolt Thrower), is the latest victim in a long line of bands trying to capitalize on members former musical achievements to forward their new musical cause. “Grind Trials – The Demos EP” contains both of Downlord’s demos in an attempt to hold us over until their debut full-length for Open Grave Records surfaces sometime in 2007. Both demos suffer from lackluster production which normally wouldn’t bother me, but the production places far too much emphasis on a triggered drum kit (great personal drum performance though) and Ingram’s muddled screaming style which comes off as a definite departure from his sharp and very characteristic death yelling style as found on “Transcend the Rubicon” for example, among others. After careful listening, it still sounds like Dave, but perhaps he’s screaming with a sock in his mouth, or attempting to match the intensity of the music by pushing his vocal chords into a realm of pain that he simply cannot accommodate. “Intensity…” the perfect adjective that explains the music on display, but unfortunately, the tight and technically amazing drum performance cannot hide the fact that there simply aren’t any (or very few) riffs here that present enough interest, or memorable ideas to create an actual “song”. The songs just aren’t here; instead, we have 7 tracks of formulamatic, musically perplexing technique without substance. The weapons are definitely here for Downlord to strike out with death/grind vengeance, but someone forgot to give the band ammunition. The musical ideas alternate between chugging, palm muted verses and a definite death thrash based tremolo speed picking, but the bands fixation on out of key ideas presents a sameness to infect every track on both demos. You could literally listen to “Loathe. Scorn. Detest.” (The leadoff track on this EP) once and hear everything Downlord have to offer. Continuing onward only offers 6 more tracks that sound like the same song, just restructured a bit for those of you actually taking the time to pick this apart. It’s a tired sound/style that truly needs powerful musical content to make a dent in a long line of bands that came before them and already did this sound and style 100 times better. Downlord have missed the mark. Taking into consideration that this release is an introduction to the band, it is my hope that Downlord can be critical of their own work and realize that they’ll really need to bring something a lot more filling to the table for their debut. – Marty
OPEN GRAVE RECORDS
Dismember – The God that Never Was
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Sounds like Dismember. Plain and simple. This band is the longstanding cornerstone and benchmark for Swedish death metal and to hear them in 2006 still putting out a full album worth of well sculpted material that’s just as true to their core as their debut album, is beyond an impressive feat. “The Gods that Never Was” was captured on CD by Sweden’s Dug Out studios (Meshuggah, Dark Funeral) and even though I really enjoy the full throttled attack and room ambience of the sound, the guitars seem a bit too roomy. Not enough high end bite (As found on Pieces or Like an Ever Flowing Stream for example) cuts through the mix, so the drums and vocals tend to bury the guitars. This is most noticable on the faster, note dominant riffs, but in turn, the mid paced powerchord stompers really possess a full bodied “WHUMP” when there’s crunching. I will say that as the years go by, Dismember does subtly continue to develop their sound, for each album seems to contain even more refined harmonies within the individual songs and there’s no denying David Blomqvist’s love for melodic and memorable solo work. Tracks like “Autopsy” really showcase Dismember at their most vicious and melodic where Blomqvist digs in with several very heartfelt solos that pile on the class and help elevate the detuned clamor of old style death metal out of the past and into the fiery flames of the future. Death metal doesn’t have to go 100 mph all the time –a crutch often embraced by the new school – for Dismember continue to produce impressively written albums without losing the listener with out of key riff ideas hurled into redundancy by an over the top sense of brutality. There is a fine line between blind brutality and poignant songwriting and Dismember have somehow gotten it right almost every time (I did dislike the overly simplistic Massive Killing Capacity) for 17 years now. Bravo! I liked the last album, like “The God that Never Was” and if Dismember stays on course, I’ll definitely like the next album as well. – Marty
CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
Destruction – Thrash Anthems
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
I honestly don’t get releases like this, or why a classic band would want to invest the time and cash to even undertake such an endeavor. “Thrash Anthems” is a 15 track, best of/career retrospect so to speak where 2 new songs sit alongside 13 of Destructions genre defining old songs, but completely re-recorded to represent their more modern, Abyss Studios, Peter Tagtgren crunchy thin guitar buzzing, clicky triggered drum snap, “The rebirth of Destruction” sound. I gotta admit… I had many misgivings regarding Destruction’s, or any once dominating band for that matter, reformation. It always feels like a cash grab to me and the bands in question generally slag their old stuff saying it was immature music with an immature sound, but their more modern metal, tough guy persona is what they always wanted to play. Fucking whatever! Destruction never discredited their older material and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked a large amount of their reunion CDs which found them firmly upholding their superior thrash roots. Granted… I rarely listen to them. Looking back at Destructions past efforts, of all the classic releases from “Sentence of Death” all the way to “Release From Agony”, to me, all the releases sound great (with the exception of Release… love the material, but I always thought that one sounded too clean and kind of clunky) and the way they should sound, holding up amazingly well even today. Even though it has been interesting to hear “Invincible Force”, “Bestial Invasion”, “Death Trap” and “Curse the Gods” with a new paint job so to speak, really… is there anything here that would force me away from the original recordings? Hell no! Not even a shiney new rendition of “Cracked Brain” with Schmeir? OK… that was kind of interesting… a glimpse into the 4th Destruction full-length that COULD HAVE been? The answer remains NO! I guess I’d be more impressed if they played all this stuff live, which they may on this tour, but having all of this sitting on my local corporate CD shop’s rack really isn’t enough to inspire me to want to run out and buy it. “Thrash Anthems” must be geared towards new Destruction converts who didn’t bask in the glory days of this technical marvels youth and are hungry to delve back to see how this band built their empire. I will say… Schmeir sounds in top form. Mike remains an overlooked 666 stringed god and Destruction still has “it”. The fake/triggered sounding drum kit really kills this for me, but in hindsight…. This disc does do its job, making me want to listen to the originals as soon as I’m done with this review. So with no further adieu… -Marty
CANDLELIGHT USA
Asschapel – Fire & Destruction
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
I was really looking forward to this one. Twelve new furious, metalized, yet punk friendly sermons. Grating screams, and throaty growls roar commandingly over mid to fast paced riffing. The blasting sections have a more Hardcore feel to much of the drums than say a Grind feel, where the guitars are a bit more on the metal side of the equation, and the overall energy of the release to me is more in line with some of the Swedish HC scene or those that have fallen under its spell. Then you have song titles like “Approach The Casket,” “Carcass, Bloody Carcass” and “The Sledgehammer Assault” to further muddy the waters of what they are going for. But it’s irrelevant really because it has an appeal for any of the literal or suggested influences at work here. The writing revolves around an urgency and energy to drive it, but there are some great slow hooks mixed in with the faster bits, and they uses elements of melody and dissonance to further the range of the tracks. It’s an infectious record, and I would imagine would be a great show to see, the movement and writing is structured really effectively for both crushing hooks and blast beats, without coming off as tired and typical at all. – Scott
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
Destruction – Inventor of Evil
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
There’s no denying the timeless music found on the the debut mini LP and 1st 3 full-length classic Destruction albums. I never… ever… get tired of listening to those releases and such a ravenous beginning has indeed carved the name “Destruction” in stone to be remembered by the metal legions forever. I won’t even mention “Cracked Brain” and the other 2 Schmier-less albums after that, for that to me wasn’t Destruction. I will say that I’ll always be the first to discredit modern day reformations of once influential bands. Something happens over the years to the people behind the music. Their world and life outlook changes. They grow up. They overthink their older music. They try to modernize and “advance” their music for the reunion and in turn, end up dumbing down their entire legacy. The results are often dissapointing, if not laughable. But not Destruction. Schmier returns to the fold and it seem like the creative spark is once again ignited in Mike’s impressive riff ideas and atypical songwriting. Such a gifted and simply “odd” player. Sometimes his riffs make sense, but are just a bit off to keep the listener intently trained on every turn in the song. Other times, the complexity in his playing is best to be experienced and not neccessarily comprehended, for the depth and complexity in his tremolo fills and choppy, out of time riff ideas offer something different every time you listen to them. Even though he may not be as “out there” as found on the 1st 3 albums, ever since this band has re-united, every album has sounded like Destruction. No doubt about who you were listening to. “Inventor of Evil”… sounds like Destruction. Excellent riffs are once again found that lurch in and out of the simplistic and the bizarre. If anything, this band has found more of a happy medium over the years. They can craft more normal songs/song structures these days without losing their trademark sound. “Inventor of Evil” does pile on the thrashy crunch as on the slightly predictable “No Man’s Land”, “The Chosen Ones”, among others, but the band still holds onto a burning conviction that somehow makes even the less exciting/interesting songs seem relevant. There’s certainly nothing here that’ll demand me to spin “Inventor of Evil” over “Infernal Overkill” or “Eternal Devastation”, but I have enjoyed all of the Schmier led reunion albums and I will definitely keep this album in rotation after this review is completed. In closing, there’s an allstar gathering for the track “Alliance of Hellhoundz” where the singers for Dimmu Borgir, Soilwork, Hypocricy, Candlemass, Death Angel, Saxon, Rage, Paul DiAnno and Doro Pesch all step up to the mic for a screaming session. That’s an awful lot of metal superstar for your metal dollar for those of you who care about such things. – Marty
CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
Deathspell Omega – Kenose
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Such an engaging and utterly creative listening experience, the France meets Finland union of Deathspell Omega has produced some agonizing and mind bending results. Much more refined and musical than say, Blut Aus Nord, but both bands somehow exist upon the same plane of musical torment, with Deathspell edging out the competition by actually working within a framework/structure that could be considered “musical”. But this band makes the listener pay dearly for the chance to comprehend the musical nature of their sound, for they somehow arrive at structured tunes by way of heaving these disjointed and technically maddening riff ideas at you with the intent to destroy or pervert your senses to behold another dimension. The twistingly coiled guitar work is completely amazing in its depth and intent as note fragments swirl into a greater body of sound that produces uneasing musical phrases, which seem not of this world. Imagine the horrific, blood lusting world/dimension portrayed in Hellraiser 2 and this is a state of existence Deathspell Omega is successful in placing the listener in. This disorienting state is further compound by the charred and completely great vokills of one Mikko Aspa of Clandestine Blaze fame. His performance is so dirty and completely vile, he is quick on the path to dethroning Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone) as my favorite BM screamer. In fact, their styles are similar in the mid-ranged register of screaming, but Mikko just introduces so much more of a tormented angle to his delivery and it so perfectly amplifies the dismay upheld by Deathspell Omega. From the aforementioned layered note ideas that combine to form this diseased and mind altering atmosphere, D.O. then kills the madness to fall into clean guitar work that focus on simplistic note lines which offer a bit of beauty to lay down next to the beast. This open minded sense of dynamics and musical diversity points to a form of musical genius that is rarely EVER explored in the underground black metal medium of expression and Deathspell Omega are to be endlessly praised for this bold experimentation. Arising from their impressive, though genre derivative roots, Deathspell Omega are the next level of evolution for black metal and this 3 song, 37 minute MCD is a glimpse into a future filled with promise and apocalyptic visions. – Marty
AJNA/SOUTHERN LORD/NORMA EVANGELIUM DIABOLI
Dark Funeral – Attera Totus Sanctus
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Dug Out Studios (Sweden)… they produce some full sounding albums, but seem to place too much emphasis on the drums. As found on Dismember’s “The God that Never Was” and now “Attera Totus Sanctus”, the drums are once again clear, but far too loud in the mix so that many of the speed freaking blast beats hurl megatons of sonic earth and debris around to conceal the riff ideas choking beneath the pile of sound. I will say that even though crushing speed all the time often turns me off and Dark Funeral really hasn’t put out an album that I truly have given a shit about since “Vobiscum Satanas” (the bands 2nd full-length), “Attera Totus Sanctus” succeeds in spite of the unrelenting/visionless speed and lop sided production values. One improvement since the last time I heard an album by this band is that bassist/vocalist Emperor Magnus Caligula has adopted more of a throaty/rasp yelling style that just seems a lot more unstable (in a good way) than the more standard black metal shrieks that has been at the core of his delivery for ages. The music remains Dark Funeral formula 101, consisting of track upon track of tremolo riff dominant, inhuman speed assults. This alone makes the tracks, and often times the albums created by this band to come off as sounding interchangable, yet Lord Ahriman somehow pulled some memorable hooks out of his ass yet again to stave off the calling of the death knell for this band yet again. By the time track 5 rolls around we finally get a breather in the form of a double bass dominant, mid-pace structured track that finds some simlistic harmonies creeping out of the mix to finally give the listener a much deserved reprieve. The song is actually quite moving with all the layers and guitar ideas swirling about. Dark Funeral seem to be quite effective at changing up their delivery to bring some new ideas to the table… I wish they would do this more than simply praying to satan that their drummers joints hold out for the recording of the album and the ensuing tour that follows it. I’m actually surprised that I didn’t mind “Attera Totus Sanctus” at all, when the last few albums from Sweden’s Dark Funeral seemed lackluster in every way. I guess I’m just surprised anyone even cares about this stuff anymore. Do you? – Marty
CANDLELIGHT RECORDS
Cumchrist – Cumplete
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
With song titles like: “Mary had a Little Clam”, “Vaginal Bloodfarts” and “Crucifixion must hurt like a Bitch”, I wasn’t expecting anything more than a joke, and Cumchrist delivered. Sadly, it’s not a funny joke, just incredibly sad as this band rips along in a “brutal” death metal vein hauled even further down into the slop by a 13 year old level of blasphemy.
Exibit A:
Lyrics for: “Jesus was an Angry Drunk”
Not many people know, christ was an angry drunk.
He liked to beat up chicks
He liked to puke and fuck
Kicked out of every bar,
Put on his holy ass
He borrowed 20 bucks
He never paid me back.
Haha… ha..h.. aaa. Uhhh
The lyrics, artwork and various samples littered throughout this release are far from offensive… they’re just lame. The vocals are the typical deep guttural growls that alternate up into the piercing screams to hurl this material even deeper into the vat of death metal irrelevance. If it was 1994, Cumchrist would still sound like a “drink and throw an album together in a weekend” project meant to get the fiends moshing and shedding blood in the pit. Just what we need. – Marty
UNMATCHED BRUTALITY
Cult of Daath – Slit Throats and Ritual Nights
•January 3, 2009 • Leave a Comment
Cult of Daath have found a good sound for themselves on “Slit Throats and Ritual Nights” as they have decided on more of an older, more stripped down cult metal vibe. Where older material by this duo was centered around more of a sloppy war metal vibe, Cult of Daath have tightened up the screws that hold them together by simplifying their music. Excellent tracks like “Conceived Through Black Mass Rape (Obscene Rites part I)” takes on an almost punk like motion in the riffage and drum performance. The album maintains a plodding mid paced, head bangable push where power chord dominant riffs produce unavoidable hooks. The black shouted vocals also stir the nostalgia of C.O.D.’s sound as very direct vocal lines follow the motion and simplicity in the music which puts me in mind of the vibe found on older Sodom and other like minded bands albums/demos from back in the day. “Slit Throats and Ritual Nights” is a very cut and dried album, bloated with no frills, barbaric, black minded metal aggression and boundless character. This is indeed a great direction for this band to continue their exploration. – Marty
DEATHGASM RECORDS
Worm Gear 