Profane Omen recently celebrated its third full length release “Destroy!” this past September. These guys have their traditions set in melodic death metal, however this album can’t be labeled under such a limiting category! We have an album with ten songs, and arguably ten unique styles.
The first track on the album, “A Force to be Reckoned With,” is bouncy, brutal, and damn likely to get stuck in your head for days. The songs flow effortlessly from upbeat rock while still being very riffy, to Pantera-sounding vocals that wrench at your soul. Jules Näveri goes from dirty to clean and never sacrifices quality or sound, something that makes him stand out from many other vocalists in metal.
To make the whole album even more interesting are the two slower songs, “Acedia” and “Feed on the Wasted.” These are two tracks in which the songwriting versatility is clearly shown. On earlier songs in the album we have this recurring thrashy, groovy vibe, whereas these ones are downright ballad-y. “Acedia” starts off with a touch of bluesy guitars in the beginning to keep it flowing, and keyboards that beautifully complement the song. Midway through the song breaks into a chorus with heavy guitars and vocals that break your heart just enough to make the song a favorite. The track quickly turns with a very rock ‘n’ roll influenced guitar solo, and ends on a high note.
Every song on this album captures the raw energy and passion of a live show, and manages just the right levels of production to keep it clear, but far from being overdone. Profane Omen does a beautiful job of integrating thrash metal and hard rock into the brutal death metal setting, in a way that’s bound to leave many different listeners content and wanting much more. “Zombie Riders” nicely finishes the album, starting out with these deep growls that truly make you wonder if that was the same Finn on all the other songs.
Throughout the album it’s easy to see where Profane Omen has drawn inspiration from, as fans of bands like Pantera and Metallica will enjoy this release tremendously. This is an album that shows great musicianship and passion, from the vocals to the crisp guitars and flawless blastbeats. This is truly a diverse pool of genres brought together in one great album.
A release that will please many different listeners, fans of thrash metal, death metal, or just plain rock will find a favorite in "Destroy!".
A damn good and well rounded release which will become a well loved addition to any metal lovers collection.
"This is an album that shows great musicianship and passion, from the vocals to the crisp guitars and flawless blastbeats."
"Destroy!" track listing:
1. A Force To Be Reckoned With
2. Wastehead
3. Predator
4. Feed On The Wasted
5. Escape / Traceless
6. Bad Dreams
7. Acedia
8. Bound To Strive
9. Zombie Riders
And then Human Mastication has finally raised back to Death Metal audiences with the umpteenth EP entitled Persecute to Bloodbath as a prelude to the second full- length with the same title. As long the album had been prepared, the enthusiasm was in spendour especially from the promotion. Human Mastication have done some regional shows in their country Philippines with much applause and attention from South East Asia scene schemers. And from their official label, Sevared Records correctively they have received a reliance to join a huge part of this brutal label since their first EP. Increasing capacity as well due their shape of musicality wherein the crushing style is on concept of this album rather than the horrid slamming as it’s poured in last albums. Deicide riffs appear so obvious with Disgorge aggressiveness to form the originality concretising their evolutionary musicality pinning the mature age. Almost same with the last album and more definitive the turn, the theme that’s written with their existentialist approach propping the subjective side although the barbaric display of the cover makes disambiguated the meaning. Still wicked and damned as hell, how artwork is on good quality. And if we observe deeply they have found a flexibility to measure their sound and austerity. From 7 tracks that are available in this release, there are 5 mainstay original songs also a song from Disgorge that’s covered curved and an unfixing instrumental outro-- some are also included in the split album with Smallpox Aroma. It’s so spirited to sense the tight groove from guitar tunes with progressive trilling also the dark and peculiar advance where the drum is not too fastness to the speeds almost and remaining the invulnerable slamming sensibly. If we listen more the styles are into Hoffman brothers met Diego Sanchez punctuality. The first song “Repulsive Display of Dismembered Bodies” is a descriptive figure to open the vigour with emphasizing velocity as it’s on the measure to level the other songs. Something that’s absolutely excellent where Ryan Gee the vocalist is to strength and in reference by the patterns of Disgorge (U.S) and Devourment vocalists from his guttural insanity, like Levy Fuselier nor Mike Majewski with strengthening the mid- respiration of the technique. And as we know it’s not common and easy the way he do. Legalising the heavyweight, the bass is strongly blended to the side although the form is expanded bouncing back, the songs except the bonus tracks “Dragged and Raped for My Feast” and outro that are appeared raw and progressive with the less- neat heaviness. Continuing the decipherment, the song “Persecute to Bloodbath” is as one of the finest songs which the arrangement is so invulnerable due the riffs and rapidity shaping the shattering speeds and the slammed austerity. Another track as the fast song is “Deadly Visions of My Head” where the aggressive infestation is upon the line with accelerating the scales and quickly swindling the notes to the anticipated riffs. At the point of this band’s ability, the coverage song from Disgorge “The Womb Full of Scabs” sets in the context of complete and complex re-arrangement more than the band did at the past in the softly comprehension. Yes, a new talented Brutal Death band in worldwide scene they have nominated with their uncompromising attitude equal with some potential bands as Putridity, Condemned nor Vulvectomy that this time rise indulgently. And if we compare to the full- length of Persecute to Bloodbath that has circulated with other Death Metal releases surely this EP is valuable to name Human Mastication more surfaced. And influencing from Disgorge, Deicide, Suffocation also Devourment for this album makes the album’s sensibility is untainted and legible – a blend full of uniqueness – more than only brutality. And it’s so sincere recommended to the fans of those pioneer bands by the musical efforts of Human Mastication to prop the scene. A successfulness since the found in 2002 to create the term of Death Metal more than ordinary bands. And as you may admit from this splendour of extreme music, Human Mastication is the demising beast come from South East. Get a full version of the album than only this EP to find more conscience.
I have to admit, I loved this band’s debut effort, I found Toxocara to be one of leading hopes for Dutch death metal. To my surprise, this is their third album. Another album and a few line-up changes have simply passed me by.
Toxocara have introduced a lot more depth to their sound this time around, there is a lot more experimentation, more sound bites, effects used and genre crossing statements of outstanding technical ability. But have no fear, the bare bones of extreme death metal still reign supreme. Take tracks like ‘Towards the Perpetual Labyrinth’; this is both blisteringly technical and brutally honest in its approach. Finding their unique selling point is the hybrid sound produced, it is processed, but the standard guitar, bass, drum influences really make this sound become its own. The vocals are guttural but decipherable, backed with a thundering kick drum sound, hmm, this warms your heart just that little bit, even if you do hear some black metal elements rearing their head, but with riffing and guitar sweeps like those on ‘Black Widow’, I cannot really think of anything major to pick fault with. There is a subtle synth sound, it adds atmosphere, but some purists won’t like it I suppose, but it actually works well. ‘Annihilation by the Ankar’ is dangerously close to getting into groove metal, if it were not for the vocal and rapid time changes, things could have been worrying. This is much more down the blackened death metal path, the thing I really find entertaining about this track, and release in general. To make things interesting, Toxocara change things up, whether this be the tempo, time signature of overall pace, this band have a knack for making their arrangements interesting and keeping any fan gripped with excitement.
This is an admirable and effective effort, I am still in favour of the early material, but what I have heard here makes for a pleasurable listening experience. The development and clear level of high musicianship makes a statement in today’s oversaturated marketplace, this is a step up to the next level, and ‘AtmosFear’ is certainly worth taking a gamble upon, this band are ready and willing to compete with some of the big hitters that this music genre has to offer, a commendable improvement.
Italy’s Brutal Death purveyors Putridity are on the way and come back soon with the second full-length album “Degenerating Anthropophagical Euphoria” as a newness form of musicality of their explicit brutality. More solid than the last album as in this CD they try to build the sound more progressive and complex due the shape. As long as the path from 2004, US death metal seems stick deep from the comprehension between Europe death metals to its countless implementation. Artificially implicit to adopt Disgorge, the past Decrepit Birth and some styles to create an incredible dimension of brutal death maturity. The cultural boundary is hardly made Putridity ignored among the Italian bands such as Hour of Penance, Faust, and Fleshgod Apocalypse where the horde is raised progressive from this recent years and appropriate to be leveled same in the universal scene from their definitive strength, however. As fact, Putridity have stood firmed and promising than the other bands that have been risen from the country -trusted be one of Willotip Records legions with the sub-urban and characteristic musical thesis of their existence without omitting the Italian death metal magnificence.
A little to describe how this album is very defensible and vigorous is where the arrangement platforms are fulfilled by some kinds of technicality such as: picked-twisted riffs, guttural pattern, boom-clanging bass and blast-beat drum or so- called the anticipated heavyweight brutality to its meaning. As it’s on the measure, the mediocrity is so rapid and due the doubly velocity which almost songs -created faster and strong to the horrid aware atmosphere. It’s so bearable to view deep the groove column from guitar with the slap-slide of the snares, pinched-harmonic also slam-intuitive to the styles. Also the progressive touch to the refracted passage. So forth, the drum appearance that’s full of punctuality to announce splattered speeds, unpredictable calculation and the multiple- hyperspeeds. As the anthological description, it may be to obviousness to some songs such as “Sodomize Epileptic Chunks”, “Masturbating The Infibulated”, “Innate Butchery Aptitute”, “Draining Necro Anal Disgorgement” and “Living Decomposition” as the best compositions in this release without leaving the others. And from 9 tracks there is an instrumental addition “Wallowing in Aftermaths” in the middle row that compromising by the guitar leads influenced from Cannibal Corpse habit. Enormously technical, wherein also the vocals are sent grunting, guttural and cricketing to fill the difficult parts forcibly with the aforementioned themes. Sex matter to the necessity with the psychological or gory quorum, whatever they take for the ambiguity it still be on the limit of perception. ...”The true man is always on the true way”… and that’s all if all are confused. As wideness, the soundness is constructed original and due the rigid heaviness, somehow the bass is severely collaborated with other instrument plays from solo until interlacing. The ordinary thing is where the blend is separated each other from each element that has to be mixed if it’s not prevented. But Putridity were in the mixing at the neat and dense results. This is that become an excellent capacity of this release besides production and the song writings.
On the rate, "Degenerating Anthropophagical Euphoria" is even to the new albums of "Human Mastication’s Persecute" to Bloodbath, “Realms of The UnGodly” by Condemned, "Annihilation Of Races" from Thirst Of Revenge and some more in the coming death metal releases todays including the specific genre. It may check them to how Putridity confers the grade to the audiences incepting the professional attitude. And if you are into death metal it’s awesome to collect this CD to support Putridity doing the promotions internationally, the last album is the great concepts, indeed this album is so ultimate farther to its corrective congruity of death metal art. Mentally, Putridity puts a sanity to the mass with their paradoxical expression to the unrecognizable reality that brutal death is one of the most intelligent genres in metal/ underground music, instead the best leaving the worst assumptions by the mainstream apostates. Absolutely goaled that Putridity efforts strengthen a brutal death term in the new standard of substantiality from year to year for decades introduced broadly. Putridity are in the time to handle the plurality attention and a nominated band outside the rip-off culture and commercialistic purpose. Find Putridity in your hegemonic way, forget your fear at the war of conception! Take it.
Well this is a new band for me, never heard of them before, they are a melodic death metal band from Portugal. Now this genre isn’t my particular favourite but I am open to listening to new things, so I bunged it on and boy was I pleasantly surprised! Now this band has been going since 2002 so they have honed their craft very well indeed.
So what have we here with this release, we have an 11 track belter of an album, straight from the off with the short instrumental intro we are up and running with a great release, the second track “Physalia/Physalis” then kicks in and a belter it is! Some cracking guitar work and a good pace throughout this track, this opening has me hooked right away and it doesn’t stop! One track to the next this is great stuff, musicians at the top of their game,reall top guitar work from both Joao Francisco and Andre, a super engine room of Fernando on bass and Ita on drums and a cracking vocalist in Sergio. Track 3 “Atlantida” is a real beaut of a track, my favourite of the whole album, fast as fuck in parts but with really good slower parts to it too. “Asgard Dies” is another great track with some atmospheric parts to it but some really great riffing too. The whole album is just one goodie after another, soon as one great track ends another just starts up, its that kind of release.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this album there is not a bad track on it, not one filler track on there at all. Recommend to all metal heads out there!! Can; say better than that!
It's no secret that Blut Aus Nord has been on an absolute creative tear over the the past few years. After Odinist's baby steps, Memoria Vetusta II marked a glorious emergence from the filth-caked depths of MoRT. That album saw Vindsval re-embrace Blut Aus Nord's inverse identity, unleashing a hyper-melodic fury that many thought had been lost forever.
A scant two years later, Blut Aus Nord dropped news of a planned trilogy, prefixed 777. Now, trilogies (or even sequels) in heavy metal are typically just window dressing. No disrespect to Absu, but the only tangible thematic connection between the first two entries in their ongoing "self-titled trilogy" is the cover art. Exodus' Atrocity Exhibitions sound like typical modern Exodus albums, with only their titles tying them together as unified works. Instead of self-contained satellites, they're merely continuations of the norm.
While it's certainly tough for an artist to keep a true sense of continuity from work to work, it's even tougher to live up to the expectations of a three-album announcement. The final sputters of The Devin Townsend Project proved that advance promises can lead to letdowns, especially when an anxious fanbase is left in a prolonged limbo. Decay can occur in transit, making a telegraphed announcement something of a risk.
Blut Aus Nord takes risks. They pay off.
The Desanctification comes hot on the heels of the acclaimed Sect(s), which was released eariler this year. This rapid succession of releases not only quells any unrest on the part of devotees, but it keeps the narrative fresh. That narrative is what makes 777 such a startling anomaly; upon listening to The Desanctification, it's quickly apparent that this is a true trilogy in every sense--it picks up exactly where Sect(s) left off and acts as a vessel to transport to the story to its conclusion.
Not lyrically, though; nothing Blut Aus Nord does is that direct. Much like the first installment, the vocals are minimal, but the stylistic transition is seamless. For a band that that is famously amorphous, The Desantification is oddly cumulative. Sect(s) brought the wrath of The Work Which Transforms God into a robust arena fortified with their strongest, most massive production to date.The Desanctification still hangs here, while toning down the "traditional" blinding blasts and backwards riffing in favor of more expansive exploration.
Where Sect(s) shattered concrete with crushing grooves ("Epitome IV" and "Epitome VI"), The Desanctification hurls those grooves into the ether, ramping up that colossal Godflesh swing and splaying it skyward with Memoria Vetusta's soulful cries. The mounful leads that punctuate the roiling "Epitome VIII" and cool-to-the-touch "Epitome X" serve as a phenomenal counterpoint to the band's trademark dissonance.
The album delivers on the promise laid by its immediate forebear: It provides the visceral uneasiness ofTWWTG and the majesty of MVII, all while moving infinitely forward. The Desanctification isn't a back-reaching collage, it's an inward exploration, intent on progess and evolution. But as one could gather from the prior allusions to the song titles, reviewing The Desanctification as a standalone effort misses the point entirely.
It can't be stressed enough: The most relevatory (and victorious) aspect of The Desanctification is the fact that Blut Aus Nord is actually delivering on what was promised. They're crafting a trilogy with resounding continuity, and in doing so, are crafting a work that stands as a culmination of their career up to this point. Sect(s) and The Desanctification are, truly, one album. "Epitome," truly, is one song. We're merely spectators at this point, webcaught in a masterwork from one of the most vital, creative entities of our generation. Until 777's final act is upon us, The Desanctification's value is nearly impossible to quantify.
That revelation, on second thought, may actually tell the story of The Desanctification's strength. It engages, it implores, it invigorates. It places the listener on the precipice of the unknown, in eager anticipation of what is yet to come. As such, it plays its role perfectly, setting the stage for 777's inevitable conclusion. Instead of falling prey to our expectations, Blut Aus Nord commands us. We are merely captive spectators.
The hordes of black metal legions who are aligned with the old ways can rejoice in the triumphant return of legendary Czech warriors Maniac Butcher. Much to my surprise, the Lords of horse and battle metal from Eastern Europe had returned in 2010 to deliver their seventh full length on an unsuspecting world. It had been ten years since Maniac Butcher released Epitath- The Final Onslaught of Maniac Butcher. And to be honest they had slipped off my radar after such a long silence. I really have no excuse, as my co-writer here Janet Willis wrote a killer review the album back in 2010 on this same website. But I will claim I was likely on a beer fueled bender the fall of 2010 as Immolith opened for Trident, and also Triptykon and 1349 in NYC. So I submit to you that I missed the album release and it’s previous review here in a drunken black metal haze! So with that in mind, in a moment of rare sobriety, I still think this album a year after it’s release deserves my attention. And now I intend to burden you all with my .02 cents. Fortunately for me I frequent Metalhit.com to purchase music and Masakr was featured as thier $4.99 album download of the week not long ago. I instantly bought it and as I waited the minute or two for the download to complete I wondered if the ten years between albums would have changed Maniac Butcher. Would this be the same band that wrote such legendary albums as Barbarians, and Lučan-Antikrist? Well the answer is a resounding yes! Such atmospheric old school black metal riffage and mid-paced thunderous drumming exists on Masakr, that you would think it had been written in 1993. What Maniac Butcher accomplishes on this album is a bold statement. Manaic Butcher reminds the world that black metal does not have to be symphonic and technical with 300 bpm triggered double bass blast beats to be relevant and in this case colder and more skull crushing then most modern metal of any genre. The band’s war cry of “no keyboards, no female vocals, only pure black metal!” is as true today as it was since the band’s first demo. While the production on Masakr is by far the best production I’ve heard on any Maniac Butcher release, it does nothing to diminish the old school primitive grimness that just oozes from this album. The quality production on Masakr proves that shitty production doesn’t automatically make black metal grim, just as clean professional recordings don’t automatically make black metal sound fake and plastic. It really comes down to the writing and composition. And that is what Maniac Butcher excels at on Masakr. So if you are fan of early, raw, primitive Black Metal that just pounds your senses do yourself a favor and get this album. Hail Maniac Butcher!
I live not terribly far from an atomic plant, and after that 9/11 dealie, we kept hearing about how that could be a target of some sort of attack by the badies. Fear mongering. It’s my favorite.
But still, it’s not like I didn’t at least think about that from time to time, and weirdly (or not so), that always took me back to my teenage years when I was in the midst of the classic 1980s thrash era, which overlapped with the nuclear paranoia of the late Cold War years. We were taught a lot of scary, creepy stuff in school about what a nuclear explosion and fallout might be like, and considering I lived in the land of the steel mills, Pittsburgh always was mentioned as some sort of a target if the Russians ever decided to let loose and blow us away. Naturally that made bands such as Voivod, Megadeth and, quite obviously, Nuclear Assault resonate with me. By the time I got into most of those bands, the nuke threats were less of a reality, but having those fears imbedded inside of me made these bands’ style of paranoia and terror all the more ominous.
Now I pretty much know better. I go back and listen to those bands with great excitement, and their messages actually ring nostalgic with me and don’t keep me awake at night. Also, other bands that sort of hold onto that aesthetic always are of interest to me, and Toxic Holocaust is no exception. Formerly just a one-man project led by Joel Grind, the band has grown to a full roster, and they constitute one of the truest throwback acts going today. And no, not all of their songs are about nuclear holocaust, but that material certainly has been there over TH’s four full-length efforts and countless split and mini efforts. There also is homage paid to all-out war, horror, zombies, and all kinds of fun things like that. I find their music a fun time, an escape, something I don’t have to think too much about because Grind and his pals just sound like they want to plug in and obliterate your sense. I love that.
Their latest album “Conjure and Command” (the first where the whole band plays and Grind doesn’t just handle everything himself) is the follow-up to 2008’s “An Overdose of Death …” and it’s the band’s second overall for Relapse. If you’ve been a fan of the Toxic Holocaust all along, you won’t be too surprised by what you hear on this record, because they pretty much stick to their style. It’s vintage punk-flavored thrash, really, with Grind’s growly vocal assault, and there are tasty solos and crunchy thrashing everywhere. The record is slightly, and only slightly, more mainstreamed than their previous work and the production is crisper, but that’s probably only noticeable to someone who has knowledge of their back catalog. Anyone new to the band who also digs on Warbringer, Evile, Bonded By Blood or Municipal Waste probably will find this band is right up their alley and might even find they’re better than the ever-expanding group of throwback thrashers running around with back patch-emblazoned jean jackets, bullet belts, and white high tops.
Grind, joined by properly monikered bassist Phil “Philthy Gnaast” Zeller (who may or may not be paying homage to former Motorhead drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor ) and drummer Nick “Nikki Rage” Bellmore, blast open this bastard with “Judgment Awaits You,” a short, nasty barrage of power, where Grind howls about “nuclear fire,” bringing back that theme of total annihilation. From there it’s on to zombie tale “Agony of the Damned,” where Grind warns, “The dead will come back to life”; burn-the-witch crusher “Bitch”; “I Am Disease,” a meatier, more calculated song that isn’t too hard to decipher just from the song name; “Red Winter,” which is full of violence and animal instinct, as Grind promises, “We are the fucking dogs that turn on our masters”; the lightning-fast “Revelations,” a violent end-times masher that clearly blazes down the speed metal path; and closer “Sound the Charge,” that’s more of a rise-up anthem that so many bands pumped out in the 1980s. Yeah, that idea can seem kind of cheeseball in this era, but it fits this genre and is a roots-style jam that should get fists pumping in unison live.
I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to overdosing on metal that’s overtly dark and serious, but sometimes it’s cool to have something that both kills and lets you have a good time. This is swimming pool thrash, where you can put this thing in, do a ton of cannonballs into the water, have a hundred beers, get sunstroke, vomit, and do it all again the next day. It reminds me of what lit my world on fire when I was getting into harder metal in my early teens, so I certainly have that emotional connection to this stuff. Toxic Holocaust should make you bang your head and make you smile, and if they don’t, you either don’t like the music, don’t get it, or are too damn straight-laced for your own good. I feel sorry for you, if that’s the case, but I’m going to keep indulging in good times for the sake of my own release, and so should you.
Disma should make fans of early Incantation shake in their shoes. That’s because the man who lent his hellish voice to that group’s classic albums such as “Onward to Golgotha” and “Mortal Throne of Nazarene,” as well as to other bands such as Womb, Disciples of Mockery, Goreaphobia and others, is now fronting Disma. Alongside him are guitarists Daryl Kahan (Funebrarum, Taste of Fear, Assück) and Bill Venner (Incantation), bassist Randi Stokes (Methadrone), and drummer Shawn Eldridge (Funebrarum, Abysmal Gates), so we’re looking at a formidable supergroup-style assault unit that hammers an upper deck home run on their first full-length “Towards the Monolith.”
Before this record was released, the band had a demo, split and EP to their name, but this is their crowning jewel by far. The eight cuts on this album are doom-flushed, sometimes sludgy, often thrashy, and always ugly, positioning the record as a no-brainer purchase for those who dine on classic death metal. Pillard is at his infernal best on this record, staying at a low, monstrous rumble, sounding like a demon restlessly digging his way through layers of soil from hell to the Earth’s surface. Simply, he’s one of the best vocalists in the genre, and he’s as deadly as ever before. The rest of the band is tight and fluid, and their presentation on this album is one of a band doing this shit live and not cutting and pasting pieces together. It’s raw and honest, and it’s one of the best representations of classic death metal in some time, probably because the men behind this thing have years of experience creating the genre. They weren’t born yesterday.
“Chaos Apparition” opens this thing with a meaty, down-tuned attitude, with Pillard’s growls lurching alongside the filthy guitar work and quaking blasts. “Chasm of Oceanus” is my personal favorite song on this record, which starts murky but eventually explodes into thrashing and a more explosive tempo; “Vault of Membros” pays some homage to Sabbath and St. Vitus, with its slithering, slow-driving delivery; while the mammoth title cut absolutely drubs your senses with its unforgiving heaviness, noisy crust, and Pillard’s demands to, “Crawl to your grave.” “Towards the Monolith” is menacing, worm-infested, and ready for eternity in a rickety casket. It’s a wholly satisfying trip back to when death metal didn’t smell very good, sure wasn’t pretty, and promised you that, if you aren’t careful, you’ll breath your last breath in the most uncomfortable manner possible.
This is a good old thrashing heavy metal fucking time. What else would you expect from Ronnie Ripper? Turbocharged remind me of a hybrid of the dirtiness of Motorhead, the thrashiness of Slayer and the better moments of Gwar. In the end, this is just a great fucking heavy metal album that is fun, catchy, rockin, dirty, thrashin and bad ass! It’s one of those albums you can put on and just enjoy all the way through. Raw heavy metal terror is on full display here! Some metal, some punk, some rock. ARGHH!!!
After the killer and evil intro “The Uprising”, the title track kicks in with total slower/mid paced bangery. It’s a plodding anthem that you will be banging your head to and throwing the horns and fists up while you sing along. “Ghetto of Eden” then kicks out the motherfucking jams. Fast paced skank beats lead into double bass terror and the pace is ripping and relentless. BAD ASS STUFF HERE!!!!!! “Lionbait” is next up. It has a mid paced/fast-ish chug to it. The whole recording has a live feel to it, like it was recorded in 1 take and as is, nice and raw, yet a good recording (like how during the guitar solos, there is only bass, not another rhythm track, this is fucking cool!) “Nekronobodies” is next and it picks up the pace a bit with skanks and sing along choruses. “Globalize the Blasphemy” blasts out of the gates of hell with a vengeance and is fast as fuck with the attack. “The Paradise They Lost” is a great mid paced skank beat driven fucker that crushes all in it’s path. “Golgotha 33 A.D.” has a killer drum/vox intro sing along that will have you screaming and growling with Ronnie. It has good mid/fast paced banging type shit going on. Good changes in tempo as well. These guys are kicking my ass! This must RULE live!!!!!!
“Species of Jesus” comes next. The killer mid paced riffing gives way to some fast paced banging and more killer skanks. Ronnie’s vocals are nice and clear throughout this fucker. Yet his throat is still whiskey soaked and full of phlegm, trust me! Haha. “Wake Up and Smell the Christian” might be one of the best song titles ever! And the song rules too. It has a total Motorhead double bass intro and pace that runs throughout the song. AWESOME! “Blasphemachine” rages next with an even faster pace with the ripping skank beats. The backing shrieks by Old Nick on this song and the others RULES as well. “Horns Forever Raised” has a slower/mid paced banging going on. This one is a killer, more rocking song. Another total anthem to rage to! “The New Sodom” ends the album with a brutal build up with drum rolls and double bass that then takes off with some killer skank beat madness. Listening to this, it sounds exactly like if prime era Sacred Reich got heavier and more satanic. If that tells you what the sound is like? Hahaha. There is some Venom and the usual Maiden/Priest influences also thrown into the mix, that all great metal bands have.
Now originally, this album was released on vinyl in Europe last year on Lemmy’s 65th birthday! How fucking cool is that?!?!?!?! This is different to my ears. That rare album that comes along that is so different yet also sounds so much like the good stuff that I have heard before. It is a totally solid and ass kicking heavy metal album to add to any headbanger’s collection! It rocks and rolls and punches you in the face and gut. Then it buys you a beer and tells you it loves ya! Chaos Records is becoming a label to watch out for! Another killer and top quality release from them! This is an essential buy, so go get it now if you call yourself a heavy metal fan! Great job to Dirty Ronnie and the boys! One of my favorite albums of 2011!
Here we have some killer death metal from Mexico. I’m a fan of ancient Mexican death metal. There used to be so many killer bands from down there. I have honestly lost track of the modern scene down there, or at least I’m not as connected to it as I once was. Hopefully that will change as now we have bands like Omision killing with their lethal dose of death metal terror. Roberto from Infinitum Obscure (he also jammed with Incantation and The Chasm in the past) and Joel, the original drummer from Sadistic Intent got this project together with singer/guitarist master mind Heriberto. It reminds me of the early works of Sadistic Intent. Total thrashing death metal with a dark atmosphere. It has touches of both the “Conflict Within” demo, as well as a little of the “Impending Doom” EP done by the Sadistic ones. The drummer on those recordings is on this one, so maybe that is a big reason. But it is a good thing to these ears. It is like “Pleasure to Kill” era Kreator mixed with the early Morbid Angel stuff. Which obviously means this is killer! Throw in the ancient Slayer influences and some Possessed, and you will know what to expect from these crazy fucks.
Right from the opening notes and riffs of the title track, you know you are in for some raging death mayhem. The guitar sound is a bit modern distortion wise (which is fine, it still sounds heavy). But the overall sound is old school. There is a haunting atmosphere that covers everything like a fog. It might have been recorded in an old mausoleum at the haunted cemetery. Or maybe recorded in an abandoned old church? There are good “roller coaster” type changes in every song. The tempo ranges from slow and evil banging doomy stuff, to all out fast rippers that shred the skin off and brutalize the wounds. The 3rd song “You Won’t Be Saved” is a great example of that. It starts off nice and slow, then builds up to total madness with the fast banging. The skank beat sickness on the next song “Assault in the Vatican” is awesome! This might be my favorite song on here. Each song stands out, with killer riffs and crushing drums. Although I do like a lot of “those bands”, it is nice to hear another form of the ancient death metal that is not an Incantation clone or sounds like Swedish death metal.
This is a killer album. Highly recommended for fans of the bands I mentioned above. And in reality, any fan of the true ancient way of olden death metal will want this album. 40 minutes of ripping and thrashing death metal that will leave you bloodied and missing limbs. A total straight forward death metal attack! Yet another killer release by Chaos Records.
A band that gets a lot of grief for being a clone of Carcass is Swedish band General Surgery. There’s a damn good reason that happens, basically because the people that accuse them of such blatant copying are pretty much correct. They sound a hell of a lot like a band trying to be Carcass. But that doesn’t mean their music isn’t good and worth your time, because I’ve always found it is decent listening. It’s OK not to take every metal record you hear as seriously as the U.S. Constitution, you know? Just listen to it, and if you like it, then like it. Sorry, that’s just always irritated me. As many bands that are in existence, some are going to sound alike even if that isn’t the intent. Focus on the quality of the music. You’ll live a happier life that way. And by the way, Carcass’ Jeff Walker has said some complimentary things about General Surgery. Anyway, I kind of dug the limited amount of stuff I heard from this band over the years, and was looking forward to revisiting “Necrology,” a deluxe reissue of their 1991 EP (now with three bonus tracks, all alternate versions of “Necrology” cuts). By the way, the lineup you hear on this reissue is totally altered from the one that lives on as General Surgery now. So know that going in, just in case you got into the band with their more recent material.
Anyway, this 10-track effort is sticky with blood and disgusting as hell, as the dual vocals lurch out like a combination of belching and choking on bile. It’s heavy, thrashy, monstrous, and a real blast to absorb, even if it triggers that gag reflex. This is all figurative, of course. If the music literally was sticky with blood, I wouldn’t touch it. Germ freak, right here. The vocals on “The Succulent Aftermath of Subdural Haemorrhage” sound like a lion and demon battling for the stick. It’s ridiculous. “Crimson Concerto” fuses both classical music geek and flesh eater hunger in the same package; “Slithered Maceration of Ulcerous Facial Tissue” is a brow-beater, especially when it comes to the rapid-fire drumming; and “Grotesque Laceration of Mortified Flesh” has a pretty sweet grind groove and those blood-curdling growls you’ve come to love from this band. It’s like being operated on while you’re awake. Who doesn’t love that?
If you can’t shake the Carcass thing, then you probably won’t like this or give it a chance. If you just appreciate a total splatterfest of grindcore and death metal that turns your stomach as much as it pleases your ears, this reissue just might make your heart fill with joy. Just don’t be surprised if you can’t eat for a few days after you’re done with “Necrology.”
Polish death metal band Decapitated is lucky to be intact. Actually, scratch that. We as listeners are lucky to have Decapitated in existence, offering up a crushing new tech masterpiece that’s deliriously good.
This band seemed headed down the right track when they signed on with Nuclear Blast a few years ago following their 2006 album “Organic Hallucinosis,” released by Earache, but tragedy struck afterward when they were involved in a traffic accident in October 2007 near Russia. That incident claimed the life of the band’s drummer Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka and severely wounded singer Adrian “Covan” Kowanek, leaving guitarist Waclaw “Vogg” Kieltyka not only dealing with Decapitated’s future but, more importantly, coping with the loss of his brother. Vogg took time away from performing, then started working in a music store before fellow Poles Vader asked him to fill in on guitar for their tour. Eventually, he started thinking about his own band again and whether a resurrection was possible and proper.
Vogg assembled a new lineup for the group’s comeback record “Carnival Is Forever,” and the results are stunning. Their fifth album is a punishing, mind-blowing tour-de-force that not only does the band’s reputation well, but also serves as a proper salute to Vitek. Surely Vogg’s heart will always hurt, as he lost a sibling and a musical partner he played with since they Kieltykas were young. But he should be proud of this triumph of a record that should catapult the band into the upper echelon of Nuclear Blast’s roster and the massive death metal heap.
When I first received Looking for an Answer’s latest full-length (their first for Relapse Records), I was expecting some tough-guy hardcore — I can’t remember exactly which hardcore band it is, but I’ve got an album around here somewhere that’s got this Spanish band’s name as the primary lyrics to one of their songs. At any rate, I’m glad I didn’t listen to my gut before popping Eterno Treblinka into the stereo. What erupts from the speakers after hitting “play” is some of the dirtiest, ass-kickingest and nastiest d-beat influenced death-grind I’ve heard in a long time.
To put it simply, these Spaniards know their shit — delivering thick, crusty guitars over-top unrelenting, jack-hammer drums. There’s a good bit of texture applied to this album that only adds to the dirty vibe that these guys are throwing off. Toss in some deep, guttural growls/screams and you’ve got yourself one a good bit of grinding death metal akin to an unholy marriage of Napalm Death, Terrorizer and the more modern Kill The Client. And all 17 tracks in just over 30 minutes time.
After the brief noise intro, these guys get down to business with some seriously angry punk-infused grind. Listening to this album is like sitting face-to-face with an ill-tempered silverback gorilla that is prone to violent mood swings and a sharp distaste for the human race. It’s a violent album that at times comes across predictable, but for the most part hits you from every direction possible with blinding blasts, punk rhythms and grinding vitriol. Like I said, these dudes know how to deliver the blast!
Some of the more standout tracks that you need to check out are the volcanic eruption of “Guerra Total,” the relatively slow moving “La Peste Roja,” the rising fury of “Revelacion,” the fairly groove oriented “Terror Carnivoro” and the ferocious “Christianislam.” Now that’s not to say that the rest of the album blows chunks — it sure as fuck doesn’t. Those are just some of the songs that tend to kick me in the teeth each time I hear them.
Eterno Treblinka is one of those albums that has just enough modern day technique, as well as an old school, throw-back aesthetic that the album isn’t nothing short of infectiously awesome. Thick grind delivered in quick violent eruptions of riffs and blastbeats is cool by me any day of the week.
Originally released in 2009, New Jersey’s Ex Dimentia have been pushing their latest album, The Red Mass, pretty heavily this past Summer. I, for one, am glad that their renewed efforts in getting this album heard finally fell my way. The Red Mass is full of chunky, raw death metal with an old school vibe complete with a thick and insidiously dark atmosphere.
“Shadow In The Chapel” gets things started with your prototypical horror/sci-fi movie sound clip before finally exploding out of your speakers nearly a minute in with unrelenting, barbaric drums and evil guitars. The vocals are deep and guttural, but carry a decent cadence that only aids in giving the band’s music a decent flow. Musically, we’re looking at old school death metal bands like Autopsy and Cannibal Corpse to name a few. “Mud and Blood” even features Autopsy’s Chris Reifert on guest gurgles as these New Jersey natives pummel and bludgeon their way through this up-tempo beast of a song. This song is gnarly as fuck. “Liquid Flesh” has a bit of a Cannibal Corpse vibe to it, but isn’t a direct mimic as it plunders your skull with thick riffs and pile driving drums.
Throughout the disc you’ll be greeted with the claw-end of a rusty, brain encrusted hammer as these guys ratchet up the the violence periodically with explosive blasts and aggressive delivery. “The Radiant Ravenous” is just such a song. Featuring Splatterhouse’s Parasitic Tim on guest vocals, the track starts off with another brief sound clip before getting down to business with the unrelenting pace of a stalking psychopath with freshly used axe in hand. The song is violent and evil. “Splattervision: Channel 2” features another guest vocalist in the form of Impaled’s Ross Sewage. It’s a decent song that carries the same violent themes and overall vibe that the first half of the album has already been slinging like random body parts out the back end of a very busy wood chipper.
The remaining half of The Red Mass is pretty solid with the somewhat standard “Belial The Basket Case,” the thick and chunky title track and the Cannibal Corpse fueled “Dead! Nude! Dancers!” That last track is prefaced by a fairly long sound clip, but it’s worth slogging through to get to the rotten meat of the song. The only downside to the last half of the album, is the rather pedestrian Venom cover. It’s not really needed as I think “Dead! Nude! Dancers!” was a strong enough song on it’s own to close out The Red Mass.
At any rate, if you’re in the mood for dark, old school death metal that seethes with zombies and rotting flesh, then this is the album for you. The relatively lo-fi production fits the band’s sound perfectly as they thunder through churning riffs, animalistic rhythms and vicious growls. Ex Dimentia haven’t hit one out of the park with their latest effort, but any fan of death metal in general should find a little morsel or two to enjoy within the churning mass of necrotic tissue that these guys have served up, hot and steaming.
This beast of an album was originally released in 2009 on Iron Fist Records. It was another strike of ancient and rotting death metal that has now become so part of the norm in the underground. This strike was deadly though. Tormented became one of my favorites once I heard this monster and then also their split with another favorite of mine Bombs Of Hades released this year. This is top notch Swedish death metal madness that crushes and kills with the best of them. Heavy and ripping, done in the olden tradition by some members of Edge Of Sanity, Marduk and even Scar Semmetry(?) Regardless of some who will say “members of crappy, defunct or washed up bands jumping on the bandwagon”, this album KILLS!
The title track is massive with the slow/mid build up and the samples of screams in the background. It gets all heavy and then once the fast banging starts, it doesn’t let up. It is a relentless attack all the way through! Great song! “Vengeance From Beyond The Grave” has a classic skank beat driven, heavy as fuck chug to it that just SLAUGHTERS all in sight. It’s the perfect mid paced banger that brings the album to a down and dirty level, in the sewer that is. “Blood Of The Undead” starts off with some double bass mayhem that then gets fast as fuck with the killer one/two beats. I love the parts where the drums, vocals and bass stop and it just the guitar, the riff RIPS shit to shreds. The slower double bass part/break towards the end KILLS. It’s nice and heavy. “Burning Torment” has the punches of doom to start it off. It gets all fast and ripping after that. If you look in the dictionary under Swedish death metal, you will see THIS song as the example. It has punches and 2 or 3 other riffs in the song. This is all that is needed to kill you.
“Death Owns The Night” starts the 2nd half of this masterpiece off. This will be the 2nd example of how this death noise should sound in that dictionary that I speak of. But then again, the whole album is an example of this! Bahahahaha. This one is a little slower paced, still has the fast one/two beats, but more of a slowed down/skank version, which is just fine by me. It fits these set of riffs together perfectly! “Come Back From The Dead” is next up. There is more horrific fast banging going on here. Brutal drum rolls on the chorus parts! “Drowning In Decaying Flesh” brings the total terror with a creepy intro and some chainsaw guitar lines. This band has harmonies and melodies to their death noise, but it becomes a part of it and mixes well with the murderous riffs. Plus those more melodic parts are totally EVIL. They are dark and grab hold of your neck. “Tomb Of Corpses” is another fast banger that doesn’t fuck around. The production on this album is quite impressive. It sounds like it was done all live in a graveyard. It is clear as far as hearing the instruments, but oppressive and crushing at the same time. “Reversed Funeral” brings the undead festivities to a close. This is the fastest ripper on here at first. It has a riff similar to the band Traumatic and their song “A Putrid Reek Of Mangled Remains” during the intro fats part. The song then slows down a bit to a mid paced banger style. Heavy double bass is all over the place. This is a killer song to close this fucker out.
The vocals of Dread Axelsson are impressive. Aggressive and throat shredding, they are understandable. With the sound and the songwriting, you have a deadly combination of total death metal purity, Swedish DOD style! This was one of the top albums of a couple of years ago and it is a top listening experience of today! You can get the original release through Abyss Records. This is for the collectors. Or you can get the re-release through Listenable Records. This is for you fancy fucks. Regardless, go get this album NOW! ESSENTIAL DEATH METAL!
Good thrash metal is hard to come by these days. So many new bands jumped on the bandwagon of ugly ass Reebok high tops, tight pants, little vests with all the coolest patches fresh from ebay and even the poofy hair. Even quite a few of the older bands came back and tried another go at it. Most of the bands in both of these groups failed in my opinion. Then again, there are exceptions like the sets at Maryland Death Fest 2011 by old thrashers like Voivod and Nuclear Assault. They both kicked ass! Not sure about any new material that will be coming out, but both of those live sets RULED! Now Entrench have come to join the thrashing madness. They are from Sweden, but have a sound that is totally German. Think “Terrible Certainty”/”Extreme Aggression” era Kreator mixed with a little “Persecution Mania”/”Agent Orange” era Sodom. It has speed, power, aggression, ripping riffs, shrieking vocals and will make you head bang. The pace gets even a little faster at times, into the old Sadus speed, which is always welcomed! I know those will say “why waste time with a copy cat band when the originals are so much better.” This might be true at times, yet there are some bands that mix in their own stamp on the style so well, they can run with the greats. Entrench seems to be a band that has the potential to do just that. I wouldn’t call this album a “classic” but it is quite an impressive debut and all in all, a KILLER thrash album!
”As Dawn Breaks” starts everything off here, and you will swear that it’s 1987 all over again. It’s a total riff o’ ramma on this banger. Nice and fast at times and also has some killer head banging moments, like in the middle where it slows down a bit with some mid paced bangery, then gets fast again once the guitar solos kick in. “Debt of Sorrow” is 2nd and has some punches at the start that then lead to some double bass mayhem. A break comes and then a ripper of a riff introduces the manic speed of the ripping fast part. Relentless thrash at its best. “Portrait of a Phobia” is a roller coaster ride of thrashing rage that is all over the place and full of awesome riffs. I love the punk riff during one of the fast parts. The speed is more controlled, but is still fucking killer! This is one of the longer songs on here, but it doesn’t get old. “Into Oblivion” starts off with total mid paced banging. Throw in some heavy double bass and the killer mid one/two combination. The slower/fast part that comes with the vocals also rules. It remains pretty mid paced, the faster parts don’t get all that fast. But it is still a crusher of a song. Most of the songs have that “roller coaster” feel to them actually. The pace changes up quite a bit, but it all fits very well together.
“Doubt What’s Left” brings back some fast ripping again. The changes on this album are dynamic and flow so well together. The fast stuff blends well with the mid paced “mosh” stuff. There are multiple tempos all over this album. That is what makes it so enjoyable. Entrench actually remind me of my good pals here from Southern California Witchaven. “Blind Illusion” is next up. The song starts off fast and manic. The riffs tear you to shreds. It then slows down with some prime Sepultura like rolls and open riffs. It then slows down to some mid paced banging. You will find yourself banging your head clean off with this one. This song would be their “video” that all of us maniacs would stay up for back in the day, on the 3rd hour of MTV’s original Head Bangers Ball. The song takes off again with pure thrashing fury. There is an instrumental song “Crossing the River” that is next. This ain’t no pretty, classical inspired piece of artsy music, full of feelings. This thrashes and rages with the best of them. Reminds me a little of the old Metallica instrumentals, just with some more speed at times. Pretty fucking killer! Some effects at the end of the song lead into the album closer “Where Only Ruins Remain”. This banger starts off nice and slow. It still has the same killer and catchy riffs as the other songs though, especially when the fast part kicks in and the shrieks and screams from vocalist Fredrik slash through your ear drums. This song is a long one at over 7 minutes, but it never gets boring and always rages. Great work from these Swedes!
This is totally pounding and ripping thrash metal on display here. The guys can fucking jam, the riffs shred and the fingers are all over the fret boards at times. The drumming of Joel KILLS and he can get fast and attacking, as well as slower and nasty, with the best of them. The production and the sound of this are also old school, but you can hear everything, like those old Harris Johns recordings of the golden era. I HIGHLY recommend this to fans of blazing thrash, or just killer metal in general. Great work by Entrench and Abyss Records on this one!
1. Satanic Royalty 2. You Can't Stop Steel 3. Rip This Hell 4. Necromania 5. Black Damnation 6. Lust Filth And Sleaze 7. Violence On Violence 8. Savage Dominance 9. Holocaustic Deafening 10. Shock Til Blood
Ohio black thrashers Midnight has eight years of small records, EPs,
compilations and singles. “Satanic Royalty,” released through Hells
Headbangers, is the group’s first full-length recording. The ten songs
that comprise the track listing result in the short playing time of less
than half-an-hour. Each track doesn’t move at the barn-burning speed of
Slayer’s “Reign in Blood,” which should be in the dictionary for short,
thrash albums. The leather-and-bullets attack of Athenar is simple and
to the point. There are few brief instrumental jams—just straightforward
verse and chorus.
“Satanic Royalty” is a nod in the direction of black metal’s blasphemous
first wave. When NWOBHM joined speed metal, the unholy matrimony
produced bands like Slayer, Bulldozer and Celtic Frost. Of course, many
tracks resemble the forerunners to the above bands—Motorhead and Venom.
“Necromania” features the mid-paced punch of Celtic Frost and
Darkthrone. Functioning on a single guitar riff, the placement of
vocals, drums and bass introduce variation. This riff and the
accompanying chorus lines are so damn catchy that “Necromania” never
becomes boring.
“Black Damnation” shows the group following Celtic Frost’s metallurgic
formula. While producing more notes than some of their doomed catalog,
“Black Damnation” has that slow, warped vibe associated with Tom G. and
the boys. It’s like hearing a Motorhead record played at 33 RPMs. The
bluesy, Mercyful Fate-type opening chords issue a good contrast to the
barbaric, strumming rhythms that define the song. “Shock ‘Til Blood” and
“Lust Filth and Sleaze” perfectly capture the spirit of Motorhead,
which one would expect just by the title of the latter track. A bass
solo sets a trail for the booze-fueled punk rock direction that defines
“Holocaustic Deafening.” Fist-pumping NWOBHM addicts will drool “Venom”
upon hearing “Rip This Hell.”
“Satanic Royalty” finds a good balance in being extreme, but not to the
point of sounding shitty. The album has strong production values, bereft
of the sterile, digital sound that characterizes much of today’s metal,
but it lacks impurities such as the white noise heard on cassette
tapes. Athenar has an aggressive vocal style, but one can distinguish
every word he shouts. “Satanic Royalty” is one of those albums that are
increasingly hard to find these days, as listeners can both sing and
bang their heads. The only issue with this album is the length. The
group could have added more solos and riffs as well. Highs: "Satanic Royalty" contains plenty of air-punching, head-banging riffs and memorable vocal lines. Lows: The album is quite short, less than a half-hour. Bottom line: "Satanic Royalty" is a strong speed/black metal album, and length is its only negative feature.
"Satanic Royalty' is one of those albums that are increasingly hard to
find these days, as listeners can both sing and bang their heads."
