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.
