Ireland has always had a great metal scene whether it was
black, doom or death - and Eternal Helcaraxe are no
different. Eternal Helcaraxe fall into the epic, pagan black
metal metal genre. 'Against All Odds' is their debut and is very
impressive for a debut. Fast, intense music with some well done
keyboards that are nicely mixed into chaotic, violent black metal for
a nice blend of traditional, fast black metal and parts of epic,pagan
blackness. Guitars are blazing fast with some good riffs, drumming is
fast blast beats with some mid-paced beats. The vocals are blackened
metal screams but there are some really well-done and sung melodic
clean vocals. It will be nice if the band uses more of the clean
vocal patterns on the next recording as they seem to fit the bands
style very well. Highly recommended to all fans of quality, pagan
black metal.
Brutal death metal,
the sound on this is very good and the music is insane. They play
savage death metal,their tempos are repetitive in some songs but they
incorporate some amazing solos and some unusual things that you
wouldn't expect from death metal. This is good, so, why don't you own
this? Go seek out this disc and pulverize your eardrums.
I say
this again that black metal is not my thing, but I have to say
something about this album. I can say this band is remarkable, the
fury with which it is executed is well done, black metal directly to
the vein, keeping the old school sound along with funeral guitars,
the voice is definitely wild and this isn't monotonous and is
influenced by legendary bands. Also include a cover of Bathory
('Sacrifice') - very good tribute to Quorthon, not bad to listen some
black metal from time to time. If you want to hear fast guitars and
sick drumming combined with sick rage vocals,check out for this album
that undoubtedly will leave you satisfied, Brazilian underground is
still alive and well. Much respect for this band for daring to sound
so beastly.
Killer
riffs, great solos, brutal drumming and angry vocals, that's what
you'll find on this CD. The production on this album is very good
too. A perfect mixture of fast, powerful and aggressive death metal,
full brutality that gives you the feeling of the old days.
Deathronation will whip the shit out of you so that you can
heal and come back for another day of torture, no compromises, just
high energetic brutality. All the death metal followers check this
band out!
Fucking death metal band from Sweden, they have that unique sound,
violent skullcrusher band, many influences from Nihilist,
Dismember and Carnage. In 2012 it is difficult to find
something so brutal and direct to the brain, it surprises me a lot,
very good production, all fans of nasty death metal will enjoy this
CD .Unique distorted guitars that will destroy your neck from doing
circular moshing, very good approach, no matter if you heard this
style before, the important thing is to find bands that maintain the
strength of the bloody death metal. An excellent album that should be
heard. If you really consider yourself a metalhead, give this band a
try. Get your beers and enjoy this excellent lethal work.
A great fusion of guitar shreds! Only 14 minutes and 50 seconds of
full intensity. The riffing on this really makes this a winner in my
eyes, it's a good attempt. This is death metal with some different
things thrown in the music to try and keep things interesting.
Definitely not a mediocre brutal band. Humangled has to be
heard to be believed.
I never heard this band from Louisiana before. This is damn good,
this is brutality with everything in the proper place for death metal
fans, everyone must hear this band.This CD is totally remastered and
sounds amazing, if you want insane drums, killer vocals and killer
riffs - find this band right now. They will destroy everything in
their path, that's for sure and you'll hear some great extreme metal.
A great re-release!
Upon my first listen,one of the first things that I noticed was the
maniacal speed of the double bass and the big influences of old
Morbid Angel ('Blessed Are The Sick' era). The technical
structure of the music is great, magnificent brutality to a higher
level, this is far from slow, don't even think that. Mean brutal
death metal with sinister vocals, undeniably death metal perfection.
Furious guitar solos and a lethal dose of aggression.Definitely Chaos Inception will pulverize the world senses, the best thing
about it - the vocals keep the feeling of the 90's way of metal and I
love it!
(Check out Paul's own Aquelarre Zine for a lengthy interview with the band,
It is difficult to create a unique sound these days in the metal
world, but Dogbane has done a good album. This is a cool
display of technical heavy metal which is rarely to hear
nowadays,you'll find some influences of course (Queensryche,
Malice and Fates Warning) but carefully constructed.
Fans of true heavy metal, find this one out. It must be heard to be
believed!
A band
with really cool sounds, this band sure is perverse. Their style is, I
could say, black metal with a lot of variation and a dose of folk
music that leave me impressed. Expect not the same sound over and
over again, Thunderkraft kicks ass, they dare to experiment
and they do it well, they create something that I am sure would blow
us all away. I don't mind if they don't sing in English, it's an
amazing album. Period.
Udo
Dirkschneider & Co are on the roll again by releasing this
collection of rare tracks, which is to be followed soon by the
band's brandnew DVD 'Live In Sofia'.
Fans
of the band should be pretty much delighted by this 2 CD set, as this is jam
packed with all kinds of quirky material: Japanese-only bonus tracks,
ones lifted off from ltd edition EPs, previously unreleased songs,
Udo's guest appearances for bands such as Raven, Hammerfall
and Lordi, cuts recorded for various tributes - you name it,
it's in here. It's kinda puzzling as to why some of those previously
unreleased songs ('Tallyman', 'The Silencer' and 'Artificialized' )
haven't been used on the respective albums they've been recorded
for, as all three are class. However, even with such extensive
collection of songs, a couple of ones are bound to slip through the
cracks - particularly I'm missing the awesome 'The Longer You Can
Wait' (recorded for the 1990 'Faceless World' album), that would have
been a nice addition to round things off. 'Celebrator' would be more than enjoyable for
U.D.O.'s fans, and is a fitting warm-up to the forthcoming DVD. [7,5]
With Gelso of Profanatica and Krieg's Imperial in the line up this couldn't be anything but a barbaric mash of stubbornly primitive, ill-natured and mean sounding black fuckin metal. Two new wandering souls have joined the band since the release of the debut album (review here), other than that welcome addition there's no further surprises or disappointments - make no bones about it: if you love the agonizing scornful sounds and atmosphere of Profanatica, you'd be for a treat here. Fans of technical playing, soaring keyboards and avantgarde ideas need no entry, The Royal Arch Blaspheme is the complete opposite of your musical preferences - this is the kind of stripped down rawness the genuine underground scene needs in these days of confusion and misinformed marketing. 'II' is kick ass, to put it bluntly. [8]
Ha-ha-ha, don't you love the cover art for this? Kinda like those
classic GBK ones, but these filthy bastards here have chosen that
leper-kissing freak Mother Teresa and applied the corpse paint
accordingly. From the sounds of this demo this bunch of sick bastards
leave the impression being the kind of people who'd enjoy setting
homes and cars on fire, causing havoc in the city streets. High
energy, intense crust/power violence that's designed to smash your
head in via short, and tightly played, songs, uber-raspy,
bile-spitting vocals and lyrics of the 'we're all doomed'
variety...the complete package. You might not like that but I'm
sucker for the style and this is pretty neat/fucked up stuff to boost
the adrenaline rush in the mornings - don't tell me you are not
starting the day playing some Disrupt to set up the fighting mood?
This is a tough world, after all...up the punx! [7,5]
I
love split albums now and then and this release from HPGD looks to be
an interesting one. First up is Sacrificial Slaughter and they
bludgeon you over the head right out of the gate. SS play
brutal death metal but with a real thrash underpinning. A reference
band that immediately jumped to mind is the great old deathrash band
Demolition Hammer. There are bands out there playing
deathtrash, but I would have heard very few these days playing it
this way. It is sort of a throw back to a time when thrash fans and
bands were getting adrenalized for this new thing called death metal
and you could hear the merging of the two distinct styles, sort of
like hey that thrash band plays some sickening death metal. That is
what you get from Sacrificial Slaughter and I like it.
Oklahoma’s Enfuneration on the other hand are a more
polished and modern sounding death metal band. They also hit you hard
in their own way with razor riffing and deep rolling growl vocals.
The drummer stands out as well on these tracks, a very controlled,
precise and commanding performance turned in on the kit by drummer
Rodney Cochran. All in all a great pairing and a must have type album
for brutal death fans. I lean a little more towards Sacrificial,
but both bands bring the goods, on five songs a piece and punish your
ears.
A
day to celebrate here in the Void HQ, as this review marks post
number 200 for the zine. I'm not gonna start pouring champagne in a
crystal glass and singing karaoke to Abba , no way - this gonna be
the genuine article: metal and ice cold beer. Metalheads are
universally known for being extra passionate to the music created in their
'formative' years, so this CD release that compiles two separate
1991-ish recordings by the Finnish cult band Black Crucifixion can
only be praised by yours truly. Not for purely nostalgic reasons
either - one has to acknowledge the band for being on the leading
curve of the soon to be exploding (then!) second wave black metal and
their connection to Holocausto's Beherit has been well documented.
Sandwiched between an intro and outro, the three songs of 'The
Fallen..' are a good example of the coming madness - lo-filthy
produced, charmingly underdeveloped, filled with crudely cold
atmosphere and the famous 'whispering' vocal effect best known from
'Drawing Down The Moon'.''I'm a god now, and the slaves
shall serve/Fuck your herd conformity, the noble shall rule",
this short excerpt from the lyrics to the mostly excellent cut
'Flowing Downwards' describes the whole mindset of those involved in
that particular, and highly influential, scene better than million
words. Respect. 'Satanic Zeitgeist', the live portion of the disc,
is, quite unsurprisingly, even more viciously raw and morbid
sounding, bordering on Impaled Nazarene trademarked chaos in the
faster parts of the presented songs. Black Crucifixion have seemingly
been wise enough not to fall completely for that trick though,
injecting catchy mid-tempo hooks throughout the tracks, as well as an
enthusiastic cover version of 'In League With Satan'. Not a must-buy
for everyone but a fitting document of an era. Lay down your souls.
[7,5]
Didn't
you know already this ain't gonna be a nice little walk in the park,
chit-chatting with your soul mate, eating vanilla ice cream under the
azure sky? Hell no, this is on Aesthetic Death so you could make a
nice little bet this is going to be on the really fucked up
side of fucked up. Ultra slow, ominous sounding and spreading the
rotten stench of an abandoned torture chamber, the Australian duo's
chosen style is not here to please the fun loving part of you. I
would not be surprised if 'Drudging The Mire' doesn't click with some
aficionados of the funeral doom genre either, even if that's the
style close to home if one absolutely needs to tag Murkrat's
bleak musical creature. Mandy's vocals and extensive use of keyboards
to compliment the sombre mood bring up some difference to the
regular plate, with the former hinting at times of what Lisa Gerrard
might have sounded like if involved in a project of such extremely
dark nature. Yes, no low grunts to be found here but that's not the
only thing that separates Murkrat from fellow crooners, as this also
oozes vibes similar to early gothic rock, thanks to the prominent
bass guitar tone. Definitely a hard and long listen (72 minutes,
ffs!), which should be taken with some extra caution and probably a
Red Bull or two, but an interesting one all the same. [7,5]
By design this is a cassette tape release, limited to 100 copies.
Thanks to the wonders of the internet I was given a download link
from the label, thus being spared on the task of repairing the old
tape deck (something I should have done a year or so ago), or dusting
off the tried and trusted walkman, the very one responsible for
nights and days and nights again of zillion listens to Sigh's 'Scorn
Defeat','Hvis Lyset..', 'Under A Funeral Moon' and all that jazz. Go
on - laugh and call me a troglodyte but to an extend I'm pleased the
underground metal getting back to its roots, the tape format. So, a
demo this is and demos were intended to be a 'snapshot' of the band,
raising awareness of their style, sound and future potential.
Considering this, Ab Imo Pectore is a band worth of their salt,
working with the dizzying textures and atmosphere introduced by the
more experimental, 'left-field', black/post-black metal bands the
world has already seen its fair share of. At times 'The Dissociative
Path' does sound like an uneven clash of influences, demanding the
full attention of the listener without awarding much results in the
end, yet the good ideas and execution prevailing the bad ones, if
only just. They're onto something with these various vocal styles
they're using and I did enjoy the quasi-Mysticum vibe of 'Mass Grave
Emanations' for example, but there's hard work lying ahead for the
Portuguese lot if they're to achieve the fully compelling, hypnotic
and trance-like effect they're hinting on via the better parts of the
presented songs. [6]
Bilbao is apparently both a city and a jungle, this just dawned on
me. The Lions of Athletic Club have become the football (that's
soccer, my beloved Americans) hipster's choice after an impressive
Europa Cup campaign this year, spanking the useless Man Utd team in
the process, among other heroics. I've been rooting for the club
since 1984 so spare the thought I've been quick to jump on the
bandwagon...but I digress. The Rhino gang ain't no slouches either,
running rampant on gamut of influences that may make little sense on
paper (Autopsy and Soundgarden, what the fuck?) but once you pop up
this in the player it becomes clear they're mean bastards armed with
malicious intentions. Not only this is oppressively HEAVY sounding
and chock-full of massive mean riffs and pounding, thunderous rhythms
but these songs feel like the band getting the kicks whilst throwing
heaps of sludgy mud in the listener's direction. Fuck yeah, Horn Of The Rhino seem to be glad they're this kind of misbehaving,
super-energetic rock 'n rolling bastards who make their own rules and
don't take shit from anyone. Crusty death metal gallops? No problem.
Extended doom jams? Right there, Sir. Seattle-based gloominess?
Enjoy. While 99 out of 100 bands would make fools of themselves
trying to combine such a range of styles and sound even remotely
interesting without falling flat on their faces, these Basques do it
with ease, a cheerful smirk and class. Hey, Rhinos - free peyote-tripping gig
at San Mames any time soon? [8,5]
"What do they put in the water over there in Finland?" is one of the unsolved
mysteries of the universe. "Why don't they poison the water in
Finland to get rid of guitar 'prodigies' like Tolkki or Laiho?" being
the other one, apparently. Those damn six-stringers and their
'look-I'm-so-cool' pointless wankery - screw that and bask in the
joys of the primitive, gargantuan, doomier-than-thou intricacies of Horse Latitudes. Their
combination of two bass guitarists and a drummer/vocalist proves to
be a slow and low dirgefest of agony, horror and empty-glazed
despair. Listening to this might be kind of a demanding task, agreed,
but once the attention is rightly adjusted to the crawling pace and
the unusual approach there's no denying to the ability of the band in
creating eerie atmosphere through such minimalistic means. Those who
might write this off as boring and anti-climaxing - take a nice
stroll and pick up those damn schrooms, that should help. If you fail
again then I'm afraid you're doomed to live an eternity of
Korpiklaani jigs and 'metal' brodudery. How I envy you. [7,5]
Everything
about this band gives away their intention to pay homage to the
Celtic myths and history, just take a glance over the band's name and
that cover art, this is as straightforward as it gets. No complains,
Ireland has been really instrumental to raise awareness to the pagan
metal genre, with bands such as Cruachan and Waylander leading the
charge in the said style, achieving critical praise in the process.
Both of those might need to watch over their shoulders for the
competition, as Celtachor are boldly making their claims known with
these songs. Yes, 'In The Halls...' has been given a rather rough
production that damages the impact to some extend but that is to be
expected from a demo and can be easily taken care of on future
recordings. What's best about the band, however, is that they've been
able to resist the much despised 'folk metal' syndrome, tin whistles
or not, and have given the songs 'a fist in the air' (mid-tempo
Bathory, anyone?) quality and that unmistakable vibe of genuinely aggressive
metal, dissimilar to the one that gets clueless youngsters starting
to wave plastic swords and check each other's butts in smelly tents. Yup, no love for
the uber-corny folk metal here but plenty of respect for the pagan
one of Celtachor. Bearing in mind that this is almost two years old
by now, I'm sure the band has further honed their craft and I for one
am looking forward to the next offering. [6,5]
Extremely
crude, nasty and compromise-free, the Polish death metal throwbacks
are at your throat again. Based on the fact that this is already
band's sixth full-length (plus myriad of all kinds of splits and EPs)
one might be tempted to think that Throneum have had somehow lost the
urge to blaspheme, maim and mutilate. No chance, amigo. No fukkin
chance. Off-putting and gross to those who like it slick and marketable, 'Death
Throne Entities' is a raw sounding orgy of filth and mayhem, just
what the doctor ordered. Disorienting savagery in full effect that
could cast the most iron stomachs heave. Lovely. Stay clear if you
fancy your breakdowns and false productions, for this is made for
those who are not after the flavour of the month. Divisive? Yes. And
that's how it's ought to be. [8]
Yup,
both me and Forefather are still here, just like the first time we
crossed paths, around the time of their excellent 'The Fighting
Man' album. Loved them back then, sure I did, but will have to admit
that post 'Engla Tocyme' stuff wasn't greeted with the same interest
and sympathy as the first three CDs on my part. Not that those were
bad, friends of mine were holding the band in high regard and I've
been nodding approvingly, for the music was of decent quality. I've
probably missed the initial 'spark' that first got me into the band, or
was it the increasing heavy metal influence in their tunes on the
expense of the black metal vibe (think Burzum) which was a vital part
of Forefather for me? Whatever. 'Last Of The Line' continues in a
much similar vein and one has to admire Wulfstan and Athelstan for their
ongoing dedication keeping up the strong Anglo-Saxon vibe that has
become synonymous for Forefather in the band's 15 years of existence.
Those hymns to the ancient lore of the British isles could give you
goosebumps, the passion is undeniable and the melodies are super
memorable, displaying vivid pictures of medieval times and places in
the listener's mind. This is the kind of epic sounding metal that
could attract interest in various types of fans, from those adoring
Iron Maiden and Manowar to the Viking-era Bathory hordes, guys this
is just the right album for you. Pagan metal in the cheesy way this
is not but it's a great, moving, piece of folklore influenced metal
that could charge your batteries for the long day of work/school that
lies ahead. 'Last Of The Line' is also available directly from Seven
Kingdoms, band's own label. Metalhit.com offers digital download, next to
the proclaimed 'US version', which turns out to be a mere CD-R, of
all possible mediums. [7,5]
In
theory yours truly and Impiety should be a match made in hell (I
couldn't bring myself to write 'heaven' in this review, right?), just
like a Russian oligarch and finest caviar on a yacht cruising around
a gorgeous Caribbean island. In truth, well, not really. At least not
to the extend I'd hoped for, anyway. Yes - this is relentlessly fast,
drums are practically blasting non-stop all the time and Impiety are
accomplished players who know their way around the chosen
instruments, playing them with megatons of vigour and dedication.
But, there's always a but or two. Despite some memorable, usually
slower, parts scattered in some of those (rather lengthy I might
add) tracks the only thing I'd remember is how high the tempo is.
That's not bad in itself but it hardly leaves the same impact that the
better bands in the genre use to mercilessly assault the listeners
with. 'Ravage & Conquer' doesn't possess that extra punch and
grit of bands such as Revenge or Kerasphorus, for example. The production on this is
also somehow off, the vocals seem like just slapped over the
extra loud drums, while the guitars are lacking the mastodon sound
that's required. An album that's neither fish nor meat, much less beluga caviar. [6,5]
