Abigor 'Supreme And Immortal Is The Art Of The Devil' review

ABIGOR

Supreme And Immortal Is The Art Of The Devil EP

Avantgarde Music

Press releases can be little funny bastards, more often than not. Case in point: Avantgarde's Abigor one. No matter what words you would want to use, it's crystal clear those 2 songs are remnants of a failed project from 1997, and all possible 2013 tweaking, re-mixing and newly recorded vocal lines couldn't help turning those from turd to gold.

Right, Silenius is back on the vocal duties. Big deal - those vocals largely fall flat, much in the same vein when Bethlehem tried something similar. The music pretty much epitomizes what was wrong with the more “advanced” and “experimental” (quasi-/ex-) black metal bands in the second part of the '90s: No soul, heart or real dark passion is present. Stiff, in a word. Layered with synths overpowering the thin sounding guitars. Anemic, pseudo-industrial drumming. You know the drill.

At any rate, Abigor (Who, in 20 years, I've never heard anyone, fellow metalhead or musician, citing as a fave band) is here again with a newly released 7” nobody asked for and a new album to follow. “Abigor is, and still makes, the history of european black metal” (sic). At least there's no mention what kind of history it is. 3.5 / 10

Abigor

Funest 'Demo 2013' review

FUNEST

Demo 2013

Unholy Domain Records / Eternal Tombs Records

Let me assure you there's no shortage of bands and labels firing digital promos my way, and often I'm in shudders when the time comes for the weekly ritual of downloading files and unzipping folders. In shudders, because some of those promos are total duds I don't have much / any use of – and for some reason big percentage of those come either from bands with strange monikers, or from Italy, or both. 

 

Well, Funest fall in the latter category, but for once it was worth the trouble. Solidly played and produced, crunchy, no ifs and buts, fast-paced death metal, which, as the press sheet confirms, owes much to the glory days of Swedish bands such as Nihilist, Grave and Dismember / Carnage for its sheer straightforwardness and catchiness. Right, this is a stroll into a familiar territory for most of us, but a pleasant one for sure, with ripping guitars, Estby-esque drumming and low, barking vocals, so I'm all for it. Spain's own Memento Mori had already signed the band for a full-length to be released sometime in 2014, meanwhile this demo is available in limited quantities and different formats from the labels above (and the band themselves, I presume) and if you are getting a hard-on when the words “death”, “metal” and “Sweden” are used together in a sentence, I'd say this is a safe buy. 7.5 / 10

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Funest on Bandcamp

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Eternal Tombs Records

Shitfucker 'Suck Cocks In Hell' review

SHITFUCKER

Suck Cocks In Hell

Hells Headbangers

Hells Headbangers is one of the pillars of the scene and I'm digging the hell of most of their releases, but Shitfucker stand out as a sore thumb. A sinister mutant offspring of Venom and GG Allin this is not, if that was the intention. What it is, however, is an anti-elaborated mixture of simplistic primitive metal, raw and sloppy punk rhythms and something that supposedly should be passing for infernal rock'n'roll, yet there's very little substance to the tunes that might give you the urge playing the album more than couple of times.

There's no accounting in taste, true, yet when 7 non-lengthy songs (plus an intro and outro) sound like boring 2-hour listening experience, one knows the said album doesn't cut the mustard. Those three guys make Gehennah sound like technical wizards, I'll give them that - but nothing else. Hopefully Shitfucker is having autistic good time playing this stuff, or else all is in vain. Bands like Abigail and Barbatos are light years ahead of Shitfucker if you're craving similar sound and style. Also, for bands having “Shit” in their name, I'd personally stick to Shitlickers, thanks. 4 / 10

Shitfucker on Metal Archives

Possession 'His Best Deceit' review

POSSESSION

His Best Deceit

Invictus Productions

The Belgian scene has never been considered a cult one, sure, yet the last ten years or so could be considered a particular low point in its development, with only Monads being the band worth talking about. Particularly I was quite thrilled reading the following news brought by the nuclear November rain: “The Association For Primitive Metal Art”, led by its honorable mentors Sodom, Destruction and Bathory (versions up until '85, naturlich) gladly welcomes to its ranks the new Belgian craftsmen Possession, wishing them tons of upcoming success”. 

Note the “upcoming” bit though, because as of now there's still much to be desired from the band, no matter how high nostalgia factor might be crammed into those 4 songs for the undying, beer-drinking old schooler: Purposefully mean production, music that's 50/50 thrash and black, cover version of Sepultura's “Necromancer” - all is well, just not exceptionally praiseworthy. That said, it would be interesting witnessing what the future holds for Possession, probably soon I could add their name as another band from the land of the thousands monastic brews to my faves list. 'His Best Deceit' oozes with lovely Neanderthal-like charm and is a decent first effort, yet more individual sound won't do any harm to this band. 7 / 10

Possesion
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Incantation 'Mortal Throne Of Nazarene' review

INCANTATION

Mortal Throne Of Nazarene

Hells Headbangers

Each and every intie I've read with Jon McEntee is characterized by couple of things, namely his undying and unquestionable passion for producing and consuming death fuckin' metal and his devotion to the main band he's playing with, Incantation. Incantation, the beast he had started in 1989 alongside another visionary, Paul Ledney, following both of them abandoning Revenant for the good reason of not being thrilled by the perspective of that band's change to more acceptable, thrashier and technical style. Soon after Ledney splits with Incantation, only to form Profanatica, but that's another chapter for the history books.

Incantation have never been destiny's darlings, and the zillions line-up changes might have done them some disfavour over the years, yet the stubbornness, the hard work and (most importantly) the high quality songs and albums they've released paid off in the long run. It might have taken a while, 15 years or so, for the metallic underground to catch on and cover itself in hectolitres of goats blood but there's no denying Incantation's unholy and putrid atmosphere is an integral part in the music created by all those bands who are buzzing these days in the underground circles, be it Necros Christos, Teitanblood or Grave Miasma etc. etc..

So, 'Mortal Throne Of Nazarene' – 19 years after its original release date this album is still as inhumanly aggressive and brutal as ever, a near-perfect mixture of freaking speed and soul-crushing slower passages. Add to this those gurgling vocals courtesy of good ole Craig Pillard, the merciless drumming, well audible bass lines and the typical ultra-heavyweight riffage the band is known for and you're facing 8 death gems that have easily stood the test of time. This is also the first ever vinyl outing for 'Mortal Throne...' and there's no excuse not purchasing this, even if that translates to “no presents for Christmas” to your family and relatives. 9 / 10

Incantation

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