NunSlaughter 'Devils Congeries Vol.I' review

NUNSLAUGHTER

Devils Congeries Vol. I

Hells Headbangers

By now everybody and his dog should know what NunSlaughter stands for – death metal, cooked in Satan's very own kitchen, using the right ingredients from the glorious '80s. Timeless, not outdated ingredients, mind you. Apparently this 58-song double CD here is first in a Herculean task of offering all vinyl EPs ever released by the band (tons upon tons of those exist, don't you know?) on shiny little silver discs.

Vol. I is jam-packed with poisoned tunes from various splits and EPs of all sorts – studio, live and rehearsal and you would be hard pressed finding a dirtier, uglier or more Jesus-bashing package elsewhere. You dig the sound of Repulsion, Master or Slaughter? Of course you do! NunSlaughter combine all that and more in their tunes, and filter those influences through a pile of unwashed priest's robes covered in filth, spunk and virgin's blood. And there's no end in sight. Bon appetite! 8 / 10

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ORDER FROM CHAOS set release date for long-awaited NUCLEAR WAR NOW! discography boxset

Nuclear War Now! Productions sets November 25th as the international release date for Order From Chaos' long-awaited Frozen in Steel vinyl-discography boxset. It is a nearly axiomatic principle that the most truly important artists tend to be overlooked or at least do not obtain the full extent of their deserved accolades during the time they produce their greatest work. Even in the context of underground metal, this principle is too often proven accurate. Such is the case with Order From Chaos. During the short span of the band’s existence, Order From Chaos garnered emphatic support from a relatively small faction of the underground, but went largely unnoticed by the scene at large. As time passed, however, the scene began to catch up with Order From Chaos and their albums attained their well-deserved canonical stature.

Shortly after the three Kansas City, MO teenagers – Pete Helmkamp, Chuck Keller, and Mike Miller – united to form Order From Chaos in 1987, they clarified their mission: they would channel all their creative energy into the band, perfect the presentation of their message, and terminate the project after three albums in order to preserve the integrity of their statement. The band members adhered to this directive, and after recording three albums (augmenting their discography along the way with various demo and EP releases), they disbanded in 1995 following the completion of their magnum opus, An Ending in Fire.

To bring the music of Order From Chaos into proper focus, the band (the members of which have all remained continually active in the underground metal scene since their days in Order From Chaos) worked together with Nuclear War Now! Productions to produce this definitive discography collection. Frozen in Steel contains all of the material Order From Chaos released during its existence. Included here are all the demos and early EPs revealing the band’s obsession with the likes of Venom, Sodom, Slaughter Lord, and Voivod among others. Listening to the demos, one hears the raw materials out of which Order From Chaos would later construct its definitive monumental statement of intent, the debut album Stillbirth Machine. While clearly maintaining the integrity of their approach on previous releases, the debut album extends beyond the confines of any particularized genre or subgenre; instead, it reflects a style that is wholly and completely that of Order From Chaos.

With their second album, Dawn Bringer, Order From Chaos’ ability to refine their sound became remarkably apparent. As with any genuine musician, author, or artist, Order From Chaos was not content with remaining static, and Dawn Bringer shows the band expanding the borders of its sonic and thematic universe. Its inclusion in this boxset marks the first time the album has ever been committed to vinyl. Finally, if their first two albums and their impeccable collection of shorter EP releases did not secure Order From Chaos’ legacy, their final album, An Ending in Fire, is irrefutable proof of the band’s genius. It is, in fact, nothing short of a masterpiece.

In addition to these releases, Frozen in Steel contains several rare and/or previously unreleased rehearsal and live recordings to provide the listener with the full spectrum of Order From Chaos’ dynamics. For the diehard edition, the band culled from its massive collection of rehearsal and live recordings those with the highest fidelity and selected them for inclusion. Accompanying the musical content is a 124-page hardbound book featuring a complete bio written by the band members, numerous previously unseen photos from their personal collections, a thorough discography, reprinted pages from the Order From Chaos zines the band produced, and a complete presentation of the lyrics. Cover and tracklisting are as follows: 

Tracklisting for Order From Chaos' 12LP Frozen in Steel boxset

LP 1: Demos
A1. Of Death and Dying
A2. Quietus
A3. The Scourge
A4. Victimized
B1. Apocalyptic Visions    
B2. Golgotha (Second Death)
B3. The Scourge

   
LP 2: Demos
A1. Webs of Perdition 
A2. Quietus       
A3. Crimes Against the State
A4. Of Death and Dying      
A5. Blood and Thunder   
B1. Nucleosynthesis  
B2. Megalomania    
B3. Nuctemeron (Conqueror of Fear II)  
B4. Tenebrae / Draconis (Conqueror of Fear III)  
   
LP 3: Live in Studio
A1. Stillbirth Machine  
A2. Plateau of Invincibility
B1. As the Body Falls Away 
B2. Forsake Me This Mortal Coil
B3. The Angry Red Planet (Fugue for Cydonia)
B4. Labyrinthine Whispers
B5. An Ending in Fire
   
LP 4: Stillbirth Machine  
A1. The Edge of Forever   
A2. Power Elite  
A3. Iconoclasm Conquest
A4. Forsake Me This Mortal Coil
B1. Stillbirth Machine   
B2. Blood and Thunder  
B3. As the Body Falls Away
   
LP 5: MLPs   
A1. Plateau of Invincibility  
A2. Nuctemeron 
A3. Dead of the Night
B1. The Edge of Forever
B2. Webs of Perdition  
B3. Imperium       
B4. De Stella Nova      
   
LP 6: Dawn Bringer
A1. Labyrinthine Whispers
A2. Ophiuchus Rex (He Who Plays with the Serpents)  
A3. War And Pain 
B1. Tenebrae / The Sign Draconis
B2. Raise The Banner       
B3. Webs of Perdition   
   
LP 7: Live, 1993 and 1994   
A1. Blood and Thunder
A2. Ophiuchus Rex 
A3. Power Elite 
A4. Iconoclasm 
B1. Plateau of Invincibility 
B2. Ophiuchus Rex (He Who Plays with the Serpents)
B3. Nuctemeron (Sodom cover) 
B4. An Ending in Fire 
   
LP 8: An Ending in Fire
A1. Dawn Bringer Invictus 
A2. Tenebrae 
A3. The Sign Draconis   
A4. Plateau of Invincibility    
A5. The Angry Red Planet       
B1. There Lies Your Lord, Father of Victories  
B2. Nucleosynthesis  
B3. De Stella Nova (Instrumental) 
B4. An Ending in Fire
   
LP 9: Rehearsal, Dec 25, 1988   
A1. Of Death and Dying      
A2. Webs of Perdition      
A3. Crimes Against the State
A4. Golgotha (Second Death) 
B1. Quietus       
B2. Apocalyptic Visions 
B3. Victimized       
B4. Blood and Thunder   
   
LP 10: Live and Rehearsal   
A1. Victimized
A2. The Scourge
A3. The Edge of Forever
A4. Webs of Perdition
B1. Crimes Against the State
B2. Power Elite
B3. Iconoclasm Conquest
B4. Blood and Thunder
B5. Stillbirth Machine
   
LP 11: Rehearsal, February 1991
A1. Nucleosynthesis
A2. Webs of Perdition
A3. The Edge of Forever
A4. Crimes Against the State
A5. Power Elite 
A6. Iconoclasm Conquest
B1. As the Body Falls Away
B2. Blood and Thunder 
B3. Forsake Me This Mortal Coil
B4. Megalomania 
B5. Stillbirth Machine
   
LP 12: Live, January 2, 2010  
A. The Edge of Forever / Forsake Me This Mortal Coil / Of Death and Dying / Labyrinthine Whispers / Webs of Perdition 
B. Dawn Bringer Invictus / Tenebrae / The Sign Draconis / Plateau of Invincibility /  An Ending in Fire 

MORE INFO:

www.facebook.com/pages/ORDER-FROM-CHAOS/488324164588304

www.nwnprod.com

 
www.facebook.com/pages/Nuclear-War-Now-Productions/114864651994141

 

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

Funest on Facebook

Funest on Bandcamp

Unholy Domain Records on Facebook

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
Possession on Facebook

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

Incantation on Facebook (Official Fan Page)

Acid Death 'Misled' review

ACID DEATH

‘Misled’

(Free download)

To hell with the cynicism – I’m really glad to report Acid Death is back. Not only that, but the band seems to be doing pretty well these days, having released an album, entitled ‘Eidolon’,  for the Austrian NoiseHead Records in 2012, and now offering ‘Misled’ for free download via their website. Long it might continue!

“Why should I care about the return of Acid Death?” I hear you murmuring. Because they’re such a good band, that’s why. A rare breed of a band too, one of the numerous few which are truly meant to be creating and playing progressive death metal, no matter what the flavor of the month dictates – and that’s exactly what they’ve been doing since the band’s inception in the late 80s. Respect!

Downloading and giving a thorough listen to ‘Misled’ might very well be the perfect starting point if one is tempted to check out if Acid Death’s music could be relevant to his/her tastes. While far too many bands have made fools of themselves re-recording songs from their past catalog the same certainly doesn’t apply to those five tunes the Greek wizards have dug out from the vaults, and breathed new life into. Technical to an uncompromising degree, true – but also retaining real thrash / death aggression, with plenty of catchy riffs and solos, tempo changes, prominent bass lines and the raging thrash vocals of Savvas.

I can’t believe how impressive this stuff actually is, especially as four out of the five songs being re-worked stuff from the band’s 1995 split LP with Avulsed, and “Balance Of Power” originally penned even earlier than that. Welcome back, Acid Death! [8,5 / 10]

Acid Death

Altars / Heaving Earth 'Split Tape' review

ALTARS / HEAVING EARTH

‘Split Tape’

(Nihilistic Holocaust)

Yes, this is a tape only release, fuckin deal with it. All formats have their pros and cons, and there’s just something about cassettes that makes them commendably underground. What really matters is the music, right? And, musically both bands are here to burn their mark on the listener’s mind.

Out of the two, Altars are certainly the harder nut to be cracked, consumed and digested. In fact, there’s this ghastly, uneasy feel creeping out from these two dismal songs that the more sensitive listener might be tempted to skip listening to them altogether, in order to keep one’s sanity intact. Good luck. The horrific atmosphere, the seamless combination of tempos, the subterranean vocals – Altars is a band that you better keep an eye on. Praise the horror. [8,5 / 10]

Heaving Earth is seriously awesome as well, just in a totally different way than Altars. Complex, stellar guitar riffs and quirky solos, monstrous vocals, punishing rhythms - I’d say bands such as Immolation and Morbid Angel are some of the obvious influences here. And that’s meant as a compliment to Heaving Earth, in case you’ve been wondering. If a band could replicate the unearthly vibe of those two bands I say more power to them! [8 / 10]

Nihilistic Holocaust

Altars on Facebook

Heaving Earth on Facebook

Sarcasm 'Crematory' review

SARCASM

'Crematory'

(On Parole Productions)

'Crematory', the much loved and talked about in the underground circles, album by Sarcasm has been reissued once again, this time featuring 5 demo bonus tracks to justify the 'Anthology' tag used by the label. Kudos to On Parole for keeping this obscure little gem in print - na zdravje!

Ooooh, never heard of Sarcasm? That's fine, they are hardly a household name nowadays, but pretty much used to be just that for the metalheads in former Yugoslavia in the tail end of the '80s. 'Crematory' was originally released on tape in 1989 and I can boldly say the adolescent charm of these 8 tunes holds up well to this very day. Not a bad achievement for a bunch of high school guys from some small Slovenian town, one has to give them that.

It's been said that metal is predominantly young man's game and 'Crematory' is proof positive of the statement - the energy level is off the scale, and what the tunes might be (veeery slightly) lacking off in the technical department is more than compensated by the pure conviction and enthusiasm of the band. Musically, this is a rather odd sounding animal - Sarcasm's thrash is anything but straightforward speed assault, and there's enough variation to keep you pay close attention to the tunes. C'mon, side by side to the thrash 'n bash of songs like "The Krüger Story" and "Thrash Tonight" we have the rather cheesy quasi-Accept / quasi-hair metal oddball that is "Love At First Sight" and the closing pair of "Fate" and "Runaway" that somehow bear similarities to Jello Biafra and Dead Kennedys - beat that!

Dated sounding? Yes, in a good way. Groundbreaking? Hardly, yet a fun record and not solely due to nostalgic reasons. [7,75 / 10]

Sarcasm on Facebook 

On Parole Productions 

NunSlaughter / Antiseen Split 7" review

NUNSLAUGHTER / ANTiSEEN

Split 7"

(Hells Headbangers)

Inevitable just like our beloved civilization's collapse - another split thingy featuring NunSlaughter, ladies and gentleman. With Antiseen on the flip too, in case you've been wondering what would it take for things to become better worse. Two new and exclusive songs per band, available on either traditional black or red / brown wax - Hells Headbangers seldom disappoints.

Alike with NunSlaughter, especially when we're talking 7" vinyl. The format seems to be tailor made to the band's needs, allowing their short, and straight to the point, thrashy and punked up death metal neck-breakers to shine in all of their dirty, religion mocking, glory. Focused, instantly recognizable, aggressive - both "So Vile" and "The Burning Times" are yet another good example that NunSlaughter do have fun. Solid, if not spellbinding. 

Antiseen at first glance might look like a weird pairing but there's method to the madness. Strip out all genre tags, trends and fads and in most cases you get to the raw, rebellious, nerve of genuine Rock 'n' Roll. And rocking hard Antiseen certainly do - coarse vocals, energetic rhythms and mean guitar distortion, a recipe proven to work wonders to the adrenaline levels of all those young at heart. "Air Of Opportunity" wins it for me, being grittier and faster than "Down To The Bone".[7,75 / 10]

NunSlaughter on Facebook 

Antiseen on Facebook 

Imprecation 'Satanae Tenebris Infinita' review

IMPRECATION

'Satanae Tenebris Infinita'

(Dark Descent Records) 

It has long dawned on everyone that sooner or later all bands from the past are bound to return, in one form or another. No prejudices here and no bias, as long as the newly penned tunes deliver there will be enough people paying attention / parting with their hard earned cash. Too bad for you if you are doing it the half-assed way, though - it's a dog eat dog world. Any Carcass member aware of this by chance? Sound chaps, cheers.

Speaking of comebacks, Imprecation certainly have unfinished business to take care of, this being their proper debut full-length album, after spending years in Hell (aka Texas) following the release of the 'Theurgia Goetia Summa' compilation of early demo / EP tracks in 1995 on the up and coming (then!) Repulse Records. Going straight to the core question - yes, 'Satanae Tenebris Infinita' is a great album, and yes - it would mighty help you to enjoy its qualities if your taste does cater to the death metal sound of old. In no way Imprecation are phoning it, I'd assume they just don't want it any other way but riff heavy, mid-paced, memorable and dripping with blasphemous atmosphere. What's best is that by slowing the pace down and concentrating on pure heaviness and clarity Imprecation do stand out with their style, giving a much needed break from the "more technical and faster than thou!" boredom fest that's so mistakenly been heralded as death metal for years. Nine quality hymns of true and tried death done right - 'Satanae Tenebris Infinita' does place Imprecation alongside early Acheron on the top of the list if one's tempted by this particular, and similarly sinister, style and sound. [8 / 10]

Imprecation on Facebook

Melencolia Estatica 'Hel' review

MELENCOLIA ESTATICA

'Hel'

(Temple Of Torturous)

Ambient black metal hailing out of Italy and is the vision of Climaxia (now there is a name, heh), whose vision is Melencolia Estatica, she handles the overall concept, guitar, bass, and “vocal orchestrations”. I guess that last bit means she plans out and coaches the vocalists every move and emanation? Speaking of which the vocals, they are really often more of the dark death metal variety, set to sometimes ambient and other times noisy harsh aggression. Something about the music does not flow for me, maybe that is the way it was intended to be, but often the guitar patterns and tones are just grating rather than atmospheric, the different instrument sounds seem to clash again at times and step upon one another’s toes. For me, rather than finding that harsh and extreme, it just came off grating and annoying, sort of headache inducing. I do not so much mind headache inducing music, as long as the music pays off and is awesome in it’s extremity, that is not the case here. This more often then not comes off like a cluttered mess and displays a muddled musical direction or possibly lack of direction I suppose. The more atmospheric moments (and some of the vocal work), where they slow down the din of silver wear cascading down a set of stairs, is actually decently done and enjoyable, yet it is a little hard to enjoy at the same time, because you know the mess is going to start up again soon. Yes, maybe I just do not see or understand what they are going for, but to me this is trying to do a bunch of things at once, not doing them that well, suffocating the musical whole and not letting the individual parts much room to breathe, rendering them nearly useless. I would pass on this, but give their MySpace a listen and see if you agree with me before writing them off.

(Dale Roy)

Melencolia Estatica on Facebook 

 

Nepente 'Suffering Is The Seed' review

NEPENTE

'Suffering Is The Seed'

(Sonic Blast Media)

South America has always had been known for its aggressive, violent metal and Colombia's Nepente carries that tradition on nicely with 'Suffering Is The Seed'. In fact I would say the band raise the brutal bar just a little bit with this album with insanely fast (you have to hear ‘em to believe them) blast beats mixed with chaotic, uncompromising guitar riffs that rarely slow down. The guitars are a little thicker giving them a death metal feel and sound. After listening to the vocalist I'm surprised his vocal chords are not completely destroyed after the recording sessions for this album, as they are some of the most intense, sick shrieks/screams I have heard in quite some time, but there is also a Glen Benton death metal growl mixed in on some of the songs and both vocal styles fit Nepente's uncompromising war metal style nicely. 

(Patrick) 

Nepente on Facebook 

Sonic Blast Media 

 

NervoChaos ' To The Death' review

NERVOCHAOS

'To The Death'

(Greyhaze Records)

I remember hearing this Brazilian band 2006 release 'Quarrel In Hell' through Ibex Moon Records, but since then I lost track with the band's activities. It's great to see the band has been carrying on and keeping active in the underground scene with releases and looking at their bio, the band has played quite a few shows with some great underground death and black metal acts. 'To The Death' is NervoChaos’ fifth release and is thirteen tracks of pure well played, aggressive death metal. Unrelenting fast drums with some mid-paced passages before the pace is picked back up. The guitar riffs are intense and heavy with some solos thrown in the mix to keep the listeners attention while the musicians pound your eardrums and senses with the heaviness of the music. The vocals are done pretty original sounding with brutal, angry death growls and some gruff/screams. Fans of past NervoChaos releases should enjoy this or if you enjoy heavy, fast uncompromising death metal, then you will definitely want to check this South American band out for some quality death metal.

(Patrick)

NervoChaos on Facebook 

Greyhaze Records 

Nominon 'The Cleansing' review

NOMINON

'The Cleansing'

(Deathgasm Records)

Nominon return with their newest and, possibly, best release to date. 'The Cleansing' consists of ten tracks of crushing old school brutal death metal as only the mighty Swedish can do it. You get heavy guitars that are as complex as they are heavy and fast. The drumming is right on with the guitars playing at chaotic, fast speeds but also manages to pull off some really good patterns. This is another great release for both Nominon and Deathgasm, so if you’re a fan of fast, brutal old school Swedish death metal you know what to do.

(Patrick)

Nominon

Bane 'The Acausal Fire' review

BANE 

'The Acausal Fire'

(Abyss Records)

Bane is a band I have known about and followed for a few years now, so it's great to see they are on such a respected label like Abyss. For those of you unfamiliar with Bane - the band comes out of Serbia's underground scene and 'The Acausal Fire' is their second CD (the debut 'Chaos, Darkness And Emptiness' was released in 2009). 'The Acausal Fire' is ten tracks of melodic, yet semi brutal and aggressive blackened death metal, the guitars and drums are extremely fast and done to perfection, guitars have the thin black metal sound but also use some nicely done solos not usually heard in this style of metal. The drums are non-stop but played with a lot of precision and well-written patterns that fit perfectly with the rest of the music. The band does some keyboards but before you condemn the band too harshly they know how to meld the keyboards with the rest of the instruments for a fuller sound and the keys add an extra layer to Bane's already full and dark sound. The vocals are a nice mix of deeper death growls and some blackened metal screams. Fans of melodic, atmospheric should definitely give Bane a chance - I don't think you will be disappointed by this album.

(Patrick) 

Bane 

Daemonicus 'Deadwork' review

DAEMONICUS

'Deadwork'

(Abyss Records)

Dan (owner of Abyss Rec.) definitely has great taste when it comes to signing top quality Swedish blackened death metal. This time he has unleashed Daemonicus upon the underground maniacs. 'Deadwork' is the band's second album and easily one of 2012's best death metal releases (We're way beyond the schedule, I know - ED). Uncompromising death metal fast, chaotic guitars, pummelling drums that go from mid- to blasting beats. The vocals are a nice mix of brutal death growls and more raw screams. Daemonicus will definitely impress the die-hard fanatics traditional Swedish death metal.

(Patrick) 

 Daemonicus on Facebook