Moribund
Rec. is not really known for signing and releasing death metal bands,
but the few I have heard off the label have always had a certain dark
aura and powerful sound within their musical approach. Well, the
U.S. Infernal Legion carry the torch high. After a six year hiatus
the band returns with the massive 'The Spear Of Longinus', nine
tracks of guitar, bass heavy death metal. The band is not insanely
hyper-speed fast or interested in being the most guitar-technical
band like so many in today's scene. Instead Infernal Legion play
mid-tempo heavy death metal. No melodies, no harmonies, no breaks -
just pure death metal. The vocals are extremely heavy, deep growls
and fit nicely with the band's musical style. If you are a fan of
old-school death or if you remember Infernal Legion's earlier
releases then you will want to pick this release up as soon as
possible. Death metal fans will not be disappointed.
'Caduceus Chalice' is (Australia's) Moon debut CD and a very impressive one to say the least. Six
tracks of cold, dismal atmospheric black metal. The guitars and drums
are played at a mid-paced and done perfectly. The vocals are a raspy,
whispery voice. Mixed within the music is some well-played keyboards
that bring another dimension to Moon's already dark sound. This is a
band and release that should appeal to all fans of "atmospheric"
black metal.
Hells Headbangers
has unearthed and released one of the greatest black metal bands
earliest recordings. Beherit's 'At The Devils Studio' showcases the
band's early primitive violent days.Thin guitars, drums that range
from mid-pace to fast blast beats, the vocals are demonic
growls/screams with some lower whispered type of vocals that fit the
band's sound perfectly. This is a must have for fans of Beherit's
first two CDs.
This
is a band created by some very well-known musicians within the black
and death metal scene: Teloch (Mayhem, Nidingr),Espen Hangard
(Altaar) and Dan Lilker (Nuclear Assault ,etc.) on bass. So what do
you get when combine the talents of these metal musicians? A very
eerie, dark trip filled with traditional, sick black metal with some
industrial types. Overshadowing each track is dark atmosphere within
the band's music that will send chills down your spine. If you are a
fan who is into sick, depraved black metal with touches of industrial
and atmospheres, then Nunfuckritual is a band that might interest
you.
I have
had the pleasure of dealing with Moribund Recs. pretty much since I
started working on zines some years ago and I have always respected
how they release quality bands over what the trend of the week is.
NOCTURNAL FEAR are no different - instead of the black metal assault
that Moribund is legendary for releasing, this time the label has
unleashed these thrashing, war maniacs to annihilate the listeners.
From the first note to the last drum beat NOCTURNAL FEAR never
loosens its attack as it rages through 9 tracks of pure
thrash/death/war insanity. Loud, fast thrashing guitars that has it
all - great solos, complex riffs without loosing any of the bands
intenisty. The drums are impressive as they are fast, violent but
they are also complex with a few breaks before the band starts to
pummel your senses with a new barrage of raging thrash/war metal.
This band is worth checking out.
This
is by far one of 2011's best death metal releases!! The Swedish
masters combine crushing,heavy guitar riffs, pounding fast drums sick
and deep growls. Mordbrand isn't worried about playing 2 thousand
miles an hour, or trying to be as technical as ever. Instead, they
rely on their ability to perform flawless, old-school death metal.
With bands like Mordbrand, Cianide and Deus Otiosus maybe death metal
will return the greatness it once had.
This is a new band coming out of Louisiana.The group
members are no strangers to the metal scene, as they come from some
of Louisiana's more well-known bands like Catholicon (Chad Kelley,
vocals), while Jason McIntyre used to play in a brutal death metal
band Suture. The guys have moved on and formed Excommunicated and
the musicians do a good job of creating a mix of heavy semi-brutal
death metal and some melodic death metal in a nice mix. For a debut
album this has some great musical ideas but at the end of 'Skeleton
Key' nothing really sticks out as memorable.
This
is the debut EP from the Texas-based ENORMICON. I guess the best way
to describe this band would be a mix of stoner rock, traditional
doom, and older prog music. It's not really my styles of music so
this review is gonna suck as I don't know too much about these
particular genres. So I will say if you are a SABBATH or HIGH OF FIRE
fan, or just old-school doom in general, then you might enjoy this
band.
After all these years of doing zines I still
love getting and hearing new bands. And Denmark's Deus Otiosus is
definitely one of the best old-school death metal bands I've come
across in the last few months. I have pretty much become a picky old
bastard with death metal in general (as much as I hate to admit it,
that it's the truth) but Deus Otiosus offers everything that got me
hooked onto death metal in the first place. Heavy, uncompromising
death metal at it's finest, no over-the top jazzy or technical guitar
riffs with a million solos - instead sticking to the basic heavy
straight forward guitar patterns of the elder death metal gods. The
band does have some impressive structures and few solos thrown in a
few of the songs, but nothing overly done like so many of today's
bands. The drums are mid-range with some faster beats when it is
needed but the band's strength definitely is in the more straight
forward mid-paced song-writing. The vocals are deep and vicious
growls that are a perfect match for Deus Otiosus' old-school style
and approach. If you are an old-school maniac who misses the late
80's/early 90's when death metal was the law and nothing was better
then definitely get 'Murderer' as this is sure to be a classic
release.
This
is Bahimiron's second CD for the Moribund Cult. The last Bahimiron
release was decent but nothing great. With 'Rebel Hymns...' the band
strikes back again with full force and destructive fury. To put it
simply - this is a sick, twisted masterpiece of frenzied
raw destruction. With so many black metal bands going the route of
crystal clear production,clean vocals,whatever they seem to loose
sight of what this music is about. But not Bahimiron - it's great to
hear a band sticking to their roots and keeping their music
aggressive,ugly and destructive.
This is a new band from the U.S. underground scene.
Atriarch play a unique style of doom,black metal mixed with some experimental influences all rolled into one massive sound. Vocals are
harsh,tormented screams of agony while the band plays the soundtrack
with some haunting heavy doom riffs,mixed with some drone overtones.
The vocals ,as mentioned, are mainly blackened metal screams but
there are also some very well used clean vocals which add nicely to
the bands overall dark and haunting sound. Atriarch are definitely not
for everyone in the scene, but if you enjoy dark,doom with touches of
black metal then they might be a band you will want to check out
soon.
Archgoat was spawn nearly twenty years ago from the bowels
of hell and still going strong, as evident by their latest MCD. Six
tracks of filthy,primitive blackened death played in it's purest form.
The music ranges from a darker mid-paced speed to more violent
outbursts of blasting speed filled with aggression and hate. The
vocals have a deeper growl that give them a death metalish touch but
fit perfectly with Archgoat's type of musical blasphemy. This is
recommended to all fanatics of raw,primitive blackened death metal.
ZWARTPLAAG are definitely the most aggressive and
straight-forward band I've heard from the batch of promos sent from
Heidens Hart. Raw,fast guitars played with both aggressive intensity
and precision,the vocals are the standard shrieks and evil screams
but there are also some deeper growls within a few songs. This is a
band that fans of straight-forward,aggressive black metal should
definitely check out. You will not be disappointed from this horde
from the Netherlands.
This is my first encounter with Holland's MURW. At first
listen the band seems to be influenced by raw,atmospheric black
metal, but when you listen a few more times you can hear a strong
death/doom and even a lot of progressive guitars within the blackness.
The guitars are raw,mid-paced giving them a nice black/doom type of
sound but in the next song the band switches gears and mixes in some
unexpected progressive type of guitar riffs and solos definitely not
used by most blackened/doom bands. The drums are mid-paced with some
slow doomish beats but never really gain speed which is good cause
MURW has a perfect sound and I don't think the band would do good
trying to incorporate fast,aggressive riffs or beats with their blend
of progressive blackened doom. If you are a black metal fan who only
listens and worships the old-school aggressive bands then most
likely MURW will be a band you will not like. But if you enjoy your
black metal with alot of originality and creativity then MURW is a
band you must hear. Highly recommended.
Why Mordaehoth are not more well-known in the black,pagan
metal scene, after hearing this release? The band plays a more
harsh,raw black metal with a lot of of folk influences throughout the
songs to give the band an extra layer of creativity and intensity.
The band uses acoustic guitars,well-sung clean male vocal patterns.
The band is not afraid to show it's violent side with some really
intense black metal with fast guitars, shrieks and fast drums. If you
enjoy violent black metal with touches of pagan,folk metal then
Mordaehoth just may be a band you want to hear.
ANCESTORS BLOOD hail from the mighty Finnish scene. Usually
bands from Finland, whether it be black or death, is great music.
Well, ANCESTORS BLOOD is no different. The band has crafted some very
well played and epic,atmospheric black metal. The music is not all
over the top atmosphere though as the musicians are influenced by the
early 90's Norwegian/Swedish black metal bands. The guitars are done
very well,the drums are played fairly fast with a few slower moments
for both the band and listener to catch their breath. The vocals are
harsh,black metal shrieks that will pierce your soul and destroy your
eardrums with their intensity. Another instrument that impressed me
was the keyboards - by now most bands who play atmospheric or epic
style of black metal use them so it's no surprise, but ANCESTORS
BLOOD has a done a great job intertwining them with the rest of the
instruments to add a whole new layer to their sound. This is
definitely one of my favorite releases I have heard from Heidens Hart
and should not be missed by fans of epic,pagan black metal.
I
hear people say all the time that music should be innovative, and I
can’t really disagree with them a lot of the time. Bands should be
trying to do something new, to expand the boundaries of what was set
out before them, right? Well, maybe not all the time. What if there’s
a band that comes along that’s just so awesome, so amazing, so
satisfying,
that they don’t need to reinvent the wheel to sound freaking
incredible. Well, my friends, Pegazus are that band, and while you
may not agree with that statement, they certainly are that band for
me.
Now,
let me start off by saying that I’m a huge Pegazus fan. I have been
since I can remember, and I probably always will be. Since I first
started worshipping the art of New Wave of British Heavy Metal music,
Pegazus stood out with their attitude and songwriting, rather than
innovation. And the fact that they were from the 90s, an era where
traditional heavy metal was pretty much dead, is even more
impressive. Now then, on to the review.
The
opening track, “Metal Messiah,” is just the kind of fist-pumping,
good-time metal anthem you would hope for, with lots of melodic
prowess as well as a powerful and potent rhythm section. From the
very beginning, you know you’re in for a treat. After the first
track, I was more than satisfied, I would have been very content if
this was what the rest of the album was like, but then, “Road
Warriors,” the second track comes on, and blows me away. Better
riffs, superior vocals, and overall more impressive songwriting here,
even some good fills coming from the drums.
However, after the
first two tracks, this album is a real mixed bag, both in style and
quality. Sure, you have the songs that bear the great NWOBHM and
classic Euro-Metal force that makes albums like 'Headless
Horseman'
so amazing, such as “Metal Messiah,” Haunting Me,” and “Eye
for an Eye,” but I find quite often on this release that there are
a lot of songs that wouldn’t sound too out of place on Motley Crue
or Quiet Riot albums (“We Live to Rock,” “Road Warrior,” and
“Ghost Rider”). Also, it can’t be said that In
'Metal We Trust'
is the most consistent album in terms of quality. This could quite
possibly be an album where you pick maybe your four or five favorite
tracks and just stick with those, but I feel that even the less
standout tracks have a lot to offer, and are fun to listen to.
To
me , this album best serves the purpose of providing music for casual
listening, for when one is working, driving, or partying. While
definitely not as excellent as their earlier works (again, please
check out 'Headless
Horseman'
if you haven’t already), this album is still good fun from start to
finish.
[7]
Honestly,
as hard as I try, and I try very hard, it’s become quite
challenging to harvest any of the redeeming qualities one might
possibly find from the ever-growing crop of generic, rehashed thrash
metal albums around today.
Sure,
the riffs are cool, good melodies, nice chugging rhythms, but the
vocals may as well be copied and pasted from early Testament albums,
and in a music scene where there are actually quite a few great new
albums to seek out and enjoy, why bore yourself with this? Go listen
to 'Souls
of Black'
and give this one a pass. [4.5]
Uncomprehendable,
uncompromising, unintelligible destruction. That’s what Malaysian grindcore band Hellterror brings to the table with their new 16-track
EP, 'Reality…'.
With wild bursts of blind fury and unadulterated aggression, this EP
promises to leave everything in ruin by the time it’s over. Nothing
will be left standing. With only 150 copies (all in cassette format)
made, you might want to hurry and get your hands on this brutal
masterwork before it’s all gone.[8]
From
the moment I saw the title of this album, I knew, without even having
to give it a listen, that it was going to be a doom metal album. And
I was right. But what was presented here on Atlanta, Georgia’s
Wizard Smoke’s album 'The
Speed of Smoke'
is slightly different than what I expected.
What
we’re dealing with here is very laid back doom/sludge metal (really
more on the sludge side than anything) with some bluesy acoustic
intros (“Growing”) and monolithically slow, heavy riffs, dripping
with an overabundance of sludge and shrouded in a cloudy haze of
effervescent smoke. While the music here does its job in creating the
mood of lazy relaxation, what really impressed me about this album
was its ability to remain so chill and laid-back despite having
vocals that, ordinarily, would contradict that atmosphere completely.
Though checked and balanced by an extremely echo-filled production,
the vocals here consist mostly of high shrieks and raspy screams,
which, in my opinion, are executed very well, and only help to
enhance a sound that may otherwise have been rendered boring and
overdone by a more traditional doom/sludge vocalist.
Some
songs do drag on a bit and get a tad boring (“Butcher”), but I
find that, although this album is filled with riffs that are fairly
mediocre, it serves as an excellent soundtrack to laying back and
relaxing, whether you’re smoking the ganja, or just trying to wind
down, this album is pretty much perfect. However, the same can’t be
said for much else going on in this release, as there really aren’t
any features musically that stand out as being spectacular,
impressive, or even, at times, memorable. I suggest that if you can’t
pick up what Wizard Smoke is putting down with 'The
Speed of Smoke'’s
lazy and laid-back music, you should probably give it a pass.
Otherwise, I’d say check it out, and I know I sure enjoyed it! [6]
