Band: MEAT TRAIN
Country: UK
Title: Flesh Made Man
Label: Contagion Records
Year: 2013
Style: Death Grind
Review:
I think this debut album was initially released by the band in digital format (at least on Terrorizer it's still streaming) and got picked up by the young Contagion Records and released in CD format later the same year. The material is made of 13 tracks and lasts for 45 minutes of old-school Death Grind with a hint of Experimental but still keeping it organic and pretty unpolished. The music has both the heaviness and darkness of Death Metal and the craziness and anger of Grindcore, it's an awesome mix which I'm sure will reconcile both groups of fans. The rhythms range from slow, horror-filled, sludgy ones, to fast, double-bass drums lead ones, and what's cooler is the fact that the vocalist, although angry as hell, sounds comprehensive, you can actually understand what he says and probably get into their music more; and also there are lots of hooks, each track offers something different. Great debut album recommended to fans of old-school (but not only) Death Grind.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.meat-train.com
www.contagionrecords.com
Band: MORBID PEST
Country: Italy
Title: Loculo D'Orrore
Label: Black Tears Productions
Year: 2014
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Founded back in 2005, Morbid Pest is the main band of 2 members from Vergine Stuprata - already reviewed here. The band released its debut album in 2012 and shortly after that they decided to split but as you see that wasn't a definitive decision. This new EP is made of 7 tracks and lasts for almost half an hour of brutal, fast and uncompromising Black Metal with references to Mayhem's work. Released in a DIY kind of digipack, old-school looking, and limited to only 100 copies, Loculo D'Orrore, brings nothing impressive or outstanding to the scene, but it's done in pure old-school fashion, with honesty and dedication, it's clear this is how Morbid Pest intend to play and sound. Putrid vocals, unrelenting rhythm section, repetitive guitar riffs, and satanic oriented lyrics, this is what Morbid Pest offer us here, now it's your choince.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/pages/MORBID-PEST/239200502771921
Band: NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS
Country: USA
Title: Synkka Tuuli
Label: Horror Pain Gore Death Productions / Infernal Kommando Records
Year: 2013
Style: Ambient Black Metal
Review:
With such a name, this band should definitely have a strong connection to Finland, and indeed it has, the mastermind behind this moniker is from Finland and he started everything back in his homeland. Now I guess he moved to teh States and gathered a few other musicians to help him out but still I don't think this is a live band yet. Synkka Tuuli is its debut album made of 7 tracks and totaling half an hour of Ambient Black Metal, cold, distant, quite spooky and gloomy, so I find the picture on its cover to be the perfect teaser for what you get from its music. Slow, acoustic parts are mixed with fast, uncompromising ones with mysterious keyboard backgrounds and distant shrieks that sound more like ghost whispers than real voices, and cold, misty keyboard driven Ambient parts as well. It's a complete album and even if it's nothing new or original here, it has the right attitude, it inspires the right atmosphere and involves the listener it it's "story", so as far as I'm concerned this is a succesfull debut for the underground. Released by HPGD Prod. in CD format and Infernal Kommando Rec. in tape format limites to 150 hand-numbered copies, act fast!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.nihilistinenbarbaarisuus.bandcamp.com
www.horrorpaingoredeath.com
www.infernalkommando.blogspot.com
Band: NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS
Country: USA
Title: Vainamoinen
Label: Infernal Kommando Records
Year: 2014
Style: Ambient Black Metal
Review:
Made of only 2 tracks, one of them being instrumental and less then 2 minutes in length, this is more like a Single than a real EP but nowadays such rules are long forgotten, now you can record 2 tracks of 3 minutes each and call that a full-length album, nobody gives a shit. Well, anyway, as I was saying this is made of only 2 tracks and its total length is 8 and a half minutes, released by Infernal Kommando in tape format again limited to 150 hand-numbered copies. The instrumental track is on semi-acoustic guitar with soft drums, more like an outro; the other track is mostly fast paced Black Metal with keyboard backgrounds, strong bass lines and poor sound quality vocals, and drum programmings that strange enough are not annoying at all. Not bad stuff, I like the semi-acoustic stuff, but I still prefer the ghostly atmospheres from their debut album.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
www.nihilistinenbarbaarisuus.bandcamp.com
www.infernalkommando.blogspot.com
Band: NOCTURNAL DEPRESSION
Country: France
Title: Near to the Stars
Label: Sun & Moon Records
Year: 2014
Style: Depressive Black Metal
Review:
The second demo from Nocturnal Depression originally released in 2004 by Whispering Night Productions, re-recorded and re-released now by Sun & Moon Records who seems to be the perfect home for these French titans of Depressive Black Metal. The demo is made of 5 long tracks (including a cover of Emperor's "I Am the Black Wizards") lasting for almost 45 minutes. Mostly mid-tempo rhythms, with a few attempts of going faster or even slow things down, and already starting to build up that heavy, depressive, and bleak atmosphere that will later make them famous. I don't like the drums part that much but I can appreciate the fact they are recorded live and sound as organic as possible. The sound is excellent, and although I haven't heard the initial recording I'm sure this one will give the listener a better idea on where and how it all started for Nocturnal Depression, a good piece to add to every Black Metal collection, that's for sure.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
www.nocturnaldepression.free.fr
www.sunandmoonrecords.com
Band: POPPY SEED GRINDER
Country: Czech Republic
Title: Promo 2014
Label: Self-released
Year: 2014
Style: Brutal Death Metal
Review:
5 years after their Reign of Fear demo, Poppy Seed Grinder are back, this time with a 3 tracks promo CD that is supposedly announcing the release of their third full-length album. Well, since 2009 Yarda, the only remaining founding member, changed the whole line-up and PSG became a trio, but it's still an act strongly connected with both Worlds, the Brutal Death and the Punk Hardcore one. The 3 tracks present us a highly capable unit, three skilled musicians that manage to deliver brutal and technical but at the same time easily accessible and comprehensive music. I'd say the band stepped up a bit since their 2008 album Humanophobia, an album I enjoyed a lot, too. Groovy, complex, offensive and heavy, can't wait for the complete album to be released.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.poppyseedgrinder.cz
Band: PRIMAL
Country: Poland
Title: Prophetae
Label: The End of Time Records
Year: 2013
Style: Doom Black Metal
Review:
4th full-length album from this Polish one man band started back in 2008, and it's not the latest either, this year the 5th studio album came out already, so we're dealing here with a heavily productive act, hopefully it's not all about quantity and the guy's interested in delivering some quality, too. I've met this project before, when I reviewed its split with Iugulatus and Deep Desolation in 2012, and it seems not much has changed since then, I mean Primal is still playing it's own type of macabre, atmospheric, horrifying Black Metal that combines fast paced rhythms with mid-tempo and slow, doomy ones, the drums part are chaotic and dissonant at times but they are blending well with the overall sounds on this release, the vocals are somehow too in the background of the rest so they are use to rather emphasize the ghoulish atmosphere, and the sound is raw, stifled and dark. I'd say Primal is now offering a mixture of Doom and Black Metal, very expressive, recommended for the ones of you in search for scarry atmospheres rather than traditional sounds. Thumbs up for the constancy and bravery to pursue its own path.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.primalband.bandcamp.com
theendoftimerecords@gmail.com
Band: PROFUNDUS TENEBRARUM
Country: Spain
Title: Hate Decade (Demo Compilation)
Label: Vacula / Sturmglanz Black Metal Manufaktur
Year: 2014 (re-release)
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Initially released by the band in 2007, this compilation of demos is now re-released by Vacula and Sturmglanz on CD and I can only congratulate them, this is definitely a band to be heard by more and more Black Metal fanatics over there. The compilation features their first 3 demos entirely, and their part of the split with The Last Twilight from 2007, a fine journey through the band's history and a perfect way for the listeners to understand the band's development along the years. As one might expect, the first demos have a low quality sound, but good enough not to become annoying or to stop you from enjoying them. But from my point of view their part of the 2007 split is what makes this CD worth your money, every penny! This is one of the most interesting traditional Black Metal acts I've heard this year, Profundus Tenebrarum are playing highly fast paced, cold as ice, mysterious and blasphemic Black Metal in a way you won't believe it; the drummer is insane, the guitars are extremely catchy and technical, and the vocals are razor-sharp like you never heard before. What an amazing band, I really have to listen to what they've released since then, my appetite for Profundus Tenebrarum is at its peak and I strongly recommend you this band if you like your Black Metal as fast paced as possible and with symphonic type of keyboards to enhance its darkness.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/pages/PROFUNDIS-TENEBRARUM/131133906966511
www.vacula.com.ua
www.sturmglanz.de
Band: PURULENT RITES
Country: Hungary
Title: '13
Label: Neverheard Distro
Year: 2014
Style: Death Metal
Review:
Debut demo from this young and seemingly ambitious quartet from Budapest, the '13 demo was released by the band in 2013 then soon picked up by Norwegian Gravplass Propaganda label and released as tape, and now re-released as tape and Pro CDR by the hardworking Neverheard Distro. 4 tracks, 13 minutes of slow to mid-tempo old-school heavy and oppressive Death Metal with low-tuned guitars, zombie-like growls, and good rhythm section. A good debut, recommended for those of you into doomy, low-tuned, horrifying Death Metal, glad to see Hungary bringing up such bands, too. I have enjoyed it although I feel something's missing, either a few more hooks or something of their own, but I gues those will come in time, so I hope to hear again about this band soon.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/Purulent.Rites
www.neverhearddistro.blogspot.com
Band: RESTLESS OBLIVION
Country: Russia
Title: Sands of Time
Label: Solitude Productions
Year: 2014
Style: Doom Death Metal
Review:
Although this is their debut album, this band was founded back in 2009, so they are not really new on the scene, their productivity wasn't that important at all. Restless Oblivion offer us 7 tracks in almost 55 minutes of emotional, melodic, heavy, expressive and quite complex old-school Doom Death Metal heavily inspired by the '90's UK scene and not only by it. The instrumental part is excellent, the guitars manage to create both some enchanting, soft, melodic atmospheres and some other much more oppressive, dark, with no trace of hope, the rhythm section's work is as important as the guitars, and you'll be able to appreciate both their technical skills and ability to be highly influential in creating these atmospheres, and the vocals are mostly deep, low tuned growls, but with less versatility as I would have liked, there are only a few moments where the vocalist uses clean vocals or Black Metal type of shrieks, and they are not something memorable either, so to sum it up I think the weakest link in Restless Oblivion's music are the vocals, but if you like emotional Doom Death with the lowest possible vocals you'll like this, too. What I mostly like about this album is its ability to "paint" amazing soundscapes and keep the listener's attention high by constantly offering something new. A great gift if you're into the UK Doom Death of the '90's or into the most recent Draconian type of Doom Death.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.reverbnation.com/restlessoblivion4
www.solitude-prod.com
Band: SELFMACHINE
Country: Holland
Title: Broadcast Your Identity
Label: WormHoleDeath Records
Year: 2014
Style: Groove Metal
Review:
Every now and then when I get across a band with such clean and handsome guys that look like they are just back from their nice job in a bank or in an electronics store, where is the old spirit of rebellion of Rock and Metal music, but of course there's a place for everyone and I shouldn't comment on looks.
Selfmachine is a quintet from Holland founded back in 2010 and this is their debut album, an 11 tracks material totaling 50 minutes of Groove Metal with influences from Alternative Metal, Metalcore and even Progressive Metal. It sounds quite a solid music, more mature than I would have thought, and with real potential to reach high ranks in the European scene. The compositions are intricate and complex yet still melodic, catchy and quite nice flowing, the vocals are versatile enough to impress, the guitars are tight and inventive as hell, and the rhythm section is Swiss-clock-like precise. I hope they'll choose the Progressive Metal direction to explore further, and not the nowadays obsolete Metalcore one, they have the necessary skills and capabilities to provide memorable material. Good band.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
www.selfmachine.nl
www.wormholedeath.com
Band: SICKNESS
Country: Malaysia
Title: Necrosymphonies of Necropsy
Label: Grundar Production
Year: 2013
Style: Gore Grind
Review:
Wow, this band is a veteran of the Malay Gore Grind scene being founded 20 years ago, in 1995, amazing longevity for such a band, too bad they weren't very productive so far, and this is a straight proof: Necrosymphonies of Necropsy is their debut album. The sound is a problem, although crystal clear and organic as it should be, it's not powerful enough for this kind of music, or at least that's my opinion, I would have liked a fatter sound for this. The music is interesting and quite diverse, although I don't know if you'd be able to pick a track from the 10 featured to be your fave. It's cool they printed the lyrics (gory lyrics, of course) in the 6 pages booklet, that's a good bonus and an addition in getting into the whole atmosphere. Sick music, sick lyrics, fans of Brutal Death Metal (old-school, underground type of it) and especially fans of Gore Grind will enjoy it, no doubt, for the rest it would only constitute a curiosity, nothing more, it doesn't have the power to reach any general Extreme Metal tops.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/sicknessgoredeath
www.grundar.com
Band: SIGHTS OF WAR
Country: Canada
Title: For I Am...
Label: HSP Productions
Year: 2012
Style: Punk Heavy Black Metal
Review:
Probably this is one of the last copies of this debut EP as it was limited to only 100 copies and it's already 2 years since it was released. In the meantime the band released their debut album too, on the same label, HSP. Sights of War plays a primitive, dirty, fast paced and organic mixture of Punk, Heavy and Black Metal, or better said a mixture or Punk and Heavy Metal with raw, hoarse Black Metal vocals. Except for the fact they are using the same combination of riffs and beats everyone else was using back in the '80's, and the combination is quite dull, the EP sounds honest and the listeners might appreciate this dedication to the first signs of evil metal music, to the early days when Venom or Hellhammer were shocking thw world. Well, unfortunately nowadays it takes much more than this to shock anyone.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6.5/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/SightsOfWar
www.hsp-productions.com
Band: SOVENGAR
Country: Spain
Title: Vindicta et Gloria
Label: Art Gates Records
Year: 2014
Style: Epic Folk Heavy Metal
Review:
40 minutes debut album from this Murcia based young band that seems to be determined to conquer the World as soon as possible. They have a great image, I'd say even better than Noctem's (Art Gates' best selling act), so the first step is successful. Let's move over to the music on these 10 tracks; although based on standard Epic Metal patterns, meaning they are very catchy and stick to your mind almost instantly, the band's gaps are obvious: the vocalist has an awesome timbre but he has to work more on synchronization and even more on fitting the lyrics on the instrumental part, the guitarists will have to be less simple and generic and step up a bit, to show some attempts of originality like the keyboard player is doing. Apart from that I'd say Sovengar proves to be a fresh new band with a mighty potential and I truly believe Art Gates found their next big thing here, hopefully a second, more mature full-length will followup soon. Sovengar are on the right path, they only need to stay focused and give their best, keep an eye on them.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
www.sovengar.com
www.artgatesrecords.com
Band: THREE SIXES
Country: USA
Title: Know God, No Peace
Label: Universal Sign Records
Year: 2014
Style: Industrial Thrash Metal
Review:
Every once in a while we receive some "weird" promo packs, and this one is one of them: the CD was packed in a box that not only looks like a book, but it has a title, too, Holy Bible. At first I thought we're receiving threats from religious organizations or something, but then I remembered Damien (the band's vocalist) mentioned a "not ordinary" pack he sent. This is the band's second full-length album and it will be released on the 21st of September, the International Day of Peace, ironically, of course. Damien not only looks like Kreator's Mille Petrozza but his voice is also somehow similar to the one of the German legend, but he's very versatile and I'd say he's a strong frontman for this band, an interesting leader if I add on top of that his lyrics, quite sharp and probably even offensive for some, orbiting around anti-religion and anti-politics themes. The instrumental part is varied as well ranging from Industrial Metal to old-school Punk Thrash, Hardcore, even to Nu Metal, a mix that sounds groovy, modern, solid and possibly capable to attract a signifiant part of the Metal youth, although I'd say it's more oriented to the US market than to the European scene as far as I know the scene here in Europe. A very diverse material with excellent sound quality recordings, professional look and a very strong message, a band you'd probably check out; there is also a hidden track on this CD, the 33rd track (!), don't miss it, it sums up the whole album's message. As for minuses I'd name the lack of 1 or more hit tracks, they all are of similar quality, and the cover of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" that lacks of both catchiness and aggression as Industrial Metal, it's an interesting attempt but at least for me it didn't work. Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised to see these guys reach mainstream levels in the future...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
www.threesixes.com
www.universalsignrecords.com
Band: UNSWABBED
Country: France
Title: Tales from the Nightmares vol.1
Label: Self-released
Year: 2014
Style: Progressive Rock Metal
Review:
Although they are labelling their music simply as Rock, to me it's closer to Progressive Rock Metal than anything. This EP last for almost 20 minutes and I have to admit that although this is not at all what we're usually dealing with here at Pest, this is highly interesting stuff. Lead by an excellent vocalist that has more potential than he shows here (it's clear he's not pushing it to the max), the band serves us 5 catchy tunes, and although the EP title might inspire you some terrifying music, this is actually quite cheerful at times, and uplifting at others, with only a few moments of thrills. To me it seems a fresh type of soft Metal perfect for stadium and open air stages, probably they are pretty rad live, too. If you're into this type of music, too, keep an eye on them, the potential is there, we might whitness the beginning of a successful journey. Definitely check this EP out!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
www.facebook.com/unswabbed
Band: VENGEFUL GHOUL
Country: Turkey
Title: Timeless Warfare
Label: Self-released
Year: 2014
Style: Power Thrash Metal
Review:
Pretty impressive this debut album from Turkish Vengeful Ghoul! 9 tracks totaling an hour, delivering one of the best mixture of Thrash, Heavy and Power Metal I've heard in a while. Highlighted by a memorable vocalist ranging somewhere between Nevermore's Warrel Dane and Udo,Emre is the cherry on top of this tasty cake. Even more impressive is the fact that they are not signed, yet they deliver their goodies in the most professional matter possible: classy digipack CD, excellent sound with an organic feeling rather than the nowadays over-produced offerings, catchy and entertaining compositions and Swiss clock-like precise execution. My only complaint (if we can call it a complaint) is that they didn't add a booklet with lyrics, that would have been quite mandatory in this case, the album would have had a better impact. Anyway, this Vengeful Ghoul debut album comes after a decade of activity so hopefully it will unleash a beast and the band will start releasing stuff more often, at least this would require an immediate (2015) followup, eventually on a solid label, and all cards are in place for winning bet. Go get this album in the meantime.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
www.vengefulghoul.com
Band: WINTERCULT
Country: Russia
Title: The Last Winter
Label: Urgrund Division / Archaic Sound
Year: 2013
Style: Atmospheric Depressive Black Metal
Review:
After a debut album released in 2012 on Rigorism Productions, Wintercult are now stepping up a bit by releasing this second studio album on two different labels this time, Urgruns Division and Archaic Sound, as 3 folders digipack CD. It means people starts to believe in this duo, and that should be a good signal for them. Unfortunately I was a bit bored by the music they present on this new release, it starts awesome, with fantastic potential, but it's slowly becoming monotonous and too repetitive to be interesting, bringing nothing new, nothing out of the oridinary to the table. The album ends in the same way it starts: slow to mid-tempo Depressive Black Metal with occasional increses in intensity on drums, but not enough to reach the climax the listener is lead to believe will reach. It's like they are preparing you for somenthing special that never comes, making this an average release in the nowadays so overcrowded Black Metal scene.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6.5/10
Contact:
www.wintercult.com
www.urgrund-division.com
www.archaic-sound.com
Band: YMIR'S BLOOD
Country: Finland
Title: Voluspa: Doom Cold as Stone
Label: Archaic Sound
Year: 2014
Style: Viking Metal
Review:
Ymir's Blood was founded back in 2012, year that brought their debut demo, self-released. Now it was picked up by Archaic Sound and re-released with an additional track making it a 4 tracks effort totaling 25 minutes. The band offers us a melodic, repetitive but at the same time intricate piece of proto Viking Metal, with organic sound, reminding of Bathory (the major influence), Mercyful Fate and even Candlemass, a mixture that has all premises to catch a big chunk of fans of the above-mentioned legends. I've listened to this disk for a few days already, at least 3-4 times a day, and I'm still not bored by it, and that in my books means a lot, of course I'd recommend it to you too. It's not a perfect release, but it sounds so genuine, and has such a catchy effect on the listener, that I can only imagine what this band is capable of bringing us in the future. I like the fact that besides the slow to mid-paced rhythms they throw in some fast, almost Black Metal inspired parts to break the possible monotony, and the occasional old-school guitar leads are an excellent addition, too. I'd throw in some '70's type keyboards and the perfect blend would be there. Interesting. organic, entertaining EP released in digipack CD format featuring the English written lyrics, too.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10