Band: MANTH
Country: Italy
Title: A Conjuration Compelling Obedience
Label: Kampf Records
Year: 2006
Style: Black Metal
Review:
I have no idea why these labels and bands send their 4-5-6-7 years old materials for review... Reviews should be useful for new, fresh releases, not for old ones that you don't even know if they are still available for purchase. Anyway, as much of a waste of time this is, I still have to write a few words on it. Manth compares its music to Havohej and to a point i can agree with it, but then I read on the tape cover that the vocals were improvised while recording. And that was it for me. A piece of crap band pretending to be the most evil around without any serious efforts involved in its music (the music is barely audible, there are some severe volume fluctuations, the drums are non-sense blasts, they keyboards are like from a totally different band - even if Havohej had the same type of keys, they were not overused -, and the vocals, although evil and quite menacing, have no value whatsoever). Avoid it! Sorry for the harsh words but I cannot and won't ever respect such projects...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 1/10
Contact:
Band: MASACHIST
Country: Poland
Title: Scorned
Label: Selfmadegod Records
Year: 2012
Style: Death Metal
Review:
My colleague Vilcin reviewed this album last year and was pretty impressed by it and in the meantime I have received it too from Selfmadegod so of course I was curious about it. Masachist is some sort of a super-group of the Polish Extreme Metal scene being made of former members of Vader, Decapitated, Yattering or Shadows Land, and this is their second album to date. A very dark and sombre music, technical as hell (of course) and still having that Polish flavour (you know it, it's in all Polish Black Death Metal bands from there) so from this point of views the expectations were met. The production is top notch, the execution the same, but still something feels like missing and that's the general flow, I felt like there are too many technical complications and not enough flow, but try it yourselves and make your own mind. Anyway, definitely a highly technical display of Extreme Metal with no boring parts.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: MORBUS
Country: Poland
Title: Diabolikalrites & Nekrosexlust
Label: Kampf Records
Year: 2010
Style: Black Metal
Review:
Well, this demo is all worth you money if you're into Nekro Black Metal. Morbus is a one man band from poland playing quite simple but effective raw, blasphemic Black Metal with what appear to be quite good and fitting quitar solos, too bad the sound doesn't allow you to follow them easily. Mid-tempo to fast rhythms, nice flowing compositions, evil vocals, Morbus is a good choice for collectors of underground old-school Metal. The excellent cover/booklet artwork fits perfectly with the music on this demo so thumbs up.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
Band: MORBUS
Country: Poland
Title: Satanik Terrorist
Label: Kampf Records
Year: 2012
Style: Black Metal
Review:
The new Morbus EP is released on tape limited to only 100 hand-numbered copies, like the previous demo was. 6 tunes lasting for 20 minutes in the same Nekro Black Metal manner, maybe this time with a slight touch of Black'n'Roll, so everything tends towards the old-school again. The sound is more solid and clearer although Morbus kept the same rehearsal-like manner. The vocals are better, with multiple layers of evil screams and growls that will make you feel surrounded by a horde of demons, the bass lines are great, the guitars could have had a better sound in order to understand them better, but surprisingly enough this raw sound fits the whole material quite well. As you guessed it the atmosphere is great, very demonic, very blasphemic. Good stuff!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: MUERTE POR MIL CORTES
Country: Spain
Title: Muerte por mil cortes
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2013
Style: Death Metal
Review:
Wow, no less than 9 labels got together to release this album on vinyl format after apparently it was selfreleased in 2012, so it must be something worth your time I guess. Let's see: 11 tracks, almost 45 minutes in length, kick-ass cover artwork and Death Metal, Muerte's second album after another selfreleased effort in 2010. I'm not completely satisfied about the sound on this release, the vocals are too much in the back and actually everything sounds a bit faded, but the music is good, especially for the more modern type of Death Metal fanatics, it's built on traditional structures but coloured by lots of Deathcore and Brutal Death elements so the end result is quite complex and interesting, you never know what will happen next, never know what to expect from the next track. Everyone in the band is giving it 100% on this album and I guess their efforts will be repaid. A dark and heavy atmosphere emanates from all their tracks, definitely not a cheerful music.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
Band: MUSICART PROJECT
Country: Italy
Title: The Black Side of the Moon
Label: Black Tears
Year: 2012
Style: Progressive Rock
Review:
MusicArt is a project involving high-profile musicians from the Italian scene (Necrodeath and Mastercastle) and this is their debut, a cover of Pink Floyd's well known The Dark Side of the Moon. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of Pink Floyd nor cover bands so this album has no value to me, but judging by the band's instrumental abilities and professionalism this album is presented and recorded it might be a nice present for Pink Floyd fans and not only, for Prog Rock fans in general.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
Band: MY INDIFFERENCE TO SILENCE
Country: Russia
Title: Horizon of My Heaven
Label: BadMoodMan Music
Year: 2012
Style: Doom Death Metal
Review:
Formerly known as On the Edge of the NetherRealm, this one man project releases now its second album on BadMoodMan, and although the band name is different the music is basically on the same path. Slow, depressive, melancholic Doom Death Metal with good display of technical skills on guitars, "Horizon of My Heaven" is a 9 tracks effort totaling almost an hour. The backbone of its music are the guitars, multiple layers, from metal riffs to melancholic leads, and from long guitar solos to semi-acoustic guitars, My Indifference To Silence builds a heavy, dense atmosphere but somehow misses its aim, you can get easily lost in apathy not having something to break the natural and predictable flowing of this album. It's a good release but still something is missing.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: NEUE DEUTSCHE STUBENMUSI
Country: Germany
Title: Erstsendung
Label: Dead Master's Beat
Year: 2010
Style: Experimental Folk Ambient
Review:
Holy crap, Today is the weird music's day for my player and NDS seems to be the weirdest thing I've spinned so far. A creepy, desolate and quite schizophrenic atmosphere surrounds this music, I wouldn't know how to describe it exactly but just imagine walking around in your neighborhood listening to natural noises made by cars, neighbors, nature, TV, but all of them enveloped in a sick, insane and quite nostalgic guilt of memories (memories of all kinds of sounds). This a is a weird and spooky collage of sounds, nothing to do with Metal.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
Band: NOCTURNAL BLOOD
Country: USA
Title: True Spirit of Old...
Label: Kampf Records
Year: 2008
Style: Black Death Metal
Review:
This is the debut demo of a one man band that's signed with Hells Headbangers now. I guess this is still available at Kampf Records although it was limited to only 300 copies, so if you know and like this act you should waste no more time, but ask for a second booklet as it contains a mini-poster with Nocturnal Blood and it would be a shame leaving the tape without cover just to stick the poster on your wall. :) Anyway, music-wise Nocturnal Blood is brutal, raw and heavy sounding old-school Black Death Metal, primitive and oppressive as hell but very catchy at least for old-school followers. From slow to mid-tempo to fast paced rhythms Nocturnal Blood has them all here so it's quite hard to get bored, and when it comes to the atmosphere just imagine a graveyard scenario filled with zombies, fog, and of course blood.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: NOISEBAZOOKA
Country: Austria
Title: Humped World
Label: EveryDayHate
Year: 2012
Style: Grindcore
Review:
Oh common, this album is bad beyond belief... I'm sure there will be some that will say this is the best album ever, but believe me they would say that only to be different and to feel more interesting. There is much better Grindcore out there (even EDH released much better Grind), don't waste your money on this childish release. It's fast - yes, it's chaotic - most definitely, it's good - not more than a drunk, totally unsuccessful improvisation at the rehearsal place. Sorry, won't recommend this to anyone.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 2/10
Contact:
Band: OCD
Country: France
Title: La horde pyreneenne
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2012
Style: Heavy Metal
Review:
Young female fronted Heavy Metal band from France, OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are taking things old-school. This is their second demo to date and they seem to be pretty determined to do good things. On the instrumental part OCD is a combination of '70's Hard Rock with the '80's Heavy Metal plus a melodic, quite modern type of female vocals. I'm still not sure if this demo was recorded in their rehearsal room or live in a gig, but the sound is rehearsal-like, that's for sure. The riffs are a bit dusty and overused before by others, but the good guitar solos are a nice addition. Nothing more to comment on this one, and to sum it up we're dealing with a promising young Melodic Heavy Metal act that likes to keep it old-school. A good studio recording will show their real potential.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6.5/10
Contact:
Band: PUTRID BLOOD
Country: Serbia
Title: Absolute Profit
Label: Miner Recordings
Year: 2012
Style: Thrash Metal
Review:
Serbian Thrash Metallers Putrid Blood are back this time with their debut album, a 10 tracks release totaling a bit more than half an hour of fast old-school Thrash Metal. The album cover looks like taken from the Captain Planet cartoons but inspires exactly what it should, thumbs up for that. The band is original in their scene by having 2 vocalists, and although both of them in the same tonality range this fact gives them liberty to ad multiple layeres vocals live too, not only in the studio. Most of the album is old-school Thrash Metal, but the Black / Death influences are still important like on their 2009 EP, the 5th (Re-Animator) and the 9th (Nespokoj) tracks seem like taken from a totally different album. There's also a great groovy Rock'n'Roll guitar lead on the 8th track that basically makes it my fave track from this release, a Groovy Thrash'n'Roll with good guitar solos too. now they only need to find their own path and follow it, the potential is there.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
Band: RAVENTALE
Country: Ukraine
Title: Transcendence
Label: BadMoodMan
Year: 2012
Style: Doom Black Metal
Review:
Already the 6th studio album (and 5th for BMM Music) for this Ukrainian one man band, "Transcendence" is made of 4 long tracks totaling around 45 minutes of playing. Astaroth progressed his compositions towards a more Atmospheric side this time, his awesome guitar solos and leads are blending perfectly with the gloomy layer of keyboards, but the doesn't mean the Doom and Black Metal parts are lost, not at all, they became even more emphasized and coloured by adding these dreamy guitars here and there. This is Raventale's best album to date and I strongly recommend it to Ambient/Atmospheric Black and Doom Metal fans. With a more bombastic sound raventale would rule this part of the scene!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
Band: SAKATAT
Country: Turkey
Title: Bir Devrin Sonu
Label: EveryDayHate
Year: 2012
Style: Grindcore
Review:
It seems this is Sakatat's final release as the band decided to call it quits this year. This is their debut album, but I don't agree with its labelling as full-length as it lasts for only 8 minutes; 8 tracks indeed, but only 8 minutes in length which doesn't make a full-length even for a Grindcore band. Anyway, the music is great, old-school fast as hell Grindcore, demented, energetic, complex, brutal and catchy, basically everything one can ask from a Grindcore band. They have managed to create the perfect storm, you're assaulted by sick riffs, punishing drums, two types of brutal vocals, and all in all even if the compositions are structured on an old-school basis, it sounds quite fresh. Great job, sorry it's their last...
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: SARJAN HASSAN / NADIMAC
Country: Malaysia / Serbia
Title: Battlefield Mosh
Label: Stay Pure Records
Year: 2010
Style: Crossover Thrash Metal
Review:
Punk, Hardcore and (Thrash) Metal, all three genres have a meeting point in this split CD. Sarjan Hassan opens this split with 5 fast and short Punk Hardcore tracks with Thrash Metal influences. Simple compositions, nothing fancy, but not bad, actually quite engaging and entertaining, maybe also because none of the tracks are more than 2 minutes in length. Nadimac is more Thrash Metal oriented but they still have a fair dose of Punk added to their music especially in attitude. Very fast paced tracks sung in Serbian and recorded live during one of their gigs; it seems these tracks are also featured on the band's DVD; Even if the tracks are recorded live one cannot complain about the sound. To sum it up: a good dose of underground old-school FasThrash Punk Metal.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6/10 7/10
Contact:
Band: SENMUTH
Country: Russia
Title: 111 111 111 x 111 111 111
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2013
Style: Experimental Industrial Doom Folk Metal
Review:
Senmuth is a very untipical one-man project from Moscow, Russia. Senmuth (nick taken from egyptian history and mythology) is self-taught musician, similar to traditional folk musicians. Album with intriguing title „111 111 111 x 111 111 111” is specific instrumental experiment. Doom metal was mixed with neofolk (with oriental influences, typical for Russian’s new neofolk’s trends), big part of coldwave drive like Joy Division or old The Cure and piece of folkmetal and darkelectro/ambien broken by industrial sounds... Little crazy but really great music !!! Senmuth believes that his target audience is defined as "an educated, socially active and intellectual development of young and mature individuals who know how to conduct self-identity and criticism surrounding reality, capable of resisting the imposed priorities and the impact of the media" (this is official quote taken from metal-archives.com). Indeed, Senmuth’s sounds are made from open heads, open minds. „111 111 111 x 111 111 111” was released 01.01.2013. Last year he released a lot of albums, EPs and compilations so I suppose this year will be similar in Senmuth’s music art.
Reviewed by Vilcin
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
Band: SKULLCRUSH
Country: Macedonia
Title: Skullcrush
Label: Stay Pure Records
Year: 2009 (?)
Style: Thrash Metal
Review:
Another DIY release from this young but very honest and hard-working label, Stay Pure Records, it's awesome to see how much thsy support their scene. This debut album was released by the band in 2009, but I have no idea if SPR re-released it the same year or later. '80's type of Thrash Metal, fast, with good riffs, and for the Macedonian fans this should be a great release since its sung in their language. If you're only looking for an old-school fast paced Thrash Metal release to make your day brighter and you have no problem with rehearsal-like (good) recordings, this might be a good choice as it's very entertaining and the guys give it all on this recording. This is more appropriate for live shoes than for CD/tape, of course. Anyway, a nice promising band from Macedonia.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10
Contact:
Band: SKUM
Country: Germany
Title: Prasina
Label: Bret Hard Records
Year: 2013
Style: Death Metal
Review:
Germany has always delivered good quality Death Metal and that's the case of Skum as well. The band was formed in the '90's and this is their third album to date. The band spices their traditional and modern mix of Death Metal with Thrash riffs, melodic guitar solos and leads, groovy rhythms, brutal drums, and very aggressive vocals (comprehensive growling type of vocals). The original combination of German, English and Croatian written lyrics will give them an extra push to be different from the others. There's also a heavy Rock'n'Roll influenced track right in the middle of this album although it really has nothing in common with the rest (well, except for the guitar tones), and although it's good for diversity I would have added it at the end of this record, as a bonus track or something. Anyway, to sum it up, Skum produced a clean, catchy and interesting metal album that will be on the liking of more than the Death Metal maniacs.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: SOMNUS AETERNUS
Country: Czech Republic
Title: On the Shores of Oblivion
Label: Solitude Productions
Year: 2012
Style: Doom Death Metal
Review:
My heart stopped for a moment when I thought Solitude has signed the mighty Sopor Aeternus, but of course I was wrong. Somnus Aeternus comes from a land that was sooo full of Gothic Doom jewels in the '90's, Czech republic, and this is their debut album. I'd say they managed to deliver a decent effort, without major faults, but honestly I was a bit bord until the 5th track, I mean they are walking a path that was first paved by many others, they have nothing to stand out, until the 5th track where an excellent piano makes its appearance and things get very catchy, but unfortunately it gets back to a "template" Doom Death again after this track. They are good musicians, the compositions are tight and won't disapoint, but they need something more to break through the masses.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
Band: STAHLPLANET
Country: Germany
Title: Nachwelt
Label: Dead Master's Beat
Year: 2012
Style: Ambient Industrial Noise
Review:
Dead Master's Beat presents this album as "perfect for driving through the night". What??? I would have an accident 5 seconds after hitting the play button! Stahlplanet is one of the weirdest projects I've heard in a long time; combining industrial/factory-like sounds with strange, hypnotic ambient elements, (a few) haunting and ghostly vocals, and some Electro inserts to spice things up a bit. Definitely not my type of music, but of you're into Electro, Noise, Indus, and even Ambient you might give this one a try, it's not something you'll overlook easily.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
Band: STAHLPLANET
Country: Germany
Title: Leviamaag
Label: Dead Master's Beat
Year: 2008
Style: Experimental Ambient Industrial
Review:
I have just listened/reviewed Stahlplanet's "Nachwelt", and even if this is an old release I will write some words on it, too. Back in 2008 Stahlplanet's music was a bit more built on keyboards and piano rather than electro elements (still present even at that time), although the direction the project is following now was quite obvious even since then. This album is less strange than "Nachtwelt" and it can be an easier choice even for non die-hard fans of the genre. This was released as a limited (98 copies only) edition box including some more goodies too, and since the label sent it for a review I guess some copies are still available.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact:
Band: STEEL BEARING HAND
Country: USA
Title: Steel Bearing Hand
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2012
Style: Thrash Death Metal
Review:
Absolutely killer band from Dallas! I'm so excited by these guys' direction and potential that although I have just spinned these 5 tracks I cannot wait for more! Steel Bearing Hand plays a devastating and addictive mix of Thrash Metal (as main influence), Death Metal (old-school that is), Black Metal (vocals) and even Punk (there are multiple Punkish riffs and rhythms everywhere) spiced with an exceptional guitar work of such I haven't heard in a long time, not really the new type "as complex as possible", but the old dirty type. Now they must only be careful not to add overused guitar riffs and become a clone of what's now the new wave of old-school metal but evolve on their own path. For example the first two tracks are awesome while the next two are a bit watered and seem out of ideas. There's also a Thrash Black cover of Motorhead's "Tha Hammer" that I find quite well executed. I can see a great future for this young band.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: SUBHUMAN
Country: Italy
Title: Tributo di Sangue
Label: Subsound Records
Year: 2012
Style: Thrash Death Metal
Review:
This second album from the Italians Subhuman is a devastating release of energy and brutality from start to finish. Very aggressive but at the same time technical, fast and concise, "Tributo di sangue" has all requirements to bring the band to the top of the Italian Extreme Metal. Versatile, very brutal but at the same time comprehensive vocals (excellent choice to sing in their language), sharp but still fat guitar riffs, excellent thrashy guitar solos, blastbeats all over the place and a bass line that feels like a crowbar hitting barbwires, elements that make this album a very mature, compact and effective effort, and if you add a top-notch production you get a high quality release that will please all kinds of Extreme Metal followers. Thumbs up! \m/
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10
Contact:
Band: TERRORAMA
Country: Sweden
Title: Genocide
Label: To the Death Records
Year: 2012
Style: Thrash Death Black Metal
Review:
To some of you Terrorama's name could be well known since they have released 2 full-length albums on Nuclear War Now! Records, a well respected name nowadays. Now the band is on To The Death Records from Sweden and seems to be starting a new life. Genocide is their third album, an 8 tracks effort totaling half an hour of raw, fast and ferocious Thrash Metal with important Black and Death influences. The fun thing is that you cannot label the band in a particular genre, there are almost the same amount of influences from all three of them, but at the same time the mix is so well-crafted and efficient that in the end you dopn't really care where this band fits. Although the production is old-school demo type, the sound is very good, exectly the sound needed for such a release. Recommended to fans of old-school, raw, unpolished, aggressive Extreme Metal.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: THE GARDNERZ
Country: Sweden
Title: It All Fades
Label: Abyss Records
Year: 2012
Style: Doom Death Metal
Review:
To keep things fresh and active The Gardnerz released this EP after only 1 year since their debut album. I think this year (2013) they will come up with a new full-length or at least a new EP, but that's how things should be done, so kudos for that. 5 new tracks and a cover of Darkthrone's "Transylvanian Hunger", the whole material lasting for 35 minutes so you get quite a long EP for your money. If their debut album made me think of Amorphis, this one I'd label a combination of Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Opeth and even Lake Of Tears with a bit more emphasis on the Death Metal side, on the technical and somehow progressive Death Metal side of it. Maybe that is what's breaking the rhythms up and the album doesn't flow naturally, it's divided into countless little pieces and you have to digest them all one by one instead of relaxing and enjoying a tight, curdled release. It's not bad, not at all, but I think they'll have to decide: if they want to go for the Progressive part they'll have to step up a level with their technical skills (nowadays the demands are insane...); if they want to follow the Doomy, melodic part they'll have to work a bit more on cudling their compositions. Oh well, those are only my thoughts, try this EP by yourselves and make up your own minds.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7/10
Contact:
Band: THE REVENGE PROJECT
Country: Bulgaria
Title: The Neverending
Label: Abyss Records
Year: 2012
Style: Progressive Black Death Metal
Review:
The Revenge Project from Bulgaria signed his music as „progressive black/death metal” but they played a lot good thrash’n’heavy sounds too. The band is side project by members of prominent Bulgarian black and death metal acts. Third full length album brings together a lot of good and very good guitar riffs, rate changes, good vocal parts and generally great drive. Solid death metal „tank chassis” with a lot of technical innovations, which is perfect for metal battle. Really good stuff !!!
Reviewed by Vilcin
Rating: 9/10
Band: THORNS OF HATE
Country: Malaysia
Title: Abominable Triumpf of Heresy
Label: Kampf Records
Year: 2010
Style: Black Death Metal
Review:
Now this band is a bulldozer of brutality and destruction, although it's only 14 minutes long this demo introduces a very heavy, aggressive and fat sounding Death Black Metal from Malaysia, an excellent choice for any old-school brutal metal followers. Catchy riffs, entertaining rhythms, brutal bass lines, apocalyptic vocals, blasting drums, heavy atmospheres, you get verything you need on this release, a soundtrack for the end of the World! Highly recommended but act fast, this tape is limited to only 200 handnumbered copies!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9.5/10
Contact:
Band: THRONEUM / OFFENCE
Country: Poland / Poland
Title: No Salvation
Label: Kampf Records
Year: 2012
Style: Death Metal / Death Metal
Review:
Holy crap, these are two of the more brutal Polish bands I've heard! Totally devastating release although it's only about 8 minutes long! Each band presents only 1 track, but both of them are soooo brutal you can't imagine. Throneum is fast Death Metal with cryptic, horrifying layers of vocals, low tuned bass lines and blasting drums; the guitars are a bit hard to get as the recording is lo-fi but that's ok nonetheless. Offence has a better sound on guitars and their track ranges from mid-paced to fast rhythms, same type of brutal bass lines, extremely catchy and old-school sounding. Awesome release, recommended! Pure fucking Death Metal!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: THRONEUM / SUICIDAL WINDS
Country: Poland / Sweden
Title: Necroblasphemies
Label: Kampf Records
Year: 2009
Style: Death Metal / Thrash Black Metal
Review:
Another brutal split from Kampf Records, released on tape limited to 350 hand-numbered copies. Opening is Throneum with 2 tracks of fast, devastating, offensive Death Metal, total destruction. Although the guitar riffs might seem a bit recycled, the vocals make their tracks all worth your audition. Suicidal Winds, the well-known underground Thrash Black Metal demons from Sweden present here 2 tracks highlighted again by Mathias venom vomiting type of vocals. The structures are not that special but catchy enough for any old-school maniacs, and the guitar solos and blasting drums are delightful.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10 7/10
Contact:
Band: TOMBSTONERS
Country: Mexico
Title: Dissolution of Astral Order
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2012
Style: Death Metal
Review:
This is a duo from Mexico, two guys and their passion for Death Metal, at least that's what I get from this EP. 4 tracks of traditional Death Metal without any effects or additions. In the '90's this would have been considered Brutal Death Metal as it's fat sounding, fast, with no melodic elements, just raw, brutal and uncompromising metal of death. Although it has no major highlights to stick it to your mind after the auditions their music is tight and well executed and the good sound allows you to fully enjoy this discharge of brutality. What can I say more, I'm impressed of how loyal they are to the traditional brutal sound of Death Metal, give them a listen.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: UNSPOKEN
Country: Norway
Title: Requiem aeternam deo
Label: Deathrune Records
Year: 2013
Style: Death Metal
Review:
Unspoken hail from Norway and this is their second album although the band is active since 2002. Deathrune released this second album in a very nice digipack format that will sell by itself, even without knowing the band's music. Anyway, here we have 10 tracks into obscure and quite low-tuned Death Metal with a few occasional Black Metal influences, and the overall impression is of a band that knows its path and instruments obviously. Melting mid-tempo with fast paced rhythms, catchy guitar riffs with atmospheric solos and leads, an impressively heavy bass, a versatile vocalist and a hard working drummer that perfectly emphasizes the different emotions transmitted by Unspoken's music. Recommended for the ones of you in search for darkness in their Death Metal instead of brutality.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: VYZJ
Country: Czech Republic
Title: Prichod Zeleneho
Label: Selfreleased
Year: 2013
Style: Atmospheric Folk Metal
Review:
At the beginning of 2013 czech/moravian pagan metal group Vyzj (formed in 2011) released absolutely debut demo mini-album called „Príchod Zeleného” („The advent of the Green”).
This untipical demo (without any vocals, just instrumental tracks) is a very interesting music collage of pagan/folk metal, neofolk, progressive doom metal. These five tracks (last track is a kind of outro) includes a lot of good, sharp and melodic guitar riffs, a lot of folk sounds (fluits, mouth’s harp etc), some symphonic motifs (e.g track „Dubova Tvar”, means: Face of Oak, include motif of Vivaldi’s „The Four Season”). Lack of vocals on this material makes a big sense - music itself tells the titlw stories. Great debut!
Reviewed by Vilcin
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: WAR POSSESSION
Country: Greece
Title: Through the Ages
Label: Helltrasher Productions
Year: 2012
Style: Death Metal
Review:
This debut EP from War Possession shows us the path they are going to follow but fails to deliver something above average. The 4 tracks (plus outro) included on the CD are not bad but not interesting either and that may derive from the weak production more than from their compositions or playing. Actually there are some nice guitar solos thrown in here and there, the vocals are not versatile at all, but they are perfect for this type of old-school Death Metal, and the atmosphere could have been really obscure and terrifying with a better production. Suitable for fans of dirty, low tuned, heavy Death Metal a la '90's demo tapes, but a bit thiner than Hellthrasher's other productions.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6/10
Contact:
Band: WILL'O'WISP
Country: Italy
Title: Kosmo
Label: Nadir Music
Year: 2012
Style: Progressive Death Metal
Review:
More than 20 years of activity for this band! Will'o'Wisp unfortunately never had the chance to break through the underground so far but that's maybe also due to their scarce productivity, this being only their 3rd full-length release to date. "Kosmo" is made of 12 new tracks totaling almost 45 minutes and the music presented by Will'o'Wisp could be labelled as Progressive Death Metal with oriental influences, a nice combination but even though this would lead your thoughts to a Folkish inspired calm Metal, it isn't quite so, they are quite aggressive and the technical skills displays don't take away anything from their brutality. There are also many modern touches all over the release, the Deathcore/Metalcore scene seem to be no stranger for these 4 skilled musicians and they take it only as an inspiration source and don't overuse its elements. A hard to break through material recommended to the ones of you into Technical and Progressive Metal only.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10
Contact:
Band: WITHER
Country: Australia
Title: Necropolis
Label: Aurora Australis Records
Year: 2012
Style: Doom Black Metal
Review:
Debut album from this project founded back in 2003, "Necropolis" is made of 8 tracks lasting for a bit more than 40 minutes. We're treated with a decadent, depressive and hopeless mix of Funeral Doom with slow Black Metal (DSBM that is). There are multiple faults that got me bored by it starting from the amateurish sound and ending with the careless performance on both instruments and vocals, these 2 guys seem to have good ideas and the technical skills to display them correctly but on this album they overused every bit of good idea just to offer longer tracks. What I still like about it is that although the sound is rehearsal-like it is at least organic and it is a pleasure listening to real bass and drums on such a release, but the overall atmosphere is pretty boring and they seem to be bored as well (especially the vocal). Definitely not an album for the fans of the aggressive part of Metal, but if you're into Depressive (Black and Post Black) Metal you might give it a try, maybe you'll like it better then I did.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 6/10
Contact:
Band: YELLOWTOOTH
Country: USA
Title: Disgust
Label: Orchestrated Misery Recordings
Year: 2012
Style: Sludge Doom Metal
Review:
Yellowtooth is made of three veterans of the Indiana scene, the band was formed in 2008 and in 2012 they managed to release this debut album. Musicwise Yellowtooth are a primitive, heavy and groovy form of Sludge Doom, to me it sounds like a Six Feet under gone Sludge Metal with a ton of Black Sabbath and Lynyrd Skynyrd influences, something I deeply enjoyed. The album impresses by its heaviness and filthiness, I guess a bit more catchy guitar riffs and a lower tone on bass wouldn't have hurt them, but what they have here is good enough to get their name out there in the Doom Metal scene. A debut album that shows potential!
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8/10
Contact:
Band: Various Artists
Country: Various
Title: Old Grindered Days Vol. 01
Label: Various
Year: 2012
Style: Gore Grind
Review:
Huge compilation (64 tracks) including 8 Brazilian bands and released by 4 different labels (Old Grindered Days Rec., Cianeto Discos, Rotten Foetus Prod. and Disturbed Mind Rec.). Opening are Necrose, a band that recently celebrated 20 years of activity! 10 tracks of old-school Grindcore with a lot of groove, double vocals, low-tuned bass lines and quite unimpressive guitar work. Next up are Barulho Ensurdecedor with 11 short tracks of rehearsal recorded Grind, mostly very unimpressive but with some tracks actually displaying a bit of substance. Their tracks should have been even shorter, half of their length is taken by unnecessary long endings (like on live gigs). Pankreatite Necro Hemorragica are next with their insane groovy Gore Grind. Fast, demented, sickening and quite entertaining, PNH might appeal to the fans of this genre. The next 4 tracks by Sengaya have a weaker sound but their fast and disgusting Grindcore is ok, nothing out of the ordinary but still nothing wrong with it. The one man band Feces on Display has an even weaker sound to a point where you can barely hear anything; fast Porn Gore Grind with low-tuned gurgling vocals, longer tracks, more and better ideas but horrible sound. Ataque Cardiaco are a mix of Punk, Hardcore, Crust and Grindcore, fast as hell, very angry and from my point of view quite original. Subcut are next, an old Brazilian Grindcore band founded in 1995. Fast Grindcore with blasting drums, 2 vocals, some crusty riffs here and there, this is actually good. Crunch Delights is fast, low-tuned Gore Grind with horrible drum-machine and horrible inhaled type of pig squeals, but the guitar work is ok and the rhythms will also appeal to the fans of this genre. Bone Ache is Noise Grind with shitty drum-machine and sound on vocals but again in their case too the guitar work is above the level of this release. If you're into Gore Grind Noise you should definitely try this compilation out, there are multiple different styles featured, so there's something for everyone.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: -/10
Contact: