tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65970665512796430982024-03-13T20:28:32.732-07:00JK2's Metal BlogMusings on metal, both old and new. Home of Death Metal Tuesday, and Black Metal Tuesday.JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-70338703646012827182020-10-04T09:49:00.006-07:002020-10-05T20:44:04.578-07:00Deathtober Part 4<p><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 24pt;"><span style="color: white;">Krypts - Cadaver
Circulation 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Finnish
DM band that’s been at it since 2008. Traditional stuff without a real Direct
comparison of that jumps out at me. They lean towards doom and slow burns,
really heavy down-tuned mix with reverb-heavy vocals that verge on black metal
at times (think, traditional Finnish black metal like Beherit - in fact maybe
Beherit is a decent comparison, but definitely a cleaner mix).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">This
is a really decent record that makes me want to explore their other releases.
It’s definitely on the Doom side of things: melt your face off slowly metal
with shades of Godflesh and all things heavy and super slow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Call
it - Doom-Death that sounds heavy as hell with a lot of atmosphere and space in
the mix.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Pissgrave - Posthumous Humiliation 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Second full
length from these Philadelphia death metalers. A grisly album cover and 9
tracks with somewhat generic sounding titles, the mix on this thing is a train
wreck. That vocal effect is disastrous- sounds like they wanted
“brutal-as-fuck” but it ends up sounding completely distorted with all manner
of enunciation or variation just mixed out of it - it’s borderline static at
points. The guitars play tremolo single-string riff after another while the
drums follow that generic Butchered at Birth half blast beat thing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">While there may
be ambition here, there is truly nothing that will make me come back to this
one. There are no real hooks to speak of - just generic-sounding dm atonal
speed. And as the album wore on, I just found myself hating that vocal effect.
Bad move guys.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - a
rather generic, low budget sounding dm record that is completely ruined by a
distorted vocal effect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Cognitive - Matricide 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">A New Jersey
band with a name that suggests a progressive bent towards death metal,
Cognitive are progressive in that Dying Fetus sort of way - still very primal
and heavy, but with plenty of technicality. Flirting with Grindcore at times,
Matricide will definitely appeal to fans of the aforementioned Dying Fetus,
using both screams and growls for vocals (the singer is not nearly as talented
as DF, but he does a respectable job). The music also drifts from blasts to
heavy groove-laden passages, covering all ends of the heavy spectrum. It’s tech
death without being overly pretentious and also not afraid to get melodic here
and there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Apparently
these guys have a few albums before this, but they still appear to be rather
obscure. There are times where they almost sound like deathcore, but then they
switch to a very traditional sounding lead break. It is decidedly more new
school than old, but should appeal to fans of both.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - a
modern sounding tech death album, blasts and grooves with a technical
proficiency.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Vircolac - Masque 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Undoubtedly the
most unique band on this list so far, Irish Vircolac play a progressive flavor of
DM for which I struggle to come up with a decent comparison. The vocals are
definitely Necroticism-era Jeff Walker, over a very live and DIY sounding mix.
The kit sounds very natural and the guitars are more overdriven than distorted,
making for a very unusual sound.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Gothic horror
is the theme of the lyrics and song titles, and the writing is also very
distinct and unique. Songs run through blast-beats, slow grooves, and fractured
phrases. The title track starts like an early Christian Death song, if not for
the vocals, nice touches of goth and atmosphere. This is a tough one for me to
digest quickly - it took me a minute to figure out how I felt about them, but I
think, in the end, I’m a fan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - very
unique progressive metal from Ireland with an equally unique mix.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Mortiferum - Disgorged from Psychotic Depths 2019</span></span></h1><h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">A Doom / Death debut from another Pacific Northwest band, and another impressive first-time outing. I think this particular offshoot of DM is probably the most exciting right now, as it carries old school vibes while still feeling fresh and original. Disgorged... starts out at a crawl and slowly picks up speed through the album, to the point of a blast-beat in the closing track. The standout track for me is “Funereal Hallucinations” which achieves a nice Bolt Thrower-esque groove.</span></span></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">I can’t help but draw comparisons to Incantation with these doom acts, because I think they were the first to use such extremely slow speeds in the genre. Mortiferum certainly hit that sound well - vocals in the sewer and guitar strings just hanging off of the neck. The slow chugs also allow for more space in the mix to create atmosphere - the aural equivalent of wandering through a dimly lit tomb. I always start out being underwhelmed with the doom bands, but by album’s end, Mortiferum had won me over.</span></span></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: 400;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - slow-as-hell Doom/Death with an atmospheric mix.</span></span></p></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Descresy- Towards Nebulae 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">6th full-length
from this Finnish act who also tend towards the doom / death hybrid. Vocals are
reminiscent of Mortician - running so low that, at times, you’re unsure if they
are actually vocals. There might be some digital effects going on here, they
fall into the spooky monster category. Musically, they sound like classic Bolt
Thrower with a lower voices. There are moments of speed, but thanks to the mix,
they become a jumbled mess. I’m entirely sure the drummer is keeping up either
(maybe they’re doom out of necessity).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">There are
steady second guitar harmonies throughout Towards Nebulae. While this might be
what makes them distinctive, it also makes for repetitive sounding tunes.
Honestly, the guitar harmonies range from unnecessary to slightly irritating.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - a seasoned
Finnish doom act with super low vocals and repetitive tunes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Scorched - Ecliptic Butchery 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Sophomore
effort from this East coast throwback band, following the traditions of 90’s
Florida DM. There are moments reminiscent of classic Morbid Angel and Autopsy.
This is running long with bands of this ilk, but it’s not Scorched’s fault they
were towards the bottom of the list. Lots of change ups in tempo, meaty riffs,
and bottom of the barrel vocals make for a nice traditional-sounding album.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it -
classic OSDM with good production, decent song-writing skills, and a nice deep
growler.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Venom Prison - Samsara 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Sophomore album
from a British band with a female growler. Venom Prison play a crazy brand of
chaotic tech death with post Vincent-era Morbid Angel as a templet. But it’s
not fair to pin them down, because VP cover a ton of ground in a single song.
They change up the every few measures throwing in fracture stops and starts.
They are the tech-Death I can get behind, however, because they write riffs and
not just tech-heavy “look how fancy we can be” nonsense.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Given the right
mood Venom Prison is super satisfying and impressive. Their songs shouldn’t
hang together, but they do. Put them on your watch list because they have the
potential to be big and deserve attention.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - Crazy
tech-death with very impressive writing and hooks aplenty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Horrendous - Idol 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">These guys play
my favorite type of progressive death metal - similar to Atheist and
mid-to-late era Death. The vocals and bass work are super similar to Atheist,
but Horrendous are far from sounding like a rip-off. They write
through-composed tunes with technical know-how and dynamic progressions. Shades
of early Opeth slip in here and there - an album for those who like occasional
breaks in the brutality. Idol is the 4th album from this Philadelphia band, so
I will definitely be checking out the back catalogue.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Some could
argue the “roots” era of progressive death metal has been thoroughly explored,
and I suppose that’s a valid argument. But bands like Obscura and Horrendous
are not exactly plentiful, so I say, embrace it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - a
well-executed callback to the early days of progressive death metal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Slugdge - Esoteric Malacology 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">A British band
whose spelling begs to be pronounced as if you have a speech impediment,
Slugdge does not hide their main influence of Gojira very well. This is their
fourth effort and apparently they come from black metal roots, however one
would not guess that while listening to this album. There are shades of early
Opeth and Mastodon, and I can’t escape the Gojira comparison - particularly
certain passages. Just listen to that opening minute of The Spectral Burrows.
Ultimately though, they end up combining most of these influences in an unique
way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">It’s tricky
reviewing a fourth album for a band that may be transitioning to another sound,
but that’s what I committed to. And, I’m not saying Esoteric Malacology is not
worth a listen, it is well done and tackles a particularly advanced form of
Prog DM. At the album’s conclusion, I’m left thinking they will need further
exploration - I am intrigued.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - a
modern progressive DM album that maybe nails the most popular bands’ sound of
that genre a little too directly on the head.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Beyond Creation - Algorythm 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">I threw these
Canadians at the end of my list because they are listed at the top of Obscura’s
similar artists list, so I won’t bother discussing that obvious connection
further than saying - yup. So, as a band that sounds just like one of my current
favorites, I am intrigued in this and the other two records on their
discography.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Starting with
an intro that sounds more<br />
like film music, BC goes from there into a very tight , intricate, and melodic
form of tech death. Blasts and change ups throughout every track, this is a
dense album that will require more play throughs for me to fully decide if it’s
just a copycat, or if it warrants sharing the table with the masters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - A
Canadian tech death album that falls directly in line with Germany’s Obscura.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-37581041694870537072020-09-26T18:21:00.003-07:002020-09-26T18:31:02.463-07:00Deathtober part 3<p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 24pt;"><span style="color: white;">Nile - Vile Nilotic
Rites 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">You
gotta hand it to Karl Sanders. The man had a vision growing up in South
Carolina - to develop a death metal band based solely on Egyptian culture
despite being a white dude who grew up thousands of miles away from the place.
This has been going on for 25 years and 9 albums at this point.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Karl
is the only remaining original member, but the format does not appear to have
changed much - breakneck speed and spastic bursts of Egyptian scales ripped all
across the fretboard. You have your ambient passages that sound like excerpts
from Temple of Doom, but most of it is full-tilt brutal tech death deliver at
one-thousand notes per minute.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">You’d
think a Suffocation fan would love it, but I’ve just never been a Nile guy.
This one is fine. I like the production better than some of the others I’ve
heard, but it just sounds the same after 10 minutes or so, and the sucker goes
on for an hour. I think it’s the distinct scale - it just makes every riff
sound like the one before it. That drummer puts in a workout... damn. Easier to
admire than actually enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">Call
it: More Egyptian-themed brutal tech death from the one band who insists on
doing it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Cthe’ilist - Le dernier crepuscule 2016<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Funny, as I was
trying to spell all this crap correctly, I immediately thought of the famous
Finns, Demilich , and I’ll be damned if that’s not exactly who these Canadians
sound like. The distinctive burp vocals aren’t there, but the very unique
down-tuned single-string broken rhythm riffing is immediately recognizable. But
I gotta say, the “bottom of the stomach” vocals of Demilich are what keeps me
from really liking them, so I instantly liked these guys better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Far from a
rip-off though, there are quite a few differences It’s somewhat more linear
than Demilich - sticking with riffs longer, slamming some power chords
occasionally, allowing for some deviation from that broken, halting drumming
that made the Finns so unique. It’s also more melodic - “Voidspawn” has a
full-on traditional heavy metal lead break. And the closing track has full orchestration,
cleanly sung vocals, and gets downright thrash metal at the end. And I’m not
sure, but I think they’re singing about The Legend of Zelda so... that’s weird.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it: Not
quite a Demilich clone, but similar enough that fans of the notorious Finns
should latch onto to this immediately.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Obscura - Diluvium 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">The German band
Obscura released what is still my favorite post 2000 death metal album -
Cosmogenesis. They’re very much lovers of the progressive-era Death style which
I love dearly. I hadn’t spent any time with this new one, so I felt it was time
I did. So if Chuck Schuldiner fused with Suicmez of Necrophagist and you threw
in some Cynic-style vocoder vocals now and again, you’d pretty much have what
Obscura is all about. Those are all my favorite things, so it definitely works
for me. Named after a Gorguts album, I really don’t detect any of that band in
their sound. Maybe a little Atheist here and there, but heavy on the Death
influence more than anything else.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">At any rate
it’s progressive tech-Death, very melodic, and probably won’t be everyone’s cup
of tea, but I love it. I will say their 2018 album sounds pretty damn close to
their 2009 album - meaning there hasn’t necessarily been a whole lot of
progression - but it is still very enjoyable stuff. Maybe they’ve become a bit
more distinctively their own thing at this point, and not just their
influences. Super virtuosic leads over fretless bass acrobatics with some some
guttural vocals and jazz-inspired drumming - what’s not to love?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it: Super
talented Germans with a love for the late great Chuck Schuldiner with high
levels of technicality and lots of guitar shredding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Lik - Carnage 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Uh... that’s
clearly a Dismember riff at the start of track 1. That, and the album title is
essentially Dismember’s former band name... These Swedes are not even trying to
hide it (except they leave Dismember and Entombed off of their “key influences”
on their band page... ha!) Well, it’s all here: the Sunlight studio production,
the Boss Heavy Metal distortion pedal guitars, the 2 guitar harmonies. Old
school Swedish death metal circa 1992.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">So I struggle
here... had this been made in 92, would I be singing it’s praises? Probably.
It’s pretty damn good. Good grooves, punky mosh parts, that 4th harmony on the
guitars - it’s very well made. It just might be a little too derivative to
truly stand out anymore. We all loved Like an Everflowing Stream and Left Hand
Path when we first heard them. Do we need more of it? I’m still not sure. I’m
going 50/50 on this one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it:
Another modern band playing Swedish DM that is indistinguishable from the
golden era stuff in the 90’s.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Torture Rack - Malefic Humiliation 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Who knew
Portland, Oregon had such a thriving DM scene? That blows me away. Torture Rack
play good ol’ roots DM reminiscent of CC’s Eaten Back to Life or even Death’s
Scream Bloody Gore. It’s got that nice raw production where it sounds like the
drum kit had maybe two mics on it. The vocals are deep as hell - man these kids
nowadays sure have mastered that. It used to be, a guy who could get that low
was a very rare thing in the genre, now they’re all over the place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">“Captured by
the slayer, Such a tender species<br />
Butchered in his lair, You'll be found in feces”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Now that’s
something we can all get behind right? These guys are old school fun. They’ve
got some slow as hell parts and then they chug away, this really sounds like
first wave stuff and they do it very well. I feel 15 again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - Roots
era OSDM that’s well crafted and just plain fun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><h1 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Gruesome -Twisted Prayers 2018</span></span></h1><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Gruesome are a Death tribute band. Yeah, officially... that’s a thing I guess. They deliberately write songs that sound like Death, not covers mind you, morphed songs that sound ALMOST like the actual tunes, but altered just enough to be different. It’s weird if you ask me. Just be a cover band if you’re gonna go that far.</span></span></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Anyway, so each one of Gruesome’s albums corresponds to a Death equivalent. This one is Spiritual Healing, so the riffs, mix, vocal attack, leads, and even lyrics are meant to ape that album. It’s well done, but I can’t get my head past the idea that it’s unnecessary plagiarism is the guise of tribute. It also feels like wasted creative energy. Make your own shit. I don’t know... I can’t get behind it. Why not just listen to Spiritual Healing? It’s better.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - powerfully unnecessary</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;">Undergang - Misantropologi 2017</span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Ooh, Denmark,
How exotic! Groovy stuff, ultra low pitched vocals and down tuned guitars give
it that Onward to Golgotha type production, or maybe Autopsy. These guys come
out of the gate firing off $100 riffs, pulling out all the stops - it’s catchy
stuff and well put together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">There are some
nice slow patches, even a little atmosphere here and there. It’s a nice combo
of influences resulting in a pretty original sound. With all the money riffs, I
think it should make the cut. It’s not groundbreaking mind you, but it’s solid
OSDM with good writing and those satisfyingly super sickly low vocals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - super
low traditional OSDM with riffs-aplenty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Vitriol - To Battle from the Throat of Cowardice 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Well here we
go. I hate this stuff. This is probably why I haven’t listened to the new stuff
in the genre lately. This drum mix is a joke - sounds thin as paper - super
triggered and full electronic. Might as well use a drum machine. The guitars
play a whole lot of notes which seem random and pointless - high low, chaotic,
not a hook in sight. Solid blastbeats for most of the songs - buried death
growls - just a mess of a mix that sounds like garbage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">I’m sure this
takes a ton of skill to pull off, but there is no brutality left in it. It’s
sterile, noisy, and does nothing for me. Not a groove, memorable riff, or even
a vocal refrain to cling to. Even the slow parts are tedious and annoying. It’s
a pass from me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - the
embodiment of everything that’s wrong with modern DM - overproduced, loud,
technically complex, nonsense that amounts to nothing: instantly forgettable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Zealot Cult - Spiritual Sickness 2018<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Irish death
metalers first full length is a throwback of sorts, focusing on the classic-era
Florida stuff, particularly Covenant / Domination era Morbid Angel. The writing
is solid and the riffs are plenty catchy and rocking in that traditional way.
Vocalist Jay Quigely obviously studied at the John Tardy school of growlers,
which is fine, but the style is so unique, I don’t know that anyone will ever
be able to own it the way John does. It gets the job done, nonetheless and
ultimately Spiritual Sickness turns out to be quite a decent debut.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">“Left to Rot”
has some nice broken rhythms to start and then slides into a great pogo groove
that could’ve been on Death’s Leprosy. The closing track is the killer - nice
slow grooves and a cool breakdown to close it out. I know there is a flood of
these retro bands right now, but I dig it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - retro
classic Florida era OSDM with great writing and Obituary-style vocals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Hath - Of Riots and Ruin 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Debut album
from these Blackened Death metalers from New Jersey. It sounds similar to
mid-era Behemoth, at least that style. And maybe I shouldn’t, but I really
found myself enjoying this. Yeah the drums are overly triggered, but they write
a mean riff and create some good atmosphere. I don’t even mind the passage
where he sings because at least he doesn’t sound like a cartoon character
(sorry Travis, last dig, I promise).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">“Worlds Within”
even goes into a whole Opeth-style mellow rock vibe. Man, these guys do it all
huh? In fact, they pull out the nylon strings quite a few times. I’m intrigued
to see what comes next from Hath - they’re a very talented young band. Hell, if
they keep writing tunes like “Progeny,”I’m onboard - Opeth stopped playing that
style years ago - real nice to hear it again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it -
really solid blackened death metal with progressive elements and good song
writing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Cadaveric Incubator - Sermons of the Devouring Dead 2017<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Only a Finnish
band could come up with that band name. I’m sure it makes sense in the
translation. These guys play goregrind similar to Carcass’ first album. The
vocals are real Chris Barnes Tomb of the Mutilated style - so that’s a plus.
It’s actually really good stuff - nicely muddy, but you can tell what’s going
on. And they’re not afraid to hit a punk groove that just begs for a circle
pit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">They’ve
apparently been at it for a few years, so that would explain the refinement.
There’s some lead work, midtempo Metal grinders, very cool stuff. Nothing
revolutionary mind you, I had to check a few times and make sure they weren’t
actually playing a Carcass cover. But I’ll give it the thumbs up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it -
Goregrind by the numbers. Well produced and well executed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Coffin Rot - a Monument to the Dead 2019<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Another band
from Portland, Oregon playing Swedish-style OSDM. Seriously... the DM scene
took a damn time machine to 1991 a couple years ago. That’s cool... there’s
just simply a ton of these bands on this list. These guys are pretty great -
Grave is the first band I think of, but there’s shades of other classic acts -
some early Bolt Thrower in there too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">They hang that
awesome Swedish DM punk groove real well - “Incubation of Madness” and
“Necrotized” are both banging tracks, not to mention their eponymous closer. I
think these guys make the cut too. Pretty great riff writing and old school
production.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white;">Call it - More
Swedish OSDM from the Pacific Northwest with classic production, banging riffs,
and great songs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #444444;"><o:p><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"> </span></o:p></p>JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-35121472418638985652020-09-24T18:10:00.007-07:002020-09-24T18:19:24.779-07:00Deathtober part 2<p> Here's some more reviews, don't forget to follow the playlist at <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mTBl6G9kjwvdkLpGGmo4G?si=eEfiwaj_Q1OLnnxfD6wgRw">Deathtober 2020</a></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Glacial Tomb -
self-titled 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
relatively new band from Colorado with a cool name and finally, not a throwback
band - this list was getting thick with them. That being said, I’m not sure how
to categorize these guys they have elements of grind, death, and straight
thrash in their music. It’s heavy and punishing stuff and made all the more
effective with doubled up vocals. Slow with occasional bouts of speed GT prefer
to bludgeon you over the head rather than stab you repeatedly. The lyrics
suggest this is a band with a higher agenda - politically charged with
aspirations to eventually evolve beyond the death metal category, but who’s to
say.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ultimately,
I’m not sure what to make of Glacial Tomb. I enjoy the slow punishing parts and
the faster parts are effective, but the production flirts with deathcore enough
to sour me a tad. I don’t know... jury is still out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Call
it: A heavy slab of modern metal that’s hard to categorize.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Deicide - Overtures of Blasphemy 2018<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Glenn and Steve
have been at it since 89. That’s crazy. This is their 12th full length and
really, since they ditched the Hoffman brothers, they’ve been simply consistent
and good. Glenn’s higher-pitched “witch” voice is gone on this one, and I do
miss it, but he is still a master of the interesting vocal rhythm. Just check
out the chant worthy “Seal the Tomb Below” or the gallop-heavy “All that is
Evil.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Deicide have a
Slayer-like consistency. They understand their winning formula: 3 or 4 money
riffs, get in and out in under 4 minutes. OOB is nothing new for Deicide, but
it is an excellent death metal record.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call in: Consistently
catchy Florida death metal from one of the genre’s inventors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Suffocation - ...of the Dark Light 2017<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mullen and
Hobbs are on the personnel list, so you know this’ll be worth your time. Since
their self-titled revival in 2006, Suffocation has been pumping out a slab of
brutal DM every few years to remind the kids who invented this stuff. OTDL is
not their most chaotic offering, and sometimes it’s downright melodic, but in
that Suffo kind of way. Mullen sounds beastly as ever and the music is just as
punishing as it was 25 years ago. Through-composed tunes, mostly atonal riffs,
bursts of melody, blazing solos, brutal start and stop blasts... Suffocation
fans know what to expect.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Suffocation
really doesn’t put out a bad album they make you wait a few years, so it’s
quality over quantity. I would put anything they’ve generated post 2000 against
Their New York peers, Cannibal Corpse, post 2000 output any day - Suffo wins. No
they don’t deviate from their formula, but none of their fans really want them
too. This is good stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it:
Another impressive slab of brutal death metal from the guys who created the
damn genre.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Casket Huffer - Filth Ouroboros 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">A sophomore
album from a Wyoming group with an amusing name. This is blast-heavy stuff with
a blackened-death flavor - like mid-era Behemoth maybe. Ghastly vocals and 32nd
note blast beats make this a very black metal sounding record to me, Blackened
death metal? Always been a weird combo for me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Genre
speculation aside, this is pretty evil sounding stuff - real muddy mix which
maybe hurts them a tad - the guitars are doing a lot but I can’t really
decipher much of it. It’s not until towards the end of The Antichrist Vessel
that we get a proper groove going. Like I’ve mentioned- if you blast for most
of a song, it kind of weakens the point of it. In DM mind you, in black metal
it serves a different purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“Caustic Winds”
is a nice track. Slows down to a crawl and then blasts away. The variation
serves these guys well. Good growls, ferocious drums. When they groove a bit,
it’s pretty kick ass. The talent is definitely there, just not the particular
flavor of DM I go for usually. As a sophomore effort, it’s damn impressive.
That last track is awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it: A
well-crafted blackened death metal record with somewhat muddy production and
fantastic vocals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Ossuarium - Living Tomb 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Debut album
from these Portland, Oregon death metalers, man it’s cool seeing these bands
pop up in the west. They sling that east coast OSDM in the style of Immolation.
Funny how so many of these revival bands pick that 90’s New York sound... I
guess it’s easier to dial in than the Florida stuff. I’m not complaining
though, it’s great to hear new energy being breathed into this style. Ossuarium
do just that. They actually end up sounding pretty original with some Swedish
elements, atmosphere, and melody. Really good breakdowns and slow-as-hell doom
passages interspersed with blasts and midtempo grooves. Vocals are nice and low
and somewhat buried which fits the mix nicely, guitar tone is also on point.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Ossuarium write
a good song. Their compositional skills set them above a fair amount of their
peers in that regard. Living Tomb is a solid debut with catchy riffs, varied
tempos, and good production. These guys’ next one is definitely gonna be highly
anticipated.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it: A
fantastic debut OSDM album with varied influences and great song writing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Cannibal Corpse - Red Before Black 2017<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">First off - all
5 members of CC have been in the band for at least 20 years. Alex (bass) and
Paul (drums) have been rocking it since Eaten Back to Life was a demo. I’ve
always been a Barnes-era guy. Not that I’m against Fisher (though I don’t think
he varies his cadence enough), I just think Owen and Rusay wrote better songs.
Rusay’s departure after Tomb of the Mutilated Definitely affected the writing
and then Owen leaving after Wretched Spawn, well... I’m just not sure they were
ever the same after that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Red Before
Black is album number 14, and the 10th one with Fisher at lead throat (and with
his neck now officially thicker than his head). I don’t think their production
has changed a bit in the last 10 years or so. I get that if it ain’t broke
don’t fix it, but I kind of like how Morbid Angel do it - no 2 albums sound
alike. CC put out record after record of tightly produced, perfectly mixed and
eq’d DM. I imagine their mixing board just remains setup and untouched.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">RBB sees the
band going through the motions, it’s perfectly executed and heavy stuff -
grooves, pogos, blasts... atonal riffs aplenty, not a whole lot of hooks to
speak of, but some melody creeps in here and there. “Firestorm Vengeance”
starts with such promise and then just does what every other one of their songs
ends up doing... the end of “In the Midst it Ruin” was pretty cool. I just
can’t get excited about anything CC does anymore, and I can’t explain it. I
think Gore Obsessed was the last album I considered great, everything after
that just feels uninspired and by-the-numbers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it:
Another CC album that sounds almost identical to the last one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Immolation - Atonement 2017<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Album number 10
from one of the most influential New York DM bands out there. Dolan and Vigna
have been there since 88 and they are still at it. Immolation are meat and
potatoes death metal - you can sink your teeth into it. they make it sound easy
in a style that is instantly recognizable as them. I guess, to contrast with
fellow New Yorkers, Cannibal Corpse, Immolation still know how to write a hook.
Just listen to that development at the end of “Destructive Currents” one riff
suddenly becomes something else and then a second guitar adds a grim melody on
top. It’s called composition and these guys are masters.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">That title
track is something special - really cool opening hook with a jarring drumbeat
that transitions to a blast and eventually slows to a lurch. They change it up
and swerve on a dime through the whole album. They are in top form here. The
only thing average about Immolation is Dolan’s voice which gets the job done,
but nothing more. It’s really me trying to find a gripe though, this record
slays.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it: Old
School New Yorkers in top form showing why so many bands try to imitate them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Bloodbath - The Arrow of Satan is Drawn 2018<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">These guys
might be the first true “throwback” death metal band, starting as a super group
of Swedes in 2000 - with the interest of paying homage to their early 90’s
heroes. 5 albums later they are essentially Katatonia with Nick Holmes from
Paradise Lost reminding us he used to growl... quite well.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">They’re still
essentially a love letter to the Swedish DM of the old days, but they’ve
managed to throw enough modern elements in it to make it sound fresh and
relevant. They’re still rocking that Sunlight studio sound (at least that Boss
distortion pedal guitar tone anyway) and most of the tunes are midtempo
stompers - pretty fun stuff. “Morbid Antichrist” is a highlight - nice stops and a punk-fueled main riff and an incredible vocal performance from Nick.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it: OSDM
of the Swedish variety done with flair and enthusiasm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Abysmal Dawn - Phylogenesis 2020<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">It’s been six
long years since we last heard from these Californians. They play a modern DM
and can hang with the most extreme acts out there - like Nile, Hate Eternal.
Super triggered drums and turbo speeds make for a very frantic almost grindcore
sound at times. Other times, they slow it down and thicken things up with a
good groove. I dig those vocals, particularly when they double up. Choppy
guitars that surprise you with soaring leads, bonafide shredders here - very
intense stuff but I find myself digging it a lot more than I usually do with
this ultra produced stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“Coerced
Evolution” slows it down to a moderate plod and sounds almost commercial.
Whereas “True to the Blind” sails by at broken beats and fragments. This is
tech death I suppose, but not so much as to be off putting to folks who like
their stuff more straightforward. As modern DM goes, it pretty much nails it
with a nice balance of brutality, melody, speed, and groove. It's long, but never seems so - there is lots of great metal to enjoy here.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it: a
modern, well-produced slab of flashy death metal that has a pretty broad
appeal.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Spectral Voice - Eroded Corridors of Unbeing 2017<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Death / Doom
purveyors from Colorado - I think this is their only full length so far. Nice
sludgy stuff with that deep deep growl and reverb-crazy mix slowing things to
like 60 bpm, able to breath within the pauses. Slow and punishing like the doom
moments of the mighty Autopsy or Incantation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">There
apparently is a whole sub genre of this stuff, but those two bands are my best
reference. SV are pretty damn entertaining. They can crawl along for 4-5 minutes
and then suddenly drop into a blast beat. I like it - totally new for me. This
is some heavy shit. Occasional blood-curdling screeches break up the growls and
it all gives you that nice torture chamber vibe. I will certainly have to delve
deeper into this stuff. Apparently a bunch of Finnish bands play this type of
doom/death thing. I bet there are some good ones over there.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it: Doom
metal in death metal clothing with occasional bursts of speed and a few
surprises along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Pyrrhon - Abscess Time 2020<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I’m not sure
when this kind of music started being called tech death, because it sounds like
grindcore to me. Noisy, screamy, angry, with a bunch of breakdowns... it’s
definitely some kind of “core.” I don’t hate it, I’m just perplexed how it made
Kerrang’s must hear death metal band list.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">There’s only
one dude listed as vocals so, I’m impressed he can go guttural, screechy, pig
squeals, and full on screams. Very diverse guy if it is indeed just him. The
music runs all over the place, but it is similar to the stuff you’d hear from
Today is the Day, or Everytime I Die - you know... noise-metal. It’s diverse
and a varied listen, but mostly noisy and angry. The list of similar artists on
Metal Archives demonstrates no one has any clue how to categorize these guys.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it:
whatever you want apparently, it’s noisy, angry, and plenty interesting- give
it a shot.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Portal - Ion 2018<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">True Metal is supposed
to challenge the listener in my mind. The reward is discovering things buried
deep beneath the surface through repeated listens. Well if that’s the metaphor we're using,
then imagine Portal’s surface is about 100 yards of solid steel. Abstract,
experimental... these words don’t do them justice. YouTube them. Right now. These
Australians are full on crazy. What they do can be called death metal - the
vocals are there, as is the drumming, but you’ll be hard pressed to follow them
on your first few times through. Portal are a total enigma and that’s their
appeal and intrigue.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Those guys
giving them 100% on Metal Archives claiming they understand the absolute genius and you never will, are
fucking poseurs. This shit is strictly unfathomable and we like it that way.
You’re not gonna play this to clean your house to, or to unwind at the end of a
tough day. You could throw this on at the end of the night when you want your
company to go home. It’ll do the trick.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Call it:
Atmospheric mind blasting not to be taken lightly or with hallucinogens (I
imagine... that just sounds like a bad idea)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><br /><p></p>JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-77607482694644723652020-09-23T17:10:00.005-07:002020-09-23T17:26:20.591-07:00DEATHTOBER 2020<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"> DEATHTOBER 2020</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">I decided I needed to do some deep diving into some death metal as Fall is upon us. So in that spirit, I bring you <i>Deathtober</i> 2020 - A playlist and collection of musings about death metal albums made over the past 4 years or so. Just in case you were hankering for some new DM to listen to, I did the hard work for you. I used several sources in picking this list. One, personal favorite veteran bands with whom I had relatively stopped listening to, and two - Kerrangs 50 greatest DM bands right now: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.kerrang.com/features/the-50-greatest-death-metal-bands-right-now/">Kerrang List</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">I will give yah what I got so far, but I intend to cover my whole Playlist. Oh yeah, please follow my list, I may update it. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mTBl6G9kjwvdkLpGGmo4G?si=Np_8B0xQQKevKxBCxz7xRA">Deathtober Spotify List</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">By the way OSDM = Old School Death Metal</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 24pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Incantation - Sect of
Vile Divinities 2020<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes
if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. SoVD definitely takes that approach. However, I
feel this one is a slightly less inspired work than the excellent Profane
Nexus, but there were a lot of haters on that record, so what do I know? There
are still plenty of in-your-face-slow-as-shit doom passages here as well as the
token Incantation blasts. It’s definitely Incantation - satisfyingly east coast
old school DM in 2020.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">McEntee’s
voice is plenty low and guttural with enough of that “putrid” factor that I really
look for in my growler. It could use a muddier mix on the guitars, but overall
SoVD is an admirable 12th album from a band who were slinging it back in 92.
Good leads, harmonies, and riffs-a-plenty. Love those double vocals on “Chant
of the formless Dead.” And there’s nothing like a nice sludgy Incantation
groove like the bulk of “Unborn Ambrosia” - Pus-drenched, slow oozing death
metal - just like you remember it. If there’s a gripe, maybe it’s that we’re a
bit generic here. I mean, they are trailblazers - should we expect more? I’m
conflicted, because I love the Incantation sound and don’t really want them to
do anything about it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Call
it: legit old school east coast death metal done by legit old school east coast
guys.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Tomb Mold - Planetary Clairvoyance 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Probably a
weird move going from Incantation to these Canadians who obviously worshiped at
the throne of 90’s East Coast American metal. Not a bad thing mind you, just
very similar in approach. While Klebanoff keeps it guttural, it’s a little less
nuanced than McEntee’s putrid snarl. Let’s not say TM is a rip-off of
Incantation, they have plenty of old school influences in there with some
Suffocation and even Leprosy-era Death on the riffage.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">As far as these
revival bands go, I think Tomb Mold is fast becoming my go-to. Their production
is so satisfyingly muddy without sounding like the old days of audio
limitation. In other words, that sound guy knows what he’s doing. It feels
savage and far from sterile without being indecipherable.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">“Infinite Resurrection”
feels like a standout. It starts with such ferocity and never really lets up.
“Cerulean Salvation” starting like Open Casket - made me smile. These guys
write a very effective brutal tune - nice transitions and breakdowns. I think
there’s a lot to be said for using that blastbeat sparingly. It’s effective,
but bands that just rail on it for 3 minutes are missing the point. TM uses it
the right way - sparring blasts to keep you pummeled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it:
Respectable Revival/ retro OSDM that sounds like it was recorded in 1992<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Skeletal Remains - The Entombment of Chaos 2020<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Stupid album
title with kickass Dan Seagrave cover art. These California guys have been
getting a lot of buzz in the DM user groups. Old school band comparisons are
all over the map, but I instantly think of Covenant-era Morbid Angel. when I
hear them. Instant gripe is the ultra triggered drum kit which I know is the
mainstay for most of these groups. The kick sound will simply always bug me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">While SR are
certainly competent, I fail to see why they are getting so much attention. They
sound like everything Morbid Angel did in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Same tempo
changes, vocal cadence, breakdowns. The only thing that is really missing is
Trey’s scorching solos - SR’s lead fall into the much more standard category.
They may need time to grow on me, but currently I don’t know how they standout
from the rest of the pack.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it:
serviceable but generic throwback OSDM with too much polish on the mix.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">This Colorado
band had the top DM release on a ton of lists last year, so why not check them
out?With the futuristic alien cover art, I’m ready for something a little
different. The Tech-heavy approach hits immediately, but with a blend of
savagery and melody that somehow all works together. Riedl’s is a sufficient
bark, capable of some good bellows but nothing out of the ordinary. The star
here is the technical proficiency and the impressive songwriting. Faulk behind
the kit is the real hero - staggering beats and blasts into something
altogether new and attention-grabbing. The band isn’t afraid to slow it down,
get melodic, and then hit you with the full throttle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">I would almost
compare them to Demilich at times, but thankfully without the bowel-tone
vocals. And also, bring on the hate, but Demilich couldn’t really make a tune
hang together like these guys can. There is an impressive level of
compositional skill on display here. Here’s a band that is getting hype that I
believe is quite deserved and I am genuinely stoked to see what they do next.
Oh... and nice logo. Wrong genre.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: real
solid technical progressive death metal with plenty of brutal moments.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Necrot - Mortal 2020<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">More
Californians in the retro DM scene. Necrot probably own one of the more
anticipated releases of 2020 after their debut caught everyone by surprise.
These guys tend to lean more towards the Swedish side of things, with the
exception of obvious comparisons to fellow Californians, Autopsy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Mortal is a
fairly no-frills, straight ahead death metal album - good breakdowns, grooves,
the occasional blast and melodic lead break. “Sinister Will” has some great
hooks and a good slam part in the middle. Also, it bears mentioning the
production is nice and muddy - not too clean or sterile which makes a big
difference for this style.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">I don’t know...
might’ve been all the hype, but color me a bit underwhelmed. It’s good, but
it’s not gonna top my list. I’ve spun it a few times now, but several of those,
I forgot to pay attention to it. That’s a bad sign.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it:
enjoyable retro-revival OSDM that was overhyped and ultimately somewhat
forgettable.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Benighted - Obscene Repressed 2020<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Probably more
on the Grind side of things, these Frenchmen are crazy. Rapid fire
artillery-grade drums pummel with double vocals ranging from growl to screech
to those famous pig squeals. This is vicious and straight up chaotic stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">According to
some other reviews I read, this album is apparently subdued compared to some of
their earlier work so... I’m impressed, and a bit frightened. It’s in and out
in under 40 minutes and thankfully so, to be honest. This type of grind is like
chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream for me. The first bite is delicious and
the best thing I ever ate, but half way through I want to throw the overly
sweet shit in the garbage.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: full
tilt, in-your-face death grind that wears thin after a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Ulcerate - Stare Into Death and Be Still 2020<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Hipsters don’t
want to call these guys death metal because they think the genre is somehow
beneath them. But make no mistake, Ulcerate is a death metal band. Hailing from
New Zealand, one can find a variety of influences in their music, Gorguts, and
even some Suffocation or Immolation. The most direct comparison is probably
abstract contemporaries Portal, but Ulcerate feel rather conventional in
comparison to them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Sure there are
black metal elements at play here - mainly the reverb-heavy vocals and guitars.
It’s a sneaky trick to develop undertones and make the sound bigger than it
actually is. I guess the key word is atmosphere... and Ulcerate do it very
well. The voices sound like they are coming from the grave as the guitars twist
over a wash of percussion. “Exhale the Ash” has a nice midsection where things
almost go full improve jazz in the structure. There’s snippets of melody, but
nothing more than glimpses in between the rage-filled bursts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Thinking man’s
death metal? Sure... I’ll buy that. There is certainly some thought put into
this sucker and a worthy listen. I’m not sure it deserves all those “album of
the year” comments but, people love to hype shit up don’t they? Once you dig
deep into this sucker, it starts to sound a bit monotonous- hitting those same
scales that are definitely distinctive - but that’s why you know you just heard
them in the last tune.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: Moody
atmospheric progressive death metal that could stand to be a little shorter or
at least more varied.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Cattle Decapitation- Death Atlas 2020<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Travis, please
stop singing like a goblin cartoon character. You have one of the most diverse
and flexible growls / screeches / screams in the business. I don’t want you to
sound like a budget Devin Townsend as you try to incorporate vocal harmonies
into a band named Cattle Decapitation. I would say, no one turns to this band
for that sort of thing, but yet this thing is getting loads of praise. Go
figure. I guess this is my “okay Boomer” moment, but my favorite tune is Vulturous
because it has no ridiculous singing parts on it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">I loved
Monolith. It was used sparingly and as an enhancement. Now... it’s like the
feature of every tune and I’ll tell yah - the music may be great, but I just
can’t bring myself to care. Call me stubborn. But with a band with a catalog
with winners like Humanure, Karma Bloody Karma, and Monolith of Inhumanity, I
cant see myself wasting time listening to this instead. Let me know when Travis
has given up on this little phase of his.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: a
disappointing turn for a once top tier band<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Gatecreeper - Deserted 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Arizona’s
Gatecreeper decided to start playing Dismember covers for a group of kids who
didn’t know who Dismember were. All joking aside, GC is super duper Swedish in
their approach, but this new album hides it a bit better - sounding more
original while keeping the initial appeal of the throwback sound. The guitars
maintain that trademark Sunlight Studio sound, reminding an old schooler like
myself of a simpler time when high school English paper due dates and head-game
playing girls were my biggest concerns. The songs slam, they hit that midtempo
groove with expert ease and the album is an easy one to throw on at any time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">“From the
Ashes” has some sweet guitar harmonies beneath the fury and the punkish
plodding goes well with the beefy guitar work. GC really key into everything
that made early 90’s Swedish Death Metal special, and I hope they’re not
offended that I consider them more of an effective tribute band than an
original act. Regardless of what you call it, it slays. Worth a listen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: a
derivative but enjoyable homage to the old school Swedes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Morbid Angel - Kingdoms Disdained 2017<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">When a band
releases an album like Illud Divinum Insanus, which is universally blasted by
their entire fan base, they really only have two choices. Hang it up and call
it a day, or return to form and chalk it up to a failed experiment. Morbid
Angel chose the latter (after releasing a live album from their heyday of
course). The result is, instant relief, of course. But, truth be told, KD ain’t
a bad record in its own right. Sandoval is gone, but the new guy does a fine
job on the skins and Tucker is back in full throat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Trey proves he
can still shred and can still right a decent DM tune. Architect and Iconoclast,
For No Master, and The Fall of Idols all rock pretty hard with his distinctive
broken gallop riffing. This is in line with Gateways for me. It’s a decent
record and encouraging when a band listens to their fans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: a
welcomed return to form after a failed experiment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Exhumed - Horror 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">A goregrind
band at their heart, these Californians flirted with some death metal on their
last few outings. Not the case with Horror. This is a grind record, fairly
straightforward, back to their earlier style. Exhumed embody all the fun
elements of a b-grade splatter movie in audio form. Their live shows are a
blast and while the case can be made that there won’t be any music theory
assignments to dissect this work, I certainly respect the art form and it’s a
fun record to put on if you wanna let off some steam and throw some shit around
the house.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: A
fairly standard but fun-as-hell goregrind record from one of the genre’s
veterans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Sewercide - Immortalized in Suffering 2016<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">These
Australians with a really cool name were unfortunately short-lived, this being
the only<br />
Full length release I can find from them. It’s got a mid 90’s Florida sound to
it, with some Pestilence and occasional flairs of Fisher-era Cannibal Corpse
mixed in. A nicely produced slab of frantic DM with some thrash metal throw in and
vocals that make me think of Malevolent Creation’s Brett Hoffman.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Sweet guitar
tones and grooves in the “Snares of Carnality” - pogo-to blast-to groove-to
pogo. “Acrimoniously Disharmonized” slows to a crawl at times, recalling
classic Incantation. It’s fun stuff, if occasionally a bit derivative, but it’s
everything that makes OSDM great. It’s too bad these guys didn’t stick around -
would’ve been interesting to see where they went with this.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: really
well executed OSDM with great production, lots of change ups, and solid
writing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Fulci -Tropical Sun 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Holy shit I
love everything about these guys: the band name, the cover art, the Italian
Horror (Zombi2 scenes oh boy!) sample intro, the Tomb of the Mutilated type
vocals, that punchy snare... man these guys are great. And they’re from Italy,
that just makes it so much more legit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">This stuff is
like a meaty Italian sub - drenched with all the lovely stuff that makes OSDM
so damn fun. Their entire discography to this point seems like a love letter to
one of their namesake’s films, this one is obviously Zombi 2 which suits me
fine. Awesome drum mix, crunchy guitars and that lower than low vocal - this
album rocks. Midtempo DM for the most part - just blast “Eye Full of Maggots”
and know the awesomeness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: A
death metal love letter to Lucio Fulci that rocks in an early 90’s OSDM way -
an album that simply checks all the boxes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Revel in Flesh - The Hour of the Avenger 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">If the Entombed
song band name didn’t key you in, these Germans play Swedish-style Death Metal
however a tad more melody-driven than Entombed, probably closer to the more
modern stuff. They’re very approachable, listener friendly DM. I could see them
playing with Amon Amarth very easily - it’s that kind of DM / fists in the air,
scream-along tunes, but without all that Viking stuff. Some tracks are a little
slow and repetitive for my tastes, but it’s not particularly offensive. “Death
blow” is a nice rocker, reminiscent of early Bloodbath. “Pervertin Speed Kill”
hits a nice midtempo punk groove that makes the Swedish style so recognizable.
“The Nightbreed” plods along and shows the bands strength of melody and groove.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">If I’m going to
put RIF against the other two Swede-worshipers on this list so far, Necrot and
Gatecreeper, I’m giving Gatecreeper the nod for being more musically
interesting with the near-perfect production. That said, Revel will no doubt
please fans of the other two mentioned acts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it:
Accessible Swedish throw back (from Germany) that will appeal to fans of that
fist banging anthemic death metal stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Witch Vomit - Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Great band
name, album title that makes you double take, Portland, Oregon? Okay, I’m
intrigued. Initial impressions include Autopsy and Incantation- vocals from the
depths of hell and atonal riffs washing over a pleasingly muddy mix. I am so
stoked there are bands recording drums the old school way - none of that super
sharp kick drum nonsense. The kick is there, but it sounds like a damn kick
drum and doesn’t get ridiculous during the blast beats.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Enough of that
though. Witch Vomit is awesome. The song structures are nonlinear, the riffs
are all over the map and there are enough hooks to keep you interested. Man
that ending on “Deep Veins” those vocals are so damn low and the riff is so
morbid sounding. “Fumes of Dying Bodies” rages, stops, starts, grooves, it
covers a ton of ground in 3:35, not to mention tackling a difficult topic.
Awesome stuff. These guys draw from enough old school influences that you can’t
really pin them down as being a copycat of any of them. Broken Hope, Obituary,
Dismember, Incantation, I could go on... they are an all star combination all
their own and they’re definitely making my playlist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: Grimy
and essential OSDM that will melt your face off.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Fetid - Steeping Corporeal Mass 2020<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">You’d imagine a
steeping corporeal mass would indeed be fetid. These guys are also Pacific
northwesterners - Seattle / Portland, and they also tend towards that 90’s New
York sound ala Incantation, Immolation, Suffocation. Another band with a decent
muddy mix and just savage sounding guitars. The vocals are that Craig Pillard
(early Incantation), unearthly demon / monster growling from slightly below the
ground kind of style. That seems to be popular nowadays, but I have no
complaints. I believe it adds a ton to the music and atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Whereas Witch
Vomit sounded like a nice blend of influences, Fetid clearly worship at the
throne of Incantation - not only in vocal style, but overall song structure,
production, and riffing. It’s good stuff, just maybe suffers from sounding a
tad derivative. Ferocious and evil sounding - check out “Dripping Sub-Tepidity”
blasts of speed followed with slow-as-hell drops and a cavernous lead break;
Monstrous vocals throughout the whole thing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: Early
Incantation worship that gets the job done quite effectively with a perfect mix
that sounds delightfully 90’s.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">VHS -We’re Gonna Need Some Bigger Riffs 2019<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Goofy
death/grind is a necessary sub genre I believe, and it’s epicenter appears to
be California at the moment. VHS are funny, decent musicians, and efficient
Grindsters, I’m just not sure this stuff really does anything for me anymore.
That probably sounds harsher than I mean it - I played in a joke grindcore band
for over a decade, so I may just be done with the genre. These guys also fall
into the punk side of things far too often for my tastes. If you’re gonna
grind, then grind otherwise go crust punk, but don’t throw pop punk breakdowns
into your grindcore... I just can’t hang with that. Regardless, I know there’s
an audience for this, so enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it: Goofy
grind with pop punk elements that just don’t mix for me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Mortuous - Through Wilderness 2018<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">More
Californians. I bet these guys hang with Fetid and Witch Vomit, because they
all play the same type of DM. I can see them jamming shows together and even
swapping members when someone is sick or doesn’t show. At any rate, they guys
are fun. Very East-coast style, making me think of Immolation or Butchered-era
Cannibal. Corpse. Good frantic stuff with the standard super low monster
guttural vocals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Some second
guitar harmonies give it a bit of a Swedish flair, like Dismember or even early
At the Gates, and again, the production is on point. I might have to research
who is producing all these albums because holy cow, they sound so much better
than all the sterile shit coming out of the majors lately.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Nice thick
guitars rip a slow groove on “Chrysalis of Sorrow” crawling to a stop and then
climbing slowly out of the grave. Mortuous love the slow groove and it really
helps this album standout. These guys also blend enough varied influences to
sound fresh and unique - which I find is the real key to success with the genre
right now.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white;">Call it:
Another retro/revival OSDM record that combines enough varied influences to
sound fresh - also, freaking stellar when they slow down to doom speed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></o:p></p><br /><p></p>JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-32067174980704286892019-05-20T21:28:00.001-07:002019-05-20T21:28:04.071-07:00Opeth - Still Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyQmohyyRW3ucMXhbp31lfwhfQSDfrI7AqEu92dWvFT5WIEL5chJD3mteUpCbZcmyL8AhLLohNQRcTFilxQziay-s65litNt9wOKTMmSRNsOMl6P4Wu6nRBivTlS26d5xyKmGnMNJ/s1600/Opeth_stilllife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyQmohyyRW3ucMXhbp31lfwhfQSDfrI7AqEu92dWvFT5WIEL5chJD3mteUpCbZcmyL8AhLLohNQRcTFilxQziay-s65litNt9wOKTMmSRNsOMl6P4Wu6nRBivTlS26d5xyKmGnMNJ/s1600/Opeth_stilllife.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
After the
groundbreaking (and I don’t use the term lightly) My Arms, Your Hearse, Opeth
returned a year later with new bassist Martin Mendez, and a new album: Still
Life. Their fourth album is an interesting one in that I don't see it as a full
progression… more of a side-step. That's not to say it's bad, it just happens
to be sandwiched between two superior albums. Now many of the Opeth fanbase
list this as their favorite, but I've always thought there was a bit of a
hipster street-cred to favoring the album BEFORE the one that the majority tout
as the band’s finest hour. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The issue with Still
Life is difficult to pinpoint. In many ways, it feels like more of a logical
progression from Morningrise, while My Arms, Your Hearse is a more believable
precursor to Blackwater Park. Part of the reason is the somewhat softer feel of
Still Life. The urgency of the Hearse album is missing and the slower,
methodical approach of Morningrise has returned. The guitars have lost their
bite, the drums, their punch. "The Moor" takes about 5 minutes before
it really kicks in, and even then, it tends to wander - an interesting pick for
an opening track. "Benighted" and "Face of Melinda" are
beloved, but neither of them can hold a candle to Hearse's
"Credence," or Park's "Harvest." Akerfeldt's voice in the
aforementioned tracks has an annoying whispery quality to it which I don't
quite understand, or really enjoy.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Still Life is not
without it's strongpoints. The move from complex arrangement to complex riffs
begins here. That is to say, long phrases within riffs - some as long as 8
measures at times. So an 8 measure polyphonic phrase with countermelody within
the guitar work is a thick soup, and for progressive metal fans, it is
delicious stuff. In my mind, the album's centerpiece, and still one of my
favorite tracks from the band, is "Godhead's Lament." Within the
context of this work, it is lightning in a bottle - beautiful melodies, kickass
riffs, growls and perhaps Mikael's most impassioned clean-vocal performance to
this point.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A real notable step
forward is Akerfeldt's death growl - it is absolutely beastly on this record,
stronger than ever before. At times, almost a stark contrast to the somewhat
mellow riffage beneath it. "Serenity Painted Death" is the other standout
here, but even its most sinister riffs lack the bite they would've had on the
last effort's production. "White Cluster" is a bit piecemeal, but I
do rather enjoy the fractured jam through the last half of it.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Maybe it bears
mentioning that this album was my official introduction to the band, but I’m
not sure that has a major impact on my view of it now. Still Life is an
important step in the bands development, but it actually feels more
experimental than its predecessor while being less of a drastic step in a new
direction. Their composition skills drop a notch as they explore how far they
can stretch their sound in this new direction. Their finest lineup is now set -
like Megadeath on Rust in Peace, or Death on Human, these four guys have a
unique chemistry and each member fills his roll better than anyone before or
after him in this band. Bring on the Park.</div>
<br />JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-14827831052739584562019-05-14T17:19:00.002-07:002019-05-14T17:19:13.584-07:00Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqYgit_ZrYVIcNbu_VhyXXIvO0NbQ2Rb0jxhGPzrSzlX2u8CraHEyToTtOPq9-H5_2uZcMYOgvw9VbQwMGo2lwTYzuiGv661ZsFfwRxBIhB-rNT5X-z_Wuw4Ux0VLcIF55bTvbvkt/s1600/612DbWJ9sdL._SX355_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="355" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqYgit_ZrYVIcNbu_VhyXXIvO0NbQ2Rb0jxhGPzrSzlX2u8CraHEyToTtOPq9-H5_2uZcMYOgvw9VbQwMGo2lwTYzuiGv661ZsFfwRxBIhB-rNT5X-z_Wuw4Ux0VLcIF55bTvbvkt/s320/612DbWJ9sdL._SX355_.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The two years since
Morningrise were quite impactful to this band. Gaining a much needed new
drummer Martin Lopez, Akerfeldt decides to take over bass duties as well and we
plunge deep into a new phase of the band. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
After a brief intro,
the opening moments of “April Ethereal” show the band clearly has changed their
approach to the heavy riff. They discovered they can do so much more with two
guitars than just having one mimic the other on a 3rd or 5th interval, but there
are things like countermelodies and chord interplay. The band had matured
impressively on here. Rhythmically speaking, they are a completely different
band - no longer content to plod forward with that swingy 6/8 double bass riff,
things start getting very interesting. “April Ethereal” announces the changes
riff-after-riff with full-6 string chords and broken rhythms (check out that
“pre-Deliverence” breakdown at the 6 minute mark). </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The production has
doubled in quality giving Lopez a punch in the kick drum that the band sorely
needed. It gives a heaviness to the new direction in stark contrast to the
murky, Black Metal-esque sound to the first two records. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Akerfeldt’s growl
also has a new intensity to it - suddenly developing its own character rather
than blending in with the legions of Swedish growlers before him. The true
marvel here though, is how he now sings with such confidence. Nowhere is this
demonstrated more than on the downright beautiful “Credence” which clocks in at
a mere 5:26. What the hell is going on? Manageable song-lengths? It’s barely
the same band. Though, if we’re honest, “Prologue,” “April Ethereal,” and
“When” could all be one track (and on record it sounds like one) and “Madrigal”
is merely the intro to “The Amen Corner,” so maybe that length change is more
of an illusion. Regardless, the album has an urgency to it, which is all the
more pronounced when compared to the slow and brooding style of Morningrise. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
MAYH is probably
best known as the album with crowd favorite (it’s STILL on their set list),
“Demon of the Fall.” It is a special track with some of Opeth’s heaviest
moments in it, particularly that breakdown with the title growled over and over
(one of the rare moments when they sound like a straight forward death metal
band). That second riff too - so much cool guitar-interplay going on
there. “April Ethereal,” (which is my
personal favorite) “When,” and “The Amen Corner” are all just as strong in my
opinion, only “Karma” sounds pieced together but even then - it’s decent. This
is the first essential album in their catalogue - they are playing and writing
at a very special level here. The truly remarkable part though; this isn’t even
their peak. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
As a bonus, there
are two somewhat surprisingly faithful
cover songs on the re-release: Celtic Frost’s “Circle of the Tyrants,” and the
Maiden classic, “Remember Tomorrow.”</div>
<br />JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-17641274698955731902019-05-09T16:41:00.001-07:002019-05-20T21:28:54.818-07:00Opeth - Morningrise<div style="text-align: center;">
Opeth
Morningrise</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCbZ7nlT-Ogj27iXwcJRnJQDhLRrJrbPSvoE54bnkbQ44xEewUdhIZTDImY_41PuwOzWnK2GvaLhM2hOcqQ67lq4MIygBRppnZJDm2NBxpOCivJEbab2rwPcl8oFjNR-hzK3CLeAO/s1600/Morningrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCbZ7nlT-Ogj27iXwcJRnJQDhLRrJrbPSvoE54bnkbQ44xEewUdhIZTDImY_41PuwOzWnK2GvaLhM2hOcqQ67lq4MIygBRppnZJDm2NBxpOCivJEbab2rwPcl8oFjNR-hzK3CLeAO/s320/Morningrise.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Opeth’s Sophomore
effort came a short year after the debut and sports the same lineup and a
similar production. I believe the fan base is split on this record - feeling it
is maybe too similar to its predecessor, but for only 13 months, the band made
some huge leaps forward. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Morningrise is
instantly “softer” than Orchid, not only slowing the tempos, but being more
comfortable with long passages of clean guitar. The album’s closer “To Bid You
Farewell,” even has only clean vocals on it - the first time Opeth tried such a
thing. So while we are on that subject, Akerfeldt has made some audible
improvements in that area, though he still sounds like a growler trying to
sing, and not a singer who can also growl (which he would eventually become).
His weakest point on this album in that regard is the overly long-winded “Black
Rose Immortal” which loses focus once it goes soft around the 4:30 mark. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The drums are still
lacking in my opinion, but they are less distracting compared to the debut. There is less of a commitment to the blind double-bass for double-bass-sake. The true focus of the music is still very much on Akerfeldt and Lindgren’s guitar work.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
But let’s discuss
the true strength of this album: the band has figured out how to compose a 10+
minute song and have it feel like a song and not simply a collection of cool
riffs. “The Night and the Silent Water” (written as a tribute to Akerfeldt’s
recently departed grandfather) is most demonstrative of this - transitioning
from one elegant passage to the next, even mastering a smooth transition to
clean tone around the 2:45 mark. <span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">“Nectar” is the other favorite track here, and again, for riffing and great transitions. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
A retrospective
review like this is tough, because I know the massive change in lineup and
overall approach which is about to come, but for some reason - I’ve never been
impatient with Morningrise. I’ve always found it slow and methodical, with
on-the-money riffs throughout the proceedings. <span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">It's never in a hurry, but it is seldom confused on where it is headed. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Where Orchid seems to meander at
times, only “Black Rose Immortal” is guilty of that here, everything else feels
directed and focused. Even the mellow album closer is a delight - hinting at
the ground they would explore fully on the Damnation record. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
If the record is
overlooked, I believe it’s because it is noticeably less metal than Orchid
while still sounding the most like it. After this one, the pregame phase is
over, and the true Opeth begin to take form. </div>
<br />JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-732620981615646752019-04-30T21:29:00.000-07:002019-04-30T21:29:26.531-07:00Opeth - Orchid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEjCxjJaZbVWlY1bTEgu89PM4sJaz4EZZiVEe9azeVfKMdX6UbGkPfQygZNn7Nva1qgBtgIYIyEQfIezetBYkSVIj-ewF19_z6tO3PDcE2lbnUk8aUT2K5D0S6PUkawIgiaIus3Bz/s1600/220px-Opeth_Orchid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEjCxjJaZbVWlY1bTEgu89PM4sJaz4EZZiVEe9azeVfKMdX6UbGkPfQygZNn7Nva1qgBtgIYIyEQfIezetBYkSVIj-ewF19_z6tO3PDcE2lbnUk8aUT2K5D0S6PUkawIgiaIus3Bz/s1600/220px-Opeth_Orchid.jpg" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Opeth - Orchid (1995)</h2>
<div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
It certainly is
bizarre to go back through Opeth's catalogue - now that it stretches 2 and half
decades. Giving Orchid a spin requires one to remove themselves from all the
proceeding albums, and attempt to listen to it as the debut it was - an
impossible task. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Orchid is definitely
Opeth's "most metal" album in that it follows all the tropes present
in metal in 1995. That being said, it is hugely ambitious for its time period -
competing with forward-thinking Swedes Edge of Sanity and certainly At the
Gates. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
But the emphasis on
the "metal" thing comes from even the softer passages - rooted firmly
in what was established as acceptable "soft" metal passages (read:
classical guitar style finger-picking). Some circles refer to Orchid as a Blackened-Death
metal record, and there are a few reasons for this connection.
First-and-foremost, the song titles and cover art: hardly typical of the
Swedish Death Metal scene, with titles almost plagiarizing their Norwegian
counterparts: "Under the Weeping Moon," The Twilight is my
Robe…" the band has a dark theme going on here. The other piece is the
decidedly melancholic tone of the dual guitar harmonies which are really the
bands go-to in terms of the heavier passages - immediately demonstrated on both
"In the Mist She Was Standing," and the dark brooding opening three
or so minutes of "Forest of October." The third black metal quality
is a rather thin production with heavy use of reverb. Some of this was style
choice, the other, was definitely budget limitations.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
No matter what black
metal elements are present here, there is no doubt in my mind that Opeth were a
Swedish death metal band, growing up worshiping local heroes like Entombed,
Unleashed, and Dismember. They clearly entered the scene with intentions of stretching
the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>genre as far as it would go -
something no one can argue they eventually did.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
But that brings us
to Orchid. So it took over 10 straight listens to wash most of the modern Opeth
outta my ears so that I could give this sucker a clean listen. Like most
overly-ambitious progressive bands (metal or otherwise), in their early years
they have all the key elements except one. They have musicianship, they have
talent, and they have the ability to come up with amazing riffs and sequences.
The lacking element is composition, and while Orchid does not completely lack
in this department, it does fall into that feeling of a big collection of good
ideas rather than a cohesive song at times. Most of the uninitiated will admit
telling the songs apart is difficult, mainly because you have only 7 tracks.
Take the ambitious piano instrumental "Silhouette" and the short
interlude "Requiem" out of the mix, then you are left with 5 songs
that range from 10 to 14 minutes and each one of them goes through a large
number of shifts in tone, tempo, and direction. It also doesn't help that many
of the songs are through-composed (meaning they do not return to previously
played sections - they play it once and move on). From a writer's perspective -
that's a giant undertaking, to a listener, it can be overwhelming.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
This means that
Orchid is best enjoyed as a start-to-finish listen, taking in all the elements
as one goes and enjoying the evolutions. Through my repeated listens, it grew
on me more and more. My nitpicks are the production (sometimes the clean guitar
tone carries a punchier low-end than the distortion which means the switch does
not accomplish what it should). The other would be Anders Nordin's obvious
limitations (with the exception of his incredible piano playing). I'm not a
drummer myself, but it is obvious they asked a lot of him, and he delivers most
of it rather timidly and unconvincingly. It is competent enough I suppose, but
he is clearly the band's weakest link here. The double bass seems to be the
choice when he can't think of anything else and the creativity lacks severely.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Akerfeldt had not
yet mastered his vocals yet either. The grunt is sufficient, but man-oh-man did
he ever get better at that - part of the lacking could be the production. His
clean vocals are the real sore point here - they are shaky, unconfident, and rather
bland. This is where it is almost impossible to erase the memory of how good
they are now.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
It is difficult to
pick out a favorite track because, as mentioned above - they are all so long
and contain so many transitions. So I will go with "Under the Weeping
Moon" as it contains of one the coolest parts - an eerie repeat triplet
pattern on clean guitar underneath drum hits and feedback that lulls the
listener to sleep right before it explodes again into the death metal proper.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Opeth's debut is
damn fine. I believe it will appeal to most fans of 90's Swedish DM, and I
think most Opeth die-hards still defend it (though I doubt the majority of
their modern fan base have even broken it out of its plastic). If it has been a
while for you (as it was for me), give it a spin, you'll dig it again.</div>
</div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-81877861372323834522014-09-16T21:53:00.001-07:002019-05-09T16:33:37.900-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - The End Complete<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3DDlorCtvN42sjC-eE5gJmZL3zGqCf1SXvUpSwEVvQkHWAA7rNBpi6qhtBGKtnrkxvzENBYtzAIGVgj9Z9i6elOQR9vbWIjA2e2-0Kg1ew4-50VMQpWWzTNIkE82tTcq6ACVoZJH/s1600/The+End+Complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3DDlorCtvN42sjC-eE5gJmZL3zGqCf1SXvUpSwEVvQkHWAA7rNBpi6qhtBGKtnrkxvzENBYtzAIGVgj9Z9i6elOQR9vbWIjA2e2-0Kg1ew4-50VMQpWWzTNIkE82tTcq6ACVoZJH/s1600/The+End+Complete.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?-->
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><b>Obituary</b>'s<b> </b>third album, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The End Complete</i><span style="font-family: "arial";"> is certain to divide camps among old school <b>Obituary </b>fans. It is arguably their most commercially successful release, their most instantly accessible, and the first album to feature full lyrics for each song. After the underground success of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Cause of Death</i><span style="font-family: "arial";">, <b>Obituary </b>returned with original guitarist Allen West replacing <i>Cause's </i>James Murphy at the lead guitar. By 1992, the band had firmly established themselves as one of Florida's most seminal among <b>Morbid Angel</b>, <b>Deicide</b>, and <b>Death</b>. They had also managed to carve a fairly distinct sound for themselves which presents them as instantly recognizable among their peers thanks to two factors: the guitars with tone knobs turned all the way to bass and John Tardy's ridiculously over-the-top voice which sounds like he's vomiting each syllable.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><br style="font-family: arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">The other key component was <b>Obituary's </b>lack of traditional song structure which changes drastically on</span><i style="font-family: arial;">The End Complete</i><span style="font-family: "arial";">. At the very opening notes of "I'm in Pain," it is clear that Obituary has refined to verse-chorus-verse song structure along with straightforward and somewhat boring lyrical content. Tardy's voice is also somewhat affected by being preoccupied with enunciation rather than just making ghoulish noises. Thus the polarizing factor is this: do you think the refinement of song structure and the addition of conventional lyrics help or hurt the band?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial;" />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">"I'm in Pain" will likely do little to sway anyone either way, but "Back to One" is decidedly savage and full of new found energy. And though <b>Obituary </b>could hardly be placed among the fastest of OSDM bands, they are certainly one of the most adept at hanging a slow groove, which they obviously became acutely aware of on this album. "Back to One" starts with a punk-like charge which eventually settles into a 6/8 chug that truly highlights what is so great about this band. They also have a tendency to just sit back and jam on a riff, without vocals or leads, until the song comes to its natural end - few other OSDM acts were so patient in their approach. Halting breakdowns and tempo changes throughout show that <b>Obituary </b>had a firm grasp on their appeal. The riffs are among some of the best in the bands catalogue here and Allen West's leads easily outdo anything he did on </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Slowly We Rot</i><span style="font-family: "arial";">. John Tardy also delivers, as one expects, with doubled up vocals and savage force. Yes the actual lyrics do change his dynamic, but the jarring change lets up after the opening track.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial;" />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">Towards the latter half of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The End Complete</i><span style="font-family: "arial";">, <b>Obituary </b>really seem to find their niche. After the somewhat forgettable "In the End of Life," "Sickness" announces the albums second side which all but erases side one. Atypical for most releases, the best tracks on here lie towards the end. The absolutely groovy "Killing Time" may just be one of the band's tracks that they ever wrote. This along with the album's single and title track are the most convincing moments of this release.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial;" />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">The production is adequate, though a paper-thin and overly compressed snare plagues Donald Tardy's machine-like performance. That guitar sound may also be wearing a little thin, as the heightened production values elsewhere really show how weak a sound it truly is. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial;" />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">Production flaws aside though, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The End Complete</i><span style="font-family: "arial";"> made a strong statement for <b>Obituary's </b>place in OSDM history. This is what a third album truly should be: a combination of the rawness of #1 and the compromises of #2 which creates a logical step forward in musical maturity and artistic progression. The follow up to this would be a rather hard pill to swallow, so this may just be the band's true peak as a death metal giant. Being one of the founding fathers of death metal, it's good to see the boys are back to writing traditional DM, some 20 years after this release... Man, that makes me feel old! <b>4.5 </b>out of <b>5.</b></span></span></span>JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-24151155196137564392014-09-02T18:18:00.000-07:002014-09-02T18:18:32.306-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - Khaos Legions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NdVMNNZw_1K41cQGR1eskbHrWXHMe8ihXTFhEkIUaSVzj47JNgeRBwIA5Ds89vm9bi4D_shBKstErh2AYEMvxCHmRenslZ9xR6oVtL7EmmULRwCLzVRzEBwdCGPFg6tkPi66h7AY/s1600/arch-enemy-khaos-legions-artwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NdVMNNZw_1K41cQGR1eskbHrWXHMe8ihXTFhEkIUaSVzj47JNgeRBwIA5Ds89vm9bi4D_shBKstErh2AYEMvxCHmRenslZ9xR6oVtL7EmmULRwCLzVRzEBwdCGPFg6tkPi66h7AY/s1600/arch-enemy-khaos-legions-artwork.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?-->
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Guitar player Michael Amott was a key factor in </span><b style="font-family: Arial;">Carcass</b><span style="font-family: Arial;">' morphing from Goregrind to melodic death metal. After his departure from that band, he formed </span><b style="font-family: Arial;">Arch Enemy</b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> in 1995, playing a similar sounding breed of melodeath that easily compares to the early </span><b style="font-family: Arial;">In Flames</b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and </span><b style="font-family: Arial;">Dark Traquillity</b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> stuff. Along 2000, the band acquired a female singer named Angela Gossow, and suddenly they got a great deal of attention. The reason for this, is Angela sounds plenty brutal - her gender difference nearly undetectable by the uninitiated. My beef has always been that her vocals sound overly processed - like they doctored them up to sound more "male" in the studio. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
Stepping away from the vocal gimmick for a second, <b>Arch Enemy</b> is a Swedish melodic DM band with a allegiance to the heavy aspects of the genre. While their genre mates were going softer and softer, <b>Arch </b>stayed allied with the thrash and DM camps. This brings us to the 2011 album, <i>Khaos Legions</i>. By this point, the band were a commercial success and thus in the crosshairs of critics and genre purists. I can't profess to be an expert on this subgenre, particularly post 2000, because I haven't heard enough of it. That being said, there are enough old school nods to make this particular record enjoyable. There are guitar flourishes juxtaposed with good ol' fashioned thrash riffs (similar to that mid-era <b>Carcass </b>stuff, come to think of it). Amott is a guitar hero in the traditional sense - playing leads that would work on a <b>Skid Row</b> or <b>Motley Crüe</b> record. The cool part is when they go from that to a ripping riff like the openning riff on <i>Vengeance is Mine</i>.
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
I will never like Angela's voice, but I think the band gets far too much hate / love based on her - there is certainly more going on here. This is definitely market-friendly with an aim to please the mainstream metal audience. It is instantly accessible and appealing. What I like about this over a great deal of other recent melodeath, is that <b>Arch </b>aren't afraid to kick the speed up. Hell, is that a blastbeat on <i>Cult of Chaos</i>? Yup. On the other side of the coin, there are plenty of market-friendly songs here - <i>No Gods, No Masters, Secrets,</i><i> </i>and <i>Through the Eyes of a Raven </i>are all bit much for me. Again, <i>Khaos Legions </i> is mainstream metal made for the masses, but I still find it more palatable than anything <b>In Flames</b> has done in the past 10 years. Those lush leads alone are enough to warrant a listen or two. <b>3 out of 5</b>. </div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-60823991111707249522014-08-26T21:35:00.001-07:002014-08-26T21:35:43.664-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - Children of the Scorn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZbEhSDo3rtLIoCjDUHocKA2u3wJ-FQiIHHrh-4OxQJYfxT0qq_cRcp-QWZl7wacQwMQBY5SwGUjPy4sGIAySq55BYSlx9la7E92yJRLw2QUG4lb64RMzwr-RUhL026xKwMl8fxjH/s1600/Funebre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZbEhSDo3rtLIoCjDUHocKA2u3wJ-FQiIHHrh-4OxQJYfxT0qq_cRcp-QWZl7wacQwMQBY5SwGUjPy4sGIAySq55BYSlx9la7E92yJRLw2QUG4lb64RMzwr-RUhL026xKwMl8fxjH/s1600/Funebre.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?-->
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of Finland's earliest DM exports was <b>Funebre</b>, who produced just this 1991 full length before vanishing into obscurity. The early Finnish stuff is pretty damn cool as it carries obvious influences from the developing Swedish scene, along with east coast American DM. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<b>Funebre</b> are fairly derivative, but at the same time, they're rather ambitious. Their songs are dynamic with tons of changes and plenty of good riffs to go around. Their drummer is constantly mixing things up and keeping the songs interesting. The key deviation from the more standard Swedish offerings, is their technical prowess and progressive songwriting. Listen to the broken tempos at the onset of "Congenital Defeat," or the triplet mashing in "Shiver." The openning moments of "Waiting for Arrival" are pretty kickass too, when the guitars drop out and the drums remain alone. They jam a lot more riffs into a song than many of the other bands at the time - there is a bunch to discover in this album in other words. It demands repeated listens.
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<i>Children of the Scorn</i> is one of those hidden gems from DM's history that could easily go overlooked. The vocals are a tad generic and the production is a bit thin, but they satisfy every old school craving I can think of. The only caution would be the technicality probably makes this album a little but less instantly accessible than a lot of other 91 releases, but that can be a good thing too. <b>4 out of 5. </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
</div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-82923715051009112292014-08-19T13:43:00.000-07:002019-05-14T17:24:27.628-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - Pinnacle of Bedlam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaX1vb4ujmhsh1WImbPQvBWm4Koh5niXQqbM0-gC2XCtjaExwE2FjASFrwR3dAt2p5BUiJvSzm6fX4h5mpuSF_HkBNVdmkRhdFbKhCbsR3MVL0t05CZT7q7xbEYCTLy06yNaT1qxhs/s1600/Pinnacle+of+Bedlam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaX1vb4ujmhsh1WImbPQvBWm4Koh5niXQqbM0-gC2XCtjaExwE2FjASFrwR3dAt2p5BUiJvSzm6fX4h5mpuSF_HkBNVdmkRhdFbKhCbsR3MVL0t05CZT7q7xbEYCTLy06yNaT1qxhs/s1600/Pinnacle+of+Bedlam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue", helveticaneue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">
<strong><span data-mce-style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;" style="color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Death Metal Tuesday:</span></strong></div>
<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue", helveticaneue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">Among the myriad of technically over-the-top DM bands available to us nowadays, it's quite reassuring that the inventors of the sub-subgenre are still dishing it effectively out. And not just effective mind you, but with a certain flair lacking among their younger peers. I speak of, in my mind, the most important New York DM band of the genre's history (yes, over <strong>Cannibal</strong>), <strong>Suffocation</strong>.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
The original core of Mullin, Marchais, and Hobbs has remained, despite 2-3 year-long breaks here and there, consistently churning out the silly-named "brutal" death metal for 20+ years. Having talked about a recent <strong>Cannibal Corpse</strong> release a few weeks back, I can say with confidence that New York neighbors <strong>Suffocation's</strong> 2013 album is several times more inspired and engaging than <strong>Cannibal's</strong> output over the past ten years - and it doesn't sacrifice any brutality or genre-faithfulness. The key difference, is <strong>Suffocation</strong> has not forgotten how to write a memorable hook. It also doesn't hurt that Mullin is a much stronger vocalist than Fisher. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
This isn't a <strong>Suffocation</strong> vs. <strong>Cannibal Corpse</strong> article however, so let's discuss <em>Pinnacle of Bedlam</em>. The stop-and-start tempos of old-school <strong>Suffocation</strong> are still the norm, as are the atonal riffs. There is, however, an abundance of melody and fairly structured parts as well - somewhat more so than in the past. Check out that middle breakdown in the title track or the (gasp) clean intro of "Sullen Days." Hobbs and Marchais still know how to structure a proper DM tune, obscuring structure and melody below the surface to be discovered after repeated listens. The broken rhythms of "My Demise" can slip by you if you play this album in the background, without fully attending to it. They manage to make music that holds together subtly, while sounding like a complicated mess to the uninitiated. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
The formula that <strong>Suffocation</strong> solidified on <em>"Pierced from Within"</em> remains consistent in their music, but so many other bands took their sound to soulless technical extremes, that it is nice to hear the fathers of the genre can still blend technicality with brutality and competent song writing. I'm also just stoked that these guys still rock this hard after almost 25 years. It gives me faith in the future of the genre.<strong> 4.5 out of 5 </strong></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-72311053058212491762014-07-15T17:44:00.000-07:002014-07-15T17:44:13.354-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - Torture 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDItpXfFQ872-pKvnmHs7_RHW8b2nTkb7IErG6L_gRiHH425cHGaf1muxwikAONfPASQMKBkBFy9jXA7sozxGklpSIbD3_b4DZ5FI5m4qYSbXo7l4B8cH025ffOjhVAIfD-AD3Udy/s1600/CannibalCorpse_Torture_300dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDItpXfFQ872-pKvnmHs7_RHW8b2nTkb7IErG6L_gRiHH425cHGaf1muxwikAONfPASQMKBkBFy9jXA7sozxGklpSIbD3_b4DZ5FI5m4qYSbXo7l4B8cH025ffOjhVAIfD-AD3Udy/s1600/CannibalCorpse_Torture_300dpi.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?-->
<span style="font-family: Arial;">25 years and 12 albums worth of death metal is an impressive achievement in itself, but the fact that </span><b style="font-family: Arial;">Cannibal Corpse</b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> has remained so consistently dedicated to the genre that they helped make infamous back in 90-91 is something else all together.</span><b style="font-family: Arial;">Cannibal </b><span style="font-family: Arial;">is basically death metal’s answer to </span><b style="font-family: Arial;">Slayer</b><span style="font-family: Arial;">: year-after-year, album-after-album, they never risk alienating their original fan base. I can appreciate this, as </span><b style="font-family: Arial;">Cannibal </b><span style="font-family: Arial;">has never made me suffer through a </span><i style="font-family: Arial;">Illud Divinum Insanus, </i><span style="font-family: Arial;">or a </span><i style="font-family: Arial;">Swansong, </i><span style="font-family: Arial;">or a</span><i style="font-family: Arial;">Insineratehymn. </i><span style="font-family: Arial;">At the same time, it is starting to feel rather redundant and lifeless. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
I was skeptical when Barnes parted ways in 94, but Corpsegrinder finally converted me with <i>Bloodthirst </i>and then <i>Gore Obsessed</i> in 2002. It think Owens’ departure in 2004 has left a bigger hole in the band however. How do they keep things fresh and avoid repeating themselves? Well, the simple answer is: they don't. Cannibal fans expect consistency and that is what they get. Torture is Corpse-by-the-numbers with no real surprises. Starting with 2006’s <i>Kill</i>, I’ve started to feel like they keep writing the same album over and over. I just find it hard to imagine anyone in the pit before their show saying “man, I hope they play tons of shit off of <i>Torture.</i>” And I wonder how Mazurkiewicz and Webster feel when, after a block of new stuff live, Corpsegrinder announces “Skull Full of Maggots” and the crowd acts like the headliner finally took the stage.<div>
<br />The technical aspects and the production of this album is solid. My true hangup with the newer Corpse stuff is the sterility - it is so precise and technically sound, that it really lacks a personality. The songs are delivered with surgical precision and are plenty rocking, there are choice riffs, brutal vocals, and plenty of change ups. “Encased in Concrete” has some life, but then there is “Scourge of Iron,” “Intestinal Crank,” or the serialism of “Rabid” that just sounds like they’re stringing notes and words together out of habit more than anything else. I<br />
</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
Again, the <b>Slayer</b> metaphor is appropriate: You can’t knock a band that has stayed true to form and vision for 20+ years. So, I’m not knocking them, I’m just bored, and I feel like it’s their boredom that’s the problem. It also might be a deeper, philosophical issue regarding aging. Seeing my adolescent heroes grow old and tired, reminds me that I’m growing old and tired. <i>Torture</i> isn’t awful - I can put it on and not turn it off out of frustration, but I also won’t notice anything until it stops playing and my attention is drawn to how quiet it is now. <b>2 out of 5.</b></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-76317450551375659062014-07-08T13:53:00.001-07:002014-07-09T20:41:15.287-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - Jester Race<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtS1ErER0YLdejxC_39TDzll5yPriB_5DHXp_2dEWKtHZctdLZS8Xxzo0K03_7UGWSFzYccaG0cDIxhA4hZI12UoPB8ABw0LJnvqsxkzIVafXEQk3VKrNn_4GJigiWEcs71aCxsEg/s640/blogger-image--671362161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtS1ErER0YLdejxC_39TDzll5yPriB_5DHXp_2dEWKtHZctdLZS8Xxzo0K03_7UGWSFzYccaG0cDIxhA4hZI12UoPB8ABw0LJnvqsxkzIVafXEQk3VKrNn_4GJigiWEcs71aCxsEg/s640/blogger-image--671362161.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>In Flames</b> is a band that has received a ton of flack for their change in musical direction. Over the years, they’ve enjoyed a sizable surge in popularity which inevitably alienated their original fan base. <b>In Flames</b> fans are polarized into two camps - pre or post 2002’s “<i>Reroute to Remain</i>.” That album marks the band’s completed shift to a more commercial sound - abandoning their melodic death metal roots for a more “groove metal” approach. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you’ve read this blog before, it is probably no shock that I tend to fall into the first group of fans - believing their death metal sound was superior. I understand bands need to evolve, but I just can’t hang with that new stuff. The personal affront that some fans take at the band’s shift, speaks to the strength of their earlier material. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As Swedish death metal was evolving and splintering off into other sub genres, there was talk about the emerging “Gothenburg sound” which combined the traditional elements of Swedish death metal, with the melodic guitars of more traditional metal forms (specifically, <b>Iron Maiden</b>). This sound would eventually become what we call “melodic death metal” nowadays, but the key bands (<b>At the Gates, Dark Tranquility</b>, and <b>In Flames</b>) had no idea what they were starting - as far as they were concerned, they were just playing Swedish death metal with a twist.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>In Flames</b>’ debut, “<i>Lunar Strain</i>” has a rough production and menacing vocals from Michael Stanne (sounding akin to <b>At the Gates</b>’ Lindberg). On “<i>Jester Race</i>,” they clean up the sound, boost the lows, and bring in Anders Friden for vocals. All the elements that made “<i>Strain</i>” effective are enhanced and bolstered here, but the song writing is the real key. Opening track, “<i>Moonshield</i>” starts with acoustic guitars and transitions into a riff that is more harmonious and melancholic than heavy. There is immediately a noticeable departure from anything that could be construed as traditional DM, however the guitars are still crunchy as hell. There is an emphasis on catchy, traditional metal melodies that makes it sound both old school and fresh at the same time. Check out those major scales on "<i>Goliaths Disarm Their David's</i>," or the instrumental, "<i>Wayfaerer</i>." This is the most positive and upbeat sounding death metal there is - it's a crazy contrast. Of course, now this shit has been done to death, but in 96 this was revolutionary stuff. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every once in a while, a band gets in a spot where they are in the zone and simply can’t do anything wrong. <b>In Flames</b>’ 1996 sophomore effort, “<i>Jester Race</i>,” is one of those albums. This is on par with <b>Metallica</b>’s <i>Master of Puppets</i>, <b>Slayer</b>’s <i>Reign in Blood</i>, <b>Death</b>’s <i>Symbolic</i>, or <b>Atheist</b>’s <i>Unquestionable Presence</i>. It is re-playable to a dangerous degree (perhaps annoying others). After this one came the mighty <i>Whoracle</i> which is great, but not as consistent. After that… It was a somewhat rocky trip downward. 5 out of 5.</div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-36732564682930620102014-06-03T19:45:00.001-07:002014-06-03T21:02:30.814-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - Inbreeding The Anthropophagi<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QuBhFmzLpo-AwG9oIng8vrwIZH5Y6hPCRoVIOROgNZGVE3c_ym5koBM9UE89P38WNuH2zlRX_PuHtPPxiHUmZOtPdGyTKTaVRfwHszKzBerkpt8ORAiP7UFjL-Qi7jFKiwB-_Zka/s1600/Anthropophagi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QuBhFmzLpo-AwG9oIng8vrwIZH5Y6hPCRoVIOROgNZGVE3c_ym5koBM9UE89P38WNuH2zlRX_PuHtPPxiHUmZOtPdGyTKTaVRfwHszKzBerkpt8ORAiP7UFjL-Qi7jFKiwB-_Zka/s1600/Anthropophagi.jpg" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">First off, this album has one of the coolest titles ever - a reference to a hideously gory Italian film from the early 1980's. You gotta love that these guys are into obscure, low budget horror flicks. This is their second full length, released in 1998. A California band, Deeds sound quite a bit like New York's Suffocation - ultra fast, with technical and atonal riffing and crazy stop-and-start drumming. The first few times through, everything sounds the same - full tilt brutal DM with a nice double vocal attack and relentless, through-composed brutality. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Fans of Suffocation should eat this up, but those longing for a hook or two may find it hard to stomach. This is very atonal stuff with very little to grab onto in the way of melody. This is an athletic offering - I imagine these guys sweating buckets on stage just trying to keep this intensity. Because this album is so full-throttle, all of the time, I can only take Deeds in small doses. I like to throw 1 or 2 of these on a playlist, but taking this album down in one sitting can be a challenge that most casual DM fans would likely fail miserably. Only for the die-hards, it gets a 2.5 out of 5. </span></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-85561089670160458872014-05-27T18:40:00.000-07:002014-05-27T18:40:27.523-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - Ancient God of Evil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVwfEuW2-zQY4OmgKXIljMA46z7ZgDy-C5U_SsSP4KEeVAHdfZjjR3ZgvMG7de0hOZBp6OLo2BUVgON6KpOiIcpy05CHCkZuaM9jvu70ZwTbImGg7hebIUsSYVrftPZI9eIP1oIrZ/s1600/Ancient+God+of+Evil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVwfEuW2-zQY4OmgKXIljMA46z7ZgDy-C5U_SsSP4KEeVAHdfZjjR3ZgvMG7de0hOZBp6OLo2BUVgON6KpOiIcpy05CHCkZuaM9jvu70ZwTbImGg7hebIUsSYVrftPZI9eIP1oIrZ/s1600/Ancient+God+of+Evil.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Here's a bizarre entry for you - 1995's Ancient God of Evil, created by Stockholm's Unanimated, sports a sound more inline with the Gothenburg sound (In Flames / At The Gates) and at times, even leaning towards a modern black metal approach (much like Stockholm's heroes of the period, Dissection). Making genre distinctions with this album is a difficult task, because it is clearly a "roots" album, helping develop the sound of the growing "melodic death metal" and "Swedish black metal” movements.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">"Life Demise" kicks off the album sounding like a lost track off of Dissection's classic, "Storm of the Light's Bane." Purists argue that the two bands sound nothing alike, but I don't know what the hell they're listening to. At The Gates are another clear influence on Unanimated's sound with Micke Broberg's vocals sounding remarkably similar to Lindberg's approach on late-period Gates stuff. "Oceans of Time" hits that mark too - even starting with a pogo-beat and Iron Maiden harmony-laden riff. It is rich with money riffs throughout, making this track one of the true standouts. “The Depths of a Black Sea” is downright triumphant, making me think, yet again, of Dissection (this time, their excellent “Where Dead Angels Lie”). While yes, this stuff is a little derivative, it is from the same time period, so who’s to say who ripped off who? The point is, it’s catchy as hell with so many choice riffs, you’ll want to spin it a few times in a row.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In Flames would make a living off of this melo-death approach, so I'm not sure what happened to Unanimated - it sounds like an extension of the same ideas (“Jester Race” with more edge maybe). Hell, they pretty much started at the same time. But while one band became a ridiculous success the other, has only this obscure little gem for you to seek out - it’s worth your time if you are a fan of melodic death or black. The debut is listenable, but not nearly as approachable as this one. Listenable and accessible death metal simply does not get any better than this one - seek it out at all costs! 5 out of 5.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-7788802406776860962014-05-20T11:03:00.001-07:002014-05-20T11:03:53.373-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - The IVth Crusade<div>BOLT THROWER - THE IVTH CRUSADE</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKn6Fz9H_vlkInCbAWt7l02gr5XgztA3TJBBhpJ6Wqm0D88KWWt5jnl_xeeMvsu-lL3uh4vXGa5buIIzpdA2A7R575jmfMjMC1jATvIoNGsO8lcv-GEFUgLHsD7370o4rrilmufsk3/s640/blogger-image--1370002702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKn6Fz9H_vlkInCbAWt7l02gr5XgztA3TJBBhpJ6Wqm0D88KWWt5jnl_xeeMvsu-lL3uh4vXGa5buIIzpdA2A7R575jmfMjMC1jATvIoNGsO8lcv-GEFUgLHsD7370o4rrilmufsk3/s640/blogger-image--1370002702.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After the two successful albums on Earache (War Master / Realm of Chaos), England's Bolt Thrower released The IVth Crusade in 1994. Evolving from a crust / grind sound, Bolt Thrower were one of the first death metal bands to slow things down and focus on double-bass mid-tempo grooves.</div><div><br></div><div>By this fourth album, mid-tempo became the rule and consequently, things begin to sound a little repetitive. All the tracks run in that 4-6 minute range and simply do not vary enough to warrant the duration. Bolt Thrower has generated a devout following with this sound, but it has never really grabbed me for more than a couple songs at a time. That being said - if I listen to a track at random from this album, I usually dig it. Ritual is a standout, as it slows to a crawl several times and that sludgy, down-tuned guitar just sounds beastly. Ditto for Spearhead which offers enough variety to stay interesting. Celestial Sanctuary also has some awesome riffs and a nice doomy pace to it. </div><div><br></div><div>Lead throat, Karl Willetts, has always sounded a bit bored to me. His delivery is very monotonous with little enthusiasm or menace. The result is the vocals become a background piece and the focus falls on the riffs. This means a song is only as good as its riffs and after a few tracks, Bolt Thrower seem to be repeating themselves. They also tend to hit the same few scales in their riffs - a song will end and a new one will begin, sounding like an extension of the last track. </div><div><br></div><div>I can't call myself a Bolt Thrower fan I guess, but in small doses I find them hard not to like. Longtime fans put this and "...For Victory" at the top of the list. I might recommend "...For Victory" over this release as the production is that much better. Not a bad album by any means - 3 out of 5. </div>JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-84642791040119626592014-05-13T08:26:00.001-07:002014-05-13T08:28:27.178-07:00Death Metal Tuesday - Clandestine<div>ENTOMBED - CLANDESTINE</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VoJzQORei0K9rjxzCTbo0jda0o5Q0pLP9afFLG3KDzuDAT85e9shqLsX7VYJLgTeNt9cITtttm_Kq5Gd5u0mSh7ymhHzDZY0kaBAPPo2mwdZpyiJ7AsiFs4cSjdxQsLP9IBjGzcR/s640/blogger-image-157546602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VoJzQORei0K9rjxzCTbo0jda0o5Q0pLP9afFLG3KDzuDAT85e9shqLsX7VYJLgTeNt9cITtttm_Kq5Gd5u0mSh7ymhHzDZY0kaBAPPo2mwdZpyiJ7AsiFs4cSjdxQsLP9IBjGzcR/s640/blogger-image-157546602.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Entombed started as Nihilist in Sweden in 1987, when most of the members were 15 or 16 years old. Along with Dismember (Carnage), Entombed are considered the founding fathers of Swedish death metal. Their debut album, "Left Hand Path" is the blueprint for the SDM sound - the Sunlight studio sound, including those famous "buzzsaw" guitars, was copied by legions if Swedish followers to come. Entombed were the first SDM band to land a deal through England's Earache records and "Left Hand Path" was hugely successful (by 1990 death metal standards of course).</div><div><br></div><div>This makes "Clandestine" one of the most highly anticipated follow up albums of 1991. Most of the guys in the band were 18-19 by this time, and they had become overnight metal gods in the eyes of their Swedish faithful. Nicke Andersson says this stardom led to cockiness which led to him firing Petrov from vocal duties just prior to recording their follow up. Consequently, Andersson fills in on vocals (having it credited to someone else in the liner notes). </div><div><br></div><div>Andersson's voice is really the only downside of Clandestine, as there are a fair amount of kickass SDM tunes on board here - "Chaos Breed" and "Crawl" being my two favorites - well composed and both with stellar middle sections that evolve and keep the listener engaged throughout. "Stranger Aeons" was the single off this one, and it starts with a haunting intro which makes the guitars sound doubly crunchy when they eventually come in. It's a weird choice for a single though, as the intro and outro instrumental sections dominate the duration of the song. "Evilyn" was always the other standout track on this one, because it was mostly slow and mid-tempo with great groove sections. </div><div><br></div><div>The production is a meatier "Left Hand Path" with the guitars sporting even more low end crunch than they did on the debut. The vocals really are such a shame, even Andersson himself admits he was not up for the task. I wish they'd go back and let Pertov sing the tracks for a re-release, these songs are just so good. </div><div><br></div><div>The pressure of being Swedish Death Metal's poster boys would lead to Entombed drastically changing their sound on the follow up to this album, "Wolverine Blues." This would have a Metallica-Black-Album-effect on the Swedish scene, causing most of the key SDM bands to follow suit, slow their tempos, and crank out that horrid Rot & Roll crap. It would take years before most of them realized SDM was what they should be doing again. 4 out of 5. </div>JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-59272068688025446052014-04-07T20:49:00.001-07:002014-04-07T20:49:36.203-07:00Blame Metallica : A Rant on the Death of Thrash Metal<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The eventual death of thrash metal in the early nineties has often been blamed on the rise of Nirvana, but I think the mighty Metallica deserve as much credit for killing the genre. After the success of the “One” video on MTV, Metallica had broken through to a larger audience never thought possible by a thrash metal act. "One" was the power ballad track off of "...And Justice for All" - an overproduced and somewhat self-indulgent album (but still plenty heavy, and loyal to the genre). Heading back into the studio in 1990, the band had big name producer, Bob Rock and millions of dollars of commercial backing for what was to be the biggest thrash metal release in the history of the relatively new genre. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Thrash metal's birthday is somewhere around 1981-82 in San Francisco and Los Angeles California. A fair number of bands started around that time, combining the technicality of the growing "new wave of British Heavy Metal" with the aggression and speed of the hardcore punk scene. 1983 saw the initial thrash metal releases, the first of which being Metallica's debut, Kill'em All. Though it had much in common with the NWOBHM overseas, there was an sharper edge and more aggression to it that started the ball rolling for other acts. Exodus, Slayer, Testament, and Anthrax all followed shortly after, and by 1985 it was a bonafide movement. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Metallica had always carried the torch for the American thrash bands, setting the rules and then changing them. Though many bands had imitators, Metallica were the fathers of the genre, and clearly had the largest fan base. In the late eighties, independent record labels had grown and developed entire catalogs based solely on thrash metal. Germany, England, and other parts of Europe soon developed thrash movements of their own. Though still rather underground, a handful of bands had started to gain significant followings: Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, and, of course, Metallica. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Each Metallica release was bigger than the last. Ride the Lightning in 1985, and Master of Puppets in 1986 are still classics of the genre. While on tour in Europe, a bus accident resulted in the death of Cliff Burton, Metallica’s bassist. The genre lost one of its leaders, but the band carried on, releasing …And Justice for All in 1988. The popularity of Master of Puppets allowed the band to over-produce their 4th album - mixing their new bass player, Jason Newsted, completely out of the mix and boosting the lows in their guitars so much, that the palm-muted parts distort on average speaker systems.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Despite the production, the album was well received. I’ve always felt it lacked the songwriting of the previous two albums. Some tracks play like a collection of cool riffs rather than a proper song (Harvester of Sorrow, Frayed End of Sanity, Eye of the Beholder), other tracks are fairly strong (Blackened, And Justice for All). One was an obvious pick for their single. It had an approachable verse and chorus, and then thrashed proper towards the end. The response to the single really started the events that led to thrash’s demise.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Music is a business, and Metallica showed music execs that there was money to be made in this relatively untapped sub genre. So, as the 80’s came to a close, the major thrash bands were suddenly being snatched up by major labels at a fervent pace, and with that, came audible market influence into the music. Metallica started to bring in some real money, so the labels were trying desperately to find the next Metallica. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There were positives to this reaction - the production values got much better, as did distribution. Thrash bands were now getting wide exposure - influencing the rest of the world. On the other hand, there was also the obvious market influence in the music’s sound. Just look at the differences between 86-88 albums and the 89/90 albums of key thrash acts: Sacred Reich, Testament, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Flotsam and Jetsam, Sepultura, Death Angel. Yes, one could argue that the bands were all changing with the scene, and Metallica were merely trend-setters. That would be plausible, if not for what happened next. Metallica emerged from the studio on August 12, 1991, with an album without a title and void of cover art that you could really see - reminding all of us old schoolers of a joke from the movie </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Spinal Tap</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> about “how much more black can you get?… The answer is none… none more black.”</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Anyway, cover art aside, “Metallica” had twelve tracks of over-produced metal that fans immediately noticed was “dumbed-down.” The complex arrangements and abnormal time signatures were gone. Any of their previous progressive elements were gone. What Metallica had done, essentially, was take their thrash metal sound and dumb it down for a wider audience. And it worked… to an unforeseen level. Metallica became huge, opening up for big time acts like Guns and Roses.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The idea that Metallica, the fathers of thrash metal, were co-headlining arenas with a band from the LA “hair metal” scene was dripping with irony. You see, thrash metal was birthed out of a loathing for the hair metal scene. Metallica actually relocated from LA to San Francisco to get away from a scene that didn’t really accept them. Now, they were peas in a pod… playing the same bill.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nirvana’s hugely successful <i>Nevermind</i> was released on September 24, 1991 - 42 days after Metallica’s “Black Album.” Did it add to the genre’s decline? Undoubtedly. But the proverbial nail in the coffin was thrash’s other major acts following in Metallica’s wake with their own attempts at a “Black Album” album to gather more fans. It wasn’t really until 1992-93 when you began to hear the full impact:</span></div>
<ul>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Megadeth’s phenomenal “Rust in Peace,” was followed by the watered-down and occasionally comical “Countdown to Extinction.” (92)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Testament released “The Ritual” (92) which barely sounded like the same band.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sean Killian sounds like he was told to “stop screaming” on Vio-lence’s depressing “Nothing to Gain.”(93)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Exodus turned into groove metal on “Force of Habit”(92)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Germany’s mighty Kreator changed their sound completely on the transparently named “Renewal” (92)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What the hell happened to Anthrax on “The Sound of White Noise” (93)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Overkill had their own ironic title with the slowed down, and much tamer “I Hear Black” (93)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Flotsam and Jetsam sound like plagiarists on “Cuatro” (92) - a blatant Metallica wannabe</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nuclear Assault stretch their sound to places it just can’t go on “Something Wicked” (93)</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So, as Thrash Metal’s torch carrier led their followers down paths of false hope for stardom, a new genre started poaching thrash metal’s audience, many of whom had been alienated and disenfranchised by their favorite band’s lastest albums. I can’t explain why “The Black Album” hit gold and nothing else did. I’m not sure it’s any better than any of those albums I mentioned above, but Metallica went on to depart even further from their sound, now sounding like a cover band when they play those classic tracks live. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The grunge that the radio referred to was really alternative rock, and they called it “college rock” before that. It had it’s day and over-saturated the market. In the world of metal, more extreme genres took over: death metal, black metal, and grindcore gave the true metal heads what they needed. Then in 2003-4, a new band emerged, flying the thrash metal flag for the next generation: Lamb of God. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The past ten years has seen a thrash metal revival of sorts. New bands have emerged with a “classic sound” and many of the original bands have reformed, or never really went away. Many of the bands I mentioned in my “sell-out” list have released “comeback” albums over the past ten years. In addition, they have set out on special tours where they play an entire album from start to finish. And guess what, they’re not playing their album from 1993 are they? No, they’re playing the album that was written from their heart and out of their hopes for stardom. Ironically, they’re probably more successful now then they ever were in the 90’s, and they’re doing it by playing thrash metal, and not that watered-down bullshit they were whoring themselves out for. And Metallica? They finally issued their apology in the form of “Death Magnetic” in 2008. It’s by no means on par with those classic first four, but after a decade and a half of crap, it sounds halfway decent. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Thrash metal came into my life at the impressionable age of 13 and because of that, the metal genre has always been what I pour my energy into, even 25 years later. In the nineties, I ran to death metal, dissatisfied with what my childhood thrash heroes were becoming. Sadly, even death metal got commercialized to an extent towards 2000. Then, we metal heads got old enough to have enough money to demand what we wanted: musicianship, creativity, and brutality. Metal is enjoying more exposure now than ever before, probably because it is comfortable with its spot on the commercial end of things, and not trying to be the “next big thing.” And yes, pop music still sucks.</span></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-69451194788683400132014-04-01T20:22:00.002-07:002014-04-01T20:22:55.756-07:00Gwar Album Review Spectacular <div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">GWAR TRIBUTE</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6jafsBThNFy81JpGQg5HZ98hAfUaEL_q4rwVsFVC1J-X49WDFberrLvyt45wSIrYu8E1D2qVbnCOl-MSqEUgQTrQwC6YN5gKcpcX4QLqOx99aonAX6SdEkq8_opJwJGWlLgPEm_K/s3200/gwar-dave-brockie-650x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6jafsBThNFy81JpGQg5HZ98hAfUaEL_q4rwVsFVC1J-X49WDFberrLvyt45wSIrYu8E1D2qVbnCOl-MSqEUgQTrQwC6YN5gKcpcX4QLqOx99aonAX6SdEkq8_opJwJGWlLgPEm_K/s3200/gwar-dave-brockie-650x400.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: left;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">With the death of Dave Brockie last week, I was listening to a great deal of Gwar and I thought - maybe it's time to return to the blog with a Gwar tribute. So here it is, my thoughts on all 13 of Gwar's Albums from 1988 to 2013. I won't spend a lot of time talking about the Gwar mythos, I'm going to assume you are familiar with the story behind the band, or if so inclined, will look it up yourself. Let's talk music.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">HELL-O</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-iY-ilFY0Z6adrctnGQN1WJ_0uBfbHy_NwVoviu9FGjnFIXzARSqyjNoL44QbAANvqitMORspFsdZ7L03LJvU4S1gUh1y6__DZP8JJcKFyHedkp7dmPeJtG_xgkKeRTf1sKJdawA/s3200/GWAR-Hell-o-510920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-iY-ilFY0Z6adrctnGQN1WJ_0uBfbHy_NwVoviu9FGjnFIXzARSqyjNoL44QbAANvqitMORspFsdZ7L03LJvU4S1gUh1y6__DZP8JJcKFyHedkp7dmPeJtG_xgkKeRTf1sKJdawA/s3200/GWAR-Hell-o-510920.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gwar's debut is a low budget treasure trove of raw crossover classics. The lofi nature of this recording is really part of its charm. A great deal of time and energy clearly went into this release - this is a band trying to conquer the world, literally and figuratively. Hell-o has some undeniable nostalgia for me, so objectivity is difficult, but there are some classic songs here that still sound fresh when they show up in their live sets. "AEIOU," Americanized," and "Je M'appelle Cousteau" are some of the earliest Gwar tunes, and they're still essential in their catalog. Oderus is clearly an original and powerful singer mixing a sweet tenor singing voice with growls and screeches. His unique vocal cadence would define the band's sound, regardless of the music backing it. This album is more punk than metal, but it definitely has an edge. It also established, right out of the gate, that Gwar did not care who they offended, and maybe they were hoping to offend everyone. The goofy and less-then-subtle "I'm in Love with a Dead Dog" is a good example of this irreverence. Yes, this is lo-brow, childish humor, but it's also a great deal of fun. Old school Gwar fans cherish this album, new ones may find the production and punk style hard to get behind. <b>4 out of 5</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">SCUMDOGS OF THE UNIVERSE</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFYBN9il6Us5vIwq6k6RaiDemfVCdDeR2WtKBj7aosImf6twQU6SWWjKT7onDh9_gIouidqs2lkHur7ixJTJn_lZKQmlggWuvwSF6LPzpCTQ7MlZo5gdiDnd0pd74oIdNuZhOtdk8/s3200/Scumdogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFYBN9il6Us5vIwq6k6RaiDemfVCdDeR2WtKBj7aosImf6twQU6SWWjKT7onDh9_gIouidqs2lkHur7ixJTJn_lZKQmlggWuvwSF6LPzpCTQ7MlZo5gdiDnd0pd74oIdNuZhOtdk8/s3200/Scumdogs.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Universally loved by their entire fan base, Scumdogs put Gwar on the map and earned them the recognition and commercial success they needed to take their production to the next level. The underground buzz of Hell-o led to a contract with Metal Blade records. Gwar show they can be heavy and irreverent and it works for them. Picking highlight tracks is almost futile, because there really isn't a bad track on here, but "King Queen," "Maggots," "Salaminizer," and the insanely catchy "Sick of You" are all outstanding. The barebones production and ridiculously cheap-sounding use of samples simply add to the appeal. Even the guest vocalist songs like "Slaughterama" and "Sexecutioner's Song" are good fun and not the needless filler they could have been. Though the nostalgia factor is huge with this album for me, thanks to the internet I have found that majority of Gwar's fans love this album equally as much. <b>5 out of 5. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">AMERICA MUST BE DESTROYED</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbagD9u-BJPE6AnFEOfMFh0DpurYA6rqAzFLwrc_CvKJMIp9ImM1ZC4uvZp1tiw4XOnjXk2igU2AivbTyVLHs2Yk1ktK3ZV2n8uHpmPSSh1HVgqFaUSMzORlX1rB9u_0aZMg8ZcyY7/s3200/America%252BMust%252BBe%252BDestroyed%252BPNG%252BCover%252BScan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbagD9u-BJPE6AnFEOfMFh0DpurYA6rqAzFLwrc_CvKJMIp9ImM1ZC4uvZp1tiw4XOnjXk2igU2AivbTyVLHs2Yk1ktK3ZV2n8uHpmPSSh1HVgqFaUSMzORlX1rB9u_0aZMg8ZcyY7/s3200/America%252BMust%252BBe%252BDestroyed%252BPNG%252BCover%252BScan.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Gwar's new found success led to a much bigger budget and the ability to step up the production values of both their audio content and their stage show. Fueled by the frenzy mounting behind them, Gwar's third album feels quite ambitious and exciting right out of the gate. "Ham on the Bone," "Crack in the Egg," "Gor-Gor," and jazz-thrash-fusion "Have You Seen Me" all seem like the logical progression from the previous album. Not only that, but they a new spark behind them (and a beefy production) that seems to take it to the next level. The writing seems </span>inspired, the band more accomplished, and the vision more focused.<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Then something happens, the album runs out of gas. Two goofy tracks follow, introducing story elements to the incoming stage show - the morality squad trying to censor Gwar. They're both misses. Then there's "Poor Ol' Tom," a painfully slow and aimless sounding chunk of filler. The joke glam song and the joke power ballad are both throwaway tracks as well. So, in essence, Gwar's 3rd album could've been an EP, and it would be worthy of a 5. As a 12 song LP however... Not so much. After track 4, you might as well go back to track 1 and start over. <b>2.5 out of 5. </b></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">THIS TOILET EARTH</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0gcQnahOcIhNyL9fKbXVwA1N1RzQMpknMdjtykKKb_wJUo3484w0V0oT-iygtwTLb_hnPbm_oNcDCi9LydMiyV0mRa_gNfFfxyoHIculzU-Sv15QOY3Y6N-75lGrO4pw4h58zuRW/s3200/This+Toilet+Earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0gcQnahOcIhNyL9fKbXVwA1N1RzQMpknMdjtykKKb_wJUo3484w0V0oT-iygtwTLb_hnPbm_oNcDCi9LydMiyV0mRa_gNfFfxyoHIculzU-Sv15QOY3Y6N-75lGrO4pw4h58zuRW/s3200/This+Toilet+Earth.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gwar had built a fairly impressive following by the time this fourth album came in 1994. This Toilet Earth introduces another new villain, Skullhedface, who steals Gwar's mojo essentially. Musically speaking, this is along the lines of America Must Be Destroyed, with thankfully more consistency. Most of the songs are crossover thrash with a few anomalies, particularly Skullhedface's track which features full orchestration. The band also sounds downright poppy on a few tracks, particularly "Jack the World" which has a real upbeat chorus. There is the common genre-stretching tracks like "Slap U Around" and "Pepperoni," and the obligatory way-too-offensive song, "B.D.F." "Saddam a Go-Go" seemed a mainstay on their set lists for years to follow, and "Krak-Down" seems to have an unrealized potential as a hit. For the most part though, this feels like a more approachable and even a more commercially viable Gwar, something that would doom several albums to come. <b>3 out of 5. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">RAGNAROCK</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEw2wKl3r8HFJYRcefE9X47OJizCR_3pGHtZdWwTSxuYqaoWsaCP9ZysUZqUxhGlDurg9eswpJGYVSH-xaTmfhqGfbNk6YU17dhFP9uyPZg8SyZRd3OayMTzMBWfwo87D7VLOt6VGY/s3200/Ragnarok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEw2wKl3r8HFJYRcefE9X47OJizCR_3pGHtZdWwTSxuYqaoWsaCP9ZysUZqUxhGlDurg9eswpJGYVSH-xaTmfhqGfbNk6YU17dhFP9uyPZg8SyZRd3OayMTzMBWfwo87D7VLOt6VGY/s3200/Ragnarok.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This album is the beginning of Gwar's awkward phase. Ragnarock shows the band rehashing some old ideas, bringing back Sexecutioner and Sleazy P. Martini for songs (though neither is as successful as the previous outing). Most of this is standard Gwar material, but it feels uninspired and smacks of contract obligation. "Meat Sandwich," "Dirty Filthy," and "Knjfe in Your Guts" are all decent tracks, but it is starting to feel like "Gwar-lite"- like they're losing their edge a bit. Most of the other tracks fall flat and the Oderus and Slymester Hymen duet is awful. Though far from their worst, there's little on here to bring me back to it. <b>2 out of 5.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">CARNIVAL OF CHAOS</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DvA3nCwbGXo6OyK73_AeOnVdUmn4VBXqYtqbt0_zy-0Geo9px7-uppG34VM7kHXkmtvIexJk9b8q3RurSKXN1nDjgDke3R3r_XXR-jIE_6qZe_nGppN8mdJ-FhrKGJiSW4MweBLt/s3200/Gwar-CarnivalofChaos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DvA3nCwbGXo6OyK73_AeOnVdUmn4VBXqYtqbt0_zy-0Geo9px7-uppG34VM7kHXkmtvIexJk9b8q3RurSKXN1nDjgDke3R3r_XXR-jIE_6qZe_nGppN8mdJ-FhrKGJiSW4MweBLt/s3200/Gwar-CarnivalofChaos.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Though I was a fan since Scumdogs, this tour was the first time I saw Gwar live. This album is massive - 18 tracks that seem to go on and on. Carnival sees the band really starting to venture from the metal genre again. "Letter from the Scallop Boat," "In Her Fear," "I Suck on My Thumb," "Gonna Kill U," and "Sex Cow" are all novelty / throwaway tracks that would've helped slim the album done a bit if they were tossed. Ditto for the Gwar Woman album closer which is bad lounge music with a poor singer. What's left is a reasonable amount of songs with some essential tracks. "Penguin Attack," "If I Could Be That," and "Back to Iraq" are all high-spirited Gwar staples. The return of Techno Destructo is also a nice surprise as the band modernizes the classic track from Hell-O on "The Private Pain of Techno Destructo." Carnival of Chaos is about half a decent album and half a waste of time. <b>2.5 out of 5. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">WE KILL EVERYTHING</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPwhmeP_H8g8KNpVXYrevSRBgwvJ6chMleixMeI2bVPnmpgdHhkq9vDF9r4MhTZ8TA1HaMDzB-GVsYY1yi1sMXkt3-vAF14sn_tjzQH3YGHk4qj5nSVC-Pmd97C6rMFBWPRu7Vv1n/s3200/We+Kill+Everything.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPwhmeP_H8g8KNpVXYrevSRBgwvJ6chMleixMeI2bVPnmpgdHhkq9vDF9r4MhTZ8TA1HaMDzB-GVsYY1yi1sMXkt3-vAF14sn_tjzQH3YGHk4qj5nSVC-Pmd97C6rMFBWPRu7Vv1n/s3200/We+Kill+Everything.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The darkest moment in the band's career is this colossal misstep which extends the novelty song tendencies of the previous release to the next level - essentially making this a LP worth of joke songs with little to no metal to be found. Even the punk elements have been turned into poppy nonsense, making song titles like "Baby Raper" and "Fish Fuck" seem all the more ridiculous and stupid. Even moments where Gwar tries to get heavy fall apart into boring uninspired drivel like "Escape From the Mooselodge" or "Jiggle the Handle." Where Carnival of Chaos had a handful of essential tunes, We Kill Everything is void of anything that would justify a recommendation. Only the instrumental manages to pass by without giving me the urge to skip it. This one would best be buried and never spoken of again. <b>0 out of 5</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">VIOLENCE HAS ARRIVED</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtnXzInMLYSKFft5DcdaOGtee_bFtF2ne9FDS0cfrj-HB4VgCWYv9gKaExCgpx4V9hCLYTFhxMZrReCXhkHS2TT3jnrLVpRZqT5PZrx_ekEtpLtjVZvUxueC9gwlu0J4M-dCfTcY2/s3200/Violence+Has+Arrived.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtnXzInMLYSKFft5DcdaOGtee_bFtF2ne9FDS0cfrj-HB4VgCWYv9gKaExCgpx4V9hCLYTFhxMZrReCXhkHS2TT3jnrLVpRZqT5PZrx_ekEtpLtjVZvUxueC9gwlu0J4M-dCfTcY2/s3200/Violence+Has+Arrived.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The opening moments of "Battle Lust" seems to issue an official apology for their last album as it bursts with the thrashy sounds of old school Gwar, with just the right amount of goofiness. "Apes of Wrath," "Bile Driver," and "Licksore" all have that heavy sound we've missed for the past 3 albums or so. "Immortal Corruptor" has a beautiful intro which sets up perhaps the strongest track on the album. The band sounds heavier than ever before. They don't have to say it, they realized they were going in a bad direction, and they corrected it. Like many Gwar albums, it has a few tracks which could've been cut to streamline the release and shorten the running time a bit, namely the last two tracks. Ultimately though, Violence Has Arrived is a triumphant comeback album and probably the strongest effort since This Toilet Earth. I'm glad they got whatever that was out of their system. <b>3.5 out of 5. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">WAR PARTY</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6SvVuzZCq2wh2-jxhNL9-y__Zmk8P8Y0TZEbN5qDzp4VY0BTTbaxNTQiyPQyphH1VmG-zTT94XwIEB3tUouqdbC9WPcCMUd1esDnEBCBZm9lgzyx6GGEFvRw-tyJAhmdqpAcqsss/s3200/Gwar-War_Party-Frontal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6SvVuzZCq2wh2-jxhNL9-y__Zmk8P8Y0TZEbN5qDzp4VY0BTTbaxNTQiyPQyphH1VmG-zTT94XwIEB3tUouqdbC9WPcCMUd1esDnEBCBZm9lgzyx6GGEFvRw-tyJAhmdqpAcqsss/s3200/Gwar-War_Party-Frontal.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gwar's second commercial peak is probably this album. With a new found commitment to their crossover thrash sound from the early nineties, the band issued their most focused effort since Scumdogs. The War Party is a political party focused on solving the world's problems with one tool: war - a concept that provides plenty of opportunities to offend, and provides perfect material for their live shows. War Party shows Gwar honing their skills and showing a profound understanding of what their fan base wants and expects from them. Predictable, yes, derivative, definitely, but also very listenable and well executed. The addition of a new lead guitarist doesn't hurt either as Gwar officially has a shredder - check out that lead on "Bonesnapper." The title track, "Bring Back the Bomb," "Krosstika," and "The Reganator" are both rocking and dripping with political sarcasm - Gwar in their comfort zone. War Party served as a validation for the band regarding what works for them both artistically and commercially. It's the start of a very enjoyable phase in their career. <b>4 out of 5.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">BEYOND HELL</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eW4lgcG-zo9Sa8_n-PfbwnA0nGXixvOwn6yAUrkdWgc_sWhmhcPhu4713CVn_5xe18HMYJla7GlUlTCjtY4qNAFA4kB7qEv5OViOafpPoKdWGywi1ADxuW3QRfsu-PDS7S8TNR90/s3200/gwar-beyond-hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eW4lgcG-zo9Sa8_n-PfbwnA0nGXixvOwn6yAUrkdWgc_sWhmhcPhu4713CVn_5xe18HMYJla7GlUlTCjtY4qNAFA4kB7qEv5OViOafpPoKdWGywi1ADxuW3QRfsu-PDS7S8TNR90/s3200/gwar-beyond-hell.jpg" height="313" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This album tells the story of Gwar journeying through hell to confront the devil. A promising concept to be sure, but this album's story seems to take precedence over the songwriting. The style is very much in line with War Party, but the songs feel more like a vehicle for storytelling than songs that stand on their own. That's not to say there are not decent tracks to be had here: "Tormenter" has some fine guitar shredding and a rousing, ominous chorus, "Destroyed" has some impressive riffing, and the final showdown with the devil on "The One That Will Not Be Named" is sufficiently epic and rather funny. The playing is top notch and things are plenty heavy, it just lacks the catchiness and memorable moments of the predecessor. <b>3 out of 5. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">LUST IN SPACE</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUK1GUVEDoOfy-bCcFHEgGKe-4XE37kuxRC7DraHeGAzI4j8-Q03gjNlP-e-cQr1jYKcETS12bBpLX9D8rMqWl50dRLNbUr0tYk1q89hWbT0qWe9tCiBQlCYB2tmbk_CbBzhx3NnS/s3200/Lust+in+Space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUK1GUVEDoOfy-bCcFHEgGKe-4XE37kuxRC7DraHeGAzI4j8-Q03gjNlP-e-cQr1jYKcETS12bBpLX9D8rMqWl50dRLNbUr0tYk1q89hWbT0qWe9tCiBQlCYB2tmbk_CbBzhx3NnS/s3200/Lust+in+Space.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gwar's next album continues with their new found commitment to all things heavy. With a real shredder leading the axe attack, their riffs have a more progressive sounding edge to them. Lust in Space sees the Scumdogs finally getting a spaceship and getting off of earth (it only took them 11 albums). They maintain their balance of metal and punk with more through-composed tracks that focus on storytelling. Where Lust seems to succeed where Beyond Hell didn't, is that many of these songs are plenty catchy. "Let us Slay," "The Uberklaw," and "Metal Metal Land" have singalong choruses and solid hooks. "Lords & Masters" is nice bouncy tune with a nod to the golden age of Motörhead. The amusing "Where is Zog?" Tells of Oderus discovering his old master is a a washed-out drunk and has a rare voice appearance of Balsac at the end of it. Lust is another solid "3rd phase" Gwar album thats worth checking out.<b> 3.5 out of 5. </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">BLOODY PIT OF HORROR</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauiCMQLNg8Jn_iZnY2IgkWPqo66AACk3w4XJZ2AR8-MEa02rlyMTkD18nexOLgCBXpXOn_CwFqPD1s3ovvV2hUioM6oygx_SOIfoBgXIJbi2qAwMzTcqaeIus2UEGwrxqgw-cWM2b/s3200/GWAR-BloodyPitofHorrorCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauiCMQLNg8Jn_iZnY2IgkWPqo66AACk3w4XJZ2AR8-MEa02rlyMTkD18nexOLgCBXpXOn_CwFqPD1s3ovvV2hUioM6oygx_SOIfoBgXIJbi2qAwMzTcqaeIus2UEGwrxqgw-cWM2b/s3200/GWAR-BloodyPitofHorrorCover.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gwar keeps rocking on this 2010 release, their 12th full length. This is as straight forward a metal record that the band has released since Scumdogs. Oderus is full on pissed here, with plenty of lyrics to spew forth. Many of the tunes seem "lyric heavy," meaning there are a shitload of words crammed in. It is very effective however, as it brings to mind the Gwar of old. They sound recharged and focused on this release with heavy-riff laiden numbers like "Zombies, March!" and "A Gathering of Ghouls," and witty tracks like "Tick Tits," "You Are My Meat," and laugh-out-loud worthy "The Litany of the Slain" (which nicely lists those killed on stage over the years). For a band pushing 30 years of existence, this album is surprisingly fresh sounding and has the highest replay value of all their recent outings. <b>4 out of 5</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">BATTLE MAXIMUS</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvCPLrc8lPzZmuLboTk60WlEy_yvLrihAkrZNQPGsZW3oe-Ot-3DZOiheD63vxw3_0sFZYeX_0tjqGYZ_s3pQD4iMr_m7H_Mmj3IeG3QqnZO3UPQvx522nalXqEjvO5Kg4A5Cw-BM/s3200/Gwar-Battle-Maximus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvCPLrc8lPzZmuLboTk60WlEy_yvLrihAkrZNQPGsZW3oe-Ot-3DZOiheD63vxw3_0sFZYeX_0tjqGYZ_s3pQD4iMr_m7H_Mmj3IeG3QqnZO3UPQvx522nalXqEjvO5Kg4A5Cw-BM/s3200/Gwar-Battle-Maximus.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Gwar's final album has a much different feel than the previous few. Though still very much in the crossover thrash vein, there are times where the band is starting to sound downright progressive. Just check out the start-and-stop drumming on "Nothing Left Alive," or the staggered opening and dual guitar work of the title track / instrumental. Much like the excellent Bloody Pit of Horror, Battle Maximus sounds fresh and inspired. "Mr. Perfect" is a kick-ass mid paced rocker, "Torture" sounds like old school Gwar mixed with the new Carcass, and "They Swallowed the Sun" has a weird-as-hell yet incredibly catchy chorus. Vocally, Oderus is trying some new things, combining different vocal lines on top of each other on the prog-sounding "Triumph of the Pig Children." He almost doesn't sound like himself at times, but it's still pretty damn cool. It's a pity Oderus has passed, for his band was enjoying the most consistent high quality output of their career. Battle Maximus is a worthy final entry. <b>3.5 out of 5. </b></span></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-11422467069625089452014-02-18T20:02:00.000-08:002014-02-18T20:02:43.700-08:00Black Metal Tuesday - Burzum part 2<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">HVIS LYSET TAR OSS (If the Light Takes Us)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifq_7hHjIZyl8Mc3ZPJM-rXRT4dCtYKP9CmdL7P3SuCRL3OPU6zeGRuAChhqyCIFKmJY-d_i6ukjNYJO7dQ8SEHZ4Gi0AUpId6FDtDZMwpSlqb-fZPcPrlhDKdH8NN7khUAMmt7tkh/s1600/Hvis+Lyset+Tar+Oss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifq_7hHjIZyl8Mc3ZPJM-rXRT4dCtYKP9CmdL7P3SuCRL3OPU6zeGRuAChhqyCIFKmJY-d_i6ukjNYJO7dQ8SEHZ4Gi0AUpId6FDtDZMwpSlqb-fZPcPrlhDKdH8NN7khUAMmt7tkh/s1600/Hvis+Lyset+Tar+Oss.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Recorded five months later, but released in 1994, <i>Hvis Lyset Tar Oss</i> sits atop many a “best black metal albums” list. A significant progression in style from the previous two, <i>Hvis...</i> is a deeply emotional and melancholic sounding album. Only 4 tracks make up the 45 minute running time, each song a masterfully written, and slowly developing journey. This is arguably the album that started the sub genre of “atmospheric black metal” or the ridiculously named “depressive black metal.” </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Varg’s vocal attack is more refined and controlled, communicating more sadness than lunacy. Track one, (named after the previous album) is a fourteen-and-a-half minute masterpiece that develops and blends ideas with great care. This is the type of songwriting that most impresses me - taking a few good riffs, and stretching them out into a natural progression - less is more.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Track two, the title track takes a more pronounced minimalist approach, lulling the listener into a trance over a blast-beat (no one would’ve thought that possible). <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OslfRgTjw_E">Inn i slottet fra droemmen</a> (trans: Into the Castle from the Dream) continues along the same lines until it hits the 3:40 mark and then drops into the album’s finest moment - three riffs that build upon each other into a powerful climax that sets up the album’s keyboard instrumental, “Tomhet” (trans: Emptiness) - a keyboard only piece that closes the album like it began, with palatable sadness. When that flute starts up about 9 minutes in, it is truly a moving moment. <i>Hvis</i> remains my favorite Burzum album because of the emotional depth it possesses. This is the work of a man in his most prolific and maniacal period. He was burning churches and plotting murders at this point so... this is the work of a mad man. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">FILOSOFEM</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRGPVcKd-RqNC54YpP8neHUe78i-nNuNMt4U1fbhhWRff_JkP4BNSgBMBkO5c9wQ-6ExGHSgFDFbEHw5KG0fmSzIm1GNndXhA6fGEM-Tx_iY4WK9ShJIaHgtLO0y9X7uQkkDZ2kO2/s1600/Filosofem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRGPVcKd-RqNC54YpP8neHUe78i-nNuNMt4U1fbhhWRff_JkP4BNSgBMBkO5c9wQ-6ExGHSgFDFbEHw5KG0fmSzIm1GNndXhA6fGEM-Tx_iY4WK9ShJIaHgtLO0y9X7uQkkDZ2kO2/s1600/Filosofem.jpg" height="275" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The final album recorded before his imprisonment, <i>Filosofem</i> is likely his most frequently cited work. The song writing is again rather accomplished, though this time it borders on self-indulgent (28 minute ambient instrumental?). What really makes this sucker stand out is the production. It will immediately capture you once the opening guitar of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPyOhP1GTRQ">Dunkelheit</a> begins. Varg talked of using the cheapest amp he could find, putting a mere 2 mics on the drums, and using a set of headphones as a microphone for vocals. This should sound like garbage, but it doesn't - it is unlike any metal album before or since. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I once read a review of <i>Filosofem</i> that likened it to being swept out to sea - the first 3 tracks being the struggle against the waves, and the last 3 being the slow drift and eventual demise. This description is so accurate, that I sometimes wonder if it was taken from Varg's production notes. The first 3 tracks are definitely the stronger of the bunch. In fact, if the album stopped after track 3, it would be hard to say that it wasn't a perfect album. Dunkheit (German for "darkness" aka "Burzum") blends the buzzsaw guitars with an ambient synth over a slow plodding beat and Varg's distorted cries. His vocal approach is now subdued and controlled - almost sounding like a menacing whisper instead of the wailing and screeching of the earlier albums. "Jesus' Tod" has a solid old-school sounding Burzum riff over a 6/8 double bass romp which feels like a nice blend of the old sound with the new. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Side B of the album has no drums and sees a sandwiching of two guitar suites with a mammoth-sized ambient keyboard piece in the middle. It is hypnotic and certainly sets a mood but, like most ambient pieces, I really have to be in the right mood and the right place to listen to it. As a drift off to sleep album though, it's pretty fantastic.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">You could argue that all of Varg's work has a concept behind it, but <i>Filosofem</i> and <i>Hvis Lyset Tar Oss</i> feel like the concept was finally realized. Once in prison, Varg completed two keyboard-only Burzum albums. One (</span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>Dauði Baldrs) </b></i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">is worthless, while the other (</span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>Hliðskjálf) </b></i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">works as a ambient-mood setter. Once released from prison, Burzum returned to black metal (though he would never call it that). <i>Belus</i> and <i>Fallen</i> are both above average efforts and will appeal to fans of the Filosofem period (Varg obviously understanding his fan base there). His last 2 albums show him branching out again, and I'm not sure I'm on board. Enjoy your closing weeks of winter by hearing what this crazy asshole has to offer - you won't be disappointed. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-54571856003376398722014-02-11T19:42:00.005-08:002014-02-11T19:42:41.626-08:00Black Metal Tuesday - Burzum part 1<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">In honor of Norway kicking everyone's butts in the Winter Olympics, I thought I'd depart from the usual format and talk about my favorite Norwegian musician. Varg Vikerness (aka Count grishnackh, aka <b>Burzum</b>) is Norway's Charles Manson. You don't have to dig too deep to find detailed accounts of his deeds, but I'll try and sum it up in a few sentences. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Varg was a key member in Norway's formative "Black Circle" which I've mentioned several times this winter. Like most black metal musicians, he started off in a death metal band. <b>Burzum</b> was his solo project and started as a part of the black metal movement. <b>Burzum's</b> self titled album is considered the second Norwegian black metal album after <b>Darkthrone's</b> <i>A Blaze in the Northern Sky</i>. As the black circle's movement became more than just music, Varg became a key player in the church burnings, being brazen enough to put a picture of one of the burning buildings on the follow up <i>Aske</i> EP. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As Varg's influence in the scene grew, it was met with opposition from the other Black Circle kingpin and <b>Mayhem</b> bandmate, Euronymous. Shortly after Varg was released from jail for several counts of arson (lack of evidence), he murdered Euronymous in his apartment in Oslo. After a short investigation, Varg was arrested, charged, and convicted. He served nearly 18 years and was released in 2010. Since then, Varg has returned to music and has been very outspoken about his Pagan beliefs, as well as beliefs akin to fascism and Neo-Nazism. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While I do not endorse Varg's political beliefs or his crimes, I would be lying if I said those don't factor into the mystique of his music. He represents a true world evil that is just uncomfortable enough to be compelling. In an era where upside down crosses and goat head altars are commonplace, Varg is truly a scary and frightening entity. As awful as it is, metal needs it's villains, and Varg is public enemy number one. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">All of this would be nonsense if the guy's music sucked. It doesn't. Quite the contrary, <b>Burzum</b> pre-prison work is among the finest Norwegian Black Metal ever recorded. It was honest, genuine, and strikingly original. <b>Burzum</b> may be the key factor in black metal becoming such a compelling genre of metal in my adult life, long after the thrill of other forms of extreme metal had worn off. So, to honor Norway, I will honor their black sheep by discussing his first 4 albums. (first two this week)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">*it is important to note that Varg's lyrics are never political in nature, so there is no need to endure any of those messages in his music - it's not there. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">**It is also worth noting that these four albums were recorded in the span of 15 months or so (January 1992 through March 1993), but released several years apart. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>BURZUM</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFcT3JeSRRBJDWJhpMnaVfxq-xoD46Z9lGYqTy_OkckQEfVrjn49QHgXIf6JiLGdXQ-kIlSoXwP25GnB84T7YAbiMjc4gez2ntwhAcIlR7MPOBEg15l7K3czOBvFnr1qyRaaTWJE4/s1600/Burzum-Burzum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFcT3JeSRRBJDWJhpMnaVfxq-xoD46Z9lGYqTy_OkckQEfVrjn49QHgXIf6JiLGdXQ-kIlSoXwP25GnB84T7YAbiMjc4gez2ntwhAcIlR7MPOBEg15l7K3czOBvFnr1qyRaaTWJE4/s1600/Burzum-Burzum.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">1992's self-titled debut is a raw, self-produced masterpiece. Look around at all of the one-man-band black metal outfits today (myself included) and you'll see an inspiration from this album. Varg wrote and performed everything in this album (except for the lead guitar in "War" which was performed by his future murder victim). </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This is Varg's roughest and most abrasive work. The ambient and atmospheric elements that would become so pronounced in his later work are more than hinted at here, but there are moments where the traditional metal elements still peak through. His vocals will be an immediate standout. Though the music is rather even and some would even say, subdued, his vocals sound like a raving lunatic with his dick caught in a bear trap. Some will have great difficulty getting past it, and it took me a while too. Now, I think they're incredible. He was the first guy to take an approach other than hatred or evilness in extreme vocals - it is utter anguish. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Musically speaking the debut has traditional metal elements, but also a distinct influence from old school video game music. I swear that first riff of Ea, Lord of the Depths sounds like a dungeon level in The Legend of Zelda. This album introduced the melancholic undertones that would become so prevalent in this genre. Listen to that riff at the 6:10 mark in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwpQriG4MYQ">Journey to the Stars</a></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> it is the perfect blend of sadness and menace - the black metal miracle. Varg would only improve from here, but it's a hell of a start.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>DET SOM ENGANG VAR</b> (trans: “What Once Was”)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShUD_nsqrjYK-P07Fhmawg7XgYDHAjkCGe1gsPKQAD8X2qhmEsgb4GqWWxJ3FjtK9pb3JPPbDp8RUi94Z8XNWD_GX0VL7Iuc-4U6AmxGmfQXk4E1dc3e8qPVhhsIXDwgeXDVLbTfq/s1600/Dey+som+engang+var.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShUD_nsqrjYK-P07Fhmawg7XgYDHAjkCGe1gsPKQAD8X2qhmEsgb4GqWWxJ3FjtK9pb3JPPbDp8RUi94Z8XNWD_GX0VL7Iuc-4U6AmxGmfQXk4E1dc3e8qPVhhsIXDwgeXDVLbTfq/s1600/Dey+som+engang+var.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The second album was recorded a mere 4 months later, but released just shortly before Varg was incarcerated for murder. The album opens with a few minutes of ambience which leads to “Key to the Gate” and the most ferocious minute of music Burzum has recorded. Shortly thereafter, it slows to a crawl and more familiar sounding material. Because of the short time in which Varg recorded another album, it should be no surprise that this one is a bit less consistent compared to album #1. Less consistent, but not lacking in quality material. It expands on the themes established in the debut, melodic, dark, with plenty of atmosphere. The slow and foreboding “En ring til aa herske” (translated to “One Ring to Rule” - ala Tolkien) shows Varg using sung vocal lines underneath his screechy lunacy, to a surprisingly effective degree. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This album undoubtedly has the cleanest production of the first four. All the instruments are cleanly audible and the drums sound well mic’d with compression, eq, the works. The strongest moments come towards the end, beginning with the sorrowful instrumental, “Naar himmelen klarner” (trans: When the Sky Clears) and finishing with the epic “Snu mikrokosmos tegn” (trans: Turn the Sign of the Microcosm). Varg’s songwriting skills have developed significantly, even in four months’ time. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
Both albums are worthy to explore if you're interested in the genre in the slightest, but next week I'll cover the next two, arguably the best of his career.</div>
<div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-52554590142790650502014-02-04T18:51:00.000-08:002014-02-04T18:51:11.980-08:00Black Metal Tuesday - Jahreszeiten<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Horn - Jahreszeiten</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGZmK2WQwQhXK8LCf_XvZ4MSTGJgudS0Vn4uo876uMT07rmF3nnwEez0TJJEwFozoXJ6Zq6KBIGOeM8FdCH_f1o3mmiZsDF3n9od0MZOMgKvnDDyr_Tblb-r1Evxpp2JEAPsvSFvJ/s1600/Jahreszeiten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGZmK2WQwQhXK8LCf_XvZ4MSTGJgudS0Vn4uo876uMT07rmF3nnwEez0TJJEwFozoXJ6Zq6KBIGOeM8FdCH_f1o3mmiZsDF3n9od0MZOMgKvnDDyr_Tblb-r1Evxpp2JEAPsvSFvJ/s1600/Jahreszeiten.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This modern black metal band hails from Germany, and plays a folkish (read - "Medieval") subtype more akin to Norway's <b>Windir</b> than their "War Metal" countrymen. <i>Jahreszeiten</i> is the one-man-band's debut from 2005. Nerrath (sole member) uses dual guitar harmonies to their limit on this satisfyingly DIY sounding release. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The lyrics appear to switch from German to English throughout, one can never be sure. But from the sound of it, this is one of those "homeland" black metal albums, more concerned with sounding ancestral than evil. The result is some great riffs and melancholic harmonies that are bittersweet and damn-near beautiful at times. Track 4 opens with such a classic medieval riff, you can almost see the knights on horseback, riding valiantly through the countryside. <b>Horn</b> really do sound like Germany's answer to <b>Windir</b>, with a few more variations within their tracks than Valfar's project. With the exception of a short outro track, the songs are +6 minutes in length, covering a great deal of ground in each song. He also manages to achieve quite a bit of atmosphere without the use of keyboards.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Production-wise, <b>Horn's</b> debut sounds like it was recorded in a garage, but each instrument is clear and happily in its own space in the mix (with the exception of a bass guitar which I'm not sure exists at all). This is a very listenable record which will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the more melodic and "nature-focused" black metal bands (again, <b>Windir</b>, and to some extent, <b>Wolves in the Throneroom</b>). <i>Jahreszeiten</i> is a nice, rich listen and worthy of attention. It gets a <b>3.5 out of 5. </b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-60593010452369215842014-01-28T17:57:00.003-08:002014-01-28T17:57:39.339-08:00Black Metal Tuesday - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUzI0665CP8W1tXumC-Zje3ChWU5rwQTBRth8K0trBPJ0yege_IPosI98GABz0GI7w4gsx48GOJ0i2VE10qQiatFvtLim3tDJubBrht5iwrhPWBNmPJWUbgVTDsAPd4715u1CYg_L/s1600/Kvist-For-Kunsten-Maa-Vi-Evig-Vike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUzI0665CP8W1tXumC-Zje3ChWU5rwQTBRth8K0trBPJ0yege_IPosI98GABz0GI7w4gsx48GOJ0i2VE10qQiatFvtLim3tDJubBrht5iwrhPWBNmPJWUbgVTDsAPd4715u1CYg_L/s1600/Kvist-For-Kunsten-Maa-Vi-Evig-Vike.jpg" height="317" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This Norwegian troupe showed up in 94 and released one solitary full length in 1996. They are an oft overlooked band because they disbanded so quickly, but this album is pretty solid. <b>Kvist</b> (Norwegian for "Twig?") play a somewhat similar style to <b>Emperor</b>, however the production is more upfront and almost "garage" in tone, with a fair amount of keyboards mixed low. The vocals remind me of <b>Immortal</b>, as he is speaking more than screaming, in that "creepy troll" sort of way. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Kvist's</b> strong point is their use of melody and keyboard-guitar interplay. "Stupet" is a nice example of this, alternating a midtempo staggered attack with soulful keyboard surges. The bass is also unusually audible, which is a nice addition along with the drums which are mixed a little hot, and very aggressive. Given the time of its release, <b>Kvist's</b> debut was probably regarded as just another <b>Emperor</b> clone, but in retrospect, most of the symphonic black metal from 96 was not nearly this well done. The blast beat sections are tight and well executed, the songs are long with plenty of variation, and the songwriting is superb, particularly for a debut. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As you delve into the black metal genre, it's important to research and know about bands that few people have heard of, it makes you more <i>kvlt</i>. <b>Kvist</b> is therefore, essential listening, and not too damn bad either. It gets a <b>3 of 5. </b></span></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597066551279643098.post-57747377103077715062014-01-21T18:12:00.003-08:002014-01-21T18:13:29.961-08:00Black Metal Tuesday - Autumn Aurora<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Drudkh - Autumn Aurora</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKM9Mr9abEQbM7zmcyH4Pr27Il0cjnMTRC10cxNpdfY-DZnnu0iuMjlyryCzIJx0QMBQdN8NrImbjzIlYeFzctDYjd857WYvg7A50_sKlgFSS5SWtLNvTy2KCJbUOAOflsty6ujrFe/s1600/autumn-aurora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKM9Mr9abEQbM7zmcyH4Pr27Il0cjnMTRC10cxNpdfY-DZnnu0iuMjlyryCzIJx0QMBQdN8NrImbjzIlYeFzctDYjd857WYvg7A50_sKlgFSS5SWtLNvTy2KCJbUOAOflsty6ujrFe/s1600/autumn-aurora.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Ukraine is home to a smattering of black metal bands, and <b>Drudkh</b> is probably one of the best known. <b>Drudkh</b> is modern black metal band that is actually a full band and not just one guy. Autumn Aurora is their second album, and was released in 2004. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Drudkh</b> are not the typical, occult / Satan worshipping black metal. They come from the Burzum school of soulful, hypnotic, ambient black metal - recalling <b>Burzum's</b> <i>Hvis Lyset Tarr</i> on more than one occasion during the 5 tracks (closing track, <i>The First Snow</i> is a dead ringer for that album's opener). As the album title implies, this is a concept album based on the Autumn season and the powers of nature. "Summoning the Rain" is a slow, repetitive track with multiple guitar layers that drop in and out. It sounds like music to sleep to. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is a warmness and almost positive feel to this album, which is weird to say about any black metal. The track "Sunwheel" sounds downright happy at the beginning, which is a bit bizarre. Somehow, it works and <b>Drudkh</b> have created a interesting thematic work with <i>Autumn Aurora</i>. On the downside, it is a bit monotonous at times, and may frustrate some listeners expecting a high-energy black metal band. <b>Drudkh</b> are like the mighty trees - sturdy and predictable. The vocals are also a bit of an afterthought - not much emotion or deviation in them, he sounds rather disinterested with little emotion. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Drudkh</b> have a fairly devout following out there. They appeal to fans of the Northwestern black metal movement in American, like <b>Wolves in the Throneroom</b>. Unlike <b>Wolves</b>, however, <b>Drudkh</b> are very straightforward, particularly on <i>Autumn Aurora</i> (and their debut). 2006’s <i>Blood in Our Wells</i> is a tad more forward-thinking and a more interesting listen in my mind, but this offering is not without its charms - particularly if your looking for black metal that is less dark and oppressively evil (call it gray metal perhaps?). It gets a <b>2.5 out of 5.</b></span></div>
JK2http://www.blogger.com/profile/08270499414787985789noreply@blogger.com0