Category: Reviews

Voidthrone – Kur (Self Released)

If had to describe this album in three words; Fury, Hate, darkness. In this case these are all good things. Kur From Voidthrone is an amazing piece of blackened death. Voidthrone hail from Seattle, and this will be their first release since 2016. This type of blackened death is a little more unconventional, in that it has a very rich, black metal atmosphere thought the entire album. There is a strong presence of influence here, which is great because I feel like it helped Voidthrone find that unique sound that is not easy to encounter in blackened death. It is unlike anything I have heard this year so far. It is hard to describe exactly what the sound is. If you like and Anaal Nathrakh and Gorgoroth, this is something you must purchase.

This album is extremely full of despair. It is like falling into dark, cold abyss. It feels like you’re drowning in darkness. There are lots of raw emotions that you can feel throughout the album. The intensity and guitar work paints a vivid, yet horribly bleak picture. My favorite song is “Their Recursive Communion”. Lengthy song titles, but each one is a different feeling of isolation and blackness. The album gave me anxiety. I loved it though. It was as if i was stuck in the mind of a patient with schizophrenia in the early 50’s. Fast, desolate and soulless. Voidthrone went on a different route on this album and it worked. Kur, evokes a different area of the mind. Brutal and tasteful nonetheless. 8/10

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Author: AJ Guzman

Blood of the Wolf – II: Campaign of Extermination (Self Released)

Blood Of The Wolf is a blackened death metal band from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 2012, Blood Of The Wolf combines breakneck riffing with memorable melodic passages, relentless drumming and intense vocal delivery. In 2013 the band released a two song demo and in 2015 they released their first full-length, I: The Law of Retaliation. Blood Of The Wolf has been pummeling audiences with relentless, nonstop aggression..

“Goddamn fuck yea” were the first words to come out of my mouth after listening to the first track. This is a good one for any fans of Behemoth, Belphegor or Aeon. I love me some black death. or blackened death whatever you wanna call it. You can hear the earlier Behemoth influence, along with the vocal style that goes hand in hand with the fast riff of the guitars. The drumming helps in keeping the death metal sound throughout the whole experience. The whole album is like a war scene from some medieval times, or maybe a brutal Tolkien Uruk-Hai massacre. It is something that fuels aggression and hatred. There is so much intensity in this album its hard not to nod your head or get pissed off.

I would listen to this after a shitty day at work. I mean I would listen to it anytime its a great album. I love everything about it. The production, the flow of guitars, the fast black metal atmosphere and the fluidity of the vocals. This thing is a goddamn buzzsaw. I can only imagine the atmosphere that Blood of the Wolf creates during their live shows. I can imagine myself inside a mosh pit at their show. There are no weak moments in this album. Even the slow riff buildups increase the intensity brought out by the blackened guitar work and great double bass work. This album did not overstay its welcome by any means. Instead it leaves the listener wanting more. I have no complaints. “A Sermon of Slaughtered Foes” is my favorite track on the album. a great closing track, displaying intensity, dark imagery and a powerful display of vocal work. Very well executed. 9/10

Mike Koniglio-Guitar and Vocals
Frank Garcia-Guitar
Christopher Grimes-Bass
Rick Hernandez-Drums

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Author: AJ Guzman

Angerot – The Splendid Iniquity – (Black Market Metal)

 

South Dakota-based death metallers, Angerot rise from the ashes of Midwestern Metal to announce their crushing debut album, The Splendid Iniquity. Featuring a cast of seasoned veterans who share roots that reach back to the very beginnings of the Death Metal Movement, Angerot are more than a nod to early Swedish Death Metal, they are pure Swede Death Worship. Recorded with Eddie G at Underground Studios, mixed by Tomas Skogsberg (Entombed, Dismember, Carnage, Grave, At the Gates) at Sunlight Studios and mastered by Brad Boatright at AudioSeige, The Splendid Iniquity is a savage 40 minute sonic assault of 90’s Earache Records-era buzzsaw on your ear drums.

Pure Swedish death metal worship. That alone sounds like a death metal band. 90’s Swedish death metal had a unique sound that paved the way to a whole new death metal sound. Bands such as Entombed, Dismember, Unleashed, etc. Angerot shows their heavy Swedish death metal influence in the album “The Splendid Iniquity.” It was refreshing to hear that a band can still maintain that classic 90’s OSDM sound while bringing the intensity, brutality and new sound that makes a death metal band stand out. It is one of those albums that makes you go into a certain genre binge for a few weeks. Personally I do have a bias with death metal because of my passion for it, but I can also admit when I do not enjoy a death metal band or song. This was not the case. Once again i will use the word refreshing to describe the overall feeling i had while listening to this album.

Amazing death metal sound complimented by great vocal work and just the overall brutality in sound. This put my speakers to work. I can clearly hear the bass on the album which I love. Heavy bass adds another element to death metal which not every band is aware of. One song that stands out to me is “From the Pit to the Apex.” It has lots of intensity and is a good showcase of every weapon this band has, especially the vocals. The last solo of the song is perhaps my favorite of the whole album. Which is of course not to say there aren’t any more great solos in here. The Splendid Iniquity, reminds me of a mix between Entombed A.D. and Cut Up. Angerot is and example to follow. This is how to stand out from the rest. I will pay close attention to them for future projects. 9/10 easy.

Track Listing:
1. Black Epoch
2. Eternal Unrest
3. The Splendid Iniquity
4. Rivers of Chaos
5. Under the Calm
6. They Wake at Dusk
7. From the Pit to the Apex
8. Deliver Us…
9. That Hath Awoke
10. Falia Diaboli (Alisin)
Lineup:
C.R. Petit – Guitar/Vocals
Jason Ellsworth – Lead Guitars
Zaugg – Bass
Josh Ferrie – Drums

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Author: AJ Guzman

 

Bestailord – Law of The Burning (Satanath Records)

Ok. With a name like Bestailord I was totally expecting Black Metal. Damn, was I TOTALLY wrong! Bestialord’s “Law of The Burning” serves up quite a tasty little morsel of straight to your face metal ranging from doom, to death, and thrash. It’s like Black Sabbath, Death, and Mercyful Fate some how got together and infused their sound into some kind of twisted demonic child who loves to feed on freshly deceased corpses. You will love the production on this album as well. Now if you’re looking for some guitar virtuosity, keep looking because it’s not here.

This album relies on two or three riffs to carry the songs, but does it in a way that never gets boring. The production is really clean yet it retains that kind of sound like they just set their gear up and pressed record. The lyrics fit this sound perfectly. With topics ranging from Satanic rituals, diseased rats, cities being destroyed and the movie Hellraiser, this album oozes death out of every single sickly pore.

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Author: John Adams

Defiatory – Hades Rising (Black Lion Records)

Aw Sweden. Not only do you give us beautiful women, but even better than that, you give us some of the finest metal that’s out there. Defiatory are one of those bands. With a vocal delivery that sounds like scraping your face on gravel, guitars that sounds like Judas Priest on meth, this album kills from start to finish. A sound reminiscent of The Haunted and In Flames, it’s one of those albums that will keep you headbanging from start to finish. “In Hell” begins everything off with blast beats and a thrashy guitar letting you that these Swedes are here to kick your ass.

The performance of the drummer on this album is extraordinary. Great fills, great double bass, just kickass. With speed metal song’s like “Death Takes Us All” to the thrash metal anthem of the album’s namesake “Hades Rising”, it covers all the basses of what good metal should be. A fantastic trip to the Emergency room, to have neck fusion surgery, to repair it from the continuous beating it just received from this album. Check it out!.

Black Lion Records Release date: 11/05/2018
Pre-Order: HERE

TRACKLISTING:
1. In Hell
2. Dance of the Dead
3. King in Yellow
4. Stronger Than God
5. Death Takes Us All
6. Morningstar
7. Down To His Kingdom Below
8. Metatron
9. Bane of Creation
10. All That Remains
11. Hades Rising

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Author: John Adams

RIPPED TO SHREDS – Mai-Zang (Craneo Negro Records / Necrolatry Records)

California one-man OSDM band Ripped to Shreds, featuring extreme mult-tasker Andrew Lee (ex-Disincarnation), will release debut album Mai-zang on Malaysia’s Necrolatry Records (cassette) and Mexico’s Craneo Negro Records (CD). Reamping/mixing/mastering was handled by Damian Herring (Horrendous) at Subterranean Watchtower Studios. Album artwork was created by Skaðvaldur.

One man metal acts are always intriguing for me. It amazes me how one person is able to record each instrument or have a vision for each part of the song. Lots of one man projects have amazed us throughout the years. From Bathory to Toxic Holocaust, one must appreciate the immense talent and vision the artist had. I personally have a bias towards OSDM because it is one of my favorite genres of metal. “ Mai-Zang” by one man band Ripped to Shreds has surpassed any expectations I had going into this album. The first thing that stood out for me are the vocals. Unique OSDM feel. It felt like i was listening to some early Autopsy, or like a mix between Immolation and Death. The album feels like a long dark journey. the guitar work along with the perfectly timed double bass pedals creates a fast death metal pace that never slows down its intensity.

This album reminds me a lot of “Leprosy” by Death. Lots of great riffs that build up to powerful guitar solos and great vocal work which casts the shadow of a rotting pungent tomb. My favorite song on the album is “God Worshipping Society”. This song showcases everything Ripped to Shreds has to offer. The guitar solos are fast and not repetitive, which is hard to do when playing this specific old school intense style. The themes of tombs and death almost give it sort of a black metal feel to it as well. This is an album that any extreme music fan will love. Perfect execution, great production, and amazing musical ability. Captivating old school death metal is still alive. 10/10.

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Author: Aldo Guzman

Argus – From Fields Of Fire (Cruz Del Sur Music)

Pennsylvania’s Argus stormed onto the underground metal scene with their twin guitar-driven, doom-tinged, working class metal sound. Releasing a self-recorded demo in early 2007 on John Brenner’s (Revelation/Against Nature) DIY label, Bland Hand Records, the band was roundly welcomed by the metal community at home as well as abroad and established its foundation amongst friends/fans within the scene. With this initial momentum, the band created a buzz that was only solidified by their punishing live performances.

Epic heavy metal is hard to execute without sounding repetitive. Sometimes your harmonies and melodies don’t carry much substance. Sometimes the lyrics are not to the caliber of the song titles. In the case of “From Fields Of Fire” by Argus, That is not at all the case. This album has everything that a great heavy metal album needs. Great vocal work that projects the epic feel of the album. the twin guitar harmonies are executed very well. The guitar work on this album reminds me of Dave Murray or maybe Janick Gers from Iron Maiden. The classic heavy metal sound never goes away on this album. I appreciate how the bass is turned up and it goes with the harmony of the guitars.

My favorite song on the album is “Devils Of Your Time”. I like the heavy harmony as well as the vivid songwriting. The songwriting and guitar work really made this album great. There lyrics do not seem to reflect something historic or something based off a story or a piece of writing. It seems to be based more from personal feelings and experiences with different emotions that make for a more personal experience to the listener. I am impressed by this brand of heavy metal. The song “No Right To Grieve” has a doomy, dark feel to it which compliments the epic songwriting on the rest of the album. “From Fields Of Fire” is filled with emotion and a traditional heavy sound that does not dissipate. 9/10

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Author: Aldo Guzman