Pyre - Chained to Ossuaries (2020)

Chained to Ossuaries came after a six year period from Human Hecatomb, so it makes sense that there's been a little evolution in the Pyre sound. They weren't completely absent, having participated on a few split EPs with Chile's Corpsehammer and Sweden's Interment, and the changes here are no less old school than the raw tones they were emitting in their earlier works. In fact, the guitar tone is pretty much intact, but the mix of the record is a little darker and cleaner, so it's got a more controlled and clinical vibe to it. Nevertheless, they sound no less evil, because the riffs here are just cruise control, grim tremolo picking sequences that perfectly blossom into the dark chord patterns, with solid leads and melodies placed exactly where they need to be, and a lot more confidence that doesn't need to chainsaw your face like the last album.

That's not to say your face is safe, mind you, because this shit still delivers, just on a slightly deeper, more cerebral level. Where Human Hecatomb might resemble a zombie outbreak at your local potter's field, Chained to Ossuaries is more like a cabal of necromancers meeting there in the evenings. It's invariably old sounding death metal, without much nuance beyond the early 90s, so to that extent nobody familiar with the previous album is going to be disappointed. There's a bit more of early Death in a lot of the chord choices in places like "Ornaments of Bones" or "Wreath of Crucifix", but that fleshier and meatier guitar tone twists it into something different, but you could certainly envision breakdowns from Leprosy arriving at almost any juncture on a lot of these songs. The vocals are also a little different than before, he's got less of a skin shredding tone to him and a bit more blunt brutality, compacting those emphatic John Tardy-like growls to something meshed a little better into the dark tone of the instruments. Basically he's a little less out of control, and the riffing itself compensates with a lot bolder chords and melodies.

Another great album, just inching past Human Hecatomb, although if I wanted the grislier listen then I would happily trade them off. This is more of an escape, neither as ripping or brazen but a lot more mature, a direction that the band will continue forth in the future. Definitely good enough that the band should have appeared on a lot more radars, but this sort of meat & potatoes, well crafted death metal often struggles to get noticed since it's not as technical or progressive as others in the field. Never really a clone of anything, but wearing most of its influences on its sleeve, Chained to Ossuaries is just another fine example of its genre sitting among the dust, waiting to be discovered.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://pyredeathmetal.bandcamp.com/

Dawnbringer - Snake (2020)

Snake is another unusual highway stop in the Dawnbringer trajectory, an album that very heavily leans of heavy metal traditions but also tries to mix a few of them together into a novel outcome. Gone (but not entirely gone) are the melancholic strains of Night of the Hammer, and in its place we've got what feels like a modern tribute to London's grimiest sons Motörhead. There are riffs here or there which feel exactly like them, as in the uncomfortably "Iron Fist" intro to "Out of Mind", or the bridge of "Paradise Lust", or "Killed by Death", etc being contained as a medley in "Inferno" (also, coincidentally an album title). Others seem more to capture that punk/metal/speed in spirit, like the opener "Return to the Shrine" which doesn't quite clone Lemmy and the boys, but plays around in the same sort of sandbox. And I think that was the better way to approach this. Then you have a few of the band's further embellishments, a melodic sensibility which is more reminiscent of other NWOBHM bands or maybe some Thin Lizzy, or Chris Black's other band Superchrist which is a little more rock & roll to begin with.

It's an odd choice as a follow-up to their style from a few years before, but as more of a tribute to Lemmy who had ben gone a half-decade by this time, it at least delivers on the studio mix and energy. While I wish they hadn't included a few of those too-close, albeit brief mirror riffs, there are also some tunes which feel rather unique in that bass-driven speed/heavy sound, like "The Idea of Progress" with its great glaze of melodies and guitar effects, or "Twisting the Nest" with the great bass lines and snaky grooves, or "Loyal to Death" which puts an almost atmospheric, poppy polished spin on this sort of rock & roll. The bass tone is awesome throughout, as is the guitar tone, everything, with Chris continuing some of his more refined vocals. The best produced Dawnbringer record? Quite possibly, but only in service to a hybrid of styles that don't feel much like their own. Granted, there has always been a Motörhead influence in the vocals of this band, and some of the riffs, sure, but I feel like a project as this one could have been more effective if they changed the name, excluded any direct covering of riffs or tracks and just gone with something in that style, all dressed up with their own penchant for melodies and other influences.

I do realize this was allegedly written long ago, finished around the time of Lemmy's passing and was never meant to be a proper release. There's nothing malign about it, it's an independent release and by no means some sort of cheap commercial cash-in on a tragic loss. However, once you smack it down into the Dawnbringer lineage it kind of sticks there, and thus feels like another weird anomaly in a steady progression of them. Plenty of style here, also some substance, Chris Black clearly groks his inspiration and even expands upon it; he's a talented chap, but the presence of the direct referential licks/covers kind of betrays what could be an amazing peripheral tribute to one of the greatest musical institutions our ball of mud has spewed forth. It's also just not that memorable other than the strange story of its very existence. It's fine, but I'm never choosing it over the original article, nor am I choosing it over records like Unbleed, Nucleus, Sun God or Night of the Hammer. It remains as just a curiosity and hopefully a speed (metal) bump on the road to their next original work.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

Skeletal Remains - The Entombment of Chaos (2020)

I know several death metal fanatics that consider The Entombment of Chaos to be the best Skeletal Remains album, and it's an entirely understandable perspective, since this feels even more visceral and intense than Devouring Mortality before it. It's largely on the same level creative field, but I would say that they do incorporate some even more atmospheric elements like the synth intro "Cosmic Chasm" or the eerie acoustic interlude "Enshrined in Agony" which feel like a great way to round out and diversify their sound. Also, this is the first album where they do start to drop out the more obvious overtures to some of their influences...this one feels more like its converted those basic building blocks and energies into a more strictly brutal modern death metal offering...you get traces, here or there, but this is much angrier and in more direct contention with the bands of its age that rely more directly on technicality and brutality.

The riffs don't quite stick with me as much a Devouring Mortality, although a lot of this stuff does have me reminiscing of bands like Cannibal Corpse, Vader and Severe Torture, which I do appreciate, since they have long thrived on the level of speed and punishment that this record operates on. The vocals do seem a little more straightforward, not aping Schuldiner or van Drunen too much, maybe the latter more than the former, but I'd also say that they're just not as distinct as either, or even as their own attempts at either that were worn on their sleeves. Still, though, very brutal and destructive in how they mete out the blunt force against the more dexterous and detailed riffing barrages, and for good measure they also spit out some more snarled goregrind-like backups to offer a little more dimension (although these are not a standout for me). I'd say the real strengths to this record are the dizzying levels of musicianship that all hands have achieved, with lightning drums and guitar patterns that pack a lot into a reasonable song length that usually hangs around 4-5 minutes.

This still has its love letters to the 80s/90s death metal scene that birthed the band, for instance they go without another amazing Dan Seagrave cover art, and the album itself is second in a row produced by Dan Swano of Edge of Sanity, Infestdead, Bloodbath and a million other bands. It's also got a thrifty cover of Disincarnate's "Stench of Paradise Burning", fitting as that one-shot band was clearly another part of the Skeletal Remains DNA even on the earlier albums. But apart from the intro and interlude, it does stick out as noticeably less intense than the new originals due to its age. All told, Entombment is a disc I'm more likely to break out than the first two, but it rarely hooked me as much as the last one, though it's clearly a sign that the band isn't afraid to keep mutating and intensifying its sound, as if it was always intended to scope out all the decades before it until catching up to the now.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/SkeletalRemainsDeathMetal

Cirith Ungol - Forever Black (2020)

What truly makes Forever Black such an excellent 'comeback' is not only that it maintains consistency with the records that came 30 years or more before it, but it also doesn't rest so much on its laurels to feel safe or redundant. There are new riffs to be found, song structures that are arguably more adventurous than Paradise Lost; but at the same time, it's so damn loyal to the Cirith Ungol aesthetic that you feel as if all that intervening time never happened...the band admirably avoided all the trends that might have poisoned its sound. There's no grunge here, no groove beyond what they already incorporated from their 70s hard rock influences, and no technical acceleration towards the more European power metal sound or polished, sterile modernization. This is the tried and true heavy/doom style, only with a production more in line with what younger and newer bands were meting out in the 21st century.

And even then, I'd say that mostly just applies to the volume of the mix and perhaps a bit of thickness to the rhythm guitars. Tim Baker's grating, unforgettable, tyrannical timbre sounds like his pipes haven't aged since the 80s, and it's mixed here with just enough air and reverb to flow perfectly above the charging and thundering of the instruments. Songs like "Legions Arise" hearken back to a favorite like "Blood & Iron", but they've also got steady proto-metal vibes in "The Frost Monstreme" with its dour, bluesy little licks, or "The Fire Divine" as an epic, primal stomper. "Stormbringer" is perhaps the most epic tune among the bunch, a tribute to the black sword which adorns Elric's person and most of their album covers, and given a properly moving chorus with some barbarian choir backing vocals that give it that fantastical atmosphere it so deserves. Even as you get deeper into the track list, there really are no weaknesses, with some killer little hooks appearing in the verse of "Nightmare" or the title track that rivals "Stormbringer" in strength.

This might in fact be their most consistent offering to its day, with nothing semi-silly like a "100 M.P.H." to break up the proceedings, and it's the perfect way for the band to return to Metal Blade, the Michael Whelan artwork, and also to a fanbase which had grown in the interim since the divisive Paradise Lost. Not only has their style of epic/doom become more popular with younger audiences thirsty for retro sincerity, but also the literature upon which they base a lot of their lyrics. The number of bands covering Moorcok, Tolkien, Howard and their ilk has only expanded drastically, and Forever Black slides in like a titan to those nostalgia-fueled expectations while satisfying modern standards as well. I don't know that I'd put it as their best album, but it's clearly in the upper half, and I'd even go so far to say that it's superior in craftsmanship and performance to One Foot in Hell, only the songs don't seem to stick with me quite as much...but time will tell.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

https://www.facebook.com/cirithungolofficial

Toxik - In Humanity EP (2020)

While we still might not have arrived at the songwriting level of the Toxik classics World Circus and Think This, the In Humanity EP was the material that really made me think we'd get there if the band were able to once again get a proper full-length out on the market. The new tracks on Kinetic Closure and the Breaking Clas$ EP were worthwhile, no doubt, but In Humanity is really the next step forward, the most experimental stuff Josh had come up with, a mind-snapping morass of clinical and evil sounding melodies, scales and harmonies rooted in groovier rhythm sections, bass popping out all over the place, and then the conversion into these more intense, roiling double-bass sections. But another treat here is that Mike Sanders, the vocalist of World Circus, has returned for this material...

That's pretty neat, it's like a hat trick. You get Charles on the 2017 EP, Mike on another, and a sampling of the able new front-man Ron on the compilation that came out around the same time this did. And Mike might just sound the most pure of the three, giving a crazed performance that rivals the high-pitched siren-calls he meted out on the debut. Some of these songs are structured so interestingly, like "Crooked Crosses" which almost has a Voivod vibe, and it's all pretty stunning during an era when most of the thrash bands were built of sheer nostalgia for the Bay Area or Teutonic sounds, or hellbent on crossover pizza-thrash for partying and dressing the part. Nope, this at least comes off as if its trying to break some new ground in the band's canon, and there wasn't much to compare it to. Perhaps Vektor to an extent, sans the vocal style, but this really hearkens backed to the band's past if it were mixed together with some Realm, Mekong Delta or Deathrow on the brilliant Deception Ignored. It's got those cautionary and immediate vibes to it that present your mind with a social puzzle that you are desperate to unravel.

To be fair, I'm mostly talking about the three core studio tracks ("Too Late, Program Insertion" and "Crooked Crosses") which were available on the demo for this some years earlier. There are also some additional demo tunes here which add some more value, despite having a more repressed, boxy tone to their production, and then an instrumental, "Lunacy's Fringe", which is quite a mess beyond the piano parts, and is by far the least compelling thing on the release. However, these are add-ons and not to be confused with the promise shown by the EP proper, some truly exciting shit that had me absolutely jazzed for whatever might happen next...and something DID happen.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://toxikmetal.net/

Toxik - Kinetic Closure (2020)

Kinetic Closure is the sort of obligatory re-recording of classic tracks that you might expect with a 'comeback band' once they've got some new members in the fold and want to modernize their material, whether it's because they genuinely think it needs to be brought in line with whatever else is going on, or because they have some issues with the original recordings. There's a new singer here in Ron Iglesias, who honestly does his best to channel his predecessors, often succeeding in the higher pitched delivery, and the production of the instruments is not a far cry from the originals. Louder, more aggressive with the newer drumming, new cover art that ports Think This into the Trump era. To be fair, this was a pretty limited release, so nobody was touting this as some important milestone for the band, and it's usually going to be picked up alongside Breaking Clas$ and In Humanity on the III Works collection, where it's a better valey; but this ultimately falls short to me.

There are just some glaring differences in the production and vocal delivery that don't vibe with me as well as either of the original albums, even though the whole band puts in an earnest attempt. Josh is obviously still a ludicrous player that can match himself, the plunkier bass lines and more intense drums were sure to attract younger thrashers who had grown up on more extreme metal than even the frenetic thrash of that late 80s period. Ron is a good singer and I certainly wanted to hear him on newer material, but at best he plays it safe with the screaming of the earlier front-men, and at other times he sounds a little off. For me, the most attractive part of this is hearing the material from the Kinetic Closure single, a pair of tracks that goes off into the more bizarre, experimental thrash tangent that the In Humanity stuff did. These tunes are both nuts and I think I like them even more than the Breaking Clas$ EP, they certainly got me juiced up for modern Toxik more-so than hearing the other tunes I already knew from my teenage years.

Crazy rhythmic spiraling thrash that helps maintain that surgical feel while dropping a lot of the band's more traditional speed/power metal roots in favor of some occasional mid-paced thrash before the following fatal flurries of Christian's highly technical approach. "No Rest for the Wicked" might be the slightly more catchy of the pair, with more ties to the older material, but "Kinetic Closure" itself is a little further into the asylum and a sign of where the band would head with its next, proper third full-length. At any rate, like their other EPs, this felt like the natural direction the band would have taken if not for the decades between formations, and that's a good thing, we didn't have Toxik coming back with some shitty nu-metal or metalcore and a completely ability to read the room. They knew where they left off, they knew what we wanted, and they began delivery with syringes of shrieking, bludgeoning technique. But as relatively, polished as the re-recordings were, I don't find them necessary.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

https://toxikmetal.net/

Septicflesh - Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX (2020)

It's somewhat disgusting to me that a band like Septicflesh can bring so many elements to the table and still sound so fucking professional in the live setting. If you told me this was just clips of their recent studio LPs with a little bit of live audience/ambiance sound thrown in, a few knobs tweaked to make it sound like a smidgeon messier, then I might believe you. But, no, the Greeks can travel to Mexico City, have another orchestra join them (Toluca Philharmonic) and then sound as perfect as this, just fuck off already! I kid, and in fact I'm happy to have listened through this, because as brickwalled and flawless as some of these tunes sound on their studio incarnations, the live performance of the Orchestra brings out an acoustic depth that is often missing in those more sterile enclosures... 

The crowd banter is good, Spiros sounds like he's barking out lots of rock & roll theatrics throughout the whole songs, the track selection is also quite good, visiting a lot of their recent efforts and especially some of my personal favorites off The Great Mass like "Pyramid God" and "The Vampire from Nazareth", which sound truly epic. If you're a big fan of the band's earlier catalog, they don't really bring that forward into this style, which could be interesting, as I think a lot of the elements in those tunes would lend themselves well to orchestrated modernization, but if you're into the entire Sumerian Daemons and beyond era of Septicflesh, you will be in paradise across the two discs. It's one of the better studio translations I've experienced on this kind of release, and maybe even too good if you're hoping to hear a lot of improvisations or minor changes in how they perform the material outside the safety of a studio. To even think that bands like this which used to be, for me, underground death metal bands that I could rarely even find anyone to talk about with, are now on such a level as to perform internationally with such a massive production is the most jaw-dropping thing about it...

There's also a DVD to go along with the audio, and I think this is becoming the new standard for this sort of packaging, which is a good value for the fans. Video quality is quite good here, and of course it feels just that much more magnificent when you can see the large orchestra playing as the band dances around in their strange Clive Barker-world leather costumes and the audience pumping their hands in the air, despite the serious mysticism and intensity of the bands' themes, everyone is having fun and it just goes to show that this is a band which has your back. Septicflesh doesn't fuck around, if they're going to put this together, they're going to do it right, and they did, and kudos to them for doing so. One of the best live album sets on my shelf.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

https://www.septicflesh.com/

200 Stab Wounds - Piles of Festering Decomposition EP (2020)

200 Stab Wounds hail from the same Ohio scene as Sanguisugabogg, and perform with a comparable sound too, and from what I've seen the last couple years, the same degree of divisiveness among death metal fans that find them either severely overrated or just what the doctor ordered. It's more of that primitive, groove-laden 'slam' death which isn't so focused on pig squeals or brutal technicality, but in laying down the bricks and watching the audience pick them up and hit each other with them. I will say this, though, the Piles of Festering Decomposition EP sounds utterly fantastic, and despite being under 8 minutes long and three tracks, really knows how to make an entrance. In fact, among the Maggot Stomp roster I think this is one of the better introductions.

With the sampled bells ringing off, the writhing flesh-like guitar tone and a pretty awesome, gruesome opening riff, "Maggot Casket" sets the stage for the pugilistic experience ahead. Steve Buhl's gutturals are resonant and oppressive, occasionally belching up a vomit-like break at the end of some phrase, and while some might think of them as a bit cheesy or juvenile, they've got loads of personality which a lot of more controlled growlers are lacking. The chomping, chugging, chunky tone of the rhythm guitar is also a highlight, so virile and infectious that it can even transform the most basic 'been there' sorts of riffs into something you find a new appreciation for, especially when it rolls off a riff like "Body in the Basement". Bass is prominent but could use a few more moments to shine off against the guitars, and the drums have a sort of contrasted, jam room vibe that often manifests into groovier, almost hip hop beats, but this works really well against the crushing force of the vocals and guitars for some reason.

Granted, 200 Stab Wounds has a lot more room they could be exploring in terms of variation and tempo, the production on this one is so cool that I wouldn't have minded them blitzing into more fast parts with some tremolo riffs or such...that's not to say they don't shift it up, they do, but if this were going for more than the 8 minutes the material would demand some more exploration of the tones and instruments. For what it is, though, Piles of Festering Decomposition is an effective statement of purpose that certainly lives up to the hype, nothing original, but for those that just want to shut off their brain and breakdance to some heavy as fuck urban death metal, this offers a good length workout before your next Gatorade.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/200StabWounds/

Armored Saint - Punching the Sky (2020)

Win Hands Down definitely spun Armored Saint back around to the right direction, but without Punching the Sky appearing five years later, it might all have been for naught. It didn't look like much to me when first announced, the cover another of those digital looking images, from the guy who did Iron Maiden's Brave New World no less. But the advance singles sounded fantastic, and I was certainly excited to hear what might be some of the band's catchiest material in nearly 30 years. Turns out that is exactly what this represents, the proper modernization of their classic style for 2020, with the same lineup no less, and yet sounding more youthful and energized than they arguably had ever been, even during their best records like Raising Fear and Symbols.

It doesn't quite start out on its strongest leg, "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants", which features the title among its lyrics, but that's definitely a driving setup for "End of the Attention Span", the song that first blew me away from this album. Thick, heavy guitar tone that is more muscular than anything off the older albums, but still lets a little of the melody punch through, and a huge groove that frames the verses, which might be off one of their mid-80s albums only if it had gone to the gym and taken steroids. It's heavy enough that if you told me this was a later Anthrax-Bush collaboration I might have believed you, but the structure is definitely set up with a little hard rock flair to the leads, and the charisma of the older albums certainly starts to creep up on you as it progresses. Not all the songs go this intense, but there are a few like "Missile to Gun" and the finale "Never You Fret" which strive for a similar level of speed, and these are also quite catchy, the latter having a few Savatage-Criss Oliva vibes in the playing.

But like Symbol of Salvation, this is quite a varied offering, with some slower but still heavy grooving tunes like "Bubble" or "Fly in the Ointment", and stuff like "Lone Wolf" that captures a slightly more proggy hard rock vibe to it that definitely hearkens back to stuff like "Dropping Like Flies" or "Tribal Dance". The bass tone is super thick throughout this, and it almost has to be, because the guitars are enormous and John's voice is produced to captivate throughout the entire playtime. Leads are all pretty good, always have been, and even though this isn't exactly comprised of the most unique riffing progressions throughout, just about every song here can throw in some catchy hook that you might not expect, meaning the band still has enough ideas to remain relevant. I wasn't a huge fan of "Unfair", they were definitely going with an Alice in Chains vibe on that one, with the more massive bass and a less harmonic vocal style, but it's not really a detriment to the rest of the album either.

Punching the Sky definitely has a loudness production thing which feels heavily digitalized in just how layered the sound is, so it's not going to give you the nostalgic vibes of the first 3-4 discs, but as far as translating that into a context of today, it's a raging success, a catchy album that I've listened to a good number of times in the last couple years, certainly more than the three before it. It's almost intricate enough call it the sequel to Symbol of Salvation, but not quite as good. Having said that, I think it has the potential to drawn in newer generations of listeners, for better or worse, and then maybe get them exploring back down that rabbit hole to the band's prime. They could certainly metalize this a little more, dial back some of the production so it feels more natural, and create a modern masterpiece, but until then this is plenty excellent for my money.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://www.armoredsaint.com/

Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side Live (2020)

Blind Guardian already has at least three live offerings that I can remember, all being good; 2003's Live probably remaining my favorite of them, but none of them a disappointment, and one of them, Live Beyond the Spheres being quite elaborate in all the history it covers from their discography. So I don't think the market was really chomping at the bit for another, but this is quite a popular band, so this and many more are inevitable. Also, this one has the distinction of being one of those 'played in full' performances, all the rage in recent years, though they've been around for decades. It's recorded in Germany, the band's home turf, and it's Imaginations from the Other Side, my second favorite Blind Guardian album. I'd have loved to see this myself, but I'm happy to settle with this just to hear what I was missing out on...

It's the whole shebang, all nine tracks, played in the order they appear on the studio version, sounding heavy and driven and pretty damn good, though there are a few nuances missing on the stage. For example, the volumes are often a little lopsided, with the rhythm guitar being pretty weak against the drums, vocals, effects, and leads, but it's still something you can make out well enough to support the songs and keep them thundering along. There's a hovering din of audience noise, and the effects like bells and such are amplified here, giving the whole affair a more vaulted effect than the more direct, balanced production of the original. Hansi does sound quite good, getting pretty aggressive and almost turning to extreme metal vocals in a few places, while the backing shouts also sound pretty energized. You'll also get your singalong moments that every Blind Guardian show needs as it goes dweeby, especially here with "A Past and Future Secret", and you can just hear all the lighters popping off (actually I have no idea if they allow for this in Germany but you get what I'm saying).

Hearing favorites like "The Script for My Requiem", "Another Holy War", "Born in a Mourning Hall" and especially the title track and "Bright Eyes", is all I really need to get put in a good mood, because I love this fucking band and that's not about to change even with a subpar live offering. Which this isn't, but I think of the four, if I were going on balance and quality alone, I might not choose it over the three others I've covered; but then, it's Imaginations from the Other Side, I get goosebumps hearing it, and it features a couple tunes that you're obviously not going to hear on all their live tours. Everything sounds adequate, as processed as you'd expect from their modern era, I just think such powerful songs need some more powerful rhythm guitars, but then in my head I already know how these tunes sprawl out so I was able to fill in some of those gaps inwardly. If you haven't heard this stuff, obviously get the studio disc immediately and study it meticulously, but this also isn't a bad introduction to how one of their shows just charges you up, although I've only seen them once in person. Thumbs, and lighters, up.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://www.blind-guardian.com/

Autopsy - Live in Chicago (2020)

Live in Chicago isn't Autopsy's first rodeo with a live release, there were a couple put out through the underground imprint Necroharmonic Productions 20+ years ago. Neither of those were really very good, and the others were video tapes, all of which are probably quite hard to find. What I'm getting at, is that we'd never really gotten the 'de facto' official live album from the Californians, and with its great Wes Benscoter cover artwork, an extensive 18 track set, recorded at Reggie's the same year this came, and dropped just before Halloween...this has all the tools and backing to make that happen. Spoiler alert: while the tunes can often come across a little smoother on this recording than the studio albums, I'd say that this accomplishes exactly that feat, and smack dab in the midst of their resurgence which had already been going for a decade.

The vocals and leads do translate quite well here, with Chris' barks and grunts the most gruesome element of the entire performance, as they should be, resonating out over the audience like some gore-preacher tending to his cannibalistic flock. The solos are loud and over the top and definitely add that dimension of the alien and unhinged that we've always felt from their very carnal brand of death metal. Otherwise, the bass and drums sound pretty tight, as do the rhythm guitars, which have a meaty tone themselves, but the latter often sound a little too rounded off and less jagged than they might come across in their uglier, original studio versions. It's no deal breaker, and the whole effort does sound level, but in some ways the band sounds a little less volatile than you might expect. That said, it's a HUGE leap in quality over some of those older live offerings...yeah, they've got more of an underground charm, but this is actually one you could crank on your car or home stereo system and properly feel like you're in a real live environment that wasn't recorded on something like an old tape deck.

The track selection is heavily dominated by tunes from the first two albums, the classics, as you'd predict, so you've got "Severed Survival", "Charred Remains", "Gasping for Air", "Critical Madness", "Twisted Mass of Burnt Decay", "In the Grip of Winter" represented along with several more. There's a cover of "Fuck You!!" closing out the album, from Danny Coralles old band, Cali thrash obscurity Bloodbath, which was kind of fun for its crossover/punk infusion and fun lead explosion. Beyond that, there aren't many choices, so if you were hoping for an infusion of stuff off the last batch of decent albums you'd have been out of luck. "Voices" from Acts of the Unspeakable (also an oldie), "Arch Cadaver" from The Headless Ritual, "Burial" from Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves, and then one new song which would appear on the next studio album to follow this, "Maggots in the Mirror". As much as those first two are still probably my favorites, I wouldn't have minded some more picks from The Tomb Within or Macabre Eternal just for a better balance, but I'm sure the crowd was stoked for all the throwback material and it made perfect sense to keep the set list so thick with it.

All told, Live in Chicago is a solid live effort that I'd easily choose over its predecessors if I'm in the mood, but perhaps one day down the road, in the twilight of their career they'll treat us with some epic 2-3 disc spread that better compiles their whole history on the stage. Until then, I'll enjoy this one.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050176223094

Annihilator - Ballistic, Sadistic (2020)

Ballistic, Sadistic is another power-play that carries the dauntless Jeff Waters and Annihilator forward into yet another decade, a positive show of force that exhibits the guy's excellent chops and studio abilities to their current extremes. Every now and then I get a pleasant surprise when I check out a new album from this act and here is yet another one, their best since the s/t exactly one decade prior, and surely one that should be ranked among their most potent works. Not from the angle of it being super catchy, but just for the maintained level of heaviness and the technicality, instrumentation, and production, which eschews so many of the flawed choices he's made in the past for something that is unfiltered modern thrash with no hint at age slowing him down.

No bullshit ballads to be found on this album, it's one of the most straightforward beatings you could hope for, with lots of riffing rooted in the band's 80s output but grafted on with modern muscle, sometimes busting out into a trad heavy metal riff (briefly in "Armed to the Teeth"), and sometimes using that essence of 90s groove, but never laying that on too thick as it transitions back to the thrashing, neck jerking anthems of which there are plenty. Waters' vocals have become this nasty amalgam of James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine and Chuck Billy and it's a 'why fix what isn't broken?' sort of approach that complements these tracks just as it did on the masterworks of all those bands. In fact, I think some of the more modern Testament albums like Titans of Creation or Dark Roots of Earth are a great parallel to this record, if you enjoy those then throw this one into your shopping cart because it would pair up nicely with either.

A few of the lyrics can get a little cliche and cheesy ("The Attitude", 'FUCK YOUR ATTITUDE!'), always an issue for this band and never quite their forte, but that doesn't diminish the aggressive charisma he puts into them. His leads are awesome here, maybe not spitting out the sorts of melodies that cling to your ears but wild and frilly and entertaining above the solid riff-set. Some tunes also have some subliminal ties back to older Annihilator works, like "Psycho Ward" brought me back to Never, Neverland with its opening melody. Again, some goofy lyrics there but the delivery is awesome, and I'd also add that the bass playing throughout the album is quite good, doesn't always take center stage but has a good tone to it and occasionally plays around. He's got a drummer here which offers a mighty improvement over the solid prior album For the Demented, and a few guest vocals like John from Raven that are welcome if you can spot them.

If someone's asking me where to start with this band, you start at the beginning with Alice in Hell or Never, Neverland, but if you're curious beyond that, I'm pointing you straight at the eponymous 2010 disc or Ballistic, Sadistic. Sure, this doesn't have the charm of the old stuff, but it's a modern thrash album you can cruise to in your electric vehicle and probably cause lots of accidents. Few complaints, and it's impressive that Waters in his 50s can mete out such punishment.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.annihilatormetal.com/

Children of Technology - Written Destiny (2020)

Italy's Children of Technology has always been a band I've wanted to like more than I do; their aesthetic blend of punk, thrash, speed metal, societal decay, mutant apocalypse leather and spikes has that inbred appeal to my inner child of the 70s and 80s, and they have always felt like what might have occurred had Voivod swerved their first few albums into a more Stateside crossover style. Now, I'm glad those Canadians did NOT do that, because they're the most amazing band ever and I've enjoyed just about every step of their journey...but I just mean to say that Children of Technology have that genuine 'cool 80s B-movie' vibe about them, and they've maintained it even through my mixed reactions to their full-length albums, of which Written Destiny is only the third...

And I'm happy to say, their best! 2010's It's Time to Face the Doomsday was fairly stylin', but their sophomore album didn't really further my appreciation. Written Destiny hit on all cylinders so fast for me that I purchased it almost instantly after giving it a test listen. There's a maturity here, a willingness to just settle into some great riffing blend of heavy/thrash metal which catches your attention right away and then holds it. I'm not saying that they've brought much nuance or invention to their niche, but straight up, the brazen metal crunch and wailing leads of "Soundtrack to No Future" set up their scythe-wielding, biker mutant aesthetic, and then the screaming and speed metal take you away to a far-flung land of radioactive bliss. Raw, nasty vocals, great gang shouts that resonate past them, and incendiary rhythm guitar tone just rattle every pleasure center in my being, and this one doesn't let up. There's DEFINITELY a huge nod to Voivod's War and Pain, and this almost sounds like a better mixed cousin to that, especially on the killer title track or the shuffling wasteland of "Desert City".

Granted, the vocals here have more of a mix of nasty nasal pinch to them than Snake's punked out pitch, but the use of the howled cleaner vocals also draws some comparisons, so they spice that up further with the occasional grunt and growl, and epic early Tom Araya screams. Riffs are very simple, like War and Pain filtered through some NWOBHM, a couple of the frillier riffs you'd expect from the blackened/speed sect so popular these recent years (for good reason). They writhe in some tremolo proto-death metal riffs here or there too, and it all gels together so well while maintaining a very down to earth, blue-collar feel to it. The riffs are never technical, not even original, but the album is simply a blast and everyone should own it, whether your jam is Manowar or Hellripper. Italy's got quite a good little scene of these bands, with Bunker 66 and Baphomet's Blood also whipping out some strong albums lately, and while Written Destiny definitely has more of the true heavy metal coursing through its nuclear bones, it's certainly one of the best in that scene to date.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/COTofficial

Scolopendra - Those of the Catacombs (2020)

Like most horror and OSDM fans would be, I was attracted to the cover art on Those of the Catatombs, which reminded me heavily of all that great old Italo creep cinema of past decades, like a potential period piece incarnation of the Fulci Zombi franchise. You can just envision all these putrid, horrific corpses popping at you from cellars, crypts and tombs, and to their credit, Scolopendra does their bloody best to match the morbid imagery with their crud-clad, almost minimalistic approach to extremity. In fact, their crude songwriting aesthetics mirror those of another Italian export, the great Barbarian, only where that band metes out a mix of primitive thrash, speed and epic heavy metal, this is more of a carnal hybrid of pure 80s death and thrash without any frills...

Chugging, hammering riffs that you've probably heard many times before in various forms, with a few lapses towards doomier, slower material. Lots of feedback in there, fresh and unpolished like a blend of Hellhammer and Venom, but never too noisy or clamorous that it disturbs the clarity of the recording. The raw rhythm guitar tone is balanced out by the simple bass lines and beats, and then both of the vocalists just slather on this raunchy, gruesome barks and roars which certainly remind one of Chris from Autopsy or the late Killjoy of Necrophagia. Some of the sustained vocals have a decay on them like a death metal toad roaring its dominion across a stagnant pond, and it's all total nasty and straight to the face. There's also a very 'live' vibe to this album, again it's not too disgustingly distant or crude, but as if you were getting this really intense, balanced, loud performance right in front of you.

They use a few little details like organs and such ("First-Class Coffin"), or the horror synthns of the interlude "The Smell of Cadavers" to spice things up so they don't become too monotonous, and a few individual guitar licks stray from expectations, but by and large this is very old sounding worship of the bands that stood at the forefront of extreme metal in numerous of its categories. There's nothing too nuanced or progressive about anything here, it's just a big, rolling, pounding bevy of death metal riffs that sound like the style was just then congealing on top of the corpse of thrash, and if you're into those first two Autopsy albums, Usurper, Impetigo, maybe some other bands like Cardiac Arrest, this is perhaps a band you're going to be into, and a lot more rudimentary than the members' other group Abhor. For myself, I really admired the artwork, the themes, the huge sound of the project and the attitude, but I did find a lot of the riffs direly predictable and it didn't exactly light my fire, there weren't many tunes I wanted to keep returning to beyond maybe the synth instrumental.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

Cult of Horror - Hermetik Heretik (2020)

Another impressive band in that South American blackened speed and thrash scene, Cult of Horror deliver the raw, pummeling goods as pioneered by their influences, in a compact, bludgeoning, evil form that will keep you headbanging in a dingy basement forever. Hermetik Heretik is their sophomore full-length, and while the first was pretty decent on its own, this thickens the blood of that style a little without losing any of the menace. Because that is key here, this Brazilian band actually sounds EVIL, they harness all of the creepy, frilly riffing that you love out of groups like Deathhammer or Hellripper, and they do it with some heft to hoist up the speed metal. I don't wanna say that they're d-beat, but they have a similar rocking out feel adjacent to the response I get to a lot of groups within that niche.

The vocalist Pazuzu really adds a lot, not because he's super-nuanced, but his growling, oblique delivery feels as if you're being smothered with rotten mummy-wrappings, there are simply no fucks given here as he growls out sustained lines over the more agile guitar parts, which are constantly catchy even where you've heard them before, but will throw out some surprises when they opt for a more distinctly death metal tremolo picked riff, or a boogie heavy metal groove like they lay down in the depths of "Philosophy of a Knife", even a doom tune in "Promethean Reign". There are often a few riffs that are borderline TOO derivative, such as the opening to "Murder by Witchcraft" which mirrors Slayer's immortal breakdown in "The Antichrist", but I'm willing to bet that this is conscious with no ill intent, rather an attempt to take that vibe and twist it off into some new configuration. This is an exception though, because while they don't exactly write original riffs, nothing else is so obvious, it's all pretty dark and dim and awesome.

I hope some of these groups can get some further exposure, I know acts like Whipstriker and Witchtrap have come around on tour, but I'd love a chance to check out Cult of Horror, Atomic Roar and some of the other underground gems from down there. This guy's voice is grisly and awesome, the material is in general quite oppressive, constantly catchy and well suited to the mix of occult fixation and horror smut that the band covers lyrically; Cult of Horror is certainly that, and what they write is the perfect companion to nights of bad booze, VHS exploitation flicks and an inescapable whiff of blood-drenched leather.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://cultofhorror.bandcamp.com/
 

Soilwork - A Whisp of the Atlantic EP (2020)

A Whisp of the Atlantic represents something a little different for Soilwork, an epic-length track the likes of which you'd expect from someone like Opeth or Dream Theater. Fortunately, the Swedes decided to delegate this to its own EP rather than clutter up the rear end of some prospective new full-length album. I had mentioned in an earlier review that I felt like some of Speed's side project material was bleeding back into the Soilwork sound, and honestly that has never been more evident than here, a number of his vocal lines, the bass grooves and such sound like some of the harder rock material from Night Flight Orchestra, but as a fan of that project, I can't quite condemn that as a bad thing, because it does sort of filter through the proggy influences Soilwork had been cultivating for several decades.

The 16 1/2 minute title track is a success in that it expresses the band's range without ever feeling too meandering or disjointed, there's a lot of mid-paced stuff here with some proggy guitars over simpler chugging chords, cleaner sections with a huge 70s rock influence (Boston, etc), but the band never quite goes full bore in terms of the speed and aggression the Swedes showcase elsewhere. They save THAT for some of the other tracks on the EP, like "The Nothingness and the Devil" with its thundering double bass and gnarly growls, or "Feverish" with the head-spinning blast. All the other tracks do maintain that prog side, but they mix it with much more intense parts that will probably satisfy anyone who thought "A Whisp..." itself might be staring at its feet too often. I won't tell you that any of the five tracks here are going to make a shorter Soilwork playlist, but they are for the most part satisfactory and on par with surrounding full-lengths. They seem to be incorporating so much great musicianship, solid arrangements, and melody but the hooks just aren't always landing.

Still, this EP has good production and enough dynamic range and riffing to keep one content for a spell, these Swedes at their most mature simply do not miss, there is too much ammunition in the arsenal, and a wide array of influences among the roster that consistently have them refreshing themselves. A Whisp of the Atlantic is just as worthy as most of their other modern material.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://www.soilwork.org

Varathron - Glorification Under the Latin Moon (2020)

Live records come and go from more popular acts stuffing up their contracts or feeling an overzealous need to shower such products upon the masses, but getting to hear one from the mighty Varathron is a treat, because it's just not something I'd expect. Recorded in Brazil back in 2019, this one also stands out because the band includes a full run though its classic His Majesty at the Swamp album from 1993, with a few other formative tunes on there ("Genesis of Apocryphal Desire") and then a few newer pieces. Fine by me, because this is not a band that has lost its touch, and efforts like Patriarchs of Evil, Untrodden Corridors of hades or Stygian Forces of Scorn are just as formidable as the efforts they produced during the rising tide of Hellenic black metal 20-30 years ago.

To top it off, Glorification Under the Latin Moon actually sounds pretty damn good, without ever sounding over-mixed. The drums, synthesizers and vocals are all prominent, but the guitars also shine through, especially since they're so melody-focused and the effects on the rhythm and lead tones just pop right into the atmosphere. This sounds like it was truly a treat to experience, with a solid chunk of picks from their most recent work Patriarch of Evil ("Tenebrous", "Saturnian Sect", "Ouroboros Dweller") all sounding fantastic, and then what everyone was looking forward to, a 40 minute odyssey into Greek black metal nostalgia which sounds like it belongs back in the dingy crypts of antiquity, and I mean that only as a complement. Stefan's vocals sound so gnarly and awesome, a natural product of that Tom G. Warrior gruff rawness, and the keys and guitar on tracks like "Son of the Moon" and "Unholy Funeral" really dazzle. I mean, guilty admission here...I probably enjoyed hearing these tracks in the live format even more than I did listening to them on the studio incarnation of the album almost 30 years ago...

In fact, this might be the best live Greek black metal album I've ever heard? Lucifer Over Athens from Rotting Christ was pretty solid, but this is just amazement. I mean Juanjo's cover art alone might be worth the entry price, giving it a vibe very similar to Walpurgisnacht or the first few Necromantia records. That the performance and selection is so great is merely icing on the cake. Varathron is not a band that makes many missteps (Crowsreign debatable), and this is top shelf. Hear ye this or suck!

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

https://www.facebook.com/varathron

Spell - Opulent Decay (2020)

I was so hyped up on For None and All that its follow-up, four years later, Opulent Decay, felt like a bit of a letdown up front. Not like its a far cry from the sophomore outing, but the band has once again taken a bit of a left turn, and molded a few new influences into their heavily retro metal sound. Namely, there are some guitars here that give off more of the classy Goth rock vibe, and the use of synthesizers seems more like something you'd hear on an atmospheric metal record than an old Boston disc. It turns out that was I was being a bit presumptuous, because this is actually another strong work for the Canadian trio, perhaps not their best, but showing that they can continue to move along in whatever direction their imagination takes them, and bear me along for the ride.

The album is like if you mixed some Rush and Sisters of Mercy with other Canadian retro metal bands like Cauldron or Freeways. It still sounds like something that could have burst out in the latest 70s or earlier 80s, Cam's voice is much the same as it was on the last album, maybe more moody and reserved, and the riffs are still densely melodic and metallic, a lot of them dwelling in that vintage margin between glam/hard rock and true heavy metal from decades past, but almost always well-thought and catchy. But the compositions here are far more liable to throw you for a loop, they'll be treading along lightly with a melodic metal verse and then go into something a little more bottom-heavy and jammy, and it's there that the slight prog rock touches really shine through. The drums and bass feel thicker and more syrupy than the album before it, and the material definitely casts a weird vibe much like that cover art...okay, maybe it doesn't sound like a Lovecraftian hell-scape, but its not the easiest to define.

The sense of adventuring with their style is probably just as strong here as on the sophomore album, and that's the real value of Opulent Decay. Cuts like "Sibyl Vane" and the epic "The Iron Wind" just ricochet off into a million little sub-styles, from prog to heavy metal to Goth to doom. Or they'll go with a different vocal as in "Deceiver", or the awesome, mournful harmonies of the vocal piece "Ataraxia". Who the hell would expect that? There are just a lot of unexpected components to this one, and that ultimately makes it worthwhile and ties into the more epic, mystical, fantastic themes the band is exploring. And who knows just where the hell they're going to take us next? It should definitely prove interesting.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://spellofficial.bandcamp.com/

Vampire - Rex (2020)

Vampire has been one of the more consistent Swedish extreme metal acts of the last decade, and they've got a pretty broad sound which can be seen as a successor to not only classic melodic black metal from that scene (Dissection) but also to the blackened/thrash legacy of a group like Nifelheim. And I wouldn't even limit them within those very parameters, because they've sort of developed a style of their own that is equally nestled between the black, death/thrash and black/thrash niches and provides them a lot of potential riffing attacks form many attention. Having said that, their third full-length Rex definitely leans mostly into the blackened thrash aesthetics, a hard hitting rhythmic undercurrent that is balanced off by a lot of excellent melodic guitars over the top. This one didn't give me the immediate thrills of their eponymous debut, but after a half dozen spins it's proven to be yet another excellent offering in their catalogue.

This is riff-fucking-tastic from the starts, with loads of faster paced guitars that structurally resemble a lot of what you hear from many of the frilly, evil, post-Venom sorts of groups. Take something like a Craven Idol or Deathhammer, but then focus in on the more extreme ends of those, barbaric riffing meant to roll over you like a...reaper on horseback!? But then take all that business, and add the complex and furious layers of memorable melodies that defined so much of Swedish metal of the 90s...be it the black metal end of the spectrum, melodic death, you name it. Beyond that, they also have a penchant for throwing in some tasteful and minimalistic synths right where it counts to elevate the black heart of the music to the next level. Rex is a beast from fore to aft, shifting between volatile, fast scathing numbers like the title track, or some more moderately-paced neck jerkers like "Pandemoni" which they spice up with rapid fills and dissonant little effects to add a layer of cinematic intensity. The musicianship is top notch, although I think it's really gotta be the guitars and light touches of synths that put this one over the threshold.

Vocals are a great, loud hybrid between a bark and rasp, almost similar to a Tribulation only matched up with the far more furious, thrashing music. They work especially well when they're barked out and sustained over the more shifting, ominous patterns as in "Moloch", but it's a top notch performance on every line across the record, spitting all kinds of horror/occult themed lyrics that you want from a band with the Vampire moniker. The production here is just right, kind of timeless and washed out rather than too punchy or bright or polished, and it just foments the perfect atmosphere for this level of grace-threaded violence. If you're a fan of bands like Nifelheim, Bewitched, or Swordmaster who were blowing up a bit in the 90s Swedish underground, this band is the most natural successor to much that they strove for, and in my opinion even more effective. Rex is their most purely punishing record to date, even if it's not quite my favorite, but it's the sort of aggressive/atmospheric mix that will sound just as good today as it's going to in a decade. Don't sleep on this. 

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://vampiretheband.bandcamp.com/music

Lucifer III (2020)

I like to imagine that the ascending Roman numerals Lucifer sticks on their successive albums are a 'leveling up' system, because within just the first few tracks, Lucifer III has already dominated the rock-solid earlier entries in their catalogue. A beefier tone, and a tendency towards some doomier riffs really helps round out their sound, making them feel, ironically, more true to their Rise Above Records roots than ever. The performances also seem to be a bit sharper, I mean we expect good things from all of these guys and gal, but it's down to the details here, such as leads, percussion choices and so forth that are just a lot catchier and better considered. That's not to knock the first two Lucifer albums, both of quality, but III is just jamming with memorable hooks, and it's not one I ever really want to skip through, even if I do have favorites.

"Ghosts" and the eternally groovy "Midnight Phantom" are just an awesome opening combo, the latter one of my choice cuts in their discography, but both have these doom breakdowns, the first some deep, evil riffs and a lead that cultivates a bit of Middle Easter mystique, and the latter just smoking with the clap percussion, the little howl that disappears into its nightscape, a smoking chorus and killer bridge groove which preludes a great little lead. And then, the hits keep coming as they stretch the net and welcome a lot of warmer 70s tones in "Leather Demon", "Pacific Blues" and "Flanked by Snakes". Or how about that "Coffin Fever", to which I could almost hear Lee Dorian laying vocals over...no wonder he originally signed this band! There is really nothing even bordering on a weak track here...it's a burning, soulful, bluesy and when it needs to be, heavy record in which every measure seems to have been well plotted. Lucifer is deceptively simple, but not as much as they could be, and so a lot of the little one-off bluesy licks, effects, pianos, or whatever you'll hear accompanying the central riffs are beautiful.

Johanna continues to dazzle, and I am continuously impressed by how much she pulls off with a range some might consider rather limited in scope. She's humble and emotive, like a lot of the 70s folk or female hard rock singers, and it's just a hypnotic contrast when paired up against the heavier, drubbing guitars or the wailing, bluesy solos. I love the clean tone they get, it's not terribly fuzzy, but super smooth and still feels just as 'stoner' as the messier psyche metal bands. The bass sounds perfect, locking in a fill or groove where it needs to stand out, and I don't think Nick's drumming requires any more praise than it's already gotten, but what is this, the fifth style the guy has excelled at in his long and illustrious career? Well I've gotta thank Nick and Johanna personally one of these days (maybe I just did), because they've put together one of the most bewitching, mellow and sneakily heavy retro hard rock bands I've heard in decades, and Lucifer III has gotten many plays over the last year. Bonus points for something my wife can listen to with me.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

https://www.facebook.com/luciferofficial