Rapture - Paroxym of Hatred

Record Label: Memento Mori


How good can a Greek retro-thrash metal be? Rapture play unrelenting, ferocious thrash with a touch of death that is a throwback to the early eighties. Easy reference points are Slayer, Dark Angel and Kreator. This is largely due to the vocals of Apostolos Papadimitriou, whose barks fall somewhere between Mille Petrozza and Tom Araya. The band thrash along the Teutonic highway rather than taking in the sea air of the Bay Area. When Rapture go full throttle, they veer into death metal territory but keep the thrash edge, which is a feat not many bands can pull off. Just get a load of the death metal and thrash metal banging together tightly in the title track.

Those who like their thrash metal on the technical side will find what Rapture have served up on this vinyl to their taste as it is undeniably present in tracks like "Redemption through Isolation" and "Quintessence of Lunacy" plus a number of others. There's no doubt each of the musicians in this band can play their instruments with razor sharp precision and it's the tightness of the musicianship, which will have many a metal fan drooling over this band due to this release.



Other band comparisons that are likely be thrown at Rapture due to the sheer strength of "Paroxysm of Hatred" are Sadus, Dark Angel, Pestilence, early Believer and Demolition Hammer. This is Rapture's second album and is already a serious contender for album of 2018 in these quarters. 2017 was a great year for metal and 2018 is shaping up to be even better.

4/5

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Master and Dehuman - Decay into Inferior Conditions

Record label: Xenocorp

If you've been into death metal for a long time, then you've surely heard of one of the bands on this dual release and I'm betting that would be death metal underground stalwarts, Master and their core member Paul Speckmann since the band have knocking around since 1983. In comparison, Belgium death metal band, Dehuman are newcomers to the scene having formed in 2006.

Master delivers four songs on this release, which were taken from a soundboard recording of a gig the band played in Helsinki, on October 7, 2016. The band still has an old school death metal sound and there's no mistaking this for a studio performance as the audience are loud and clear. There's a raw bootleg feel to these tracks that will no doubt have ex-tape traders reminiscing of days long gone by.

Dehuman have a similar old school sound and their recordings are live in the studio. The vocals are scooby doo style growls that will have many pinpointing Obituary as a major influence on the overall sound of these Belgians. There's some strong guitar soloing on "Morbid Sun", that wouldn't sound out of place on albums from other metal sub-genres. The drums are punished with an unrelenting brutality that makes it difficult not to pity them.

This is a limited release which insures cult status. "Decay Into Inferior Conditions" is available in 200 copies limited edition "tour souvenir" DigiPak CD and 300 copies limited edition 12" LP+CD first print DigiPak so get on it fast if it sounds like your thing because it's been available since December 2017.


3/5

Release Date: 19 December 2017

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Gutslit - Amputheatre

Record Label: Transcending Obscurity


There are no prizes for guessing which metal sub-genre a band called Gutslit fit into. This band from India is undeniably death metal of the brutal variety. Gutslit got our attention as a member of the band plays in the instrumental band The Minerva Conduct and we loved their recent album (which we reviewed here).

"Amputheatre" opens with the title track, which is a quiet instrumental track which barely breaks the one minute mark. This track is countered by "Brazen Bull" which features a frantic rhythm section and grunted vocals, which occasionally slow down only to proceed to bulldoze the listener at ramming speed once again. The drums are pummeled at the start of "From One Ear to The Other" and then the band take an effective breather to carry on with their barrage of grunts, riffs and drumbeats. On this track, there's a technical death metal band dying to get out as the dynamics in the guitar work change with faster paced riffs during the song and though the vocals are still grunts they become much more audible and then shift between dirty grunts and near yelling. Necktie Party is a dirty barrage of drumbeats, riffs and grunts that seem to fly and spit nails directly at the listener until mid-song, where the tempo slows and leaves a little breathing room before the sheer punishment starts again. Gutslit realize that not varying the temp can lead to boredom and slow down again before this track reaches its conclusion.

The rhythm section provides a bounciness to the opening of "Blood Eagle" and then speed and chaos take over. The drums are really fast and there are overtones of chaos in the death grunts.



There are some great metal guitar riffs on "Brodequin" that cross metal sub-genres rather than fitting strictly into the death metal categorization although Gutslit still fit firmly in that metallic pigeonhole. Gutslit lay the angry death metal on thick in "Maraschino Eyeballs"

Gutslit's shift in tempos and dynamics separate from a vast number of other bands who put themselves under the brutal death metal umbrella. As Brandon Lee's character stated in The Crow movie, "It can't rain all the time."

3/5

Release Date: 15 October 2017




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Insurrection - Extraction

Record Label: Galy Records

Ëxtraction is the process of removing something, especially by force and it is also the title of the fourth album from Canadian death metal, Insurrection, who are new band to me. Most of us associate extractions with dentists and the removal of teeth, which like listening to poor albums for review purposes is a painful process. Hopefully Quebec band Insurrection can provide some relief after the below average material that has come my way lately.




The album opens much like a computer error. But relax, it's not a mistake, it's just that the song is called "System Failure". The song is actually really strong. The band pummel the listener with fast crushing riffs and drumming with growled vocals. This adrenaline filled opener serves as a warning that a listener is in for brutal attack of the senses. A thrash metal style intro opens "Onward to Extinction", the song slows down to mid-tempo but at times sudden triggers of machine gunning drumming propel the song forward. At times, the growls disappear and there is a slightly punkish edge to the vocals. The equally misanthropically titled "Pull the Plug" starts out as a slow metallic burner before smashing you in he face with crushing guitar riffs and manic drumming but Insurrection know that all out speed is heavier when it is mixed together with slower parts rather than pummeling you straight in the face, Insurrection take a step back before delivering killer blows and this is more effective over all.

"Le Prix a Prayer"is catchy death thrash due in part to seemingly basic drumbeats although the tempo of the song changes a number of times and the chorus to this track is very much in a sing along style. It's one of those tracks that you just know will go down well with a live audience. In "Eulogy of Hatred", there is a definite nod in the guitar playing to fellow Quebec band, Voivod and the narrated parts also give a similar vibe to Voivod's late 80's output but the growled vocals keep Insurrection well within death metal territory.
"Parasite"starts out damned fast with loud growling but slows down so some technical guitar playing can shine through although the entire band continue their death metal assault of the senses. The guitar on this track is reminiscent of 80's Coroner and Believer There's a lot of metallic crunch that crosses death metal with thrash metal in "Le Pesant Dór"and "Misere Noire".

While the vocals on this album are mostly growled by Stef Jompe, they are clear so it's not too difficult to make out many of the lyrics, which makes a nice change from the generic incomprehensible cookie monster vocalists out there. The guitar playing is technical and the drumming is often manic with tight changes. Insurrection are clearly one tight unit. Using metallic force "Extraction" hits the mark and should come with a warning sticker that the album may well remove body parts.



3.5/5


Release Date: 6 October 2017



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Kult Mogil - Portentaque

Record Label: Pagan Records


In these digital days, there definitely seems to be confusion as to what an EP is. Many bands these days have EP's that run for well over 30 minutes, which during the heyday of vinyl and cassettes would have been considered an album. But times and definitions have changed over the years. The abbreviation FTW did not mean "For the Win" in the pre-internet age and selfies weren't photographs of yourself. Anyway regardless of how times have changed, Polish death band Kult Mogil have stuck to older definitions and released an EP with three songs on it. The EP is available in digital and CD form plus 12" vinyl (which is to be played at 45rpm).


The first track on the EP, "Alae Magicos" lets you know what Kult Mogil are all about. The song opens slowly with Scooby Doo style vocals over slow guitar playing, which conveys a bleak post-metal dystopian atmosphere. The song then deceives really speeds up with incredibly fast paced drumming but the drummer then slows down. The growled vocals are ever present over the blast-beat drumming and ambient post-metal guitar playing. The marriage between the growls, blast-beats work well. The near spoken part towards the middle of the track conjures up images of chaotic evil from the depths of the pits of hell. The tempo changes in this track lend this track an evil edge when the track slows down then there is a glimmer of hope in the overwhelming grimness of the hellish cacophony. The title track weighs in eight minutes and Kult Mogil take the listener on a wander through slow death doom dirges with short faced paced bursts that should carry a warning for those with heart troubles. The guitar sounds at the end of the song contain a shimmer of hope among the oppressiveness as they again border on ambient post-metal.

This three track EP clocks in at just over 18 and a half minutes. What Kult Mogil have done with their guitar sound combined with the more typical death metal growls edges the band well away from being yet another generic death metal band. Thankfully, they also vary the tempo in all three tracks rather than just putting their feet down and going for all-out speed with blast-beats. The variation in drumming style and speed makes for a more interesting listen as Kult Mogil could not be described as a predictable death metal band. I look forward to hearing more from this band from Poland.



3.5/5


Release Date: 29 September 2017



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Buried Realm - The Ichor Carcinoma

Record Label: Self-release


Heavy metal has long been full of widdly widdly guitar parts where a musician shows off their proficiency at playing the guitar. Buried Realm is essentially a one man project featuring Josh Dummer, who displays his talents playing nearly all the instruments on "The Ichor Carcinoma". The album features guests like Arch Enemy's, Christopher Amott, Brandon Ellis (from Cannabis Corpse and Black Dahlia Murder and Peter Wichers (from Soilwork) plus many more (the guest appearances do make for interesting reading).

The album lulls the listener in with the melodic "Portal", which is a short instrumental track. The albums title track is a punishing beast in more than one way. The guitar wizardry sounds amazing and it's clear that Dummer didn't get his chops down by merely playing Guitar Hero. The vocals to this song begin as death metal grunts and then turn into Danii Filth style shreiks, which are incongruous with the power/progressive Symphony X style of guitar playing. The guitar sound is great but those vocals are like nails on a chalkboard when they're married to a fantastic guitar sound. "Asphyxiation's Lullaby" is much the same story but features some actual singing which matches the music but those grunts and shrieks are also used. The mix of vocal styles completely messes up a track which had so much potential.




"Through Darkened Halls" starts with an electronic opening and also contains that mixture of shrieks and grunts over the banging guitar playing. There's a classical vibe to the guitar in this track, which is also mixed with occasional blastbeats and great soloing coming in and out. Imagine if a "Lord of the Rings" movie was playing with continual loops of Steve Vai's part in "Crossroads" also playing either on the same screen or very nearby and this is the aural equivalent. The vocals sound like a troll and orc chatting.

"Aperion 1 - The Legacy" actually marries the guitar sounds and both clean and shreiked vocals well as the guitar heroics aren't the forefront of the song. They do appear at the end and this gives the song a laid back vibe rather than in your face. "On Serpent Style" is another instrumental track, which features a guitar style that sounds like Satriani on steroids. This track is great. "Aperion II - Global Dreamer" mixes up the shrieked vocals with a melodic chorus, those Symphony X style guitars and some tight mid-tempo drumming. The drumming on the follw-up track, "Unscrupulous" after a slow intro starts out damned fast then slows down and speeds again and so do the guitars. Instrumentally this track is fantastic but again the vocals bring it down a level and it's not because shrieks and grunts are awful rather because they just sound unnecessary on this track.

The bottom line is "The Ichor Carcinoma" should have either featured mainly clean vocals or been wholly instrumental as the vocals are mostly annoying and detract from the technical musicianship. This album would have had a much higher score if it weren't for the incongruity of the death metal vocals with incredibly well played instruments. The non-instrumental tracks don't have much post-review replay value.


Release Date: 29 September 2017



2/5


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In Twilight's Enbrace - Vanitas

Arachnophobia Records




Here's some ripping blackened death metal from Poland. On their fourth album, In Twilight's Embrace go straight for the throat with the "The Hell of Mediocrity". The vocals of Cyprian Łakomy are raspy and throaty yet clear with buzzsaw guitars and drumming fighting the good fight against mediocrity. "Fan The Flame" has a marching beat that takes the followers to Hades. The song starts at rock tempo and then goes from a marching beat into blast beats and back again. The raspy audible vocals really lift that track from being yet another blackened death song. There's a Celtic Frost influence on "As Future Evaporates" although In Twilight's Embrace add an evil spoken part towards this track. There's a slow build in "Trembling" before the death metal grunts set in and the plodding guitar and drum combo add a funeral dirge effect. This is the sound of corpses rotting before they descend to the underworld. "Flesh Falls, No Ghost Lifts" rips after a beginning that imitates earth tremors of a zombie rising from a graveyard. The spoken parts lend a spooky edge before In Twilight's Embrace attempt to separate your banging head from your not so banging body. The short instrumental track "The Rift" seems misplaced as it finishes quickly. "The Great Leveller" concludes the album with some blackened death featuring evil raspy grunts and blast-beats aplenty.

In Twilight's Embrace mix of black metal and death metal is an evil concoction. The only time it didn't work as well as could have was when they used brevity on "The Rift". The lengthier tracks with their build-ups and slow downs work so much better for the band.


3.5/5





Release Date: 22 September 2017





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Arallu - Six

Record Label: Transcending Obscurity


Most black metal leaves me cold however combine it with death metal or thrash metal in the vein of Goatwhore Behemoth or Blackfast and then you'll get my attention. Hell, combine it with rock 'n' roll like Israeli band Promiscuity did (check out the review of their EP here) and I'll not only listen to it but there's a fair chance I'll love it if it's done right.


Similar to blackened rock and roller's Promiscuity, Arallu also hail from Israel and although they are a new band to us, "Six" is, surprise, surprise, Arallu's sixth album. The band incorporate traditional Middle Eastern instruments like Saz and Darburka into their sound. In fact, the album opens with a song entitled, "Desert Moonlight Spells, which to these unknowing but curious Western ears sounds like a traditional Middle Eastern tune. After the soft tone of the opening the band inform the listener in the song "Only One Truth"and the rotten core of Arallu is black metal with death metal. What really lifts Arallu from the stench of generic metal is the use of their country's traditional instruments. There's such a hypnotic feeling to the sound, it's not difficult to imagine Lucifer hiding as a serpent in a basket lifting his head out in time to the music as these black metal charmers play their music on stage. Lovers of the death doom sound will enjoy "Possessed by the Sleep" which introduces itself with a plod and growling death metal vocals interspersed with background bursts of both the traditional instruments and the traditional black metal bumblebees with blastbeats sound in the foreground. Thankfully the vocals of Butchered don't sound like the stereotypical black metal hobgoblin but hark back to early death metal as Jeff Walker from Carcass and John Tardy from Obituary are the obvious comparisons.








There's a lean towards thrash metal in tracks like "Philosphers" and "Soulless Soldiers" without Arallu completely taking the blackened thrash route. The black metal template is still present in these tunes as are the traditional Middle Eastern instruments and both these elements come across as a natural part of character. In creating a unique sound, Arallu have managed to do what few bands have managed to do and step away from the hordes of generic metal bands.

4/5

Release Date: 22 September 2017


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Planet Eater - Blackness From the Stars

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On the metal band database, Metal Archives, Canadian band Planet Eater are described as death/thrash metal. "Blackness From The Stars is their second album and the album's first track "Boats" has me scratching my head at the death/thrash metal description. Not because it's horrible in a bad way, but there's a groove to the music that recalls Anselmo period Pantera. The vocalist's shouting falls somewhere between Anselmo and Matt Pike. There's no metal fan in the world that would class either Pantera or High on Fire as either thrash or death metal.

Second tune on the album, "Pile of Bones" edges a little closer to being death metal complete with raw rasping vocals. Third track, "Cold Confines", contains more than inkling of Swedish death metal however Donovan Turner's vocals are closer to hardcore shouting, which brings modern Psycroptic to mind however Planet Eater are nowhere as near as technical and this works in their favour as they rip a path of destruction without an excessive amount of noodling. There's an industrial clang to "Lies Evolution" whilst Planet Eater are too much of a ripping metallic beast so only incorporate repetitive factory sounds within their ferocity. In "Suffer What They Must" do actually incorporate thrash metal with speedy drumming and fast guitar playing but the base of this song is closer to sludge. Check it out below:



"Kill on Sight" is basically how I'd imagine Pantera would sound doing death metal so it's really deathcore stripped back to the bone.

The bottom line is that this definitely isn't death metal unless the genre has radically changed when we weren't listening. This is groove sludge with some thrash parts and a hardcore vocalist who often touches on deathly growls. Despite the negativity attached to this review, this is actually a really solid outing from this genre defying metal band and those into the heavier side of metal should enjoy Planet Eater.



3.5/5

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Biesy - Noc Lekkich Obyczajów

Record Label: Third Eye Temple


Biesy are a Polish project. They are comprised of PR, who is in charge of the music and lyrics, Stawrogin on vocal duty and MP on drums. Biesy trnslates from Polish to English as fiends.

The opening track is atmospheric death metal in the vein of recent Ulcerate, in that if it weren't for the throaty gasping death metal vocals, it could easily pass for instrumental post-rock. The second track, "W Krew" opens with blast beats and death metal vocals and initially couldn't be msitaken for anything other than death metal. The track later slows down with slightly spoken, near chanting which lends the track a hypnotic edge. The slight whispers at the opening of "Powrotry" are equally hypnotic before shouting over metallic jangle begins. When the shouting stops the sound of the instruments really draw the listener in. Blastbeat fans will wet themselves when they hear the conclusion of "Czern Nas Prosi" whether they enjoy the slow build-up to the end point may be a different story. Lovers of more atmpspheric and ambient music however will love the journey Biesy guides the listener through. Biesy put a black metal twist on the ten minutes plus of "Rzucony W Przesteri" with blast beats and vocals that edge towards black metal rather than death metal at opening and closing points of the track.



Anybody looking for straight out brutal or crushing death metal won't find it in Biesy. However, if you're looking for more creative death metal that draws inspiration from outside the metal genre then Biesy and "Noc Lekkich Obyczajów" are a fantastic starting point.

4/5

Release date: 9 September 2017


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Ursinne - Swim with the Leviathan

Ursinne are a big deal in the death metal world mainly because they feature a certain Dave Ingram whose CV includes Benediction, Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets and Jonny Pettersson (from Henry Kane, Wombbath, Just Before Dead and Heads for The Dead).

The music these two make together is old school Swedish death metal. "Devil May Care" is a heavyweight barreling affair that recalls the likes of Entombed to mind as the drums aren't full speed ahead and there's an assured steady beat holding the tempo together rather than threatening or veering off at breakneck speed. The vocals are of the throaty variety rather than the far too overdone Cookie Monster variety. The guitars on "I, Serpentine" bear a resemblance to the buzzsaws that featured in Blackie Lawless' dreams back in the 1980's. They're absolutely in your face and the track pummels along quickly. Ursinne pay tribute to Lemmy in the form of "Bullet Bitten, which features spoken samples from the man himself. The track itself is an energetic death metal blast combined with a Motorhead style vibe.



The cover of The Osmonds track "Crazy Horses" actually works well with death metal grunts however the cover of "Turning Japanese" really isn't a lot better than Six Feet Under's Iron Maiden covers. The death metal treatment of this tune just doesn't work and, even if Kam Lee of Massacre was enlisted neither does it work with "Monsters in the Parasol" as Kam just comes across like an embarrassingly drunk uncle yelling over a karaoke machine. Interestingly though, giving Siouxie and The Banshees "Spellbound" the death metal is an experiment that somehow worked.

"Swim with the Leviathan" is a great death metal album however all of those bonus cover tracks are novelty items that drag this album down and don't let it flow with the same deathly killer blow that could have been delivered if the tunes had been omitted and Ursinne had delivered only their own material. These songs are the reason this album has been knocked down a couple of pegs in the ratings.

3.5/5

Release date: 20 August 2017



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Paganizer - Land of Weeping Souls

Swedish death metal outfit Paganizer have been around for nearly twenty years and recently released their tenth full-length album through the Indian label Transcending Obscurity. The band play death metal in the Swedish "traditional" style of Grave and Dismember. The first track is no holds barred speeding death. The gruff vocals can be heard clearly and border on melodic. The drums are pummeled at breakneck speeds on most the tracks on this album. There's tasty guitar leads on many of the tracks but it really is the six string instrument of death that makes "Forlorn Dreams". Fans of blast beats will wet themselves when they hear the title track to this album although the tempo does slow down now and again which adds to the song much more than relentless drumming would. There's a clear thrash metal influence showing through in "The Insanity Never Stops" as it speeds along onwards from the intro.

Although many of the songs throughout the album sound both similar and familiar, fans of old school Swedish death metal will eat up "Land of Weeping Souls" regardless.

3/5


Release Date: 5 August 2017


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Sinister - Gods of the Abyss

Dutch death metal band Sinister have been knocking around since the 1990's. The band have split then got back together a number of times. After their 2003 split they recorded the four song demo "Gods of the Abyss"which lead to a record deal with Nuclear Blast. In 2017 Dutch label Vic Records have released the demo for public consumption.

The songs are undeniably crushing death metal but Sinister intertwine elements of more traditional metal. Whilst the vocals are like a caveman chewing sandpaper, there's a strong Iron Maiden influence in the guitar riffs on a couple of these tracks which would pique the interest of more than just the casual death metal fanatic. Listening to these tracks, it's easy to understand why Nuclear Blast signed these. The opening track "The Grey Massacre" effortlessly chops from mid-paced crunch to full speed ahead death dealing.
'
All the tracks here are very good examples of early death metal however "Altruistic Suicide" and "Afterburner"are Sinister at their peak on this release.

3.5/5


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Blood - Mental Conflicts

If you've been involved in the metal underground since the days that metal fanzines were printed on paper then there's a good chance that you've heard of German noisecore band Blood especially since the band released their first record on the US label Wild Rags records back in 1989 and at the time the label seemed to be in every metal fanzine.

Vic Records recently released their fourth album "Mental Conflicts"which the band released back in 1994 finds the band utilizing both grindcore and slowing down and edging towards death metal within their rotting musical stew so it's not all fast and furious. As the best Blood tracks are short and quick bursts that's the review over.

Check out the title track in this video clip.



Release date: 23 June 2017

3/5

Pathology - Pathology

Bleeeeeurggggggghhhhhm, blurggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, beeeeeeeelchhhhhhhhhhhh. society, bllaaarggghhh, basically sums up both the vocals and the lyrics for brutal death metal band, Pathology. It sounds like the vocalist is trying to escape from inside a washing machine while it's doing a spin cycle but he is a complete failure as a soldier in the war against machines and is also crying his eyes out. The music is relentless fast brutal death metal with very little time to slow down and honestly when Pathology slow down and abandon the vocals, they sound like a good band unfortunately these parts are a very small percentage of this release. The drums are absolutely punished at a speed that sounds like the man handling the sticks has either never heard of or desires repetitive strain injury. The guitar sound is clear but those annoying vocals are way too loud in the mix. It's really difficult for a casual listener to distinguish between the bursts of noise (let's not call these creations songs) as there's no obvious starting and stopping points as Pathology take the same stand to intros. Despite the fact that Pathology are now up to album nine with their self-titled, there's definitely no desire from these parts to explore their back catalogue as this release totally misses the mark.





1/5


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Earthbound - Dead Weight EP

Hardcore's conventions have always been fairly narrow. The shouted lyrics over the same power chords with all-in choruses by either burly tough guys, pseudo-tough guys or vegans who expect everyone to follow their way of thinking.

Polish hardcore band Earthbound want to challenge these conventions and "cross the borders between metal and hardcore". The obvious danger taking this approach is that a band with this idea can run with it and wind up sounding like a lot of the hardcore bands did in the late 80's when many of them took a more metal approach or a band that calls themselves hardcore can end up metalcore but sounding like Anselmo period Pantera. Poland's Eathbound have avoided these traps by adding death and black metal to the mixture.

The first song appropriately entitled "Intro" gives no clues other than metallic riffing as to what is about to hit the listener largely due to the track being an instrumental that clocks in at just under 80 seconds. "Nothing is Foverever" is angry hardcore with throaty vocals and all-in gang vocals backed with steady riffing and drumming. Earthbound take an interesting turn in Cursed with vocals taken from the Obituary school of death metal vocalists, speedy drumming and occasionally borrowing the bumble bees from hell black metal guitar riffs. The death metal style vocals are a feature on "Imprisoned" which is paired with buzzsaw guitar. The breakdown mid-song will keep the smile on the dial of modern and more taditional hardcore fan


The crossover direction is always an interesting one. Earthbound have definitely found a good formula of crossing death metal, black metal and hardcore. It's a blend that on paper doesn't really sound like it would work at all but on this "Dead Weight" EP, the marriage between the styles is certainly not dead weight. Whether this can be carried all the way through an album remains to be seen but in the EP format, it gets two thumbs up.

3.5/5


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Grave Siesta "Piss and Vinegar"

Grave Siesta are a Finnish doom metal band that have released their second album "Piss and Vinegar". The first thing that occurred to me when I saw the album name was English punk band GBH released an album with the same name in the not too distant past but that's where the connection with British punk stops as Grave Siesta are definitely a metal band.

The most striking feature are the vocal gymnastics of Taito Halonen and they hit you on the first dirty sludgy track, "Tyrant Pleasures". He goes from raspy grunts to clean singing to breathless growls. It'd be easy to compare him to Mike Patton but Halonen's vocals have a dirtier feel at times and sometimes remind me of a Chuck Mosley with wider range. "Coffinborne" moves from slow sludger doom into a faster pass and whips the listener thoughout regardless of the speed. Put your dirty mind at rest, "Seamen Swallow'd" is actually a rollicking track about sailors being swallowed. "Warwhore" is menacing with its catchy chorus and doom metal underbelly dragging through the slimiest sludge. "Pile of Tongues" has a death metal edge but heads in a rock 'n' roll direction and the vocals even take a short turn towards the very melodic edge of the Messiah of Candlemass. "Knight of a Bent Lance" sounds messy at times due to the drums shifting tempo but the band keep it together and if it wasn't originally intended, it's a fabulous disaster.

"Whispers of the Worm" lets you know that Grave Siesta keep their Black Sabbath and Candlemass albums close to the heart but when the vocals take a turn, you realize just how much these guys also treasure death metal.

While there are some clean vocals on this record, "Piss and Vinegar" is a dirty album and Grave Siesta offer up far more than retrodden Black Sabbath riffs. This band are treading some interesting ground that the more adventurous music fan will appreciate.

4/5





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Necropoli "I"

After the speed of Reign of Fury and Drones for Queens, here's a real change of pace as Italian band, Necropoli are deathly slow and describe their music as funeral doom.

While the band play long doom metal songs there's definitely a death metal influence in their musical stew. David Unsaved vocals are slow death style grunts which are placed atop the haunting sounds of guitar, bass, synth and programmed drums. It's a real credit to the band that it's not really noticeable that the drums here are programmed. There's a Godflesh style industrial feel running through the mix too. Check out, "Curriculum Vitae" the shortest track on the album below.



While the length of the songs may be off-putting to many, Necropoli have produced an interesting and innovative debut.

3.5/5



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Drones for Queens - Practically Weapons

This E.P. from Philidelphia band, Drones for Queens, is a tasty slab for the D-beat fan to drool over. There's a very metallic feel to the EP's title track that won't really annoy D-beat fans and may even convert the more open-minded metalhead. For a large sum of the song, the guitar sounds like it could have a thrash or grind album which gets the thumbs up on this blog. "A Blinding Future" has a similar metallic leaning running through it and you know what? It works. Drones for Queens have offered up something much more interesting than standard Discharge worship. A thrash metal pulse with a tinge of death(of the metal sub-genre kind) runs through "Duress".

Play the title track "Practically Weapons"



"Practically Weapons" is being released as a limited to 300 copies 7" white vinyl. There's a link or two below for pre-orders.

4/5

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Jesus Crøst - 1986

Jesus Crøst are a two piece grindcore who have added other underground elements to their music. The duo have added death metal and power violence to create a ferocious brutally fast noise that slows down from ramming speed just a little now and then before angrily pummeling once again at full throttle. There are 22 songs in 15 minutes and all the songs are named after Soccer players. There are a few samples taken from soccer games of days long gone. Well worth checking out.





3.5/5

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