What Are You Listening To Now - The Horde Edition

Infernal Conjuration - Infernale Metallum Mortis (2019)

Described by one of my internet acquaintances as "the best death metal he has ever heard".  Bold statement and not true for me.  Competent death metal from Mexico that ticks boxes.

Bolt Thrower - "The IVth Crusade" (1992)

English death metal at the elite level. I'll fight anyone who doesn't agree that this is Bolt Thrower's best record. The production was stepped up & it presented a band that knew their limitations & worked within them to perfect a beautifully refined brand of death metal full of hooks & controlled power. Karl proves once more that a bit of intelligibility in your death metal growls is always a plus when trying to portray a message too. Yes it can get a little samey but the melodies in their riffs are strong enough to allow them to get away with it. I saw them on the tour in support of this record from the middle of the front row (when I wasn't stage diving) & it was one of my greatest death metal experiences. For fans of Benediction, Asphyx & Hail Of Bullets.

4.5/5

Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked - (2005)

Nile's last great record.  Full of beastly riffs and herculean technicality to boot.  CD copy arrived this past week to assist with some plaster that needs removing from the walls opposite the stereo speakers.

4/5

Gorguts - From Wisdom to Hate - 2001

On the notes in the booklet, Lemay describes this record as one he is very proud of.  "We were able to maintain the musical vocabulary and aesthetic found on 'Obscura' but in a less abrasive and chaotic way...Now, with a step back, it seems to me that 'From Wisdom to Hate' would have been a more natural and logical progression to 'Erosion Of Sanity'"

I agree with him on the less abrasive front, but to be honest I kind of wanted a bit more of that on this record.  Compositionally it does start to lay groundwork for Colored Sands I can hear but I often used to debate that this should have been, as Lemay describes above, the album between the sophomore and Obscura.  I think whichever album came after Obscura was going to be a step down in terms of that chaos that Luc alludes to in his notes.  Some how though if history had been different and Colored Sands ended up following Obscura I still would have loved both records.

Holding off on my rating currently as want to get a full review done soon and just revisiting after a fair old period of time since last regular spins of this.

Draghkar - At The Crossroads Of Infinity

Hey all, a member of Draghkar (Brandon Corsair) recently reached out to me about their debut album and I think it's something pretty unique that quite a few people here would be interested in. It's got a great mix of Death and Black Metal with some old school style production and a ton of interesting ideas which don't overstay their welcome. I pointed Draghkar to The Academy and I'm assuming they'd enjoy hearing some feedback since they've been reaching out to RYM reviewers. Daniel, Ben, and Macabre are the ones off the top of my head that probably need to hear this.

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll give it a few spins over the next few days.

Yep, enjoying this, thanks for sharing.

So I've given "At The Crossroads Of Infinity" a few spins over the weekend & I have to admit that I'm not really onboard with Draghkar's style. There's an interesting array of influences on display which starts with the old school death metal of Autopsy & dilutes it with the early works of bands like Rotting Christ (black metal), Amorphis (melodic death metal) & My Dying Bride (doom/death). The growly vocals in particular remind me very much of Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride actually which can't be a bad thing. Now that all sounds very good in theory but, with the exception of bassist Cameron Fisher, I'm not sure the band had the technical skills to pull it off successfully at this stage. The drumming is probably the main annoyance for me as almost every track includes some very lightweight & bouncy punk-driven speed metal beats which totally lose me & I'm often left wondering whether their inclusion was out of necessity rather than preference. The rhythm guitar performances are a little sloppy during the chuggy down-picked sections & the relatively basic guitar solos don't really add anything much to the sonic landscape either. Also, the use of lead melodies had a lot of potential but could have been so much more interesting if they didn't simply mirror the underlying riff for the most part. On the positive, the production lends itself well to the task at hand & the doomier sections are generally very successful (particularly during the lengthy album highlight track "An Erosion of the Eternal Soul"). I really dig those vocals too. In fact, most of these songs have really good moments but they're inevitably balanced out by some mediocre ones which tend to spoil the experience for me I'm afraid. Perhaps Draghkar are simply a touch too melodic for my taste? I dunno but there's no doubt there's potential for the future. I just don't think they're are quite there yet.

3/5

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (2017 full dynamic range limited edition)

Have a new turntable and speaker set up in my lair now and so I am finally able to play this gem in all its glory.  Satan bless Earache Records!

Having a re-listen to a couple of the Ulcerate albums I own. I still have a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around some of their material (or just that cavernous death metal style in general). I can keep up for a few tracks before I start to drift and lose focus. I appreciate what they do, they are highly skilled and their compositions drip with atmosphere and ability, it just wears me down (even compared to something like Gorguts' Obscura album, which I find a bit more memorable out of the gate).

Bolt Thrower - For Those Once Loyal & ...For Victory

Since it's the beginning of the year I've been trying to knock out some albums and bands that I know I should have been listening to for years now. Bolt Thrower is definitely one of them, and For Those Once Loyal  and ...For Victory didn't disappoint. Straight up quintessential Death Metal that doesn't necessarily do anything special solely because it doesn't have to in order to be outstanding. 

Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis (2016) - Relapse Records

The pinnacle of their output (at the time).  An improvement on Vermis which in its own right was a superb record.  Probably the first time it all really came together with the mix allowing the component parts to breath independent of each other yet appear cohesive in their own dissonant and chaotic manner.  Listening to Ulcerate gives me a massive sense of connection with disorder and the conflict of emotions which just connects with my own often complex mindset and thought process.

5/5

Immolation - "Unholy Cult" (2002)

Another very strong album from these New York death metallers that perhaps suffers a little bit due to comparisons to the band's previous record "Close To A World Below" which I regard as one of the greatest releases for the genre overall. I still think that Immolation's main weakness is in their technical abilities as the drumming & lead work are pretty sloppy at times & I honestly don't know how people seem to overlook that however that trademark dark atmosphere is here in spades & is further accentuated by the intelligent use of open string dissonance. Plus, the real strength or "Unholy Cult" is in its consistency as the quality of the song-writing remains strong throughout the entire tracklisting. There is a case for there not being any genuinely classic tracks but there's also no sign of a weak one. Immolation will always be one of those bands where it's difficult to distinguish between the individual tracks but death metal isn't exactly a genre where that's such an issue as long as all the other key boxes are ticked & they certainly are here.

4/5

Bolt Thrower - "...For Victory" (1994)

English death metallers Bolt Thrower really did cap out on their development with 1992's classic "The Ivth Crusade" & its associated tour in my opinion. Their previous couple of records were very strong however it was their fourth effort that finally saw their potential coming to its fullest realisation & once I saw them perform those tracks live from the front row & got to make eye contact & stage dive repeatedly from just a step away from my idols I think I personally placed a sticky note in my mind to say that Bolt Thrower couldn't get any better than that moment. So when "...For Victory" was released in 1994, I feel that my anticipation was so high that they would take that sound even further that it tainted my judgement a little on what is essentially another classic release from the band. See, the issue for me was that there had been no further development on the sound that I loved so much on their previous record & if I analyze it to the nth degree I find that it can't quite match its older sibling for highlights however this revisit has seen me finally able to appreciate it as a classic release in its own right. I mean this is still a spectacular example of the classic early 90's death metal sound. It's tight as hell, heavy as fuck, beautifully produced & executed, there are no weak tracks & it has atmosphere for days. In fact, with the exception of some minor inconsistencies in vocalist Karl Willetts' performances from track to track, Bolt Thrower really get their themes across beautifully here. I've underrated this album for decades now but I'm thrilled to have finally seen the light & to be able to claim "...For Victory" as an essential death metal release. Forget 2005's "Those Once Loyal" which seems to be heavily overrated by fans these days. It was certainly a solid "welcome home" for Willetts however it's no match for Bolt Thrower's early 90's material. For fans of Benediction, Asphyx & Autopsy. 

4.5/5

An Abstract Illusion - Illuminate The Path

Progressive death metal with heavy emphasis on "progressive". This is essentially what I would dubiously call "deathgaze" with it's use of atmospheric bridges to connect the brilliant world that has been crafted together. The buildup's are justified and the extended runtimes do not feel overindulgent. FFO (if you could even compare this to anything else): Be'lakor, Wilderun, Ne Obliviscaris, Windir

https://anabstractillusion.bandcamp.com/album/illuminate-the-path

Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence (1993)

It's been many years since I've revisited Swedish death metallers Necrophobic's 1993 debut album "The Nocturnal Silence" but I still find it to be a very solid piece of work. Whilst you'll harbor very few doubts that they hail from Swedish origins once the needle hits the wax, Necrophobic (who were led by Dark Funeral guitarist Blackmoon) had a lot more feathers in their caps than many of their contemporaries & you'll hear all sorts of influences popping up here as they do their very best to name drop almost every great death/thrash/black metal band of the early 1990's & do it all with great aplomb too.

The early Necrophobic sound seems to have been put together by combining the various different elements they were hearing from their local Stockholm scene at the time as far as I can see. You had the classic old-school death metal of Dismember, the melodic black metal of Dissection & the melodic death metal of Unanimated, all fused together & mixed in with regular Bathory references & one-off hints at international acts like Death, Deicide, Obituary, Bolt Thrower, Slayer, Emperor, etc. In fact, I'd suggest that they've borrowed their evil lyrical themes & imagery from Dissection & Deicide too if I'm not mistaken. I wouldn't say that this results in a product that's particularly focused or well defined but the band certainly had the skills to pull it off &, when combined with a production job that offers a good balance of underground rawness & melodic clarity, the result is a fairly accessible yet energetic extreme metal release that's tailor made for an audience that favours a melodic, crunchy & undeniably Swedish brand of death metal.

For fans of Dissection, Unanimated & Dismember.

4/5

Altarage - Succumb (2021)

Holy fucking mother of God.  Having drawn level with the like of Portal with the last effort of squally, shifting, blackened death metal, Altarage have surpassed the aforementioned Australians with their fourth full-length.  Only one listen in and I am already ordering a physical copy.  What a monstrous record - including a monstrous closing track at over 21 mins.  Judgement reserved for now until I spend some quality time with it but based on first impressions this is going to be on regular rotation.

Title track from the latest Baest album.  Whole album is a great listen with a consistency that makes for one energetic and varied experience.  Not flawless but still very entertaining.

4/5

Portal - Avow  (2021)

After Altarage earlier in the year this needs to be an extraordinary record to stand up to what the Spaniards delivered.  First full listen through this morning so we will see.

Ulcerate - Stare Into Death And Be Still (2020)

Today has been a good day, heading into late afternoon now with my AOTY from 2020.

Brutality - "Screams Of Anguish" (1993)

I picked up Tampa Bay death metal outfit Brutality's debut album "Screams Of Anguish" on CD shortly after it was released & really enjoyed it at the time. Brutality are often referred to as one of death metal's more underrated bands however I'm not sure that's entirely accurate as they've always been highly regarded as far as I've seen & don't ever truly threaten the tier one exponents of the genre. What you can expect here is a well composed & executed example of meat-&-potatoes Florida death metal which ticks all of the boxes without ever pushing out into fresh territory.

Scott Reigel's aggressive vocal delivery often reminds me of Deicide's Glen Benton while the more than competent lead guitar work has an element of hired gun James Murphy about its use of melody & harmony which can't be a bad thing. I really enjoy the regular inclusion of slower doomy sections which are always well integrated, despite usually being surrounded by faster blast beat parts. The clean interlude "Sympathy" has always sounded a little out of place to me & would probably sound more appropriate on a European black metal release but the quality of the eight death metal pieces is very consistent. Opener "These Walls Shall Be Your Grave" is the clear standout with its exciting use of short & flashy lead guitar flourishes reminding me a lot of fellow Floridians Nocturnus & I'm surprised they haven't explored that technique further given how successful its been on this track.

Overall, this is a high quality death metal release that has Florida written all over it. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel & instead opts to beat the wheel into submission which shouldn't surprise anyone given the band's not-so-subtle moniker.

For fans of Disincarnate, Monstrosity & Malevolent Creation.

4/5

Yesterday was a surprise Death Metal day for me; checked out two more visceral looking 2021 releases. 

Drawn and Quartered - Congregation Pestilence

A bit too brutal for me, but still has impressively heavy and winding riffing that probably sounds all too familiar to seasoned Death Metal listeners. Fans of the more chaotic and suffocating style of older school Death Metal will probably enjoy this way more than I did. 

2.5/5

Cerebral Rot - Excretion of Mortality

This one, though, is more my speed for when I decide to stick my toe into The Horde. Disgustingly festering chugs behind satisfyingly complex and more technical riffing with a suffocating, but not exactly downright brutal atmosphere like Drawn and Quartered. I dug Cerebral Rot's debut for the first half, but then it got pretty dull towards the end. Excretion of Mortality kept me hooked throughout and their frequent dives into Death Doom kept everything way more fresh than before. I doubt I'll go back to this too often but it definitely scratched the itch I was looking for this week.

3.5/5

Molested - "Stormvold" E.P. (1997)

I remember this relatively unknown Norwegian death metal band creating quite a stir in the underground tape trading scene in the mid-to-late 90's & you can easily see why given the metal-at-all-costs approach taken here. Molested were built around Borknagar guitarist Øystein Garnes Brun who also handles the super-deep growly vocal duties here &, on the evidence of this short five-song EP, it would seem that his prime ambition for the project was to create as much chaos as humanly possible.

"Stormvold" kinda sounds like they've taken the suffocating death metal of Incantation & combined it with the out-of-control execution of the South American extreme metal scene & the commitment to outright insanity of the war metal subgenre. Now that synopsis sounds pretty amazing to me in theory but I've always wanted to like this E.P. more than I actually do. I certainly appreciate the vicious atmosphere they've managed to achieve however the execution isn't everything I'd like it to be. It's simply TOO chaotic for my taste a lot of the time with the riffs struggling to maintain their structure.

There's no doubt that this is a metal-as-fuck release that will appeal to fans of the most extreme of the extreme & it ticks many of my boxes in the process (see the outrageously metal guitar tone for example) however it unfortunately doesn't end up becoming something that I find myself returning to all that often.

For fans of Incantation, Portal & Infester.

3.5/5

Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes - 1992

Chalk me up some death metal tonight please bar tender and make it distinctly Finnish.