Vinny's Reviews

By the time album number three came around I was already fully sold on the threatening death metal of Vastum.  Whilst structurally questionable as an album, their sophomore effort still had some fine moments and still to this day I actively seek out most new releases from this band some eight years after first encountering them.  Hole Below starts with the largely spoken word introduction to the track Sodomitic Malevolence before it opens into a well layered piece of raging death metal.  The song feels unrestrained in delivery like all the component parts came together organically in some random jam session.  As a result it feels complete and memorable as all album openers should do.

We stray dangerously close to what killed the flow of Patricidal Lust when the above mentioned track only just finishes in time for Amniosis to kick in.  This is a more measured and riffy affair than the first track but again has that whole band feel to it, the drums for instance on previous releases had always worked as a subtle compliment to the rest of the instruments but here they seem to have carved their own space to deliver solid and consistent content without overwhelming anything else.   As with the opener we have some chanting, spoken word stuff going on which enhances the mood well.

The clumsily titled In Sickness and In Death opens with a more groovy sounding riff and the vocals of kick in straight away.  Despite the urgency of the vocal delivery and the riffing the track soon calms down to a chugging, machine like efficiency as it twists its way through five minutes of menacing and foreboding death doom.  The equally clumsy lead that gets delivered around the three minute mark reminds me so much of Autopsy that Eric Cutler could be sat on my face.

Vastum again stick with a six song format for this record and again i think it works well, more so given that this time around the whole album structure is spot on and very well paced.  The straight-up, in your face riff that opens Intrusions soon gives way to a more measured pace that twists again soon enough to keep the listener guessing.  Its swarming leads act like flashes of lightning to startle and confuse the listener further amidst the already swarming chaos of the maelstrom that Vastum build.  The chants seems to be a theme on this record as they are here again and used to good affect once more.

The addition of Shelby Lermo (of recent Ulthar and Extremity fame) on guitar seems to have brought the added groove to some of the riffs on the album.  The title track itself benefits greatly from this and builds into a superb frenzied attack on the senses as the riffs dial into your brainwaves.  The pacing here toys with the listener again, stretching the attention span nicely.  As you get through album closer Empty Breast with its direct and no nonsense approach you start to feel like you have been through a whole experience which had been lacking on previous Vastum outings.  It still is not reinventing any wheels but the band deserves recognition for still sounding interesting with a tried and tested sound after three records and never once trying to get flashy or showy.

Two years after corrupting my mind with their excellent and graphic debut, Vastum returned with six more tracks of sexual depravity themed filth.  A change of drummer was the only real difference here as Adam Perry replaced R.D. Davies on the skins.  The band certainly sound more mature on this release with the song structures being just as solid as the previous offering but the blend of the transitions on the tracks seems less chaotic this time around, although more thought needed to go into the overall album structure this time around.

That having been said I find album opener Seasons in the Claustrum (The Libidinal Spring) a little too fluid to fully appreciate the effort that went into writing it.  Enigma of Disgust snaps me back to fond memories of first discovering the band with its slow and punishing, ground and pound delivery.  The tone of the guitar is like a doomy slant on swedish death metal.  Leila and Daniel are on great form again as they trade vocal blows across the riffscape of the track.  All the while Luca Indrio motors along with his consistent and subtle bass work whilst the aforementioned Perry does a great job of holding point on the skins with some variety thrown in on the runs also. 

As with the debut, Vastum aren't afraid to make the transition between songs not be as obvious in terms of the start of a new track not necessarily being the end of the previous one.  3am in Agony sounds like Enigma of Disgust is finishing for the first minute or so and as a result I fell it never really gets going as a standalone track.  I had struggled to put my finger on why I never really warmed to this track until I sat down with the album playing to write this review.  It's a shame because the use of pace in the track to sell the lead work is excellent but I can't shake that disjointed feeling easily unfortunately.

The looming, yet basic riff that introduces Incel sets the tone for a more slow and doomy offering after the varied pace of the opening three tracks.  It feels like more of a plod than an all out chugfest though.  A solid enough attempt at pacing the record as a whole though but it does tend to stick out like a bit of sore thumb.  The title track offers a more atmospheric start before opting for the big riff approach, the pacing is better here and the track soon settles into more of a solid riffing pattern.  The track develops well to have a fuller sound as the track progresses but the track never really establishes any presence for me.

The track that closes the album establishes much more impact a lot more quickly than the previous two.  Repulsive Arousal feels like something is being forced onto the listener and though it is every bit as repulsive as the title suggests it is something you can't help but be left defenceless by with it's infectious riffing and guttural vocals smothering your ears like the tongue of some heinous sexual predator.  When the leads come, they come swarming and biting for your flesh.

Overall, I enjoy the sophomore less than the debut.  It has some good ideas but never quite has the arrangement to carry them off, like the work that went into the individual song structures never got envisioned as a structure for a whole album.

If you missed the 90's heyday of death metal you would be very glad that Vastum popped up in 2011 to provide a healthy mosh down memory lane.  Their debut full length remains a much visited release from my library some eight years later.  The band are still going strong too having just released their fourth full length (Orificial Purge) this year.

Carnal Law boasts six tracks of slow death metal that nods to death doom aficionados such as Incantation but the album is more or less a more clean version of Autopsy.  Less clumsy than the Oakland quartet, Vastum's sound is more harsh and scathing in texture, less suffocating yet somehow more asphyxiating. 

The charging and menacing start to the album that Primal Seduction gives is a real taste of what is to come over the next thirty three minutes. The harsh vocals of Leila Abdul-Rauf (Hammers of Misfortune) and more bellicose style of Daniel Butler (Acephalix) combining well to give minimal yet welcome variety.  On the sonics front, Leila and Kyle House (Acephalix) have us more than covered.  The chugging engine of Re-member motors through solid riffs and surprisingly clear vocals.  The drums are well placed in the mix here as anything more than their subdued thumps and thuds would overwhelm the track. 

Devoid is the first real doomy track to my ears but it gets torn apart two minutes in as the pace intensifies before mellowing into more chug and doom to compliment the lead work.  Everything feels really solid across all tracks, like you can feel the intent of each riff and each drum hit and be caught in the rumble of each bass string. Umbra Interna acts like an extension of the previous track but goes off in an almost more progressive structural direction.  This track feels more dirty and seedy (let's be honest folks the band are writing with explicit sexual activities in mind) but also at times has a feel of something being missing somehow, like there's room to expand into that isn't used for some reason.  The track touches upon meandering territory on a couple of occasions as a result.

Penultimate track Carnal Law is one of the more Autopsy influenced pieces.  Again the band makes use of that solid riffing structure and adjusts pace well throughout the track. Album closer, Spirit Abused is a more driving offering that drills into the listener with heavy riffs as the bit of choice.

Although not groundbreaking, Carnal Law does a great a job of celebrating a sound that I enjoy, even it has been done before.  If you like your death metal sordid and corrupt then you'll love this.  No wheels get reinvented here but nor does the band stray into any specific aspect of worship only musings either.  The songwriting is solid and whilst lacking variety it doesn't get dull or repetitive.  Come bathe in the murk folks!

New discoveries are what keep me occupied on the internet most days if I am honest.  Whether it is here at the Academy or one of the other many realms I dwell in on the worldwide web, I lose countless hours as one recommendation leads to a whole discography and then of course I am at the mercy of "similar" artists.  Amestigon inhabit the school of BM that moves between melodic and atmospheric passages to intense, authentic and raging riffing with ease.  The most lasting impression I got after one listen to Thier  was how well structured it was.  I mean the songwriting is of great quality and the columns that support these structures are solid.  Whether it's the authentic vocal styles, the resplendent riffs, the lead work or the consistent drumming there's lots of things to impress here.

Comprising of just four songs, Thier still clocks in at just under an hour.  That should give you some idea of the extent of the tracks on this record with none of them under ten minutes (the title track is twenty minutes).  It would be easy to get lost in something so vast and sprawling, but the aforementioned structure, the clever use of pace and a variety throughout all tracks means that you can't help but be captivated by the record.

Featuring Silenius (of Summoning fame) and Tharen (sometimes of Abigor) there is no real surprise here on the quality front.  Harrowing leads, spat vocals and dank atmospheres punctuate the album regularly enough to please the most authentic of BM fans but the triumph here is the overall record stands up so well as a standalone piece not just as a collection of songs.

The immediacy I enjoyed with Vektor's debut is not as prevalent on their follow up.  Not to say that the release overall suffers as a result of this.   The clever stuff is still there, the widdly and noodley lead work, the polyrhythmic drums and the time changes to leave you catching your breath are all still presnt and accounted for.  You just have to spend some time with the album and peel back a couple of layers to see them lying beneath.

For all the technical nuances present here there's a surprising level of memorability here once you have given it enough spins.  Both the opening and closing (title) tracks nicely bridge what comes in between, framing the cosmic-themed, technical thrash perfectly and still somehow leaving you wanting more.  The structures on this album remain a mixture of vast soundscapes (Cosmic Cortex and the title track) and short bursts of chaotic sounding yet well planned thrash with enough variety to leave you dizzy (Echoless Chamber, Dying World and Dark Creations, Dead Creators).

The skilled musicianship shows throughout but it never feels like wankery or showmanship.  It feels cosmic, and ethereal at times and you end up with melodies ringing around in your head for days after listening to it.

It doesn't really flow that well as a record which keeps me from rating it as high as the debut and things do feel a bit samey on more than one occasion making me feel the album could have been a couple of tracks shorter in the end.

BAN are at the point in their discography where they can basically release anything they want and nobody would bat an eyelid.  Despite all manner of atmospheric BM, industrial influences and progressive stylings being present throughout their history, for "Hallucinogen" the group have somewhat managed to go back to basics.  It is hard to listen through this and not think of "Memoria Vetusta" era BAN.  The melodies are so crisp and clear, the riffs infectious as opposed to just abrasive and the vocals so detached it almost like they really wanted to write an instrumental record.

There's a huge amount to take in here still.  In spite of the cleaner feel to proceedings it is no less vast in scope.  "Hallucinogen" still demands your attention just as much as "MoRT" or "The Work Which Transforms God" does, just for different reasons.  The structures that are being built here are simple in appearance yet intricate in delivery, the looping and psychedelic guitar melody to 'Sybelius" is one example of this as it wraps itself around your brain, clinging there for days.

The dreamy and slow picked start to 'Anthosmos' soon breaks to become a positively inter-stellar melodious affair as it builds and transforms itself into a central piece de resistance of the album.  For the more traditional BM fan there's still the rampant aggression of 'Mahagma' to whet the appetite but this too relies heavily on dreamy and psychedelic vocals to give it edge.

BAN continue to be a challenging listen with each new record and at the same time manage to remain relevant and always attached to their roots at the same time. 

Unfathomable is defined as something "incapable of being fully explored or understood". Now that isn't to say that I find Wormed's latest release incomprehensible, no far from it. It is - as expected - a blistering assault of technical death metal full of crisp yet crushing riffs and vocals so guttural they surely dislodge the vocalist's internal organs.  

The sheer level of attention that is required to track everything that is going on is mind blowing however. Over ten tracks, Wormed tell a story that whilst obvious as a concept is not going to fall under the familiar structure that we were all taught at school of having a beginning, a middle and an ending. These three elements are all there of course ,but there is a huge swirling tempest at the very core of everything Wormed do that takes the assured form of a story or a journey and disperses it into abstract chaos.

It is this spiralling mass of complexity and multi-level auditory assault that sets them apart from other bands that fall under the neat pigeon hole of Tech DM. Personally I don't find them that technical in the obvious sense as they have also managed to apply the sheer guttural and barbaric raw intensity of Brutal DM to their sound. Usually when I hear a "tech" record I nod appreciatively like I am admiring the robust body of a fine wine. When I listen to Wormed my nodding is more akin to drinking a fine craft ale only with semtex popping candy also on my palate to really keep me on my toes. My point is that clever instrumentalists they undeniably are they are also full of energy and are actually fun to listen to as well. 

If you liked "Exodromos" you'll love "Krighsu" as to be honest it is more of the same, which although is not a bad thing is also perhaps the main quibble I have with it. I remember loads of "Krighsu" long after it has finished playing but I can't really separate it structurally from "Exodromos". I am perfectly happy to consider it an extension of the sophomore release though because as raging death metal beasts come, few are as capable as "Krighsu". 

The mental song titles are still present. "Agliptian Codex Cyborgization", "Computronium Pulsar Nanarchy" and "Zeroth-Energy Graviton" are fine examples of songs that even if you could understand the lyrics you still wouldn't understand what the hell the song is about regardless. The production is crisp and clear and yet never feels overwhelming or smothering the ferocious brutality of the sound. The drumming is as manic as you'd expect (previous drummer Riky having made way for G-Calero) and the riffing takes a special set of hands to deliver it's staccato style. Ever present of course are the vocals. Phlegeton has endless props having been involved with nine other acts during his time. He's as strong as ever on "Krighsu" gurning out his trademark guttural emanations on astronomy, astrophysics, psychosis and Sci-Fi.

There are a couple of other minor quibbles that I have. During second track "Neomorph Mankind" I hear what I can only describe as the Wormed equivalent of a "wicka wicka" (or whatever it is young, happening folk call it nowadays) towards the end which seems out of place. I also find "Eukaryotic Hex Swarm" to a bit meandering and almost distracting to the whole flow of the record as it is slap, bang in the middle of proceedings. That aside however, "Krighsu" remains a triumph. It is a brilliant addition to an already healthy discography and one that you really need to make a purchase of as soon as your pocket allows.

It's hard when you see great album artwork and the content doesn't match the same level of quality.  This is very much the case with the debut release from US Death/Crust metallers, Fuming Mouth (ridiculous name).  There's nothing rancid about what they deliver over the course of twelve tracks by any means, but then also there's nothing new either.

Over the course of just over half an hour, the trio deliver nothing that I haven't already heard on any Black Breath album before now.  Yes, the attitude is there and the ability to play also, but no wheels are being reinvented here and it just comes off sounding like a poor man's version of the aforementioned Black Breath.  Considering it is only thirty three minutes run time, the twelve tracks feel like a bit of a slog really which is a shame.

Smatterings of hardcore stylings alongside OSDM is still "in", I get that but it just lacks depth!  Perhaps when we get round to release number two we will see a little more variety injected into the proceedings.

The important distinction to make here when looking at my (known) experience of Cloud Rat is that this is not the blasting, scathing grindcore one would associate with Cloud Rat.  Nope, here be a fair amount of experimentation for the listener to contend with - and as it turns out this experimentation is very well delivered.  Think the dark, gloomy rock of Chelsea Wolfe, think shoegaze, think dark ambient and think industrial and you are in the right mind set.

Released as a bonus EP with (some) versions of their LP Pollinator, there sits here a mini exhibition of the talents of the trio.  It is notable not just because of the stark contrast to their more traditional fodder, there's a depth to the song writing and a tangibility to the sound that whilst I believe is most definitely there in their grindcore output it struggles to be as obvious to the more impatient listener.

As I listen through the release I get a real sense of a dark heartbeat, pulsing away in some damaged chest cavity.  There's little variation across the seven tracks here (which is not a criticism) which maintains the pace perfectly, keeping your mind in the same place.  Synths lap at your cheeks like cobwebs first thing in the morning, vocals sit somewhere between monotone and ethereal beauty whilst strings and beats punctuate the atmosphere like drops of rain.

It won't be for everyone I am sure but it represents an unexpected and yet very welcome show of another side to an artist I thought I knew reasonably well.

Slayer on their 2001 offering resemble a poor man's Hatebreed only with better lead work.  Nearly all semblance of their thrash routes are lost beneath a horrible mix and as a result Araya's vocals sound like he's formed a side project hardcore band.  There's times on this that the band remind me of a marginally more laughable Biohazard, such is the style of the direction here.

It all just feels like smash n' grab, juvenile shouty music and is a massive disappointment for any longtime fan of the group.  I mean, I thought Metallica had dropped the ball post the black album but fuck me this is up there with "St Anger" as one of the all time turkeys ever recorded by an established artist.  The frenzied pace is still most definitely there and the aggression that sits behind too is just as familiar, it is just somehow completely off in terms of the delivery.

I can see how younger listeners would enjoy it more than a seasoned thrasher would as somehow it retains an air of accessibility throughout but then again it also reeks of a band trying too hard to stay relevant.

Whichever tier of thrash metal you consigned Sacred Reich back in the 80's/90's they still had their moments. "Ignorance" & "Surf Nicaragura" did a great job of establishing the band, whereas "The American Way" just got a little to comfortable and accessible (the title track grates nowadays) for my ears. A couple more records better left forgotten about and then nothing for twenty three years. 2019 alone has now seen three releases from Phil Rind and co. A live EP, a split EP with Iron Reagan and now a full length.

Notable addition to the ranks for the current throng of releases is former Machine Head sticksman, Dave McClean. Love or hate Machine Head, McClean is a more than capable drummer and his presence here is felt from the off with the opening and title track kicking things off with some real gusto. 'Divide & Conquer' and 'Salvation' muddle along nicely, never quite reaching any quality that would make my balls tingle but comfortable enough. The looming build to 'Manifest Reality' delivers a real punch when the song starts proper. Frenzied riffs and drums with shots of lead work to hold the interest.

There's a problem already though (I know, I am such a fucking mood hoover). I don't like Phil's vocals. I never had if I am being honest. The aggression to them seems a little forced even when they are at their best on tracks like 'Manifest Reality'. When he tries to sing it just feels weak though ('Salvation') and tracks lose real punch. Give him a riffy number such as 'Killing Machine' and he is fine with the Reich engine (probably a poor choice of phrase) up in sixth gear. For every thrashy riff there's a fair share of rock edged, local bar act rhythm aplenty too.

Let's not poo-poo proceedings though, because overall I actually enjoy "Awakening". It is stacked full of catchy riffs that are sticky on the old ears. Whilst not as raw as perhaps the - brilliant - artwork suggests with its black and white, tattoo flash sheet style design it is enjoyable enough. Yes, 'Death Valley' & 'Something to Believe' have no place here, saved only by Arnett and Radziwill's lead work but 'Revolution' is a fucking 80's thrash heyday throwback to the extent that if you turn the TV on during it you might catch a new episode of Cheers!

Up until two weeks ago, I hadn't even heard of Mizmor.  One look at that cover and I had this record in my ears within thirty seconds.  Good album artwork should pull you into a record, give some promise of what lies beneath but then also not give everything away.  The songwriting, like the artwork, follows this thesis perfectly.  I have listened to this everyday since discovery and I am still learning more and more about it.

'Desert of Absurdity' sets the tone perfectly with its acoustic picked strings like some desolate flourish that seeps into the harsh and abrasive wall of blackened sludgy guitars before equally acerbic vocals add a further layer to proceedings.  The unmistakable BM influence rides high in the saddle for the majority of the opening track, charging at the listener yet the reins are held tight enough to always give a sense of control.  When the pace does let up, it brings in the harrowing and melancholic doom influences that are balanced so well they give a real feel of transition and growth to the track.  Even at over ten minutes long the track never gets boring.  As it progresses through BM to death/doom soundscapes it all just keeps the attention effectively throughout.

The most memorable part of the entire four tracks on this record are the banshee-esque howls that sit at the start (proper) of 'Cairn to God'.  They are so penetrating and incisive that they shatter my very aura every time I listen.  I sit through the atmospheric intro, waiting for them to blast me with their astringent allure like some small piece of prey who knows there's nowhere to hide and the game is up.  The doom influence sits much higher here than on the opening track, which on a piece that runs over eighteen minutes is hardly surprising.  The start, stop use of the riffs to structure around the vocals works really well, giving a real sense of build to proceedings.  Punishing though this creation is it is equally as captivating.

Mizmor means "psalm" in Hebrew and track two certainly feels like a sacred song or hymn that praises the infernal misery of life.  It is a nihilistic anthem for the extreme pessimist to condemn existence to.

'Cairn to Suicide' follows a very similar format to track one.  More aggressive to start but well paced enough to hold the attention.  It holds less memorability for me and that is not necessarily because it is a poorly constructed song, more because it follows such a sprawling and exhausting masterpiece and the brain needs time to adjust.  For this reason I imagine the album plays best as an LP since the vinyl offering comes over 4 discs which would essentially showcase the comprehensive skill on show on each track.

Album closer 'The Narrowing Way' goes heavier on the doom again and is a fitting and clearly expressed end point to proceedings.  There's a lot to take in over the one hour of music on offer here and not everyone will have the patience to sit through it I am sure.  But for those that do the rewards are limitless.  Serious contender for album of the year.

By the time they came around to this album the strain was showing on AIC.  Stayley had relapsed and as a result the core song topic of drugs just got replaced by utter nonsense.  Not even Cantrell could rein back in the discordant nature that had seeped into the lyrical content as the song structures and compositions themselves suffered from an equally chaotic and at times downright messy arrangement.  Often this left the listener with a sense that any harmony in the band was now as obsolete as the form of the tracks and album as a whole suggested.

Things start off well as opening track “Grind” just seems to effortlessly pick up where the previous record left off.  Like some bonus track offering of a continuation of “Jar Of Flies” it offers real promise that sadly dies almost immediately with “Brush Away”.  As the album continues only “Heaven Beside You” stands out as being anything like memorable, albeit more for the fact of how underwhelming it is.

If you can bring yourself to sit through all twelve tracks then it is hard not to feel weary post-listen.  Somehow the flat and stale air of the record lingers in the sense of a real fatigue that sits like a heavy meal in your stomach that was largely devoid of flavour even in the form of garnish.

The year earlier the band had a billboard number one with the same line up,FFS!

For all the hate I hear vented on forums at Machine Head for being "unimaginative Metallica riff copying pish! Debut rocks but been downhill since, blah blah" I wonder if there are actually 2 bands with the same name and I am fortunate enough to be hearing the better version of the two?

2011's "Locust" was superb - patchy towards the end but so full of energy and pure raw metal intensity that to recognise it as anything other than a top notch release is ridiculous. With Duce gone you could have been forgiven for thinking "Bloodstone & Diamonds" would be a sub-par effort made by a band struggling with the loss of such a key member. The departure of founding bassist Duce energised Machine Head and the new album was full of riffs, hooks, chops and (again) strings! It was balanced to boot, the romp being mediated by some effective and deliberate pace changes be that mid song or to build a track.

In terms of a mainstream metal album you will find nothing to rival this in the whole of 2014, Flynn has a direction and vision that he has kept going now for eight albums (at time of this release) and whilst "Bloodstone.." does little to reinvent the Machine Head wheel what it does do is cement the expectations fans have come to expect from one of metals long standing groups. Yes the song lengths do need a trim in places but this is never going to be "Burn My Eyes", anyone sat around waiting for another album on par with the debut needs to move the fuck on and realise that for any band in 2014 "Bloodstone.." is an excellent release. Recognise "BME" for what it is and celebrate it for what it was but to benchmark a whole career worth of releases against such an opening release is ridiculous and pointless.

Look instead at the glum. misery of "Sail Into The Black" or the epic proportions of "In Comes The Flood" and see that although the hints of nu-metal are still in the throat of Flynn or on the groove of some riffs ("Beneath The Silt" especially) this was a band matured and perfectly at ease with its standing in the world of metal music. The guitar work on "Bloodstone..." follows on superbly from the brilliance of "Locust" - I am a sucker for dueling six strings and so am very fucking happy with the widdly bits on display here!

Taking "Black Masses" at face value as a tame throng of occult ridden doom, you could be wondering exactly where Electric Wizard could take us on their next opus? The fact is nobody sat waiting for this record expecting any massive shift in style, or change of pace or sound, so it could be argued that Electric Wizard's task was made easy by the simple act of working within the restrictions of the very genre in which they sit.

So where did the group taken us this time? How do you follow up a solid yet mediocre slab of doom like "Black Masses"? Simply put you just ramp up the darkness, ramp up the evil and down tune a bit more. To take your slow and heavy, established sound and find renewed fire in you belly to take it onto another level all together takes effort and thought and that is obvious in abundance on "Time To Die".

As album opener "Incense For The Damned" begins it's obvious from the off that the darkness that seeps from every riff and vocal is meant to be all consuming like getting a big hug off Count Dracula himself. Throughout the record the band have elected to run with voice over footage which sits really well with the atmosphere and aesthetic of the album as a whole.

As a whole opus it's a lot to take in at one sitting and it's only when you sit back and take in the nightmarish effects of the vocals married with the haunting melody and crunching doom of the sounds that you start to appreciate the experience better. Take a time to sit jaw agape at the thundering weight of the opening to "I Am Nothing" as the whole band bludgeon your skull into dust with as heavy a slab of doom as you'll have heard in along while.

Throughout the fuzz-drenched hour and a bit Jus Osborn whines and wails over the plodding bestiality of Liz Buckingham's riffs as Clayton Burgess and Mark Greening show their importance in the sound as a whole, underpinning everything perfectly. If you have ears you'll find "Time To Die" a massive step up from "Black Masses", in fact it's on another level altogether, a different fucking planet.

The previous outing from Aevangelist was a difficult affair for me. I understood the rationale behind the direction of the record and the stylistic chops and changes that they tried to mix into one big dark, ugly and chaotic pie. Unfortunately, "Omen Ex Simulacra" lost me. Instead of being enveloped by it's swarming atmospheres and looming darkness I found myself sitting back and looking consistently rather puzzled. Part of the attraction of bands like Aevangelist are their absolute inaccessibility, but "Omen.." was a journey too far for these ears and although I have revisited just to make sure I am not being a knob I still don't remember much about it.

"Writhes In Murk" uses atmosphere much better than the previous effort. There is no sitting around waiting for the threat of squally, chaotic and pounding DM as a synth or drone teases you with the potential, in the main the music is more in your face yet has the edge of menace as opposed to a constant reminder. Opening track "Hosanna" gets straight in your face, wraps cold hands of impenetrable darkness around your head and snogs you with a thick, black and slimy tongue thrown down your throat for good measure. This is the tone for the rest of this particular romance as track after track engulfs you, taking you along on every blast of power violence, wrapping your body in dark ambience, tearing at your flesh with sharp talons of black noise and smothering you with the records industrial, black DM.

By the time you get to the title (and final) track you are genuinely disorientated. Such is the pace and complexity of what is contained in these 8 tracks you will lose a whole hour (and then some) and will simply want to dive right back in and go at it all over again.

When it comes to death/doom, variety is not necessarily top of the average listener's appeal list. Usually when I review such a release I find myself typing "doesn't reinvent the wheel but does the genre justice with this solid offering" or words to that effect. Ossuarium's debut full length falls under that banner most definitely. Nobody is fucking around here with a saxophone to make the offering standout with some eclectic and unnecessary deviation from tradition. If you like your death metal doomy or your doom metal deathy then chalk up a tick in your respective box folks!

As predictable as the "Incantation influences aplenty on show here" references are, what "Living Tomb" does do is show some variety in terms of the band wearing their influences on their sleeves. Yes, Incantation is an obvious comparison but I also get the clumsy and cloying lead work of Autopsy in here too. There's also clever, atmospheric structures in places you wouldn't expect, like mid-track on the superbly titled "Vomiting Black Death" which remind me of dISEMBOWELMENT.

What is also obvious after a couple of listens though is the production job, in terms of how bad it is on the whole. It sounds like the rhythm section has cloth over it and yes, I get that the genre is supposed to sound gloomy but this isn't good gloomy, this is (slightly) muffled gloomy and that detracts from the whole experience unfortunately as I find it quite noticeable. The slower sections of most songs suffer more obviously with this and so I find this is where the brain switches off or goes wandering.

Let's not get too bogged down in production though as the skill of the band is still obvious and we can just imagine how strong the sophomore release is gonna be if they get that production/mix issue ironed out. The potential of Ossuarium is as huge as the riffs and as intense as the melancholic leads that guide on this dank journey. The artwork here depicts perfectly what you get on the record. Big looming structures, menacing atmospheres and ugly sounds (check out the guitar at the start of "Writhing in Emptiness"). These boys can write and play also and you will struggle to find better built death/doom this side of Spectral Voice and Tomb Mold, it just needs a better environment to really show all these good bits off a bit better.

I rarely discover a band's discography in order of release.  Often, I find my experience of a band starting somewhere other than their debut release.  Saxon are no exception to this rule.  My first taste of Barnsley's finest was "Power & The Glory" from 1983 (and I didn't hear it until 1989).  I only got around to their debut full length about 4 years ago, some 3 decades after it was released.

At first listen it was a little disappointing.  A bit tame for usually more extreme tastes as I get older perhaps.  However, it has grown in stature over the past few years of occasional spins as part of the Original Album Series box set I picked up on holiday one year.  The initial, pensive reaction to the mid-paced and bass heavy, ploddy NWOBHM esque, near cabaret feel was thankfully replaced on repeated listen with the understanding that this not only was a fine piece of late 70s hard rock but that so much of the sound that was to influence me throughout the 90s was literally dripping out of the speakers.

I actually quite enjoy the melodic and kind of mysterious opening to the eponymous debut.  "Rainbow Theme" & "Frozen Rainbow" feel like the band aren't giving too much away too early on in the record/their recording career.  The more upbeat "Big Teaser" is pure Yorkshire cock rock and by the time we are at the end of track four we have been treated to a variety of pace, skilled musicianship and harmonious band performances come the final throes of "Judgement Day".

There's little to not enjoy throughout side one.  Yes, Biff's vocal range is limited but his ability marries perfectly with the tight playing of his band mates.  It's hard not to chuckle through side two's penultimate track"Still Fit To Boogie" with it's defiant message of wanton youth a little tarnished by the delivery and the subsequent years, but Oliver and Quinn's guitar work on both rhythm and lead carry the track through superbly.

Don't get me wrong, "Saxon" is not perfect.  Whether I am typing this in 1979 in red and black striped trousers or in my tracksuit bottoms in 2019 there's criticism to be levelled.  For instance, it never quite feels exciting or moving even.  It just plays well and quite safely in the corner.  It is like a candle sat on a very big saucer, you don't mind leaving the room with it still lit for 5 mins because you know it'll be fine and won't run away with itself and spill wax all over your sideboard.  For an eight track record there's remarkably a piece of filler present in closing track "Militia Guard".  I mean it is played well enough and Dawson's bass makes it sound like every other track on here, but it is just oddly paced and feels a bit unnecessary.

Let's acknowledge though that this record is 40 years old this year.  It might not be my favourite Saxon record and it might not even be my second or third favourite.  It is however, still getting plays.

Rare indeed is it for a release to leave me speechless and reduced to little more than gaping jaws as my only sign of human interaction or response. The fact is that when I first heard "Nihl" my ears were first feasted upon by the two tracks alone that first premiered.  I had no idea why Altarage had not appeared on my radar until then but thank fuck in the name of all that is unholy that they did.

Stunned though I was by the cavernous, murky depths of the two teaser tracks that plagued my head for days afterwards, I was still completely unprepared for how utterly monstrous the full product actually was. This ladies and gentlemen required me to forget all that I knew, indeed dismiss every common notion of the genre that I held because Altarage came with no rule book. Here be music of no particular form, just a writhing mass of pain, disease and overwhelming death.

I can't remember the last time I was floored by an opening track. The start to "Drevicit" is like a city full of monolithic, gothic architecture collapsing on you. It smothers you whilst simultaneously raining down blows upon your meek and pathetic existence. It doesn't just wind you, it tears the air from your lungs and presses its whole weight against your very soul.

And this is only track one. Of eight!

Second track "Womborous" was one of the two teasers I mentioned earlier. It has a thunderous structure like the march of an undead army. The riffs pummel you into submission like blows from an ancient, rusted Battle Axe. They leave jagged bits of flaked metal in your wounds that infect your blood with their coppery coloured menace.

There's no let up to this insanity, it is a constant darkness in your psyche, a raging tide of demonic abhorrence and ghastly intent. There are no corners to hide in, no crevices in which to take shelter. It is an all encompassing vortex that takes all in its path. The seeping horror of the intro to track 3 "Graehence" will have you clawing at your own eyes and ears in fear before the macabre tribal drumming renders you paralysed until the guitar just crawls over you. "Graehence" really does tease you with its varied pace and structure, never once letting you get your head around truly what is going on. Inevitably there are comparisons to be drawn with Portal here but this is something else. Even though you are listening to chaos it does have a discernable presence, a hellish rationale to its being and existence. As "Baptism Nihl" begins it sounds like an effort to re-acquaint you with this evil wizardry as though you needed more of your soul stripping away as you reach halfway on the album.

"Vortex Pyramid" is perhaps the best named track on here. It is a trap, a rising swirl of madness forcing you into a confined point of dementia. As I got to this point I noticed how "un-death metal" the vocals actually are. They are more like a ghoulish BM style which compliments the music perfectly. When the instrumentation creates something this disturbing you don't need guttural growls and gurns to accompany it. "Batherex" is the second of the teaser tracks, with its opening riff that sounds like a swarm of insects scittering down your bedroom window before it opens up into yet another full frontal assault. Seriously? The fucking guitar tone on this album alone should make you feel filthy and unwashed.

And so it continues as the ferocious ending of "Altars" gives way to the dreadfilled, looming build of closing track "Cultus". By this point the world has been black for over forty minutes and the sun may never rise again, your house has somehow decayed around you and that fluffy lovable pet dog you had has now been transformed into a full blown, bonfide HellHound. There's so much going on within the eight tracks on "Nihl" that you may never fully come to terms with the experience. The sudden end to the final track is reminiscent of a portal to the underworld suddenly closing, and even though your personal torment is over still somewhere the agony goes on, endlessly.

P.s. that fucking artwork!

There's not anything wrong with "The Fallen Entities" in terms of basic principals.  It chugs like a death metal record should do.  It chops at the listener with deft riffage like any death/trash record would do.  It has gruff, Schuldiner style vocals that genuinely make me want to go and put on a Death record.  Hell, it even makes me throw the odd claw shape with my hand and pull a silly face.  It still sounds tired though, like a band just going through the motions.  The fact that the majority of the tracks sound the same is kind of hard to dismiss, like the sheer effortlessness involved in just writing and recording quashed all creativity in the process.

Opprobrium can do better than this given their years of experience I am sure.  I am genuinely not sat here waiting for "Beyond the Unknown MkII" either (who even wants that?), no I would just like the structures to at least feel organic or created by humans instead of this almost conveyor belt production line of riffs and growls.

It gets two and a bit stars because it is still good death metal but the Howard brothers really need some life injecting into their sound if they are planning on sticking around for more releases.

My experience of Taake in the run up to getting around to this record in their discography had been solid enough an experience.  Consistent, entertaining and at times downright astonishing.  Sadly, by the time we get to this release the cracks are showing.  It is almost intentionally rocky for the most part and just comes off as being forced as well as utterly forgettable.

There's usually a turkey in most artist discographies, although this one left a particular sour taste in my mouth given the obvious drop in quality.  It is not to say that Taake lost their/his penchant for songwriting on album number six, more that things obviously went off the boil from the class of the debut.  I mean don't get me wrong, I have never written a black metal song, let alone performed one.  Given that I have listened to metal for 30 years chances are that if I did dip my quill in the ink to transcribe a tale of satanic devotion and nihilistic vitriol then more than a couple of influences would be legible from the finished product.

However, there's a between wearing influences on your sleeve or repeating a tried and tested formula and playing it safe and taking all challenge and scope for variety from your music in a genre that is fucking built on those traits!  Hoest just ploughs on with what he knows has worked on previous outings and somehow makes it come across as dull and sterile (in a non-black metal cool way).  It isn't all terrible, there's plenty of stormy percussion and more than a fair share of full-bodied riffage.  It just doesn't grab me by my collar and spit in my face like I prefer my BM to do.

"I haven't been this excited about death metal since 1991!" That's what an internet acquaintance of mine posted on Facebook during 2015 whilst mid-discussion about the wealth of excellent bands knocking about at the time.  During the posting frenzy that quickly became a "recent discoveries" exchange many names came out of the hat such as Chapel Of Disease and Sempiternal Dusk but the origin of that discussion was a link that had been posted to then current release from German band Sulphur Aeon.

"Gateway To The Antisphere" promises epic DM soundscapes with it's dramatic Cthulhu artwork and opens very strongly with a menacing intro to boot before the fury of album opener (proper) "Devotion to the Cosmic Chaos". It is obvious straight away that this is going to be as epic as the artwork suggests as the formidable drumming instantly settles into an impressive array of blastbeats and fills to accompany the huge riffs and dark, foreboding atmosphere. It is an epic experience that never quite spills into the realm of being "showy" for "showy's" sake. Sulphur Aeon know how to play their instruments, that cannot be questioned here but what deserves equal praise is their ability to channel the prowess and skill into working parts to make a whole sound as opposed to just intricate structures to exemplify their musical girth! 

Any straightforward blasting is tempered by doomy sections and varied pace and tempos throughout. For every melodic burst there is a murky undertone to the production to keep us firmly in the darkness from which these stabs of melody appear. Comparisons to Behemoth seem inevitable but by no means are they are a negative. Indeed I am often reminded of last year's excellent "The Satanist" as "Gateway..." unfolds it's dark thumping majesty accompanied by occasional BM sound in the background.

During the aforementioned FB discussion a friend of a friend mentioned that Sulphur Aeon were nothing new as a sound and the author of that comment is right. Death metal has been done before (most certainly) but very rarely is it done this well. A few spins into "Gateway.." and you are hooked, addicted to the crushing majesty of the whole experience, drawn by the tireless charge of its epic direction yet also smitten with the melodic beauty within.

Now for anyone with an internet connection or some basic knowledge of BM, you will already remember that Varathron released a rather good album back in 1993 entitled "His Majesty At The Swamp". As fine a slice of hellenic BM you could hope to hear in your miserable little life, "His Majesty.." reserves a place in history as one of those classic albums for a genre. Being honest, since that release things have been patchy at best for Varathron. Follow up "Walpurgisnacht" suffered from a terrible sound and "Crowsreign" was a change of direction too far for some before they eventually got their act together again with "Stygian Forces of Scorn". In between full lengths they fleshed out the time with EPs, compilations and splits which never really held much regard from me.

5 years on from "Stygian.." and "Untrodden Corridors Of Hades" thankfully retained the hellenic majesty of the preceding full length. Let's get the obvious out of the way - it isn't "His Majesty..." Part II, this album has more maturity evident than a residential care home and the production values show that. What the album does do brilliantly is retain those familiar occult, ritual laden sounds. It puts them on display like trophies in a cabinet or exhibits at a museum. As the dark and doomy pace rolls along there is that ever near frantic vocal style and stabbing melody to accompany it. Stefan's vocals are at the forefront of Varathron's sound but by no means are they the only distinguishing part of the whole. The key to the success of "Untrodden.." is the ability for the listener to be able to hear all the parts of the puzzle. Be that the molesting melody of the guitars or the variety of pace in the drums or even the proggy aspects to the bass, it is all there to enjoy as you chant along.

The build of the whole album is superb too. The start of "Kabalisitc Invocation of Solomon" is a perfect chaser for the rest of the darkness that you get to savour with each track and by the time you get to the final two tracks you are pissed out of your mind on the menacing molestation that is occuring in your ears. Seriously I haven't heard for sometime an album close as strongly as this does with "Death Chant" and "Delve Into The Past" with their grimy feel and disturbed chants. Listen also to "The Bright Trapezium" with its frantic start tempered perfectly by the change to a more mid pace within 90 seconds which really lets the bass and guitars shine through before going back into frenzied territory again. The technicality that has always been there with Varathron has found a new lease of life in the more grown up version of the group. The chops of the final throes of the closing track leave a real sense of something having begun, a fire having been (re?)ignited, a promise almost of even more quality to come from one of Greece's finest BM artists.

"Hyperion" kicks things off and is a real romp of a track as it ebbs and flows like some seething tide of dissonance and jarring rhythm. As it bashes and boshes its way through 7 minutes plus of mania induced instrumentation and demented vocal arrangement this scribes mind is grateful that I only have 3 installments to ingest this time as opposed to a full length offering.

Second track "The Guilt Of Time" sets off at a million, tremolo picked miles an hour before settling into a well paced plod interspersed with clashing cymbals and occasional time changes. As things appear to slow down we still have furious guitar work aplenty to remind us not to unbuckle our seat belts just yet as the tinnitus inducing assault is not over yet. As with "Ygg Huur" I suspect that this was recorded live as there is a real organic atmosphere to proceedings here, although I can't help but feel as the track peters out that it does come across as being more like a demo or rehearsal as opposed to an actual physical release. 

"Assuming Memory" finishes the EP and begins with a more melodious approach to proceedings although seemingly without you noticing you are soon enough in the land of spazzing structures and bonkers musicianship. There's no doubt that Krallice remain one of the most (if not the most) forward thinking Black Metal bands - if we can even call them that anymore - around today. With their progressive, yet completely merciless approach to their songwriting they remain a jarring mindfuck that you simply can't take in all at once. They move effortless beyond being avant-garde or just plain old experimental as the structure that orders their own particular brand of chaos is undeniable. In short, they plan to sound this fucked up!

I am not a massive Anthrax fan, I'll be honest. Give me "Persistence of Time" or "Among The Living" all day I am happy enough but not much else really moves me. I read an interview earlier in which Scott Ian describes "For All Kings" as "the most metal album" the band have made "in a long, long time". Sounds promising doesn't it? Unfortunately it isn't true, unless over the last 10 years or so Anthrax became a pop band then yeah you could consider their latest to be more metal. However, it isn't even that metal really.

What riffs there are a blunt and constrained sounding collection of tired sounding repetitions. "Breathing Lightning" and "Suzerain" are examples of this. I could find albums full of this sound in the albums under a fiver section on Amazon if I really wanted to sully my collection. The constant repeat of the lyric "Nothing is over" during the latter of the two tracks just mentioned is perhaps a sad legacy statement of a band who maybe are just not what they used to be but are still trying anyway.

"Evil Twin" actually has some solid thrash riffs (done a million times before) but it is lost in the general "meh" of the record as a whole. Although it deals with a very current and important subject matter (the Charlie Hebdo murders) it is lyrically very naive and quite cringey at times.

As I listen through the record I am just completely underwhelmed. There is no bite to what comes out of the speakers, or when some teeth are bared - like the opening track "You Gotta Believe" or "Blood Eagle Wings" - it is literally a flash of white instead of a full frontal snarl of razor sharp fangs. The wolves are very much not unchained on "For All Kings".

The closest we get to some real balls is "Defend/Avenge" but again it isn't thrash metal anymore it is mediocre, metal edged hard rock. On "Zero Tolerance",the choppy riffs are undermined by random song structure. Almost like in trying to capture former glories Anthrax keep shooting themselves in the foot.

With its very grandiose imagery of monolithic sized band members standing tall amongst admiring masses, "For All Kings" shows that as a concept it is misguided. Off the back of "Worship Music" Anthrax have simply believed too much in their own hype. Give this album to a 13 year old kid who loves Slipknot (not a bad thing) and has no sense of the history of Anthrax and they would no doubt love it to bits. However, for me as an established metal fan for over 25 years "For All Kings" just doesn't cut it. There's no conviction behind it and some of the songs seem to be so long in places for no obvious benefit, the whole album could do with a trim to make it at least more palatable.

In the beginning there was nothing. Then, depending on your mindset, there was either a big explosion or some omnipotent entity did some serious DIY work. Either way, eventually there was rock music (took a few years regardless of your evolutionary viewpoint) and rock music dominated most of the 70s. Stadiums got sold out by the likes of Zeppelin and as the end of that decade came about a couple of now legendary acts like Motorhead and Priest had already become well established with their heavier style of rock - music that we all know to be heavy metal.

As the 80's rolled around the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal - just in case anybody has their head up their arse) was already gathering pace nicely. If we speak of a "first wave" then Saxon are an inevitable necessity in any such conversation. Although I have read reviews that suggest they were early progenitors of speed metal (the fuck?) Biff and the rest of the Barnsley Bikers took the melody of rock, retaining it's simplicity and catchiness yet at the same time combining it with plodding riffs and thumping rhythm to please the metal loving hordes.

"Strong Arm Of The Law" was released in 1980, the same year as the band's previous effort "Wheels of Steel". The latter mentioned album was rightly praised by fans and journos alike, yet on reflection (and more importantly in comparison with "Strong...") wasn't as accomplished as the follow-up record that landed in September of that year. For all the talk of classics from the "Wheels.." album such as the now legendary "747 (Strangers In The Night)" overall the album was still only the recording of a band on their second release and still retained a degree of filler whilst they developed their sound further. "Strong Arm Of The Law" was a band in fine form, completely assured in their delivery of some very memorable NWOBHM. If we want to talk classics then look no further than opening track "Heavy Metal Thunder", a song written for live performance if ever the was one. Lets also mention "To Hell And Back Again", "20,000ft" and the title track also.

The thing is when I was in the record shop yesterday and I saw a vinyl copy of "Strong Arm Of The Law" I was smiling, even before I got my grubby little digits around it. It is one of those albums that retains such a memorable fondness in my mind that the very sight of it lifts the mood. No pun intended, but it is Saxon's strongest album. It is well written, well produced and incredibly consistent. The individual pieces of the band work at their best also. The performances of both Quinn and Oliver are precise and balanced, never quite to the point of refined yet somehow never shoddy either. The most familiar aspect to Saxon for me has always been Biff's unique vocal delivery. Blunt and curt almost in delivery yet never cumbersome or clunky, on "Strong Arm..." he is as distinctive as ever.

So there you have it. Seven quid lighter than I was this time yesterday but managed to pick an absolute gem with that few quid and what is more pleasing, is that as well as it clearly having been well looked after by the previous owner (not a skip, scratch or jump on either side), at some point someone has written "headbanger" on the inner sleeve which pleases me greatly.

Opening an album with a dull, plodding psychedelic nu-metal song isn't really the smartest of moves. I already had this figured out, Gojira unfortunately haven't and as a result I am exposed to as oppressive and bleak a sounding start to a record as I think I have ever heard.

By the time track two comes along ("Silvera") with its more uptempo pace and frenzied prog sounds I am instantly hopeful of an immediate change of track. However, there's something still really flat and oppressive about the production. It is like the guitar is being played in the room next door to where everything else is. The guitarist seems to move another door down by track 3. As "The Cell" plonks through its course the guitar continues to meander away to itself as if the guitarist is unaware they are in a band with other members.

"Stranded" sounds like a more groove orientated Korn with the machine like lead and riff work. This underlines the frustration of "Magma", instead of getting to jump around like a young, dumb and full of cum teenager, shedding angst in my sweat I just sit like a confused dog tilting my head and pricking my ears with a permanent "WTF?" expression on my chops.

Quite what thought process went into "Yellow Stone" I will never know, in essence it sounds like a rehearsal track that they threw in without any consideration for it being seen as the blatant filler that it is.

I don't think there's much more I can go onto say about "Magma". After 5 tracks it loses me as my interest levels hit rock bottom and I start to wonder if any of my CDs need putting in alphabetical order by genre or in general alphabetical order disregarding genre (answers on a postcard please). Genuinely, I see no part of this ten track effort that deserves more than a passing moment of my attention. Blunted Pantera riffs with hazy bass and tired drums with one dimensional vocals for company. I don't know what it is for and it serves no purpose therefore.

At album number seven Inquisition were virtually unstoppable. They were at that point in their career when some scribes were tipping them for mainstream (metal) success - which I felt was unlikely - as the accessibility of their material attracted more new fans than it did piss off old ones! The fact is though whilst there isn't any other band in BM that manages to use melody so effectively and consistently, there is much more to the sound of Inquisition that requires any fan to actually stop what they are doing, sit down with a pair of headphones and truly get lost in some majestic yet abrasive extremity. Since then of course there's been some challenges for the band so I can't help but feel that this record is suitable enough swansong.

There is an intro, an outro and a coda on offer here. Each of them using varying measures of drone, alien ritualistic radio babble and dark ambience to good effect. Three tracks that distinguish well the beginning and culmination of an otherwise relentless and exhausting experience.

That isn't to say that the celestial expansion that takes place during this record is spread over lengthy and meandering compositions. The longest track clocks in at around six minutes (from memory) and yet the structural integrity of what Inquisition manage to do over the course of a four or five minute piece is as solid as you would expect any band (or in this case duo) to accomplish after twenty years together. There's no particularly technical intensity to the riffs that are employed by Dagon or the to blasting fury of Incubus' drumming. The simple aspects that underpin most of what happens here are enhanced by the arrangement, by the subtle time changes and by the nods to influences of the past.

For all the familiar "bending" to skew a little more effect and depth out of a riff there's an obvious thrash influence to tracks like "A Black Aeon Shall Cleanse", as well as more rock n roll feel to the drums of "Power From The Center of the Cosmic Spiral".

New things on this record? For me it is a much more rich sounding affair that manages to thicken up the sound without washing away the minimalist edge to proceedings that give Inquisition their truly evil edge. Vocally, Dagon seems stronger this time out and reminds me more than ever of Abbath. In addition to his superb croaking delivery a nod to Dagon's guitar playing needs to also be afforded as this Inquisition album is all about the riffs, melodies and leads. It is these that drive things forwards with the thundering hooves of Incubus to carry them along nicely. The title track seems to replace vocals with near sonic firings of lead guitar to drive the tempo and pace of the track as a whole.

The term is often overused in reviews and not always applied appropriately but in this instance Inquisition truly can be described as a band at the top of their game.

One look at the album artwork for "Exuvia" and you will immediately have a perfect visual representation of the music to come. The shamanic, ceremonial and spiritual theme to the cover is exactly what unfolds in the sounds from the off when you spin "Exuvia", which starts superbly with the title track. A blend of synth stabs, tribal drumming, ethereal vocals and rumbling darkness. It clocks in at fifteen minutes plus but never once gets dull or boring. 

If you succumb to the meditative trance of track one you will be jolted back into this realm by the grandiose entrance of "Surtur Barbaar Maritime" for sure. Settling in to dissonant picks over almost industrial rumbling rhythm and cold BM vocals with well timed flourishes of more uptempo, yet still haunting, passages also.

It is clear that after just two tracks, "Exuvia" is a triumph of both design and content. I have but a few albums that are an actual experience beyond the auditory sense. There's a precision to this record, prevalent from the off. There's also a subtlety to proceedings too. Check out the clever build to the big finish of track two and then try and remember predicting it, before enjoying it being paired back ready for the haunting opening of "Maere (On A Stillbirth's Tomb)".

Ploughing along again with those industrial edged riffs and slow picked, haunting strings with the slightest of bend applied is again a mesmerising experience. Track three shifts like some dark matter growing out of the corner of the room, just as you imagine you have it's form registered it changes altogether to take on other shapes not of any earthly form. Here you'll find some of the cleverest use of pace committed to musical form as the ethereal female vocals return to enchant you further. 

The hopeful sounding "The Pythia's Pale Wolves" doesn't disappoint as it starts with some demented, whispered babbling and slow, doomy riffs accompanied by bagpipes - fucking hell! Then there's some strange almost breakbeat run into the opening verse which fits superbly. For all the avant-garde elements to "Exuvia" it never strays to far away from what is at its very core a very sinister black metal album combined with lavish lashings of doom and industrial atmosphere for good measure.

"Towards Malakia" twists and contorts its way from a cacophony of heavy riffs, almost groovy doomy riffs and slow picked menacing strings to an almost plodding yet melodic interlude of muted hope in an otherwise grim and harsh existence.

There's no hiding from album closer "Takitum Tootem (Trance)". It's the culmination of a ritual of dark cinematic proportions. Rarely do albums close as completely as this does. All the parts of the record thus far return for a final assault on your senses as some closing ceremony to a truly unholy and richly dark set of games.

The outer skin (exuvia) that The Ruins Of Beverast cast-off during this six track masterpiece makes me wonder exactly what armour of brilliance and sophistication they are wearing heading into their next release. Shut those curtains, put on some candles and your best sacrificial robes. The Ruins of Beverast are back and your full attention is required.

The first vinyl record I ever bought was Obituary's "Slowly We Rot" debut back in 1990 (yes roughly a year after it was released). It blew my fucking mind! The artwork with a rotting corpse in a shithole alley somewhere lay under that fucking mental logo! I was 13/14 and recall being perhaps the most excited I have ever been at a release in my entire near 30 years of listening to metal. The sounds that came out of the speakers when I got that back to my grandparents's place where I was staying at the time were just as fascinating, intoxicating and fucked up as that artwork on the sleeve! I recall using my granddad's rather well set up stereo system to play it and he swore it was broken when he heard the first track with me, took me few minutes to convince him that it was supposed to sound like that.

The rationale behind me reminiscing for my teenage years with "Slowly We Rot" is that their latest release reminds me so much of both the sound and structure of their debut that I couldn't write the review without that build up. The other thing that is also reminiscent of their album from nearly 30 years ago is the fucking energy that drips from this record. "Inked In Blood" has energy, but it more seeped through in parts, whereas the self-titled opus spits energy all over you as it spins on your turntable.

There are reviews and posts on forums all over the internet praising this as Obituary's finest hour whether that is since "Cause Of Death" or "The End Complete" being the only real bone of contention between each one. Whilst I can agree it is their strongest since "The End Complete" it is most certainly nowhere near "Cause Of Death" in terms of brilliance but the focus should be on the consistency of the delivery of this record. It is the first album in a while that has carried that presence of the group I first listened to in my Grandparent's front room all those years ago. The vibrancy of a group of musicians starting a journey is back, or rather a new leg of an already well trodden journey perhaps.

Across 11 tracks (10 and a bonus track) there is a variety of rampant gallop, melodeath hooks and menacing paced death/doom that cannot fail to hold your attention. In places it is catchy, in others it switches up so regularly you really have to pay attention as the arrangements and structures continue to shift gears and form.

There's no getting away from the fact that a band who released their first album back in 1989 have just dropped one of their finest pieces of material in an age where death metal only seems to get more cavernous, blackened and murky in sound. It stands up well considering no wheels really get invented at anytime yet by the same token nobody really wanted it to. I am perfectly happy to sit here fooling myself into thinking I am a teenager again who has just discovered a great new record.

'Nightside Emanations' sets it's stall out early with its key heavy intro piece but then immediately presents a more riffy and familiar sound as 'Wrathful Dragon Hau-Hra' chugs its way through a fiery flight to start the album proper.  The structure of the song is strong enough and the pace has variety to show transition into a more focused passage. The bit that works really well here is when the guitars are arranged to sound like they are fanfares for the vocals.  The ritualistic element comes into its own with the brief passage of chants towards the end of the track.

'Death's Black Light' continues this trend of fast-paced, blast beat BM with a swarming tremolo over the top.  Despite the more pacey tracks on the album it all comes off with a sense of calculated delivery as opposed to a full frontal assault.  Some of this is due in no small part to the songwriting and some of it to the more darker sound the album title suggests.

'Circle Me' is the first real hint of the true ritualistic vibe coming through with its bellowing vocal opening that builds atmosphere well, the riffing solid as the track develops further.  The chanting vocals that accompany the chorus don't really work though, they feel sporadic as opposed to spontaneous, forced as opposed to planned.  I mean I get why they are there but the delivery seems very odd.  As a slower paced riffing machine though the track works well enough. Hoath Torog's performance is as strong as you would expect on this though his vocals fitting the sprawling nature of the song as it draws to a close.  'We Burn With Serpent Fire', again is a more slow paced, solid in structure build of a track.  The pace increases cleverly as the track grows into a maelstrom of dark, ceremonial outpourings, never quire racing away altogether.

The burn continues through 'Luciferian Will' and the almost catchy 'Awaken Tiamat' and by the time we reach 'Temple of Silent Curses' we are reaching the pace and sound of "Rituale Satanum" era Behexen.  The track still evolves into the more modern Behexen sound which gives a nice sense of growth.  The Behemoth-esque opening to the penultimate track caught me a little off guard but then again this is one of Behexen's more accessible releases overall.  Things end on a slightly disjointed sounding number as 'Kiss of the Dark Mother' seems to lurch and stumble along without ever developing any real flow.  I can't help but feel there is something missing from the release, despite my overall enjoyment.  It seems to lack aggression in the main and although the boldness is there it doesn't etch a lot into my brain that i can benchmark to reference the record when I recall post listen the high points.

The fringes of my music radar is an odd place for a band/artist to be. It is a metal version of Hades I suppose were bands sit awaiting my attention before I send them into endless burning oblivion after dismissing them or I alternatively induct them into my own version of a celestial playlist by getting them on regular rotation on my listening pattern. Occasionally I will be very human and remain completely undecided on a sound or particular style of a band and leave them floating at the fringes of my interest until I stumble across them again on my seemingly endless journey of extreme discovery.

Cattle Decapitation have been in my own version of Hades for a good couple of years. I have heard good, I have heard bad things but only now with the release of seventh full length "The Anthropocene Extinction" and the ensuing internet furore around it, have I ventured forth unto the breach.

Straight away there is a problem. I don't like the production. What should be (I assume) quite gritty and crunchy riffs seem to have been coated in a film that has somehow dumbed them down to an almost nu-metal polished effect. Take the unfortunately named "Clandestine Ways (Krokodil Rot)", it sounds like a slightly angrier and not altogether as capable version of a Children of Bodom song. It makes jumps and jerks in all the right places but like any cadaver - it is merely just breaking wind instead of stuttering into a raging zombie reanimation.

Then there are the vocals. They vary from a horrible sneering delivery to a melo-death style that also emanates some BM stylings. Sometimes a track uses all three of the descriptions above yet somehow none of the tracks are memorable as a result, they sort of just pass you by. Instead of the grunting being broken up by the sneering attempts at vocals they just distract from them in a negative and not altogether functional way. Just as I am trying to get to grips with what is going on musically, my focus gets shifted as their is (yet another) vocal change.

By the time I get to track 7 of 12 I can predict the formula of the songs perfectly. Start fast, chug slow, end fast. Repeat. Grind, chug, grunt, grind. That isn't to say that there aren't moments of promise - "Mammals In Babylon" has an awesome demonic shriek which I very much enjoy but it is soon forgotten as the robotic riffage takes over. When CA chug, they properly motor but again the feeling of them somehow being held back by the production is just too strong to shake off.

An internet acquaintance referred to "The Anthropocene Extinction" as "immense". However, I just can't see anything, no spark to even bring it into the boundary of an "acceptable" category let alone one that commands the tag of "immense".

Billed as "Masters of progressive black metal" by one fan on Bandcamp, Krallice certainly have their own sound on show on their latest release "Ygg huur". Coming to the band for the first time with this release it's hard to be anything other than astonished by their wild, frenzied, disjointed and often chaotic (yet still technical) sound.

Imagine Gorguts on acid and you are getting close. Thankfully though even in the midst of all the jarring riffs, head mashing drum patterns and demented vocals there is a real sense if accessibility and reason somehow. 

Take "Over Spirit" for example, a furious session of manic progressive insanity all meshed together with the constant wave of the tremolo entwining the whole track together like some omnipresent serpent.

Jute Gyte drops crazy shit like this all the time but his version of spazzing BM has no sense of thought at times and as a result one of his releases can all blend into one. Sat listening to Krallice, each track is memorable. They are always linked together as recognisable being from the same album but somehow retain a sense of individuality as you work your way across the 6 tracks on offer here.

Vocally the style is more reminiscent of a blend of hardcore shouting, coupled with harsh BM raw production valued shrieking. At times they take on a more death metal slant, as in closing track "Engram". The drums are clearly being beaten to death by an octopus, they blast with a fury that no human can muster with but four limbs.

Influences come thick and fast (check out the Portal esque opening to "Bitter Meditation" before it settles into a dizzying faux calmness that is soon tempered by those grim vocals and later by those horror metal riffs also.

It is not an album all may fall in love with. Some may take a few listens to truly understand the mastery on show that is delivered in a manner that wants to drown as opposed to wash over you. It is what most term to be "a grower", like some insane climbing ivy that invades your very being and twists itself into your central nervous system.

The older I get, the more extreme metal seems to get also. Being a grown up has it moments.

For anyone unfamiliar with the work of Abyssal I would recommend that they first take the time to seek out their previous two albums before lending an ear to this opus. "Denoument" and "Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius" are two fine examples of dark, squally DM with just enough tangible structure to set them apart from the Portals, Aevangelists and Impetuous Rituals of this world.

The first two tracks of their third full length "Anitkatastaesis" are pretty much an extension of that earlier style. Album opener "I Am The Alpha & The Omega" is a frenzied knife attack using a selection of blades of various lengths and sharpness to stab the furious pace of the music into your very being. Second track "The Cornucopian" then continues this familiar style. The problem comes with "The Veil of Transcendence" when mid song a sample of what sounds like an ice cream van seeps into the song during a reprise from the frenzied DM. This sample then stays as the blastbeats kick back in and to be perfectly frank just does not belong there. I had to look twice across my open tabs to make sure an advert for a bank or insurance company hadn't started playing such is the off tempo and out of kilter nature of the piano notes plinked into the song. 

Unfortunately the problems persist as the album goes on. Abyssal still manage to scare the shit out of you with the furious blastbeats of "Telomeric Erosion" but then a completely unexpected melodic reprise occurs which again causes any impact built up from the initial 2 minutes of the track to be dissolved.

The atmospheric build of "A Casual Landscape" is alright but after 3 and a quarter minutes you are ready for the track to start. However, the shaman like chants just don't fit when the DM starts, making it a redundant attempt to blend the track. It's like the tape from the chamber music album being recorded in the studio next door got mixed into the Abyssal album tapes and the end result is not pleasant.

"Chrysalis" starts with a melodic edge yet somehow has a filthy dark haze over the top. Here the melodic reprise works perfectly and the jazzy drum and bass fills in the background compliment the music perfectly. It is proof for me that just when I thought Abyssal had lost all sense of cohesion and structure they can still put together a solid and well though out track. It is more melodic than anything I have heard by them so far but it is also too long and eventually starts to become almost post-metal in the end.

As a last hope I looked to album closer "Delere Auctorem Rerum Ut UniversumInfinitum Noscas" to save this very patchy release from obscurity. It starts strong enough for sure building an epic crescendo but then the track goes into build up all over again which does an excellent job but just seems to duplicate the work done 90 seconds earlier.  

It is not to say that Abyssal have lost it on their third album (I am not typing that fucking title out again). There are some good ideas thrown in but the chants, slow picked time changes, infusion of atmosphere and wider use of melody are just not placed well in the main. The album feels like the dreaded "collection" of songs as opposed to a whole piece. The flashes of brilliance are there but the delivery comes up short on a consistent basis.

Marduk were guilty of falling more than a little short in the imagination stakes when it came to writing PDM.  I enjoy a frenzied BM assault as much as the next church burner but despite being only thirty minutes long full length number six from the Swedes does end up feeling like a bit of a slog to wade through.  Whilst I can't fault the intent behind the relentless delivery and fuck-it-all approach to songwriting, at the same time there needs to be something tangible to get hold of amidst all the chaotic fury of the Marduk maelstrom.  Often when listening to this I just feel starved of atmosphere, despite the cold and sterile sound they deployed it adds nothing to the overall feel of the record and actually often gets mistakenly billed as a poor mix or production job if you believe some internet reviews.

I own most of what came before PDM already and it is a dramatic change in direction but also an obvious change in quality also.  Although not exactly full in sound, the predecessor to this album, 'Nightwing' delivers more of a punch in the riff stakes and blends the instrumentation well by comparison.  I feel like PDM is something that Marduk almost forcibly does to the listener as opposed to any scope being considered for variety or even the occasional change of pace to make the experience just a little more palatable.

Listening back to PDM tonight before I sat down to type this review I was oddly focused on the bass as if I hadn't recalled that Bogge was even there with his four string previously.  It has that engine like feel to it when you listen through and is surprisingly audible in the overall sound.  Due to the absolute unrelenting ferocity of the experience I find myself under the impression that the record in some way (bizarrely) ends up lacking authenticity at the end of the day, which seems on odd conclusion given its almost pure BM approach.

On occasion the  internet  does through up some interesting stuff in the various recommendation/album of the month threads scattered throughout the post-Facebook wasteland of internet forums.  On one such venture today I heard a song called "Fed to Sharks" and quickly allowed the 12 year old in me to immediately go all weak at the knees over the band's ultra metal looking logo and decide to immediately add Vulture to the top of my to do list on a Sunday afternoon.  Nine tracks and a very sore neck later it goes on record that this was time very well spent indeed.

Imagine if Destruction weren't just treading water constantly for the past 30 or so years and actually had some genuine song writing prowess to match their boundless enthusiasm, then you are quite close to the sound of Vulture.  Opener "Fed to Sharks" is corny as fuck in terms of a tongue-in-cheek song title but it feels authentic in its delivery, undisputed in its arrogance and veritable in its attitude.  The whole album conjures images of a thousand b-movie horror plot lines from its superb artwork through to the lyrical content of the music ("Dewer's Hollow", "Tyrantula" and the title track).

Add to this the painfully comedic names of the band members - S.Genözider and M.Outlaw form the dual lead guitar attack whilst the suitably aggressive sounding A.Axetinctör handles bass duties, leaving L.Steeler and G.Deceiver to keep the metal flag hoisted high on vocals and drums respectively - and you will find yourself listening to this with a smirk across your miserable chops I am sure.

Imagery aside, the band are clearly competent musicians and this shines throughout the release with the lead work being of particular note.  Granted, the cover of Thin Lizzy's "Killer on the Loose" is not the best but still fits the aesthetic of the record well enough to be forgivable in the grander scheme of things.  Metal Blade has some shite on it's label nowadays but this bunch of speed/thrash metal freaks are more than worthy of a listen.

Okay, I am going to be honest. This is my first taste of Memoriam, albeit the release that is purportedly their best; according to the internet at least. Things start well, on the riffing front at least. 'Shell Shock' motors like a fucking tank, being driven with precision through its destructive and relentless path. Similiarly, 'Undefeated' with it's groovy as fuck riff and chopping rhythm continues in a full on attack of the senses. The sophistication and poise both come up a couple of notches with 'Never The Victim', with its defiant mood and melancholic melody. By this point my initial concerns about the vocals being too buried in the mix appear to be just confined to the first track as they sit perfectly well by this stage.

The politically charged 'Austerity Kills' takes things off on a crusty/hardcore slant with the visceral hatred for the subject matter barked out by Willetts in an almost matter-of-fact way. It feels relevant, modern and appealing to listen to, whilst at the same time the echoes of Bolt Thrower still ring in distant chambers somewhere behind. The more melodic start to 'In the Midst of Desolation' soon builds into a chunky riff monster whilst maintaining a brooding sense of looming danger throughout. 

The experience and ability is obvious here. Whale's drumming is on point from start to finish here. Willett's vocals are as strong as ever and the performance of Fairfax on guitars is nothing short of superb. Healy, meanwhile is a bit drowned in the mix which is not necessarily a bad thing that detracts from the sound in any way, it is just obvious.  

As we get towards the final third of the record things show no sign of calming down. I will have the scathing riffs of 'Refuse to Be Led' on my brain for the rest of my time on this mortal coil for sure. There's no obvious drop in quality, energy or pace it is pleasing to note. The toying delivery of 'The Veteran' just marauds and mauls the listener's ears into submission. The title track just cements the foundations of what has been built over the seven tracks prior to it. Washing over the listener with wave after wave of brooding tremolo riffs. As the band launches into the defiantly titled 'Fixed Bayonets' with the gusto of a quickly forming infantry, those heady days of Bolt Thrower at their very best are inevitably rekindled. This is the only track that sounds like a Bolt Thrower b-side. Don't get me wrong there's hints throughout but on this track it is much more obvious. As the band closes proceedings with the instrumental 'Interment' there's a real sense of justice to the victorious, soaring guitars on show as end to end this album is a complete triumph.

By the time we get to Maiden’s 1988 offering we find the last decent album from them.  Things certainly sound a little more commercial with the success of “Can I Play With Madness” obvious after it burrowed its way into the brains of the majority of the hard rock and metal community with its seemingly unforgettable chorus and staggeringly cheap looking yet effective video.  All over “Seventh Son....” there are hooks, catchy chorus lines and infectious leads.  

Despite all the memorability here things just feel a little too polished, a tad over-accessible almost.  By the time we get to the next record after this, the same fault could be found only this time the songwriting on “Seventh Son....” was still strong enough to make the accessibility more forgivable.  

The mesmerising “Moonchild” kicks things off in fine style.  Instantly sticking in your ear holes it sets the tone well for the album as a whole.  “Infinite Dreams” then slowly builds into a capable structure, well paced and well placed also in the track listing.  The two anthems that follow in the aforementioned “Can I Play With Madness” and “The Evil That Men Do” are the familiar core of the record, the tracks that everyone knows.  The title track follows and further adds to this momentum.

The first 5 tracks are almost flawless making as strong a start-to-middle section as you could hope to find on most bands discographies. Unfortunately over the final three tracks the quality does take a hit, albeit the memorability factor remains.  As a result the record does feel more than a little front-heavy.  There’s no denying it was their last great record but it could have been even greater.

When you consider how much drugs were (allegedly) up the noses of the band members circa the time of this release, it is a wonder anything vaguely coherent got recorded at all!  'White Pony' sits as an odd item in my record collection, given that I don't enjoy nu-metal, yet this having been said I have every release from "Around the Fur" up to and including "Koi No Yokan" sat in my collection in one guise or another.  I think that the non- nu metal parts of 'White Pony' are the most appealing though.  The combination of the emotion, melody and atmospheres on display here make for one challenging listen overall.

For all the "angry teen with a knife" angst in the jagged delivery of much of the record, there's tangible, drug-fuelled emotion in the form of Chino's vocals as he hazes and gazes his way throughout the 11 tracks on show.  Add to this Delgado's extraordinary use of his keys to stamp some bone-chilling atmospherics to proceedings (that, 'The Shining-esque' stab at the entry to the chorus of 'Change (in the House of Flies)', for example).  Carpenter's deft use of downtuned riffage compliments were required without him ever feeling too restrained to be able to dish out some melody when appropriate.

Whilst the high points may seem obvious, 'Passenger' and 'Change (In The House of Flies)' are exemplary partnerships of complex, hallucinogenic feelings and thoughts, given air time on one of the best auditory assaults of disjointed and disharmonious music of the 00's. 

The problem Death Angel have is mediocrity seems to abound most of their material to my ears.  I have never really been gripped by the "importance" of their earlier material in comparison to their peers.  Nowadays there is only really Overkill that churn out anything in the way of quality thrash metal from the old guard.  Their latest offering does not help Death Angel reach the dizzy heights that "Wings of War" achieves for the aforementioned New Jersey legends.  This is not to say that "Humanicide" is a bad record.  In the main it is let down by just not being as cutting, chugging or invigorating as Overkill's 2019 offering.  Comparison to other relevant marketplace bands aside, Death Angel do still display sufficient levels of youthful spunk to drown most small household pets and they compliment this well with some mature song writing and noteworthy lead work in the guitar department.

I just cannot fend of the feeling of sterility in their sound though unfortunately.  For all the while I enjoy the ferocity of "Divine Defector" the texture feels a little too polished to hold any traction for me to sink my teeth or nails into.  Likewise, the ferocious delivery of "Aggressor" is let down by a more than clunky feel to the vocal style.  Instead of coming off as challenging or defiant they just sound a little sub-par somehow.  The arrangement of this track however shows real promise it has to be said and takes me back to my point about maturity and noteworthy instrumentation earlier.

"I Came For Blood" charges in like a Motorhead track but is soon laid victim to the same vocal problem I highlighted earlier which soon makes it sound like a really naff nu-metal track.  The slow picked intro to "Immortal Behated" offers some hope of consistent structure but is soon robbed of this promise with some odd psychedelic edge to the guitar and ill thought out staccato vocals.

Soon enough (by the halfway point) the album sounds predictable and just very poorly balanced as the lead work continues to show real potential but the constant clash with the vocals and often triggered sounding drums just spells an excess of use of the skip button I am afraid.