Daniel's Forum Threads
Vice - "Daddy's Little Girl" E.P. (1985)
Oh dear! What have we here I hear you ask? Well, this Brisbane-based trio were one of the earliest metal bands to come of my adopted home state of Queensland back with 1985's awfully titled four-song "Daddy's Little Girl" E.P. being their first proper release. Vice weren't exactly a household name in this country so I didn't get around to checking this relatively unknown release out until earlier this decade &, even then, it was only out of sheer completism. I would suggest that the cover art alone would have scared off the majority of punters from this century but, you know what, someone's gotta do it so I recently decided to take the plunge by returning for a second helping, purely in the name of the glorious Aussie metal scene that I love so much.
The horribly titled "Daddy's Little Girl" was released on the completely insignificant Sundown Records label right in the middle of the 1980's. One look at that cover will probably tell you that Vice were at least loosely associated with the glam metal movement &, if that was the case, then you'd be correct because a good half of their sound fits that description pretty comfortably. However, they also possessed a much tougher heavy metal edge at times & opening track "Morpheus" will no doubt have you second guessing yourself with its powerful, down-tuned, bottom-string chug riff that's been pulled straight off of Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave". It's a great opener actually & I really enjoy it. It also sounds very different to other three tracks on the release. "Morpheus" is immediately followed by a very commercial sounding & misguided cover version of The Supremes "Stop ...in the Name of Love" which is certainly well performed & energetic but doesn't do a lot for me personally. The lengthier "Into the Night" sees things descending further with front man Peter Sharman's vocals struggling to find his feet amidst the glam/heavy metal instrumentation before the more than decent closer "Thriller Between the Sheets" rewards our patience with an up-tempo heavy metal feel that reminds me a lot of the punk-infused electricity of Iron Maiden's debut album. The variation in approaches across the four songs tells the clear story of a young band who were still trying to decide on what musical direction they should take so it can come across as unfocused but it does keep you on your toes nonetheless.
The production job on "Daddy's Little Girl" is more than acceptable for such an underground release of the time as it presents the band's strengths quite well. Peter Sharman would appear to be the main attraction with his big, masculine, powerful tone tending to make up for his occasional pitchiness with sheer charisma. The guitars of Dr Dave Warner (unfortunately not the former Australian opening batsman) are loud & proud while drummer Scott Allard would appear to be influenced just as much by hard rock as he is heavy metal, alternating between the two across the four songs. My enjoyment does tend to vary depending on how successful Sharman is at tackling each track though &, when he's in his element, Vice can be well worth hearing. I do think they were a significantly better heavy metal band than a glam metal one though so I've found myself enjoying the two more metallic inclusions a lot more than the two glammier ones. In fact, Vice don't really sound much like a glam metal act on the two songs that bookend this release which can only be a good thing in my opinion. Unfortunately, the two tracks that make up the middle of the E.P. do exist which has led to me deciding that "Daddy's Little Girl" probably isn't for me so I can't say that I'd recommend it to members who are looking for a hidden Aussie gem.
For fans of Axatak, Twisted Sister & early Kings Cross.
3/5
Critical Mass - "Unholy Wars" (1992)
Sydney five-piece Critical Mass were a name that I saw floating around the live scene in my home city during the early 1990's but never had the opportunity of experiencing in the flesh as far as I can recall. I did, however, get the chance to check out this one-off album which would occasionally find its way onto the CD player of whoever's house the after party happened to be at though. Critical Mass had begun life as a cover band called Foreign Order in the late 1980's before changing their moniker & attempting originals but they didn't really amount to much before calling it quits around 1993/94. I was familiar with vocalist Greg Moore through the 1989 "Into Reality" demo tape from Sydney speed/heavy metallers Enticer (3.5/5) which I quite liked but the rest of the band didn't really come from any level of metal pedigree & it shows on their sole full-length.
The "Unholy Wars" album was released through Vampire Records in 1992 which surprises me really. Label owner Danny Kaleda was a well-known member of the local metal community thanks to his long-standing "Monday Night Metal" radio program on 2RRR (a show that I was a guest on at least once) & Vampire would be responsible for putting out high-quality extreme metal records like Sadistik Exekution's "The Magus" & the first couple of Nazxul releases. It seems a little strange to me that he'd associate himself with such a mild-mannered & fairly easy-listening metal release such as this one but that would appear to be the case. The production isn't anything to write home about either with the rhythm guitars being too far back in the mix & being over-powered by the rhythm section. For this reason, "Unholy Wars" sounds a lot like a self-financed affair.
Critical Mass' musical approach sits somewhere between Metallica's more chuggy, mid-paced thrash metal material & a more accessible heavy metal sound built around power chords & vocal hooks. Unfortunately the thrash riffs are so simple & generic that I can't help but feel that the band would have been better served by concentrating on their less intense side as they're certainly a little better at it with power ballad (& clear album highlight in my opinion) "Road That Never Ends" & the catchy heavy metal singalong "Nineties" being two of the more rewarding numbers. The lead guitar work is quite accomplished for such an inconspicuous release though & is definitely one of the better elements of Critical Mass' game although Moore doesn't possess the vocal chops to see the song-writing maximizing its potential. There are no genuine shockers included here but the peaks are rare & I generally find myself feeling a little underwhelmed rather than disappointed.
It's not hard to see why "Unholy Wars" might have drifted past most of the global metal scene without much fanfare because it's sound is simply a little too simple, generic & lightweight to raise too many alarm bells. I can't in good conscience score it any lower than three stars though as it certainly has its moments (such as thrasher "When..." which I quite like). It just feels a little flat & never really sees my heart-rate increasing which means that it was never going to amount to more than a blip on the radar of my metal journey.
For fans of Metallica, Nothing Sacred & Aggressa.
3/5
Temple of Void - "The Crawl" (2026)
I have been all over Temple of Void for about a decade now. Their doomy and cavernous version of death metal has produced some of my favourite death metal albums of recent years, peaking with 2020's "The World That Was". What sets Temple of Void apart is their willingness to tweak and tinker with a well-established style of death metal and in so doing produce records that aren't entirely predictable, but which still contain plenty of what is recognisable of the old-school death and death doom metal philosophy. Needless to say I had high hopes for "The Crawl" and although I had sat on it for a few months following its release in March, it has certainly grabbed my attention now that I have finally got round to checking it out.
Opening track "Poison Icon" kicks off, straight out of the gate, in formidable style with a driving riff overlaid with a searing solo, ensuring that the listener's attention is grabbed from the very start. This isn't the whole story with "Poison Icon" though as it soon takes on a gothic flavour with a marked Paradise Lost influence, although it still remains firmly ensconced on the OSDM side of the fence. Further intense soloing leads the track out and it is apparent, even by the end of track one, that Temple of Void have stepped things up both in songwriting terms and in intensity of delivery. "Godless Cynic" features a more dissonant style of guitar lead laid over a mid-paced, chugging rhythm track that feels ominously hulking and portentious and in direct contrast to the opener, leaving us in no doubt that the band really mean business this time round and intend to stretch themselves more than ever. The title track is up next and is a slower, doomier affair with a riff that is almost as much rooted in traditional doom metal as it is death metal, weirdly like I would imagine Black Sabbath sounding if they played death metal! "A Dead Issue" is another slower-paced affair that begins with a spacey synth intro before launching into its melodic main riff and which features jangling, weirdly discordant leads that morph into soaring solos.
"Thy Mountain Eternal" is a somewhat bombastic, progressive-sounding affair with several musical twists and turns, occasionally feeling reminiscent of late metal-era Opeth only with more Dave Gilmour-ish soloing, although for me this is the album's weakest offering. Penultimate track "Soulburn" is one of the band's most melodic and features riffs and verses that are almost catchy, especially with the synth overlay, once more reminding me of Paradise Lost and providing one of the band's more memorable offerings. Closing with longest track, "The Twin Strangers", the band go out in style with a track that kicks off with a brooding, rampaging death metal riff before hitting the brakes on a hulking end-section which builds with interweaving twin leads before fading into the cosmos in a haze of ambient synths.
Now, all this may make "The Crawl" sound like an eclectic and varied affair and, to a certain extent, it is but, to be clear, this is still an album that has its roots firmly dug into the OSDM ethos, no better illustrated than by Mike Erdody's vocals which never shift from their growling, gutteral death metal roar. I think the album actually strikes a nice balance between innovation and tradition, each track very much fitting together and complementing each other, making for a very rewarding listening experience that presents variation whilst still giving the OSDM fan plenty of their favourite poison to savour. The songwriting and technical prowess of the band is continuing to blossom, the production is crystal clear throughout, bass and drums getting every bit as much attention as the guitar and vocals and I think with repeated listens this may well establish itself as my favourite Temple of Void album, ultimately dethroning "The World That Was".
4.5/5 [90/100] I can't believe this only had a paltry 2.5/5 prior to me rating it.
Deadtrees - New World (2026)
I've been loving this new release from the solo Chinese project Deadtrees, haven't heard of them before this but may have to check out their back catalogue a bit. It's an epic blend of sweeping symphonics with a dense but focused drum performance and beautiful atmospheric lead guitar tremolo that almost sounds a bit Black Metal influenced in some tracks, but probably falls under the Post Metal umbrella. It's been addicting work music since it's great to have on in the background, there's a lot going on but it's written in a way that isn't overwhelming. Some of the louder parts where the bass comes into the forefront gets a bit muddy, but it still serves as a nice contrast to the rest of the album that's filled with gorgeous piano and violin vignettes.
4/5
Sandrayati "INHABIT" (2025)
I have fallen in love with this record (although I oddly found the largely instrumental version from this year first) from this multi-sub-genre embracing artist. This is largely an ambient affair but there is a folk mentality to the songwritng also. I am increasingly a sucker for an ethereal female vocalist and Sandrayati is amazing in this regard. A possible purchase here.
Lone Wanderer - Exequiae (2026)
Despite having formed in 2014, only now have Lone Wanderer attracted my doom-hungry gaze. To date the german four-piece have released an album-length EP and three official full-lengths, with "Exequiae" being their latest and, at 72 minutes, longest. Kicking off with the almost twenty-five minute, "To Rest Eternally", Lone Wanderer set out their stall from the outset. The opener displays a quite clean version of funeral doom metal that, at times, almost feels like it strays into post-metal territiory. It doesn't always possess the sheer crushing immensity of an Esoteric or Ahab, but rather it utilises melodic guitar leads to provide some lightness to contrast with the churning morass of sluggish riffs and plodding percussion in order to present a more emotionally charged atmosphere. This doesn't mean that this is lightweight stuff, by any means, it is still fundamentally funeral doom after all, but it does feel like the band want to tug at your heartstrings whilst they smother and envelop you in their wall of sound. The foundation from which the guitar leads soar is further bolstered by the impressive rumble issuing from the throat of vocalist/guitarist Bruno Schotten who has got the archetypal funeral doom abyssal growl down pat. The songwriting is also of a high standard and, despite its length, "To Rest Eternally", doesn't get stuck in any particular rut and manages to keep itself sounding interesting and engaging with nuanced changes in melody and tempo, even calming to a gentle, spoken word section at one point from which it builds to its apotheosis.
This mighty opener is followed by the albums two shortest tracks, "Existence Nullified" and "Life's Lost Vanity" both of which sound quantifiably heavier and while their leads are still fairrly melodic in nature, they aren't as light or as airy as those on "To Rest Eternally", consequently reinforcing the depth of darkness of both tracks' tone rather than providing contrast to it. "Anhedonie" marks a return to the slightly lighter tone of the opener, but it doesn't quite hold together as well for me and does feel like it gets bogged down a little in the middle. It isn't a bad track by any means, but it doesn't resonate with me as much as the first couple of tracks, Closer "Epistemology of the Passed" is another lengthy affair, clocking in at over 16 minutes and is once more a trade-off between both light and dark musical motifs, the interplay and contrast between the two opposing forces ultimately being the core of the album and the engine which drives it pretty much from start to finish.
Overall I am an enthusiastic convert and whilst I do love me some really heavy and crushingly dark funeral doom, Lone Wanderer have managed to captivate me with their more contrasted style, chiefly because it is written and performed so damn well. I am certainly going to have to have a dig into the band's earlier releases, but for now this is destined to find its way onto my favourite funeral doom metal list and is sure to feature in my year end list too.
4.5/5 [86/100]
Sick of It All - Yours Truly (2000)
R.I.P. Lou Koller
I have been spinning some Sick of It All today after learning of vocalist Lou Koller finally losing his lengthy battle with cancer. They were one of my favourite hardcore bands and Lou one of my favourite punk vocalists. I don't know how well known they are outside of the New York HC scene, but I got into them after catching their video for "District" from this very album on MTV around the time of its release. I must admit I didn't keep up with their new stuff after 2006's "Death to Tyrants", but their early stuff featured some classic NYHC albums. "Scratch the Surface", "Call to Arms" amd this, my particular favourite, "Yours Truly" are all brilliant, and get regular spins, but anything up to 2003's "Life on the Ropes" is great. Check out the video to "Step Down" on YouTube if you haven't heard them before and check out some legit classic NY hardcore.
The Wounded Kings - "The Shadow Over Atlantis" (2010)
The Wounded Kings were a traditional doom metal band from Dartmoor in Devon who never really gained much traction outside of hardcore doom metal enthusiasts, which is a great shame because they were really great exponents of the doom metal ethos and were superior to many better known acts. They formed in 2004 and released five consistently strong full-lengths and a great split with Cough before calling it a day in August of 2016. Released in 2010, "The Shadow Over Atlantis" was the band's sophomore release, following 2008's very solid "Embrace of the Narrow House" and, for me, is the band's best release. They had a lineup which underwent several membership changes, with the first two albums being produced by the duo of the band's only ever-present member Steve Mills (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals) and George Birch (guitar, vocals). Mills was actually the original drummer with Lords of Putrefaction, the death doom precursor to Electric Wizard that featured Jus Osborne on guitar and vocals and so has a certain degree of doom metal underground cred too.
"The Shadow Over Atlantis" is essentially a concept album that is a lament to the passing and destruction of ancient civilizations with Atlantis being the metaphor for the eventual passing of all societies, although there is a suggestion in final track "Invocation of the Ancients" that, through the deployment of dark arts, these ancients can be exhorted to return. The band strives for an epic scope as befits the span of the concept, with the album featuring four fairly lengthy, huge-sounding tracks to drive the narrative while a couple of gentle interludes provide some contrast and respite from the lumbering rumble of the meat of the album. Even though the riffing is pretty much relentlessly huge and slothful it does have an inherent melodicism which is also mirrored in the vocals which are entirely of the clean variety and have a really nice, washed-out gothicness to them. Generally the tracks start off with the riff and vocals dominating the early part and then the guitar leads taking over the latter part and it is at these points that the material is given an epic twist. The leads take flight, soaring with mesmerising fluidity in psych-filled flights of fancy that seem to carry the listener above the doom and destruction that is being wreaked on the unfortunate world below, often feeling quite jam-like, although from the sheer professionalism of the sound I guess they are perfectly composed to sound that way.
Production-wise, the sound is quite crisp and clean and even the distortion on the riffs comes through surprisingly clearly. One criticism, if I were to go that far, would be that the bottom end and the rhythm section in particular doesn't sound as deep and foundational as maybe we have come to expect from this style of doom metal. That, however, is nitpicking a little because the material here is so strong and well-performed that it feels curmudgeonly to try to pick too much fault here. Essentially, for me, "The Shadow Over Atlantis" is a top drawer doom metal release and wouldn't be out of place alongside the best albums from the likes of Pallbearer or Monolord, so if you enjoy either of those two I would strongly urge you to check this out. Unfortunately it is impossible to find on streaming, so YouTube may be the only source available outside of physical media.
4.5/5 [93/100]
Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Hey Joe" E.P. (1967)
This four-song psychedelic/blues/acid rock E.P. doesn't do much for me to be honest. Sure, the title track is obviously really good & I've always quite liked "Can You See Me ?" but the other two songs ("Stone Free" & "51st Anniversary") have never done much for me to be honest.
For fans of Cream, The Doors & Led Zeppelin.
3/5
Miles Davis - "A Tribute to Jack Johnson" soundtrack (1971)
I picked up this soundtrack CD when I was going through an obsessive Miles phase during the late 1990's & it's stayed with me ever since. It's comprised of two lengthy pieces that are both very solid jazz fusion workouts & rarely varies in terms of groove & quality. If pushed, I'd probably take the more stripped back "Yesternow" over opener "Right Off" but there's not much between them. "In A Silent Way" is still my favourite music release of all time from any genre but I'm gonna suggest that "A Tribue to Jack Johnson" might be my third favourite Miles record these days behind "Kind of Blue", although it's not far in front of "Bitches Brew" & "Live-Evil". Miles was a fucking genius & so was guitarist John McLaughlin who I absolutely adore.
For fans of Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra & Soft Machine.
4/5
Nine Inch Nails - "Fixed" E.P. (1992)
I introduced Ben to NIN through their classic 1992 "Broken" E.P. shortly after it hit the shelves & he went kinda mental for Trent Reznor for a while off the back of it. He'd go on to very quickly pick up a CD copy of their 1989 debut album "Pretty Hate Machine" & (I'm not 100% sure but) I think he also purchased this "Broken" remix E.P. because I definitely gave it quite a few spins at the time but definitely didn't buy it myself. It's a massively underrated release in my opinion too, probably due to the whole "this isn't rock/metal so I need to say it's electronic shit" thing that tends to happen. While it may not be as obviously classic as "Broken" was, "Fixed" offers some universally interesting alternative takes on the material from that E.P., produced in collaboration with several highly regarded electronic producers. The intense extended version of "Wish" & the big-room industrial techno version of "Happiness in Slavery" are outstanding & have become long-time favourites of mine while the rest of the material is also worth hearing so I think NIN fans should give this one a chance. It does tail off a bit over the last couple of tracks but they're still of a decent quality.
For fans of Coil, Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel & PAL.
4/5
Paris - "The Devil Made Me Do It" (1990)
This is definitely one of the better early hip hop records I've heard. Paris gets the right balance between political/conscious lyrics & deep, pulsating basslines here with the tracklisting being surprisingly consistent. Highly recommended.
For fans of Public Enemy, Ice Cube & X-Clan.
4/5
sora - "re.sort" (2003)
The highly regarded lone album from this Japanese glitch/folktronica artist. I really enjoy the relaxing, stripped back atmosphere but the compositions are a little too structure-less for me to fully appreciate at times. I can't deny the joy that's in this music though. It reminds me of those childhood summers when you didn't have a care in the world & is similar to artists like Lemon Jelly & The Avalanches in that it's kinda quirky & doesn't possess even the slightest trace of darkness.
For fans of Fennesz, Oval & Nobukazu Takemura.
3.5/5
Éliane Radigue - "Jetsun Mila" (1987)
This French composer's third full-length may just be my new favourite drone release ever! "Jetsun Mila" was originally a single, lengthy piece spread across both sides of a cassette with the A side being absolutely incredible & the B side being very solid too. This isn't for everyone as it's extremely deep & minimal but those that can get into that type of stuff are gonna go completely nuts for this shit. Wonderful stuff!
For fans of Robert Rich, Phill Niblock & Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto.
4.5/5
Carcass - "Surgical Steel" (2013)
My old review of the 2013 comeback album from these Liverpool extreme metal legends still holds up pretty well. "Surgical Steel" wasn't a bad return to the scene but it's not nearly as captivating as their classic releases (see "Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious" & "Heartwork") which is no doubt why I haven't returned to it in thirteen years. A lot of the instrumentation is essentially heavy metal & thrash metal with Jeff Walker's signature raspy vocals commanding the listeners attention. The production job is excellent & Bill Steer's lead guitar work is amongst the most memorable in recent times (ooohhh... that vibrato is to die for) but I'm afaid that the song-writing simply isn't as compelling as it once was. This isn't a bad record but it's far from essential. The fact that the quality drops so significantly over the last couple of tracks doesn't help either.
For fans of At The Gates, Arch Enemy & Intestine Baalism.
3.5/5
Death Yell - "Vengeance from Darkness Demo" (1989)
Death Yell formed in 1987 as Pestilence, changing name in 1988, presumably to avoid confusion with the Dutch masters. Their name may be familar from a 1991 split with Beherit or the 1992 "Triumph of Death" multi-band split that also involved the likes of Carcass, Samael and Beherit once more.
This 1989 demo is a great example of how the south american metal scene was throwing everything into the pot in search of extremity. Thrash, death and even semblances of early black metal, particularly in the rabid, screeching vocals of singer Galleta, are all incorporated in this mish-mash of extremity. When this is coupled with demented songwriting that features long-ish tracks containing multiple and rapid tempo and direction changes it all makes for a really compelling release that should at least pique the interest of the discerning extreme metal fanatic. There are six tracks on the demo, including a short ambient interval, which combine for a runtime of almost 32 minutes and a pretty substantial listening experience. The sound quality is fine for a typical 1980s demo, both muddy and tinny at the same time, lending the album a rawness that may be a little at odds with the overtly technical material on offer, yet which turns out to be surprisingly effective.
Death Yell don't just reach for extremity via playing uber-fast or by trying to sound more evil than anyone else, although they are perfectly capable of doing both at times, but the constant change in tempo and tone, lurching from killer riff to dissonant and manic guitar pyrotechnics all accompanied by a pummelling and punishing barrage from the very capable rhythm section of bassist Alejandro Allende and impressive drummer Patricio 'Pato' Diez alongside Galleta's manic screeches, howls and barks make for a release that feels ahead of the curve for 1989 in terms of extremity in metal. Ultimately, if you are in any way interested in the development of either the South American metal scene or extreme metal more generally then I think you would find this demo to be very interesting indeed.
4/5
Don Broco - Nightmare Tripping (2026)
One of my buddies is way more into Metalcore and the more recent, trendy/adjacent bands to it like Bilmuri than I'll ever be, but we still swap recommendations every now and again. Don Broco has done way more than I thought they did when all I knew them for was their one single "Action" from 2019, which was fun and quirky playlist material that painted this band as those slightly weird guys doing some slightly weird things within the Metalcore adjacent space. Enter Nightmare Tripping, the only full length Don Broco release either of us has paid attention to and I'm almost embarrassed to admit how much I've been listening to this recently. I've got some serious bias against this album since it has a ton of things I generally dislike about Metalcore or Alternative Metal bands trying to be quirky or forward thinking. Not that I don't want progress considering I'm not the biggest fan of generic Metalcore to begin with, but generally these attempts come off as shoehorned or the band eventually works its way back around to generic genre tropes that they can't escape from no matter how many trap beats they add.
However, I think Don Broco managed to defy the odds with Nightmare Tripping. I'm not going to say that this album is great, but I'm surprised to say that I think this album is good. It actually feels fresh in a way that I wasn't ready for. That doesn't mean that a lot of the ideas are good, there are parts of Nightmare Tripping that seriously work on my nerves and it's a bit of a mixed bag on the whole, but each song goes for something unexpected or fun whether it sticks the landing or not. I think that's the biggest factor here, Don Broco managed to make an album that is just a blast to listen to every now and again. It's carried by its singles for sure, but I think those singles could change depending on your taste or patience for EDM beats or sappy, generic clean singing in your Metal. For me personally it's "Cellophane", "Nightmare Tripping", and for some reason I've had "Euphoria" stuck in my head sometimes. The title track is especially off-the-wall, as it features Chad Kroeger from Nickelback and actually manages to make it work somehow.
Nightmare Tripping is such a strange album for me because each song has sections I think are pretty creative, followed by some sections that critically I can't get behind, but I can't deny that it's held up as a fun album. I feel like I need a few of those sometimes between all the analysis and all.
3/5
Dehumanized - "Prophecies Foretold" (1998)
My first experience with New York brutal death metal outfit Dehumanized came through their 1996 "Terminal Punishment" demo tape (4/5) back in my mid-1990's tape trading heyday & it made a significant impact on me, receiving regular replays over the next couple of months. I was a huge fan of the New York BDM sound at the time & these five guys offered a very solid example of it without ever really pushing the leaders of the scene like my very favourite metal band ever Suffocation. Dehumanized's debut full-length wouldn't land until my interest in metal was already tailing off during the late 90's so our paths wouldn't cross until a good decade later. The experience was similarly positive though & "Prophecies Foretold" & I have exchanged blows several times since then, appearing to enjoy each other's company quite a bit. When I first heard the record in full though, there was something a little fishy about it. You see, halfway through the tracklisting I started to get a strong feeling of deja vu & there's a good reason for that because the final four tracks are essentially an untouched version of the "Terminal Punishment" demo I'd enjoyed so much as a kid. The first five songs sound vastly different to the demo though which gives "Prophecies Foretold" a bit of a split personality. Both personalities are certainly worth knowing but I hold a slight favour for the demo material.
The new material that kicks off the album sees Dehumanized taking on a sound that splits the brutal & conventional death metal styles, never quite deciding on where it wants to reside. There's just as much Disincarnate & (dare I say it) Neuropath in their sound as there is their New York counterparts with a stronger melodic component & a little more nuance & tempo restraint being shown. The demo material is pure New York BDM though with those signature palm-muted slam riffs in strong effect throughout. The vocals are more gutteral & the tempos whiplash between slow & chuggy, hardcore-inspired Dying Fetus style slams & light-speed blasting. It doesn't appear as if drummer George Torres was using triggers as the kick drums sound fairly messy due to the disparities in their sound. Surprisingly, Torres is the only member of Dehumanized that I recognize from other projects, having contributed to slam death metallers 420 & Artery Eruption as well as BDM legends Skinless over the years. Frontman Jerry Barco's vocals differ quite a bit between the two releases too, being more gutteral on the early material with the brand-new songs all sporting a brighter production job.
Regardless of the split personality, I still really dig "Prophecies Foretold". It champions everything I enjoy about death metal & arguably does it better than they managed to do on either of their subsequent albums. Don't let the terrible cover art fool you. There are easily enough chunky riffs & spasmodic blast beats to satisfy your average brutal death metal nut included here.
For fans of Internal Bleeding, Pyrexia & Mortal Decay.
4/5
LTJ Bukem - "Hardcore Volume 11" (1993)
This unauthorized DJ mix cassette has gone on to become pretty legendary in the drum & bass scene over the years & it's aged beautifully too. Bukem is arguably the most important player in that scene overall & his ability to take a fairly chaotic genre & give it depth & credibility is worthy of high praise. You can expect to hear roughly an hour & a half of blemish-free, really well mixed (for the time) jungle, breakcore & atmospheric drum & bass, always maintaining a degree of substance & maturity.
For fans of PFM, Wax Doctor & Intense.
4/5