Category: Thrash Metal

For Greater Good - ... Unfolds

ambient / dark folk / cinematic

Rejoice, dark folk and ambient fans, because cinematic masterminds For Greater Good have returned. After several years of silence, Izzy and Sam have unleashed a four track EP that will take you back to the glorious days of Cold Meat Industry. With a blend of ambient, martial industrial and cinematic folk, often combined with new wave-like vocals, '...Unfolds' does exactly what the title promises. Opener 'Ihtyll' feels like a love song created by Penitent and featuring Nick Cave while 'And Thus ... Unfolds' is a gritty dark industrial tune. 'Northern Lights' brings back the gloomy atmosphere and the shimmering melodies, plus some Biosphere basses.

So, if the first three tracks of a four track EP already remind me of acts like Nick Cave, Penitent, Raison d'ètre, Aphex Twin and Biosphere, I guess it's alright to call this a pretty damn varied release. And then comes 'Synchronism', a goosebumps inducing dark pop anthem with vocals by Raya. In all, '...Unfolds' indicates a more than welcome return for a highly exciting ambient project. Recommended? Dûh!

Noiss - Deafening EP

alternative rock / punk / grunge

website

Spotify

Hailing from Chambèry in France, Noiss wants to slam you down with guitars, drums and rough vocals. In all honesty, this EP is neither noise nor deafening but it's a pretty convincing piece of old school grunge and punk rock, containing flashes of Nirvana, Queens Of The Stone Age and, why not, Pixies, just to name a few. Of these five tracks, 'Iteration 7' is my favorite, a groovy rock tune that will make you either bang your head or do some kind of weird, aggressive dance. So, if you're in for a grainy garage rock party, be sure to invite Noiss: raunchy and delicious...

Katapult - A Fistful of Truth

thrash metal

Inspired by the Gothenborg metal scene, Swiss thrash metal duo Katapult comes up with an odd EP that will either make you scratch your head or immediately open the moshpit. The four tracks on this EP are harsh, intense and raging pieces of thrash metal, created with the attitude of punk and laced with the anger of old school death metal. I think that's the best way to describe the music hiding behind this weird cover art. Think old Sepultura, Lamb Of God or The Haunted and you come close to the bloodshed Katapult is capable of.

WARD041 - Uoltam

dark ambient / drone

Signora Ward Records

A mysterious act on an enigmatic label where ambient, noise, dark jazz and blackened atmospheres meet. 'Uoltam' contains two tracks, simply named '1' and '2'. The opener is a haunting piece of dark ambient with eerie soundscapes and threatening background noises.
Track two feels even harsher and darker, reminding me of experimental ambient acts like Tactile, Rapoon or Tho-So-Aa. This is the perfect soundtrack for a nightly walk in the forest, surrounded by ancient spirits and grueling beasts.
Dark ambient at its best...

Rutger Zuydervelt - Porcelain

drone / ambient / soundtrack

Rutger Zuydervelt, also known as Machinefabriek, composed this spooky soundtrack for the movie 'Porcelain' by Jenneke Boeijink. The album contains 22 short ambient pieces and drones which perfectly seem to illustrate the atmosphere in the movie but also work quite well on their own. Together they seem to create one long track, both narrative and minimal, with only a few drones and strings. That is, of course, the strength of Rutger Zuydervelt's talent and experience: finding beauty in minimalism and shimmering sounds in the darkest drones. A perfect soundtrack.

Machinefabriek with Anne Bakker - Oehoe

drone / ambient

And one more release by Rutger Zuydervelt, this time under the Machinefabriek moniker and in cooperation with violinist/vocalist Anne Bakker. The ten pieces on this album are strange and eclectic experiment with noises, voices and melodies. For some reason this whole album reminds me of some of the most experimental gigs I've seen at the now defunct Incubate festival. If you're into avant-garde, neoclassical and experimental music, 'Oehoe' is definitely something up your alley, but I guess that's no surprise for fans of Rutger Zuydervelt. 'Oehoe' is one of thos releases to cherish for a long time.

Petrolio - GLVWXUER#DQVLD#JHQHUDOL]]DWR

industrial / dark ambient / noise

HGM Music

So, since we're picking the stranger releases for this edition of Brieviews, here is Petrolio, an Italian industrial noise act who seems to bang his head on his keyboard to come up with song titles. Not that he needs titles anyway because this music is harsh, intense and brutal, somewhere between Haus Arafna, Merzbow and Brighter Death Now. Sometimes there's beats but most of the time you'll be sinking into a thick pool of noises, soundscapes and electronic drones, clinging on to that one normal sound hidden deep beneath the gruesome noise. If that's your thing, this EP is definitely a must-have...

Hellstorm Of Flaming Nothingness - I Am An Empty Shell

drone / dark ambient

Equally dark but less noisy, Antwerp based drone act Hellstorm Of Flaming Nothingness delivers another set of mind-altering drones and top-shelf gloomscapes. Beneath the often extremely minimalistic approach lies a pitch black worldview. No, this album will not make you happy, but neither does watching the news or scrolling on facebook. 'I Am An Empty Shell' is a crushing statement of ambient minimalism and a surprisingly strong album. This is music to meditate to, to purify and reinvent yourself, to weep uncontrollably and to regain strength when it is all over. One music have for all you dark souls...

Bütcher - 666 Goats Carry My Chariot

20/1/2020

speed metal / thrash metal / black metal

Osmose Productions

Well, nine o' clock in the evening. Time for the neighbor's little kid to crawl into bed and have a good night sleep, right? Well, no, fuck that toddler and fuck everybody else's night's rest for that matter. The time for sleep is over and there is an intense reason for that.

Belgian speed metal behemoths Bütcher have a new album, one which calls to be played non-stop until the plague brakes out. These guys are set to demolish everything in their raging path to extreme metal glory. So prepare yourself, Antwerp, this city will be in ruins in no time.

In all seriousness, at first glance I had to giggle when I first laid my eyes on this release. Everything, and I mean everything, about Bütcher looks like an ancient metal cliché. The logo, the artwork, titles like 'Iron Bitch' and 'Viking Funeral'. It feels like it's all done before. Yet, instead of simply accumulating these properties, Bütcher have managed to make them their own and become the most convincing act within their genre. Obviously, for the laymen among us, this will be something to frown upon, but for the initiate metal heads, this album is an absolute must-have.

How it sounds? Well, it starts with an impending into, 'Inauguration of Steele', only to burst out in a bloody violent rage with the aforementioned 'Iron Bitch'. From then on, this quartet rages like rabid hounds from hell, driven forward by hyperspeed guitars, shrieking vocals and brutal drums. Flashes of Slayer, Darkthrone, Sodom and Exiter appear in my mind. Hell, even Helloween comes to mind, be in a ferocious thrash metal karaoke style, screamed by Satan himself. The only moment of rest appears in the first few seconds of title track '666 Goats Carry My Chariot'.

That one is my favorite here. While most tracks focus on high speed thrash metal, '666 Goats Carry My Chariot' dives into the realm of symphonic black metal, reminding me of those old 'World Domination' samplers, for example. It's also the only track you can headbang to without the skin in your neck being ripped to shreds and your spine being fractured. So for safety measures: if you're new to this genre, start with this one. Please do not start with 'Viking Funeral' as it will murder you immediately.

If you are familiar with Bütcher you should have already pre-ordered the living shit out of this filthy little record. In all, this is one of the few reasons why I'm quite proud to be Belgian. Bands like Bütcher, but also many others, have managed to create convincing and highly respected musical scenes throughout this country and far across its borders. '666 Goats Carry My Chariot' is another statement of this solid brotherhood. This album is vile, harsh and intense, but mostly it's a stranglehold, performed to extreme perfection. All hail Bûtcher.

Serge

Brieviews 63

6/7/2019

Maximilian Latva - Nekyia

noise / dark ambient / experimental

After 'Hrön', released in 2017, Maximilian Latva returns with a new album. Six tracks long, 'Nekyia' is a harsh and often unsetling dark ambient trip with intense synth-scapes and wailing guitars. It's cool to hear how Latva adapts elements of noise into captivating electronic chamber music with a haunting atmosphere. The result is something that seasoned ambient-noise fans can fully appreciate. My favorite track here is 'Sanoista saastunut', a lingering set of distorted synths, perfectly suited for gritty jazz bars and eerie horror movies alike. My advice? Check it out, it'll be worth the sonic journey...

HIN - Warmer Weather

electronic

dSound In Silence

Two school friends, jamming with electronics and creating melancholic yet dance-able indie pop tunes, that's pretty much how this project can be described. This duo comes up with an intriguing EP where electronics meets post rock. Most of the songs on this EP remind me a bit of Worriedaboutsatan but with emotional indie-vocals. Opener 'The Lower Heat' is already a potential top hit and halfway through 'Blue In Alkali' I'm expecting HIN to one day support Depeche Mode. Don't ask me why. This is very interesting modern-day post-whatever with intense electronic percussion and an emotional impact, neat!

Winterblind - Effigy

progressive / metal / black metal

According to their facebook page, Belgian progressive metal band Winterblind is definitely not a pyramid scheme. That's good to know but I think it's more interesting to dive into their ruthless and complex music. 'Effigy' is their second EP, and it's loaded with warring riffs, meticulous drumming and harsh vocals. The result is a six-track EP which is just as baffling as it is confusing. If you're into the technically superior regions of black metal, Winterblind might be one of your new favorites. Speaking of favorites, 'Stride' is my aboslute favorite, although 'Black-Scholes' and the almost Tool-ish 'My Public Anatomy' also deliver the odd goods. Anyway, 'Effigy' is an EP to discover...

Plague 9 - Mr. Ass

heavy metal / thrash metal

Coined as "something for headbanging metal junkies", Australian four-piece Plague 9 delivers old school thrash metal in the vein of most of your favorites. Between the intense riffs and the grooving drums we can find influences from Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica and so on. Opener 'Stuck In Hell' might need a few seconds to get used to but halfway through this song I can see a crowd of metalheads fiercely banging their heads. 'Criminal Justice' might be a bit too chaotic for me but 'Flavour Of The Weak' is a smasher and a possible fan favorite. In all, this is definitely something for old school thrashers.

Things That Aren’t There - Vicious Cycles

downtempo / electronic / post rock / shoegaze

English electronic post rock duo Things That Aren't There return with another epic two-track EP. I reviewed their preview EP in Brieviews 38 (read) so I was curious about their evolution. Opener and title track 'Vicious Cycles' immediately delivers the goods. Driving on minimal beats and lingering electronics, this song is a modern day shoegaze epic, laced with elements from industrial and post rock. A bit like Worriedaboutsatan but darker and eerier. 'The West Was Won' nudges more towards the post rock spectrum with its dreamy guitars, making it another brilliant piece of music. Recommended? Absolutely!

Wykan - Brigid - Of The Night

psychedelic / doom

In Brieviews 39 I was raving about the psychedelic rock meets extreme metal sound of Montreal based act Wykan. Guess what, they did it again. What starts out as something Pink Floyd forgot to compose suddenly and brutally dives into the world of old school black metal. In fact, Wykan regularly drags you from a trip through space into the depths of hell and back again. This is such a bewildering experience. Not enough variation for you? Well, how about some stoner rock riffs, or grinding blastbeats, or ritual doom worship? All of that is in all three of these mindblowing tunes. Be sure to get your ears on this EP.

Radien - Aste

sludge / black metal

Beginning with one of the most haunting intros in blackened sludge history, this two-track by Finnish act Radien is one to cherish for a long time. Eerie vocals and throat-singing over slow, lingering riffs and forceful drums, creating an intense, murky atmosphere, right before all hell breaks loose in sheer Yob or Conan style. Yet, now that those comparisons have been made, it's safe to say that Radien somehow manages to lift the level of intensity even higher. Makes me wonder: why is this band not at the very top of the sludge-scene? And the second track simply repeats the whole demolition. Masterfully crafted blackened sludge, nothing more, nothing less...

Peter Jørgensen - Alt i Stykker

ambient / modern classical / experimental

With a range of acoustic instruments and classically schooled vocalists, Peter Jørgensen delivers an awe-inspiring two-track EP. 'Alt i Stykker' is no regular ambient album, although the overall sentiment is slow and narrative. I think this could better be described as two lengthy pieces of modern day classical music, or sound track compositions for a gloomy film. In all, 'Alt i Stykker' is a remarkable release, not easy to categorize but definitely easy to enjoy if you are into unusual, free form and improvised classical music. Check it out. it's certainly worth your time.

Boobs Of Doom - Sorcerer

drone / doom / noise / experimental

Scottish doom outcasts Boobs Of Doom are regulars here on Merchants Of Air, and for a good reason too. This duo does things their way, resulting in weird and interesting albums which defy the rules of doom metal, so to speak. In fact, 'Sorcerer' nudges harshly towards the drone and noise scene with four unique tracks. Perhaps you can say that this is the musique concrète version of drone doom. Perhaps you could say that this is a bit too strange for your sensitive ears but fact remains, Boobs Of Doom is a unique entity, walking its own path through the world of sonic composition and quite often, it's worth following that path...

Temple Music - The Unquiet Mind

ambient / electronic

Sombre Soniks

Alan Trench & Steve Robinson have been working under the moniker Temple Music for quite some time now and with 'The Unquiet Mind', they deliver a brooding album, inspired by Evia, an island at the crossroads of Greek, Byzantine, Ottoman, Venetian and Albanian cultures. Musically, this results in a frenzy of soundscapes, rhythms and melodies which remind me of a mix between Master Musicians Of Bukkake and Tangerine Dream. The five pieces on this album are lengthy electronic music compositions, perfectly capable of taking the listener on a trip. It'll be an unusual sonic adventure but one with many stories to tell, I promise.

Lunden - Lunden

noise rock

Danish duo Lunden sounds like two members of Melvins getting drunk and jamming on each other's instruments. I'm not sure if that's a compliment but still, this is mind bending noise rock, probably influenced by everything between Sonic Youth, post hardcore and ritual noise acts. 'Bestanden' is way over the top for me but most of the other tracks showcase an intense urge to experiment. 'Ultrapisme' is another weird noise act while 'Screen Walking' and 'Endlessity' scream garage noise rock. In all, this is something for the die-hard noise rock fans, who should already be drooling by now...

Jimbo - Where The Vultures Gather

stoner rock / grunge / alternative rock

Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Jimbo throws three pieces of grooving rock music into this eclectic mix. Firmly rooted in the stoner rock scene ('Mama Wava'), this trio is not afraid to experiment with old school doom rock and grunge ('Pyrethrin') or heavy garage rock ('Where The Vultures Gather'). Perhaps not surprisingly for a band who seems to be influenced by acts like Led Zeppelin, Smashing Pumpkins and Alice In Chains. These three songs are quite interesting, especially if you love flashing guitar solos (yeah, let's also list heavy metal as an influence, just for these solos). Now shut up and rock!!!

Serge

Chaoseum - First Step To Hell

6/2/2019

metal / metalcore

website

While browsing through my pile of CDs to be reviewed, I found this little thing. I think it has been there for a while. I remembered when it came in. I opened the envelop and saw the CD plus the biography. I read the words "symphonic" and "metalcore" which almost caused the album to become forgotten.

Why? Well, I simply don't like metalcore and it has been ages since I listened to symphonic metal. Today the album almost literally fell into my lap while I was sorting out the CDs. I decided to give it a shot and I have to say, I am not as disappointed as I thought I would be.

The album opens with the powerful and forward pushing 'Lilith'. Immediately influences from bands like Arch Enemy, Trivium and Lacuna Coil appear. Fronted by the versatile Lola Van Loo, this Swiss band is a raging tribute to metal, certainly capable of causing most pits and crowd surfers. So far so good but the following track, 'Don't Waste Your Time' somewhat reduces the joy. Although this is not a bad song, you can hear a searching band, not yet fully convinced of their abilities. Either that, or they take the element of experimentation a bit too far.

Then again, 'Crawling In The Dirt' is a top level metal track, combining the best from Otep with the best of Arch Enemy and that is a serious compliment. It also show a bit of humor, which I think is a good thing. 'Blue Scorpion' is a cracker but also seems to drown in the planned versatility of the band. Sometimes I feel as if Chaoseum tried to adopt too many influences at once, giving the music an unnecessary complexity. In my opinion, fans will crave more tracks like the brutal 'F.T.S.' or the pummeling 'Devil's Wedding'.

'First Step To Hell' is not a bad album. In fact, it's certainly above average. The music is performed to perfection. There is plenty of power and the whole thing is varied enough to remain interesting, apart from a few missteps. What Chaoseum needs now is heaps of stage performances. If all goes well there, there is a big change for founding them on big stages in the future. In a few years, they might release a masterpiece. This CD has planted the seeds for that. There is potential, that's for sure.

Serge

Lethal Injury – Melancholia

27/11/2018

thrash metal

Vi.be

Lethal Injury, risen in Ostend, a town at the Belgian North Sea coast. This thrash metal band was founded in January 2015. Band members are Josha Pylyser (bass), Dennis Wyffels (guitar), Kevin 'Rambo' Van Eeckhoutte (vocals), Jonjo Hardy (guitar) and Arthur Loobuyck (Drums).

Melancholia is their debut album which was released in September 2018. After the successful four track demo in 2015 and a new drummer, they could concentrate on their blasting full length debut album. Lethal Injury plays old school thrash metal. Their influences come from different styles of metal music.

They have played already a lot of live shows and shared the stage with some big names in the metal world like Anthrax, Hirax and Legion Of The Damned.

Lethal Injury stands for speedy guitar riffs like Slayer and Pantera. Rambo’s vocals are a mix between Steve Souza (Exodus) and Ihsahn (Emperor). His shrill hoarse voice is filled with anger and aggression. The band handles the speed and melodies with precision and the songs are provided with a lot of variation. A bombardment of firing guitar solos and thrash riffs merged with the terrifying shrieks of their lead singer, will revive a lot of thrash metal hearts.

High speed tracks are Mothman and Suicidal Call, which has an old fashioned intro before exploding to one of the best tracks on the album. Denounce contains a pure Slayer-like riff that makes you bang that head at the first hit of the strings. Melancholia II is a melodic peaceful break to prepare us for the last wicked track, Veiled Woman Of The Black. Speed metal given in the best possible way. This last piece is a more than seven minutes long attack of raging guitars and screams guided by pounding double bass drumming, spreading pure madness.

Following Evil Invaders, Lethal Injury delivers another supersonic thrash-speed metal album with balls from Belgium.

Patsker

Brieviews 53

30/10/2018

Dizorder - Moon Phases

alternative / metal / metalcore

Although I'm not always content with the term "female fronted metal", I have to say that in this case the presence of Chloé defines the whole identity of Dizorder. While the men behind her deliver a solid modern day metal foundation, Chloé varies from melancholic to firm to brutal several times in a row. This EP contains four tracks, an intro and an outro. It showcases a wide of influences, from Evanescence and Flyleaf to Linkin Park, Deftones, Otep and today's metalcore scene. Furthermorre, there are some excellent tunes to be found, like 'Erinyes' or 'Pick'. Nice work and an excellent business card.

Greyhawk - Ride Out

heavy metal / power metal

Tsss, those Americans, rebooting something everybody in Europe laughs at, except Manowar fans but I don't think they have that much to laugh about anyway. Heading from Seattle, Greyhawk comes up with old school heavy metal, inspired by the greats and breathing the exact same air as Dio, Judas Priest, Blind Guardian, Helloween and so on. The result is this highly enjoyable and perfectly executed power metal EP, named 'Ride Out'. Fans of the old school will undoubtedly eat this up. So check it out, raise your horned fist and join the glory of heavy metal as it should be!

Gramma Vedetta - Proof of Concept

hard rock / stoner rock / alternative rock / grunge

We're not done having an old school party here. Next up is London based Gramma Vedetta and their infectious blend of blues, grunge, psychedelic rock and jam rock. Somehow these guys are stuck between the sixties and the nineties, which results in extravagant party tunes like 'Behind the Blinds', strange punky rockers like '.Taranto Train to Toronto Town' and instant grunge classics like 'She (Has A Plan)'. This EP is loaded with energy, fun and rock 'n roll. If this band can't get your party started, you are throwing the wrong party, that's for sure. So grab a beer and join me in the pit!

Godless - Swarm

thrash / death metal

Right, enough fun, time to torment our eardrums with some vile extremities courtesy of Indian death-thrash combo Godless. After an impending intro all hell breaks loose as we descent into a frenzy of riffs, blast-beats and ferocious screams. Influenced by everything between Kreator, Morbid Angel and Behemoth, Godless rages on with a murderous tempo and mind shattering intensity. This EP is short, but so is a chainsaw into the skull and that is a perfect comparison. Godless are not here to mess around, they are here to demolish, destroy and conquer.

O n s e t - Unstructured Dissemination

doom

Weird Truth

This debut EP by Onset, a collaborative effort of Mirai Kawashima from Sigh and synthwave artist Microchip Terror, is perhaps one of the most surprising doom metal releases this year. With elements from traditional doom, post rock, space rock and extreme metal, Onset delivers something both immersive and unsettling. The riff-heavy approach of funeral doom meets with the soul piercing experimentality of noise to create two epic pieces of dark and heavy music. This is definitely not an easy EP to listen to but it a unique and refreshing entity in the world of doom, which imply means it's awesome.

Ssanahtes - Ssanahtes

doom / sludge / post hardcore

French "not another post metal" act Ssanahtes comes up with a whole lot of noise, surprisingly close related to post metal. This self-titled album is an intense, brutal and abrasive piece of sludge doom and noise rock, coming at you in six psychotic tunes. The band claims to be influenced by bands like Neurosis, Meshuggah, Cult Of Luna and Kickback. You might as well add the deranged sounds of Japanese acts like Skullflower to that list as well. The result is an extremely unsettling album, one that will definitely get on your nerves. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to you to decide.

Frenzy Frenzy - Just Another

pop rock

Time for something on the lighter side of the rock music spectrum, which takes us to French trio Frenzy Frenzy. Their six track debut EP is loaded with sweet pop rock tunes, inspired by the pop music of Michael Jackson, INXS and Jamiroquai but also by rockers like Queens Of The Stone Age and The Black Crowes. The result is a fun album that will get many asses shaking, both on rock festivals and wedding receptions. I can't pick a favorite here but 'Into It All' is a potential chart hit. This is a fun EP, no doubt about that.

Charles In The Kitchen & Them Stones - Stones In The Kitchen

pop rock / alternative rock

Charles In The Kitchen

Them Stones

More joyous rock 'n roll from France, this time with a split singe by Charles In The Kitchen & Them Stones. Each band delivered one track beginning with the uptempo 'Arrogant Teenage Rag' by Charles In The Kitchen. This song somehow reminds me of the B52's, which is quite rare these days. Nonetheless, this is a neat tune and a definte dancefloor filler. The other side is for Them Stones, who showcase a more serious approach. Here the grunge scene comes to mind, heavy on riffs and methodical on the drums. Alice In Chains meets Weezer, something like that. In all, this is a enjoyable single, nothing more, nothing less.

Serge

DungeönHammer – Infernal moon

29/9/2018

thrash metal

Pulverised Records

After two split releases on 7 inch vinyl with the bands Rust and Purgatör, this two-member band release (12 October 2018) their debut album Infernal Moon.

E, from France on vocals and guitar and R, from Holland plays drums. The two friends, who met while studying in Italy share the same interest for thrash and speed metal bands of the 80’s. R stands for Rene Aquarius who is known for his drumming in several experimental projects in The Netherlands (Dead Neanderthals, Cryptae and Celestial Bodies).

The duo plays old school thrash metal. The first track, Infernal Moon sets the key for the whole album. Filthy guitar riffs with a deep thrash throat and pumping drums refer to the legendary Celtic Frost-Hellhammer glory days. The musicians managed to put a certain punk attitude in their songs and production of the album. Although they bring nothing new, they still get away with it. E and R constructed their songs on one hand, with an eye and heart to their heroes and the other to avoid playing covers. The instruments are played very tight and with precision.

Solitudinem Mysteriis is to our opinion one of the best songs on the album together with Perpetual Funeral Winds, which starts with an old fashioned acoustic intro and altering into a very good, old school thrash metal song with a not so common style. The thought of Tom G. Warrior on vocals is never far away.

DungeönHammer kicks your butt with this eight song retro album. Infernal Moon brings nostalgia that reminds us the wonderful days of metal music in the 80’s. They play with deep respect in remembrance of the founders of old school black-thrash metal. We should honor those who honor and respect the old gods of metal. Let’s bang that head again.

Patsker

Supremate - Uniting Flaw

5/9/2018

thrash metal

Three years ago, when Merchants Of Air was still in its infancy, I got acquainted with Finnish heavy rockers Supremate. Back then they released their self-titled debut album, one in which I saw both potential and possible points of improvement. I remember writing the review from the perspective of a festival attendee, arriving at the event in the early afternoon. Now the band returns with a second full length, and I have to say, they have been evolving away from the young Nirvana, Offspring and Pantera coverband they used to be in the beginning of this century. Now Supremate is a full grown band with a solid and powerful sound.

'Uniting Flaw' contains ten tracks, all grafted from old school thrash metal. Opener 'Despite The Scars' immediately delivers the potent riffs and the raw, somewhat aggressive vocals. Although influences from their thrash, groove and heavy metal heroes are still present, the band seems to have found their own sound, one that most headbangers and riff enthusiasts will certainly appreciate. 'The Crown Don't Make A King' is a perfect example of that. It's loaded with delicious metal riffs but also leaves some room for experimentation, mainly in the drums.

My favorite track here is 'Territory' (not a Sepultura cover), closely followed by the crushing 'Blackness' and the groovy 'Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints'. These three songs show how much the band has been evolving in the past few years. Most of the instrumentation seems to come quite naturally. Only the vocals feel somewhat forced at times, as if the vocalist tries to overpower the music. I sure hope he can keep this level of aggression and roughness going for the foreseeable future.

I feel like the talent and potential of Supremate is slowly blooming. 'Uniting Flaw' shows a more coherent and experienced band than the debut album did, which is a good thing. Of course this album is no 'Master Of Puppets', 'Cowboys From Hell' or 'Rust In Piece' but it certainly is an entertaining piece of old school heavy metal. As before I think these songs will work better on stage than in the living room but if played loud enough you might find yourself banging your head multiple times. So check it out, you just might find a new favorite tune.

Serge

Brieviews 40

5/4/2018