Merchants Of Air
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Albums
    • Concerts
  • Interviews

Ummagma - Frequency

31/10/2015

Comments

 
dreampop / shoegaze / synthpop
Raphalite Records
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Picture
​One thing I can't resist in music, how strange this might sound for someone who usually reviews quite heavy stuff, is fragility.  Since founding this website, I discovered several acts and artists creating dreamy electronic shoegaze with female vocals and I'm almost always sold immediately.  Today, I'd like to add Ummagma to that list.  Floating somewhere between synthpop, ambient pop and electronic post-rock, this Canadian-Ukranian duo sounds extremely promising.

This ep contains five new songs plus three remixes for the beautufil and highly danceable 'Lama' (somewhere betwxeen Joy Division and The Human League).  The names of the remixers are quite interesting:  Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), Malcolm Holmes (OMD) and Lights That Change.  Those names prove that Ummagma already has made some impact in the world of electronic music and with good reason too.  I really like all the versions of 'Lama' but let's go into the other tracks as well.

'Orion' is a fragile, electronic piece of work, gently and dreamy.  It's sounds a bit like a dreampop lullaby, beautifully sung by Shauna.  In fact, that song inspired me to do the 'fragility' intro of this review.  'Winter Tale' sounds a bit like Massive Attack meets Boards Of Canada meets Austra, which is a stunning combination to be honest.  'Galacticon' delves a bit deeper into ancient synth history and somehow reminds me of the very early days of Kraftwerk or Klaus Schulze.  'Ocean Girl' is an odd, folky tune and a decent closer for this ep.

So yes, Ummagma bight become one of the acts to keep an eye out for in the near future.  I can defintitely see them touring with big acts, from the trip-hop giant Massive Attack to shoegaze deities Slowdive.  I can also see Ummagma gain many followers everytime they play.  I wouldn't even be surprised if 'Lama' becomes a huge hit, both in the alterative as in the popular scenes.  


Serge
Comments

Monastery Dead ‎– Black Gold Appetite

31/10/2015

Comments

 
death metal
Symbol Of Domination
Picture
Picture
Ah, black gold, and I presume we're talking about oil.  The cover shows a man in very bad health condition eating oil.  In the background we see the dark skies over the oil fields.  It's an apocalyptic vision but somehow it's very realistic image about greed.  The band logo tells us we're dealing with a death metal album and the song durations even takes that a bit furthur towards grindcore.

Don't you just love it when everything is right?  Yes, this is a death metal album, often nudging towards grindcore and loaded with hardcore punk influences.  Brutal guttural vocals, blasting drums and fierce riffs turn the whole into thirteen heart attack causing musical obliterations.  I can see the moshpits forming, I can see the crowdsurfers climbing on stage.  

Monastery Dead hail from Russia and have been around since 2004.  Several line-up changes and three albums later later the band has great plans for the future.  I certainly hope they can make those plans come trough because this is a damn crushing piece of work.  Fans of bands like Napalm Death, Dying Fetus or Debauchery will undoubtedly appreciate the sheer speed and aggression that these Russians disgorge.

Highlights are the highly chaotic but massive 'Sublimation', 'Voracity of Madness', 'Lie' and (for me personally) the strangely atmospheric 'Generation:Rats', even including some minimal keyboards and post-metal influences.  That versatility is what makes this album so interesting.  Most of the times the band throws some sickening slaps of brutal grind in your face and on other occasions they prove to be technical experts, capable of performing any extreme genre.

So yes, this is a well-taken care of piece of extreme metal that very few headbangers could resist.  Plenty of variation, plenty of intense musical ass kicking, what else could a death metal freak possibly want?  So check this out, you won't be disappointed.


Serge
Comments

Abysmal Growls Of Despair ‎– Between My Dead

30/10/2015

Comments

 
funeral doom
Satanath
facebook
Picture
Picture
​Only a few weeks ago, I reviewed (read) the previous full-length by Abysmal Growls Of Despair.  I really liked the album and so I recommended it to any fan of funeral doom metal.  Now, if you're one of those fans and you're checking out this French one-man project, be sure to purchase a copy of 'Between My Dead'.  It's even better than the previous one, a massive, monolithic piece of extreme slow and depressive metal.

Over the years Abysmal Growls Of Despair has been perfecting his dark art and that's quite audible.  With this effort he comes very close to some drone doom acts, even including Sunn O))).  Yet, the typical, guttural growls remain a constant in this music.  This results in a number of huge tracks, slow, downtuned and intensely heavy.  Needless to say that the tracks here are very long.

Except maybe for the intro 'Misanthropy', which is actually a splendid dark ambient track with soundscapes and eerie noises.  As far as I'm concerned, this could become a very interesting side project.  What follows next depicts the evolution of this solo-act.  Songs like 'The End Of Previous Life' and 'New Beginning' show a musician that wants to grow and become a solid act in this genre.  He certainly earned that moniker, that's for sure.

'The Feast' and 'Wake Up' deliver more funeral doom goodness, directly from the putrid underground of the French metal scene.  He even seems to need lesser keyboards than on his previous work.  I do like keyboards sometimes but the current approach seems to be even more convincing, darker and more fearsome.  Perhaps I still prefer drones above synths but both are very welcome in this genre and both are simple brilliant on this album.

So my recommendation?  Well, as I mentioned earlier in this review: get your hands on this thing if you're a funeral doom metal fan.  This little gem with find the way to my stereo many times from now on and the digital version will appear in playlist where Evoken, Funeral and Shape Of Despair are residents.


Serge



Comments

Noveller & Thisquietarmy - Reveries

30/10/2015

Comments

 
drones / ambient
Consouling Sounds
bandcamp Thisquietarmy
Picture
Picture
Good things are allowed to be repeated.  That is why Consouling Sounds decided to re-release this brilliant cooperation between two of the most well-known drone acts.  The album was released somewhere in 2014 and sold out in no time.  Whoever didn't buy it then, has a new chance and is in luck because they added two more tracks which didn't appear on the first version.

Musically, this is simply an excellent drone-ambient album, but not really what you could expect from Thisquietarmy.  Usually his work is a lot darker and heavier, many times blatantly crossing the borders between drone music and funeral doom metal.  Here, the music remains on a for many people acceptable level, soothing, calm and dreamy.  That latter is something we are quite used from Noveller so I think she took the lead on this one.

The five tracks on 'Reveries' come very close to acts like Microhponics and some of the works by good friend Aidan Baker.  There's no percussion and only vague hints of melody, hidden away behind starry-eyed soundscapes.  So if you didn't get the chance to get your hands on a copy of this mesmerizing piece of work, do it now.  You will not be disappointed, I promise...


​Serge
Comments

[Evertrapped] - Under the deep

30/10/2015

Comments

 
death metal
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Picture
Right off the bat you get the At The Gates-style of riffing and sound (like, real close) with The Haunted/ Suicide Silence mixed in a bit vocally. It's just as powerful and convincing is those bands. I really can't get over how much they remind me of At The Gates musically mostly but sometimes they have some strong Lamb Of God influence. How do I feel about that? Not sure I like it and not sure if I love it.   I can tell you this, they are a great band and a very tight band, If you are into At The Gates or Lamb Of God then this may be your thing! Check them out.


Paul
Comments

Propaganda - The Mask Of Sanity

30/10/2015

Comments

 
grindcore / death metal
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Picture
Indonesian slamcore and grindcore mayhem. This album has the riffing and the guttural vocals like you'd expect from a band in this genre. ! It's a pretty solid piece! Is it a breakthrough album ? Nah. Is it good? Yes! 

Unfortunately there isn't much I can write about 'The Mask Of Sanity' It's typical guttural slam with all the breakdowns and blast beats you expect.  It's highly recommended if you want your brain smashed in get it!


Paul
Comments

Hellish - Theurgist's Spell

30/10/2015

Comments

 
blackened thrash metal
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Picture
Under the bodies of the sacrificed ones, in the dark of an ancient blackened winter night these creatures of Hellish emerge with true dark blackened thrash metal! Mid tempoed throughout with dark, catchy riffs and eerie as hell vocals make this a very sincere release and a must for all fans of early black metal and evil thrash.

The song structures are perfect, the guitar leads are dark, drums are dirty and raw but clear in the production, exactly the way drums should be. This is a perfect release to be on vinyl (I only wish I had the vinyl), hail Satan!


Paul
Comments

Dean Wallace - Metal Family

30/10/2015

Comments

 
metal
website
facebook
Picture
Picture
​Am I the only one who often notices how much lyrics French vocalists try to pitch in a minimal amount of time?  That notion struck me a lot of times since I founded this webzine.  They definitely sing a lot more than others, sometimes even harming the music with their constant vocal interruptions.  Here too, Dean Wallace likes to put in a lot of text, but luckily the music is strong enough to remain interesting.  Besides, Wallace is an excellent guitar player so there's plenty of instrumental passages with solos here.

This French one-man project, which currently seems to have added two members for live performances and clips, has been around since 2013.  He dedicated his life to metal and certainly knows how to write decent songs.  Apart from the many lyrics, there's little 'French' about the whole project.  If anything, the whole sounds English or American, which usually is a good thing with heavy metal.  So prepare to bang your heads and raise your horned fists, old school style.

Main influences for Dean Wallace seem to be bands like Metallica, Pantera, Iron Maiden and Megadeth.  There's flashes from these bands everywhere, from the almost industrial riffing to the clearly Hetfield inspired vocals.  In a way, yes, you could see this as a Metallica tribute, fitting in somewhere between And Justice For All, The Black Album and Load.  Yet, on the other hand, it's not mere a clone or tribute.  This is a cohesive set of metal songs, inspired by the great ones.

There's plenty of highlights on the album.  I really dig songs like 'Our Only Chance', 'I'm Not A Hero' and 'It's My Turn'.  They're heavy, loaded with massive riffs and Wallace's strong vocals and they never disappoint.  Besides, there's even room for a nice ballad in 'My Eternal Why', which resembles many classic heavy metal ballads and serves as an excellent breather on this album.  The song is follow by the speed metal thrasher 'Flying Coffin', another great song

So if you're into excellent; flashing guitar play, strong rhythms and clean, raspy and powerful vocals, this definitely is your thing.  I'm quite sure many metalheads will unite around the stages where Dean Wallace and band play, intensely enjoying some classic heavy and speed metal.  So get your boots, patched jeans and black leather pants, raise your horned fists and become a part of the metal family.


Serge
Comments

Meneapneontes ‎– Promachos

30/10/2015

Comments

 
black metal
Murdher Records
Satanath
facebook
Picture
Picture
​When someone mentions the term 'Hellenic black metal', many people will immediately think about bands like Rotting Christ or Varathron.  Those bans were the first that came to mind when I watched Meneapneontes' facebook page prior to listening to the album.  After listening, the names are still present and I guess I can now add this project to the list of awesome bands from Greece.  Sometimes it's good to get exactly what you expect, no?

I can't find a lot of information about Meneapneontes.  I know it's a duo, named Takis and Vasilis, aided by some session musicians.  I have no idea if they play live and as far as I've seen this is a debut album.  But what a debut it has become.  Epic, melodic and fierce black metal in perfect Greek tradition and loaded with mythology.  Inspiration is gathered from the rich history of the motherland, including its ancestors and gods.

Musically, you can indeed compare Meneapneontes to bands like Rotting Christ and Varathron but I'm also reminded of acts like Ancient Rites or Bal-Sagoth.  This is high standard black metal with a decent share of melody and atmosphere.  On other occasions, Meneapneontes truly likes speed, intensity and aggression, resulting in punishing passages of epic black metal.  

There's also quite a nice amount of experimental dark ambient and dark folk in some of the songs, naturally adding a lot of atmosphere to the whole.  These passages are stunning, intensely dark and quite haunting, perfectly fitting in with the rest of the music.  Highlights on this album are the brilliant 'Sons Of The Greeks' and the powerful 'Eleley'.  But I can definitely recommend this album for anyone like his black metal epic, melodic and with a huge sense of victory.


Serge
Comments

Chiral - Abisso

30/10/2015

Comments

 
black metal
Symbol Of Domination
Black Plague Records
facebook
Picture
Picture
'A raw black metal journey through pain, death and solitude as seen by Chiral'.  That's what the artist behind this one-man project mentions in the album booklet.  However, I like to add a few words to that description.  Words like 'progressive' or 'atmospheric' for instance, or 'intense', 'surprising' and 'refreshing'.  Yes, this is a black metal album but I've rarely heard something as immersive and awe-inspiring as this one.  This is Opeth meets Rodrigo & Gabriela meets Nortt.

Chiral hails from Italy and has been working on his distinct version of black metal since 2013.  And black metal we get.  Raw, primitive and intense blackened riffs, blast beats and hellish screams fill the air in nearly every song, except maybe in the opener 'Atto I: Disceso Nel Buio', which on its turn is simply a great depressive blackened doom song.  That would probably make it my favorite track, me being a doom fan and all.

But there's much more to it that just bleak extreme music.  Chiral is an excellent guitar player, even when he puts the electric version aside for a while and goes completely acoustic.  These atmosphere folk passages are brilliant.  They add a lot of credibility and originality to the whole, something that can always cound on my approval.  On other occasions keyboards make up for the dreamy but dark passages, often introducing another stunning piece of musicial extremeties.

Finally, there's a lot of room for melody.  Closer 'Atto Finale: Di Notte, Cielo E Solitudine' nudges back towards the whole depressive black metal scene, again much to my delight.  Naturally, the song sounds haunted, fearsome and downright bleak but that's the brilliance of this whole album.  'Abisso' is well-balanced, well-played and highly versatile.  So I really want to recommend this gem to any black metal fan out there because Chiral seems to have created one of the highlights in this year's blackened scene.



Serge
Comments

Ewian - We Need Monsters

30/10/2015

Comments

 
indie rock / post rock / dream pop
website
facebook
Picture
Picture
​'Dream noise', a term given by the band themselves, seems to be quite a good description for what you get on this album.  On the other hand, I'm used to quite a bit of noise and this is far from noisy.  It is dreamy, that I'll admit but still very far from the harsh sounds that often find the way to my speakers.  I'll also admit that I really like this album, beautifully blending shoegaze, post-rock and pop rock and that way creating some stunning songs.

Ewian is a duo from Köln, Germany.  In 2013 they started working on these songs, carefully composing, writing and recording their songs.  'We Need Monsters' is the second full length, after 'Good Old Underground', which was released last year, a single and an ep.  Slowly, Ewian seems to be growing, evolving and getting more and more followers.  At least, that's what I hope.  They actually deserve it, especially with great songs like opener 'Ticket From Kingdom Come' and 'Star'.

What Ewian does, isn't really new but that's quite impossible these days.  Yet, they seem to be experienced and skilled musicians, borrowing influences from acts like Radiohead, Coldplay, Muse, Sigur Ros and many more alternative rock acts.  I also recognize some Belgian bands like Zornik, Gorki and (especially in 'Song For The Psychonauts') even Noordkaap/Monza/Meuris*.  I'm not sure if Ewian are familiar with these bands but they should definitely take that as a compliment.

Soft, gentle piano passages often alternate with fuzzy guitars.  So, there also seem to be elements from ambient, grunge and even a little hint of jazz, meticulously interwoven in the fabric of the songs.  Just like the previously mentioned bands, Ewian has a tremendous feel for songwriting, mostly taking on a very emotional approach.  Most of the songs are atmospheric ballads, hence the post-rock reference. 'Fragile Ghost' is one of my favorites.  

In all, 'We Need Monsters' is an excellent album, certainly one that has the potential to score. Maybe the whole gets a bit too emotional and dreamy by the end, especially for the rockers among us but here too, that problem is easily solved by creating amazing songs.  I'm quite curious about what Ewian will do with this material and I hope they will soon tour Europe.  I'm sure they will do great on stage and gain a lot of followers that way.


Serge  

*These are three bands, fronted by vocalist/songwriter Stijn Meuris and some of the most popular rock bands with Dutch lyrics
Comments

Police State - Mind Collapse

28/10/2015

Comments

 
crust / death metal / grindcore
Grimoire Records
facebook
Picture
Picture
​We're closing today's writing session with something sick, twisted, pissed-off and brutal.  If you fancy a good old fashion musical ass-kicking, you should defintitely get your hands on this piece of crust punk and extreme metal.  However, if there's any sense of dignity and decency in you, watch out for this murderer.

Police State is a quartet from York, PA (USA), featuring some members from Bittered.  The band has the same mind set, the same lyrical themes and the same sheer brutality as Bittered but takes on a more violent approach with a thunderous tempo.  In fact, in some way this could be seen as aggressive death metal, influenced by hardcore punk and grindcore.

After a noisy intro, 'Oath' immediately destroys everything that is still good and just in the world.  For a while, and during most of the following songs, I thought about Sepultura's version of 'Drug Me'.  As many people know, that song is an intense piece of death metal and certainly a live favorite.  Well, Police State easily repeats that a few times, creating crushing songs like 'Pure Filth' and 'Cease To Exist'.

Funny thing is, I'm actually not even a big fan of crust punk but I really dig this little gem, probably because of the earlier mentioned Sepultura reference.  Besides, there's a song named 'Propaganda' on this tape, what else could I compare this with?  This is absolutely a death metal track, and one that will rip you apart with great ease.  If that song didn't do the trick, 'Resolution' well.  Fuck, this is an awesome song.

Police State stands for raw, primitive, in-your-face metal and play their music with crushing intensity.  I can easily imagine this being a bomb on stage and I hope I ever get the chance to witness them live.  I recommend every extreme metal fan to listen to this and go to their shows.  At least for once you'll enjoy yourself with a 'police state' in stead of being tortured by it...


Serge



Comments

Abysmal Grief - Strange Rites of Evil

28/10/2015

Comments

 
doom metal
website
facebook
Picture
Picture
​Mere days ago, I mentioned Abysmal Grief in a review, while listing a number of amazing doom bands from Italy.  To my surprise, shortly after the review submission for their latest album came in.  As some of you might already know, doom metal is one of my favorite genres and recently Italy is becoming one of my favorite musical countries.  So it's quite needless to say that this album found the way to my media player very quickly.

Of course, everyone who knows Abysmal Grief, knows what to expect: dark, horror themed doom metal with loads of atmosphere and almost hypnotic pulsation of distorted guitars.  Those elements are immediately present in opener 'Nomen Omen'.  The song reminds me of anything between Moonspell, My Dying Bride, Death SS and The Vision Bleak.  With gothic keyboards and a sluggish mid-tempo speed, the song easily gets stuck in my brain, which in this case is a good thing.

That dramatic, theatrical approach is present throughout the entire album, often quite elementary as in the repetitive 'Strange Rites of Evil'.  This song doesn't need complicated structures of surprising hooks to become a doom classic.  Only sheer heaviness and a blackened tension are needed to maintain the listener's attention.  Besides, the whole is well-varied and never gets stale.  Even the vocals range from death growls to blackened screams to deep, haunting clean voices.

'Child Of Darkness' and 'Radix malorum' are probably my favorite tracks on this album, although that's a very tough decision to make.  It's strange how Abysmal Grief manages to combine traditional doom metal with horror music and still perfectly fit into the present-day stoner-induced doom scene.  I mentioned a few bands before but I would certainly like to add bands like Winter, Electric Wizard, Pentagram and November's Doom to that list.  These Italians certainly earned their place between those names.

So take it from me, this is a brilliant piece of doom metal with six massive songs.  Every doom metal fan should have this in his collection. I'm absolutely positive that this album will find the way to my speakers often from now on and I'm sure that I'm not the only one who will feel that way.  Highly recommended...


Serge
Comments

Drawing Virtual Gardens - The Osmotic Memory of J.J. Bhagee

28/10/2015

Comments

 
ambient / experimental
Flaming Pines
bandcamp
Picture
Picture
​I surely like it when an artists comes back to use after we reviewed his/her previous works.  Not only do I see that as a compliment for our work but also as an opportunity to witness the evolution of a band or project.  Drawing Virtual Gardens has been featured on our website two times already and each time he received a lot of praise.  On his third effort, David Gutman (the multi-instrumentalist behind this project) delves deeper into the themes of identity, waiting, time and memories.

What I like about Gutman's work is his total neglect towards genres.  Sure, you can easily place this one any ambient shelve but there's always more to it with Drawing Virtual Gardens.  On this album too I can hear influences from jazz, classical and drone music.  Opener 'Stealing A Sound Out Of The Tropic', for instance nudges fiercely towards acts like Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones, which is loudly applauded in this household.

I do in fact applaud this entire album.  Once again it's a beautiful adventure in music making and experimenting with sounds.  'Corpus Membrane Reverb' is a perfect example of that, driving on gentle soundscapes and incorporating a number of different instruments and effects.  It also reminds me of O Yuki Conjugate, a band that has directly influenced me in my own music making.  Quite frankly, and this is the hard truth, the works of Drawing Virtual Gardens have also influences my own recent works.

So, for the first time in my career as a reviewer, I have to admit that some of the albums I review have an immediate impact on Misantronics.  The experiments with rhythm and percussion in some of the songs here can link to my own and same goes for the soundscapes.  I adore the constant tension between soothing and distressed sound.  The playful and experimental approach to ambient is something David Gutman and I definitely share.

'A Kind of Swirl in Amsterdam' closes this great album perfectly by combining pretty much everything I mentioned earlier in this review, plus some vocal samples.  It's a strange song, an odd discussion between instruments, some gentle, some stubborn.  So for me, recommending this album certainly is a must.  If you're a fan of ambient or experimental electro-acoustic music, you can't go wrong with Drawing Virtual Gardens, that's for sure...

​
Serge
Comments

Blackosh - Whores, Booze & Black Metal 

28/10/2015

Comments

 
black metal
website
facebook
Picture
Picture
​It's party time, over-the-top Halloween style.  Get ready to indulge yourself into a festering pit of relentless black metal, slashing, gnawing and punishing.  Hide away your virgin daughters, and probably also the already devirginized ones.  Blackosh has risen and undoubtedly will leave a massive trail of destruction allover Europe.

Already a well-known name in the Czech underground, Blackosh is one of the founding members (1987-2004) of Root and a member of Crux.  For this project under his own moniker, he gathered a bunch of befriended maniacs and no doubt Iron Bonehead Production was thrilled to sign this act.  Hell, I would be thrilled too if I had the change to get this album released.

What we get is exactly what you might expect from looking at the title but with a strange edge.  This is definitely black metal, primitive, chaotic, brutal and sick.  Massively influenced by bands like Bathory or Krieg but also rooted in the hardcore punk scene, this band makes severe musical punishments for mankind.  Furthermore, there's a tremendous feel for strangeness, resulting in mesmerizing songs like 'Kancelář s číslem 666'

The album is actually loaded with highlights, if you're a fan of disturbing extreme music that is.  'Kurvy, Chlast a Black Metal' and 'Peklo nás baví' are my favorites, altough I have no idea what Blackosh is singing about.  Lyrics are in Czech so I don't really understand them, but judging from the English album title, it's all about fun activities.  So, blackened maniacs, check out this brilliant musical monstrosisty and dwell into these cheerful and hellish orgies Blackosh has created.


Serge
Comments

Devil In You - Demons

28/10/2015

Comments

 
death metal
bandcamp
facebook
Picture
Picture
I have never listened so many different death metal albums as I've been doing in the past year or so.  Before I founded this website, only Dismember, Obituary, Entombed, Sepultura, Death and Carcass sometimes found the way to my media player.  I do like the genre but somehow very few of those album remain circulating in my playlists.  As many thing change, so does that music rotation and several albums have already been added to the ever grow(l)ing playlist.

This album by Spanish death metal combo Devil In You certainly will be added to that list, perhaps even for a long time.  Their second album is out now and it's an elementary but highly effective piece of extreme music.  Members have been around in bands in the Sevillian underground for years before they founded this quintet.  That experience is quite audible on 'Demons', blending old school brutal death metal with a flair for melody and a dark, grim atmosphere.

The music as such isn't very complicated but incorporates all the necessary ingredients to make it great; grinding riffs, stomach twisting grunts and a wide array of drums, ranging from doom, over metal and industrial to sheer speed.  That being said, the songs usually aren't even that fast but tend to nudge towards the groovy death metal of bands like Entombed or, as is the case with the amazing 'Dead Lines' towards a band like Fear Factory.

My favorite tracks are opener 'Semyazza´s Liberation' and title track 'Demons'.  It's good that these are the first songs on the album because they immediately grab that listener's attention, making him realize this is something interesting.  Yet, then the band needs to maintain a certain level of enjoyability, otherwise the album collapses like a house of cards.  Luckily, Devil In You has some bad-ass songs ready, including the moshpit inducing 'Orobas' and the intense 'Merciful'.

I haven't written anything about the fact that this is a female fronted death metal band.  Why?  Because I don't think it matters. Yes, it was awesome when Angela Gossow opened the growling gates of death metal for women but I don't care about the gender of a vocalist (or any musician).  All I care about is: are they good.  And yes, Bárbara has a massive grunt, loaded with sheer brutality and brute power.  She certainly adds a lot to the already quite crushing music.

So what we have here is a great piece of death metal, influenced by the old school of the genre and combined with a touch of doom and a decent feel for atmosphere.  I dig the guitar solos, who give the whole a vintage heavy metal edge as well.  Fans of extreme metal won't be disappointed by this gem, and that's almost a promise.  Let's get this show on the road and have Devil In You blast over Europe with this material.


Serge
Comments

Hellhookah - Endless Serpents

27/10/2015

Comments

 
stoner rock / doom
facebook
Picture
Picture
As I often do, I end today's writing session with a nice piece of doom metal.  This time we go to Lithuania to listen to the heavy, fuzz-loaded sounds of a two-piece named Hellhookah.  Once again, a guitars (and vocals) and drums duo proves that you don't need a full-blown band to make powerful music.

Hellhookah, founded in 2012, borrows elements from vintage doom and traditional heavy metal to create their own sound.  Of course, that means massive riffs and pounding drums, guiding a strong, clean voice.  Besides, it also means that bands like Pentagram, Cathedral, Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus often come to mind.

My favorite tracks include opener 'A Storm In The Hidden World' and the brilliant classic rock anthem 'The Way'.  However, all the songs breathe this awesome wind of old school doom metal and each of them is a great tribute to the mighty power of the riff.  

As good as Hellhookah are, there is always room for improvement.  Adding a few members to the band seems like a good idea but what this act certainly needs is a label.  These guys are talented and truly deserve bigger exposure, a professional recording studio and a good producer.  This music is way too good to remain hidden in the doom underground.


​Serge
Comments

My Darkest Fury ‎– Hectic Existence

27/10/2015

Comments

 
death metal
Satanath
facebook
Picture
Picture
Mere minutes ago I was writing about how surprised I have been with Russian bands and now another one gained my approving attention.  Here we're dealing with a modern version of melodic death metal, incorporating elements from the old school as well and today's scene.  However, there are some more surprises.

Bands that come to mind are In Flames, Children Of Bodom, (classic) Sepultura, Fear Factory, Napalm Death and even Therapy? (the latter mainly in the sound of the drums).  Vocals range from brutal grind growls to melodic clean chants, each of them perfectly suited for the musical passage accompanying it. 

Musically, you can expect a more than decent variation between brutal in-your-face death riffs and highly melodic passages of blissful headbanging.  It's clear that these are seasoned musicians with a flair for the entire history of extreme music.  It's the new soundtrack for whenever armageddon comes...


​Serge 
Comments

Putrevore - Tentacles Of Horror

27/10/2015

Comments

 
death metal
Xtreem Music
facebook
Picture
Picture
Oh fuck,  more Putrevore! This is like 1992 when music was sincere, brutal, and fucking amazing. Haven't heard Putrevore? Well fuck you then. This is an absolute classic! If you're unfamiliar with Putrevore think Demilich, think classic Finland style death metal period! 

I'm not going to say anything else about this, besides that it's amazing.  This release is possibly the most brutal of the year to date in my mind right now. If you're a fan of early 90 Finnish style death metal, you absolutely need this.

Eight tracks of pure brutal sickness....


​Paul

Comments

Caecus - Affliction

27/10/2015

Comments

 
death metal
Blood Harvest
facebook
Picture
Picture
After a few listens you admire the genuine death-sounds and tightness of this band. This is the first time I have heard them so it's a pleasant surprise and I feel like I hit gold! Vocally they have the old school death metal style with the feel of black metal.  A truly convincing piece of of sickness here!

Precise changes, on point blast beats, and sharp guitar riffing round out a classic release here. From Scotland you are presented the sickest thing to come out of that country and I've heard a lot of great bands from Scotland. So take it from me on that this is truly a buy-or-die release.  Don't sleep on it!

Paul 

Comments
<<Previous
    subscribe to our newsletter

    Genres

    All
    Acoustic
    Alternative
    Ambient
    Avant Garde
    Avant-garde
    Black Metal
    Blues
    Children
    Classical
    Country
    Crust
    Dark Ambient
    Dark Jazz
    Darkwave
    Death Metal
    Doom
    Dream Pop
    Drone
    Drum & Bass
    Dub
    Dubstep
    EBM
    Electro
    Electronic
    Ethereal
    Experimental
    Folk
    Folk Metal
    Funk
    Gothic
    Grindcore
    Grunge
    Hardcore
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Hip Hop
    Hip-hop
    Idm
    Indie
    Industrial
    Instrumental
    Jazz
    Krautrock
    Martial
    Math Rock
    Metal
    Metalcore
    Neo Classical
    Neo-classical
    Neo Folk
    Neo-folk
    Noise
    Noise Rock
    Noise-rock
    Nu Metal
    Nu-metal
    Opera
    Pop
    Post Metal
    Post Punk
    Post Rock
    Progressive
    Psychedelic
    Psytrance
    Punk
    Reggae
    Rock
    Score
    Shoegaze
    Singer/songwriter
    Sludge
    Soul
    Southern Rock
    Speed Metal
    Stoner
    Symphonic Metal
    Synthpop
    Techno
    Thrash
    Triphop
    Trip-hop
    World

    Archives

    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

Find us on

facebook
google+
twitter
tumblr
​
minds

About Us

Contact
FAQ
Logos and banners
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.