Posts Tagged ‘blast beats’
Monday, June 25th, 2012
L’Enfant Sauvage (Roadrunner)
There are bands happy to exist in metal eager to carve out a little niche for themselves and stay there. There are bands that spend their careers catering to the whims of their fans or changing to gain a wider appeal. GOJIRA is a band that does neither of these things, yet somehow manages to be in the elite of artistic ideals, yet maintain a growing, popular following. I prefer to think that all credit due for this goes to the band, rather than the changing tastes (for the better) of the sweaty masses of metal fans. No matter, GOJIRA has crafted another masterpiece album that again defies convention and changes the course of heavy music. Just as they have done with each release of their career.
L’Enfant Sauvage translates from French as “The Wild Child”, but the title is not meant in a strict literal sense. The feral nature of humanity and their constant affect on their surrounding world is closer to the real concept of the piece and it is in that savagery that the music and lyrics are represented to the fullest on this album. All of the colors and emotions that make up the struggle of life, become articulated from the intro seconds until the very last notes ring out. The opening track “Explosia” comes with the trademark sound of the band intact. Syncopated riffs, over the top drumming and vocals that have brutality and melody together seem like they are in the DNA of these guys. Then there is the little hook of the repetitive harmonic lick that flows in and out of the song. Double time blast beasts, swinging grooves and impressive guitar work really punctuate this great opening salvo. The title track follows next and is equally harsh. Intricate melodic riffing captures your ear and I doubt anyone can hear this song and not bang their head in agreement to the beat. The early star of the album is drummer Mario Duplantier. As expected, he has turned in one of the top drumming performances of 2012 on this album. Of course in tandem with the talents of his brother Joe, they are the driving force behind the band. “The Axe” is another face melting track with a stellar main riff, top-flight vocal lines and deep lyrics. I can just envision entire crowds screaming along with the chorus live. In the same sense of the best modern metal bands, GOJIRA doesn’t need to rely on guitar solos to express different themes, they just come up with textural guitar work to bring in other flavors and sounds. “Liquid Fire” brings more of the same power and majesty you are accustomed to. To offset the driving beat and impressive guitar work is the return of the vocorder heavy lines that dotted the bands’ other releases. This brings in the prog influence which always goes hand in hand with their sound. This shows that you don’t have to get softer to change sometimes, just weirder.
When the band is finally done kicking your head in from four tracks in a row of punishment, “The Wild Fire” changes things up. With a whimsical tapping riff and a light beat, this little interlude warms your ear up for what comes next. “Planned Obsolescence” might be the best over all track on a perfect album. GOJIRA makes potentially raw chaos sound coherent with clever writing, tempo changes and dynamic sweeps in the singing. The interplay of the guitar parts between Joe and Christian Andreu is also sublime. Intense and full of little surprises, this is the best kind of writing elite metal bands have to offer. “Mouth of Kala” grinds out riffs and pummels, but never plods tempo wise. In addition to the standard rough hewn verses and sing-along chorus parts, there is a cool mellow section that lulls you into a chill space before decimating you again. “A Gift of Guilt” switches things up once again with a slightly lighter chorus and more tapped out central riffs, which is another Duplantier perfected technique. The verses are a heavy as anything that has come out this year on a record. “Pain is a Master” is another killer tune too. “Born In Winter shows the true prog face of the band. This is a track that could pass for a TOOL or even a new RUSH song if you didn’t know what band it was. For any other band this could be a misstep, but again and again this band takes chances that ultimately pay off. More than half the track is gone before a massive chorus comes in, but when it does, it rules. Bassist Jean-Michel Labadie, often the unsung hero of the group gets to shine here and on a few other tracks with his tasteful playing and thick tone. “The Fall” closes out the album in epic style. Brutal vocal flourishes are blended with yet another powerful, modern dirge of a riff.
Singular in vision, particular of taste and supremely talented; GOJIRA is nearly unrivaled in modern metal excellence.
 GOJIRA: Heavy as a unique and heavy thing.
GRADE: A+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: blast beats, Death Metal, double-bass drumming, Gojira, metal reviews by Keefy, modern metal, Prog Metal, roadrunner, Rush, tool, www.metal-army.com
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Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
Reign Supreme (Relapse)
In a perfect world DYING FETUS would be a much bigger band than they are. Granted they didn’t pick a moniker when they were starting out based on commercial viability. Still, I used to get mad years ago when I would meet some fellow metal heads and they didn’t know this band to be one of the leaders of all of death metal. In the years that have passed since then DYING FETUS has continued to stay consistent and make great music, despite having to watch other bands rise in popularity, headline festivals and sell more records. Not that the band gives two shits about that either. They just do what they do year after year: they make some of the best, most brutal music on the planet.
I first heard “Invert The Idols” on the bands’ spring tour and it blew me away with it’s sick musician ship and speed. Consider this is one of the best bands in the genre and fast what they do naturally, and that prior statements gets some context. Right off the bat the production sounds miles better than their last album, which sounded pretty good. The drums sit in the pocket with all the sick vocals while guitar and bass sound evenly balanced and clear. Many death metal bands prefer crude production, but I have always appreciate that the FETUS guys are musicians who care about the how their albums sound. The opening sweep picking riff will take the wind out of you while you try to process it. The song is blisteringly fast and over in a blink at just over two minutes. Similarly “Subject to a Beating” is another mind-blowing blast-beat laden romp. This time both John Gallagher and Sean Beasley share the vocal leads and compliment each other like never before. They both veer back and forth between the growled indecipherable vocals and then clearer, understandable ones. Mostly, they use their voices as extra instruments like many vocalists in the style. Some of the riffs on the album pack in all types of scales and licks performed with a precision not usually possible at these inhuman speeds. Prog is not a word I tend to think of when discussing this band, but there are definite proggy moments on this album. As a trio they have never backed down from being great players. “Second Skin” is another fast crusher that has elements of music beyond standard death metal styles. This album has some excellent groove parts on it too, which the band hasn’t over-used like just about every other band. “From Womb to Waste” begins with what is surely the sample of 2012: “It’s not my fault I’m pregnant and I love drugs. Who cares? Fuck the baby. Let it die!”. The grinding beat of the song and the mean riffs give it a sinister, eerie effect. Drummer Trey Williams has been at the forefront of death drummers for ages, but doesn’t often get mentioned in the year end lists. He is tight at any tempo and whether it is using choice fills on slow beats or insanely fast parts, he is as strong on record as he is live. “Dissidence” sounds awesome with its manic opening and both vocalists unleashing a howling scream. The song is more like a classic FETUS cut, when they were a little more hardcore influenced (don’t you dare call it deathcore). I love the head-nodding beat and the straight up chord changes too. “In the Trenches” is similar to start out with a straight a head chug. Gallagher puts together one of the best guitar performances of any album this year. “Devout Atrocity” again makes with the acrobatic riffs and scales. The fact that Beasley not only can keep up, but holds his own in the bass department is admirable. There is a neat stomp-groove part that recalls both OBITUARY and BOLT THROWER at one point, both key influences on the band. Gallagher opens “Revisionist Past” with a sick lead guitar solo before the preposterous tempo kicks in and the song becomes a gnarly blur. I can’t wait to see the YouTube videos popping up for bands trying to play this one! The final song is “The Blood Of Power” and is a fitting end to such a great album. The song has bits of everything that makes them great, including more stellar axe work. Underrated no more, DYING FETUS has ascended the mantle of the greats of death metal, whether the average fan knows it or not.
 If you are still sleeping on DYING FETUS, just kill yourself.
GRADE: A+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: bassist/vocalist Sean Beasley, blast beats, Bolt Thrower, Death Metal, drummer Trey Williams, dying fetus, Grindcore, guitarist/vocalist John Gallagher, metal army america, Obituary, old school death metal, prog, reign supreme, Relapse, shred, tech death
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Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
Fire From The Sky (Razor & Tie)
It has been a long and winding road for SHADOWS FALL over the course of seventeen years as a band. Alternately they have been up and coming in the underground, a next level breakout band, critics darlings and relegated to the middle of the pack by people who supposedly know what is cool. The fact is the band has always been supremely talented, as much as any metal band can be. Depending on how they channel their energies, that is the music you get on a given album. Armed with new music, a new label (Razor & Tie) and a fresh start in many other ways, the band has turned in one of the heaviest albums of their career and certainly their best since 2004′s The War Within.
Kicking things off with the frenetic riffing of “The Unknown”, the template for the rest of the album is set. Guitarists Matt Bachand and Jon Donais bring the lightening fingers as they have done on every SF album. There are many shred guitar orgy moments for the geeks and right off the bat the music seems to be more “thrash” sounding than previous records. Like some of the the lyrical themes found on this song and elsewhere, there is a real world sense of real world danger and urgency punctuating everything. Although the track has the signature big, melodic (metalcore) chorus they are known for, it is Brian Fair’s brutal hardcore and death growl influenced vocals that carry the track. Brian immediately sounds energized and harsher than he has in ages. “Divide and Conquer” is another strong track with an amazing sing-a-long breakdown made for the live show. Drummer Jason Bittner explodes with his usual precision hits, punishing blast-beats and tight double bass work. This song alone goes from thrash, to punk, to hardcore to death metal beats in just a few minutes. “Weight of the World” is another great rocking cut flowing from thrash to power groove. Between Donais and Fair their melodic work is tremendous and only serves to make the heavy parts more heavy. Of course Donais rips out solo after solo on this album, reasserting himself as one of the premier shredders. “Nothing Remains” is one of the most fun songs on the album. A real stomping head banger like TESTAMENT or VIO-LENCE used to make in 1980s. The huge refrain has a soaring melody that is hot as hell. The title track comes next and is one of the most special songs ever written by the band. It’s no wonder they chose to name the album after it. A slow grinder with hints of death and even black metal in it, the track just crushes. Offsetting some of the more melodic fare on the record is Bachand, who chips in some severe backing growls along with Fair’s gruff performance making for a really full vocal sound. “Save Your Soul” returns to the up beat thrash/punk tempos and more of Brian’s positive hard core lyrics. “Blind Faith” is another curve ball. The cut borders on metallic balladry, but it is very heavy and catchy too. It certainly is softer than the rest of the album, but has some great harmonized guitar work. Other top tracks include “Walk The Edge” and the sick closing number “The Wasteland”, which I’d also love to hear performed live. If I have on gripe about the album, it is some of the tracks are a little same sounding, but overall this is the bands’ finest hour in a long time.
GRADE: B+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: apocalyptic lyrics, bassist Paul Romanko, black metal, blast beats, Death Metal, drummer Jason Bittner, Fire From The Sky, guitarist Matt Bachand, hard core, lead guitarist Jon Donais, metal reviews by Keefy, metalcore, punk, razor & tie, Shadows Fall, shred, solos, thrash, vocalist Brian Fair
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Monday, March 26th, 2012
Equilibrium (Victory Records)
GOD FORBID has to be one of the most enigmatic bands of the entire modern metal scene. They came up in the late 1990s at the same time as many of their peers, many who went on to bigger careers. While they have had some modest success, they haven’t had to compromise musically to gain a wider audience. Every album they have made has been at least above average to exceptional, including the criminally overlooked Earthsblood (2009). Armed to the teeth with a new label in Victory, new (on record) guitarist in Matt Wicklund (ex-HIMSA) and a hot new album in Equilibrium;the band is aiming to win over the respect of new fans while letting their loyalists know they haven’t fallen off the map.
The album’s opening salvo is a direct hit with “Don’t Tell Me What To Dream”. It’s a crushing jam full of mean grooves. Lead vocalist Byron Davis sounds positively ferocious on this track which sets the tone for the entire album. Second track “My Rebirth” could almost be auto-biographical in context. The song reinforces Doc Coyle’s ability to write catchy, yet super-heavy songs. The track is propelled by the beats of Cory Pierce, who along with Coyle are the cornerstones of the band. The chorus features some fine singing and also keeps the band’s trademark melodic solos in play too. A somber break down is a familiar part sonically, but the following groove just slams. This is followed by “A Few Good Men” which is one of the most brutal cuts on the album. Sick riffs and crazy blast-beats kick the track off before a thrash beat comes in. This song has concert sing-a-long written all over it and I hope it gets included in their live set this spring. There was some talk that the band would lose something crucial when Doc’s brother Dallas quit the band several years ago, but to my ears the song writing is just as sharp as ever. A surprising mid-song shift to a thunderous dirge is one of the cooler breakdowns in a song this year. “Scrapping the Walls” is another cut with some cool left turns in it. It starts off with a hypnotic beat and some gently strummed guitar, but later finds more heavy parts with neat melodic themes over them. The lead playing on this track is truly magical and they even used the old trick of chromatic riffs under a solo part like MEGADETH used to do. The band has never hid their influences be it American thrash metal, metalcore, death metal or hardcore. These first few songs touch all those styles. “Conquer” comes right back to fierce levels from the harmonious theme of the previous track, with a head-nodding verse and ear-candy guitar work from both Coyle and Wicklund. This is another cut tailor-made for the tough guys in the mosh pit to duke it out to. Davis lets loose some more hellacious high screams and deathly bellows and has easily turned in his best performance of his career. The title track could be a break out hit of sorts. Even with its sung and not screamed refrain, it is still pretty killer. Keeping the pace between more upbeat tracks and speedy face rippers, “Overcome” is yet another strong contender for best song on this record. I like the use of guitars in the chorus in an old-school melo-death nod with the verses that make you wanna bang your head. There is even a few cool keyboard parts heard here too. “Cornered” begins with some interesting piano parts too, before the guitars and drums unleash sonic hell on your ears. Another thing I like about this track and the entire album is the obvious time put in to write many quality songs. Every part here in has a purpose and there are no stray solos or breakdowns that don’t push each song forward to its full potential. Other top tracks include the raging “Move On”, the wall of guitars in “Pages” or the single “Where We Come From” which has the coolest music video I have seen by a metal band in long, long time.
 GOD FORBID in 2012. Facing forward and crushing all. GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: blast beats, breakdowns, Byron Davis, concert sing-a-long, Corey Pierce, Death Metal, Doc Coyle, Equilibrium, God Forbid, hardcore, head-banging, John Outcult, keyboards and pianos, Matt Wicklund, Megadeth, melodies and harmonies, metal reviews by Keefy, metalcore, modern American metal, mosh pits, power grooves, shredding solos, somber interludes, song craft, Swedish melo-death, thrash, victory records, wall of guitars
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Friday, March 9th, 2012
Coils of Entropy (Self-Released)
One of the more interesting stories of any band in 2012 is that of NEPHELIUM. These emerging tech death heroes play a mix of modern death metal, with high caliber musicianship and an old school vibe. What is compelling about this act is the circular route they took to get to this release. The band was actually formed in the sands of Dubai, UAE by guitarist Alex Zubair and drummer Alan Madhan creating one of the first death metal bands in that part of the world. While Dubai is known for is many splendors and opulence, good quality death metal is not often the first thing to spring to mind when you think of it. So the two enterprising musicians relocated to Toronto, ON and after ten years of honing their craft the band has released their first opus, Coils of Entropy. Their music proves to be just as compelling as the back story after just a few listens.
Opening with “Burial Ground” the band sounds clearly ready for a bigger stage. Fast, complex riffs attack your ears while machine-gun fast blast-beats dodge and dart around musical lines. Vocalist Devlin Anderson stands out with his aggressive growls and high screams. He is able to get cool array of different sounds and styles from his voice. The other noticeable facet about the band is their keen sense of melody. Despite the brutality of the tracks the music is peppered with all kinds of cool melodies, including some that harken back to the bands Arabian roots. This raises the emotive bar up a few notches for me. Second track “Merciless Annihilation” is equally brutal. Coming on like a cross between SUFFOCATION’s technical brilliance and the blunt heaviness of a SIX FEET UNDER, the song just crushes. The band wants you to know how good they are since the passages are kept interesting with mind bending riffs and shifting tempos. Anderson again unleashes terrifying wail that could wake the dead. “Hellborne” has the sound of classic 90′s death metal: challenging and slick, yet harsh. The track goes through a few more changes that call to mind the best of modern tech-death as well. The slow grinding chords in latter part of the song made me immediately think of OBITUARY’s earliest albums. “Malediction” is an epic number which sees tremendous contributions from Madhan and his low end counterpart Flo Ravet on the bass. This track and the next one, “Halls of Judgement”, are my favorite two cuts on this album. Strong writing, sick guitar playing from both Zubair and his counterpart James Sawyer and great chops come together here. Finally, the title track pulls from all of these elements in a ten minute blistering mind fuck of a song. You have to admire the bands temerity to work at their craft and put together such a strong release. I think these guys are on their way to bigger things and we will hear more from them in the near future. You can buy the album from the groups’ page on Bandcamp here.
 Death metal fans should take notice of this talented, not so new band. GRADE: B+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Arabian melodies, Asher PR, band camp, bassist Flo Ravet, blast beats, Coils of Entropy, drummer Alan Madhan, Dubai UAE, epic songs, guitarist Alex Zubair, guitarist James Sawyer, metal reviews by Keefy, modern death metal, Obituary, old school vibe, shifting tempos, shredding solos, Six Feet Under, Suffocation, tech death, Vocalist Devlin Anderson
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Monday, March 5th, 2012
Super-group is a term thrown around far to wildly these days. Few of these groups are really super at all musically and their output often fails to live up to the hype. However, in the case of LOCK-UP they fulfilled their promise early and often with Pleasures Pave Sewers and Hate Breeds Suffering. These were albums made with all-star lineups of death metal royalty; turning in masterful and sick grindcore albums for the ages. Then as sometimes happens with these super-groups, members get too busy with their main bands or life just gets in the way. After the death of founding member Jesse Pintado (TERRORIZER) who coined the name grindcore, the band reunited in 2011 the record Necropolis Transparent. Due to scheduling and visa issues the band had never toured the USA, but now for a few weeks this year the band hit American soil in full force. If you blinked, forgot or just didn’t go, you missed out. Metal Army America was at the third show of the tour in Revere, MA at the Wonderland Ballroom to bring you in on all the action we heard, saw and felt.
Since work caused me to miss a local band or two I managed to get in the venue in time to catch then of PANZERBASTARD’s set. As usual they are loud as fuck and rowdy fun. Sort of a proto-metal and punk attitude of MOTORHEAD and D.R.I. All rolled into one. Always fun to see the beleaguered sound guys try to manage their ever increasing volume too! They have an EP you should pick up asap if you love fun, heavy music.
 STRONG INTENTION is still crazy after all these years. STRONG INTENTION was up next and they were the first of the touring bands. The band has been around for about 20 years although not always active. Born and bred in Maryland, but with a heart straight outta New York Hardcore the band has always been about aggressive songs, smart lyrics and a good time. Or as they put it on their shirts, “grindcore for assholes”. Ah, gotta love bands with self-deprecating senses of humor. They hit the stage to the still filling up room and immediately ripped into a strong set of their best material like “Carnivore” and “Consumer Sucker”. In addition to founding front man Zac, they were also joined by Sparky formerly of MISERY INDEX and D.R.I. They were definitely aware of the generation gap between them and the young-ish crowd and poked fun at themselves during their short set. The were a might unit musically, harsh and tight as they oughtta be.
 Uh-oh. Ben Falgoust has that look in his eye again!
It seemed like a good bunch of the crowd was in the house to see GOATWHORE on this night and it’s easy to see why. GOATWHORE has played the New England area about fifteen times in the last two or three years and they have never been anything less than fierce each time. With their excellent new album Blood For The Master (Metal Blade) just about to drop before this show, the excitement was sky high. With the lights up they checked their gear one last time before slamming into “Collapse In Eternal Worth”, the lead track of the new album. Everybody seemed to know the song and the front of the pit crushed against the little stage with no barricade. As front man Ben Falgoust is want to do, he gets right in the hostile and happy faces of the crowd, ruling the microphone. The bands bare bones approach to songs leaves little to guess at and causes maximum damage to ear drums. Not even taking a mini-breath after the first song they launched into “Provoking the Ritual of Death”. Drummer Zack Simmons was just killing it with his tight, economical style of blasts and double bass work. As always Sammy Duet brings the killer riffs and is an awesome performer with his stage presence. The fans equally lapped up old school jams such as “Alchemy of The Black Sun Cult” and “Sky Inferno”with new songs like “Judgement of the Bleeding Crown”. Closing with their classic “Apocalyptic Havoc” GOATWHORE does what they always do best, destroy.
Set list:
Collapse In Eternal Worth
Provoking the Ritual of Death
The Black Art of Deception
In Deathless Tradition
Carving Out the Eyes of God
Sky Inferno
Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult
When Steel and Bone Meet
Judgement of the Bleeding Crown
Invert the Virgin
An End to Nothing
Apocalyptic Havoc
If it was anyone else save for LOCK-UP coming on next, I’d say they would have a hard time following the previous act. Disappointing to me was the the fact that the crowd half-cleared out before LOCK-UP. I think it is more a statement about the rabid fans of GOATWHORE and LOCK-UP’s somewhat lower profile. But really it is no excuse Boston area metal fans! I know Revere is a tough place to get home from late (thanks for the ride home Jason!), but still I was bummed. Not helping the headliners case was they took almost an hour to set up and play which was odd since their gear was used by most of the openers and there wasn’t much to do. Those who stayed late surely would be rewarded big time.
 LOCK-UP. Like a wild beast let loose on stage. When they were finally ready to come on stage and jam it was like a tiger had been let out of its cage. The band came on stage to the strains of the old POSSESED song “Fallen Angel” and the remaining crowd let out a mini-cheer as each member took their place. Starting right off the bat with “Pleasures Pave Sewers” they really tore the lid off the place. Setting the tone for the rest of the show the vocalist Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES, DISFEAR, THE CROWN) lustily ran around the stage smiling maniacally and screaming is guts out. He has always had one of the pinnacle voices in death metal and he sounded great, although he later admitted to having a bad cold. Giving no pause the band reeled of a bunch of songs in rapid succession like “Brethren of the Pentagram”, “Accelerated Mutation” and “Slaughterous Ways” which were terrific. I wasn’t entirely sure were were going to get the great Nick Barker behind the drums, but there he was in all his glory. He was totally relaxed behind the kit, but he was totally crushing it performance wise. Joining him in the grindcore rhythm section for the ages is Danny Lilker (ANTHRAX/S.O.D./NUCULAR ASSAULT/BRUTAL TRUTH) filling in for Shane Embry who is busy with the new NAPALM DEATH album.
 Nick Barker was phenomenal, but I'm pretty sure he was miffed at my camera. Lindberg finally addressed the crowd about this being the bands first time in America and third US show as well. After a few pleasantries the band launched into “Accelerated Mutation” which was just sick. LOCK-UP has had many great guitarists like the a fore mentioned Pintado and another legend Peter Tägtgren. The “new” guy in LOCK-UP is Chilean guitarist Anton Reisenegger (PENTAGRAM (non-US)/CRIMINAL) who was exceptional all night long. He really stood out on tracks like “Triple Six Suck Angels” and “Castrate the Blood”. The band seemed tireless as the blew through cut after cut, some barely a minute long, but all of them heavy and fun. After a touching few words in tribute to Pintado they played two TERORIZOR songs in “Storm of Stress”, “Fear of Napalm”. After a few more blistering originals the band did a solid run through of a DARK ANGEL cover they closed with a triumphant version of “After Life In Purgatory”. It was a great show. I feel bad if you missed it, but hopefully they will come back again.
Set List:
(Into) Fallen Angel (POSSESSED cover)
Pleasures Pave Sewers
Brethren of the Pentagram
Accelerated Mutation
Slaughterous Ways
Triple Six Suck Angels
Violent Reprisal
Detestation
Feeding on the Opiate
Rage Incarnate Reborn
Submission
Castrate the Wreckage
High Tide in a Sea of Blood
Necropolis Transparent
Stygian Reverberations
The Jesus Virus
Storm of Stress (TERRORIZER cover)
Fear of Napalm (TERRORIZER cover)
The Embodiment of Paradox and Chaos
Vomiting Evil
Cascade Leviathan
Merciless Death (DARK ANGEL cover)
After Life In Purgatory
Words and photos by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Anton Reisenegger, Ben Falgoust, blast beats, Blood For The MAster, Dan Lilker, Death Metal, goatwhore, Grindcore, hardcore, LOCK UP, metal blade records, new york hardcore, Nick Barker, old-school punk, PANZERBASTARD, Photos by Echoes In The Well, political music, reviews by Keefy, Sammy Duet, STRONG INTENTION, Tomas Linberg, Zack Simmons
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Monday, February 20th, 2012
Torture (Metal Blade)
 Vince Locke does it again! Ah, it’s that time again. Time to sit back and let’s your ears be amazed once again by the finest and most consistent band in death metal: CANNIBAL CORPSE. They are back for blood on album number twelve and it’s not really a question of if the albums they put out will be great or not. However, the question that begs asking is how much farther out can they grow more technically profound, more lyrically sick and more outlandishly evil. They remain the benchmark for all other bands in the genre. Few acts of their age are as still relevant to the current scene and new bands site them all the time as an ongoing inspiration. CORPSE, to me is the band every other band looks up at to see what is coming next. You can bet that years from now there will be reviews of new bands and some reviewer (likely me) will be writing the words “CANNIBAL CORPSE inspired.”
The album starts off with “Demented Aggression” as fast little number that calls to mind the bands’ earliest work. Short, to the point and super heavy: it is a track screams classic CORPSE. The unrelenting feeling of dread in the song comes from the guitars and furious drum patterns in creepy stalker, serial-killer kind of way. No wonder this track was the lead-off single. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher has one of the ultimate voices in metal. He sounds perfectly sick here as always. “Sarcophagiac Frenzy” is another great track, also on the old school tip. The guitar sounds just rip your ears apart on this song and the entire record. Pat O’Brien and Rob Barrett do a great job of not always doubling the others ‘ parts, but finding creative ways to make alternating riffs work best. The breakdown riff in the middle is slow and crushing, in part because of the textural melody behind it. If Torture goes down as one of the best albums the band has done in this era drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz might take a lions share of the credit. His writing and performance on tracks like “Scourge of Iron” and “Encased in Concrete” are among his best ever. The former is a bit of a longer, brooding track highlighting Paul’s clever playing and deft touch. The later is one of the top tracks on the album. A neck breaking ripper with many technical and progressive movements to enjoy. Of course whenever CC delves in to the more arty progressive leanings, Alex Webster’s talents come to the fore. The brilliant founder and bass pounder has some outlandish licks and runs on this album and his prowess as a writer can’t be underestimated. “As Deep As The Knife Will Go” flows right with the history of the bands grotesque and severe lyrical journeys. Fisher as always has his epic growls, but remains clear and understandable at every turn. “Intestinal Crank” is a dizzying song by any measure for a band that has made a career of challenging its fans’ ears. “Followed Home Then Killed” is another fairly straightforward cut with a few twists and turns added in. The intense frenzy of the song gives way to some great shredding solos at the mid-way point of the track. “The Strangulation Chair” is perhaps my favorite song of the album. A sinister main riff is augmented by cool poly-rhythmic flourishes of black and death metal. An instant classic. Little slabs of harshness like “Caged…Contorted” and “Crucified Avenged” get stuck in your ear long after you’ve heard them. I like that the band really gave in to rhythm and structure on this album and varied every song up with many changes, rather write a bunch of similar sounding material. “Rabid” once again features the insane skills of Webster, O’Brien and Barrett to full effect. A final cut “Torn Through” feels like the final punctuation mark on an album that is nearly flawless. Maybe the best thing I can add to this review is I would love to hear any and all of these songs live, which even for this band is something I haven’t often said. From the top notch writing, great playing, ill lyrics, tight production of Eric Rutan and yet another ghastly Vince Locke work of art cover piece you get the total package. The masters have turned in effort that will puzzled over, studied and followed forever.
 Legends don't die. They just get better. Photo by Alex Morgan. GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Alex Webster, blast beats, CANIBAL CORPSE, Death Metal, Eric Rutan, George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, Keefy, metal blade records, metal reviews by Keefy, Pat O'Brien, Paul Mazurkiewicz, prog, Progressive Metal, Rob Barrett, shredding solos, sick lyrical imagery, tech death, Torture, Vince Locke artwork
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Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
Global Flatline (Century Media)
The first death metal masterpiece of 2012 has arrived and just for laughs it tells tales of the end of life as we know it. Would you expect anything less from ABORTED and their twisted mastermind Sven DeCaluwé? With few exceptions, I have been anticipating this album above all others for the first quarter of new metal releases. If you are like me and you have waited patiently for ABORTED to drop a new record, your faith will be rewarded in blood and body parts. They are back to satiate your hunger for all things gore and eardrum damage inducing aural punishment!
The opening track “Omega Mortis” is a portend of what’s to come with panicked news reports talking of the war, zombies, plagues and famine decimating the earth. The eerie music sets the tone for the mountainous riffs that are about to fall on your head. The title track lurches to life like a real monster ripping his restrains off and murdering the entire lab. As soon Ken Bedene’s (ex-ABIGAIL WILLIAMS) insanely fast double kick beats lift off and the main riff kicks in, it becomes a musical clusterfuck, in a good way. Svencho decries the state of mankind and its swift descent into oblivion over the course of a little over three minutes of crazy blast-beats and grooves. As usual Sven’s vocals are harsh, yet he is one of the most understandable vocalists in all of metal. This to me is a plus since he is a gifted wordsmith. Track three is the single, “The Origin of Disease”. The song is a non-stop blast and gore fest with Julien Trunchan of BENIGHTED joining in for some sick duel lead vocals. In addition to some cool distorted bass lines from JB Van Der Wal, the track features some stunning work from guitarist Eran Segal who shines throughout the album. Segal is joined by Bedene’s old band mate Mike Wilson who also jams out, contributed some songs. “Coronary Reconstruction” gets a savage face-lift and is now more brutal than the EP version. The shift between Sven’s shrill scream and low howls is terrific and the solos by Segal are some of the many highlights for me here. He has really stepped up and asserted himself in the band as a writer and as a player. “Fecal Forgery” and “Of Scabs and Boils” both have a certain grindcore flavor with the later occasional revealing crust/grind beats and almost punk rock chords. Don’t worry though, the bands penchant for breakdowns, quintuple-time endings and the occasional bass drop are all still intact. My favorite track on the album is “Vermicular, Obscene, Obese” and features Trevor Strnad of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. The two master level front men working against each other is just madness. The track is so rough that when it breaks in to a brutal, near hard rock type groove, it just works. “Expurgation Euphoria” is slow and demented sounding like a bad trip. The piano part at the end is really haunting and lonely. Coming right back with “From A Tepid Whiff”, we have the other top track from the EP, ratcheted up with 100% evil density. “The Kallinger Theory” is another grind and groove workout. Other top tracks include “Our Father Who Art Feces” featuring Keijo Niimimaa from ROTTEN SOUND, “Grime” featuring Jason Netherton of MISERY INDEX and the nihilistic guitar-epic closer “Endstille”. Everything you love about this band is present on this recording from the songs, Jacob Hansen’s production and the gross artwork. Even the bonus tracks rule! What a treat for old and new fans a like.
GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: abigail williams, aborted, bassist JB Van Der Wal, benighted, blast beats, Century Media Records, death riffs, deathmetal, drummer Ken Bedene, Global Flatline, gore, Grindcore, guitarist Eran Segal, guitarist Mike Wilson, Jason Netherton, Julien Trunchan, Keefy, Keijo Niimimaa, metal reviews by Keefy, misery index, rotten sound, shredding solos, Sven DeCaluwé, the black dahlia murder, Trevor Strnad
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Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
Metal Army caught up with Alex Carmago of Brazilian death metal power trio KRISIUN on the eve of the release of their new album The Great Execution. Alex chatted with us about the new record, songwriting, new approaches to recording and after twenty years in metal the importance of friendships in the music business.
MAA: Please tell us about the making of you new album The Great Execution.
AC: Well we had a lot more time this time around. We had extra time to work on the songs. It’s been three years since the release of the previous record (Southern Storm). We’ve done quite a few tours in between. We put a lot more work into the songs and they are more varied this time around. The songs are kind of long as we’ve tried to do a few new things. More variation over time. We are very happy with the sound. We tried to go with a more natural and an organic sound. Its more like a clean album. More listenable, but still as brutal. But also it’s more understandable and more aggressive as well.
MAA: You have worked with Andy Classen three albums in a row. Why is Andy so important to the KRISIUN sound?
AC: Andy became a friend over the years. We’d talk a lot on the phone. He knew the plan. He called us a lot on the phone. He was talking about wanting to do another record with us. He showed that he was interested in doing the record. He is always trying to improve his techniques and his gear. We had the same idea about reaching for a more natural sound. He’s a good friend. Always there, always up and always interested about doing this new record. That made a big difference for sure.
MAA: Why change the approach to the recording style and sound on this record?
AC: We have the old-school the approach, but it still sounds modern and pretty heavy in a way. If you go check most of the records produced these days, they are sounding too artificial. The guys working on albums are trying to add too much volume. It brings excesses when mastering. A lot of times they sound loud like a freight train, but then there are no dynamics. We tried to make it like a live situation, especially for the drums. The drums were all one take for Max (Kolesne). No additions for him. So we went for this old-school approach on this album, but still sounding modern, heavy and in your face.
MAA: I’m hearing about a lot more diversity in the music this time out. What can fans expect from the sound of the songs?
AC: Since we had extra time to work on the songs we tried a lot of things. Not different instruments, but different arrangements ans tempos and longer songs. We did a lot of mid-tempos. Especially with the longer songs, we talked about adding more variation. Not just being fast all the time. It’s still KRISIUN, still just as aggressive, but now it’s more air now between song structures and the riffs. There is plenty of parts for headbanging and more groove parts. I don’t think we have lost any aggressiveness. Just made better songs. It’s still KRISIUN, but now there is more variation.
MAA: How does the writing process begin?
AC: When we first have started it’s kind of a tough point. We try to get ready and get focused. You have to feel confident and ready to go. Following Southern Storm we toured a lot all over the world. We gathered a lot of information and inspiration to make a record. It has to be us three out there. We just start jamming. It’s more like a jam. Moyses (Kolesne) comes up with most of the riffs, but we all write. We all have ideas and we are a very democratic band. We make sure we play constantly to try to get there. And we work on ideas right away. We don’t waste anytime in the studio. We did lots of rehearsals before going into the studio. It’s not like anybody sending files to somebody and telling them what to do. Just us three together, jamming out.
MAA: You guys sound so powerful for just a trio. What is the secret to the KRISIUN trademark sound in your opinion?
AC: Experience. Experience counts a lot. We’ve been there. We’ve made mistakes. Sometimes you don’t know what you are doing out there. You gotta learn from your own mistakes. It’s been a long time. Fortunately we have done a lot of good tours out there. We learned how to become good musicians. How to sound tight and heavy at the same time. We spent a lot of time touring and you have to make mistakes to learn from. But of course you’ve got to work on it. We’ve got to sound tight. The motivation for us on tour is we need to feel good about the tours. And sometimes its tough. The motivation is there as well. We wanna feel good about the tour. We want to feel good about the shows. Sometimes you have a tough show, a bad (sound) board or you are homesick. But we still love what we do. We love to play live and still want to deliver good shows. There are certain things we to help sound as loud as anybody else and still be a three-piece.
 Southern Storm came out in 2008.
MAA: Is there a band in metal or death metal you haven’t toured with that you’d like to?
AC: Yeah! MOTORHEAD would be a great band to tour with since we respect the band and love the band after all these yeas they are still out there. It’s a tough business out there sometimes. Sometimes it is hard to hook up with touring. Next year we will be playing a few festivals. We’d love to play with SLAYER again. We’ve had some really great tours opening for OBITUARY, NILE, IMMOLATION and MORBID ANGEL. Such great bands. If those kind of tours come up again, it would be great!
MAA: The band celebrated their 20th year anniversary last year. What do you credit the longevity of your relationship with Century Media to?
AC: You know we have been there a long time. We have a few friends working for the company for a long period of time. The owner of the company named is a German guy named Robert (Kampf). Somehow we actually became friends over the years. I’ve seen bands leave Century Media and regret it. Labels are labels and you can never tell, but I think between the ups and downs they have been really cool to us. It’s hard out there. There are so many bands out there. Lots of managers bands push them into bad moves. It could be rough a move if we leave and try something else. We might benefit from the initial hype. But labels are labels and you still need to deliver a good record. They’ve been good to us. They do a great job with distribution. They have been great getting our records all over the place, pretty much all over. All over North America, South America, Asia, Europe and other places.
MAA: Thanks Alex I’ll see you guys on the road!
AC: Definitely man! Thanks a lot for the interview Keith. Let’s meet up at a show for a beer!
MAA: Absolutely!
(Special thanks to Alex Carmago, KRISIUN and Century Media Records.)
by Keith (Keefy Chachkes
Tags: analog recording, bassist/vocalist Alex Carmago, blast beats, Century Media, deathmetal, double-kick drums, drummer Max Kolesne, guest guitarist Marcello Carminha, guitarist Moyses Kolesne, hardcore, Keefy, Krisiun, metal interviews, power grooves, power-trios, producer Andy Classen, RATOS DE PORAO, shredding solos, Stage One Studios, The Great Execution, thrash, tribal drums, vintage sound, vocalist Joao Gordo
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Friday, October 28th, 2011
The Great Execution (Century Media)
For over twenty years KRISIUN has been an uncompromising death metal institution. They have steadily grown from the Brazilian underground to be a force to be reckoned with all over the world. The band has put out extremely consistent albums basically every other year or so for fifteen of those twenty years and this Halloween brings the newest in The Great Execution (Century Media). Although it is the same band you know, love and head bang to, they were commuted to making the best album of their career. They might very well have succeeded upon a few listens of this brutal opus which they made in Germany with producer Andy Classen. Classen has been refereed to the band as an integral part of the process for them and this marks his third album in a row in the big chair at Stage One Studio.
From the opening strains of classical and Brazilian guitar and terrific main riffs and grooves that come crashing in on “The Will To Potency”, you hear and album that sounds unlike any other in 2011. Pure brutality and hatred rain down on the listener unencumbered by the antiseptic sheen of modern production. That is because the band went all analog this time out for a more natural and real audio quality. I have to say the results are great. The track is just classic sounding KRISUN, tight and heavy. I have always been amazed at how powerful the band is live for a trio and now they have truly captured that full on fury on an album. In an echo of the classical guitar that began the track (provided by guest guitairst Marcello Carminha) guitarist Moyses Kolesne shreds his ass off on the solo piece. Second track “Blood of Lions” is equally sick. Ferocious rhythms from Max Kolesne and powerhouse riffs kick in and the track is a deadly killer. Alex Carmago’s guttural wail is a strong as ever and the chorus of this cut should be a big hit should they choose to perform it live. The title track has some fine tribal drums to start and a stupendous thrash main riff. Max’s patented blast-beats once again defy any speed measurement and with the production the strength comes through. Far too many deathmetal drummers are light hitters these days- sacrificing power for speed. Not Max. Another sick breakdown full of licks and shreddy soloing elevates the song beyond expectations. One of the best things about this band is how they always manage to stay in their style, but every song has its own character and style. “Descending Abomination” fall more into the old-school death metal and thrash leanings of the band. “The Extremest” is an everything but the kitchen sink approach song, riff upon riff and beat upon beat. There is definitely a lot less double tracked guitars on this album too, owing to the fact that Alex can pretty much hold down the rhythm parts by himself. Perhaps the best song on the entire album is “The Sword of Orion”. In addition to being a great song it has some of the qualities never heard before in a KRISIUN song. The eight minute epic has noodley solos accent the verses, while crazy power-groove beats pummel and crush. Meanwhile the last third of the track is a blend of the harsh chaos and sweet acoustic work of Carminha again with each part playing call and response to the other. “Violentia Gladiatore” tells the story of battles in the arena and kills with its death versus thrash alternating styles. My neck hurts after headbanging too much to the insanely fast ending which was about 290 bpm. “Rise and Confront” is another lock tight song with interesting stop start riffs and a great bass line. The hardcore and blackmetal flavored “Extinção em Massa” features Max and Joao Gordo (RATOS DE PORAO) sharing lead vocals to great effect. Another epic track comes in the form of “Shadows of Betrayal” which is a song any fan can relate to. The marching, military beat will send a chill up your spine, but the balls out terror in the music and vocals will inspire you to take up arms immediately. Closing out the album is an updated version of the seminal first album song “Black Force Domain which is terrific. KRISUIN manage to stay the same by not changing to much and actually improving on their history.
 KRISIUN: Eternal and awesome! GRADE: A
Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: analog recording, bassist/vocalist Alex Carmago, blast beats, Century Media, deathmetal, double-kick drums, drummer Max Kolesne, guest guitairst Marcello Carminha, guitarist Moyses Kolesne, hardcore, Keefy, Krisiun, power grooves, power-trios, producer Andy Classen, RATOS DE PORAO, shredding solos, Stage One Studios, The Great Execution, thrash, tribal drums, vintage sound, vocalist Joao Gordo
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