Posts Tagged ‘deathmetal’
Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
Noistalgia (Self-Released/Tankcrimes)
With drums & guitars done in Cleveland OH, bass guitars in Vancouver, BC and vocals laid down in Tel Aviv, Israel; this is truly an internationally made album and band. Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK) is doing double duty with the guitar, it shows he’s more than just a drummer. He wrote the damned album! DEVIN TOWNSEND laid down some solid bass lines & Sven De Caluwe (ABORTED,SYSTEM DIVIDE) well, does what Sven does! The band has since added SHANE EMBURY from NAPALM DEATH as the new bassist for the next album, which they are already working on. Originally self- released last fall, it will be re-issued this summer by Tankcrimes in a special package. It’s grindcore at its best. Clocking in at 17 minutes long, it gets to the point on every song. Let’s check out Noistalgia right now.
If you get the physical CD, the booklet has one sentence introductions to each song, just so you’re not misled by anything. From songs about blast beats like “Blast Beat Barrage” and technological advances in“Digital Disaster”, you are also treated to all the social commentary you’d expect since this is just one big ole love letter to the genre. It basically says that in the name of the title track, “An homage to grindcore and noise”. As fun as short songs are, I do wish the song “In One Word” was longer. I would’ve loved to hear what other band names they could have tossed in there. Based on just the bass line alone, “Sustained Idiocy” just makes me want to punch something. Dirk’s SOILWORK band mate Sylvain Coudret, comes in and throws a cool guitar solo in your face on “Dead Meat”. “Fool for Life” is the longest track (4:06) and gives the album some added weight. It ends with a lovely rendition of “Bullshit Propaganda” in honor of the mighty EXTREME NOISE TERROR.
They managed to cram this album full of greatness in a short amount of time. I’m not sure if throwback is the right description for this, but this does make you remember the early days of grindcore (only with better production- thank you Devy!). With Noistalgia, BENT SEA came, saw and kicked ass. Not only did I like it, I bought it!
GRADE: B+
by Ojayy Cordy
Tags: aborted, BENT SEA, deathmetal, Devin Townsend, Extreme Noise Terror, grind core, hard core, Scarve, Shane Embury, soilwork, super-groups, system divide, Tankcrimes, thrash
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
SOMA RAS is a band that will quickly be the talk of the town. They are made up of some of Sacramento, CA’s more seasoned veterans in the music scene. Spencer Daly from ex-EMBRACE THE END/EX-CYANIDE ERA, John Abernathy of CONDUCTING FROM THE GRAVE/ex-WITH PASSION, Monte Barnard from THE ANTIOCH SYNOPSIS/ex-BEARS DOING HUMAN THINGS, Flint Marshall from ex-GARY BUSEY AMBER ALERT/ex-CYANIDE ERA, and Ryan Ausbun all team up to bring you original and brutal blackened death metal. Here is a track from their debut self-titled EP. Feel free to add SOMA RAS on Facebook.
Tags: Bears Doing Human Things, Blackened Death Metal, brutal music, conducting from the grave, Cyanide Era, deathmetal, Embrace The End, Flint Marshall, G.B.A.A., Gary Busey Amber Alert, John Abernathy, Monte Barnard, NorCal Metal, Ryan Ausbun, Soma Ras, Spencer Daly, The Antioch Synopsis, With Passion
Posted in Reviews, SONG STREAMS | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
Perhaps more than any other metal related thing in 2012 except for the now complicated BLACK SABBATH reunion, I have been looking forward to a full-deal MACHINE HEAD tour. I have been one of the lucky few to have seen the band do a rare headline show in the last five years, but it hasn’t been nearly enough. I even needled Dave McClain about it in an interview with him last summer and he was a good sport about it. The success of The Blackening (Roadrunner) brought a lot of good opportunities to the band and they never got to strike out on their own. Well they have more than made up for that with a solid lineup and the 8th Plague Tour. Tonight’s show at the Worcester Palladium was part of an extensive run of what promises to be the start of many more shows for US fans this and future years.
Since the original openers RISE TO REMAIN dropped out due to lineup changes, fans were treated to longer sets by the openers instead of a replacement fourth band. This was especially appreciated by me in the form of a longer set by DARKEST HOUR, one of the best live bands around. Following up last year’s solid album The Human Romance (eOne) with the relentless roadwork they are known for, they always put out a total band effort as a live prospect. Tearing the lid off the night with the opener “The World Engulfed In Flames” the band presented themselves as more than worthy. Front man John Henry is one of the best there is at ruling the stage and connecting with the crowd. Coming back with “No God” from the excellent Eternal Return album was a good choice and the crowd was digging it. I consider DH to be the fathers of modern metalcore, something they have never shied away from, but evolved towards a more mature unit over time. Special props go out to fill-in drummer Timothy Java (DEAD TO FALL) covering for the recently departed from the band Ryan Parrish. Replacing a mainstay and a beloved by the fans personality is a tough job, but Tim did well. I also have to single out Mike “Lonestar” Carrigan who can handle a six-string on the level of the headliners. They burned through their set quickly and although I was bummed they missed a few standards I love to hear they closed up strong with “Doomsayer”. Realistically this band shouldn’t be the opener on this or very many tours anymore, unless they want to. They are that good.
Set List:
The World Engulfed in Flames
No God
Savor the Kill
With a Thousand Words to Say but One
Violent by Nature
Love as a Weapon
Your Everyday Disaster
Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)
SUICIDE SILENCE was up next and they had a ton of heads in the house. Although I find them to bit a bit formulaic in their style, they always put on a terrific live show and tonight would be no different. The build up to their entrance on the stage was intense and they arrived as you would imagine to a roaring crowd. Opening with their hit “You Only Live Once” the pit opened up and people were off and running. Front man Mitch Lucker has a commanding presence and kind of looks like he is conducting a symphony of chaos by really emoting how the music and lyrics make him feel. You can see why so many people are down for this band of deathcore acolytes when you watch Mitch and then see the crowd react back to him. The band tore through some of their best known songs like “Wake Up”, “OCD”, “Lifted” and “Smoke” which Mitch dedicated to the weed lovers in the house. Perhaps taking out a page from the HAEBREED playbook, the band has figured out how to make their songs more memorable with sing-a-long lyrics, although a touch more angry and less positive. Still, you have to give it to them when it comes to fan engagement and I nearly thought they would tire out the fans before the main event. Perhaps even including Lucker the top talent in the band if drummer Alex Lopez whose razor sharp robotic playing calls to mind the speed and tightness of original FEAR FACTORY skinsman Raymond Herrera. In the end their songs tend to blend all together to me between the slow groovy breakdowns, too many bass drops and the never varying screams of the singer. Yeah, I’m all set for seeing these guys for a while now. Entertaining to the last, despite the over-long set.
 SUICIDE SILENCE is all about the high energy live show.
Set List:
Intro (March to the Black Crown)
You Only Live Once
Wake up
Unanswered
OCD
Bludgeoned to Death
Slaves To Substance
Lifted
Smoke
Disengage
Fuck everything
No Pity For A coward
At last it was time for the big dogs to come out. The stage looked cool with a blend of the Unto The Locust (Roadrunner) artwork, plus a massive video screen that stood about twenty-five feet tall by my estimate. Fog filled up the venue and as the lights went down “I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)” began to play over the PA. The first hint of the awesomeness of the night happened as the screen looked like it was bleeding! What it was bleeding out was the MACHINE HEAD logo crest. This was great and built up the drama even more as the band took the stage the band took their spots to the still full building (I was worried the SUICIDE SILENCE kids would bolt). The four man crew took their places and readied for war. As the intro of the song died down and the massive chords kicked in it felt like a total rush as the stage was awash in red lights. When Robb Flynn sang the open verse of “I……Am….Hell” there was a a gnarly vocal effect and a ton of reverb that made his voice sound monstrous. It was a little over the top, but it did set the tone for what was to follow. After the opening grooves the band did what they do best: open up a can of whoop ass with their take on modern neo-thrash inspired jams. The interplay between the guitar tone of Flynn and Phil Demmel and the crushing beats from McClain was in essence the pure sound of the band. “I Am Hell” is kind of a mini-greatest hits all in one song, at least as thread you can pull from their early career to more recent times. What a killer way to start off a long, loud night!
 Robb Flynn readies for musical war.
Coming back with another new song “Be Still And Know” was cool. The Demmel penned song is equal parts progressive and thrashy, but best of all it has amazing melodies. To hear the entire crowd sing it loudly was chilling. Demmel and bassist Adam Duce really mesh well with Flynn on the vocal harmonies. Flynn is of course at the height of his powers as he leads the charge. It’s not really a comeback story for the band anymore as much as it is whether they are the best American metal band these days or not. They certainly must be counted in the conversation. Coming right back with the track that started this entire era for them, “Imperium” was another good call. The video screen played accompanying visuals to each song and the ones for this song were perfect.
 Adam Duce is the glue that holds the band together. “Beautiful Morning” was up next and was also sick. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that every voice in the crowd was singing these songs from 2004 and beyond with a passion and a lust like they were tracks of the first album. Next up was MH concert favorite “The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears” or beers as Flynn likes to say these days. I was hanging with some of my fellow metal scribes and mused aloud that I still love The Burning Red and Supercharger and would still love to hear those live. I may be in the minority with that one, but as a fan I never cut and run on this act. The single “Locust” was played next with the excellent video playing behind them. Despite the catchyness of the chorus, the song’s breakdown/ending riffs are heavy as hell. “This Is The End” may be the most purely thrash song the band has written, especially the breakdown and solo riffs. The song over is just crazy with thrash, shred, prog and even some black metal influence heard. McClain needs to get mentioned more regularly when discussing the finest drummers in metal. He not only plays tight and is a great song writer, but he still beats heavy as hell in this age of light hitters and guys dependent on triggers. “Aesthetics of Hate” was started off by a chant of “DIMEBAG….DIMEBAG” and was also strong. Oddly enough you could tell who the real old-school fans were during “Old” as few heads really new the words of this essential song in the bands catalog. As great as these recent albums have been and as proud of their resurgence as I am, Burn My Eyes still stands unmatched to my ears. This new ear of fans of the band need to learn their history better. Finishing this segment of the show there were powerful takes on “Darkness Within”, “Bulldozer”, the classic “Ten Ton Hammer”, and “Who We Are” with all of the faces from the crowd in the opening video segment. The band played almost all of the new album and despite the novelty of it, I think it would be neat to hear the entire thing live someday.
 Epic!
After leaving the stage briefly and returning to a chant of “machinefuckinghead!” by the crowd, the band played a horns worthy encore. After a gut wrenching take on “Halo” it was time for “Davidian”. One last good circle pit, the classic pinch harmonics, a lot of headbanging grooves and the crazy crowd was spent after almost two straight hours of the final performance.
Set List:
I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)
Be Still and Know
Imperium
Beautiful Mourning
The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
Locust
This Is The End
Aesthetics of Hate
Old
Darkness Within
Declaration
Bulldozer
Ten Ton Hammer
Who We Are
Encore:
Halo
Davidian
Review and photos by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Adam Duce, Alex Lopez, bass drops, breakdowns, Darkest Hour, Dave McClain, Deathcore, deathmetal, John Henry, machine head, metal, metalcore, Mike "Lonestar" Carrigan, Mith Lucker, neo-classical riffs, Phil Demmel, power groove, prog, reviews by Keefy, robb flynn, Ryan Parrish, shred, Suicide Silence, The 8th Plague Tour, thrash, Timothy Java, vocal harmonies
Posted in Live Show Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
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
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
Friday, November 18th, 2011
 Måsstaden (Century Media)
While fans of modern metal argue the legitimacy of “djent” as a style on forums all over the web (and in real life too) several bands are actually out there making a compelling case for themselves. Ultimately whether this is a passing fad with many copycats or an actual style that will have long term stickiness remains to be seen with time. I think as the sub-genre grows like a weed and will likely lose some traction over time, great bands will find a way to last. In the meantime bands like Sweden’s VILDHJARTA don’t worry about the pretensions of music nerds, they just make killer music and let that tell their story. Designed to take the listener on a musical journey to the mind, Måsstaden is a ferocious slab of sonic muscle.
Right from the ominous tones of the opener “Shadow” the band is setting a scene for the listener to create mentally. When the jagged, brutal main riff comes in, it is like a cup of coffee splashed on the brain. Angular chords ring and crunch while sick vocals from two vocalists alternate flawlessly. Once you get over the fact that in the hands of this band this music is a deadly weapon, you appreciate the depth of their talent. Not just content to rest on the laurels of one style, the band actually imports a lot of death metal (guttural vocals, blast beats, unforgiving riffs) into their style. Less concerned with jazz, nonetheless the bands mellower moments serve the songs to set the ear up for more aural beat-downs. “Dagger” is equally impressive. The main riffs of the song are unrelenting and when they do chill for a moment you are hardly lulled to sleep. The contrasting styles of Daniel Ädel and Vilhelm Bladin are done to stunning effect and as respect worthy as any of the guitar work. In addition to more killer guitar parts, there is a terrific skipping double bass drum part by David Lindkvist. “Eternal Golden Monk” might be the best track on the album. While many bands in the genre aspire to sound like MESHUGGAH, VILDHJARTA actual succeeds in pulling off some of the bands signature sound while making it their own and not being derivative like so many others. Perhaps this is due to the thickness and intricacy of the three headed axe attack of Daniel Bergström, Calle Thomer and Jimmie Åkerström. Each guitar player brings his own flavor to each track and adds tones and timbres that collide and crash into the others. “Benblast” another obtuse and crushing track. The music sounds enormous as the weight of the emotions. Did I mention this is a concept album about a fantasy world. Wow. Heady stuff to consume along with smashed up time signatures and brilliant playing. “Traces” features helicopter riffs and more buzzing ear candy to hook you in. With most bands in the style I tend to get bored at the half way point of an album, but VILDHJARTA keeps things from going stale with great writing. “Traces” also has a great and rare melodic vocal that owes a nod to all of the great Swedish melo-death bands.
Other stand out tracks include “Phobon Nika”, “All These Feelings” and awesomely titled “The Lone Deranger”.
 VILDHJARTA: Mysterious and talented. GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: alternating time-signatures, bassist Johan Nyberg, Century Media, co-vocalists Daniel Ädel and Vilhelm Bladin, complex riffing, deathmetal, djent, drummer David Lindkvist, guitarist Calle Thomer, guitarist Daniel Bergström, guitarist Jimmie Åkerström, Keefy, masstaden, melo death, Meshuggah, modern metal, post metal, Prog Metal, reviews by Keefy, Swedish Metal, vildhjarta
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
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
Posted in Feature Interviews, Interviews | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
A Fragile King (Century Media)
In 2011 super groups seem to be a dime a dozen. Most of these groups are usually weaker than the sum of their parts with a few exceptions. One group that is living up to the challenge is VALLENFYRE. The assembled collection of talent from impressive bands is on one hand admirable. It’s not every day you get to mention PARADISE LOST, MY DYING BRIDE, DOOM and AT THE GATES in the same sentence. However, more startling than the all-star team of talent is the sound of the album and the quality of the songs. This excellent amalgam of death metal, doom and crust punk is the perfect synthesis of the talent of the lineup and could be a force to be reckoned with for years to come in the scene.
Opening up with the scathing “All Will Suffer” the band serves notice that they are not kidding around. From the razor wire guitar riffs to the blackened wail of front man Gregor Mackintosh (PARADISE LOST) the grim sonic rage is upon you. The thunderous drums and doom metal riffs paint a bleak musical picture for which Mackintosh operates on. Said drums are provided by Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST, CRADLE OF FILTH, THE HAUNTED, NEMHIAN) who is turns in one of the drumming performances of the year. “Desecration” follows next with more of the same frenetic riffs followed by the dirge of pain chords in the chorus. The entire album is a concept record dedicated to the loss of Mackintosh’s father from cancer last year. There is no rule book to loss and grieving, yet perhaps via music there may be some relief. All the of the lyrics and vocals delivery punctuate this loss clearly and gives the album a ghastly gravity beyond the typical quality of an album like this. Each song also features a wall of guitar sound. Not only are parts contributed by Hamish Glencross (MY DYING BRIDE) and Mackintosh’s friend Mully, but several solos are contributed by Mackintosh himself. “Ravenous Whore” could be addressing cancer itself. The track has an almost grindcore feel at times with Erlandsson’s signature fills and double-kick work. Of course the crust/doom of the breakdown is also killer, complete with some black metal licks tossed in for good measure. “Cathedrals of the Dead” might be one of the best songs here. You really hear the culmination of the all of the influences on this track and sense Mackintosh’s vision fully realized. Another top notch track is “As the World Collapses”. The marching beat and chugging chords call to mind middle era SLAYER until the death-thrash part kicks in. “A Thousand Martyrs” is a tuneful funerary blast that provides a grim catharsis. I would be remiss not to single out the solid bass work from Scoot of DOOM fame whose slightly distorted low rumblings give the songs the nasty edge they require. “Seeds” is slow, brooding and harsh track with more serious depressive lyrics. “Humanity Wept” amps back up the thrash and death with a fabulous break-neck riff. “My Black Siberia” has an interesting amount of melody for a crust-punk influenced song, revealing how skilled the writing from this group can be. “The Divine Have Fled” also crushes with unholy heaviness and speed. The final track “The Grim Irony” begins with a doleful wail of a riff. Like much of this album it needs to be listened to at high volumes in a lightness room for maximum effect!
 From the dark pain of loss, VALLENFYRE is born.
GRADE: A
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: A Fragile King, at the gates, bassist Scoot, blackened metal, bleak subject matter, Century Media, cradle of filth, crushing riffs, Crust punk, death and loss, deathmetal, doom, Doom Metal, drummer Adrian Erlandsson, grieving, Grindcore, metal reviews by Keefy, MY DYING BRIDE, NEMHIAN, paradise lost, rhythm and lead guitar by Hamish Glencross, rhythm guitarist Mully, super-groups, THE HAUNTED, thrash, Vallenfyre, vocals and lead guitar Gregor Mackintosh
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
Monday, October 31st, 2011
Transmission Zero (Tankcrimes)
Right in time for Halloween the mysterious GHOUL is at it once again, throwing down a mighty slab (or with mp3′s shall I say an impressive aural ectoplasmic resonance) of horror inspired thrash. Although the bands identities are (sort of ) shrouded in mystery I assure you their musical pedigree speaks jams for itself. This eleven song masterpiece of blood and guts will have you banging your head and throwing the horns so much and so hard you will be offering yourself up as a sacrifice to them. Just one look at the awesome cover art and you know you need to bow down!
From the opening salvo of the instrumental “The Lunatic Hour” these henchman of hell blast thrash anthem after bloody anthem through your face like a pitch fork. Plenty evil and sick sounding, this is no ordinary neo-thrash, tight pants bunch of wussies. This is metal for men, preferably zombies or at least creepy grease-monkey dudes like Billy Bob Thornton in U-Turn. Although the music is inspired by thrash, it is not merely thrash either. The vocals are more akin to the gore-infused early days of death metal and the performances by each member are admirable. “Off With Their Heads” has the classy tongue in cheek tone of great horror and tremendous snarling vocal illness. Front man/bassist Cremator sounds eerily like and early John Tardy except more evil and holding bloody kitchen knives. Drummer Fermentor has terrific chops and his double kick work is highlighted by the analog-style sound of classic production values. Lead vocals are chipped in throughout the album by Fermentor and Digestor too. Bonus points! “Destructor” is another groovy, killer song. Great, classic riffs that would make Gary Holt pee himself lash out at your ears. There are some terrific leads on this album by Digestor and in general the axe-manship is as high as you’d expect. “Death In The Swamp” is a curious little ditty of death. It starts off fairly standard as thrash by way of THE CRAMPS. The track is short, but there is an awe-inspiring harmony guitar part in the middle to latch onto. When Digestor and Dissector start shredding together, look out! “The Mark of Voodoo” gives new meaning to the phrase cutting guitars. Crazy riffs descend upon you like a hatchet and of course a song about voodoo is gonna have some tribal drums jamming out. “Brain Jerk” offers as much thrashy goodness than an early EXODUS album and again has the horropunk/metal vibe to the back beat. Great song writing by the mutants here. More demented lyrical themes abound on the aptly titled “Blood Feast”. The speed and power of the riffs are just amazing here. “Morning of the Mezmetron” re-animates Cliff Burton’s wah and distortion drenched tone like a zombie and rocks out with epic greatness. The title track is next with more splatter-punk vibes and deathly gang vo-kills. I almost wanted to dance around to this song when I heard it and then I remembered I don’t dance, so I just head banged some more in my seat. “tooth and Claw” is yet another sick track with crazy changes and a fine sing-a-long chorus. Closing out the affair with “Metallicus Ex Mortis” the track is as hilarious as it is evil. GHOUL certainly have dibs on the most fun album of the year performed by murderous mutants from Creepsylvania. That goes a long way in my book.
 The mysterious GHOUL has been killing audiences nightly while opening for GWAR.
GRADE: B+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Cliff Burton's reanimated bass-wah pedal, death vocals, deathmetal, front man/bassist Cremator, ghoul, grooves, guitar solos, guitarist Dissector, horror-punk, Keefy, metal reviews, murderous lyrics, mutants from Creepsylvania, old school, splatter-punk, Tankcrimes, thrash, Transmission Zero, vocalist/drummer Fermentor, vocalist/guitarist Digestor
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
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
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Until I Feel Nothing (Victory Records)
CARNIFEX is a band I have had an up and down relationship with. Kind of like the hot, but troubled chick you know you need to steer clear of. Too bad you are already sucked into her crazygirl vortex. CARNIFEX is like that. Initially I didn’t really dig them, but I saw them live and came a way really impressed. I think my main bone of contention is that the band straddles the line between death core (which they are and do well), but actually have the skills to play some interesting tech death or even straight up deathmetal if they wanted to. Then I heard last years Hell Chose Me and was a little more intrigued. Saw them again live last spring and I said to my self ‘Whoa! These guys have improved a lot!’ Now with the release of their new album I am ready to dive in and see if these guys can live up to the considerable hype around them.
Opening with a chugging dirge, “Deathwish” is basically an intro track and begins like many CARNIFEX songs before it. Really blasting off with track number two, “We Spoke of Lies” the song is a little more interesting and really intense. Vocalist Scott Lewis has really honed his vocal style over a few albums and now possesses a tempered snarl of growls. Short, angry and to the point the song blasts away with speedy beats and blacked guitar riffs. This is certainly a step up for the band. The breakdowns and bass drops are still here, but so far not over-emphasized as much as the past. “A Grave to Blame” follows next and begins with a sick blast-beat and cool string skipping riff. Lewis again barks at the moon like mad. The are even some cool old school death metal type riffs here that you might find on an OBITUARY or IMMOLATION album. Cory Arford and Ryan Gudmunds create some of the sickest riffs and licks around on this album and have also improved. There is even an effort to allow bassist Fred Calderon to shine a bit more. Shawn Cameron brings the pain on the drums, but also provides some neat keyboards work recalling the sound of DAATH. “Dead But Dreaming” is another good song. Although by this time the album is sounding a touch formulaic (a holdover gripe of mine with these guys) the track is quite solid. Killer beats and grooves crush eardrums until the breakdown part. Then there is an impressive blackmetal riff or two they will surprise you. “Creation Defaced” features more of Lewis’ bestial lower register and faster tempos. There is even a cool interlude in the song that was from out of left field. “Dehumanize” has more crazy riffing and inhuman double-kick tempos. The title track is also very strong, with stout deathcore aesthetics. Lewis’ performance is certainly the best thing about album. He just dominates every song. The ending wave of riffs is impressive by any standard. Other top tracks include “Wretched Entropy” and “Curse My Name”. As much as I feel CARNIFEX has improved overall I think they are still missing a crucial ingredient, variety. Still, if you love deathcore you can totally stomp a bro out to in the pit to these songs.
 CARNIFEX in 2011.
GRADE: B
Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: bass drops, bassist Fred Calderon, blackend riffs, Blast Beat, breakdowns, Carnifex, Deathcore, deathmetal, drummer/keyboardist Shawn Cameron, guitarist Cory Arford, guitarist Ryan Gudmunds, Hell Chose Me, Immolation, Keefy, metal reviews, Obituary, tech death, Until I Feel Nothing, victory records, Vocalist Scott Lewis
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews | No Comments »
|
|
|
