After releasing the excellent albums A Haunting Curse and Carving Out The Eyes Of God, Goatwhore have released what is easily the best album of their career, Blood For the Master. Curse was primarily a death metal album, while Carving really showed the band bringing out more of the black metal influence. This album has that equal ground that the other albums were missing.
Led by the stellar single “Collapse In Eternal Worth,” this shows just how much Goatwhore have grown into their music. After a wicked black metal intro, they slap false metal across the face with the brutal death-thrash that only they can pull off. The actual riffs don’t really change much, but instead Sammy just changes the pitch and execution of the riffs. This is the musical equivalent of the rhino tank in Grand Theft Auto (Goatwhore) running into a crowded intersection full of cars and people (everything else).
For a more groove metal approach, “When Steel And Bone Meet” does that very well. I mean, the name of the track literally speaks for itself. A little off putting after going through the brutality of the last track, but it is on par with most of the metal that is out there today. Falgoust really steps up the menacing factor of his vocals with this track. Fast and furious metal is the core.
One thing that really sets this album apart from the rest is that they explore a lot more musical territory instead of being tied down with a specific formula. “In Deathless Tradition” is a slowed down and heavy behemoth of a song that runs down the competition. Full of sludgy black metal riffs and healthy doses of chugging groove, “Deathless” is a track that will be the soundtrack of that really big guy that annihilates the pit.
“Beyond the Spell of Discontent” injects more of their punk/black metal roots in the album. It has a lot of the same type of guitar tones and riffs that are synonymous with black metal. Combine this with the production difference of the drums as compared with the rest of the album and you will see for yourself. Along with the speed and raw feel of punk, and you have a track that stands on its own from the rest of the album.
This is another prime example of a band that sticks their past catalogue in a oak barrel till it ferments even more, then adds in more new flavors to create the signature blend of Louisiana whiskey that Goatwhore delivers.
Just when you thought that The Misfits’ legacy had gone unmolested long enough to start forgetting about records like Project 1950 and that one with the Nutley (NJ) Brass, here’s a new full length LP to drive the stake in heart of what the fiend club held unholy. Most fans of ‘fits will immediately write off The Devil’s Rain as the sound of Jerry Only jumping not merely the shark but the Creature From The Black Lagoon as well. Gone is the entire Misfits crew that made 1999’s Famous Monsters. Jerry’s a lone wolf this time flanked by none other than guitarist and vocalist Dez Cadena. Yes, THAT Dez Cadena. Black Flag Dez Cadena. Will the legacies of Glenn Danzig and Greg Ginn get defiled in one fell swoop? Will there be blood aplenty on Jerry and Dez’ hands? That, my fiends, is the question, isn’t it?
Waittasec! This isn’t a Misfits record at all. Not in the classic sense at least. Think Ramones on a dark, stormy night. It’s not like Jerry & Co. don’t have their own chapter of the Fiend Club just to be perfectly fair. Still, any way you hack at it, The Devil’s Rain is a million miles removed from any Legacy of Brutality.
Misfits.3 does demand you pledge your allegiance. Think Professor X or Magneto? Tupac and Biggie? Edward Vs. Jacob? It’s fun in spots but it certainly isn’t dangerous. Songs like “Land of The Dead” or “Vivid Red” are solid but positively PG-rated. Ed Stasium’s (Ramones) production is a little too safe and Jerry’s vocals lack the character of Micheal Graves, Myke Hydeous, Ignite’s Zoli Teglas (yep, two shows) and (of course) The Man In Black From Lodi, New Jersey: Glenn D.
“Father” is a bit of a “they did not” moment where J-Man drops a lyrical mention of The Mark of Cain. Luckily, he redeems himself a couple songs later with “Monkey’s Paw”, a genuinely poignant bit of latter day Ramones worship ala “Pet Cemetery” co-written by Ramones collaborator Daniel Rey. Even “Where Did They Go” with its girl-group backups is smile-worthy as Jerry a tell of losing his loved one in Juarez, Mexico. That song, however, does beg for Micheal Graves to pop up, sombrero over his skull-painted visage and grab the mic for a couple minutes.
OK, so where do we sit with this latest entry into the Misfits collective catalog? Let’s keep it at a safe distance and give it it’s own corner of the graveyard. If you want a good take on the Danzig era of the ‘fits, check out Balzac, the Japanese band ironically issued on he band’s personal imprint, Misfits Records. So my fellow fiends, as far as it goes for The Devil’s Rain, it’s not a bad record but let’s call this a Misfits record in name Only.
Rating: For Danzig fans Fuggedaboutit. On its own terms: B
Louisville, Kentucky’s Coliseum have grown exponentially over the course of three full length efforts, with the band’s latest EP, Parasites, showcasing a marked wealth of progression and maturity; an intriguing taste of what’s to come from this talented trio. Indeed, the sound of Parasites is surprisingly full, considering Coliseum utilize the old school power trio formula of guitar/vocals, bass and drums, with frontman/axeman Ryan Patterson coming up with tons of interesting guitar effects and tones to create this thick, almost psychedelic atmosphere.
“The Fiery Eye” showcases this in spades, expertly melding far-out guitar textures and subtle percussive elements to lead right into the barreling track “Ghost of God.” While Parasites may not possess the excess aggression of the Relapse released No Salvation-apart from the blistering jam “The Big Baby”-the direction in which Coliseum is heading towards provides plenty of stylistic twists and turns along the way.
If anything, Parasites evokes specifically heavy memories of 90s indie and post-hardcore, with the overall feel achieving something akin to Big Black’s Songs About Fucking…although perhaps not as sleazy. Regardless, the attack here on Parasites is heavy and engaging; a satisfying turn of events for a band clearly onto great and powerful things. Respect.
Arriving equipped with some seriously heavy riffage and the devouring, ravenous vokills of frontman Jeff Fahl, Ohio’s sludge overlords Rue are ready to kill here on Thorns, their sophomore effort for Shifty Records.
Having only released the Heart Held By Demons EP in 2008 and a split with Aldebaran four years prior, Thorns is actually the band’s first full length release of new material since their self titled debut way back in 2003. While eight years is a mighty long time to follow up an inaugural effort, Rue has taken their time and made the wait worth fans’ while, however, vomiting forth thirteen tracks of rusty razor riffs and possessed, growling diatribes courtesy of Fahl.
The band’s imaginative arrangements and the varied tempos of skinsman Greg Cook hold this beast back from bursting at the seams, simultaneously cooking up dastardly ideas for a sludge genre which all too often is content with rehashing the past. Instead, Rue kicks out jams which sound just at home on a stage next to Eyehategod or Iron Monkey (R.I.P.) as it would performing at Gilman St. to a bunch of crusties.
In other words, Rue kick ass and take names, not letting anything get in the way between them and total sonic destruction. Recommended.
I have a lot of respect for what Heavy Artillery is doing for the old school, traditional and heritage metal scenes, releasing such stellar power/thrash gems as Sign of the Jackal whilst remaining unerringly true to their metallic cause. All too often, however, I see new releases from bands like Midnight Chaser and just shake my head. Arriving with faux ironic 80s cover art-which is bright, ironic and laughably terrible-Rough and Tough claims 70s inspired hard rock roots, but the depth of execution really leaves a bit to be desired, despite the points earned for taking their name from a White Spirit song.
Yikes.
Musically speaking, the guitar abilities of Stephen Lauck are workmanlike and effective-if a bit simplistic-evoking positive memories of Saxon, Thin Lizzy and Diamond Head at times, while the vocals of Scott Attwood are a bit nasal, but succeed in a manner which is half Bob Mayo (Wargasm) and half Kevin Heybourne (Angel Witch). In more recent news, it seems as if ex-Mordred/Laaz Rockit axeman Sven Soderlund has joined the band’s ranks on second guitar, so perhaps the sophomore effort will pack a bit stronger punch.
For as it stands now, it’s the silly songs like “Cougar’d” which really bring Midnight Chaser down, sounding more like Steel Panther/Darkness styled cheese than anything forged in fire or baptized in steel. Missteps like this-combined with the one-dimensional, unimaginative direction of the songwriting-make Rough and Tough a difficult album to recommend to anyone other than those with low standards for their 70s/80s retro rock.
Not to be confused with the bizarre Aussie black metal contingent with which this Washington band shares their album title, Infernal Legion go far out of their way to prove that American death metal can indeed provide plenty of original and, of course, brutal thrills for a discerning metal audience.
Bursting out through the starting gate with a bright and energetic production, the guitars here on The Spear of Longinus practically possess the listener with a frenetic fury; harboring a Bolt Thrower bluster while also nodding firmly in the direction of America’s own Immolation in term of complex, Satanically oriented arrangement. What separates Infernal Legion from many of their peers, however, is the inclusion of demonic melody in the mix.
The guitars of Doug Stern and Eric Armstrong are very much in psychic tune with each other, ripping out memorable melodies with as much ease as they do kill-riffs du jour. The effect overall is somewhat similar to the Southern death squadron of Arghoslent, in that these melodic sections campaign with a vicious sense of pride and epic glory. In other words: don’t think Gothenburg. Instead, Infernal Legion manage to sound just as well put together as their European countrymen, while also possessing the intense, berserk rage of America’s most lethal death metal tendencies.
The Netherlands’ own gothic metal outfit Autumn have made a series of smart moves over the course of their fairly lengthy existence (having formed as Stonehenge back in ’95), smoothly ushering in a mellower and more melodic rock sound to replace the harder edged yet conceptually lacking sound of old.
As a result, Cold Comfort sounds more like The Gathering than it does Lacuna Coil or Evanescence, and all the better for this fifth release displays a more confident and focused Autumn than we’ve heard thus far in their career. Although the guitar production is a bit muffled by the blown-out, bass-heavy sound, frontwoman Marjan Welman’s clear ‘n comforting voice more than makes up for this misstep by creating stirring choruses and driving verses for these nine songs.
While still possessing the Euro-goth/metal guitar work popularized by bands like Within Temptation crossed with a slight influence of Finnish love rock like H.I.M. or Negative, Cold Comfort simultaneously presents a spacy ‘n hazy psychedelic atmosphere at times, reminiscent of the aforementioned Gathering’s mid period work with former singer Anneke van Giersbergen, after their breakout releases Mandylion and Nighttime Birds.
As such, Cold Comfort is easily the most memorable and best arranged release of Autumn’s career, and a positive step forward for a band who was in clear in danger of being overshadowed by their more popular contemporaries. With Cold Comfort, however, Autumn prove that they, too, pose a challenge for the game.
Martyr’s Circle of 8 is a fine example of why some obscure bands are probably best left that way, to lounge in the shadows of collector’s lists and cut-out bins.
While the heritage of this Dutch act extends all the way back to the early 80s with a duo of full lengths back-to-back in ’84/’85, Martyr never really made much headway here in the States, with most American metal fans probably associating the moniker of ‘Martyr’ more with the Canadian tech-death outfit than anything remotely power or traditionally minded.
Regardless of this fact, however, this Martyr has returned with their Circle of 8 comeback album, ready to make the day of every early 80s obsessive and/or the encyclopedic amongst us, for sure. Although the end results here are by no means piss-poor or ear-grating-check the aggressive and catchy thrash disaster ‘Art of Deception’-the bulk of Circle of 8 tends to be extraneous to need, rehashing many power/speed cliches without any real identity or the spark required to stand out from the ever-growing heritage pack. The love ‘em or hate ‘em tone of frontman Robert Van Haren is also a sticking point, as the singer tends to flip flop in and out of tune half the time.
To their credit, Martyr has ably arrived with the times, melding their old school influences with a bevy of lower-tuned, heavier attacks-think old Pantera or even mid-era Nevermore at times-and Circle of 8 does pick up speed ’round the half way mark, preventing a total and utter loss from these old schoolers. However, the real selling point for this album still eludes the listener, with Circle of 8 not really doing much to kick up things from idling in first gear. This one’s only for die hards.
Nunfuckritual-In Bondage to the Serpent (Debemur Morti)
Although the debut from Nunfuckritual arrives equipped with an impressive, ‘supergroup’ lineup, as well as some of the more badass cover art in recent memory, the musical end results don’t exactly live up to expectations.
Featuring Konsortium/Mayhem guitarist Teloch and The Black/Vinterland drummer Andreas Jonsson alongside vocalist Espen and badass bassist du jour Dan Lilker (Nuclear Assault, Brutal Truth), Nunfuckritual certainly have their blackened hearts in the right place-composing tunes which are undeniably dark and mercilessly heavy-the actual songwriting leaves a bit to be desired, suffering from a severely sluggish sense of pacing, and generally uninteresting atmosphere.
This isn’t to say that In Bondage to the Serpent doesn’t have style or atmosphere, because it does…just not convincing enough to providing a feeling of true terror or unease. Rather, solid songs like “Christokokos” end up sounding like average, dirge black metal tracks, despite the band’s every efforts to insert some real dread and darkness into the tunes via dark background effects, weird chord phrasings and pulsating feedback.
Still, this isn’t enough to make Nunfuckritual’s songs memorable at the end of the day, nor does it make In Bondage to the Serpent any better than your average hyped collection of musicians, seeking out some diversion from their main acts. Though not terrible in the slightest, the music of Nunfuckritual really only elicits a sluggish, half-hearted thumbs up.
It’s been with baited breath that yours truly has been waiting, nay SALIVATING for England’s The Rotted to follow up their absolutely BLOWER 2008 debut, Get Dead or Die Trying.
Fast forward three long years later, and here we have it: the mighty Ad Nauseam. Luckily, the wait has been totally worth it, for this crusty UK combo have delivered the goods once again, losing nary an ounce of their punk-fused snarl and breakneck violence. Formed from the ashes of Gorerotted, the band’s main stylistic nexus remains unchanged, really, adding perhaps only a slightly more stripped down approach to brutality than was featured on Gorerotted’s comparatively more traditional, gory death metal.
Instead, The Rotted attack with D-beating precision here once again on Ad Nauseam, hammering home riffs which are syphilis-level catchy, while lead throat Ben McCrow howls out gutteral, yet decipherable diatribes of black humor and anthemic menace. Seriously, The Rotted’s level of songwriting brilliance is off the charts when it comes to death metal done right; a true kick in the ass for all complacent bands out there who see it fit to rely on the same old hackneyed cliches.
Nope, instead here we have The Rotted: kicking ass and taking names whilst showing everyone else how it SHOULD be done. Compared to Ad Nauseam, all other death/grind sounds practically pale and withered. Essential 2011 metal.
