Written by: Blackie Skulless
Much like with thrash metal, death metal from South America always seems to have a higher level of scorching energy from it, reflective of the climate. Fossilization is one of those words that just emulates decay and abrasion, especially when you picture it happening to a human. The band’s music certainly holds a candle to that! Hot off the press is their debut EP He Whose Name Was Long Forgotten, a force I absolutely reckon with. Loading itself with five grueling tracks to nearly touch a full-length outing, Fossilization takes the death metal genre to crushing extremes. Guitar passages specialize in tremolos and explosive overlays of fuming leads that cast horrifying images of ash, decay, and shattering bone fractals. Though you’d expect cavernous vocals to go under this, they’re a bit more prominent than I expected. Naturally, things give way to hints of doom and black metal alike, depending where you fall on the disc.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Philadelphia based heavy metallers Blazon Rite seem to have struck up a little love with their debut EP last year. Coming in fast with an epic edge lightly painted atop a traditional mass, they’ve cooked up a full-length to follow. Endless Halls Of Golden Totem captures a solid image of this style, boasting lyrics focusing on fantastical and mystical characters with some narrative angles. Though common for this style, Blazon Rite packed some memorable punches. If Savatage were a bit slower overall and used lower-pitched vocals more often, you’d be pretty damn close to what Blazon Rite are all about. Their epic nature casts a pretty spotless atmosphere, dialing in plenty of synthesizers as a side. The writing style is impressive, as they can take this and smoothly mold their swift passages and slower ones together while fitting in solos for the foreground and background. Transitions in general are one of their biggest strengths.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Not far from my stomping grounds, Philadelphia, PA based Daeva somewhat helped my recent growing taste for certain styles of black metal. Though they’re heavily thrash induced, the lone EP entitled Pulsing Dark Absorptions is an evil and crushing spin. Their only release to date, it’s full of breakneck speeds, blistering blackened vocals, and evil lyrics to the max. Very much one of those things that passes by before you even realize it. Comprised of four tracks and a Mayhem cover, there isn’t a lot of time for any kind of filler or screwing around. For optimal experience, it’s layered nicely to allow the drums to pop really well, displaying advanced fills all over the already crushing riffage. “No Effective Banishings” weaves this in with tremolo picks to really inject that harsher feel, allowing slower passages to come across more menacing. “Clenched Fist Of The Beast” is a rather straightforward track with a noisier effect, backed by chaotic execution.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
There’s a time for riffs, a time for intricacy, and a time for both. Wode have been around now for a little over a decade, reigning over Manchester, England with a stylistically intense brand of black metal. Recently, they dropped album number three, entitled Burn In Many Mirrors, through 20 Buck Spin. It cashes in on sturdy riffage with appropriate doses of later black metal tactics to make for one of the better polished albums of its type. What’s nice is that despite this, Wode don’t feel the need to sink themselves in a pool of symphonies and atmosphere. Though the latter does play a bit of a role, it’s clear that strong hooks and transitions are the most important part. All six tracks come from a narrative standpoint, telling long, cosmic stories around the occult and world destruction. This leaves little room for extra nonsense, allowing everything to be straightforward within each phase of the songs.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Rising from Chile, a place where gritty thrash has made a solid mark, Oldeath came out of the woods with a rather impressive dose of black metal. After one demo in 2019, they summoned forth a full-length last year entitled Rise From Majestic Darkness. For folks who prefer the riff-y side of black metal rather than the atmospheric or symphonic side, this is gonna sit well with you. Clearly the thrashy surroundings have rubbed off on our guys here. Worry not, because these riffs have a rusty and grating coat on them that would infect the wounds of anyone who comes near. There’s a droning sensation pulling forth the aesthetic to very blackened heights. The moments when higher solos peak, it forces them to have a nastier bite. Moreover, mixing in hazy church organs adds layers of darker times, casting haunting chills into the bones.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Dipygus: a severe and extreme deformity where the body duplicates at the caudal end. So yeah, that’s what we’re in for. The third and final of this Memento Mori run is a quick death metal spin heavily fascinated with gore, deformation, body horror, and… apes. Following their debut in 2019 titled Deathooze, Dipygus returned this year for an even more gruesome and rotted realm of Swedish-tinted riffs in the form of Bushmeat. Going in, it’s still loaded up with the utilization of samples to set the tone of the incomprehensible and overly guttural vocals. They’ve always rung in a bit of an Entombed vibe, but brought to greater extremes in abrasion and execution. “The Khumjung Scalp” is probably one of the single most disgusting songs I’ve ever heard. Matter of fact, this record draws out the riffing to far slower degrees than before, this song being a glaring example. “Osteodontokeratic Savagery” (have fun with that one) follows it up and injects a bass-loaded break before hitting an explosive lead guitar bridge.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Our next death metal cut from Memento Mori’s Bar & Grill is a Canadian dish called Altered Dead. Returning to life for their sophomore effort Return To Life, these lads bring a pretty brief offering that resides on the chaotic side. Though I wouldn’t really call this a full-on technical disc, there’s definitely a lot crammed into a small space. Thirty minutes of grueling, otherworldly riffing and a Celtic Frost cover pass by before you know it. If the album cover doesn’t give this away immediately, there’s a running theme of space and science passed through a slimy and grimy pattern for an optimal decaying experience. As guttural as the vocals are, they get somewhat stomped into the lunar surface, giving the guitars the main focal point. Occasional tastes of hardcore chugging can come through, honing in wavier tones during the slower riffs, and vibrant reverberations during the faster ones. It can get overwhelming at times, particularly when the drums blast away over-top this. But I won’t pretend it isn’t impressive.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
How nice is it to have a band whose name starts with “dis” that isn’t a Discharge d-beat ripoff? Ha, I kid! (kinda). Anyhow, Memento Mori spits out some of the meanest, brain-boiling, and ferocious slabs of death and doom/death known to man. So to start out a little run of their recent outings, I bring Disrupted. This Swedish death metal act takes charred ruins of the pioneers and reconstructs them in a horrendous and skin-scorching style for their sophomore record titled Pure Death. And what a fitting title that is, because this thing sounds as grating and brash as the rotted guillotine on the cover looks. There is nothing remotely nice, welcoming, or friendly to be had. You can probably picture the buzzing Swedish tones, but there’s a layer of grit added to these that cast an even hotter level of harsh noise. Matching this is growling vocals boosted with powerful outbursts that avoid being overly guttural, matching the riffing yet standing out wonderfully.
Editor's unsolicited opinion: Here's an aspect of the cursed reviewer life that I will always find endlessly gratifying: the prospect of witnessing a young and talented band evolve from a fresh face into a genuine presence in their respective scene. Way back in '18 we reviewed the first EP from this group, and then I was so impressed with their debut album that we featured in on our Caravan of Doom Vol. 1. Needless to say, these guys are on their way up.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Not often does stoner rock catch my ear, but when it does it hooks itself deep within my brain. Stonus (how fitting) have come up with what’s now their third EP titled Seance, and it’s pretty enjoyable from front to back. With only three songs, they heavily reflect the style of Sundrifter, who dropped one of my favorite albums in 2018. What’s also neat is that this one was recorded completely live. Because of this, there’s a very organic feeling that makes the repetitive nods showcased in all three tracks work decently. The middle track “Messianism” plays on that the most, being the longest one, and trailing off significantly at the end. I also found it to be the most explosive, riding on a rhythm pattern that “drops” (if you will) guitar chugs in gradual changes of pace. To contrast, you get vocals that add most of the melody, and a dash of howl.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Haunt mastermind Trevor Church and Co. have basically been churning out endless material since I discovered them in late 2018 around the release of the debut album. Sticking to a pretty traditional style of heavy metal, they made their first mild shift in early 2020 with Mind Freeze, a record that I admittedly simp for. This marked the first of a gradual step towards synthier, perhaps poppier songs that had more chorus-based structures. Although I thought Flashback was a bit of an awkward transition, the latest full-length Beautiful Distraction basically steps in and ties up loose ends. Continuing off of the prior idea, you get a better executed version of these accessible tactics molded with firm heavy metal riffing. The layering especially is the best that Haunt have done with the trade-offs between guitar/keyboard and how they follow each other. Allowing for songs to flow from one to the next easier, they can now squeeze in different writing directions smoothly. That, in and of itself, is one of the biggest standouts. |
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We provide thoughtful reviews of music that is heavy, gloomy...and loud enough to wake us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry!
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