Written by: Blackie Skulless If this album cover doesn’t catch your eye immediately, then I don’t know what will. There’s so much to look at, just as there is so much to listen to with the debut Universally Estranged record. Entitled Reared Up In Spectral Predation, this is a (pretty obviously) space / sci-fi / alien themed technical death metal album with a drop of synthwave. Yes, you read that correctly, and thankfully it doesn’t try to be a combo of the two, rather it uses passages to join different ideas. So it should go without saying that you’re going to be immersed in wildly fast and intricate strum and riff patterns with sporadic solos all over the place. Nothing we haven’t seen before, right? Well, somewhat. Universally Estranged is actually pretty left-field even for an already niche style. The synths aside, there’s an extra layer of cosmic flavors strictly from the guitar tones casting noisy auras crossed with crystal clear solo wankery. Neat as it sounds, I found it to be overwhelming.
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Written by: Blackie Skulless
Wow, talk about a much needed attack of chaotic thrash played in the traditional format! Beekeeper hail from San Diego, and have been around since 2010. Though their first record Slaves To The Nothing was technically released back in 2017, they’re re-pressing it to many vinyl variants as well as CD in May of this year, which is how it was brought to my attention. From the gate, I can tell this is very much going to be loved or hated depending on the set of ears, because of its grating delivery. The selling factor is the frontwoman’s piercing vocal style blended with unconventional riffing patterns that still never leave the thrash boundaries. This sets itself apart from the typical outing of its type. I for one love it; her vocals vary significantly. Shrieks that fire far above the mix (think Carmine Blades from Seax) bounce around lower hurls of force, which is such a unique approach. Moreover, the bass guitars coat the riffing to boost the levels of intensity everywhere. Thus, the finished product is overly energetic from front to back.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Coming from the cooler lands of Minnesota is a fresh project of thrash and death proportions known as Begravement. Considering how young these kids are, they definitely have an ear for abrasive fronts and classic tactics, managing to get out a demo-quality EP early this year known, in turn, as Conjuring The Necromancer. Notably, there’re also some slight hints at progressive-leaning writing. With all of that in mind, it is obviously pretty rookie. This is nearly a half hour of extremely unhinged layering at depths that are sometimes difficult to measure. By that I mean it’s a bit uneven in spots between bass and lead/rhythm precedence. On the bright side, the hooks are plenty sharp, such as the simpler rhythms in the title track, as well as its bridge. “Opaque Malevolence” is also a more straightforward one that was stronger in this regard, emulating thrashy passages that make up the better parts of this disc.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Wow, talk about a neat hybrid here. Sleepless are a band that took formation from the remnants of an ‘80s death metal project called Dead Conspiracy. The trick is that they are meant to be a traditional heavy metal act, but the death metal history makes its way into the actual music itself, thus creating something that could be heavy/death metal? It seems impossible, you can’t really have the latter without harsh vocals, but should it exist, I think this would be it. Entitled Blood Libel, this EP is four songs of chunky and brooding riffs that are topped off with melodic singing. Thank our lucky stars that the vocals aren’t overly clean production-wise, because this allows the two to work together rather nicely. Opener “The Man Who Could Not Sleep” is the beefiest song here, churning out multiple moods dipped into this odd blend. The constant jumps in pace and deep piano notes thrown in make it such a fun ride. “Host Desecration” follows this with a sinister drop in tone and overall meaner makeup.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Considering Dread Sovereign’s semi-decent following, it’s amazing that I’ve only stumbled upon them this year, as well as the closely-tied Primordial. Dropping their third album titled Alchemical Warfare, they’ve awoken an inner beast that wasn’t realized earlier. This doom outfit treads far darker waters, dealing in satanic lyrical themes and medieval tamperings, wrapped in storming fury. Given what we know, it fits with the black metal-painted history of the frontman. With six tracks, an intro, an interlude, and a Bathory cover, Dread Sovereign stretches their writing boundaries to great lengths. Nemtheanga and Co. primarily focus on epic build-up, pummeling drum/rhythm guitar blowouts, and galloping leads. Almost every song crawls in with some kind of noise or anticipation, but what breaks them up is how they proceed to the heavy clashing. “Nature Is The Devil’s Church” sneaks in and wreaks havoc with blitzing intensity and raging riffs that don’t cool down for its entire run-time. Others like the opening “She Wolves Of The Savage Season” stick around for a while to really build that momentum. It then focuses on a steadier trudge once it picks up.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
For a while, I had a hard time grasping Carcinoid and their bone-crunching style of doom/death. Released on my birthday in 2019, we’re about a year and a half past Metastatic Declination’s release, and it has since grown on me. Here, the Aussies boast a brooding and freezing brand of the style meant to hold you underground as long as it can, giving the sensation of a cold, desolate wasteland covering endless decay. Seeing that that’s how the current weather in the Northeast has me feeling, there’s no better time to talk about this. The selling point is the brutally intense layering of the bass against the guitars, allowing both of them to act as the leads. Explosive outbursts from the latter act like a massive gust of wind meant to blow over the listener, bringing the sheer heaviness to peak levels. On the other hand, the guitar parts are so raw and abrasive that they sand away some of the thickness and give off small hints of rhythmic consistency. Together, they’re pretty unstoppable, and while not atypical of this style, I have yet to encounter a band that does it better.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
The third full-length offering by Vanik somewhat came out of nowhere, but seeing how much I liked Vanik II: Dark Season, this became a priority. Simply titled III (or Vanik III), it delivers more of what they’re great at. Since the beginning, Shaun Paul Vanek and Co. have delivered hefty blasts of heavy/speed metal residing on the rustier side. Picture something like Venom but not quite as abrasive--or in other words, lose the blackened atmosphere. A notable difference that could be spotted right away is the cleanliness of the riffs and even the vocals a bit here. Though still raspy, the layering is better placed to allow every part to stand out in its own merit, even if it loses a little bit of the bass prominence from before. That also forces room for a tiny drop of melody boost and passages that feel a bit more comprehensive. No worries though, because you still don’t lose that spooky undertow that coats everything this band does.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Probably one of the more anticipated debuts of our time, Midnight Spell finally cast their vision from the Between The Eyes demo into full-length format. For those unaware, these Miami, Florida based metal maniacs cast an old school-inspired heavy metal dish with leanings towards glam and speed alike. So it should go without saying that their style is pretty concise, with Sky Destroyer capitalizing on vocal harmony and gentle force. Weirdly, this did not grab me the way I anticipated off the bat, but not necessarily in a negative sense, either. There’s a bit of a split between the two halves, and the back half made the front half easier to appreciate. Essentially, it eases you in strictly familiar territory, using on-the-nose tactics. “Midnight Ride” is a striking number, filled with booming drums and powerful vocals to blend in perfectly with the classic metal revival acts. You also get the soothing “Lady Of The Moonlight,” capturing early Dokken feels with its calm approach despite harder rhythms. The bassline and solo in particular are swell.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Anthropophagy: (noun) the eating of human flesh by human beings. So in other words, I’m reviewing an album that’s just a fancy word for cannibalism. It should come as no surprise that Sadistic Drive are a death metal band that explore the gore and stench to extreme levels. Hailing from Finland, they’re quite fresh off the grid, taking formation in 2018, and dropping Anthropophagy last year. Just from that and looking at the sleeve, you’ll get exactly what you’re thinking. Chaotic blasting with slamming features and guttural growls take a heavy precedence, filling the proverbial chalice with nothing but slime and grime. An obvious love of horror fills the cracks, as bodily sounds, screams, and samples ooze over to blend some songs together. But surprisingly, the riffing is pretty concise and doesn’t sound as sloppy as it could.
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Maggot Heart caught my attention for the sole fact that their cassette Dusk To Dusk was released through Caligari Records, despite not fitting with that label’s general ideal. Instead of being composed of extreme or filthy metal, it is rooted somewhere in the noise rock and post-punk spectrum. The delivery itself is clean and the frontwoman’s voice is captivating, but I think the fitting factor is that it’s still somewhat eerie. That allows it to appeal to a broader scope of fans. For the most part, Maggot Heart achieve this due to a very dominating bass presence passed through a somewhat degraded quality thanks to weird reverberation and rough production. Glazing that above a very concise bottom is what gives Dusk To Dusk such a strong identity. It focuses a lot on stompier riffs, showing itself in “Big Kross.” B-side opener “Strange Women” also highlights this by using a repetitive but catchy pattern. |
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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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