The news-report strains of ‘“From the Graves We March” rise, with staticky dial-up gravitas, above the groans. Without further ado it's officially on: Apocalypse by way of Zombie, the viscerally apropos downfall of humanity as we know it. Is there really any better fodder for a death metal album? I think not, and, evidently, neither does the international two-piece Reign of Terror. Comprised of Jereth Fewings on the instrumentation and Oscar Diaz handling vocal duties, these guys brandish their influences on their sleeves with a forthright pride, citing and recalling their heroes--be it Death, Deicide, or Dethklok, among a host of others--with the glee that one simply can not fake. I mean, just look at the logo. These guys love death metal, and their debut album is a well-conceived expression of said passion.
Decimation of Mankind is defined in many ways by the toilet-gurgle vocal stylings, which will either suck you in or reject you violently, depending entirely on your tolerance for the regurgatorial approach of, say, Aborted, Deicide, or Dying Fetus. In our track premiere for “Sacrificial Slaughter," the expulsive vocal tendencies of Vomitory were brought into play, and that descriptor continues to hold well here. Mr. Diaz displays a balance between gurgles and screams mightily, layering a certain raspy scream that, at it's best, inject a little hardcore ‘tude into the melting pot. While, as a whole, the vocals are improved upon in Reign of Terror’s sophomore release, they are still energetic and remarkably dynamic on Decimation. Given the prior stage-setting, I hesitate to use the term "clean” in reference to Decimation of Mankind, but no bones about it: this is good clean death metal. Nothing flashy. Nothing heady. Just good ol’ brain-pummeling. As it should be. That said, the majority of the tracks herein are strangely hypnotic--recalling, oddly enough, a darkwave-esque sonic quality. Dance With the Dead comes to mind, in terms of the lurching riffs that ebb and flow, typically muffled and subdued by the sheer force of the vocals, but occasionally forthright in a show of primal ferocity. This album is stuffed to the brim with fun moments. Take the simple yet invigorating buildup on “Thy Savior is Thy End,” which never fails to elicit an ill-advised neck whipping. The eventual tempo changes on this track do wonders to avoid stagnation, as do the electronic leanings on “The Plague”--one of the albums more intriguing moments. “Machine of Vengeance” is an absolute goddamn barnburner, rivaled only by its immediate follow-up in terms of violent zeal. “Creation Breeds Decimation” is a stellar track, grinding and driving with assertive abandon. Here, the Reign of Terror formula operates at its best, as the vocals, guitar, and percussion mesh together in a relentlessly satisfying sense. Tracks such as this demonstrate that at their best, Reign of Terror are genuinely following--and filling--the footprints of brutal death's giants. Tying things up with an intestinal bow, the album ends off with the purely atmospheric church bell ringing of “...And to the Graves We Return.” While outros are largely unnecessary, it works in Reign in Terror's benefit to bring the overall narrative to a satisfying close. From a needs-improvement standpoint, there are several aspects of note. The first--as is often the case when this particular villager turns a critical eye--is song length. This particular brand of death benefits from punchy runtimes, and with multiple songs stretching across the 6 and 7 minute marks, a trimmed refrain here or there would serve each track's individual impact. As a result, the album’s back half--home to some of the shorter tracks on display--is the more impressive. The vocal cadence is another sticking point, as a similar chanting rhythm appears enough times across the album to become overly familiar. That said, in both cases Reign of Terror's sophomore effort is a giant step in the right direction. Self correction in practice. Bottom line? These guys aren't revolutionaries of the death metal scene by any means...but this is death metal, after all, and the vast majority of the time all we're looking for is a neck-snapping good time. To this end, Reign in Terror deliver in spades. And if you’re a fan Decimation, fear not: they release new music on a ridiculously impressive timeline, and, as mentioned, their follow-up, entitled Revolution Through Violence, is already out. Listen to "Thy Savior is Thy End" below:
0 Comments
This review is brought to you courtesy of a good friend of the Sleeping Village--the one 'n' only Brian from Metalhead World. If you aren't familiar, MHW is swiftly becoming a top-notch hub for underground metal reviews, interviews, news, and other assorted miscellany. If you happen to stumble over there after imbibing deep of 1782's doomy offerings, we certainly wouldn't mind. Without further ado: 1782's single "She Was A Witch" caught the attention of a lot of people and swept the doom metal scene like a storm. In the 4 months since, 1782 was quickly signed to Heavy Psych Sounds, released two more singles that introduce their fuzzy riff driven sound and a theme of evil and macabre. It all culminates into the release of 1782's self titled debut. I awaited this album since it's announced production. I can honestly say that when I first heard the first single, I was so taken aback by it (in a good way), I thought it might be a side project and Scott Ian would have a "gotcha" moment on the album premier. I jokingly expressed this to Marco Nieddu (24moons / Raikinas), the mind behind not only 1782, but also popular doom metal indie label Electric Valley Records, who assured it was the real deal. The story behind the band name is as follows: In 1782 Anna Goldi was condemned and was subsequently tortured and killed in the process. Anna Goldi's case was the last known Witchcraft trial documented in Europe. So you know what 1782 is about. How about the album? As the intro sets the theme of a dark bonfire with church bells (all sounding very authentic), "Night of Draculia" kicks in with a nice fuzzed blend, yet it sounds very crisp. The groove in the breakdown of this and Marcos' distorted vocals set the tone of this album perfectly, but when you hear "The Spell - Maleficium Vitae", you get grabbed and sent strait to hell through the rest of the entire album and you feel it strait to your soul. When the chanting kicks in on The Spell, you realize the energy in this album is effective. And maybe at one point, it might even be a bit much for those that aren't evil purists at heart who might see this as a classy, yet more evil efforts some may have heard in regards to music dealing with the occult. And that is a bold yet genuine statement from this writer. I personally loved every moment. We get a cleaner and more polished version of "She Was A Witch" with guest Gabriel Fiori of Black Rainbows which I thought turned out exactly like it should. I was wondering how this would turn out and I was very satisfied with the result. "Black Sunday" has a riff where the pitch bends, and give a nice demonic sound. "Oh Mary" is a single many already know. This to me was what set the tone as far as what 1782 is about. With the lyric video you get the idea throughout this album of 1782 doing a show in this very setting. Very classy. Very vintage. Very occult-ic. And the sense of evil is welcoming instead of fearful. The album closes out with the tracks "1782" and "Celestial Voices," which go out in true fashion for the band. With a hooky and groove driven riff and dark wavering organs straight from Mother Earth herself, this predominant two-song instrumental leaves one last carbon footprint of energy that leaves you wanting more after seeing what this two piece outfit is truly capable of. It just feels good and releasing. These are the type of songs that you would spend alone time with that evil demon of a human in your life. With the hallmark Sabbath-laden riffs that we have come to know and love, some innovative songwriting (that bass outro in "The Spell"), vocals strait from Satan himself, and percussion beating like a wild heart, 1782 takes it way further than I expected. The songwriting accomplishes everything it was setting out to do as far as the energy involved with an album such as this. Marco did a fabulous job in every step of this masterpiece. Marco doesn't get all the credit as Gabriele Fancellu played a significant role in providing a wide array of drum work that I would compare to Mark Greening as far as style is concerned. This truly adds the element of magic in this album. Gabriele's efforts on this album is appreciated as it would not be nowhere near the same feel without it. I thought the self titled Black Sabbath track was one of the creepiest, scariest, dripping with evil, tracks that contained yet a certain type of class and sophistication in the song. I can honestly say 1782 may in the running with this entire album. The thing about 1782's album, though, is that it's not just an album you play like you would Slipknot or even classics like Pantera. This is an album you listen to at night, preferably early morning, candles lit, lights dimmed or off and just let the energy this half hour album gives take hold and release your inner demon. 1782's self titled debut was released May 24th from Heavy Psych Sounds.
1782 can be found: Bandcamp Once again, check out Metalhead World! Written by: Ancient Hand Mesarthim recently surprise-dropped a new album, and I finally had the time to sit down and listen to the follow-up to my 4th favorite album of 2018. With 2 tracks that each clock in at 20 minutes exactly, Mesarthim already show their intent with this album: trying new things. Ghost Condensate is one whole made up of two halves, both of which show the band incorporating new elements into their already established style of intense avant-garde metal. Despite featuring the band’s trademark sound, risks are taken on this album. On the first track, there are hip-hop trap influences around the 8-9-minute mark, which give way to dense and spacey atmosphere with orchestral synth breaking through after a few moments of staring into deep-space blackness. Then, guitars begin to build before being undercut by drums, and the sound falls back into an infectious rhythm made of guitar, synth, drums, and howls from unimaginable realms of black space horrors. A classic heavy-metal guitar solo shreds in at the speed of light around the 11-minute mark and crescendos into black metal fury. This is just a 3-minute example of Mesarthim’s attempts to craft an interesting and original album, which they always seem to be doing. Most often is the band’s sound and style chalked up to “spacey atmospheric black metal,” but on this release, they prove that their influences cover a wide breadth of genres and musical styles. The project’s previous release showcased EDM elements, but Mesarthim builds on those sounds with more mainstream elements mixed with chilling black metal. This blend of styles leads to an album that sounds just as otherworldly as its cover appears to be. On the second half of this release, Mesarthim play more to their tried and true strengths. Blistering black metal pummels you as dazzling synths add a wall of impenetrable noise before the release calms down and fades away in glistening electronics, willing you to start all over again. The blending of familiar sounds in unfamiliar places (trap elements on a black metal album) make for a very engaging and interesting listen. Mesarthim have, to state it simply, done it again. Pushing the boundary enough to keep long-time listeners on their toes but not alienate fans of black metal, the band has crafted a 40:00 adventure through the cosmos. If anything, this release feels more akin to Mesarthim’s older releases than their previous album. The electronics feel more supportive of the black metal rather than center stage— aside from the trap-inspired section on Part 1. It is difficult to definitively state what the intent of this album is and whether or not it achieves its goal(s); however, it is easy to state that it is an album worth the concise runtime. Do yourself a favor and take a journey into the unknown with this new release. |
Welcome!
We provide thoughtful reviews of music that is heavy, gloomy...and loud enough to wake us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry!
|