Metal Gallows

Neptune - Prelude To Nothing - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 16 May 2014 14:08:00 +0000

Year: 2013

Italy is not a country known to many in terms of metal music. Very few bands come out of Italy but each of them is so power packed that nothing can raise a finger at them and point out that they're doing this part wrong or anything regarding their music. Neptune is just a perfect example of that. Getting influenced from Swedish bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquility, the band changed their sound from death metal to melodic-death metal with time. And after a gap of 5 years they released their 2nd album 'Prelude To Nothing' in December 2013.

After creating an underground chaos in 2008 with 'Acts Of Supremacy', the band decided to release 'Prelude To Nothing' which is just an evolved version of previous album. It's not everyday that you find a band like Neptune which breaks the boundaries of their genre and still be within it. It's a band where its "Love in first listen".

Album starts with a soft acoustic intro 'Into The Organic Age'. Many bands use this intro to give a slight idea of what lies ahead in the album, which is not the case with Neptune. The moment song goes from 'Into The Organic Age' to 'Of Courage And Honor' the whole sound changes and they come to their melo-death roots. So the intro is like serving soup before the main meal to a 3-day hungry man. Though he'll go crazy the second he gets the main meal but it wouldn't have been tasty without the starter.

Though there is no doubt about the quality of production but I found the albums restricted in terms of mastering and mixing, as I felt that mixing was done in a way that band was intended to sound in particular way, which for me ruined the album. This is not the band's full potential, this would have been awesome if mixers kept the original sound of the band. There are groovy parts in the melodic-death metal base which makes the sound unique. This can be heard in 'Renaissance', 'Drifting', 'Rampage Of Vengeance' and few more. Guitar solos are not as epic as compared to their music.

Now to explain how the album was restricted in a certain way. On listening the album thoroughly after 5-6 times I felt as the band was made to create this sound. If you imagine same song on stage, it will be totally different level of epicness (Yes, I did create such environment at home). On record, Neptune sounds little boring but they would be million times better on stage as there will be no restrictions at all. It will be all upon artist to get those crazy mosh-pits going and I'll bet it will be a unique experience.

Putting it simply, band, production and album are awesome. Mastering and mixing reduced the energy of the album. But definitely an artist you can't miss seeing live.

Preferred tracks: Renaissance, Last Silent Riot, In Collision, The Healthy Downgrave.

Rating: 70%

Prelude To Nothing by Neptune

Frostwork / Cruelty's Heart - Beyond Bloody Banners Far And Haunted Winters Graven - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Wed, 14 May 2014 03:25:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Europe is the hub for black metal. Though black metal exists outside Europe, the European bands have the better quality and quantity. UK is one place which played a vital role in the shaping of this genre with bands like Venom giving a big boost to black metal. But today, there are very few black metal bands from the UK. Is the black metal scene there dwindling? Or is it just a myth? Judging by this release, it sure looks to be the latter.

Cruelty's Heart

The first band to feature in this split is Cruelty's Heart. This is a three man pagan black metal project with members from the UK and Denmark. This band does a crossover between pure heavy metal with pagan folk touches and black metal. The result is something that sounds grandeur and epic.

Had it not been for the vocals, this could have been easily mistaken for some heavy metal band that influenced black metal. Sure, there are moments where one could call it pure black metal. But for the most part the music stays firm within the heavy metal realm with a great amount of pagan folk overtones.

Guitarist Bloodletter's riff has instances where he is tremolo picking and showing his black metal influences. In contrast to his guitar work which shows mixed styles, his vocal work is firmly black metal as he renders some high pitched, blood curling shrieks. And then there is this atmosphere that prevails throughout the album that makes the listener feel like he is sitting in the middle of a medieval battleground with swords and shields clashing all around him.

The bass work of Jens Forsberg-Olesen sounds massive and contributes a great deal in invoking the above mentioned atmosphere. The drummer Mikael Dupont has a style that is able to adapt well with both the black metal and pagan metal flavors. The production is done to suit the music where the atmosphere is given ample room to shine.

Cruelty's Heart execute the mix of genres extremely well and kick off the split in a grand fashion.

Frostwork

The second half of the split is done by Frostwork which is a one man black metal project hailing from the UK. Dagon, the man behind the music offers a more emotional form of black metal.

This side of the split alternates between non metal atmospheric tracks and raw black metal tracks. The non metal tracks sound absolutely beautiful with clean guitar work and loads of atmospheric elements. They offer good variety in between the raw black metal tracks.

The black metal tracks themselves sound raw yet deeply emotional. They could be called borderline depressive. The music takes its time and is not rushed at all. High pitched guitars create a thick impenetrable atmosphere while the bass holds the low end. The riffs though simple, combined with the tormented vocals and the atmosphere, sound deep.

There are instances where clean vocals are employed and Dagon's deep baritone-ish rendering makes it sound like the chanting of an enigmatic wizard. In tracks like 'Humanity is Cold' the black metal blizzard halts to give way to beautiful clean guitars and it manages not to sound contrived.

Frostwork offer a more straightforward, yet more emotional form of black metal that, true to the band's name, manages to evoke a chill in the listener's heart.

Cruelty's Heart's epic mix of black metal and pagan metal, in combination with Frostwork's raw assault, make this UKEM Record release a must purchase for any fan of black metal. Furthermore, this split offers hope that maybe the black metal scene in the UK is not so dead after all.

Rating: 90%

Landskap - I (LP) - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (v.srikar) — Sat, 10 May 2014 18:02:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Very few bands are able to make music like free flowing water, with little or no friction. From the streets of London, England comes the psychedelic rock / doom metal band Landskap, to do just that and achieves it beyond everyone's expectations. With shades of funeral doom all over its music, Landskap (Swedish for landscape) brings out a very simple and no frills debut EP record through Iron Bonehead Productions.

Starting of with a 11:37 minute track titled 'A Nameless Fool', the band shows its prowess and ability to grab the attention of the listener and hold it all the way through, with excellent shift between mid to high tempo thick doomy riffs. Its worth mentioning that the riffs dont sound monotonous and boring at any stage and really uplifts the music as a whole.

While the drumming is slow to mid tempo, the guitar solos creep in well, as the song progresses. The clean vocals here sound as if they are sung in a garage and it works just fine for this album. The album is full of headbangable riffs and mid tempo solos brought in by Frederic Caure and George Pan as you would expect with from a doom band.

'A Cabin in the woods' is just a slow bass driven track clocking just under three minutes and has nothing much to offer other than being a soothing number. 'Fallen so far' is a faster track bringing in the typical doomy riffs and again Landskap doesnt disappoint in the riff department.

The band clearly is influenced by the big names of traditional doom metal and the vocals and the drum parts all fit in perfectly between the riffs and the bass plays a vital role as is with a typical doom band. 'Fallen so far' has to be the best track of the album as the band keeps it short and fast. Finishing off with the longest song in the EP titled 'To Harvest the Storm', the bass takes centre stage in the first half of the low tempo atmospheric 11:54 minute track, before the band goes full berserk with a faster psychedelic rock feel in the music during the second half.

Clearly this is a band all doom, stoner and psychedelic fans need to check out as the album has something new and worth the time for everyone and its an EP clocking just under 33 minutes. The most stand out feature of the record for me is simplicity factor, even after bringing in all the regular shifts in tempo. Not overly produced and easy on the ears, go check this band out without any second thoughts.

Rating: 85%

I by Landskap

Septuagint - Negative Void Trinity EP - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 May 2014 17:34:00 +0000

Year: 2014

In the warmth of an early may morning I felt a cold I hadn’t felt in a long time. Sitting in my room I was taken by surprise. I had had the EP for over a month, and had been sleeping on the latest Septuagint release. I was afraid of what I was going to hear. Not that black metal scares me- it was that I wasn’t sure what I was going to hear would agree with my idea of this specific genre. Truth be told it took me back to a mix CD my elder brother had given me. It was a plethora of noise that was so alien to me I didn’t know if I hated it or loved it. 'Negative Void Trinity' did just that, it confused me. There were elements all too familiar yet it was unique to itself.

Giving it more than a few listens, I sat on my bed hearing what I perceived as my most difficult review to date. I had not the slightest idea how to tackle the beast in front of me. Slowly growing on me the EP made me think of the state of black metal and in the midst of these thoughts - I realized that many of the bands had been taking the genre back to its roots. Although 'Negative Void Trinity' doesn’t take you back to the days of Bathory or Celtic Frost, it does a great job of capturing the early rage of Marduk. I wouldn’t call the EP a modern day classic, but it is very good none the less. If you are a fan of any early black metal you will enjoy this over a cup of tea.

Discord is the name of the game when it comes to this particular recording. Violent chords that bray, atop pulverizing blast beats complete the package. Setting a chilling mood the vocals only help adding to its already intense atmosphere. Every track can stand alone, and each is unique to itself. For two guys to make something as distinct as this is mind boggling. The production is that of an earlier era. Everything sort of washes together, and it is sometimes hard to distinguish the guitars.

Other than that it is great, and I have to say that I don’t mind the production a bit. I would rather it be raw as it is than to that over polished sound that most albums have these days. All in all this release is great. Only two problems I had with this EP are no lyrics, and it was a tad too short. With all that said it gets a 70%.

Rating: 70%

Psalm II by Septuagint

Orion - On The Banks Of Rubicon EP - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Wed, 07 May 2014 20:32:00 +0000

Year: 2013

The one aspect that everyone universally expects from music is memorability. Be it any genre, the listeners always want to hear something that will stay with them for a while after they've listened to the album. When dealing with a genre like death metal, catchy song writing is a particularly hard feat to achieve. So death metal bands instead, focus on technicality and brutality as opposed to catchiness. So when I stumbled upon a death metal band that was both progressive and immensely memorable, it came as a surprise indeed.

Orion is a progressive death metal band that hails from Mumbai, India and they've been active in the scene for about six years now. The record in focus here, is the band's debut EP, titled 'On the Banks of Rubicon'.

Right off the bat, the band's progressive inclinations are made clear by the odd time signatures and riff changes in the opening track 'Oh Sweet Ebullition'. The band takes a melodic approach to death metal as opposed to the mindless barbaric route. This is not saying that the music is soft, as it contains the required amount of roughness to it.

The riffs, though progressive and slightly unconventional, are written in a way that they stick to one's mind almost spontaneously. Guitar work of Vigneshkumar Venkatraman and Ashwin Kulkarni steal the spotlight on this record as they let rip one solid riff after the other. The other elements are equally good if not better.

Vocals are the typical death metal growls and this band does not shy away from employing clean singing in parts. The bass parts and drumming of Anshuman Bhattacharya and Pritesh Prabhune respectively, do a fine job in holding a solid rhythm and adapting to the progressive changes. There are slight instances where a slight carnatic influence can be felt in the guitar work, especially in the track 'Astral'.

Production and mixing are done well and there are no glitches for the most part. Throughout the total play time of 23 odd minutes, this record entertains and intrigues. This is a solid slab of death metal and one that proves to be progressive, melodic and catchy.

Rating: 85%

Orion will be a part of the line up at Transcending Obscurity Fest, which is scheduled to take place on the 11th of May 2014, at Hotel United 21, Mumbai.
RSVP HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/387505038053225/

On the Banks of Rubicon by Orion

Trobar - Charivari - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 03 May 2014 03:28:00 +0000

Year: 2014

This album 'Charivari' by the band Trobar is indeed an adventurous experience. Some songs like ‘Troubadors’ have a dark and yet beautifully orchestrated presence which come together as if it were a collage depicting one thing from a lot of different pieces. With that said, I need to elaborate on the fact that the vocals bring out a demonic feel to the music while the music presented itself is both elegant and beautiful, so this could be mixed form on a whole.

The composition is exquisite and it is felt that every song has a strong presence to it that I cant help but headbang to repetitively. By strong presence I don’t mean that the songs are brutal or gory but that the songs have a strong meaning behind it and in every composition it is more powerful than the next. ‘Simple yet Strong’ is the apt way to describe this album.

The flute and keyboard combinations as well as incorporating heavy guitar rhythm riffs, beautiful lead guitar work that went well with the flute and keyboard combined, is amazing and the best listen I've had in a long while. It is nothing too complicated and yet bringing out a dexterity to the music with such simplicity.

But with that said expectations for some songs were high but failed to deliver, not completely though. It is just that it feel like something is missing. Putting this in simpler terms I’d say that the band is simple yet dexterously strong in music but there is something that it lacks that doesn't make the album what it should be. This something could be that the guitars could have been better here and there and could have been used less and more in some other places but then again this is only a personal opinion though.

All in all the band is excellent and this album is Powerful with a sense of beauty at the end. Truly enjoyed reviewing this album as it wasn't what I was expecting.

My favorite song ‘Le Bosquet’ put me in a loop with the diversity of elements from demonic vocals to powerful chorus lines to beautiful composition of classic folk elements embedded behind a strong guitar composition. I’d love to see this band in action just to see how they pull this diversity off so elegantly. So this album is a must listen and will definitely throw you into a loop you’d definitely not forget.

Rating : 77%

Charivari by Trobar

ZEX Premiere New Music Video For New Single 'Savage City'

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Thu, 01 May 2014 07:19:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Ever wonder what happened to the good old days of music where bands just liked to kick back and have some fun without focusing too much on sounding technical, brutal or progressive? I'm talking about the type of music that just makes you rock out without a care in the world.

ZEX, a four piece from Ottawa, Canada are all just about that - rocking out old school style.

ZEX is all set to release a brand new 7" single on Electric Assault Records. To promote this release, they have come up with a new music video, the band's first. You can check out the music video for 'Savage City' below.

ZEX are

Gab Sex - Bass
Tasha - Drums
Gretchen Steel - Vocals
Jo Capitalicide - Guitar

You can download 'Savage City' and their previous single 'Wanderlust' on the band's Bandcamp Page.

Check out the band's Facebook page.

Church Of Disgust - Unworldly Summoning - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:40:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Which is the worst kind of death? Most people would say that the worst kind is the kind that takes it's time to slowly kill a person, while relishing every moment of it as the person suffers in agony. As ghastly and disturbing the thought is, this is the flavour that is captured in the music of Church of Disgust, a death metal band from San Marco, Texas. This is a band that unleashes a gargantuan wall of sound capable of crushing anything and everything in its path.

The band kicked off 2014 with the release of their debut full length, 'Unworldly Summoning' through Memento Mori records. The album could not have been given a more apt title as it acts a perfect descriptor of the music contained within this album.

As I mentioned above, the music sounds like the soundtrack to a slow agonizing death. The heaviness of the riffs is beyond words and it sounds like something emanating from the deep bowels of the earth's crust, causing massive earthquakes. The pace varies from mid tempo to slow. It wouldn't be wrong to classify this as a doom death metal band.

Right from the very beginning of the record, a thick sludgy atmospheres makes it's presence felt. It makes the music feel like it's coated in multiple layers of dreariness and evil. Adding to all this, is the vocals. It is completely and utterly indecipherable. But the deep guttural growls come off as another instrument added to a very dark mix. There is a very powerful bass presence on this album, so much so that it makes the listener feel that powerful thump in his stomach. The drumming adds to this effect and together they sound like a massive avalanche.

All this said, the album is not without flaws. For one, there is nothing to tell one song apart from the other. Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying the songs are bad. But a little more variety among the tracks would have made this album a tad bit better. Also, the vocals could have been a little decipherable.

Everything about the record has an old school feel to it, right from the music to the production. The production is raw, sludgy and down right dirty Despite this, there is no loss of audibility in any of the elements.

Church of Disgust give 2014 a heavy start with their debut 'Unworldly Summoning'. It is a crushing experience that is not easily forgettable.

Rating: 78%

Unworldly Summoning by Church of Disgust

Insane Prophecy - Apogee Of An Inquisition - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:22:00 +0000

Year: 2012

Never judge a book by it's cover. This is something which can be applied to any field and any situation and even metal is not an exception. I say this because every time I listen to this band, I am reminded of how I first got introduced to them. It happened a few months back when I was attending Black Metal Krieg 3. Although I was familiar with most bands on the roster, Insane Prophecy had always been that one band which I had heard only in passing and never really paid serious attention to. So when a couple of short, nerdy looking kids got on stage, I was quite surprised and completely oblivious to the hell these guys were about to unleash. So that's why I say, never judge a band based on their looks.

Insanse Prophecy is a band that hails from Guwahati, Assam, India and like most metal acts from the North East, this band sounds heavy and brutal. So far the band has a sole release to it's credit, an EP titled 'Apogee of an Inquisition' which came out sometime in 2012.

Insane Prophecy is one of those bands that know how to make a good mix of black and death metal by utilizing the best of both genres. This is a fact that is well represented in this four track EP. It starts off with the track 'Blapshemy ov a Diabolic' and the black metal influences become immediately apparent. But as the track progresses, death metal influences creep into the music, making it a very intense mix.

The twins Xulfi Nawaz and Ifty Sarwar share a tight chemistry when it comes to music. They have contrasting style of vocal where one growls and the other shrieks. The two styles come together to form a beastly combination. Aiding the twins on the guitar parts is Bikash Subba who unleashes some mighty riffs. Good thing about these riffs is that they are both brutal and easily memorable.

The band also manages to show its softer side on this EP as they conclude it with an instrumental piece comprising of clean and melodic guitars. Apart from this instrumental, the rest of the tracks are fine specimens in good and catchy song writing.

The production is done by Siddharth Barooa (Lucid Recess) and everything sounds the way it should - clear, audible and a bit raw. This EP also features one of my favorite album covers in the Indian scene as it is simple, effective and dark.

'Apogee of an Inquisition' is a mighty fine debut by these lads. Hope these guys go on to release more such quality records in the future.

Rating: 80%

Insane Prophecy will be a part of the line up at Transcending Obscurity Fest, which is scheduled to take place on the 11th of May 2014, at Hotel United 21, Mumbai.
RSVP HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/387505038053225/

Apogee to an Inquistion by Insane Prophecy

Interview with Multinational Corporations

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 21:22:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Multinational Corporations is band that every underground zine has been going crazy about. Their debut EP 'Jamat-al-Maut' has been praised by critics all around the globe and with good reason.

'Jamat-al-Maut' is a short yet powerful crust punk / grindcore record that makes a strong impression with its crusty punk music and hard hitting lyrics. The EP now gets a CD release through Salute Records by the end of April, followed by a cassette release by Extreme Terror Productions.

We got an opportunity to talk to the duo behind this strong release and here’s how it went...

Metal Gallows: First off, I want to ask you this. Punk is a genre that is carried on only by a few bands today. While most people’s choice of extreme music today seems to be metal, how did you guys decide to stick to punk roots? Was it a conscious decision or did it come naturally?

Hassan: Well, people in South Asia don't really know much about Punk and it's extreme subgenres (Crust, Hardcore, Grindcore). Hell, most 'metalheads' think Grind is a metal genre LOL. So it was a bit of a conscious decision to stick to Crust Punk and Grindcore and try to be as un-metal as possible except where it fit the occasion. Metal kids in Pakistan, and other places of the Subcontinent need to know about this side of the extreme music world because if you look at history, all the d-beats, blast-beats, hoarse/shouted/screamed/growled vocals, patch jackets, circle pits, moshing etc came from early 80's Crust, D-Beat and Hardcore Punk. Those bands were playing at tempos in 1981 which thrash metal only got to in 86 or so. Speaking of 86, early grind bands as well as some of the fast hardcore bands were already doing blast-beats by that time, hahaha. Everything considered 'metal' actually has its roots in extreme forms of punk music and it's baffling how kids here don't know that. I guess in Europe, North America, Japan and South East Asia the DIY grind/crust/punk/hardcore scenes are pretty prominent and make better music/have better gigs than the metal scenes and we want to start that culture here as well.

Sheraz: We’ve always been huge on punk/hardcore bands besides our metal background. I’ve always loved the raw aggression and energy that is present in the punk music, its parallel to none. And most of our favorite metal bands also come from a punk background so it comes naturally.

MG: Jamat-al-Maut sort of exploded in terms of popularity. Did you expect that it would be so well received while recording it?

Hassan: I was hoping that people would dig it as much as we ourselves did haha. We always make music that we wanna hear - no matter what project is involved. If you don't like your own shit, how can you expect others to go crazy to it? So yeah, I guess we were hopeful of a good response to it from the people who are into this kinda music and we're hoping for a decent live response too. However, we are hell-bent on improving on this first EP. "Jamat-al-Maut" might be good but we want to outdo and push ourselves to the limit, every time we make music. Otherwise, what's the point?

Sheraz: We don’t thinking about how people would receive it while writing/recording songs. We’re more concerned about what sounds good to US. Haha. Kinda selfish but that’s how we are when it comes to music. I don’t think twice before dumping a song if I don’t like after first 10 or 20 listens. It's very important for me to like my own music, I don’t give two shits if my friends or anyone else likes a song I’ve wrote if I don’t like it. But yeah, Jamat-al-maut was really well received by reviewers/bloggers and serious listeners from a lot of countries so it makes me happy that other people can relate.

MG: You have a way of putting your statements rather too directly, in your lyrics. Do you face any form of repercussions for your anti establishment views in your country?

Hassan: I think I am more in danger from the views I express publicly in public settings, than the views in the lyrics of the song. The average Pakistani person ain't gonna listen to the record - but grind fans here and other parts of the world are gonna listen and get an idea about the situation of Pakistan. So yeah. The stuff I say in my university, or the bazaar outside my apartment, or any 'dhaaba' (small local food place) is more likely to get me lynched by people who misunderstand what I say. In fact, the anti-establishment things I am prone to say in real life are worse than the things I say on the EP! Hahah.

MG: Both of you are a part of many projects other than MxCx. How do you juggle between different bands? Does influences from one band flow into the other, or are they separate entities all together?

Hassan: It's absolutely imperative for every band to have its own identity, or else there's no real use. The band me and Sheraz are both in, sound nothing alike - even the aesthetics are different. Take Foreskin for example. Same people from MxCx are in it but the whole vibe, riffs, music, etc is different. These days I'm even trying to do a different vocal style for Foreskin. You can say the same about my other two grind bands Kafir-E-Azam (with Asad from Myosis) and Nihilist Holiday (with Jeff Fischer). Different music, different aesthetics. And Sheraz's projects sound nothing alike either even though the same hand is on the guitar and recording at all times.

Sheraz: I listen to a lot of different kinda music, so I cannot limit myself to playing one specific genre. And if you listen to all of my projects, you’d know how they’re different from each other. Both songwriting and production wise. And about managing, it's all about what kinda mood I am in. I never force myself to write a specific song with specific style, it's boring that way.

MG: Recently, I happened to see Hassan post a Facebook status where he expressed his desire to do shows in India. I’m sure the fans here would be more than delighted to have you guys play here. Do you think that some point in the future, it will become possible for Pakistani bands to tour India and Indian bands to tour Pakistan?

Hassan: It's a nice dream to have, but not in the present circumstances. It's too much of a hassle. Though I know kids who've gone across the border to visit Delhi and act like idiots in shopping malls and I can't help but shake my head. I guess if we were rich motherfuckers we could have gone multiple times. Me and Sheraz's other band Foreskin was invited to Mumbai in 2013. Sheraz's Dionysus was called there as well. But it couldn't happen, too much hassle to visit a country that's just fucking next door. Fuck borders and fuck this concept of countries. All countries are at the end of the day are businesses with flags to inspire patriotism so they can capitalize on local cultures and identities for the purpose of putting cash in the upper-class pockets. I dream of a world without borders where we can go wherever we want - be it India or some place in South America.

Sheraz: I hope it becomes possible, but I know it’s a far-fetched thing. A lot of my friends have been to India but its only cause they’ve some family living over there or they went with university, but that’s not the case with us. And if decide to make a trip to India for a show, we’d have to do it all by ourselves which doesn’t seem possible at the moment.

MG: What are some of the bands that you would love to share stage with? You get to pick one international band and two Pakistani bands of your choice.

Hassan: Pakistani band - Dusk and Corpsepyre

International band - Integrity

Sheraz: Pakistani band - Dusk and Nokturnal Rust

International band - Inquisition

MG: You recently made announcements about Unsilent Death @ Beacon House National University. Tell us about the gig and the line up.

Hassan: The gig idea just came up out of nowhere. I was sitting lazily not paying attention in acting/performance class and I was looking around the choreography studio in which we were having the class. I thought "this place could have a decent gig" and asked my professor about it. He seemed stoked so I did a little bit of running around and getting permission papers and voila - a gig's coming up! The name was Sheraz's idea, Unsilent Death is the name of Nails' debut album and they're one of our favorite new bands around. Haha. As for the lineup - it will be MxCx's debut gig which should be fun. Me and Sheraz's thrash metal/hardcore punk band Foreskin is playing, and Sheraz's funeral doom band Irritum is gonna be making a debut appearance too. Wreckage, a veteran metal band from Islamabad / Rawalpindi will be parachuting in as well and we also have local Lahore Rock/Blues/Jazz band Mothership opening the show.

Sheraz: The gig is going to be a small indoor show, just like hardcore shows abroad. Nothing fancy, just some people gathered to have fun and mosh the fuck out!

MG: Thank you for answering our questions. Would you like to add something for our readers?

Hassan: Thanks for all the support. Really.

Sheraz: Always good to have people taking interest in our music and letting us know, cheers!

Cognitive - Cognitive - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 16:32:00 +0000

Year: 2014

When I ask you to describe a band that truly represents what death metal is, your mind will probably hark back to the old school legends like Death, Possessed and Cannibal Corpse, right? Now let me ask you another question. Name bands that represent all aspects of death metal including progressions, technicality, brutality and melody. Well, whatever few bands pop into your head, it's time that you added another band to that list. I'm talking about Cognitive, a new band hailing out of New Jersey.

This is a band that is relatively young to the scene, with their formation happening only in 2011. Over the past three years, the band has already released one EP and this year, we see them releasing their debut self titled full length, through Pathologically Explicit Recordings.

Now, you may wonder why you should check out yet another death metal band when there are hordes of them that are already making solid music. The answer to this dilemma is that you should check out this band because of their ability to bring in every aspect of death metal into play, through their well crafted brand of technical death metal.

Let me be more specific. Though on the outlook, Cognitive looks like yet another modern technical death metal band, their music has that unpredictable character as they weave in and out of different sub genres of death metal. Riffs are technical for most parts and the music is progressive. But in apt situations, the band moves into melodic parts and at times there are even little bits of slam in the music. What should be appreciated is that they maintain brutality in their music though they keep changing their direction.

Guitar duo Jake Iannaco and Rob Wharton keep it technical for most parts and even show that they are not afraid to unleash few catchy breakdowns at the apt moment. Art Sikora on bass and Mike Castro on the drums, together form a solid rhythm sections that remains stable and entertaining in the midst of all the chaos. Jorel Hart has a deep guttural sounding roar that sits well with all the brutality that these guys carry in their music.

The good thing about this album, other than what I've mentioned so far, is that it has a lot of hooks. While most technical death metal albums these days fail to be entertaining, this one is quite the opposite. The entire album, from start to finish is thoroughly entertaining. Production is done well, though I would have liked a little more raw quality to it.

Overall, this is a roller coaster ride, where one cant predict the direction that the band will head in next. Want melody, brutality, technical riffs, progression and death metal? Cognitive's got them all.

Rating: 88%

Sell your beats online at ReverbNation.com

Coshish - Firdous - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 16:33:00 +0000

Year: 2013

It was truly a delight to review this album ‘Firdous’ by the band Coshish. Truly the word to signify this album is pure and utmost elegance. The drumming in particular was very well done and the other elements in the songs such as the melodic progressions and the high range singing which went well together brought out a beautiful sense of music you’d just get yourself immersed in.

The music brought out by this album is sure to wow you in many aspects. The best song would be the title track, ‘Firdous’. The song gives a warm feeling that gets you out there, meaning that the feeling overcomes you and it’s as if you're being freed from the icy caverns of your heart to witness the sun at the end of it.

Each song gives out such emotion through every note and beat. It’s as if an artist were struck with inspiration and was given a blank piece of canvas to let his inspiration and imagination go wild without any limit to explore the world within his own mind.

To conclude, ‘Firdous’ is a very progressive influenced album and is definitely to be checked out.

Rating: 89/100

Grossty - Grossty - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 11:11:00 +0000

Year: 2013

These days, metal bands try too hard to stand out in an already overcrowded genre. They try to be more brutal, more technical and more dark, that in the process their albums become a type of a serious affair. In such a time, perhaps the only way to stand out is to let go of the usual conventions and just have fun with the music. That is a concept well understood by Bangalore based grind band, Grossty, as illustrated in the band's self titled debut. By being random, the band has crafted for itself, a sound that can be instantly associated with them.

Released in September, 2013 'Grossty' is a very short album comprising of 8 tracks. Now whatever one might expect going into this record, all that is bound to be shattered the moment one presses the play button.

The album kicks off with what sounds like someone moaning over the microphone, before the distorted punk riffs kick in, in the track 'T.V. is Full of Crap'. Everything about this band is random. Musically too, it is as diverse as it gets, as the guitar riffs vary from crusty punk riffs, to heavy grinding with everything in between. There are moments where the band decides to slow it down and at these parts, they sound almost doom-ish ('Incarcerated it Seems').

While the guitar carries on with the manic onslaught, the drummer does a fine job of keeping up with all the chaos in the music. Same can be said about the bass which can be heard distinctly in the mix. This band has two vocalists who go by the name of Bad Influence and Pimp. There is no uniform vocal style in this album, as these guys do everything from shrieking, growling, grunting, pig squealing to just plain moaning.

The song names are as absurd as it gets. Just to give you an example, there is a track that goes by the name, 'Anal Fuck Balls Clapping Near Vagina when the Dog is Licking my Ass'. The lyrics are often indecipherable and I'm pretty sure that some of the songs contain just random grunting from the vocalists.

Production is pretty decent, as it has the necessary roughness to the tone without compromising on the audibility of any of the elements in the music. Only drawback with the album might be that it is too short and ends before you know it.

All in all, this is an album that gets as random as possible. Is it too random to make it unlistenable and unlikeable? Not at all. Rather the randomness serves to remind the listener that sometimes it is just about letting loose, going berserk and having fun.

Rating: 85%

Grossty will be a part of the line up at Transcending Obscurity Fest, which is scheduled to take place on the 11th of May 2014, at Hotel United 21, Mumbai.

RSVP HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/387505038053225/

Self-titled by Grossty

Interview with Grossty

noreply@blogger.com (burmakutti) — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 15:34:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Urban Dictionary defines Grossty as something which “Describes something so revolting in nature that the words gross or nasty alone would not be enough”.

Grossty have grown up in the Grind hub of Asia-Bangalore. Their music is unpredictable and fun, and that’s what sets it apart from others. The band is scheduled to play at the Transcending Obscurity Fest along with bands like Albatross, Djinn & Miskatonic , Fragarak ,Gutslit, Insane Prophecy ,Cosmic Infusion, Orion and Stark Denial

We had a little chat with them before the gig:

MG: Yo guys! How are you guys doing? ‘Grossty’-How did you come up with that? There has to be a story behind the name.

Grossty: Same bolus, different days mate. Bad Influence came with Gro, pimp – ty and Monk Killa filled up the blanks with ss. No wonder we guys are scientists.

MG: For those who don’t know you,who do you comprise of?

Grossty: If we ain’t wrong, then

Orphan – Bass

Monk Killa – Guitar

Kuchi – Drums

Bad Influence and Pimp -- Vox

MG: You are quite an odd band the even to the usual Metalhead. How did you guys come to be?

Grossty: Randomness is the key. We reckon the following as dreary:

-- Vocalist pulls up the crowd by his feral sermon.

-- Tracks’ names get announced.

-- Band takes up mammoth breaks between the songs.

-- Cuppers and oinks.

-- Drummers seduce vagoos with oodles of double bass patterns.

-- Guitarists who call their bands as technical with their irking solos and farty breakdowns.

MG: Your lyrics are odd and fairly amusing at the same time. How do you choose an appropriate name for a song?

Grossty: Pure randomness. Penning down lyrics about serious stuff is cheesy.

MG: Two vocalists are not a common sight in the scene. Does it impact the style you play?

Grossty: The major reason for dual vocals not being common in our scene is, we got loads of super talented cuppers who can generate therion’s power. “Cheesy cheesy as my granny’s vulva”.

Mate here we go. We got punk lust and damn lecherous to use those in our tracks. So we use gang shouts. Also got 2 different growls, 3 different screams etc. To be candid, most of our jam sessions are crammed by working on vocals.

MG: How would you describe your music to an EDM fan?

Grossty: Got no fuckin clue abt EDM. So googled and found 2 things. Enterprise Data Management and Electronic Dance Music. So we crushed our brains and finally found the latter as pertinent.

Now why the fuck do we gotta describe our feces to EDM corporate fucks?

MG: In 2013, you signed on to Transcending Obscurity. What made you take this decision?

Grossty: We found Choksi.

MG:Your music has been received well by Indian fans. How has the journey been so far?

Grossty: Thanks a granny nature peeholic ton. Journey has been icing on pussy buns.

MG: Grossty gigs are said to be fun and wild. What is the wildest thing that has happened at one of your gigs?

Grossty: Wildest thing – we played tight once.

MG:If you had to share the stage with a rock band, which band would it be?

Grossty: Any of (Rest In Pussy) GG Allin’s bands. King of scum(punk and rock n roll).

MG: You are scheduled to play at the Transcending Obscurity fest in May. What can fans expect from you at the concert?

Grossty: Randomness with zero crowd interaction.

MG: A new logo was just released a few days ago. Will you be releasing merch in due time?

Grossty: Check Transcending Obscurity for update.

MG: As of now, you have released a Split and an EP. What are your plans for the future?

Grossty: Some of our tracks in those split and EP are cheesy and worse than a granny’s indigested tummy sound.

So will excrete a proper nasty fukin grind/punk full length.

Grossty will be a part of the line up at Transcending Obscurity Fest, which is scheduled to take place on the 11th of May 2014, at Hotel United 21, Mumbai.

RSVP HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/387505038053225/

Shroud Of The Heretic - Revelations In Alchemy - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 13:11:00 +0000

Year: 2014

The occult and metal have always shared a close relationship. Over the years, numerous band have incorporated themes of the occult and esotericism into their lyrical content and at times, even the music itself. Bands succeed more often in the former, than the latter, because attempts mixing occult themes with the song writing often end up sounding cheesy. Shroud of the Heretic is a band that succeeds where most other bands fail, as they conjure up one of the most twisted and evil sounding record to come out this year.

This three piece, hailing from Portland, Oregon, USA, play death metal that sounds very thick and muddy. They released their debut full length, titled 'Revelations in Alchemy' on 10th March, 2014 through Blood Harvest.

On the outlook, everything about this band screams out darkness and occult. Be it the logo, the name, the record title or even the album cover, everything seems to have an dark touch to it. The band, with its music, backs up all such expectations created by it's appearance. One of the main factors that helps this band to make the music sound evil, is the dense atmosphere that is present throughout the length of the album.

The raw production values too, suit the dark atmosphere. Song writing follows the old school method as the band's focus lies on creating riff after riff. Despite the rough tone and the dense atmosphere, these riffs that the band creates, are very memorable and have a tendency of staying with listener long after the album ends. The pace of the album is mid tempo to slow and it gives off a doom metal vibe.

The patient pacing of songs and the long song lengths, do nothing to render this album boring. Infact, the album is quite entertaining (in a dark twisted way, ofcourse) from start to finish. The best comparison that can be made for this band, would be to call them a more darker and atmospheric version of Asphyx, except for the vocal delivery. The vocals here sound so grim and raw and it is quite indecipherable. The growls feel like just another instrument in the mix. Though it is difficult to ascertain what the songs are about (with all the indecipherable growling), judging by the track names and the music, there is a high chance that the band is singing (or growling rather) about the forbidden arts.

There is nothing more that I can say about this album, except that this is one of the best releases to come out so far this year. It is a dark, twisted and memorable block of death metal that any person interested in death metal should listen to.

Rating: 92%

Revelations in Alchemy by Shroud of the Heretic

Hiss From The Moat - Misanthropy - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 05:35:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Bands that usually do a mix of black and death metal often tend to stick to the old school roots of both the genres. It is quite rare to see a band mix both the styles in their modern version. It is not to say such bands do not exist. However, they are very few and far in between. The few bands that do exist are unjustly grouped under the tag of blackened deathcore and are often overlooked, as the mix of styles does not come off very effectively. That is not the case for Hiss from the Moat, which is the side project of Hour of Penance drummer James Payne.

Hiss from the Moat, a three piece from Italy, released their debut full length, titled 'Misanthropy' on 29th October, 2013. The music on this record is a delectable mix of modern death metal and black metal like atmosphere.

Following an atmospheric intro that has demonic sounding chants wailing in the distance, the album kicks into top gear with 'Conquering Christianity'. It doesnt take long to become apparent that the tracks on this record have more shred guitar work as opposed to riff based guitars. Tremolo parts are pleasant in heaps and it works well with the blackened atmosphere. As like any other modern death metal band, this band does not shy away from the employment of catchy breakdowns that make for solid headbanging fun.

Giacamo Poli's guitar work carries a certain degree of technicality, while at the same time managing to sound catchy. James Payne's drumming features a lot of double bass work and if this is any indication of his skills, he should fit comfortably behind the kit at Hour of Penance. The band's heavy tone can be credited to the capable bass work by bassist Carlo Cremascoli.

The band does not have a vocalist of it's own. The album borrows it's vocalists from Hour of Penance, as Paolo Pieri handles growling duties on all tracks with Tommaso Riccardi (Fleshgod Apocalypse) joining him on the track 'Conquering Christianity'. Pieri's growls and snarls has that grim feel that sounds perfect for the band's blackened styling. The track 'The Descent from the Throne' features lead guitar by The Black Dahlia Murder's guitarist Ryan Knight and he adds some memorable lead parts to the track.

Many may categorize this band and album as yet another deathcore release, for the mere reason that there quite a few breakdowns employed. Breakdowns apart, this is a good mix of modern death metal with a blackened atmosphere. Lyrically too, the band has that blackened style as they stick to anti religious and pro demonic content in their songs. The production is done in the modern vein, where there is proper audibility of all elements in the music.

Though it is not genre bending or completely innovative, 'Misanthropy' is a solid release and I will be definitely keeping tabs on this band and its future releases.

Rating: 87%

Multinational Corporations - Jamat-al-Maut - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:33:00 +0000

Year: 2014

No matter how many styles exist out there, that speak about rebelling against authority, none would ever come close to the glory of Punk. This is the music that stands for rebelling against any and all forms of oppression. Alas, this music of the rebels has fallen from its former glory and today there are only a handful of bands that still adhere to this style. Multinational Corporations is one such duo, hailing from Lahore, Pakistan.

Physics states that, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. And the magnitude of that reaction is proportional to the magnitude of the action that instigated it. The same principle applies to this band, where the oppression in Pakistan is the action and the angst and anger that this band vents in the form of their music, is the reaction.

Ofcourse, I am talking about the band's latest release, 'Jamat-al-Maut', which was made available to the public on 23rd March, 2014. The style of music here, is that sweet spot between grindcore and crust punk. It is the type of music that you simply cannot stop moshing to. The record kicks off on a very strong note with 'Fuck your Patriotism' as chaotic drums and distorted punk riffs greet the listeners. Adding more anger to the music is the voice of Hassan Umer.

The songs stick to the grindcore / crust tradition of short run times. Despite that, the tracks manage to make a strong statement. The chaotic grind parts and the slower groove parts are present in such a proportion that monotony is not at all an issue here. Production wise too, this band adheres to the raw sound that this genre is known for.

The anger contained within these two guys is represented both musically, by Sheraz Ahmed's instrumentation and the lyrically, by the words of Hassan Umer. My only gripe with this album is that it feels a bit too short. I enjoyed every track on the record and I would have loved to hear more from the band. I guess I'll have to wait a bit more for that. This record is strongly recommended to anyone who is remotely interested in punk or just wants to vent some anger for a few minutes.

Rating: 96%

Jamat-al-Maut by Multinational Corporations

Bookakee - Whorrific - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:03:00 +0000

Year: 2013

A band’s name and how they look, is as important as how their music sounds. All first impressions are made from the name and the appearance of the band. So when I googled Bookakee, I got pictures of men in black paint, covered in what could only be described as Hulk semen. Plus, the name of the band itself is a tongue in cheek reference to a pornographic act. Usually, when bands go for such daring names and looks, their music usually is a joke. That is not the case of Bookakee fortunately.

Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Canada this is a band that is versatile in every aspect of their music. Bookakee released it’s debut full length at the end of 2013, titled ‘Whoriffic’ and the album is not something you would expect from a band that looks like a parody act.

The music starts out like a typical brutal death metal sound track with heavy guitars and deep gutturals. Everything that follows, is nothing but atypical. The guitar riffs of SP Gagnon and Mate Pare are incredibly unpredictable and they keep changing the style and tempo ever so often. It almost sounds chaotic, but it is apparent that this is a form of planned chaos. Progression is the name of the game and these guys sound like they’re the experts.

The versatility doesn’t stop with the guitars alone. Vocalist Philippe Langelier makes it sound like there are two vocalists in the band with his alternating gutturals and shrieks. The music has a way of keeping the listener entertained inspite of all the variations and changes that go on in every track. The drummer JP Bouchard has all the technical skills needed to adapt to such progressiveness and he shines well in the album. Same can be said about the bassist Jo David and there are quite a few moments where his bass takes the limelight.

Though there is a lot of progression in the music, the band manages to maintain a certain level of brutality in their death metal. In terms of the tracks themselves, the band has a sense of humour with titles like ‘A Night to Dismember’, ‘Return of the Loving Dead’, Perverted Monolith’ etc. There are a few instrumental tracks as well that are completely different from the rest of the songs. For example the track ‘DK’ is a cover of Donkey Kong Country and the track 'AA' is an acoustic guitar piece where it almost sounds like a Spanish flamenco style guitar. These tracks make the album more fun, rather than sticking out like a sore thumb.

Production values are good, though at some points the bass could have been kept a little higher in the mix. The use of clean guitars in the middle of the tracks is perfectly timed and they add to the character of the songs themselves. Had I known about this band and album last year, this surely would have earned a place in my top albums of the year list. Pick up Bookakee’s ‘Whorrific’ as it is sure to leave you raping that repeat button.

Rating: 93%

Sabbath Assembly - Quaternity - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 04:50:00 +0000

Year: 2014

This beautiful album entitiled ‘Quaternity’ by the band Sabbath Assembly, who refer to themselves as ‘Sacred Folk-Metal’ was a delight to review. This album portrays deep meaning in every song as the drummer Dave Xtian Nuss and vocalist Jamie Myers bring life to church hymns in their own interpretations.

The eerie acoustic folk presence feels as if you’d been taken on a dreamlike journey into your own mind while you’re helpless to where your mind may wander as you listen to this album. The male/female vocals along with refined and almost artistic feel of music makes you go into a deep trance where you feel all your worries and thoughts just wash away and a strong feeling of nothingness just engulfs you entirely, leaving you without any thoughts at all.

There were two songs that caught my ears which are ‘I, Satan’ and ‘The Burning Cross of Christ’. I felt among the two, ‘The Burning Cross of Christ’ to be the finest. The song represented a strong and passion filled atmosphere where I felt Myers sang with such raw emotion which totally engulfs you in the music making you devoid to the world around you. If you were looking for something with a deeper meaning then yes, this album is definitely for you. The wide array of intense emotions orchestrated through a very different yet elegant form of music is something that is truly simply magnificent.

But on the other hand within this beautiful yet elegant arrangement there springsa dark side to the music which is seen in the song ‘I, Satan’. The feeling of pain and anguish was definitely felt and it should be stressed that even though a rose may seem beautiful at first glance it’s when you pick it up you get to experience the thorns that cause you much pain and sorrow which is exactly what I would say about this band.

Overall this was an excellent and beautiful album which gives out much emotion and inner meaning in every song of the album. To conclude, this was certainly very different from what I’ve listened to in the past but it was a very interesting experience to explore through this album ‘Quaternity’.

Rating: 90%

Harlott - Origin - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 06:53:00 +0000

Year: 2013

Something happened when I listened to this record. It was a cold evening in the north eastern Arizona in winter, and the only sounds were that of the traffic on the highway. Under the sound of the distant cars I sat outside somewhat loathing what I was about to hear. Although I had made up my mind to explore the current underground thrash movement, I was convinced that there wasn’t going to be anything to smile about. The judgment was made on prior experience with current thrash bands. One thing was for sure, and that was, I wasn’t ready for what I was about to hear.

So with reluctant fingers I pressed play on my MP3 player. It wasn’t what I was expecting. In fact it had been a whole shitload better than I had thought. My opinion had changed I was certain that this album was going just be ok. But as it progressed through it’s onslaught of galloping picking, and odd time signatures I was finding myself more and more into it. But I will say not all songs are up to par. But the songs that stand out will leave an impression.

With my initial idea of the band in shambles I was convinced after track three that the rest would prove to be an interesting ride. The sound of the album so far as I found seems to be heavily influenced by the bay area thrash movement. But then it happened and once again I was in a state of awe at what I was hearing. 'Heirophobia' began with its slow acoustic build up. I wasn’t sure what to make of the mid-eastern sounding chords had come as a surprise, leading into a song I can only describe as truly unique and as it began to gain pace and progression, I found myself surprised at the amount of gambling the band had done. I have never heard anything that resembles this at all.

Convinced that they had showed me all that they could I reached the final track, 'Not Long For This World'. I again found myself breathless at their versatility. What had surprised me about this particular track was how melodic it was, it kind of reminded me of the Gothenburg bands. As a whole the album comes together extremely well. From the solos to the riffs everything about this albums is on point. We need more bands like this, this was an extremely refreshing dose of thrash. I would recommend this album for a number of reasons. But if you’re tired of the monotony that gets the label “thrash” these days this would be a good start. But all in the album was great and I can only hope that I review more that are this solid.

Rating: 100%

Sammath - Godless Arrogance - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 19:31:00 +0000

Year: 2014

There are two types of people in this world. A normal music fan would look upto his music and expect to find something that soothes him and relaxes him. Then there is the other kind that look upto their music and expect something powerful and ferocious, something that takes him on a dark and wild ride. Black metal is a genre that often caters to the second category and this is a band that should satisfy anyone looking for a vicious force to impact him. Sammath has been an underground powerhouse since the dawn of the genre itself and though it hasnt gotten the same amount of recognition as it’s Norwegian and Swedish peers, this band has been putting out raw and insanity filled black metal over the past 20 years.

Having released four albums that have garnered acclaims, Sammath recently unleashed their fifth full length which is titled ‘Godless Arrogance’ through Hammerheart Records. The band continues to dwell in their style of raw black metal that is very reminiscent of many bands from the second wave of black metal. This should come off as obvious as the band has its roots during the same time period.

Treble high guitars tone of Jan Kruitwagen sounds apt for the music as he makes the rapid tremolo picking a main part of his guitar playing. The music is devoid of any melody and an apt description of the song writing would be that it sounds absolutely savage and unholy. Jan’s shrieks are of the classic black metal variety that sends a chill down the spine of the listener.

The drumming of Koos Bos has both the required speed and technicality to keep things from getting too monotonous. The bass of Ruud Nillesen follows the drums and I feel he could have been made a tad bit more audible. The atmosphere of darkness that envelopes the music, invokes a very evil feel. The song lengths are kept at a level where the tracks don’t overstay their welcome.

Having said all that, I must also say that there is nothing in the album in terms of innovation. The album will remind the listener of all that was dark and gruesome in the second wave of the genre. It is an album that transports its audience to the dark cold winters of the early 90s. But if you are looking for something absolutely new, then this is not the album for you. It carries more of a nostalgia factor than it does of innovation. This is quite understandable though, considering the band was formed in 1994.

The raw production values are something that contribute to this second wave feeling and any other form of production would have killed it. The chilling atmosphere and raw tremolos blend in well with one another.

‘Godless Arrogance’ is like a trip back to the roots of the genre, something which is not seen often these days. Filled with 8 tracks of barbaric rabidity, it should come as a delight to any fan of the original incarnation of the genre.

Rating: 81%

Brood Of Hatred - Skinless Agony - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 17:27:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Though I know that metal exists all over the world, Africa is one continent that I am not so familiar with in terms of metal. Recently I encountered a band from Tunisia, before which I didn’t even know that they had metal there. I decided to give this band a listen and since then, this band has not left my playlist. The band that I am talking about is Brood of Hatred. This is a band that managed to shatter all my expectations and offer something (almost) new.

What started out as Muhammed Melki’s one man project in 2010, slowly gained momentum and today it stands as a four piece death metal outfit. The band recently released its debut full length entitled ‘Skinless Agony’ on Crime Records. The record title leads one to believe that this is a usual death metal affair filled with gore and blood. But this proves to be an entirely different form of beast indeed.

To get an idea of what this band sounds like, think of Gorguts type atmosphere and mix it with some semi technical riffing patterns of Immolation. To this, add as many hooks as possible and top it off with some unusual melodies and progression. This is the type of death metal that this band plays. It is more intelligent that your everyday run off the mill death metal act. This is a band that talks about the philosophy of life on earth and the way it is impacted by technology, leading to the ultimate annihilation.

The guitar chemistry between Muhammed Bouchir and Melik Melek Khelifa is as tight as it can get. While one plays distorted tremolos at hyper speeds, the other overlays it with some arpeggio like riffs rendered in a clean guitar tone. The end result is a semi technical sounding guitar work that has both harshness and melody to it. The atmosphere adds a twisted touch to the proceedings.

Front man Muhammed Melki has a deep growl and he makes mighty good use of it. He also handles the bass on this record and his work is nothing short of marvellous. The drummer Hazem Jaziri handles the progressions and change in the tempos very easily and he also has a mean double bass action going on through most parts of the album.

Considering that this is just a debut, the band has outdone all expectations. Every track is as good as it gets, which is quite rare for a band that is just starting out. Production and mixing of the album is done well with great use of the atmosphere.

The band’s promo states ‘Expect some haunting atmospheres guiding you through progressive journeys and some unconventional writings inspired by strange state of mind that characterizes our band’. This is not an empty claim at all. The band backs up this statement in the perfect manner and I couldn’t have put it better myself. This is a must listen for any fan of death metal and this is band with a huge potential.

Rating: 90%

Diabolus Arcanium - Spellbound - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:01:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Black metal is one sub-genre of metal which I believe is very versatile and can only turn out to be good if it's written and played with heart. If you're only playing black metal because it's cool and you're not passionate, you will never be a good black metal artist. It's not worth it if it's not from heart and you dont feel every moment of it. I'm not a fan of pure black metal but I love symphonic black metal, because I feel it to be more emotional and connecting than just black metal. It has that emotional connection that tells you it's written from heart. In the countries like India, black metal is a very rare genre. You'll find metal bands of all genres but not usually black metal.

Diabolus Arcanium is one such band hailing from Chennai, India. It was earlier known as Fortified Destruction and was a melodic death metal band but the band changed its genre to symphonic black metal and name to Diabolus Arcanium which means "Devil's Sanctuary". Being a black metal band from India must make it really hard for them to stand strong, as India is not a country that can take even a little bit of occult, satanism or antichrist behaviour. Still the band maintain their existence and released their debut album 'Spellbound' on February 23, 2014 via Haught Records.

'Spellbound' is definitely a very decent album as it is only a debut album. Production is at it's best as there is not one moment of disturbance in the songs. Music is quite atmospheric and will grow on you. 'Inno Arcanium' is just the instrumental you need in a black metal song, starting with an extremely beautiful keyboard which slowly fades into the background and the atmospheric background music comes in front. 'Frozen Dreams' starts with a similar intro to that of the extro of 'Inno Arcanium', with little of chanting chorus in the background. Unlike typical black, none of the songs have similar structure to any other song of the album.

'Spellbound' and 'Ascencion' are the songs which slowly get in your mind telling you to hit repeat. 'In Death's Embrace' is the song which I personally liked most from the album because the background music which is very horrifying and sound like the theme of a horror story. 'Kingdom Of Sin' and 'Of Fire And Ashes' will definitely make you pick your air drums and play throughout the length of the song.

In summation, it's an average symphonic black metal album but good considering it's debut album. Vocals could have been more brutal and I sorely missed guitar solos, my air guitar wanted me to pick it up and take the stage but I never got the opportunity. Then again, this is black metal.

Rating: 70%

Diabolus Arcanium are:

Hex - Lead vocals/guitars

Nero - Rhythm guitars

Solas - Bass guitars

Archon - Keyboards

Astaroth - Drums

Buy the album here: http://www.haughtrecords.com/samples8.htm

Kimi Kärki - The Bone Of My Bones - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 05:56:00 +0000

Year: 2013

Kimi Kärki is not a person very well known in metal industry, maybe because his bands are underground and very few people know about them. Even those who know the bands he is in, don't really know how great he is. For those who don't know anything about Kimi Kärki, let me tell you about him. He started as a guitarist for progressive rock band Orne and later joined the doom metal band Lord Vicar.

Starting from progressive rock followed by doom metal and now he is back with his solo debut album, 'The Bone of my Bones' which is an unplugged country music album. This album is nothing less than a masterpiece. It is the first album that left me totally speechless. Only I know, how I am desperately looking for words and just arranging them to write these sentences. I don't feel myself to be at a level to comment on this masterpiece. I am amazed and awe struck that how a doom metal guitarist can just pick up an acoustic guitar and write an entire album, all on his own.

There is no other instrument used in the album except for the one acoustic guitar played by Kimi Kärki himself while also doing the vocals on the songs. It is an unplugged studio album. I called it unplugged because it has that raw feeling to it that you experience live, and yet it is a studio album. Never in my life I thought a doom metal artist would go over such a massive change and release such a mind-blowingly soothing and melodic album.

The album starts with 'I Am Aries' which is a small two and half minutes song that acts as a demo for the rest of the album. Next, 'Red Rooster' takes you to another dimension with the melody it carries. One can feel metal influence in background of this song. 'Young Goodman Brown' and 'My Name Is Free' are the songs with catchy melodic choruses. You can feel every moment of it and it felt like someone just held my hand and brought me to heaven. 'The Lord Who Never Sleeps', 'Archipelago' and 'Taxiarch' are the songs that literally make you immovable. You never realize when these end and they leave you wanting more.

To summarize it, I only have one word for it i.e., 'MASTERPIECE'. If you are a music fan, not just a metal music fan, it is absolutely imperative for you to listen to this album. You will be really missing out on a lot of things if you miss out on this album. I feel honored to have gotten chance to review this album.

Rating: 100%

Battery - Armed With Rage - Album Review

noreply@blogger.com (Satan Spawn) — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 23:27:00 +0000

Year: 2014

Whenever you meet a fan of thrash metal and ask that person what his / her favourite album is, there is a very high chance that the person will name an album from the 80’s. If there is one thing to be learnt from this, it is that the best way to do thrash metal is the old school way. This is a fact that many of the modern thrash bands seem to understand and very often, they’re seen trying to emulate that old school thrash sound. But then again, there are only a few modern thrash bands that seem to be capable of truly evoking the 80’s thrash spirit. Judging by their debut album, Battery from Denmark is a band that both understands the old school ideology and is also successful in imitating it.

‘Armed with Rage’ is the band’s debut album released on 24th February 2014, through Punishment 18 Records. The title of the album is quite an accurate descriptor of the band’s sound. All ten tracks on this album sound like the band is seething with rage. The stripped down, minimalistic song writing and the high tempos, make the songs sound all the more angry.

This album would fit comfortably amongst any of the thrash albums released in the later part of the 1980’s. Everything about this record reeks with the old school flavour. The riffs in the songs tend to remind one about the old school greats along the lines of Destruction, Nuclear Assault and even Denmark’s very own Artillery.

Variations among the riffs, give each track a different identity, though the similar tempos of the songs might put off some of the listeners at first. An essential aspect for the success of a thrash record is the chemistry between the lead and rhythm guitarists, which in this case works well between Jeppe Campradt and Chris Steel. There are a few tasty solos among the tracks which make for some solid headbanging fun.

Andreas Joen does a steady job behind the drum kit, but a little change in the tempo would have helped the songs in being more memorable. Jannick Nielsen’s bass work is very audible in the mix and the bass lines have a nice groove to them. The vocals, done by Chris Steel are the usual shouts with the backing gang chants, that is so typical of thrash metal bands.

The production is another factor which helps to bring out the old school flavour in this album. It is a wise decision on the band’s part on opting to not go for a clean job. Though this album is a 38 minute fun fest, the band doesn’t bring anything new to the table. But then again, it is the case of almost every band in the genre these days.

Pick up this record and throw it on the next time you feel like thrashing out with beer. You will not be disappointed.

Rating: 83%