February 2014 – Page 3 – Wonderbox Metal

Nidra – Coma (Review)

Russian band Nidra play Depressive/Funeral Doom with a Blackened atmosphere thrown in for good measure.

Bleak, doleful melodies softly cover this album like a deathly blanket. Solemn musicality frames every note and the threat of melancholy is never far away.

Nidra conjure up this atmosphere through the standard Metal instruments as well as keyboards, effects and pianos. The overall effect is quite satisfying as this genre goes and Nidra peddle their woe well.

The vocals have good variety, alternating between growls and cleaner singing, all in keeping and time with the mid-paced sombre funeral marching of the songs.

As a bonus there is also a rather excellent Blut Aus Nord cover on the end of the album.

A good release that allows you to wallow in the darkness without being swallowed by it. It may paint a bleak portrait but it’s one worth looking at.

https://www.facebook.com/Nidraproject

Gravehill – Death Curse (Review)

This is US band Gravehill’s third full length album, and they play Old-School Death Metal with a nice bit of Thrash and Black Metal added into the mix as well.

After the usual perfunctory intro we get blasted into the action with the album title track.

The band play their Death Metal morbid, primitive and ancient. The vocalist sounds like a long-dead corpse who has risen up to assault the living with tales of what they have to look forward to when they die. Both high screams and deeper growls are used, with the higher vocals sounding particularly deranged.

Gravehill combine fast and slow riffs with their twin-pronged vocal assault to create unexpectedly catchy songs, a consequence of their Thrash influence creeping into the mouldy Death Metal. The guitars are solid and heavy with momentum and aggression but also a good bit of crusty Thrash melody, while the solos are whipped out at hyper-speed and get the job done.

A thoroughly enjoyable album full of catchy hooks and memorable riffs. Let Gravehill’s festering carcass enter your life and take a good long whiff.

Gloom Warfare – Post Apocalyptical Downfall (Review)

German band Gloom Warfare play a form of Industrial Doom/Death that takes the blueprint laid down by old Godflesh and Pitchshifter and uses it to build their own world.

This is a slow-burning, gradual-destruction kind of album, where the tracks move inexorably towards their ultimate conclusion. The nihilistic atmosphere builds as the songs do.

The mood radiated by each track is the kind where you just need to fall into a bit of a semi-trance-like state and soak up the vibes of the album. Long distance journeys or getting a large tattoo; something you can almost zone-out to.

The onwards martial march of the songs is an almost-unbearable constant. Initially when listening to this I wasn’t too impressed, but slowly the relentless driving force that powers this 61 minute album gets under the skin and worms its way into your brain. If you give it the time to saturate your senses then Post Apocalyptical Downfall has lots to offer; this is not an instant album and not one for light listening.

I would prefer a slightly more even sound, with a bit more emphasis given to the clarity of the guitars, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

If you’re in a particular kind of mood then this is a really good album. With a few tweaks to the sound the next one could be great.

Impactor – Arise In Decay (Review)

Impactor are a German Thrash Metal band who have taken it upon themselves to safeguard the Germanic Thrash Metal legacy.

This is Old-School thrash in the Kreator vein, with a fine dollop of extra extremity added into the proceedings for good measure.

The songs rip, shred and pound their way through the 51 minute playing time and not a single person is left unbattered, unbruised or undazed by the Thrash attack.

Choruses and hooks abound and the last couple of decades are completely forgotten as your head involuntarily bangs itself against the nearest wall over and over again.

The vocals sound like a hysterically deranged Mille Petrozza and they rage over the spike-laden guitars with fury.

Enjoyable and angry – check out Impactor.

Dirge – Hyperion (Review)

Dirge are a veteran French band and Hyperion is their sixth album.

The band play atmospheric Post-Metal Sludge with an electronic/Industrial influence.

I should also note at this juncture that although it’s irrelevant to the music and I have no idea what it’s depicting, I love the album artwork.

The music is mysterious and enticing. There is also a strong feeling of grandeur running through the tracks, especially when the singer goes all semi-clean-shouting, (a technical term…); it almost makes the hairs stand up with goosebumps.

The vocals have a lot of variety and the singer uses his voice to best accentuate the music and the feelings they wish their songs to evoke. The added female vocals used in Venus Claws are a master stroke of judgement and elevate an already well-crafted song to the next level.

Each of the long songs shows an excellent knowledge of dynamics and composition, with light and shade used expertly. The tracks have a droning, near-hypnotic quality yet don’t sound bleak or unforgiving; rather the feeling is cautiously optimistic. Melancholia and uncertainty play a role but ultimately it’s a feeling of uplift-through-awe that the band project; a sense of ascension to be attained.

A near-flawless album and an abject lesson in the mastery of the aural arts. Essential.

Isacaarum – Whorecraft (Review)

This is veteran Czech band Isacaarum’s seventh album of filthy Blackened Deathgrind.

Inhabiting the same degraded, run-down pay-by-the-hour hotel as The Meatfückers; Isacaarum are more at the Grind/Death end of the spectrum than the aforementioned band, but no less seedy and porn-obsessed for it.

The 9 songs that span this 30 minutes of depraved Metal never get stuck in a rut. In fact, for the genre this is a surprisingly varied release with even some melodic moments raising their rubber-clad heads at appropriate intervals.

The vocals alternate between higher and lower shrieks/grunts, (in a similar vein to, say, Exhumed), with the deep growls in particular being very well done.

A strong production with a heavy sound accentuates all of the questionable fluids that the band excrete and allows their songs to breathe and enjoy themselves while being mindful of the safety word at all times.

I have enjoyed this album immensely; the band have an ear for a good song and the album doesn’t get stale. This is the first time I’ve encountered Isacaarum and I’m very glad I have. I’ll be visiting them at their seedy hotel more often in the future.

Interview with Dinner Music for the Gods

US group Dinner Music for the Gods release their first album Beautiful and Treacherous very soon. They play exotic and fanciful Instrumental Metal with a variety of influences and with a definite cinematic quality. I asked them some pertinent questions…

To those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself.

We’re based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA and consist of 4 longtime friends (two of us are brothers). We all share similar musical interests, and have a chemistry that we feel translates in our compositions.

Give us some background – how did you form?

Everyone in the band grew up in Las Vegas except for Andy. Jim, Matt, and Darrin started as kids playing Judas Priest, Scorpions, and Metallica covers. Eventually that morphed into writing original music. Andy joined the band in 1995. At this point everyone in the band started to broaden their musical horizons beyond metal and had discovered 70’s jazz/rock fusion bands like Al DiMeola and Mahavishnu Orchestra. This was an important element in Dinner Music for the Gods evolving into an instrumental band. We started out as a band that wanted the traditional metal lineup consisting of a drummer, guitarist (or two), bassist, and vocalist. The 70’s fusion bands gave us the blueprint to creating a sound that didn’t require a singer. Eventually our writing evolved as such that we felt that we didn’t need a singer.

What’s the mission of Dinner Music for the Gods? What are you looking to achieve?

The mission of DMFTG is to create music that satisfies us as artists. It would be nice if people connect with the music but the most important thing to us is creating something that is completely genuine without second guessing what others will think of it.

What is the meaning behind the band name?

One of the band’s influences is Al DiMeola, a Jazz/Fusion guitarist. He has a song called Dinner Music of the Gods, and we just thought it was a powerful and interesting name.

What are your influences?

Our influences consist of Kind Diamond, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Al DiMeola and Mahavishnu Orchestra, to name just a few.

dinner music for the gods

What are you listening to at the moment that you want to recommend?

Mostly we are stuck in 80’s metal mode as far as what we are currently listening to. We were impressed by Bruno Mars’ performance at the Superbowl. It is refreshing to see a pop artist that can actually sing and play an instrument well that doesn’t need to be auto tuned to sound good. That guy is the real deal and deserves all the success that comes his way.

Your album conjures up, for me, images of high-society parties and James Bond-style spy shenanigans. Obviously it’s subjective, instrumental music especially so, but what kind of images did you plan on giving the listener?

That is awesome! The album was composed in Matt’s converted garage/studio/bar in Las Vegas – the antithesis of high-society partying. We never have a plan in mind for us or for the listener as to imagery or feel. All of our songwriting happens during rehearsal. Someone will play a riff and from there everyone jumps in and adds to it. If it is any good it just keeps growing until we feel it is a complete song. For us it is all about inspiration and not calculation of imagery.

Give us some information about the songs themselves and the meanings they have.

We think a good album and song should play like a great movie, from action to emotion, to suspense and intrigue. We feel each song is like its own little move and that it should take you on an adventure. Absent of vocals the songs may have even more meaning for the listener because everything isn’t so literal and spelled out. Dynamics are an important element of our sound – both live and recorded. Dynamics in volume, and speed, with diversity in musical styles are all present in our sound. Metal is the common denominator throughout all of the songs on “Beautiful and Treacherous” but Sofia has an obvious Latin vibe. Wind through the Trees is more of a ballad. Ghost Troopers has a Spaghetti Western feel. Being able to control volume, intensity and speed we feel are attributes that come with maturity. Whether it is in music, cinema, food, or whatever – dynamics make for a more rich and enjoyable experience.

Are you happy with how the album came out – is there anything you’d do differently next time? What’s next for Dinner Music for the Gods?

We are very happy with “Beautiful and Treacherous”. We know how to write songs and put on a good show but the studio is not especially natural for us. Frank Klepacki did an amazing job with the mix and production. Frank is an accomplished musician and knows how to bridge the gap between musicians and the recording console. We don’t know if “Beautiful and Treacherous” will sell 5 copies or if people will respond to it but we can take comfort in the fact that it is the best songwriting, musicianship, and production that we are capable of.

Our first show since the completion of Beautiful and Treacherous will be this month opening for Winger in Las Vegas, followed by several more local shows. We plan a small tour through the Western United States in the Spring and Summer and hopefully follow that up with a few shows in Europe late 2014.

Thanks!

Cleric – Gratum Inferno (Review)

Cleric are from the US and play a distinctly Swedish brand of Old-School Death Metal.

From the start it’s obvious that the band worship at the altar of the Swedish Gods of Death Metal. This is no bad thing.

Over time it’s dawned on me that I really am quite partial to this style of Death Metal. Something about the generally slow, lumbering heaviness of the riffs combined with that chainsaw-guitar sound seems to do it for me quite nicely.

Cleric have this sound in spades, and embody it whether they are crushingly slow, moderately demolishing or speedily blasting. This is 29 minutes of hero worship that I’m quite happy to listen to.

The vocalist doesn’t let the side down either, with a voice like gravel that belches out blasphemy and death.

If you know your Swedish Death Metal, (even if it’s not Swedish), then you’ll know what to expect here, and you’ll either like it or not. I like it.

Cognizance – Inquisition (Review)

This the début EP by UK Modern Technical Death Metallers Cognizance, featuring names and guests from other bands aplenty.

This release contains 13 minutes of Grade-A Death Metal which is brutal enough to get the attention but has enough melodic embellishments and leads to keep it.

The songs have a modern feel and style, but not overly so, and each track is full of technical flourishes and tasty moments that make you go “ooooo”.

Oh and the vocalist is great. That’s all I need to say about that really.

Each of the tracks on this EP is a streamlined killing machine and if you’re interested in a short EP full to the brim of expertly played and executed Death Metal then look no further than Cognizance. Let’s hope they do a full album at some point as this has firmly grabbed my attention.

Have a listen. Then listen again.

“ooooo”.

Necrovile – Engorging the Devourmental Void (Review)

Necrovile play Brutal Death Metal.

The songs barely poke out over the 3 minute mark, but when they contain this much carnage and slaughter it doesn’t really matter.

The production is brutal and punishing and everything sounds great; it means you can hear everything that’s going on so there’s no escape from the slaying. Necrovile exist for the destruction of beauty through the beauty of destruction.

This really is ultra-brutal, with the drums, guitars and vocals all locking into a single-minded intent to achieve this outcome. There’s even a bit of bass; I especially enjoy the parts where it takes on a life of its own such as during Bloodstained Surgeons; these are the touches that elevate songs to greatness.

There is a lot of heavy-duty blasting throughout the songs, yet the band also knock it down a gear for some good old USDM-style crunch ‘n’ squeal parts too.

The vocals are super-deep and only one step removed from pure pignoise, which it does descend into on occasion. It perfectly fits with the inhuman nature of the music and leaves you with a very satisfied feeling deep in your bowels.

Necrovile have the complete Brutal Death Metal luxury package going on, and it’s well worth upgrading to. Highly recommended.