March 2014 – Page 4 – Wonderbox Metal

Slovenly World – Alternate Ending (Review)

Slovenly World are from France and play modern Metal.

This is quite a nice little EP here of modern Metal without any of the overt commercialism so rampant in this style otherwise. Songs are heavy and hard hitting, and the band know when to floor the accelerator when needed. They even have solos!

They remind of late 90’s/early 00’s bands like Mindjuice and Out only with an added dollop of more recent Metalcore.

Slovenly World are bruising but have plenty of melodic moments to off set the heavy guitars. These come mainly in the form of the singer who manages a some nice cleans as well as rougher vocals.

The songs are quite catchy and surprisingly infectious as the tunes worm their way into your brain.

Much more enjoyable than I was expecting; a band to keep an eye on.

Earth Crisis – Salvation Of Innocents (Review)

Earth Crisis are from the US and this is their latest album of muscular Hardcore Metal.

These veterans are an institution in their own right, and I’ve been listening to them since first getting Gomorrah’s Season Ends in 1996. Which makes me feel very old, but let’s ignore that…

This is another prime slice of Grade A Metallic Hardcore guaranteed to get the pit moving and limbs thrashing.

The songs are short and to the point. There’s no need for messing around when you’re this focused and have your vision nailed down. They manage to combine a few different styles from their quite varied back catalogue.

Earth Crisis have always played the slower, almost sludge-infected riffs really well, and I’m pleased that there are still a good smattering of these on most songs alongside the more chuggy riffs.

Salvation Of Innocents is similar to their style on the brutal Breed The Killers album only with a lot more vocal variety; we get the standard bellowing, rawer shouting, semi-cleans that are still rough-around the edges, gang vocals, and most things in between. Although we never really get the ultra-melodic clean vocals that peppered their excellent Slither album, I’d say that this is roughly a cross between that release and Breed The Killers.

After the first two tracks of heaviness and aggression Shiver brings in melodic vocals with an almost orchestral chorus. It’s a welcome reminder that this is a band that have in fact a wide arsenal of weapons in their armoury with which to assault the senses with. This is ably shown by the next track The Morbid Glare which is an up-tempo rager and faster than Earth Crisis normally play.

I’m very pleased to say that I am not disappointed by this latest album and wholeheartedly recommend it to every and all fans of heaviness.

Interview with Enfeeble

Enfeeble have released their album Encapsulate This Moment upon the world and it’s a varied and enjoyable collection of Metal. I asked the guys all about it…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Luke: Hi, we are ENFEEBLE from north Germany. Four guys with heart and instrument.

We write and perform music that we love ourselves. Maybe you will love it too – check it out. Quick said – that’s it.

How did you form?

Baal: It was a few years ago in 2005… Luke was the singer of the school band and I was looking for a singer & guitarist for a new band. I asked Luke if he wants to start a band with me and he was excited directly. A drummer and bassist were found quickly and so we started as a small Punk Rock Band. In the coming years we’ve had many changes on Bass & Drums. Since the beginning of 2013 we are in the current cast.

What are your influences?

Luke: Encapsulate This Moment is a collection of songs that we’ve written in the past 4 years.

We have continuously developed and always had new demands on ourselves, so there are a lot of influences like Punk Rock, Metalcore, Death Metal and Prog.

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

Klaus: Make Me A Donut
Chris: Carnifex
Baal: Protest The Hero
Luke: Periphery

You have an interesting and varied style – how did the songs come about?

Baal: In a few songs it’s just putting some riffs together. But mostly it’s when I have something in my mind I work it out and spending hours and hours to write it down, ’cause when I start do write a song and have a long break it becomes a puzzle of riffs and that’s how I ruin most of the songs. I am quite severe with myself in this way. Of 10 songs I write, 2 or 3 make it to the band and maybe they like it or even just a part…or nothing. Then we work on the subtleties together and Lucas tries to find the best way to combine it with vocals.

You have a lot of vocal variety on your album – was this a conscious decision?

Luke: Yes. I want to have a lot of variety in the vocals because you can express so much more feelings with a mixed vocal style than just with screaming or growling. Every song tells a story and the individual parts should be supported with matching vocals. Also I grew up with singing so I am always inclined to get everything possible out of the vocals. Everything else would be a waste.

Are you happy with how the album resulted?

Chris: No, not really. There are many parts that we could have done better on this album.

But as the saying goes: If we were already happy with this album, we would thwart our progression.

How do you see your sound developing in the future?

Klaus: There will be more riffs and demanding vocals. With Chris as our new drummer the new songs are getting faster and stronger. A beautiful experience that we will continue to expand.

What does the future hold for Enfeeble?

Luke: We are currently working on new songs for another album early next year. We will try to play a lot of concerts this year in order to spread our music. That is part of the plan to increase our fan base. Perhaps we will come to your country. We will always announce the dates on our website http://www.enfeeble.de

Thanks!

Terrordome – We’ll Show You Bosch, Mitch! (Review)

Coming from Poland, Terrordome play Crossover Thrash Metal heavy on the extremity and it’s really only one step removed from Old-School Grindcore really. Thrashgrind?

This is brutal stuff and although it has a heavy Thrash influence there is equal amounts of Punk/Hardcore/Crossover in the mix.

The album is surprisingly good; I say that simply because sometimes bands of this ilk can grate a little bit for me, but I like this. It’s raw, honest and musically lacks gimmicks.

They have an underground sound that’s effective and has an especially good drum presence; you can feel every single kick drum.

The vocals are punky and enjoyable, reminiscent of a Hardcore band.

This was an unexpected find and more enjoyable than I was expecting it to be. Result.

Alehammer – Barmageddon (Review)

Alehammer are from the US and play Crusty Thrash Metal with an alcoholic theme.

The sound they have is one giant fuzzed-up monster of a sound. The heavily distorted guitars almost overwhelm everything else with their filthy, ultra-scuzzy noise.

The singer sounds rabid and the Crusty vocals are bellowed out at the top of his voice; they’re burly, unfriendly and make a hell of a mess.

The sound quality appears to vary depending on how inebriated the band were when they recorded it, with some songs like Fermented Death having a weaker sound but others such as ABV 666 sounding much stronger. Strange.

The songs are simple, belligerent and enjoyable. They have a drunken swagger entirely their own, and a crowbar to smash down anyone who gets between them and the bar.

This is Metal at its most primitive and most primal. Have some beers and let the fists start flying.

Dizastor – After You Die We Mosh (Review)

Dizastor come from the US and play Thrash Metal.

This is Thrash with Grind-length songs. Jagged riffs and anti-social behaviour abound on this release.

The songs are short and to the point. The band Thrash like a maniac and then end before they can lose interest in whatever subject matter they’re currently vociferating about.

The vocals are snarled, primitive and sometimes backed up with gang shouts for added emphasis.

With a band like this you should know exactly what you’re getting into and you either like it or you don’t.

If you’re in the mood for short Thrash Metal heavy on the attitude then Dizastor are as good as any. See what you think.

Dread Sovereign – All Hell’s Martyrs (Review)

This is the début album from Ireland’s Dread Sovereign and they play Traditional Doom Metal.

At 67 minutes this is an epic album full of True Doom that is executed to perfection by people with an obvious mastery and love for the genre.

The singer is none other than the singer of Primordial, so you know the vocals are not going to be a let down. As usual his very characterful voice is on fine form and it adds a singular amount of personality and drama to the tracks.

The songs themselves are exceptionally well composed, with lots of stand-out moments. They have a real strength about them and feelings of grandeur and Doom majesty abound.

The album is chock full of prime riffage and they utilise both overtly catchy riffs and more subtle, insidious ones. On occasion they also use extra effects to highlight certain sections increasing the overall effect of the songs.

All Hell’s Martyrs is both a slow burner and an instant win; the best combination. It’s strong enough that it comes across straight away as an obviously special record, but it has enough depth and longevity so that it won’t simply be forgotten in a month or two. Part of this is down to the striking, expressive vocals, but it’s in large part to the master-crafted songs that are expertly put together.

Doom Metal has a new great and terrible leader. Lower your heads in reverence.

Shadow Host – Apocalyptic Symphony (Review)

This is the latest album from Russian veteran Thrash Metallers Shadow Host.

The album has a good, chunky sound and everything is clear, crisp, crunchy and very Metal.

This is mainly melodic Thrash with a riff-heavy sensibility, although there is the odd splash of Power Metal in the mix as well. They also have a nice selection of solos scattered across the 10 tracks, which is always a bonus.

Shadow Host concentrate their songwriting powers on hooks and catchiness, meaning that we get songs that stick in the brain and make you want to pound your fist and shout along.

A perfectly enjoyable romp through the Thrash Metal glory days via a modern crunchy sound and production. Shadow Host have written an album they can be proud of. Give them a listen.

Suffering – Chaosatanas (Review)

This is the first EP from Polish Black Metallers Suffering.

They blast off straight away into hyper-speed Satanic Black Metal with fingernail-scraping vocals and a sound that can kill small animals.

They also know when to slow down though and lock into a prime Darkthrone-esque groove that lets the Blackness develop and embrace the listener fully.

The riffs are as sharp as swords and the bleak melodies are as cold as death. Each song passes by in a daze of frozen distortion and melodic twilight.

The vocals are to be commended as they are ultra scratchy and are absolutely full of venom and hatred for all. Spewed out over blast beats and icy melodies it can be quite the Hell-raising experience.

Almost 29 minutes of darkness and Devil worship. Who doesn’t love Black Metal, eh?

Epistasis – Light Through Dead Glass (Review)

Epistasis are a US band that play experimental Metal.

It’s relatively hard to classify; combining elements of Black Metal, Hardcore and Progressive Metal. With a trumpet.

Let me see…if you take the urban decay and atmospheric barrage of a band like Red Harvest, mix in the experimental extremity from some of Converge’s work and add splashes of Ephel Duath you’ll be on the right lines. Add to that a singer who screams with the best of the Black Metal/Scream-core elite and you’ll have a package for a very interesting and gratifying release.

There is a lot going on in these songs and although they have brutality and intensity in spades they also offer a whole lot more than that. When they want to they can be very atmospheric and create darkened moods ripe with promise of arcane fulfilment, if only the price is right of course.

The use of the trumpet is inspired and is nowhere near as intrusive and incongruous as you might expect; its contributions are relatively subtle and work wonders in adding a further layer to their labyrinthine sound.

Unfortunately this release is only 26 minutes long, which is a shame as the band clearly have a lot to offer. However what they do give us as exceptional and worthy of repeat listens.

Individual and distinctive. Highly recommended.