March 2014 – Page 7 – Wonderbox Metal

Alterbeast – Immortal (Review)

Alterbeast are from the US and on this their début album they treat us to a Technical Death Metal showcase.

Immortal is 8 tracks in just under 30 minutes of a band showing that they can not only play insanely well but that they can craft enjoyable Metal while they do it.

It shreds, rips, blasts and batters in all the right ways and at the end of it you’re left wondering what the Hell just happened. And where did your teeth go?

Their sheer wanton love of Brutal Death Metal and technical proficiency combines effortlessly to produce one hell of an album. Alterbeast manage to straddle both brutality and technicality at the same time so that one doesn’t overpower the other. This effortless sewing together of the two sub-genres of Death metal means that Immortal is a very complete album with both songs and fretboard domination. They can also be surprisingly melodic whent hey want to be, further emphasizing their advanced songwriting skills.

The singer has an amazing voice whether he is growling deeply or screaming his lungs out; either way he stays on top of the melodically-chaotic mayhem and demonstrates a gleeful attitude to his attack.

The sound of the album is just immense; all of the instruments are crystal clear and the guitars have a great heaviness to them that translates into molten gold when the solos and leads appear. As for the drummer he is technically precise without sounding sterile and forms a real backdrop to the carnage that the guitars wreak and the aggression spewed by the singer.

I won’t hide my love for this kind of ultra-modern, ultra-slick Death Metal. This is essential.

Hounds of Annwn – Stirling (Review)

Hounds of Annwn are from the US and play Folk Metal.

This is chirpy, Folk inspired Metal that uses plenty of non-standard instrumentation to bring the themes and images that it wants to portray to life.

The vocals are clean, clear and nicely done. The singer’s voice is restrained and laid back but has depth and power readily available when needed. He has talent in abundance and is one of the main highlights of this release for me.

There are only two songs on this EP but it’s still a meaty 14:43 of music to get your teeth into. The songs are catchy and well written, as well as being high energy and with a lot going on. To my ear they come across as a kind of mixture of Primordial and Korpiklaani and it works really well.

A really enjoyable couple of songs. Hopefully the’re building up to a full album; if they can keep up the standards set on this EP then it should be something good.

Enthroned – Sovereigns (Review)

Enthroned are a veteran Belgian Black Metal band that need little introduction; this is their 10th album.

It opens with a massive ominous intro. Normally I’m against pointless intros as they usually serve little purpose, but this one is compelling and the horns sound immense; it sets the scene well for the approaching carnage.

It takes time to build up to a fast tempo; instead it starts slowly and ritualistically, taking advantage of mood and atmosphere. Once sated however, Hell is then unleashed and the band rip forth with scorching Satanic Black Metal.

For a band who are so well established and have so many releases there is still a hunger at work here and it comes across in the songs.

Some of the riffs and melodies they use are extremely tasty and designed to evoke feelings of almost tense uneasiness. Extra effects, horns, etc. further add to the mood and Enthroned show themselves to be on the top of their game. Just listen to the start of Lamp of Invisible Lights for example. I mean come on! Other bands just aren’t trying by comparison. The album is full of moments like these.

The band have an evolved sense of dynamics and the songwriting on this release is very enjoyable. They appear to have developed an aura of corruption and awe-filled terror for this album. It reminds me of the recent masterpiece by Corpsessed, only filtered through a razor-sharp Black Metal lens.

The band explore a variety of interesting ideas and songs structures within the confines of their chosen genre. This is not an album that sounds repetitive, and even features that rarest of things – the, (whisper it!), Black Metal guitar solo.

Enthroned appear to just be improving with age. This is a brilliant album and a must for all fans of Extreme Metal. I really can’t say enough good things about Sovereigns; this is exactly what I want from Black Metal in 2014.

Prizehog – Re-Unvent the Whool (Review)

Prizehog come from the US and play Psychedelic Doom.

Things start off trippy and relaxed, with odd chanting, much feedback and simple guitars. After that it just descends into drug-fuelled madness and mystical hysteria.

This is warped, twisted and impenetrable to the casual ear. The sounds contained herein are not of this plane of consciousness and shouldn’t be interpreted as such.

The vocals are semi-human chant-hymns that become strangely endearing the more you listen to them.

The songs are the aural equivalent of someone trying to unravel a set of hideously entangled headphones; initially you don’t know where to start, and it can be maddeningly frustrating, but as you make progress it all starts to come together and in the end you’re left deeply satisfied with a feeling of accomplishment mixed with relief.

Go Prizehog!