Funeral Whore are from the Netherlands and Obscure Infinity are from Germany. Both bands play Old-School Death Metal.
Funeral Whore start proceedings with two tracks. Traces of Death begins with a menacing riff and an intimidating growl. At this point I know it’s going to be good.
Ultra-low vocals preside over the top of a slow and evil riff before the band become a bit more mid-paced and heavier guitars start playing. The song merges elements of Bolt Thrower and Incantation to create an enjoyable track.
The second track East Area Rapist has a killer Old-School riff that shows the band has an ear for a good tune. Stylistically we’re in the same territory as the first song although this one has a bit more melody and chugs along happily as the drums roll and the vocals make deep, dark noises.
After these we have Obscure Infinity with the song Maniac Destroyer. In contrast to Funeral Whore’s side, Obscure Infinity have a stronger production and more of an immense feel.
Maniac Destroyer has blastbeats and is a more upbeat proposition overall. A touch of the Swedish Death Metal feel is on the track, (sans That Sound), and the deep vocals punctuate the thick guitars like giant exclamation marks.
Obscure Infinity are like a shot of adrenaline and their track has all of the requisite components of a winner. The main riff is excellent and gives me the same thrilling feeling as when I was first getting into this type of music oh so long ago. One of my favourite parts of the song is the solo section with the rhythm guitars just laying down some excellent backing riffs.
A fine taster for a fine couple of underground bands. For the length this is damn near essential I’d say.
This is the début album from Australian Heavy Metal band Johnny Touch.
Just look at the album cover. I mean really – just sit and look at it. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Well, the music had better be something pretty damn good to match up to that cover I tell you.
So what do we have here then? Heavy Metal that sounds straight from the 1980’s? Yes. This has a good streak of NWOBHM about it and when you think about it it’s kind of odd that a bunch of Australians in 2014 can so faithfully recreate this kind of music from this era.
But recreate it they do, and faithfully, and well.
The band all play their parts perfectly and the solos/leads are particularly enjoyable. The vocalist has a very good voice that probably would have seen him become a superstar decades ago. In fact if this album was actually released in the era it hero-worships then it’s likely Johnny Touch would be a famous name to all Metal fans the world over. Unfortunately however it’s now 2014 and the market for this style of Metal is much, much smaller. Which is a crying shame as this album kicks serious behind.
By today’s standards this is relatively relaxed and not very extreme, but that’s missing the point. This is Heavy Metal to the blisteringly molten core and I doubt there’s a Metal collection anywhere that wouldn’t be improved by including this in it.
This isn’t a perfect album by any means, but it’s a bloody good one. It has an honesty and passion about it that’s just plain infectious, and that’s before you consider the catchy riffs, memorable choruses and top tunes contained within.
If you’re allergic to anything older than a couple of decades then this is not for you. However, if you appreciate the style of Metal that helped start it all off then you should definitely check out Johnny Touch.
This is the third album from Germany’s Doomed; this is a solo affair that has produced 54 minutes of Doom Metal in the Doom/Death style.
It starts out in a very intriguing way with soft chanting and church bells. Soon after the crushing Doom makes an entrance as misty atmospherics and huge, deep, bottomless vocals dominate everything around them.
The music is slow, melodic and has a Funeral vibe. The drumming is very good in particular, and I like the way he doesn’t always go down the easy route; even though it’s slow he doesn’t always choose a simple beat to play.
The rest of the instruments are also played well, with the guitars having a good place in the mix and the artist being wise enough to know when to hold back on the heaviness and let the more subtle aspects of the sound come to the fore.
Although this particular sub-genre of music should be instantly recognisable to anyone who’s into the Doom/Death style, Our Ruin Silhouettes does what it does well, and it sounds bloody good doing it. The melodies are persuasive and the songs insistent. There is a nice depth to the tracks as additional sounds, effects and atypical melodies are all used with great results.
This is a compelling collection of songs to become absorbed in.
Favourite Track: A tough choice, but probably In My Own Abyss. An excellent riff centres the song, as eerie and haunting melodics and effects elevate it to even greater heights.
De Profundis are from the UK and this is their latest EP of Progressive/Technical Death Metal.
The band have a deep sound that showcases the technical riffing and aggressive nature of their music.
The drumming is all over the shop, but in a very good way; they’re not afraid of using unusual rhythms and off-kilter beats.
This description also applies to the rest of the music, although the band do throw in some melodies and leads here and there when needed.
Apart from the vocals, which are low and deep, the band remind of Death at their most Progressive and Experimental. Indeed; the last song out of the 4 tracks here is a Death cover of the song Crystal Mountain.
Brutality is still a factor in their sound though; this is Death Metal after all. This brutality is offset with sharpened riffs and fretboard exploration that never allows it to become too bludgeoning; rather this is extreme in a different way. It’s technically precise and musically demanding.
At 20 minutes in length this is a decent showcase for the band and allows them to display their musical wizardry to good effect.
Bjarm are from Russia and this is their début album of Symphonic Black Metal.
After a bold and bombastic opener the first song proper starts. Knowledge of Doom sets the tone for the rest of the album.
Inspiration comes from bands like Dimmu Borgir, Chthonic, Amiensus and Gloria Morti; essentially this is Black Metal with Symphonic effects, female vocals and a Death Metal influence that gives the band a harsher edge.
The production is heavy and well-recorded; everything stands out and sounds very impressive.
The vocals are deep and growled, for the most part, although spoken parts make numerous appearances. When the female vocals appear they are like the finest silk wrapped around a lovingly sharp blade. Higher, more-Black Metal vocals also have their part to play and these sound serrated like razor wire.
The music is well played and considerable thought has obviously gone into the songs. The level of orchestration and keyboards, etc. is remarkable and the songs are layered with emotion and grandeur. The Death Metal vocals add bite to the tracks and ensure that the band keep their harder edge in amongst the rich textures of the flowing musical theatre.
Overall this is a very professional début that benefits from a huge sound and an impressive theatrical/cinematic quality. For all the pomp and splendour however, they keep a sharper edge to their sound and this prevents the album from becoming stale, in my mind. Add to this some strong songwriting and you have a thoroughly enjoyable album.
Bjarm are ones to keep an eye on that’s for sure. With the right support they could go far.
Ondfødt are a Finnish Black Metal band and this is their début album.
This is Old-School, underground and raw Black Metal that clutches influences from both the Norwegian and Swedish scenes in its grim claws.
The band utilise a firm Old-School Darkthrone-esque base that they start off from and they incorporate other elements into this. Not content with merely copying their heroes they inject their own personality into the album and add their own touches to the style.
The vocals are Black Metal rasps for the main part. These are punctuated by Viking-styled heroic cleans, forceful semi-cleans, unhinged screaming and pretty much everything in between on occasion as well. It adds up to a full package of quite characterful vocals.
The production may be raw and fuzzy but not overly so. The band have a good dark sound suited to this style and the guitars make the most of it.
Energetic dark melodies form the lion’s share of the riffs and the songs tear along nicely under their self-created veil of Blackened hatred.
This style of raw Black Metal is an easy style to do but it’s also an easy style to be bad or boring at as it essentially all comes down to the quality of the riffs, for the main part anyway. Ondfødt are neither bad nor boring and have managed to congeal a good collection of riffs into a good collection of songs. They then add to this with some strong drumming and a vocalist who certainly puts 100% into his performance. The end result is that Hexkonst is a worthwhile listen and manages to avoid being a Darkthrone clone by virtue of the band’s personality and strength of will.
Deus Otiosus have recently unleashed the monster that is Rise on the world. After getting my fill of this very enjoyable album I asked Jesper Holst, bassist of the band, some pertinent questions to find out a bit more about it…
Give us a bit of history to Deus Otiosus
The band started off as a studio project by Henrik Engkjær (guitars) and Anders Bo Rasmussen (vocals) back in 2005. They recorded a demo called Death Lives Again in 2007 and 2009 saw them gathering a full line-up with Peter Engkjær (guitars), Søren Bentsen (drums) and Jens Nepper (bass guitars) and start performing live. Shortly before I replaced Nepper on bass in 2010 the first album Murderer was released in South America and later world wide. Then, for the recording of the second album we brought in a dedicated drummer in Jesper Olsen as our ambitions grew and the band became a more serious and time-consuming project for all involved. As an old friend of some of us, Jesper was quickly integrated and we recorded and released our second album Godless in 2012. With the same constellation we recorded the third album Rise in January 2014 and released it world wide just last month.
What are your influences?
We are influenced by classic metal acts such as Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Pestilence and so on. However, while maintaining an old school approach to song writing, we are not just copying what the forerunners of the genre created. We use the elements and the creativity of classic death metal song writing and produce our own, original and potent songs.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
Right now, my playlist is varied. I have got Unleashed, Dark Funeral and Iced Earth on at the moment. I especially enjoy and recommend Unleashed.
What did you want to achieve with your new album?
Every time we release an album we strive to take a step forward and upward. Up the quality since the last album so to speak. And this pertains to all aspects of the album; the song writing, the riffs, the drum patterns and fills, solos etc. The overall goal is to create a coherent album packed with memorable songs that make up a whole yet retain their own identity. I believe this goal is achieved with Rise and it stands out clearly in our discography. This is the best Deus Otiosus to date and truthfully will be hard to top in the future.
Are you happy with how it turned out?
I grow increasingly fond of this album by the day – even now, several months after I first heard the mastered version. From the drum recordings that were perfected by Rasmus Toftlund at Fast Beat Studio to the mastering by Tore Stjerna at Necromorbus Studio, this album has surpassed all of our expectations. I also gather from the reviews that I have read so far that Rise seems to grow on people from a good first impression to something that they really appreciate. Moreover, it seems that people really grasp what we want to achieve with this album and it feels great to not just reach out to your audience, but to actually reach them. So yes, the entire band is more than thrilled by the outcome.
What can you tell us about the lyrics?
The lyrics, like the songs play in to a greater whole that binds the album together. We cover sinister and dark concepts using philosophy, mythology, history and prose (e.g. Poe, Lovecraft) and put them on edge do describe a guide-less, godforsaken world, as the band name also implies.
Tell us about the album cover
The cover artwork was created by artist Claude Witt who is a friend of Anders. He created the entirety of it over a few weeks and we were completely thrown aback by it. The level of detail is really jaw dropping. Our idea was to show a monster rising from the abyss as an analogy for the band and the album title. Claude did an awesome job depicting just that.
Give us a bit of information on the songwriting process.
The main composer is Henrik Engkjær who co-founded the band with Anders Bo Rasmussen. The way we go about song writing is that Henrik writes the main framework for each song, the riffs, the drum patters and the lyrics. Then we arrange the songs in rehearsal and the drums are refined. I will add bass to the riffs at this stage. We keep adding improving details to the songs, even at the studio stage when we are recording. Other than that, on Rise, I have partly written the lyrics for the song Vultures.
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
We are still rising and we are already now working full steam with new material. As said, we always strive to top our last release and this will not change. We use the descriptor outlaw death metal because we refute genre-talk and we stick to this. So people can expect original, boundless yet coherent death metal.
What’s next for Deus Otiosus?
As of now, in conjunction with the release of Rise, we have already been on a Danish tour and played at a Copenhell Festival Warm Up event as well as at Metal Magic Festival, all in Denmark. We aim to take our presence abroad as we have done in the past. In particular, Germany and Scandinavia should look out for Deus Otiosus, but our ambitions go beyond as well. Meanwhile, we are hard at work with new material and we promise great deeds in the future!
This is the début album from Germany’s Psychedelic Doomsters Monolith.
This is Black Sabbath-inspired Doom Metal with a healthy Psychedelic component.
The album cover and the sound that the band have conspire to increase the overall impression of a spaced-out jam with lots of shining surfaces and dubious substances.
Dystopia is catchy and has plenty of hooks. The solos, leads and riffs are all fully realised and the bass is an important part of the overall feel of the songs.
The singer does his best Ozzy Osbourne impression but it fits the music perfectly and with the music being so laid back and glittering with Psychedelia no-one can really complain.
The most important thing about this release is the songs themselves. They’ve clearly been put together by a band who have a love of the genre and are passionate about what they do. These are class songs that will have you humming the tunes in your head for days to come.
Give them a listen and I dare you not to enjoy it.
The Wolves of Avalon are from the UK and this is their second album. The band play Pagan/Folk Metal.
The Wolves of Avalon are the latest incarnation of Metatron from The Meads of Asphodel, who will always hold a special place in my heart; one of the most unique and underrated UK Metal bands out there.
I was looking forward to hearing this album due to this and I haven’t been disappointed. This is as impressive and ambitious as anything he’s done before, (his work that I’ve heard, at least), more so in some respects. Sounding like early Meads only with a heavy Folk/Pagan slant, this is pure ear candy.
The album starts with a light, classical instrumental, at least that’s what I think it’s going to be until Metatron’s inimitable vocals kick in halfway through and then guitars and drums come in shortly after.
The album is heavily orchestrated and features wonderfully diverse instrumentation and female accompaniment. These are hugely impressive and extremely well-done. The band don’t neglect the Metal component of their sound, however.
The dynamics and sense of energy given off by the tracks is strong, and the whole album is a veritable treasure trove of gems and delights. The songwriting is impeccable and Metatron’s voice seems to be getting better with age. Some of the vocal harmonies used, especially when twinned with the female vocals, are just hair-raising.
Some of the best bits are extremely subtle but do wonders for the songs. The barely audible female sighs/noises on Bonded by Blood and Sword is just one example of many; you can only just hear them in the background but for such a small addition the song is enhanced so much.
There are pulse-raising sections, slower atmosphere-building parts, Black Metal rage, Progressive Metal explorations, huge choruses and sublime melodies – there is so much here to enjoy and be spellbound by.
This is an hour of interesting, captivating and unique Metal that everyone should ideally have the privilege of hearing. Do yourself a favour and go and listen to this.
Final thoughts? Fantastic album. This is a contender for the Album of the Year slot.
Favourite Track: Iceni Queen Unfurl’d In A Tempest Of Crows. Fucking Hell!
Ars Moriendi are from France and this is their third album of Black Metal.
This is atmospheric and creative Black Metal that makes a left-of-centre entrance under the guise of some form of slinky lounge lizard whilst retaining a core of darkness so you know you actually are playing the right album.
When the Black Metal truly kicks in though it’s noticeable and memorable. Propelled by interesting riffs and subtle but meaningful effects the music is stimulating and diverse.
The vocals are Black Metal croaks that have some personality to them and the singer appears to have a good range to his voice rather than staying too monotone.
Long songs allow for plenty of variation around the central theme and the band allow themselves the luxury of exploring and developing the soundscapes they create.
Progressive Metal elements make appearances here and there, adding character to the songs and increasing the listener’s depth of appreciation for the tracks.
The production is low-key and surprisingly warm and organic for a Black Metal release. The adds another facet to the album and the songs are very easy to listen to and enjoy; the music is warmly absorbed like a fine wine.
This is a quality release from a band who are likely to be overlooked by many. Don’t make this mistake – give Ars Moriendi your full attention.
Funeral Whore are from the Netherlands and Obscure Infinity are from Germany. Both bands play Old-School Death Metal.
What did you want to achieve with your new album?
Give us a bit of information on the songwriting process.
Wonderbox Metal 