This is the début release from Destitution, who play Thrash Metal and come from The Netherlands.
Destitution play Old-School Thrash that’s unpolished and street smart.
There are riffs, licks, chops, leads and solos aplenty on this release, more than enough Metal to satisfy. The guitarists can obviously play, (as can the rest of the band), and the performances all round are good.
The songs have an energy about them that’s propelled by the Old-School riffs.
Vocally they remind of Kreator/Testament and musically they recall the same but with a bit of Anthrax thrown in. Its safe to say that if those bands appeal then Destitution will too, especially as they inject themselves into the mix so that the album doesn’t come across as pure homage or hero worship.
The songs are well written and are compositionally sound. It’s mainly high octane Thrash, as is expected, but they even try their hand at a ballad in the form of Affinity. It works surprisingly well.
Having recently released their début album Imago, Mordbrand are like a fiery beacon of hope and devastation in the overcrowded Death Metal arena. Time to find out more – Björn Larsson gets a grilling below…
Give us a bit of history to Mordbrand
Me and Johan started out doing death metal again after a hiatus of a couple of years (we used to do the same in a band called Horned that we split up in 2002). I was very inspired by older filthier death metal bands – which sounds like a cliché today in this over flooded OSDM “scene”. Well, that’s the way it played out and we recorded some songs in our rehearsal place (that then was inhabited by THE LAW, the thrash metal band that we were very active with then). After releasing a split with EVOKE (eng) we decided to bring things up a notch. We contacted Per, he liked what he heard and we started writing and recorded what came to be “Necropsychotic”.
Where did the name come from?
I thought of the name “Arson” but I didn’t like it too much. Then my fiancee came up with the idea to use the swedish translation – “Mordbrand” – in a very non-Yoko kind of way. We, the band, thought it sounded good and didn’t care too much about the actual meaning of it. This was still in the early phase of the band but the moniker just stuck with us.
What are your influences?
Lyrically: Total death. Musically: Old death metal, newer esoteric death & black metal and crusty punk.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
Oh, I listen to a lot of things. I think that Mitochondrion, Autopsy, Vallenfyre, Bombs of Hades, Rite, Gravehill, Triptykon & Behemoth have released really impressive stuff lately.
How did you decide on the style of Death Metal that you wanted to play – what appeals about the Swedish Death Metal sound?
We started out playing Autopsy-esque death metal and never really thought we’d make “swedeath”, and I’m not sure we do. I think it’s the d-beat stuff that make people draw that conclusion. We don’t care, people can label us in any way they want. I use a Boss HM2 pedal which is quite important for the swedish sound, and maybe people can’t get passed that. I don’t know.
I’m pleased that you’re not just regurgitating past glories with your music. You seem to be one of the few bands who are trying to move the style forward and develop it. What are your thoughts on this?
Yes and no. I think we’re moving forward as a band but I don’t feel we have a responsibility against the genre. We do music the way we like it and we happen to digest a lot of melodic and dark music upon the strong death metal foundation. So we don’t have a deliberate task or anything. But it’s obvious that you get that we’re not a tribute band and that’s something more and more people are discovering.
What were your goals with Imago?
To make a record you haven’t heard until you’ve heard the whole thing. A lot of records do ‘sounds’ pretty well. Bands are good at nailing a mood or a sound of some genre or scene that they dig – which is cool. Our focus is to make _songs_ and try not to repeat ourselves. You’re gonna hear a lot of different things going on on “Imago”, but I think and hope that it all stays in the framework that is Mordbrand. Per’s unique vocals bind it all together in my opinion.
Give us a bit of information on the songwriting process.
Often it’s me making the riffs and putting together demos that I send to the other guys. Then they bring me feedback and Johan starts rehearsing the songs. When the demo’s sound solid we start recording and produce it together. Since we record everything ourselves we’re not reliant on someone’s payroll and we get to throw away stuff if we’re not pleased with it, which is great ’cause we don’t have to gamble with quality.
Would you change anything if you had to do the album again?
Of course. Since we do everything ourselves we’re constantly learning. It’s a process in itself to not think about all the flaws in the end result. But everything is flawed, so it’s about ‘letting go’ and realizing when you’re done. Luckily we don’t have to do the album again.
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
Well, the way we develop as artists and songwriters. Mordbrand will always be dark and brutal and that’s the only guarantee we can give.
What’s next for Mordbrand?
A split 7″ with RITE is on the way and should be out during the summer on Chaos Records. We also have a 7″ of our own with two new songs on it. Two other splits are planned too, but we can’t reveal any info on that just yet. All of our releases are gonna contain original unique material, at least that’s the plan, so we won’t regurgitate old stuff and release separately just because it’s convenient. We did that with two songs on “Necropsycotic” ’cause Per’s ideas changed the songs into new entities (and he didn’t sing on the original versions), but that was an exception to the rule.
Blut Aus Nord are France’s premier Black Metal/Avant Garde/Industrial/Dark Metal kings, and this is their split with fellow French band P.H.O.B.O.S. who play Industrial Doom.
Each band contributes three songs, with Blut Aus Nord up first. Their songs are as impressive as you would imagine and follow their standard Dark Metal template of Blackened riffs, proficient drumming, atmospheric auras and semi-industrial feelings; like watching urban decay sped up and slowed down at the same time.
Warped and haunting melodies layer these three tracks and engage the listener fully. The first track De Librio Arbitrio is so involving that it’s almost startling to hear vocals in the latter part of the song.
These three songs are bleakly emotive Black Metal and it’s once more apparent why Blut Aus Nord are in a league of their own with very few bands even coming close to a similar style of any real quality. And even though the band are better known for their atmospheres than their riffs, they still know how to kick them out when they need to; listen to that grinding mid-paced riffing in Hùbris. Quality.
And on to the second half of the split; all three tracks by P.H.O.B.O.S. are 7:00 in length, which immediately made me take notice.
This is Dark Industrial Doom that may be different from Blut Aus Nord’s Black Metal but shares the same stylistic headspace. The tracks slither and wind their way around to a backdrop of pounding drums that sound like heavy items being dropped from great height.
If Blut Aus Nord were remixed and regurgitated by Godflesh then the result might not be too far from this. The three tracks pulse nicely with automated, mechanistic darkness and I’m quite happy that I’ve now encountered P.H.O.B.O.S.
This is a premium split that showcases the exceptional talents of both bands and at 40 minutes in length it’s a darn sight longer than most splits.
Frontal are from France and play Techincal/Progressive Modern Death Metal.
Imagine Meshuggah if they had more of a Modern Death Metal influence; add in a bit of Technical Thrash and this is the area that Frontal inhabit.
The songs are technical, angular and also remind of Devolved only without the Industrial influence, (and blast beats). Another description I suppose would be Progressive Deathcore, which sounds like an oxymoron, but only if you assume all Deathcore is stupid, (it isn’t).
The colliding riffs and obscure melodies will no doubt put some people off, but just as many will take to this easily and lap up the heavy, militaristic Technical Thrash that the band offer.
The vocalist has a good pair of lungs and for the most part spends his time using them to shout out lyrics in a throaty roar.
This is music that lacks subtlety but is still nuanced and complex. Although the riffs come thick and fast the band allow them to congeal on occasion to produce a stirring section or emotive passage, before fracturing once more and falling away in different directions all at once.
Definitely a grower. A good album that will probably suffer from premature dismissal by a lot of people, which is a shame as there is a lot to like here. Give them the time to show you what they can do.
Chemical Cascades are from Australia and play Black Metal.
This may be billed as a demo but the usual substandard demo recording is missing; instead we get a perfectly serviceable Underground Black Metal sound that fits the band like a glove and has an especially strong drum presence.
The vocals are howling and shrouded in reverberation. Like a dark aura they saturate the songs and are used as another instrument rather than separate vocals as with most bands.
The unearthly noises the singer makes scream in and out of the tracks like the doppler effect and they sound as if they’re alive. At least; some form of otherworldly, barely-sentient instinctual life.
The music is blasting and melodic with a strong, cold, ominous feeling to it. The riffs are well written and the album art gives a good impression of the frigid nature of the guitars. Each track reinforces the belief that this is not your standard, bedraggled Satanic wannabe band; rather this is a band fuelled by parts unknown and who possibly originate from the very place depicted in the simple-but-enticing cover artwork.
This is deeply satisfying in that it combines elements of harshness, melody and atmosphere all at once without ever giving itself over to any one of them completely. It’s a rewarding listen and promises great things from the band in the future.
At 34 minutes in length this could easily be classed as a début album rather than just a demo. If the band can continue to mine this creative seam of dark inspiration that they have found then their actual début album will be something well worth getting excited about.
A great release from a band you should definitely check out.
This is made up of two tracks; the first is 26 minutes long and the second 13 minutes long. As you can probably guess this is a band who likes to take their time.
Factorie is the first track and it starts off with a good, solid Doom riff to set the scene, before exploring subtler climes for a while. When the vocals kick in it’s surprising as instead of the gruff shouting I was expecting we get almost County-esque cleans with a dirty intonation. Think of Neurosis, but the vocals even remind of a band like Soul Savers on occasion and add a different aspect to the band that immediately differentiates them from the masses.
The entire song is a meandering exploration of bucolic pastures punctuated with heavier interludes and atmosphere building. It’s an impressive slow burner and worth the time invested.
The second song is Witch Trial which follows in a similar slow-burning vein with the relaxed vocals coasting on top of the emotive music as the song crests to crescendo. It’s another superbly executed track that is heavily invested with feeling and works its magic subtly.
The recording is unpolished but not in a bad way. It has a very naturalistic sounding production that is slightly too rounded to be called raw and not quite ugly enough to be called filthy. A good word would be earthy, I suppose. It’s a good choice that works well with the music, especially for the charismatic vocals that seem to draw you in with their rustic charms.
This is a very enjoyable and engaging release that feels rather more individual and intimate than other bands who have a sound that makes them feel more sanitised than they might otherwise sound had they a slightly different recording. Idre allows the listener in and lets them get up close and personal with the band. This allows for a special relationship with the music rather than it being simply another musical commodity to be consumed.
And to think, this is merely the début of this talented band. Big things, I tell you, big things.
This is the second album from French Black Metallers The Great Old Ones.
They play Black Metal with a good spread of Post-Metal thrown in, or, Post-Black Metal as it’s otherwise known.
This is Black Metal brimming with atmosphere and awash with colour and texture. A progressive and diverse album, this has a host of captivating passages and sections that transport the listener to another plane of existence.
The Black Metal is piercing and caustic whilst the Post-Metal is haunting and enticing. Mixed together and swathed in atmosphere these songs are the epitome of expansive and epic Black Metal. Cascadia clearly doesn’t have a monopoly on this style of Extreme music.
The emotional resonance and dark moods of these songs should not be underestimated. Each track adds to the mystique of the album; each one a further chapter in the story, a further unfurling of the nightmare. Based on H.P. Lovecraft, how else could it be?
From the soaring heights of iceblasted mountains to the darkest pits of the blackest abyss, this is a journey that will scar forever.
In an age where more and more music is short-lived and another discarded consumable, this album is anything but.
Settima Draconis are from Germany and play Melodic Death Metal.
Legio has a good sound that allows the band to show off their works.
This is Melodic Death Metal with a Gothic influence and heavily accompanied by violins and strings. These Classical elements are not overdone though and add the right amount of atmosphere and culture to the heavier guitars and snarling vocals.
For a crude reference point, think Dark Tranquillity combined with the music of Therion and a more free-form method of songwriting, particularly in the drum department. Only a crude reference point, as I say, but it gives the right kind of idea.
While this is bound to be somewhat of an acquired taste, (but what isn’t though, really?), it’s worth checking out if you want Gothic Metal with colour and unusual quirks to the songs. While it can seem a little incoherent at times it shows a band trying to do something a little different and this should be encouraged.
Insense are from Norway and play a highly developed form of Modern Metal. They combine elements of multiple genres of heavy music, from Djent to Thrash to Sludge to Progressive Metal and others in between.
Well this is very nice indeed. Heavy, emotive and not afraid of striding boldly into territories avoided by a lot of bands.
The vocals are agonised cries, soft crooning, semi-cleans, powerful melodics, gruff shouting…essentially whatever the song needs; it’s a very personal and distinctive performance that immediately makes apparent the man’s talent. The moment his vocals make an entrance on the first track Part I- Conception I’m hooked straight away. This keeps up for the rest of the album and his vocals bleed charisma and character.
The music doesn’t slack behind either; none of the songs are especially long but every one of them seems committed to ringing out every last drop of emotion and feeling from the guitars. The tracks are all tightly focused balls of energy and in the hands of this clearly talented band there’s no need for longer songs – there’s absolutely no filler here.
Reference points? Wide ranging really; I can hear bits of In Flames, Fear Factory, Devin Townsend, Meshuggah, Mnemic, Slipknot, Darkane, Nevermore…I could go on, but you get the idea; polished, diverse and heavy whilst retaining melodics and soul. A smattering of modern European Power Metal; a bit of Djent in the riffs; wildly energised heavy riffing; stirring and memorable vocals…so much about this recording can be praised.
The sound is suitably huge and massive with everything coming through crystal clear and every sludgy riff sounding crushing and effective.
Quite frankly this album is an absolute revelation. If you were to cut it open it would have the words QUALITY stamped all the way through it in big letters.
This is the second album by US band Pillory who play Brutal Technical Death Metal.
Fast, intricate and brutal; welcome to the world of Pillory. It’s a colourful world populated by an over-abundance of riffs and ideas, with spikes of melody and angular guitar heroics rushing to save the day.
The vocals are mainly gruff shouts but are varied in places with the singer showing he’s capable of more than just straight bellowing into the microphone.
The songs are busy entities with a lot being crammed into every second. If this was all the band did it would be impressive enough, but what’s really impressive is their ability to show restraint when needed. Sometimes you don’t need a million separate things happening at once; sometimes less is more and Pillory seem to know this as they also have entire sections in their songs where they allow a riff or idea to stabilise and develop for a little while before it once again mutates and goes off in a hundred new directions.
For this reason Evolutionary Miscarriage scores higher than a lot of Technical Death Metal as there’s more to it than just insane time signature changes or deranged guitar wizardry; yes they have giant bucketfuls of both but they also know about pacing and dynamics, which are far more important when it comes to longevity and depth of composition.
If you’re a fan of non-standard Death Metal then this is a creative and exploratory album that should suit you well.
This is the début release from Destitution, who play Thrash Metal and come from The Netherlands.
What are your influences?
Would you change anything if you had to do the album again?
Wonderbox Metal 