wonderboxmetal

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.

Paramnesia/Unru – Split (Review)

Paramnesia are a French Black Metal band and their half of this split is a track enigmatically named III.

This is epic, searing and mystical Black Metal with some atmospheric Post-Metal/Doom sections included in the 15 minute play time. If you think of Black Metal such as Deafheaven you’ll be in the right area stylistically.

The song is very well laid out and evokes the appropriate feelings of Blackened tragedy and remorse. The sound, and in particular the drum sound, is flawless and allows the song to shine brightly.

Unru are from Germany, play Black Metal and they contribute a song called Die Welt in der wir sterben to this release.

Unru’s offering is a real mood-builder, with melody and Post-Metal influences tempered against the harsh, icy Black Metal core. The anguished vocals slice through the music and as with Paramnesia’s track the sound is first-rate and everything flows perfectly.

The song is almost 13 minutes of involving and caustic Black Metal that draws the listener in and holds attention.

A top quality release from two top quality bands. I can’t see any reason why you shouldn’t get hold of this Split straight away. Do it now!

Interview with Human Cull

Human Cull’s latest release Stillborn Nation is a fantastic slab of top quality Grind chock full to the brim with maximum aggression. I quizzed them for more info…

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

We are Human Cull, a 3 piece grindcore band from south-west England.

How did you form?

Human Cull was the refocused effort of a former band. We had a bit of a line-up change after our old drummer left, so I moved from guitars to drums and Edd added playing guitar to doing vocals.

What are your influences?

The usual mishmash of old and new grindcore bands, early (proper) death metal, thrash, crust, heavy metal, lots. Basically anything we think we can get away with chucking into the mix.

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

Everyone should check what the UK grindcore scene is putting out at the moment, because there are some excellent bands in there; Fetus Christ, Atomck, The Atrocity Exhibit, Evisorax, Godsick, Oblivionized. There’s a list as long as my arm of lots of different takes on fast noise.

What was your writing process like for the songs of Stillborn Nation?

It was very organic (as cliché as that sounds). Edd and I would hash over ideas ’til something stuck. There were no shortage of ideas so we had to be pretty brutal with it all to weed out the weaker bits. Eventually we got to a point where we were happy with all the new stuff. There’s some re-recordings of older tracks on there too that had slowly changed over the course of playing them live so many times.

What can you tell us about the lyrics?

We try and take a few different themes and construct a bleak narrative about them. It’s a mix of current and often political situations, apocalyptic future sci-fi esque shit and some other bits and pieces, but all from a pretty nihilistic point of view.

In my review I praise the growling of the vocals in particular, comparing them to the characterful delivery of The Red Chord. How much thought went into the vocal patterns and rhythms?

With Edd and I both having to play instruments as well as doing vocals we tried to make sure we could play the songs live as well as just record them. Some are easier than others. The vocals are an important aspect to the texture of our music to us so we try and make them as fitting as possible.

Are you happy with how the album came out?

Yes. We always have set out to make music we’d enjoy listening to and I think we’ve managed it. We recorded with Dan Couch (from Godsick) and the album was mixed by William Blackmon (from Gadget), and they both did a great job of capturing the kind of sound we were after.

What does the future hold for Human Cull?

We’re hitting Europe next month for a tour with Oblivionized, Temples Festival in May, and more writing and recording for some more releases and splits we have lined up. We like to keep ourselves busy.

Thanks!

Die Choking – Die Choking I (Review)

Grindcore band Die Choking are from the US and this is their first release.

With only 5 tracks in just under 6 minutes this is fast and brutal. Die Choking like their Grind raw and rough, with Punk and Crust elements to the songs. Think of a band like Misery Index only with shorter songs and you’ll get the right idea.

Even with such short tracks the band show that they can play insane blasting just as well as heavy and brutal.

The playing is tight and focused and the sound does the songs justice. The passion and enthusiasm of the band is obvious and this is fresh and above all savage. This is Grindcore to pay attention to.

As an opening salvo into the world of Metal this short EP is an excellent warning shot. Let’s see what they can do with a longer release now.