wonderboxmetal

Rotengeist – Start to Exterminate (Review)

Rotengeist are from Poland and play Thrash Metal.

The band have a good, strong sound that they use to launch their Thrash attack from. I also quite like the album cover.

This is heavy, aggressive Thrash with almost a Progressive edge to some of the songs. This additional penchant for melodic and interesting instrumentation scattered across the album pushes the band above the average, and is definitely something I would be keen to see the band develop and build on for future releases.

The vocalist’s voice is pitched somewhere between singing and shouting, almost like the singer of Testament on occasion.

The instruments are well played and the riffs and licks are endless. You can hear the bass and it makes an above-average contribution to the songs rather than just following the guitar at all times. They have some good solos on offer as well.

A strong album that is a bit of a grower, as all good albums are.

Interview with Gravehill

Gravehill will shortly be releasing their new album Death Curse which is chock full of top quality Death Metal riffage and mouldy corpse-bothering. I asked some questions while Thorgrimm and Abominator stank up the place…

Hi, for people unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself.

Originally formed in 2001 as a three piece and within the same year recorded “The Practitioners of Fell Sorcery” demo and as quickly as it began, the original line-up disbanded soon after the début demo. In 2006 GRAVEHILL reformed with original drummer & founder Rhett “THORGRIMM” Davis and vocalist Mike Abominator, “the brains and heart of the current GRAVEHILL.” Over the course of 2007-2009 GRAVEHILL released 2 CDs with ENUCLEATION Records… the “Metal of Death” / “The Advocation of Murder and Suicide” CD/EP and the “RITES OF THE PENTAGRAM” CD. Soon after the RotP CD release with ENUCLEATION Records, the label folded, leaving both releases free. They were later given to IBEX MOON Records for a combined release of “Metal of Death / Advocation & Rites of the Pentagram” CDs adding a live DVD to the package as well!

By the summer of 2010 GRAVEHILL toured the U.S., added a new guitarist Matt “Hellfiend” Harvey (EXHUMED, DEKAPITATOR, REPULSION) to the line-up and by 2011 played the 9th annual Maryland Death Fest supporting their sophomore record “When All Roads lead to Hell” CD with DARK DESCENT Records (www.darkdescentrecords.com).

2012 began with a line-up change, by adding 2 new full-time guitarists known only as CC DeKill & Hell Messiah to replace Matt Hellfiend & Bodybag Bob due to their momentous touring schedule for EXHUMED.

2014 sees GRAVEHILL deliver their most stripped down and powerful release to date. On April 1st, 2014, GRAVEHILL’S “Death Curse” will be unleashed on CD/Digital formats (vinyl soon after) through DARK DESCENT Records. Over 35 minutes of powerful death metal in the old vein including guest appearances from some of the biggest legends of death metal (Chris Reifert and Eric Cutler of Autopsy and Kam Lee (Massacre, Death and Bone Gnawer). “Death Curse” includes artwork by another legend, Christopher Moyen (Incantation, Blasphemy and more).
<ABOMINATOR> Thorgrimm just put our “BIO” here because we are dead tired of answering this question…….. NEXT!

What are your influences?

<THORGRIMM> VENOM, AUTOPSY, MASSACRE, HELLHAMMER, BATHORY, SODOM, 80’s SLAYER, etc. We are influenced mostly by 80’s and early 90’s Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Black Metal, Punk and Crust Punk. In most reviews we are called “Black/Thrash Death” or some variation of that. We just call ourselves Death Metal, everything we play is that to us, but call it whatever you want.
<ABOMINATOR> We are the FLEETWOOD MAC of death metal. Except we aren’t witches dancing around in sequenced moo-moo dresses and we don’t get fucked by penises dipped in cocaine like good Ol’ Stevie Nicks. I would say that I have a better voice than that stuffy ass, friend egg tits Christine McVie as well. Although it would be pretty cool to have a 34 inch cock like Mick Fleetwood. I think he fucked Stevie, Christine AND Lindsay Buckingham all at the same time didn’t he? Maybe even got a piece of that John Weasel Wort or whatever his name was on bass. Wasn’t that fucker in those Harry Potter movies?

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

<THORGRIMM> Autopsy – The Headless Ritual / Rose Tattoo- Assault & Battery / Hail of Bullets – The Rommel Chronicles / Venom – Possessed / In Solitude – Sister / Wasp – Inside the Electric Circus / Behold! The Monolith – Defender/Redeemist / The Upper Crust – Let Them Eat Rock
<ABOMINATOR> Axegrinder-Rise of the Serpent Men/ Rea Respirator-Slapp Loss Alla Band Tape/ GBH-City Babies Attacked By Rats/ Tygers of Pan Tang-Wild Cat/ Demigod-Slumber of Sullen Eyes/ Sweet Savage-Take No Prisoners/ Scholastic Deth-Book Attack/ Lubricant-Swallow the Symetric Swab demo/ Bloody Phoenix-Ode to Death/ Peter Gabriel-So/ Warsore-ALL/ Roky Erickson-Don’t Slander Me/ Machetazo-Ruin/ Hellnation-Thrash or Die/ Nuclear Death-Wake Me When I’m Dead demo/ Agathocles-VNA split/ Mastication demo ’91.

Give us a bit of background to your latest album.

<THORGRIMM> We started the writing for the album in mid-2012′ after we got things rolling with CC & Hell on guitars. The songs came together pretty quickly, and by early 2013′ we had the entire album written along with jamming some cover songs we’d been doing for fun. We recorded all the drums with John Haddad at Trench Studios (who had recorded us in one way or another on our first 2 albums), we recorded all guitars, bass and vocals in our home studio with our guitarist CC at the helm and gave the final tracks to Dan Ochoa to mix and master. We took more of an active role in this album than all previous, we had the opportunity to take advantage of what we couldn’t before. We tried for a couple years to get art from Moyen and had the cover done by him a year before the album was done simply cuz he was available then, again we took whatever advantage we could when we could.
<ABOMINATOR> Right now we can tell you that it’s the best thing that we have ever done. Until we get sick and tired of it and the next album comes out. Wait, we are already sick and tired of these songs. Oh well. Just go buy the fucker so we can take our drugs and fuck our hookers.

How are the songs written?

<THORGRIMM> Unconventionally. Most bands have a chief writer or a writing team or whatever. We just get together in rehearsal, and start woodshedding ideas. Starts with one idea/riff and then we all contribute to that idea/riff, somehow a song gets arranged out of it. Hopefully one day we can just sit around, drink beer, listen to AUTOPSY, GG ALLIN & SODOM and write an entire record in one afternoon. Maybe the next one?
<ABOMINATOR> We can shit and fart out ideas all day and night. Oh and puke them out too. Death Metal should be done this way and THIS way only. Some of these new “death metal” bands sound like they come up with their 137 ideas in some fancy lab of some sorts. Carefully piece stuff together with a fine toothed comb. We just use the blood and semen that’s on our hands, rub it in your face and start the fucking heavy metal. Our songs smell worse than we do.

Tell us about the lyrics.

<ABOMINATOR> My diatribes that I put together for this band keeps me out of prison. That being said, I’m not “singing” about butterflies, saving the world or my failed relationships from 1998 that I still cry about. It’s a heavy dose of hell, throw in some Satan and top it off with a lot of cursing and there you have it. This shit just spews out of me like a puss filled zit. I then spread that pus all around until everything is covered. God loves ugly. Good thing God also fails and I don’t give a fuck what he loves. I LOVE TO SMELL MY OWN FARTS.

Are you pleased with the way Death Curse ended up sounding?

<THORGRIMM> I think it is closest to what we wanted to achieve then what we’ve done before. We want the drums to sound like drums, the bass is in the mix, and the guitars are heavy and raw. Having better gear helped this time out also, as well as not cutting corners on what sound we want to hear. Also the recording work CC contributed was a major factor also.

How do you think you fit in with the Death Metal scene as a whole?

<THORGRIMM> We don’t fit into any “scene”, in fact is there really a “scene”? There is an ongoing misunderstanding of what “Death Metal” is, due to so many stupid sub genre’s, the whole genre is confusing and overrun by hipsters with opinions I could give 2 shits about hearing. Nothing against the DIY collective, all those who bust their ass to get headbangers in the door, buying the merch and keeping the gigs alive, all the power to them. I’m just one of many in a band in the Greater Los Angeles area who is a part of the madness. Does GRAVEHILL have anything to prove? No. We are exactly what we are, Death Metal. If anyone feels the need to challenge that, go for it and eat a dick while you’re at it.
<ABOMINATOR> FUCK THE DEATH METAL SCENE AND FUCK ALL SCENES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you think there’s life in the maggot-ridden corpse of Old-School Death Metal yet?

<THORGRIMM> I’m a long time fan of Motorhead and AC/DC, which at one time or another have been bad mouthed by the media (past & present). Words like “Boring”, “Unimaginative”, “Unskilled”, “Barbaric”, “Primitive”, “Raw”, etc… These 2 bands haven’t reinvented the wheel. They are the fucking wheel! These bands don’t need to apologize for who they are, they do what they do and do it well and are happy doing it. That’s my point of view, GRAVEHILL is not here to provide something new, something innovative. We let the jazz pussy’s do that. So to answer your question more directly… don’t care.
<ABOMINATOR> DEATH METAL ETERNAL!!!!!!!!!! LIFE SUCKS SCUM FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will fuck and eat the pussy of that corpse. WE LOVE OLDER WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What does the future hold for Gravehill?

<THORGRIMM> Gigs to support the release, we have a short run with DIOCLETIAN in May booked so far. We plan on making a pro music video for one of the songs on “Death Curse” next month. We’d like to release our own 7″ EP and a split 7″ EP in the future also but circumstances have prevented that by no fault of our own, but we will not stop trying. Any labels and bands interested, come our way.
<ABOMINATOR> I look forward to a really good shit in about 30 minutes from now.

Nice.

Taurus – No/Thing (Review)

Taurus are from the US and play experimental Drone/Doom with Psychedelia and Blackened influences.

This is genre-bending Doom full of ideas and Psychedelic darkness. The songs sound as if they have leaked from some sonic other-dimension and are strange translations of another musical language that can’t exist in its original form in our world.

Varied and strange vocals pierce the heady shroud of the music and are used as effects or instruments rather than traditional voices. A sound collage of extreme vocalisations set to unhinged music describing who knows what.

Twisting, angular rhythms and unusual soundscapes collide to produce Avant-Garde extremity and hypnotic time lapsed aural events. Taurus try to both lull and shock at the same time, producing an unexpected listening environment where transcendence is waved before you only to be snatched away and replaced with a veiled fist.

Each of these 5 songs is a nihilistic trip into other cultures that may or may not exist in our reality. It is a privilege to experience these slices of unreality and the band know this, revelling in their status as elite tour guides to places alternate.

Listen to Taurus if you have the constitution and self-confidence to explore uncharted climes and return unscathed. Enjoy reality while you have it.

Barbelith – Untitled (Review)

This is the latest from US Depressive Black/Post-Metal band Barbelith.

Their first EP was a corker, so I was looking forward to what this 2 track release would bring.

As with their previous release the band enshroud themselves in bleakness and woe, with anguished, tortured vocals lashing out at an uncaring world and a fate undeserved.

Barbelith manage to combine a mournful atmosphere with a style of Blackened Hardcore for the first track Caverns of the Mind. It’s interesting as the song seems to gain and lose momentum multiple times during its 6 minute length, switching between Depressive Black Metal and Blackened Hardcore as if it’s never sure whether it wants to end it all now or persevere for one final, desperate lunge at life.

The second song Rebirth takes less of its cues from Hardcore and more from Post-Metal, while retaining the aura of misery and lost hope. It has somewhat of a Deinonychus feel to it and as such is swamped in negative feelings and emotions; unlike the pure-strain misery of Deinonychus however, the net result here is strangely uplifting. The addition of angelic clean vocals as a background juxtaposition is an inspired choice.

2 tracks, 12 minutes. Utterly worth it.

Junkyard Lipstick – The Butcher’s Delight (Review)

Junkyard Lipstick are from South Africa and play Thrash Metal.

The band have some quality Old-School Thrash riffs in their repertoire and know how to use them.

The vocals are similarly Old-School, with good melodies and lots of character. Her voice reminds me of a female version of the Agent Steel and Pagan’s Mind singers somehow mixed together. Add to this the odd raspier L7 moment and you have a voice laden with personality. Vocal experimentation rears its head on occasion though, especially on House of the Holy and when it does it’s just wonderful; she can do more than just rasp for sure.

The songs are short and the band wear their their Metallica/Anthrax influences on their denim sleeves.

The combination of youthfully exuberant vocals and passionate Thrash hero-worship means this short EP is very infectious. As I listen to it I can’t help but feel my heart filling with Metal and the urge to mosh along rising.

Check them out and give them your support.

Favourite Track: House of the Holy.

The World State – Flier (Review)

Danish band The World State have released their first EP Flier.

Orchestral sounds and touches of Rock and Metal collide in this ambitious release.

The ex-Sirenia singer shows that she still has an amazing voice and her vocals here are exquisite.

The tracks have lots of ideas and effects to hold attention. Ambience and subtlety are used effectively as well as heavier and more intense sections.

Well written songs with a great sense of dynamics and pace pound or slink their way out of the speakers and it’s clear that this is a very talented band.

Each song captures a different mood but all of them are involved and have a playful experimental edge that sounds fresh and exciting. There are three main songs and one piano instrumental.

After listening to this over and over I can’t get enough of it. It’s simply wonderful, that’s all there is to say about it.

At under 20 minutes across 4 tracks this EP is brief but effective. A full album of this would be most welcome!

Cultfinder – Hell’s Teeth (Review)

This is UK band Cultfinder and they play Black Metal with a hefty Thrash influence.

A relatively short release of 24 minutes; after a perfunctory intro, (and one interlude), we get 5 tracks of blazing, bestial Blackened Thrash full of Satanic energy coursing through its corrupted veins.

The songs are primitive and atavistic, harking back to simpler times of a purified Metal lineage without outside influences or detractions. The band are fully aware of the path they tread and do so with pride.

The vocals bark their way from the gutter and scrape like nails down a blackboard. Even so, they manage to effectively deliver a wealth of hooks.

The wills of the various musicians are nefariously bent towards the creation and propagation of primeval Metal, and they do this admirably and to full effect. The songs and the riffs stick in the brain even after the final song The Scourging Angel ends in a squeal of feedback.

Apart from a previously released demo this is the band’s first release, and thus is laid a foundation for the future. A terrifying future where Cultfinder’s Blackened vision has come to pass. Get in on the action early and have a listen to Hell’s Teeth.

Interview with Our Last Enemy

Our Last Enemy have recently released their latest album Pariah, in all its Industrial Metal glory. I got to grill Matt Heywood and Oliver Fogwell from the band about the album and what makes them march to the pulsing, Industrial beat.

For those who are unfamiliar with you – introduce yourself!

We’re Our Last Enemy and we’re from Sydney, Australia. We play a type of Industrial Metal. We like the listener to decide what it is exactly.
We are:
Oli – Vocals
Bizz – Guitar
Jeff – Keys
Matt – Bass
Zot – Drums

How did you form?

The band was formed in late 2006 in Sydney, by Oli, Jeff and myself (Matt), and we were introduced by a mutual friend after our previous bands had disbanded.

Bizz joined the band in 2010 after leaving his previous band Genitorturers and re-locating to Sydney and was also introduced by mutual friends.

Zot joined the band in 2013 and had originally played in a band with Oli before Our Last Enemy. It’s all in the family here down under! There’s a lot of history and experience between the members having played in various bands for many years.

What are your influences?

We all have different a varied styles of music that we listen to individually, with the common thread being metal, electronic music and just plain weird shit!

In terms of what influences us, I guess we influence each other when someone brings in an idea for a song and what that idea makes the rest of us feel or think.

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

Well I know all 5 of us love the new-ish ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ album, I know they’re very “scene” and popular at the moment – But that album is fucking brilliant! So we would recommend that album for people who can look past their “scenester” audience.

I’m also listening to Phil Anselmo’s new album – Walk Through Exits Only – Its great! It’s a no bullshit album that doesn’t pull any punches and doesn’t try to be one form of heavy music or fit into some sub-genre! Phil is still one of the best frontmen in the world!

Why did you decided to incorporate Industrial and atmospheric parts into your songs, rather than just sticking to the more “traditional” instruments?

That’s a good question – probably because anything traditional bores the living fuck out of us! All 5 of us would rather punch ourselves repeatedly in the testicles than listen to an entire album of like…U2 or Coldplay or something like that.

But I guess it’s because we all love different styles of music even some “traditional” style of rock music… some.

So there was never really a moment where we decided to incorporate industrial or atmospheric parts into our songs it’s just what we do.

Are you happy with how the album came out?

Yeah, very happy… Having Christian (Olde Wolbers – ex Fear Factory) on board as producer was great, it was a great learning curve for us and it was great to have his experience in the studio.

We tried to give the listener as much value as possible, choosing our favourite songs and also adding the remixes from Mortiis, Angel (Dope) and Travis (Divine Hersey) who we thought did a great job.

What can you tell us about the lyrics?

There is a central theme to the album on a character we call ‘Pariah’ who causes/follows/is a witness to anything devastating in our world, whether it’s the past, present or future. He doesn’t die, he doesn’t live. He’s is neither the devil nor god, he is just devastation. Or a very unlucky soul.
What is your aim with Our Last Enemy – what do you want to achieve?

Our answer would be the same as any honest band or artist, without getting into a particular agenda – we want to get our music out to as many people as possible, pushing our particular style of art as far as we can, which we hope will lead to a strong career so we can continue to make music.

What does the future hold for Our Last Enemy?

Well, our album drops on March 11th 2014 all over North America through Eclipse Records. We will be doing a North American tour soon, which we can’t elaborate on anymore at the moment and in the meantime we’re writing our second album. We like to stay busy.

Thanks!

Eissturm – The Purpose (Review)

This is US band Eissturm and they play Black Metal with Ambient and Folk touches.

This is Black Metal in the style of Vinterrikket with Metal tracks interspersed with more Ambient, Folky numbers.

In the Metal parts the guitars are fuzzy, atmospheric and concentrate on building mood with layers of ice cold depth. It’s heavily distorted and laden with reverberation.

The guitars aim to create maximum emotion and the extra effects create a veneer of feeling that radiates outwards from the songs like a cyclone.

The vocals are either emitted like static; scratching and screeching their way through the storms, or howling and tortured; crying out in anguish against the wind.

The ambient tracks reinforce the fact that this is Black Metal born of a frigid, desolate environment where survival is hard and night is perpetual. Each one adds to the mystique and flavour of the album and draws you into their world even more.

Like walking through a snowstorm in a barren landscape with no food or shelter for days. Icy and atmospheric Ambient Black Metal done well.

Cauldron Black Ram – Stalagmire (Review)

This is the third album from Australian Death Metal band Cauldron Black Ram.

The band have a very striking sound that instantly forces you to sit up and pay attention. Sort of like Six Feet Under crossed with Venom and Celtic Frost.

There is an air of Sludge to the songs; a foetid whiff of mouldy corpses long sealed in a basement. Add to this a decent Black Metal influence on occasion, and you have a bumpy ride over the screaming bodies of countless poor passers by as this Metal juggernaut rolls into town.

They have a very fluid sound in the sense that the songs can morph into different shades of Metal quite quickly, with different riffs, vocals and drumming patterns all asserting themselves dominantly depending on the song. All of this happens within the Death/Black/Sludge Metal framework of course, but it does mean that there’s never any chance to get bored when the band have so many tools to club their way into your attention.

Although I wouldn’t call them Old-School per se, there is a definite Old-School streak to them and they even have some prime Heavy Metal, almost Iron Maiden-type moments now and again.

This is an interesting and gratifying Metal album. All the more so for the fact that it’s a little different from the norm. A lot of talent and effort has gone into these songs, and it shows.

Get your fix of Cauldron Black Ram today.