Death Metal – Page 131 – Wonderbox Metal

Blade of Horus – Monumental Massacre (Review)

Blade of Horus are an Australian Death Metal band and this is their début EP.

Now I don’t know about you, but with a name like Blade of Horus and furnished with the kind of exotic album cover that Monumental Massacre has, I have certain expectations of the band before I even hear a note.

At 22 minutes in length, this is a decent intro to the band and definitely leaves me wanting to hear more in the future.

Growls, shrieks and pig-squeals are the order of business for their vocalist, with the band sounding like they’re whipping him to ever greater heights of fury and devotion with every beat of the drum and pluck of the string.

The band combine brutality and technicality with some minor Deathcore influences to produce short and succinct tracks that go straight for the throat, yet also have enough about them to take the time to consider alternative ways of improving their murderous assault.

The songs are brutal enough to absolutely slay, but technical and complex enough to add a certain level of restrained chaos and further depth to the band’s impressive noise. Interesting riffs and ideas are showcased easily, and there’s a fair amount of stuff going on here despite the short length. Huge chugging riffs in the style of Dying Fetus effortlessly share space with complicated guitar-widdling the likes of Nile would be proud of.

Extra impressive is their ability to add in small sections of atmosphere into these crowded tracks, allowing them the space to incorporate melody and mood into the music, to great effect.

All of this helps create the impression of a band who really do have a lot to offer the discerning Metal fan.

So here we have another band who have seemingly come out of nowhere to impressively crush listeners everywhere with their enjoyable take on Extreme Metal.

Expectations met. Expectations exceeded, in fact.

Absolution – Temptations of the Flesh (Review)

This is the first EP from UK Death Metallers Absolution.

Having first formed in 1991, with a demo in 1992, this début EP is well overdue. This is Death Metal played with a love of the old-school, tempered by those who were there at the time and birthed into the present with a passion for the style.

These three tracks are song-based and take the time to select the most suitable riffs and beats for the music, rather than focusing purely on speed, technicality or anything else. The music gives the impression that a lot of consideration has gone into it.

Boasting a satisfyingly gritty production, this is on the rawer side than a lot of the more polished bands out there these days, but not so raw as to harm the impact of the music. I particularly like the drum sound and the drumming in general; it also makes me quite nostalgic, although I can’t quite put my finger on why, oddly.

The singer has a charismatic bark and draws out his screams quite nicely in addition to the more clipped shouts.

A short, enjoyable re-introduction to the Death Metal scene for the band; hopefully we’ll hear more from them in the future.

Omnihility – Dominion of Misery (Review)

This is the third album from US Technical Death Metal band Omnihility.

Their second album Deathscapes of the Subconscious stuck out in my mind for it’s complex blend of technicality and brutality, and this newest release follows the same path.

After an extremely atmospheric intro track that does absolutely nothing to prepare you for the coming onslaught, (although it is pretty damn good), Omnihility start as they mean to go on with ultra-technical Death Metal that doesn’t slack in the brutality department at all.

These songs are complex and punishing, pushing the extremes of the style to the limit, all the time demonstrating virtuoso playing and a keen eye for intelligent butchery.

The blast beats and double bass are physical enough to knock you down while the guitars attempt to play ALL OF THE NOTES AT THE SAME TIME. It’s a testament to the band’s ability that it’s not just one horrendous mess; instead we get well-thought out Technical Death Metal that hits all of the right spots.

Of course, once you get past my exaggerations in the previous paragraph, (only a bit…), Omnihility aren’t quite as insanely chaotic as some bands that play this style. The core brutality of the band keeps things from going too off the rails and there are enough simpler, heavier, groovier riffs plugged into the chaos here and there to make for songs that stay focused on the task at hand – ripping your face off.

Similar to the intro, there’s a break for the listener to catch their breath mid-album, with the track Within Shadows, which once again showcases the band’s atmospheric side.

The singer’s gruff, guttural growl continues to bounce like reflected lightning off the supersonic riffs, barking out from the music at a high speed. His is a very satisfying growl and one that allows the listener a constant focal point amidst the changing tides of rampant guitars and light speed drumming.

Phew. After 42 minutes off this you’ll need a sit down and a stiff drink.

Highly recommended.

Fleshgod Apocalypse – King (Review)

This is the fourth album from this Italian Death Metal juggernaut.

If you haven’t encountered Fleshgod Apocalypse before, apart from having an extremely striking band name, they play an exciting and intriguing blend of symphonic and brutal Death Metal that has few peers and really does get the juices flowing.

There’s a lot of content on this release, lasting almost an hour in total. Now fully embracing their Classical influences, the songs on King merge both symphonic and Extreme Metal worlds in ways that very few bands could pull off. Septic Flesh, Therion and a handful of others are in the same league, but for outright speed and brutality combined with Classical influences, none really come close to Fleshgod Apocalypse, none that I’ve heard at any rate.

This is high operatic art, as applied to the realm of Extreme Metal. With a bombastic production the band’s compositions are nuanced and subtle, all hiding behind a ostentatious veneer of brutal Metal. Strength and power are exemplified on these tracks.

The deep growling vocals keep the aggressive elements at the forefront of their sound, while the soaring cleans make for uplifting and powerful additions. These clean vocals masterfully avoid the commercially-tinged climes of bands that usually incorporate them into an Extreme Metal framework and instead allow them to enhance and merge with the busy, complex music. Operative female cleans also appear in places, further impressing.

The symphonic elements are ubiquitous and relentless, providing an epic backdrop onto which the Metal is writ large. This is more than just one style being added to the other though, as the merging appears to take place at the cellular level, with both styles embracing each other. In places this even verges on the kind of symphonic territory that certain strains of Heavy/Power Metal have occupied so well over the years.

All of this on its own would be impressive enough, but the real test of longevity is the quality of the songs. After all, if it was all flashy style and no substance, then sure it would sound impressive on first listen, but it would soon get old. All of this is, I suppose, a rather long-winded way of saying that the songs are well-written in addition to everything else, and it is this more than anything else that will allow King to pass the test of time and multiple listens. These songs work, and work very well.

King demonstrates a band at the peak of their creative powers in many ways, and it will be interesting to see what paths they tread in the future. I personally hope they take the Classical/operatic angle even further and become even more epic in scope. We’ll see. For now though, King is a suitably majestic release for something that bears such an appellation, one that I insist you listen to as soon as you can.

Essential.

Communal Grave – Solace in Violencia (Review)

Communal Grave are a Death/Thrash Metal band from Pakistan. This is their début album.

The singer has a pretty impressively scary deep growl that’s as dark as night and reeks of a huge black pit that you could easily fall into. It’s the kind of cavernous growl that makes an immediate impression and for a few moments it’s easy to forget the music that’s backing it up.

Phew.

As for the music – this is Melodic Death Metal that’s merged with Thrash Metal to produce an exact and precise rendition of both styles, mixed in together and spiced with some nice melodic tendencies throughout the songs.

The band sound like they have a tight rein on the music, playing everything with precision and care, focusing on the end result of the song and considering every part down to the last riff. This is in stark contrast to the feral vocals that sound completely unbound and unfettered, savagely growling their way over the melodic riffs and mellifluous leads. The contrast between the rough growls and precision-cut music is jarring, but somehow works nonetheless.

The longer-than-average nature of some of the tracks allows the band explore various melodic climes and these 45 minutes pass by easily, with the listener concurrently being buoyed up by the melodic assault and tore down by the deep, malevolent growls.

Ha! No matter how many times I listen to this, the best word I can think of to describe the singer’s vocals is “terrifying”. Oh, you’ll probably listen to them and think they’re deep growls and nothing more, but for me, for some unnameable reason, they hit a raw nerve that chills me to my very core. What’s that all about then? Best not to dig too deep I suspect.

At any rate, it all adds to the experience and Solace in Violencia is an engaging and enjoyable listen.

Now, excuse me while I go and select some new underwear…

Horrified – Of Despair (Review)

This is the second album from UK Death Metal band Horrified.

Horrified’s début album Descent into Putridity was a maggot-filled coffin full of raw, underground Swedish-influenced Death Metal. Things have changed since then, it seems.

A Swedish Death Metal influence is still apparent, but the band have expanded their horizons and taken in further influence from the more melodic side of the Swedish scene; think bands like Dissection, Edge of Sanity and Eucharist. It’s an interesting and unexpected change of direction for Horrified that allows them to develop their more expansive, progressive and melodic sides, while still including some nice brutality when they want.

As this development sees the band becoming more sophisticated and melodic, there’s a corresponding increase in length in the songs, with a couple breaching the eight minute mark. This allows the band to add the melodic, emotive side to the core of their old-school style, achieving a blistering combination of the two that works really well.

Although I miss the primitive old-school rumble of their début, I must admit that it’s very nice to see a band develop and spread their wings further afield than their early influences. As these influences do still play a part in their sound though, it’s not a total departure. The end result is that they have progressed into an entity that’s far more interesting and accomplished than what they have demonstrated in the past, and Of Despair is a very enjoyable and compelling piece of work.

Purtenance – …To Spread the Flame of Ancients (Review)

This is the third album from Purtenance, who are a Finnish Death Metal band.

Purtenance play old-school Death Metal that’s so ancient that as you sit listening to it in whatever dank crypt you chanced upon it in, it starts noticeably getting darker and as the crypt doors start creaking, you’re convinced all manner of shambling horrors are descending on your position. You’re probably right.

From the very first riff, this album has instant charisma and it’s extremely hard not to like its rotten charms. The band wear their influences on their sleeves and if you’re a fan of bands like Bolt Thrower, Incantation and Autopsy, you won’t go far wrong here. However, given that their first album was released in 1992, Purtenance know a little bit about the old-school and …To Spread the Flame of Ancients is as honest and authentic as it gets.

The singer has one of the best Death Metal voices I’ve heard in a while for this style. It’s an absolutely huge and pitch black growl that seems to come from the depths of The Pit. Sooooo good.

The songs are well-written, quality beasts, evoking just the right amounts of rot and power at the same time. Unlike a lot of old-school-themed bands, they also throw in a few unusual riffs and ideas here and there, as well as some dark melodies, faster sections and blast beats; all too often neglected in a sub-genre where mid-paced seems to rule the roost. Due to this, there’s a lot of differentiation between tracks on this album and it’s easy to not only tell them apart but to also have them slot nicely next to each other, making for an album you can enjoy either in bite-size, (bloody), chunks or holistically in one sitting. A worthy achievement.

An extremely enjoyable and satisfying 46 minutes. Purtenance have released an album of character and quality, one that I can heartily recommend.

Goholor – In Saeculis Obscuris (Review)

This is the début EP from Slovakian Blackened Death Metal band Goholor.

Offering up a 16 minute EP as their first venture into the world, Goholor play their Death Metal with a decent side of Black, making for sickening noises and dark Metal the likes of which are not for the average person.

Deep growls are backed up by scathing screaming highlights; the singer has the kind of growl that many a Death Metal vocalist can only imagine.

The music is well-played and obviously written by people who know how to handle the style. It’s precise and focused without being overly so, leaving room for a rougher edge that allows the songs to breathe and move freely in the gloom of the blackened auras that the band create.

With good riffs that harken back to the old-school, the band’s Black Metal influences enhance their well-crafted Death Metal core. The Black Metal elements add further depth to the tracks as the dark melodies worm their way into the essence of the songs’ aggressive tendencies.

A very enjoyable first release that delivers the goods and also promises much for the future.

Recommended.

Concrete – Chambers of Afterlife (Review)

This is the second album from Bulgarian Death Metal band Concrete.

Concrete play gore-soaked old-school Death Metal with plenty of presence.

The cookie-monster growls are as satisfying as any in the style and the singer’s performance suits the music nicely.

Heavy guitars herald the largely mid-paced assault that occasionally breaks through into blast beats. The band play the USDM style and the songs are written accordingly. There’s plenty of chugging destruction and some nice squealing added here and there, as well as some decent solos.

Simple and aggressive; you can’t really go wrong with something like this. Unless you’re just not a fan or are tired of the style, then it’s hard to not enjoy Chambers of Afterlife. It won’t earn any awards for innovation, but that’s not the point; this is an ode to pure Death Metal and it’s an ode I’ve liked hearing.

This is the kind of album that gets better the louder you play it. The riffs come alive even more and you get to feel the full, unfettered impact of the songs.

Chambers of Afterlife is a solid album that will suit older Cannibal Corpse fans down to the ground. Check them out and blast them out at full volume.

Abyssus – Once Entombed… (Review)

Abyssus are a Greek Death Metal band and this is a compilation of their older work.

Now this is the stuff! Ever since I heard their extremely good Split with Morbider, I’ve been a fan of this band. Then their début album Into the Abyss raised its ugly head and I was hooked.

This compilation pulls together their split with Slaktgrav, the aforementioned split with Morbider, their split with Nocturnal Vomit, and finally their 2012 EP Monarch to the Kingdom of the Dead, with two Death and Slayer covers tacked on the end. All of which makes for 55 minutes of old-school Death Metal heaven.

If you haven’t encountered Abyssus before, (why not?), then they play Obituary-inspired old-school Death Metal that’s just so very more-ish that as soon as you stop listening to them you can’t help reaching for the play button once again. Abyssus sound good and that’s all there is to it really.

Presented in reverse chronological order, this is essentially taking a trip back in time with the band, back through their discography. Their style hasn’t massively changed, but you can tell that they have progressed if you know what you’re looking for. With each release they get just that little bit tighter and more focused, just that little bit more professional in delivery and in the recording department.

I’d say that Monarch of the Kingdom of the Dead is the biggest departure from their normal sound here, which makes sense as it was their first release; these songs have more of a Swedish Death Metal influence and sound than the rest of their work, as well as a slightly more modern, polished delivery style. It’s all relative of course, but it’s noticeably different from the rest of the material here. It’s still good, but it’s the weakest part of the release, and I’m glad that after this they progressed, (regressed?), their style somewhat into the old-school institution they are quickly becoming.

Overall this release gets a giant thumbs up from me. Stick it on and get ready to uncontrollably groove yourself into the ground, as when Abyssus play you just can’t keep still, it’s just not done.

Essential.