Death Metal – Page 157 – Wonderbox Metal

Phobiatic – Fragments of Flagrancy (Review)

Phobiatic are from Germany and this is their second album of Technical Death Metal.

Phobiatic’s Death Metal is both technical and brutal and takes cues from the likes of Dying Fetus – huge brutal riffs combine with intricate, swirling leads to create a monster of a Death Metal assault.

The songs are largely short and sadistic affairs, averaging about 3 minutes each; every track makes a virtue of aggressive complexity juxtaposed with a simpler and more brutally direct attack.

The production sounds fine and the band know what they’re doing with their respective instruments.

The vocals are deep, guttural and in your face. A band like this, however, has no need for subtlety and the forthright approach goes hand in hand with the nature of the songs.

Fragments of Flagrancy is an enjoyable album that’s short enough to satisfy the urge for instant destruction and technical enough to satisfy the desire for a deeper chaos.

Give the album a listen and see what they do for you.

The Hole – A Monument to the End of the World (Review)

This is the début album from The Hole, who are a Spanish Death Metal band with Thrash leanings.

The Hole thunder nicely out of the speakers with a heavy sound and crushing presence. It’s riff-heavy music intent on causing as much destruction and devastation as possible.

I’m not sure why but based on the album cover I was expecting this to be more commercial than it is, and I’m pleased to be mistaken as this is pleasantly brutal and harsh.

I think I was maybe expecting the Thrash element of their sound to be the dominant partner, but no; although their Thrash influence has its place and keeps the album from sounding stale, it’s the harsher Death Metal sound that is the driving force here.

The Thrash edge lends the songs a more considered side than if it was pure Brutal Death Metal, but nonetheless this is raging and storming music for the most part. Some of the riffs and ideas are actually quite inventive and the band strive to keep the album as varied and interesting as possible, which is to be commended.

The heaviness is offset with occasional melodic moments and the band know their business. A good amount of solos are played too, which is always nice.

Blast beats and mid-paced double bass sections force the guitars to keep up, and the bass actually has a presence in the songs which is good to hear.

The vocals alternate between deep, evil sounding growls and higher rasps. Both sound good; both do the job. Good vocal rhythms and structures are used.

An enjoyable and solid release. Have a listen to this.

Torn the Fuck Apart – Sexually Transmitted Torture (Review)

Torn the Fuck Apart are from the US. They play Death Metal and this is their second album.

Torn the Fuck Apart combine Brutal Slamming Death Metal with Technical Death Metal to sound like the bastard offspring of Dying Fetus and Cannibal Corpse.

Heavy riffs collide with widdly guitar leads to create that Dying Fetus-style mix of brutality and technicality that works so well for them. Torn the Fuck Apart then add into the mix a bit more Cannibal Corpse influenced riffs a well as elements from the Slam school of thought.

The songs are good, with heavy riffs flying around and leads slicing through the chaos like knives. There’s plenty to get caught up in and the double bass and blast beats flow freely.

The vocalist uses very deep, guttural growls; his is a very good voice for this kind of music.

Musically the album has a maturity that belies the image you might get of the band from their songtitles, etc. This is advanced-level Death Metal with lots to keep the listener hooked as the band bash you around the head with their aural assault.

Have a listen and I’m sure you’ll get drawn into their technically brutal world.

Confrontation – Fieseler Fi 103 (Review)

Confrontation are from the Netherlands. This is their début EP and they play Death Metal.

This is Old-School Death Metal with a malignant Doom influence. Think Swedish Death Metal meets Incantation. The recording has a bit of that Swedish tone, an evil vibe and a very tasty drum sound.

The songs are lumbering, heavy behemoths of dark destructive energy and deep, inhuman growling.

There are only three tracks on this release but each song is relatively long with the whole EP clocking in at just under 20 minutes.

What I like about this band is that they take the Swedish/Old-School sound and really ramp up the Doom side of the equation. The end of the first track, for example, is a great combination of feedback drenched slow riffing, harrowing noise and deep growls.

The band know how slowness works and how to make the most of it; atmosphere, feeling – these are important to the band. The start of the second track reinforces this as we get an eerie guitar melody over a pitch-black Doom riff and slow, crawling drums. When the vocals kick in it sounds as if Bolt Thrower have slowed down more than normal and decided to take the evil route to Death Metal.

Highly enjoyable – a hidden gem of the Metal underground.

This is an impressive EP that should be listened to by fans of both Doom and Death Metal. Be sure to check them out.

Miasmata – Demo (Review)

This is the first demo by Dutch Death Metal band Miasmata.

It opens explosively with pignoise and blastbeats. A firm opening statement if ever there was one.

It may be just a demo but the sound is acceptable enough and showcases the band’s blend of chugging slam and blasting brutality. Solos and the odd flash of melodics appear in the songs as the band aren’t adverse to adding a bit of colour to the tracks.

I’d classify this short demo as a cross between Dying Fetus and Deicide. This songs are surprisingly enjoyable and overall I like this. This is no frills, no nonsense Death Metal that gets the job done nicely.

This demo is a good first release and if the band spend a bit more time honing their art then I think their eventual début album will go down a storm.

Have a listen.

Unaussprechlichen Kulten – Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath (Review)

Unaussprechlichen Kulten are from Chile and this is their third album of Death Metal.

HP Lovecraft-themed Death Metal is never going to be completely run-of-the-mill and Unaussprechlichen Kulten are no exception. This is Death Metal with an evil, occult feel to it.

They superficially draw comparisons with Incantation/Immolation, (only with shorter songs), as well as the odd bit of Morbid Angel. They have the kind of interesting songwriting that seems to be more related to the Old-School than a lot of current Death Metal, which gives them a Classic Death Metal sheen to their gloriously nefarious sound.

The relatively short songs add up to a relatively short album, so Unaussprechlichen Kulten definitely don’t outstay their welcome. What is here, however, is a very enjoyable collection of tracks that mix the aforementioned bands/styles into a melting pot that’s probably to be used as the basis of a potion or concoction that will end up summoning some long lost god or other. Until that time of our ultimate demise, however, we are free to enjoy the Death Metal that these Chileans have unleashed on the world.

The dark, heavy riffs and eerie leads are propelled by solid drumming and a singer who is doing his best Incantation impression. The songs have a darkly dynamic feel to them and the malevolent aura they exude is toxic to the touch. I also like that the bass is actually audible and provides a useful backdrop to the rest of the music.

If you’re bored of the same old generic Death Metal then have a good listen to Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath; for fans of well-played, interesting Death Metal that’s far too wicked and corrupt to be normal.

Highly recommended.

Slaughterday – Ravenous (Review)

Slaughterday are a German Death Metal band and this is their latest EP.

After thoroughly enjoying their début album Nightmare Vortex I was looking forward to listening to this.

This EP is 4 tracks long and features 19 minutes of music; 3 originals and a cover of an Acheron song.

Slaughterday play Death Metal that’s brutal, heavy and has a firm Old-School influence to it.

The band are on fine form here with the music sounding as crushing as ever. The vocals also sound particularly savage when the guttural deep growls are twinned with the higher screams. Pulse-raising stuff.

When they slow the pace Slaughterday manage to foster a real air of menace with their crawling, oppressively heavy delivery.

The songs are well-written, memorable and played proficiently. Some nice solos make an appearance too. The riffs are nicely done and there are some choice cuts amongst these tracks.

One thing I like about Slaughterday is their ability to combine a good vocal rhythm with a perfectly matched mid-paced riff. In themselves each of these things is a desirable result, but combined together the effect is greater than the whole. They did this to great effect on their début album and judging by the tracks on Ravenous this is something that they are getting even better at doing.

A very strong EP that builds on the hard work done with their début album and promises good things for their next.

Don’t miss this.

Inexorable – Morte Sola (Review)

This is the latest EP from German Technical Death Metal band Inexorable.

It starts with Doom. First track, Praeludium Mortis, is 2:39 of slow, agonising crawling through broken glass and razor shards. It sets the scene perfectly for Inexorable’s brand of impenetrable Black Metal-tinged assault.

This is no normal Death Metal. This is for fans of Gorguts, Portal, Mayhem, Axis of Perdition, etc. – bands that are interested in pushing the boundaries of traditional genre restrictions and will do so in their own way. If Mayhem went Death Metal, Inexorable might be what they sounded like.

The riffs congeal together to produce dark, murky feelings and the guitar lines almost seem alive with malignant presence.

Vocals are kind of an ethereal growl that reside half in our reality and half in some other, twisted dimension; or sometimes a plaintive semi-clean sung from the depths of a churning abyss. Either way they are not the standard for this kind of music, with the semi-cleans in particular coming across strongly.

The songs, and the EP in general, is a holistic experience; a nightmare reality to visit but hopefully to escape from at the end. Sometimes bands which attempt music like this can come across as unfocused or messy, but I’m pleased to say this is not the case with Inexorable.

Throughout all of the evil, grim sounds and communing with other realities is a firm foundation in, (atypical), Death Metal. This serves them well and keeps them grounded whereas they might otherwise carried away by the dark and lost to us forever.

This is not music for the weak hearted. If you can stomach it, however, there are some evil delights to be had here.

Very highly recommended.

Collision/The Rotted – Split (Review)

Collision are a Grindcore band from the Netherlands and The Rotted are a Crust-influenced Death Metal band from the UK.

This is a short split at just over 6 minutes in length that shows off what both bands can do, so let’s see what we have here.

Collision have two songs. The sound is raw and brutal, with serrated vocals screaming and shouting out over speedy Grind. Both tracks are a fast and furious blend of Hardcore-influenced Grind and angry outbursts.

Both are good songs that have plenty of blastbeats mixed with moments of heavier restraint. The riffs are solid and the band seem to be having a blast.

I’m sold. Bring on The Rotted!

After Collision’s barrage of ferocity The Rotted pound out Rotted Fucking Earth which is a d-beat Punk-esque song with a good sound.

It has a drunken swagger and an aggressive temperament; it’s probably not something you want to mess with.

Simple-but-effective songwriting is powered by decent riffs and pure attitude. As Metal songs go it’s a veritable anthem.

Short but oh so sweet, this is a worthy split to add to your collection.

Azooma – A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster (Review)

Azooma are from Iran and play Death Metal.

A nice acoustic intro starts us off, shortly followed by the opening track Self-Infected. It’s immediately apparent that the band can play well, and also that the type of Death Metal they play is non-standard.

Azooma play Progressive Death Metal with Technical Death Metal clearly playing a role, but rather than the schizophrenic complex-for-the-sake-of-it route that a lot of Technical Death Metal goes down, Azooma have chosen the arguably more interesting Progressive Death Metal route. This means more coherent song structures and more emphasis on the song itself and its accompanying feelings and moods. With this in mind A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster is a roaring success.

Think old-Opeth if they were more Death Metal. Think Gorguts and Death mixed together in a Progressive Metal melange. Tasty.

As mentioned; the musicianship is top-notch, which even includes a noticeable bass. The band proficiently play Death Metal, Progressive Metal, acoustics, Jazz-style interludes, and essentially everything else with pure class.

The vocals are deep and satisfying and the band even find space in their expansive songs to include a couple of low-key cleans that enhance proceedings on a couple of occasions.

A strong sound and production rounds of the package and Azooma have a winner on their hands here.

This is a supremely impressive release and one that you should definitely get if you’re even remotely interesting in challenging, stand-out music.