Death Metal – Page 164 – Wonderbox Metal

Septekh – Plan For World Domination (Review)

Septekh are from Sweden and play Death/Thrash Metal with a Blackened edge.

Based on the album cover I was expecting something a bit calmer than this, but what bursts from the speakers when the first song Into the Void of My Mind starts is a frenetic and excitable beast covered in spikes and claws.

This reminds me of a mix of bands like Darkthrone, Audio Pain and Aura Noir, with the stylistic nature and playfulness of a band like Die Apokalyptischen Reiter.

The vocals are straight form the nails-down-a-blackboard school of throat shredding. They do the job well and manage to avoid the faceless nature of this kind of vocals by having a clear identity and personality behind the bark.

At an hour in length this is a long release with a lot of content to digest. This album works best over repeated spins though as it takes a while for the Blackened melodies and rhythmic patterns to imprint themselves on the psyche. But imprint they do as first and foremost these tracks are songs and as such have hooks and catchiness more than you would expect for a band of this ilk. Death/Thrash/Black they may be, but there’s a firm core of out and out Rock running through this album.

Satisfying and enjoyable, Septekh have produced a solid slab of Metal that will have you coming back for more, again and again. Perhaps world domination isn’t as unlikely as you first thought…?

https://www.facebook.com/septekh

Vanhelgd – Relics of Sulphur Salvation (Review)

This is the third album by Swedish Death Metallers Vanhelgd.

Interesting fact – the vast majority of all of the bands that I have reviewed who have been playing the Swedish Death Metal style haven’t actually been from Sweden. Here, however, we have the real thing; authentically Swedish and authentically Death Metal.

So, if you’re a fan of this genre, or even someone who merely flirts with it now an again; you know what to expect here. That doesn’t diminish its impact one iota though.

This is Death Metal with chainsaw guitars and a razor sharp sense of melody. The riffs and spiky melodics threaten to lacerate, they’re that focused.

They have the song skills that go hand in hand with this style and inject a real sense of horror and suspense into proceedings. Vanhelgd are especially good when creating an atmosphere with their riffs; when the dark melodics crash into each other or propel the song onwards underneath a sea of blastbeats. Crushing stuff.

There are eight songs in total and each one is all brawn and gristle. Vanhelgd are perfect ambassadors for this style and present it in its best light.

A very strong album and a very enjoyable way to kill 40 minutes. Long live Swedish Death Metal!

Skinfather – None Will Mourn (Review)

This is the début album from US Death Metal band Skinfather.

They may come from the US but their style of Death Metal is more Swedish than anything else. They are also named after a Dismember song, so you get the idea.

However, they are not just about the hero-worship, they also add some more contemporary influences into their sound – a bit of Entombed here, a bit of Crust/Hardcore there. It all adds up to a riveting listen.

That chainsaw sound is plastered all over every song and this gives proceedings a hefty amount of muscular backbone. The riffs are powerful and the band clearly passionate about their songs, which is obviously a good thing. Also; there are some seriously good riffs on here…

The vocals are halfway between the Death Metal standard and a more Crusty gurning, although when needed the growls do come out in their full bestial glory.

A very satisfying listen. Unlike a lot of bands who try this style Skinfather have managed to stamp their own mark on the Swedish Death Metal template, which is no mean feat.

Listen up – there’s a new pack leader in town.

https://soundcloud.com/earsplit/skinfather-ordeal-by-fire?in=earsplit/sets/skinfather-none-will-mourn

Bokluk – Taphonomy (Review)

Bokluk are from Spain and play Death Metal. This is their début album.

Primitive, atavistic Death Metal with a healthy Crust influence oozes out of the speakers and all over the floor. You try to run, try to hide, but to no effect. The gloopy, sinister ooze is already on you, infecting your brain and slowly turning you into itself. Soon it will have taken you over completely, and then there will only be Bokluk.

This is Old-School Death Metal mixed with the most filthy Punk/Crust influence imaginable.

The production is raw and unpolished, lending the songs real bite and an authentic aura of dirt.

Vocals are deep, guttural and indecipherable; a relentless battering of growls and grunts.

Whether playing fast or slow they have some tasty riffs, and the Metal keeps on flowing.

Play loud.

Eskhaton – Worship Death (Review)

This is the latest album from Australia’s Eskhaton.

The band play Blackened Death Metal and don’t waste any time introducing the listener to their thick, filthy sound.

The reverberating vocals sound like they are being howled out of a void and the music similarly evokes images of warp storms and dimension-ripping tornadoes.

This is savage, bestial and relentless. Like some form of primeval Death Metal ritual, swathed in the occult and daring you to lock stares with it. I wonder who will blink first?

Raging guitar assaults compete with inhuman drumming which always seems just one step away from the drummer losing all control and just beating his kit into a pile of rubbish.

It’s only on the fourth track, (and title track), where we start to see the first signs of let up in the hyper-extreme blasting, with a mid-paced section easing us into the song. At least for 30 seconds or so, after which it’s back to the mayhem as chaos and unholy cacophonies are unleashed once more.

Eskhaton epitomise brutal, Extreme Metal with some lightning flashes of Blackened melody striking out from the maelstrom. Are you brave enough to risk getting caught in their way?

Zoldier Noiz – Regression Process (Review)

Zoldier Noiz are a French band who play primitive Death/Thrash/Crossover Metal.

This is ugly Death Metal from back alleys and drunken brawls. Ultra-primitive, belligerent Metal that combines the raw underbelly of Punk and Crust into a Crossover whole that melds Thrash to a primordial Death Metal.

The songs are short and violent, but that doesn’t mean the band are without talent; not just anyone can get away with playing this style of music and not have it come off as an uninteresting mess. Zoldier Noiz make up for what they lack in sophistication with raw passion and will.

A speed punk feeling underlies these songs with the band sometimes seemingly rushing to finish as soon as they’ve started. It makes for an energetic listen.

A functional-but-that’s-about-it recording emphasizes the barbaric nature of the band and unintelligibly grunted pseudo-vocals are barked like challenges to all and sundry.

If a band like Motorhead released a primitive Death Metal album, they it would probably sound a lot like Zoldier Noiz.

Morbid Flesh – Embedded In The Ossuary (Review)

Morbid Flesh are a Death Metal band from Spain, and this is their latest EP.

It starts off with an atmospheric instrumental track Entrance to the Ossuary which whets the appetite with its Bolt Thrower-esque melodies and build up. After this we’re into the thick of it with Charnel House and it’s clear that the band are channelling the greats of Swedish Death Metal for their primal sound.

The riffs are good choices and the drums are a powerful backbone keeping everything on track. Rather than adhereing strictly to the blueprint laid down by the Swedish masters however, the band are not afraid to add a bit of atmospherics to their sound and they excel at all of the wailing, screaming solos.

So, a nice bit of Grave and Dismember, with a little bit of a Death influence added.

The vocalist is adept at his calling, with some deep growls to accompany the chainsaw-assault and the melodic outbreaks.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I appear to have a soft spot for this kind of Death Metal. But honestly, what’s not to like?

Listen for yourself.

Sabbatory – Endless Asphyxiating Gloom (Review)

Sabbatory are from Canada and play Death Metal. This is their début album.

Sabbatory have an Old-School sound that recalls Celtic Frost if they were a Death Metal band.

The production has that classic timeless feeling and the songs maximise this, playing their morbid Metal with enthusiasm and intensity.

The vocals are deep and disturbed, but remain legible for the most part. They have character and are instantly differentiated from most modern Death Metal vocals by this and by borrowing some Old-School quirkiness from the likes of Celtic Frost and Venom.

Each song has its own identity. There are only 7 of them but they each have a role to play in making up the 33 minutes playing time. There is not a filler in sight.

Like the best of the classic Death Metal bands Sabbatory are interested in songs and know how to write a good tune. They play the riffs well and even push out the odd solo. I hear a healthy Death influence here and there.

Recommended listening. After all, this is Death Metal through and through, what’s not to like?

Human Infection – Curvatures In Time (Review)

Human Infection are from the US and play Death Metal.

And what an album cover! Now that’s what a Death Metal cover should look like…

The music doesn’t disappoint. After a perfunctory intro it’s straight into the USDM-style blasting with the nicely named Celestial.

The vocals instantly jump out at you with their character and are more Malevolent Creation than the cookie monster-standard.

This harks back to earlier times circa the 90’s, with short, brutal songs that could have come out of the Cannibal Corpse stable or the Floridian swamps; the band have the USDM blasting down to a nostalgic art, and the mid-paced assaults are authentic and rousing. There is even a subtle Thrash element to some of the riffs. It’s not a huge influence, but it’s there, adding its bite to the attack.

Human Infection also drag the songwriting skills of the bands from this earlier era into their work. These tracks are not merely a collection of riffs; thought has gone into the ebb and flow of the songs, as well as to making them catchy and loading them with hooks.

Like Morbid Angel and Suffocation conspired to produce a bastard offspring; Curvatures In Time is a worthy heir to the throne.

Ferium – Reflections (Review)

This is the début album from Ferium who come from Israel and play Death/Groove Metal with a slight Metalcore-style influence.

This is rabble-rousing groove Metal with a firm Death Metal basis and only a little bit of -core influence added in. A case could be made for calling them Deathcore I suppose, but they don’t share a lot of common ground with most Deathcore bands, (more emphasis on melody and less on breakdowns, etc.), and thus I feel this would be doing them somewhat of a disservice. Genre label quibbles aside, the emphasis is on the Metal, as it should be.

I suppose if you take a cross of, say Lamb of God and Arch Enemy and add more of classic Death Metal influence you’d be in the right area. Or conversely if you take some older bands such as Lipid and Konkhra and add a modern influence you’d end up in similar territory.

The songs are growers; they have an initial impact certainly, but require time to fully appreciate as they are the kind of songs that are unhurried, secure in the knowledge that they’re capable and worthy of repeat visitations.

This is at least partly to do with the fact that a lot of the riffs used here are midway between melodic and brutal, making them stand out and peak the curiosity. The band flirt with Melodic Death Metal but always pull back to heavier climes before fully embracing this destination. It’s an interesting listen.

The vocalist has quite the range, whether it’s deep growls or terror-inducing screams. He has the rhythmic patterns of a modern Metal shouter and the lungs of a Behemoth.

Ferium have produced a quality listen with enough longevity to keep things lively. Let’s see where this band end up as they have a lot to offer the discerning metal fan.