Death Metal – Page 173 – Wonderbox Metal

Slaughterday – Nightmare Vortex (Review)

Slaughterday hail from Germany and play Death Metal. The Old-School is strong with this one! I also love the album cover. I’m a sucker for this kind of otherworldly-landscape type stuff.

The first song Unearthly Evocation sets the scene with a no-fills entrance and some solid riffing. The Old-School Death Metal vibe is apparent throughout, as well as some good Slayer-esque guitar parts that sound quite creepy.

The second song Nightmare Vortex, and the rest of the album, continue this trend. There are some well constructed solos and leads on this release, as well as some considered songwriting. Slaughterday are arguably at their best when going slower; the start of Cult of the Dreaming Dead is a great example of this – twisting, turning riffing building up and crashing down again until the faster section and growls kick in.

Even the vocals have an Old-School feeling – classic Death Metal-deep, without going over the top; you can still make out some of the words.

My favourite track is probably Addicted to the Grave. A nice slow burner with a catchy chorus.

If you have a taste for Old-School Death Metal played well then you could do a lot worse than Slaughterday. This is Metal, played well and enjoyable. I’m sold.

Bones – Sons of Sleaze (Review)

US group Bones’ second album doesn’t mess around; no silly intros or anything just straight into a simple guitar riff and then into the action. They play a primitive brand of Death Metal and Crust that is positively rabid.

They bang, crash and wallop their way through twelve songs, (including a Terrorizer cover), and at the end of it still have giant maniacal grins on their faces that lets you know they’re in this for the long haul and they aren’t going away. And nor should they.

This is a band who don’t care about sounding polished. This is proper, raw, underground music for people who know what they like. The weakest link for me personally in most bands with a rawer sound is usually the drums, but here they have an organic, analogue sound that propels these mangy tracks forwards and upwards so the rawness works in their favour and not against them.

Bones do slow and mid-paced perfectly well, but for me they really shine when going all out in top gear. Snarling and foaming at the mouth; these are the songs that make you sit up and take notice.

This is music that just couldn’t care less. It’s not for everyone, but nor should it be. If you are in the mood for some no-frills aggression in a very raw, old-school Crust style then you could do a lot worse than popping this in the player.

Joyless Jokers – Taste of Victory (Review)

Joyless Jokers play Melodic Death Metal with the odd atmospheric flourish and the right amount of aggression and bite.

These days the term Melodic Death Metal can sometimes evoke images of wannabe stadium-fillers all Hell-bent on copying In Flames, et al, but here it is played in its purest form – Death Metal that is full of melody! This is more aggressive and more Metal than most bands of the aforementioned ilk and there are no clean vocals busting out into anthemic choruses on this album.

What we get is well-written/recorded/played Metal with a strong vocalist who keeps the intensity up all the way through. He is backed by a very-able band who perform with gusto. Melodic leads; heavy riffs; keyboard and classical flourishes, (nicely understated); and a strong rhythm section that keeps everything together; these are the things that keep you returning for another listen.

I enjoyed this much more than I was expecting to, (cynic that I am!), and was pleasantly surprised by the content and quality this album shows. This is the perfect release for people looking for something more melodic, but aren’t interested in something overly-commercial. Victory tastes good.

Preludium – Redemption (Review)

We have some Polish Death Metal from this band and they wear their influences on their sleeve; so much so that it’s instantly recognisable as being from the Polish scene even before I knew that this was actually the case. As such we get quality, solid Death Metal with plenty of blasphemy and the occult, all in a mid-to-fast paced assault, depending on the song.

Chances are when you think of Polish Extreme Metal the first name that comes to mind is Behemoth, probably followed by Decapitated, etc. This is more in the Behemoth vein, but that does not mean that they are mere copycats or pretenders to the throne.

Preludium offer the listener a very satisfying experience with the blastbeats coming thick and fast. There are also underlying melodies that are quite subtle so that there is actually more going on in the music than you may otherwise think at first glance. Certainly after repeated listens there are hidden gems to be had.

This album is not 100% pure Death Metal though; there is the odd sneaky Black Metal part here and there. There’s just enough darkness to some of these riffs to earn the title of Blackened Death Metal I think. It’s a welcome addition that allows another facet of their sound to be heard.

This is the bands fourth album so it’s safe to say that they know their trade by now which is why everything here is top quality, confident and assured. This is also a real grower; the more you listen to it the more it gets its meaty claws in you.

Favourite track: The Seven Gates of Hell. Highly enjoyable song, with some excellent leads that turn up the atmospheric dial to 10.

Give Preludium a try.

Blood Mortized – The Demon, The Angel, The Disease (Review)

This is Swedish Death Metal group Blood Mortized’s third album and they’re not messing around.

The sound is excellent and cannot be faulted, with strong musicianship and songwriting to back it up. Songs are catchy and memorable, yet retain depth that allows them to pass the repeated listening test.

Played right, Swedish Death Metal is a devastating force and this album is finely crafted by experts. There is an energy to these songs that can’t be denied; you may have heard Swedish Death Metal before but rarely has it sounded this invigorated and vital. Someone has shocked a whole boat-load of electricity into this cadaver and there’s life in the old corpse yet!

There are subtleties at play here though which elevate this above the normal; little touches and moments here and there that make the most of the songs and allow them to be even better then they might otherwise be. This is at least partly due to an exceptional use of melody, sometimes blatant; sometimes understated; these moments merge into the Swedish chainsaw sound and enhance it immensely.

The vocals are also worthy of note; otherworldly bellowing and growling that are a perfect companion to the music. The combination together delivers a really menacing sound.

This is the kind of album that renews your love with an easily stale sub-genre. Take the time out to revisit it in the form of Blood Mortized and break out the chainsaws again!

Xehanort – Awaken in a Different Dimension (Review)

I’m not a massive fan of djent. it’s too easy to be mediocre it seems. Xehanort however, belong to a small subset of bands, (such as Xerath and Carthage), who take their humble djenty beginnings and do something worthwhile with it.

So; imagine a heavy-as-hell Death Metal band with some djenty riffs; add a layer of electronics, keyboards and atmosphere; sprinkle in some ethereal clean vocals and cover it all in a complex concept and you’ll arrive at Xehanort’s debut album. And all this from just one person.

This is a top quality recording. The guitars are monolithic and very well played. There is plenty of guitar dexterity and technical wizardry occuring alongside the thick, immense tone of the core heaviness.

One of the failings of djent can be a tendency to stick to the same pace, but Xehanort know when to blast and when to slow down. Each song has levels of added interest as well from the various effects, keyboards, etc. These add to the spice and flavour of the songs rather than fouling it, and never detract from the crushing, moshing, guitar-based core of the band.

Apart from the odd clean vocal as mentioned previously, the main style is deep, brutal, Death Metal grunts, accentuated with high pitched screams that are used tactically throughout.

This may have its basis in djent territory but some serious thought has gone into the construction of this album. If it wasn’t for the modern djent influences this would be classified as atmospheric Death Metal, and probably really should be. All I know is that it’s good and it hits the spot. Give it a try.

Suffer the Wrath – Divine Sign (Review)

Suffer the Wrath explode out of the speakers like a freight train covered in barbed wire and spikes – maximum damage and no waiting.

Coming from the US they show a good grasp of USDM dynamics while also adding elements of modernity and the Polish scene into a utterly brutal package that still manages to have some time for brains and melody underneath all of that brawn. Yes ladies and gentlemen these are actually songs and not just exercises in bludgeoning.

This is well recorded and boasts a nice meaty sound that threatens to decapitate at 1000 yards. And you can even hear the bass clearly. Imagine that.

The drums are an absolute monster and almost threaten to overpower everything else, but just at the last moment everything else is kicked up a gear and the tub-thumper is forceably restrained and beaten.

The vocals are suitably savage but also have a clarity to them which is a welcome change to the usual members of the cookie-monster club.

At only 13 minutes in length this is criminally short, but as this is only an EP it is to be expected. Album time please?

Ragestorm – The Thin Line Between Hope and Ruin (Review)

Italian Death Metal band Ragestorm chainsaw their way out of your speakers with enough introductory brutality and modern Thrashy Death Metal know-how to raise the odd eyebrow or two. Then the vocals kick in and you know you’re in for a wild ride. Alternating between deeper and darker, and higher and sharper, the singer can strip paint and cut skin at 100 paces.

This release boasts a tight, precise sound that helps the carnage come alive as it rips and tears everyone around it with a surgical slaughter. The songs are heavy and the band can play.

This is the kind of Metal that excites as it bludgeons. Death Metal it may be but there is also a firm Thrash sensibility at play that informs the songwriting dynamics with more than just mindless brutality. I can also hear a Lamb of God influence; particularly in the vocal department on occasion in certain vocalisations and vocal rhythms and patterns. As for the music I can hear similarities to Byzantine in places. So; imagine Lamb of God and Byzantine coming together to play some tasty At The Gates-style Melodic Death Metal; this should give you a good place to start with the sound they have. They also have guitar solos, which immediately makes me like any band just that little bit more.

This is just their début album and there is already plenty of ideas and talent on display to last them a few albums to come. These ideas are spread out over the entire album, but find a focus in Hari Seldon’s Speech.

A really good collection of songs and a really good start to what will hopefully be bigger things to come.

Top stuff.

Gutslit – Skewered in the Sewer (Review)

Brutal, slamming Death Metal from India with lashings of gore and a sprinkling of torture.

This is a nicely barbaric release. Plenty of blasting and chugging to set the heart racing. They’re not afraid to inject some nice leads into the mix on the odd occasion to augment the punishing rhythms and slamming nature of the rest of the music.

The vocals are low and guttural, descending to the level of pure pig-noise on occasion. Sometimes it sounds like the vocal equivalent of taking a sander to someone’s face. It may not sound pleasant but it works.

Sometimes this form of Brutal Death Metal/Death Grind/Gore Grind/etc. can sound quite generic and average, but Gutslit are better than that. It’s not due to a radical departure in sound or style, but simply a good ear for dynamics and songs. This is Death Metal that is almost catchy while it’s pulverising you. Think Gorerotted for the right kind of idea.

I like this, a lot. It has all of the ingredients of a satisfying album, and at 26 minutes long it’s a quick, easy listen. Of course these things are all relative. To the average person on the street this would be a Hellish torture session of epic proportions. But that’s just the way we like it. This kind of music was not designed for the wider public. This is Death Metal and this is for us.

Favourite Track: Haemorrhoidal Brain Custard. I defy you to sit still when this is playing.

Disfigurement – Soul Rot (Review)

Death Metal from the USA usually has plenty of muscle and brawn, and Disfigurement are no exception. This release has a physicality about it that just sounds solid; utterly immovable. It’s like the characteristics of a thick, heavy guitar tone have become corporeal and are daring you to try and knock it down or push past it. Which is impossible. Something this dense and massive is not going anywhere unless it’s on its own terms.

These five songs of USDM may be in the old-school style but they can match anything the new-school has to offer in terms of brutality and sheer ability to crush. Classic Death Metal has rarely sounded so vital, fresh and hungry. Thick, rhythmic guitars, pounding non-triggered drums, scathing vocals – Disfigurement have the full package, especially when highlighted with melodic leads and more-than-capable solos.

These are quality songs. They grab your attention with their muscularity and physical presence, and demand you listen to them through choking vocalisations and short, sharp stabs with their leads. At 24 minutes this is a decent length EP, but now we want more. Album please?