This is the début album from Norwegian Death Metal band Killing for Company.
Killing for Company’s music seems like it has congealed from a pool of blood that’s seeped out of the corpse of old-school Death Metal. To get an idea of the band’s sound, think Bolt Thrower and Autopsy; mix this with a bit of, (old), Hypocrisy and then add in some atmosphere and coloured melody. Continue reading “Killing for Company – House of Hades (Review)”
Dominhate are an Italian Death Metal band and this is their latest EP.
Dominhate play Death Metal that’s dark, dingy and full of sinister auras.
Featuring a classic style and enough grim riffing to get anyone to sit up and pay attention, it’s easy to get on board with the band’s ugly aggression.
This short EP is a relentlessly brutal foray into the underground of Death Metal, where it’s all about crushing your enemies with a vice-like grip and then beating their corpses with their own broken limbs. Continue reading “Dominhate – Emissaries of Morning (Review)”
This is the third album from these Brazilian Death Metal veterans, and their first in 15 years.
Rebaelliun have a level of in-built authenticity to them and The Hell’s Decrees is a form of Death Metal purity that few attain. These songs slay the opposition with ease, providing a precise assault of speed and brutality that is inspiring in its destructiveness.
Or, to put it another way; these are damn fine Death Metal songs. Continue reading “Rebaelliun – The Hell’s Decrees (Review)”
This is the second album from Heretique, a Polish Death Metal band.
This is solid old-school Death Metal that takes additional influence from older Metal and proto-Black Metal, making for a well-rounded release that creates its own atmosphere and character with ease.
Snatches of melody appear here and there in the leads and solos; played well and thoughtfully constructed, they add colour and feeling to the otherwise heavy old-school thrashings that the band produce. I love me some good soloing and there are some real crackers on here.
Continue reading “Heretique – De Non Existentia Dei (Review)”
Fister and Teeth are both bands from the US, and they’ve teamed up for this split release.
Fister start us off with one track – We All Die Tonight. Although they’ve never graced this site before, Fister’s brand of Sludgy Doom is most enjoyable, and this song is no different.
Phazm are from France and this is their fourth album. They play Black Metal.
Phazm’s brand of Black Metal is influenced by the Death ‘n’ Roll style as well as old-school Black Metal. These elements combine to produce a very likeable collection of songs that focus on being a catchy and enjoyable combination of blast beats, groove and inhuman vocals.
Imperium are a technical Death Metal band from the UK. This is their second album.
Ahh, Death Metal, most reliable of all musical styles in many ways. All you need is some decent blasting, aggressive vocals, a production with punch and you’re in business. Enter Imperium.
The Zenith Passage are a Technical Death Metal band from the US. This is their début album.
Featuring former and current members of The Faceless, Oblivion, Fallujah and All Shall Perish, you already know that there’s a wealth of talent behind this band before you even press play.
The aforementioned bands also give you an idea of what type of material that The Zenith Passage play too; combining the modern/futuristic Death Metal of The Faceless and Fallujah, complete with keyboards/electronics and otherworldly atmospherics, gets you a pretty good idea of how Solipsist sounds.
The music is mostly frenzied extremity combined with seasoned atmospherics that’s both highly melodic and brutally sharp. Guitars shift and turn while the drums are an endless exploration of blast beats, double bass and maniacal rhythms.
As should be expected from the people involved in this, the level of musicianship is absurdly high. With so many complex guitars parts, twisting melodies and outright mind-ripping axe-shredding, Solipsist doesn’t leave the listener wanting in the technicality department. That the mayhem is occasionally punctuated by more atmospheric and relaxing moments just serves to make the extremity all the more powerful.
The singer has the kind of rapid-fire bark that suits this type of frenetic music. He seems almost in a race to keep up with the speed of the guitars, and although he’s always destined to fail at this, it doesn’t matter as the trying is the important part.
If you’re a fan of the style of music that The Faceless play, but prefer their earlier material which had less/no clean vocals, then I would heartily recommend you check this out. Hell, if you’re a fan of techdeath at all, I would recommend you check this out. Basically, check this out.
Omophagia are a Death Metal band from Switzerland and this is their second album.
Playing a brutal and precise version of Death Metal, Omophagia know how to pen a good riff and a memorable song.
Alongside the speed and brutality there’s also some nice technical aspects to the songs as the band know their instruments well.
Included also are some very enjoyable solos and leads, and the band aren’t afraid of including some melody here and there. There’s a militaristic, impersonal feel to some of the heavy riffs which is deftly counteracted by the colour and warmth that the solos, leads and slices of melody provide.
These songs are well-composed and the band show a keen awareness for structure and pace. I like that they know how to use the rhythm guitars to great effect, always making sure to inject them with energy and rhythmic memorability. Rather than peeling off throwaway filler riffs, it feels as if the different parts of these songs have been thought over in detail. Combined with the mechanistic and relentlessly pounding drums that track with the guitars, it makes for an effective and efficient rhythm section.
The vocalist has a rapid-fire voice that barks out deep growls in a clipped, decisive manner. His voice is very satisfying and alongside the well-recorded music these songs hit the spot quite nicely.
Omophagia have the full package, and In the Name of Chaos is one of the more fully-rounded Death Metal releases I’ve heard of late.
Very highly recommended.
Job for a Cowboy are a US Death Metal band and this is their fourth album.
On this release Job for a Cowboy have refined their Death Metal further, adding a progressive sheen to their technical assault. Ambitious and bold, this is a game-changing release for the band in many ways, demonstrating that they are willing to do what it takes to reinvent themselves on their own terms.
The solid and modern Death Metal core of the band remains, but on Sun Eater this is complemented by additional ideas and different flourishes to what they have tried before, including nicely wandering basslines and progressive Metal explorations that truly flesh out their sound more than in the past. On Sun Eater it seems they have really pushed the envelope with their experimentation.
It’s really good to see a band that are not content to stay the same with every release; while still retaining their own identity the band have moved forwards with their style and embraced a more Death/Cynic aspect in addition to what they have previously done. This enhanced songwriting is apparent throughout this album.
The songs are complex, varied, layered and have a lot going on. Entwined melodies and eccentric grooves create all manner of intriguing soundscapes. The bass, which is always something I love to hear, is a major player in the band’s updated sound.
Note should also be made of their singer. Although he’s always had a charismatic growl, his performance on Sun Eater is probably his most diverse and enjoyable yet, with his growls and screams being flawlessly delivered and well-judged. His engaging vocal rhythms remain intact, even though the music has morphed and mutated around them.
Due to the above, Sun Eater offers less instant gratification than its predecessors, but repeated spins shows this to be a positive thing as the album grows on you like a plague, (in a good way).
Having successfully fully transitioned to this new progressive Death Metal style, this album is hugely impressive.
For fans of Obscura, Gorguts and the like, this is damn near essential.
Wonderbox Metal 