Death Metal – Page 149 – Wonderbox Metal

Chapel of Disease – The Mysterious Ways Of Repetitive Art (Review)

Chapel of Disease are from Germany and play Death Metal. This is their second album.

The album art alone made me expect something a bit special from this band; I just couldn’t imagine a “normal” Death Metal band having a cover like this.

As soon as I pressed play it seemed I was right. The Mysterious Ways starts out with a Doom-heavy riff that’s slow, tortured and enhanced with subtle keyboards. Top stuff. After this short intro of sorts the band ramps up the tempo but still manages to foster the air of occult mystery and ancient lore that the cover implies.

Overall I’m very impressed with this release. There are some Hellishly good riffs and melodies on here. The songs are exquisitely written and the moods and atmospheres that they cover are impressively realised.

This is clearly a band who are comfortable with their brand of horror and not afraid to be themselves. All credit to them for this, as The Mysterious Ways Of Repetitive Art is a Death Metal treasure of dark riffs and haunting melodics.

Imagine the best parts of bands like Hypocrisy, Usurper, Celtic Frost, Immolation, Incantation – essentially any band who have a penchant for atmospheric Metal that has a broad palette and creative soundscapes.

Chapel of Disease know how to be grimly brutal when they need to, but the main thing about a band like this is their recognition of the importance of dynamics and grand riffing. Their skilled songcrafting has resulted in Death Metal songs that perfectly capture the appeal of the underworld and the dark gifts and treasures that can be bestowed on those true believers that persevere in their art.

There’s a lot to absorb here. This is a compelling album of high Metal art. Get this.

Carnality – Dystopia (Review)

Carnality are a Technical Death Metal band from Italy. This is their second album.

The singer has the kind of infectious growl I love. It’s deep and rough but focused and compact as well. It’s more like precision strikes with a blunt weight than wildly flailing something around and hoping for the best. There’s enough variation in tone and delivery to show real character too.

This is ferocious, Modern Death Metal with barbed riffs and a murderous attitude. The songs are manufactured with nothing but destruction in mind.

Dystopia boasts a strong and clear production which allows the musicianship of the band to shine. They shred, peel, batter and tear their way through the songs with Hellish abandon.

The band are adept at fusing technicality with songwriting ability so that the tracks are both complex and involving. It’s great to hear when a band embraces the importance of a coherent and flowing song structure in addition to ensuring the requisite levels of brutality and technicality.

Carnality have put out a hugely impressive second album. If you like your Death Metal crisp, heavy and brutal then you must check out Dystopia.

Warcode – Vortex of Chaos (Review)

This is the début album from Greece’s Warcode, who are a Death Metal band with a Thrash influence.

This is well-recorded Death Metal with a good ear for catchy riffs and songs that probably go down a storm live.

Warcode have a nice Thrash Metal influence to their riffs which means that the songs have high energy levels and plenty of hooks.

Rather than generic riffs simply strung together, thought has gone into progression, pacing and the general dynamics of the tracks; this shines through repeatedly.

These songs feature some good playing and some really nice solos. It always comes back to the rhythm guitars though for me as there are some really choice riffs going on here. Pick pretty much any song and almost straight away you’ll encounter some quality riffing and catchy tunes.

The drums are solid and it’s always good to be able to hear some bass as well. The vocals are deep, dark and sound like the singer is gargling gravel. Nice.

Warcode have put together a good collection of tracks that should hopefully see them increasing their profile.

Check them out and show your support.

Born Undead – Violator of Humanity (Review)

Born Undead feature members from both the UK and France. They play Death Metal and this is their début EP.

Taking influences from bands like Autopsy, Born Undead play their particular brand of Death Metal with bloody abandon and gore-stained clothes.

The music is primitive and reeks of corpses, but the simplicity of their attack is no less lethal for it. This is ugly music for ugly people.

They have a non-standard sound which differentiates them a bit from so many other Death Metal bands. They’re riff-oriented but not in a flashy way and the deep growling vocals appear to have been dredged up from the remains of a huge daemon, at least that’s what it sounds like to me…

The first song Violator of Humanity has a good energy to it, with a mechanistic-marching quality to the main riff that unexpectedly erupts near the end into grand melodics. Nice.

Second track Revenge of the Necrovore starts faster and features riffs plucked from the bowels of Hell. Once again the band show that they have the ability to write guitar parts that are full of energy and feel like they’re going places rather than just filling time until the next riff comes along.

After this we have Splatter Fuck, which is the longest track at just over 4 minutes. This slows the pace again, mostly, and Born Undead get to show off their grasp of dynamics and pacing. A tasty main riff once again powers everything whilst the vocals chew and belch their way through the carnage. Some dark melodic guitar work also rears its ugly head here.

The EP closes with Undead Torment which rounds up everything in a suitably brutal fashion. It has a merry old time of it, chugging and thrashing around all over the shop, beheading with glee. Most enjoyable.

A very promising release from a very promising band.

More please.

Disinterred – Incantation (Review)

Disinterred are a Death Metal band from Belgium and this is their latest EP.

Ahhh I do love a bit of Swedish Death Metal. Yes they’re from Belgium but who cares? Your general tolerance levels for this much loved/maligned genre, (depending on your viewpoint), will dictate how you get on with Disinterred.

If you like Grave, Dismember, etc. then Disinterred should be right up your gravestone-lined alleyway.

The songs are short, heavy and full of quality Death Metal riffage. They have that classic chainsaw sound and all of the requisite parts are in place, including the sinister melodies.

The vocalist has a very nice voice indeed. Dark, deep growls are barked out with precision and hatred. Nice work that man!

At only 13 minutes in length there’s no messing around here; straight to the point Death Metal in the Old-School Swedish style.

Good sound, good songs. What’s not to like?

Baring Teeth – Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins (Review)

This is Baring Teeth’s second album. They are from the US and they play Progressive/Technical Death Metal.

With a cover that gives nothing away, I was intrigued to find out what lay within…

Baring Teeth play dense, complicated music that mixes technicality and progressive forays to create an unusual beast of an album.

This is an interesting and unusual listen. Like a Jazz-Metal fusion of Uphill Battle, Converge, Crowpath, Gorguts and Pyrrhon.

Angular riffs and complex drumming make for impenetrable songs that take time to reveal their hidden treasures. The bass has a good presence and role to play too.

The songs meander along the highway of distorted frenzy. Sometimes restrained and relaxed, in no hurry to get to their destination; sometimes frenetic and unhinged, desperate to get somewhere, anywhere; sometimes the calm before the storm takes over; sometimes the controlled chaos of true genius.

Frequently; all of the above at the same time, and then some.

The vocals sound like they’re struggling to be heard behind the wall of noise that the band make. They’re perfectly serviceable but it’s the chaotic music that provides the real focal point here. Human noises are simply an addition to the trauma of the rest of the band’s cacophony.

Definitely an acquired taste this one, but definitely one worth persevering with.

Zero Gravity – Holocaust Awaits (Review)

This is the début album from India’s Zero Gravity – a Thrash/Death Metal band.

After a pointless intro, the band start the album properly and they introduce us to their rather fetching take on Death Metal. Think Old-School Death Metal with a sharp Progressive edge and an added splash of Arch Enemy’s modernity and catchiness.

If you think Arch Enemy are too clean and polished sounding; if you’d prefer it if they had more of an underground, raw feeling then look no further. Arch Enemy combined with Death is as good a reference point as any. And do you know what? It sounds bloody good.

The singer has a good bark and she delivers the lines with passion and bite. She has a great voice and it works with the aggressive riffs to fuel the band to greater heights of attack.

The riffs and licks flash out like lightning and the technical/progressive elements of their sound are abundant but relatively subtle. These are clearly people who know how to play their instruments well and don’t need to be overtly flashy or ostentatious to prove this.

Holocaust Awaits is an album full of hooks and has plenty of catchy parts to it. Sometimes this kind of songwriting can be a recipe for acute gratification at the expense of chronic satisfaction, however Zero Gravity are just damn Metal enough for the acute to bleed into the chronic and we could very well end up with an album that has some longevity to it. Only time will tell but I know what I think the outcome will be…

Minus the intro there are 8 songs on this album and the entire thing lasts just over 40 minutes – it’s a good length as it allows the band to show what they’re capable of but doesn’t let them outstay their welcome.

This is the kind of music that’s actually surprisingly hard to do well – this style of Melodic Death Metal with a bit of groove, a bit of Death, catchiness and hooks…on paper it sounds all very good but unfortunately a lot of bands who try this style end up sounding very mediocre and stale.

It’s all in the execution of course and Zero Gravity avoid all of this this by simply writing kick-ass riffs that are artfully arranged into actual songs, and decent ones at that.

A very enjoyable listen. Check this out and see what you think.

Death Comes Pale – World Grave (Review)

Death Comes Pale are from Denmark. This is their Death Metal début album.

This is Death Metal that carries melody well and has a good songwriting ethic.

The production is top notch and does the music justice. It’s both heavy and clear.

If you think Death Metal with a keen melodic edge and a Blackened feel in places – akin to The Black Dahlia Murder – then you’ll have the right idea of Death Comes Pale’s sound.

Deep vocals growl out from dark places and these are backed up with the screams of the damned.

The band take the time in their songs to explore their musical scenery and don’t always take the most direct route. Slower and more considered parts are included as well as lighter melodies amongst the carnage.

In fact, even though the band’s primary setting is heavy and loud, they do intersperse enough light and shade to their work; fragile melodies and more nuanced guitar work add to and enhance the overall brutality of the band. It’s interesting to hear a band like this creating a larger sound than normal and avoiding the pitfalls that would lead a lesser band into the trap of one-dimensionality.

Death Comes Pale have clearly taken their time composing these songs. They’re well-written, well-thought out tracks and good songwriting is obviously important to the band.

A really enjoyable and mature release of Death Metal. Recommended listening.

Abysmal Dawn – Obsolescence (Review)

Abysmal Dawn are a Death Metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

No pointless intros, no messing around; Abysmal Dawn launch straight into first song Human Obsolescence with speed and bite.

Theirs is a focused assault on the senses. Their Death Metal has been honed to a sharp point over the last few albums and the band now find themselves with the perfect arsenal of weapons with which to wage war on their enemies.

The songs here are exact and tight, with melodic flourishes sharing space with heavier rhythms. Solos and leads are played with a fluid intensity whilst the roiling maelstrom of dark riffs pulse underneath the battering drums.

As can be expected of a band like this, the musicianship is excellent. Indeed, the playing on this album is a pure pleasure to listen to. Importantly though the performers allow the music to form into actual songs rather than disappearing into a technical mess for no reason other than to be able to say “look what we can play”, which is what some bands can unfortunately suffer from.

This is an excellent example of a band who are able to sound modern and cutting edge without any -core trappings or any of the more novelty features that such a band might include in their sound. This is solid, consistent Death Metal that lays waste to all around it.

This has enough brutality to satisfy fans of pure aggression but is refined enough for those that like a bit more substance with their carnage.

Obsolescence is a very strong album indeed. Check it out and get ready for your upgrade.

Decimation – Reign of Ungodly Creation (Review)

Decimation are from Turkey and this is their third album. They play Brutal Death Metal.

Is it wrong that I knew I was going to like this album as soon as I saw the album cover? No? That’s okay then…

This is Brutal Death Metal at its most devastatingly direct. They have a Technical Death Metal side to them but it’s the raw brutality that makes up the lion’s share of their sound. There’s something timeless and eternally gratifying about Death Metal like this. Sometimes I just can’t get enough.

If you think that a mixture of bands like Suffocation, Insision, Defeated Sanity and Nile would make for a good listen then you’d be right and Reign of Ungodly Creation is the album for you.

The songs are tight, condensed balls of ferocity and blasting destruction. They’re not interested in taking prisoners that much is clear. They rip, tear, chug, blast and flail their way through over 37 minutes of prime brutality and long, complicated song titles.

The vocalist is a guttural beast who sounds like he chews on souls for snacks. With a deep growl that’s instantly satisfying his is a voice that’s easy for any Death Metaller to get on board with.

Decimation boast a strong production that sounds like granite has come to life and started crushing cities. There’s something hard and immovable about their sound yet it’s also imbued with life and doesn’t sound stunted or lacking in energy.

Well I have thoroughly enjoyed this album. With lots of heaviness, energetic riffing and blasting mayhem what’s not to like?

Time to get decimated.