Death Metal – Page 156 – Wonderbox Metal

Death Vomit – Gutted by Horrors (Review)

Death Vomit are from Chile and this is their début album. They play Death Metal.

Now that’s what you call a band logo!

This is brutal underground Death Metal played in the Old-School style.

As would be expected from a band named Death Vomit, the music is ugly and unrepentant. It’s filled with malevolent riffing and hateful drums. Savage vocals echo with the afterthought of torture and bloody carnage.

These tracks have a primitive presence; they have an almost atavistic existence as paragons of raw, underground Death Metal as was. Death Vomit play the kind of timeless, Classic Death Metal that no matter what mood you’re in it can’t help but raise a rictus grin to your face.

The songs are strongly written and it’s hard not to enjoy them as they’re so earnestly and honestly played.

If you’re looking for the latest, newest thing then this is not for you; here we have Traditional Death Metal that could honestly have come from almost any era. Suffice to say that it’s good and that’s all that matters.

Play them loud.

Coffinborn – Beneath the Cemetery (Review)

Coffinborn are from Hungary and play Death Metal. This is their début EP.

This is Old-School Death Metal through and through. The band rip, tear and shred through these 4 tracks with morbid fervour.

This is rotten, stinking Death Metal that’s clawed its way out of the depths of the foetid crypt in search of brains and fresh body parts.

Cavernous vocals fill the air and one can almost imagine some ravenous, giant maw being opened ready to suck in all light and matter.

The dirty, filthy sound they have fits the music perfectly and the tracks pummel and bash with pleasing brutality.

Some good riffs and melodies stick out and there’s a good chug and groove in parts.

Mixing elements of the Old-School from bands such as Autopsy, Dismember, Incantation and Death; Coffinborn’s Classic Death Metal is played well and with good songs.

There are only 4 tracks on this EP but at just under 21 minutes in length it’s a good hit of Death Metal for Old-School fans. This is a very enjoyable release that promises good things for the future of this band.

Their début album could be one to watch. Check them out.

Winter Gate – Disillumination (Review)

Winter Gate are from India and this is their début EP.

Winter Gate play Progressive Death Metal. Theirs is an expansive style that incorporates a good degree of melodics and melancholy. The band channel the same creative impulses as old Opeth and Katatonia whilst not really sounding too much like them and stamping their own personality and flair to the sound.

After a brief piano intro we get two tracks that are both epic in length and scope. Each track is filled with good riffs, strong melodics, heavy guitars and great songwriting.

The growling vocals are filled with character and are quite emotive for extreme vocals. Clean singing does make an appearance but this is not overdone and serves the songs well.

Each song is powered by Melodic Death Metal that has been given a Progressive Metal makeover and told that it’s not allowed to play with the other bands any more as it might show them up.

The dynamics of the tracks and overall songwriting skills of the band are impressive to behold and this could easily be double the length and still hold the attention. Indeed; as this is a couple of years old now it would be a good time for a full length, and if they manage to keep the quality levels up then when/if it’s eventually released it’ll probably be quite the album.

So far I can say that I’ve never met and Indian Metal band I didn’t like, and Winter gate are no exception.

Like Metal? Get this.

Acrania – Totalitarian Dystopia (Review)

Acrania are from the UK and play Death Metal. This is their début album.

I have really enjoyed their material to date, so I was eager to hear this album. Thankfully they have met my expectations as this release is chock full with enough crushing Death Metal and Deathcore to sink a battleship.

Acrania have a crystal clear sound that’s extraordinarily heavy and surgical in precision with its killing blows.

The band specialise in the type of bouncy Deathcore riffs that you can’t help but move around to. This is coupled with brutal hyperblasting to create Modern Death Metal that’s somewhere between the extremity of Infant Annihilator and the belligerent -core of All Shall Perish.

The vocals are as extreme as you’d expect, running the entire spectrum from pignoise to growls to screams. It’s a solid performance.

The songs are not just about the breakdowns though, as there’s more than enough Death Metal here to satisfy people who are put off by the -core part of the style. The band also have ample opportunity to show off their technical skills with occasional lead guitars that seem to flare out of nowhere before dying back once more and letting the relentless barrage of the rhythm guitars take the fore again.

A hugely enjoyable release that’s more than the sum of its colossal riffs; this is an album that takes the Deathcore template and makes it their own.

Highly recommended for all fans of sonic heaviness and utter brutality.

Those Who Bring The Torture – Piling Up (Review)

Those Who Bring The Torture are from Sweden and this is their fourth album of Death Metal.

This is the latest album featuring Rogga Johansson, who we’ve met before in Megascavenger. This should already tell you a little something about the quality levels on this release.

According to the promo text, Those Who Bring The Torture play their Death Metal in a style that will suit fans of Grave, Hypocrisy and Malevolent Creation; it’s hard to argue with this description.

This is Swedish Death Metal at its core but with a few additional elements that prevent it sounding generic. Imagine Hypocrisy if they created a Swedish Death Metal album but with their own, older sound.

The songs are heavy and strong, and like its Swedish Death Metal heritage it’s strong on melodies. These melodies are memorable and provide a focus point for the songs to move around. There are some great riffs here and each track demonstrates a band who are capable of combining Death Metal brutality with sterling melody and songwriting.

Vocally the deep growls are bowel loosening and very satisfying. Higher screams are added to this when necessary and it’s a faultless performance all round.

This timeless and classic approach to Death Metal pays real dividends and Piling Up is an easy album to like. The songs carry themselves with an air of familiarity but just enough to evoke a smile and not enough to roll the eyes like you’ve heard it all before.

Those Who Bring The Torture have got their killing style down to a fine, bloody art. Anyone who’s into Old-School/Classic/Swedish Death Metal will have no cause to complain when they hear this.

Time to raise the flag for proper Death Metal once more. Let the slaughter commence.

Hod – Book of the Worm (Review)

Hod are from the US and play Death Metal.

Hod specialise in rough Death Metal with no commercial shine or anything that could resemble nicety of delivery. This is raw, underground and reeks of evil.

There is a Blackened feel to much of what goes on in these songs, which only goes to enhance the darkness and nastiness that the band generally give off.

The riffs are largely fast and melodic in a sharp, Blackened, way. The majority of time efforts are spent creating music that’s dark, dirty and brutal, although they do throw in the odd solo to add a splash of colour here and there.

The guitars, and in extension the songs, have a lot of good ideas and Hod pursue their Blackened Death Metal art with clear enthusiasm for the kill.

References? Bits of Morbid Angel, Master, Arkhon Infaustus. Snippets of others.

There is no softness on this album, no moments of respite from the chaotic Blackness and brutal assault. This is not a band who want to be your friends or play nice. This is music purely designed to destroy and worship the foul Gods of the Metal underworld, wherever they dwell.

Maybe you should open up the Book of the Worm and read this hymn for yourself?

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.