Metal – Page 94 – Wonderbox Metal

Lockersludge – Drawing Lessons (Review)

Lockersludge are from the UK and play Metal with Hardcore/Sludge influences.

This is an interesting merger of some different styles, all wrapped up in a Metal package.

Combining the rawkus nature of Old-School Hardcore with a Sludge influence the band do well in not instantly sounding like anyone else.

The tracks bound along with this unusual melding of styles and remind of 90’s Century Media acts like My Own Victim and Gurd with a bit of a non-Southern Eyehategod feel to some of the riffs. It’s quite a nostalgic feeling that Lockersludge give me and I find myself liking this band a great deal.

The vocals are belligerent and melodic at the same time. Again there is a curious mixing of styles; essentially based in Hardcore-land, they nonetheless display melodic sensibilities as well as hints at a more Sludge background.

Lockersludge are bravely and wisely forging their own path through today’s over-saturated musical waters and I’ve found this release highly competent and highly enjoyable.

Oh, and they also have a song called The Beard of Doom. Win.

Check them out.

Corrosion of Conformity – IX (Review)

Corrosion of Conformity are from the US and this, as the title suggests, is their 9th album and it’s chock full of tasty Southern Metal.

For many though this band need no introduction. This is Southern Metal that combines elements of Heavy Metal, Doom Metal and Punk Rock into the 42 minutes playing time.

The songs exude confidence and walk with a cocky swagger. In some ways you could call this “feelgood Metal”. This is good-time Rock-and-Roll that’s the Metal equivalent of easy listening. Almost.

The album has an organic, earthy feel to it with the sound matching.

There’s a very relaxed vibe to most of these songs, with the band sounding loose, almost like it’s a rehearsal. They sound very much at ease with the material and even the more up tempo songs don’t seem hurried in any way.

The vocals are lazily melodic and have an ease of delivery where it feels like his voice just falls out of the speakers.

Ultimately Corrosion of Conformity have a lot of charisma and the songs are easy to like. IX is a good listen.

Destitution – Beware the Fury of the Patient Man (Review)

This is the début release from Destitution, who play Thrash Metal and come from The Netherlands.

Destitution play Old-School Thrash that’s unpolished and street smart.

There are riffs, licks, chops, leads and solos aplenty on this release, more than enough Metal to satisfy. The guitarists can obviously play, (as can the rest of the band), and the performances all round are good.

The songs have an energy about them that’s propelled by the Old-School riffs.

Vocally they remind of Kreator/Testament and musically they recall the same but with a bit of Anthrax thrown in. Its safe to say that if those bands appeal then Destitution will too, especially as they inject themselves into the mix so that the album doesn’t come across as pure homage or hero worship.

The songs are well written and are compositionally sound. It’s mainly high octane Thrash, as is expected, but they even try their hand at a ballad in the form of Affinity. It works surprisingly well.

I enjoyed this album. Maybe you will too?

Insense – De:Evolution (Review)

Insense are from Norway and play a highly developed form of Modern Metal. They combine elements of multiple genres of heavy music, from Djent to Thrash to Sludge to Progressive Metal and others in between.

Well this is very nice indeed. Heavy, emotive and not afraid of striding boldly into territories avoided by a lot of bands.

The vocals are agonised cries, soft crooning, semi-cleans, powerful melodics, gruff shouting…essentially whatever the song needs; it’s a very personal and distinctive performance that immediately makes apparent the man’s talent. The moment his vocals make an entrance on the first track Part I- Conception I’m hooked straight away. This keeps up for the rest of the album and his vocals bleed charisma and character.

The music doesn’t slack behind either; none of the songs are especially long but every one of them seems committed to ringing out every last drop of emotion and feeling from the guitars. The tracks are all tightly focused balls of energy and in the hands of this clearly talented band there’s no need for longer songs – there’s absolutely no filler here.

Reference points? Wide ranging really; I can hear bits of In Flames, Fear Factory, Devin Townsend, Meshuggah, Mnemic, Slipknot, Darkane, Nevermore…I could go on, but you get the idea; polished, diverse and heavy whilst retaining melodics and soul. A smattering of modern European Power Metal; a bit of Djent in the riffs; wildly energised heavy riffing; stirring and memorable vocals…so much about this recording can be praised.

The sound is suitably huge and massive with everything coming through crystal clear and every sludgy riff sounding crushing and effective.

Quite frankly this album is an absolute revelation. If you were to cut it open it would have the words QUALITY stamped all the way through it in big letters.

Heartily recommended; you need to get this album.

Hard Charger – Chrome Lord (Review)

Hard Charger are from Canada and play Crossover/Thrash Metal.

Thrash Metal raped by Punk. Or the other way around? Who cares; either way this is raw, underground and Metal.

The songs are short and full of confidence and have an Old-School Hardcore feel to them whilst also having sufficient metal licks to keep the mosh-crowd happy.

This reminds me of a more Hardcore-influenced Brujeria more than anything else actually. There’s something about the vocals; the fact I keep thinking the singer’s going to start shouting La Ley de Plomo at any given point.

Regardless, this is a decent listen and unlike a lot of bands who play this genre it’s slanted more to the Hardcore side than the Thrash side, which, as much as I love Thrash, works in the band’s favour.

Some of the tracks have a more rock and roll feeling to them as well, adding a cocksure swagger to the proceedings which shows that the band know how to have a good time. The solos are a welcome addition also.

A band to watch out for. A couple of refinements here and there, as well as upgrading to a fuller, bigger sound and their next release will be a monster.

Tombs – Savage Gold (Review)

Tombs are a Metal band from the US and this is their third album.

They play a style of underground Metal that mixes Classic Metal riffs with influences from Death Metal, Hardcore and Sludge. The result is Tombs.

Another way of looking at it is to imagine a band like Doomriders only have them violated by Death Metal and covered by Sludge Metal; a rocking sensibility that’s as heavy and nasty as can be. Again, the result is Tombs.

Not many bands are playing this mix of styles; apart from Tombs there are only a handful of others, including the great Serpent Eater.

The band open with Thanatos; it has a curious sound mixing Doom-laden Post-Metal riffage with prime blast beats and throat-straining vocals. The rest of the album is equally impressive and takes aspects of these differing genre styles in lesser or greater extents to create a varied, interesting and very satisfying release.

The sound is immense and as heavy as Hell. All of the instruments are clear and identifiable and the entire recording is as sharp as a knife.

A real sense of horror and evil pervades the roots of this album; this manifests itself in the actual songs sometimes as blatant misanthropy and hatred, and others as a more nuanced disgust.

There’s a lot of longevity in this album. Start your descent into the Tombs now.

Power Trip – Manifest Decimation (Review)

Power Trip are from the US and this is their début album of Crossover Thrash.

This is angry, violent Thrash Metal with a large Crossover influence that recalls the best of Old-School Hardcore, (Cro-Mags, Black Flag, etc).

The sound is huge and the drums sound as if each snare drum hit is a bomb exploding. The vocals are smothered in reverberation and sound as if they were recorded in a cave somewhere.

The songs are angry and buzzing with an energy that just screams, (literally), how passionate they are about their chosen path.

This is music that demands to be let loose in the live environment. Pick a song here and you’ll be able to rip and tear it up in the pit; stomp and smash to the pounding beats. One listen to pretty much any of these songs and you’ll want to get caught in a mosh all over again.

It’s as if the spirit of 80’s Hardcore was being channelled through the lens of gritty Thrash Metal. Power Trip are that lens.

Black Emerald – B.O.D (Review)

Black Emerald are from the UK and play gritty Metal with a Sludge edge.

The band have a Southern Metal/Sludge influence to their sound that adds some extra bite to proceedings. They also give us some solos, which is always welcome.

The sound is rough and raw but allows the spiky riffs to claw their way through. Rather than be held back by the primitive production the band make it work for them; they warp and distort it to their needs until it becomes little more than another sonic weapon in their arsenal.

The vocals are gruffly melodic with some harsher growls thrown into the mix now and again. They are assured and use interesting patterns and melodies. They are also confident enough as a unit to occasionally lay off the vocals for long enough to let the music do the talking and let the guitars lead the way.

There’s three songs here that act as a showcase for the band. Each song is a filthy juggernaut of underground Metal riffs and belligerent anger.

Blood Sport has a strong Sludge influence to the sound and is the audio equivalent of barbed wire.

The title track B.O.D features slightly higher vocals for some parts and has a bouncy, Southern feel to it that gives the track a Rocky edge, albeit one haunting the murkiness.

The final track Figure on a Barb Wire Cross is lumbering Rocker that crosses the previous two tracks to create a mutated rager.

Black Emerald have stumbled on a style that fuses Metal with an aspect of Sludge in such a way that it doesn’t sound done to death; it sounds quite fresh in fact. Hopefully this release will be the first of many, and I look forward to what comes next from this promising band.

Withem – The Point Of You (Review)

Withem come from Norway. This is their début album of Progressive/Power Metal.

It’s orchestrated, complex and obviously talented. This is melodic and colourful with frequent keyboard ostentation that recalls Pagan’s Mind at their sparkly best.

The songs make an impression with their enthusiasm and passionate Metal delivery. They’re well composed with lots to hold attention and frequent changes/alterations in the musicianship to keep things interesting. They do manage to keep this coherent enough to fashion into songs that have a direction though rather than just sounding like a mishmash of conflicting instruments.

The musicianship cannot be faulted and all instruments have the opportunity to shine. The leads and solos are represented well, as is to be expected with this style; the guitar riffs and rhythms are interesting and changeable; the drums are not just a backbone to the band as they seem to have a life of their own on occasion; the bass isn’t just going through the motions and is an audible enhancement to the tracks; and the keyboards…well they’re simply everywhere but manage to not get in the way at all. None of this would be possible of course if it wasn’t for the strong songwriting.

But what of the vocals? Well, the singer has the kind of voice that soars effortlessly and has no problem at all reaching the higher notes. It’s very fluid and sounds a treat.

This is a remarkable achievement from a band that are still relatively new. With this being their first release it’s an impressive one.

Tragodia – Mythmaker (Review)

Tragodia are from Italy and this is their third album of Progressive/Power Metal.

Featuring good songs and a strong sound, Mythmaker is an album that delivers the goods.

On the slightly heavier side of the spectrum, Tragodia recall bands such as Nevermore and Angel Dust with their thickened riffs and impressive vocals.

The band are melodic and tight, with some nice elements of Classic and Modern Metal finding a way into their sound on occasion. The Power Metal side of things is kept in check by the heavy guitars and the Progressive edge is felt in the musicianship.

The song structures themselves are the most important thing of course and this is an album that has all of the strengths of the genre but none of the weaknesses. This is quality Metal done right and played well. There are no slips into cheesiness or retro-worship. This is thoroughly state-of-the-art while dragging all of the essential classic elements of the genre into the here and now.

The singer is one of the best I’ve heard in a while. He has depth and range was well as being capable of full emotional delivery.

I’m just blown away by this album. Tragodia: Please receive your mark of A+ and go to the head of the class.