Reviews – Page 477 – Wonderbox Metal

Rats of Reality – Obsequies (Review)

This is the latest EP by Rats of Reality, who are a Blackened Crust/Thrash band from the UK.

A short EP at only 11 minutes in length, Rats of Reality manage to have an unexpected start to this release which throws me slightly, before proceeding to demonstrate that yes, they may play some gnarly, crusty, fast-paced blackened grimness, but they do it in unusual and unexpected ways.

On paper, bands like this are plentiful and there’s sometimes very little to differentiate them from each other. As mentioned though, Rats of Reality are a bit different as they also use riffs that are a whole lot more emotive than most bands of this ilk write. They don’t always do this, (Leeches, for example, is a much more straightforward proposition), but when they do the melodies sometimes border on something you’re more likely to get from a Post-Metal/Shoegaze band, and at other times definitely are. Deafheaven plays Crust? Kind of.

Regardless, it’s an interesting and unusual slant on a well-worn sub-genre and overall Obsequies is enriched by these more melodic, emotive guitars. The ugliness of the core style is still here, but now it’s a beautiful ugliness. Or something. Just listen to it, you’ll get what I mean.

I’m pleased by this, as Rats of Reality have surprised and impressed me. I always enjoy it when a band does something a little different, especially if you weren’t expecting them to, and this certainly qualifies.

Highly recommended.

Rorcal – κρέων (Creon)(Review)

Rorcal are a Blackened Doom band from Switzerland. This is their fourth album.

Rorcal are an intriguing band. Having produced a lot of Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal music over the years, their last couple of releases have shown an increasing Black Metal side to their sound, which they now seem to have fully incorporated into their repertoire, (see their split with Process of Guilt, for example). In fact, they’re pretty much at the point now where you could describe them as a Black Metal band and not raise too many eyebrows.

This latest album sees the band offer forth four new tracks spread across 53 minutes, each one a monster. κρέων (Creon) once more demonstrates the band’s mastery of Extreme Metal in all its guises.

The Black Metal elements are present and correct, as are the Sludge, Post-Metal and Doom ones. Rorcal have always had a surprisingly clean and sophisticated sound, despite their predilections for darkness, and κρέων (Creon) is no different. The music may be grim and charged with an energetic negativity, but the band always seem to manage to sound cutting edge no matter what they’re doing, even in their sludgiest or most blackened moments.

These songs mix blackened fury with progressive intent and atmospheric Sludge. As always, whatever aspect of whatever style that Rorcal are currently focusing their attentions on seems to work for them, and the aura of malevolent aggression and downbeat nastiness that these songs exude is palpable.

So, Rorcal return, triumphant, bold and victorious. They are fast becoming one of my favourite purveyors of darkened delights.

Livet Som Insats – Check Your Grind (Review)

Livet Som Insats are a Swedish Grindcore band. This is their second album.

With 24 songs in just under 24 minutes, you can pretty much gather the kind of thing this is going to be before you press play, and when you do you’re not disappointed. This is Swedish Grindcore played exactly as you want it to be played – fast, direct and relentless.

The songs have an audible Hardcore influence that gives the tracks a vibrancy about them. The speed work is streamlined and sharp, and when they slow down they reveal a nice heaviness to the guitars.

The singer’s rabid screams are just as streamlined and sharp as the music, with the two parts going together nicely to create the finished product.

The recording quality is right where it needs to be too and everything sounds clean, clear and brutally correct.

Check Your Grind is a really satisfying release. With a change in album title and album cover, I could easily see this being picked up and released by one of the larger labels out there in the world of Extreme Metal. For us lucky people who have already discovered it though, get your fill now.

Highly recommenced for all Grindcore fans.

Bushwhacker – The False Dilemma (Review)

This is the second album from Canadian Progressive Death Metal band Bushwhacker.

Bushwhacker are an interesting proposition, combining, as they do, both Black and Death Metal as well as elements of Thrash, Sludge and psychedelia into their Extreme Metal sound.

The production is strong and the playing tight. The band have a sound that’s heavy, aggressive and dark, although not without its moments of subtlety and nuance. Harshness and melody combine, with textured riffs and thoughtful aggression leading the way. There’s plenty of leads and solos to get your teeth into and at 48 minutes in length it provides a lot of content and ideas.

The songs are well-written, with good pacing and dynamics. The band have a clear talent for this kind of thing and their confidence and ambition comes out in the strong music.

These are nicely varied songs, working as a whole to provide an album that’s a full listening experience. It’s obvious that a lot of work has gone into making this music what it is, and the end result is a really enjoyable Progressive Death Metal journey, complete with more than enough influences from other camps to make Bushwhacker an interesting and enticing proposition.

The vocals are largely screamed, with an old-school Thrash influence to them in places. They seem to skid, slide and slice over the surface of the lively guitars.

In a sea of samey-sounding bands, Bushwhacker stick out like a sore thumb with their fresh-sounding take on Extreme Metal.

I heartily recommend this album.

Within Destruction – Void (Review)

This is the second album from this Slovenian Death Metal band.

Blast beats, huge groovy riffs and crushing beatdowns, this is what we like. Within Destruction play modern Death Metal with a side order of Deathcore, taking in all stops on the brutality train as they pummel and carve their way through the opposition.

The vocalist appears to have eaten all of the souls and spends the album trying to vomit them up in new and disgusting ways. His deep growls are a pleasure to listen to and work perfectly with the blasting mayhem and destructive beats.

With fast aggression and a decent compromise between simplicity and technicality, Void is a relentless and unrepentant series of kicks to the head.

The songs are energetic and the Deathcore influence means that it’s easy to find yourself bouncing along as the tracks progress. As you do. Importantly, (and this is where most pure Deathcore bands fail), they don’t rely totally on this approach and also include some proper Death Metal brutality, some technical riffage and even understated atmospheric melodies. The end result is songs that may have style, but also have some substance to them too; very important.

Ahhh, it’s so nice to hear this kind of stuff. It’s so easy to be jaded and cynical these days, but when you hear something like this, played with real passion and a lust for all things sickeningly heavy and brutal, you can’t help but get swept away with it. Also; huge monster on the cover. What’s not to like?

Highly recommended.

For fans of Analepsy, Thy Art Is Murder, Infant Annihilator, Beneath the Massacre, Acrania, Aborted, etc.

Boss Keloid – Herb Your Enthusiasm (Review)

Boss Keloid are a Sludge Metal band from the UK. This is their second album.

Boss Keloid’s Sludge fuses Metal, Doom, Stoner and even Progressive Metal and Grunge into its tar-like embrace, offering the listener 59 minutes of compelling riffage.

With a huge, massive sound, Boss Keloid bring the heaviness with ease. The songs are chock-full of tasty riffs and the kind of guitars that can knock you over if played at full volume.

The Stoner-esque vocals sound really good, adding an extra level of colour and richness to already textured music. The singer has commanding presence, great personality and charisma, all of which are clearly felt through his voice.

The songs themselves are very satisfying, all the more so due to the decent amount of variety and interest that the album has. With almost an hour of music it would be easy to lose momentum or have some dull moments, but the incorporation of the various Metal sub-genres into the mix makes for a very endearing and engaging album.

Unlike some bands that use multiple styles as parts of their musical recipe, Boss Keloid don’t move from one easily identified sub-genre in one section to another; the band mix all of these elements into the songs together, holistically making the most of these influences to the betterment of the songs and the album as a whole.

Each track is recognisable as its own beast with its own identity, and pretty much every track has elements of the wider pool of influences mixed in.

An extremely impressive album. Herb Your Enthusiasm is a keeper.

For fans of Conan, Electric Wizard, Mammoth Storm, Orange Goblin, Down, etc.

Råttkung – Dark Is the Beginning (Review)

Råttkung are a Black Metal band from Denmark. This is their début EP.

This short EP showcases Råttkung’s brand of raw, underground Black Metal across 17 minutes of hate-filled music. It’s ugly, dark and as cold as the frozen wastes.

An ultra-primitive production finds the band recalling the early days of the second wave of Black Metal, both aurally and stylistically. It’s a primitive and lo-fi recording that sounds authentic and honest, although does tend to leech a little power from the band’s songs.

The vocals seem to have been captured on the edge of a blackened abyss, with the singer screaming and growling his way into the raging winds. He sounds possessed and not 100% human.

Furious riffs and blasting drums certainly have their place on this release, but the band also know how to slow it down and use the guitars to foster a creepy, sinister atmosphere, as they notably do on the song Here Again, or to opt for a Doom-ier approach as on Abyss of Terror.

Dark Is the Beginning is aptly named and here’s hoping we hear more of this band in the future, as this is a promising start.

Fimbulvinter – Начертаны Резы Древних Заклятий (Review)

Fimbulvinter are a Russian Black Metal band. This is their début album.

Fimbulvinter’s Black Metal is thoroughly of the old-school, so much so that it even contains a relatively high proportion of proto-Black Metal in the form of more classic-era Metal riffs and licks, including leads and solos.

There’s a pagan feel to some of the guitars and the band successfully capture the original Scandinavian style while also infusing the music with other elements. Infectious riffs from even earlier times are frequent additions and there’s enough of a melodic edge through the leads to grab the attention.

The songwriting is really strong and the band’s grasp of dynamics and pacing is good. These songs are exactly that; songs. Coupled with the highly enjoyable leads and the well-considered rhythm guitars, Начертаны Резы Древних Заклятий aptly demonstrates the band’s considerable talent in writing tracks that are actually quite catchy and memorable.

Screamed vocals make up the bulk of the release, but growls also appear on occasion adding that little bit extra variety and interest.

At only 36 minutes in length Начертаны Резы Древних Заклятий doesn’t outstay its welcome; in fact it leaves you hungry for more. The Metal leads, blackened guitars, solid riffs and rasping hatred that flow easily from the band make this album an extremely enjoyable listen.

Definitely one not to overlook. Very highly recommended.

Old Pagan – Ogdrun Jarhar (Review)

Old Pagan are from Germany and play Black Metal. This is their fourth album.

Here we have 43 minutes of raw, underground Black Metal spread across 8 tracks, including a Secrets of the Moon cover.

Featuring a sharp recording that screams lo-fi darkness, Old Pagan play orthodox Black Metal that’s enhanced by keyboards and cuts straight to the bone like a serrated, rusty blade.

Frozen melodies and dark incantations power these songs, which complete their running time like Satan himself is chasing after them. The music is fast and furious, blasting icy beats and chilling riffs across the airwaves.

Screamed vocals accompany the blackened melodies and pounding drums with ease, keeping pace with the high-energy music and attacking the listener with frenzied abandon.

If you like your Black Metal fast, relentless and raw, you can do a lot worse than Old Pagan; these veterans know what they’re doing.

Redemption – The Art of Loss (Review)

This is the sixth album from US Progressive Metallers Redemption.

Redemption’s Progressive Metal is melodic, song-oriented music that features keyboards, a raft of high-profile guests and a The Who cover. Importantly, it also has some extremely well-composed pieces of music that are Metal enough to have kick and progressive enough to take the listener on a journey.

This album has a very bright, strong sound, allowing the band’s music to shine and stand uninhibited on its own merits. It sounds good.

The band are clearly all well-versed in their chosen instruments, but one of the reasons I like Redemption is that for the most part they don’t let all of the technical, ostentatious playing get in the way of the song itself; this is paramount, more than anything else really. As such, this is an album full of catchy, memorable tunes that have the extra advantage of added depth due to the exploratory avenues that are opened up by virtue of being a Progressive Metal band.

There’s a mix of song-oriented tracks that are largely straightforward Metal songs, combined with a few where the band really let their progressive side shine; this is particularly demonstrated on the final track At Day’s End.

A vocalist with a great range and capable of delivering a sterling performance is required for music like this, and this is what they have.

At 76 minutes in length there’s a lot of music here to absorb, but it’s worth the time as Redemption have created a compelling and engaging listen.