Reviews – Page 492 – Wonderbox Metal

Spinebreaker – Ice Grave (Review)

This is the début album from Spinebreaker, a Death Metal band from the US.

This is ugly Old-School Death Metal born bloody and ragged from the Hardcore scene. This means that the band combine the purity of their Death Metal heritage with the fire and energy of their Hardcore bloodline.

My, what a sound they have! Boasting a Swedish Death Metal guitar tone that their spiritual forefathers would be proud of, this is presented in a filthed-up package that fuses the feel of the era and style with a Hardcore edge and a touch of At the Gates and Carcass in the vocal department.

The end result is a savage demonstration of the fact that A) you don’t need to be Swedish to wield a chainsaw and B) there’s life in Old-School Swedish Death Metal yet; it’s not necessary for a band to simply rehash past glories.

Spinebreaker manage to successfully inject vitality and vibrancy into a rather stale, (but still very enjoyable), sub-genre. The inclusion of a Hardcore edge to some of the riffs adds a blood-pumping energy and the harsh screaming growls are a thing of gory beauty.

Whether ripping out giant grooves or pounding heaviness, Spinebreaker make everything sound dark, nightmarish and nasty, just as it should be. The spectre of At the Gates looms over the faster sections, (prompted for me by the vocals, but bleeding into the guitars too), and it’s a joy to hear this encapsulated by such a dirty Swedish delivery.

A very enjoyable 38 minutes.

Furze – Baphomet Wade (Review)

Furze is a one-man Norwegian Black Metal project. This is his sixth album.

Furze’s Black Metal is not the conventional kind. Full of unusual riffs and strange melodies, Baphomet Wade is definitely not your average release. Stylistically rooted in the Second Wave of Black Metal, it’s as if this take on the genre has been interpreted through a maze of Chinese whispers, resulting in a distorted version of Black Metal that’s still recognisable as such, but isn’t quite right nonetheless.

Riffs are unusual and inventive, taking their Black Metal heritage and filtering them through Doom, Psychedelia and who knows what else to end up with the twisted melodies that are on display here.

The interesting thing, (one of many), is that for all of this unusualness, the songs are still very good in their own right. This isn’t wild experimentalism; there are a lot of standard components, parts and sections to the tracks on Baphomet Wade, it’s just that these standard parts are inventively created and interpreted, resulting in songs that are in many ways standard Black Metal songs, but in other ways are something quite special.

A lot of it is about the guitars. Why settle for something generic when you can put a creative spin on things? This seems to sum up the mindset behind this quite nicely, and it’s one that more bands would do better to adopt.

The closest I can come to a comparison would be the warped offspring of a merger between Forgotten Woods, Tjolgtjar and Sigh – individual, expressive, unusual and inspired.

The end result? 41 minutes of engaging, enjoyable music that’s full of songs that grab hold and demand your attention.

Highly recommended.

Prolefeed/War All the Time – Split (Review)

This is a split between two UK Grind/Hardcore bands.

Prolefeed start us off with 15 tracks of pissed-off Hardcore, tearing it up straight away with fast beats and a razor-sharp guitar sound.

Even though the songs are all short, sometimes they do slow the pace down and give vent to their groovier side. Apart from this, it’s all Hardcore-fury as the band play fast enough to vent their rage but rarely enter blast beat territory.

The riffs are full of confident swagger and attitude, embracing their heritage and really going for the throat.

The vocals are high shouts, angry and harsh, just as we like it.

It’s a more Hardcore/Punk take on the style as beloved of Extreme Noise Terror and early Cripple Bastards, mixed with an Old-School influence à la Minor Threat and the like.

After this we have War All the Time, who contribute the final 11 tracks to this violent split.

War All the Time have an uglier, fuzzier, filthier production than Prolefeed’s sharpness, and benefit from a rounder sound in this regard.

Other than that there are a lot of similarities between the bands; short songs, (although on average slightly longer for War All the Time), Punk fury, swagger, attitude, fast but-not-blast-beats, etc.

The singer has a deeper shout than that of Prolefeed; a throaty snarl shouting belligerently across the tracks.

Like their partners on this split, it’s an enjoyable listen. On balance, I think I prefer Prolefeed’s contribution though as there’s a little more variety in attack, but both sides hit the spot for a bit of grinding angry Hardcore violence.

Have a listen.

Fall – The Insatiable Weakness (Review)

This is the début album from US Progressive/Melodic Death Metallers Fall.

Featuring a strong sound, this is an album full of emotive Melodic Death Metal that is enhanced by keyboards and Progressive Metal tendencies.

There’s a bit of everything on here, from highly melodic guitars, to blasting drums, to liquid guitar solos, to introspective refrains, to Modern Thrash workouts.

The vocals vary from shouted growls to soaring cleans. Both are performed extremely well and very professionally.

With a beguiling mix of heaviness and catchiness, The Insatiable Weakness combines the hooks and passion of the European Metal scene with the heavy delivery and modern sheen of the American, resulting in an album that takes equal parts from both.

Fall make the type of music that bands like In Flames, Soilwork, (whose drummer features on this album), Darkane, Dark Tranquillity, et al, are so well-known for and add a Progressive/darker Extreme Metal edge to it. For anyone that enjoys the more commercial side of Melodic Death Metal, but favours more heaviness and extremity in their music, then The Insatiable Weakness is for you.

Highly recommended.

Chronos Zero – Hollowlands – The Tears Path: Chapter One (Review)

This is the second album from Italian Progressive Metal band Chronos Zero.

Chronos Zero represent the slightly heavier side of Progressive European-styled Metal. Chunky riffs trade off with soft keyboards to create emotive landscapes for both the band and listener to explore.

This is reflected in the vocals too, which are performed by both male and female singers. The female vocals are powerful cleans that recall the best of the 90s/00s days and the male vocals are a combination of cleans and shouts.

This combination of different vocal delivery helps with the album holding attention well, despite a running time of 72 minutes. The music contributes to this too, obviously; Chronos Zero have made sure that they have included enough Progressive/Power Metal to satisfy any fan of the genre.

The music is professionally played and the modern guitars work well with the extravagant keyboards, merging influences from the more restrained American brand of Power Metal with the exploratory, ostentatious side of the European style.

This album strikes me as a more modern updating of the male/female European style that was quite popular over a decade or so ago. There are no, (well, very few), Gothic Metal influences on this album though; Chronos Zero have distinct Progressive/Power Metal view of things, and I like their vision.

So, take a band like Threshold, add a heavier European Metal influence, add shouted male vocals, add luscious female vocals, coat in a modern, professional production…this will give you a good idea of what Chronos Zero have to offer.

This is a well-written and satisfying, albeit lengthy, feast that should appeal to any fan of the genre.

Very enjoyable indeed – check it out.

Collision – Satanic Surgery (Review)

This is the fourth album from Dutch Grindcore band Collision.

I was introduced to Collision via their brief split with The Rotted. Both of those tracks feature on Satanic Surgery, and I was impressed with their merging of Grind and Thrash.

Boasting 13 violent tracks that average about the 2 minute mark, this release is surprisingly catchy for something that’s essentially trying to rip your face off.

Blasting mayhem and high-pitched maniacal screams are restrained just enough to stop them descending into total chaos. The songs feature rhythms, vocal patterns and flesh-slicing melodies that stick in the brain more than they probably should.

This is foot-tapping good. It’s music that makes you want to move, even when it’s stupidly fast and the only realistic movement you can accomplish is basically to make your entire body spasm to the beat. Yes, that’s what we want out of music.

The band have focused on actual songs as part of their furious Grinding, something that a lot of more extreme bands neglect sometimes. This helps elevate Satanic Surgery well above the average of their peers and into more rarefied company.

These high-energy tracks will have you reaching for the meat cleaver and dancing like a maniac before you can even ask, “what’s going on here?”.

Gloriously brutal and marvellously catchy.

Moros – Life Assisted Suicide (Review)

This is the début EP from US Sludge band Moros.

This is nasty stuff. Starting with a harsh feedback-squeal and followed by some dirty bass, Moros start as they mean to go on and establish themselves early as playing the kind of abrasive, nasty music that any lover of Sludge can get on board with.

The vocals are high-pitched and laced with poison, seemingly able to cut flesh with ease just by sound alone.

There are some choice riffs on this release and their bass-heavy sound is an instant hit with a bass-lover like me. Their percussive know-how is enhanced by the vocal attack of their singer so that everything works together to create tracks that really, really hit the mark.

The music takes the template as laid down by Eyehategod, infuses it with the dynamic musical know-how of a band like Fudge Tunnel, adds the bass-led stomp of bands like Palehorse and Ghold, and liberally sprinkles the passion and filth of bands like Charger and Burning Witch into the mix. The result? Passionate, ugly Sludge Metal that sits well in the genre and is highly enjoyable. If you like getting your ears cleaned out with acid, that is.

Loved it. Moros get a big thumbs up.

Inner Sanctum – Legions Awake (Review)

Inner Sanctum are an Indian Thrash/Groove Metal band and this is their début album.

After a rather cinematic opener, Inner Sanctum reveal themselves in their full glory as Thrash/Groove Metal with some Death Metal influences included for added impact. Think the mid-00s-type NWOAHM, only with a darker, more classically Death Metal side to it that emphasises the European Melodic Death Metal heritage of the American style.

The album boasts a sexy, professional sound that’s polished and strong.

The singer has a gruff voice that shouts out with the best of them, occasionally including some semi-cleans that remind me of some of Darkane’s work in places.

The songs are well-written and it’s clear that these tracks have been constructed with care and enthusiasm. The Thrash and Groove influences never take over or embrace the mediocre side of both styles; Inner Sanctum play their brand of heaviness with vibrancy and passion. They deliver everything on here with skill and it’s clear that the band have the talent to succeed.

Legions Awake is a strong collection of songs that make a good impression and showcase a band who really know what they’re doing. If they were American and picked up by a large music label then they would get very far indeed, I think. Unfortunately that isn’t the case, so make sure you support them – bands like this deserve it.

For fans of – Pantera, Lamb of God, Chimaira, Shadows Fall, Darkest Hour, Legion of the Damned, Kreator, Arch Enemy, Testament, etc.

Exterminas – Dichotomy (Review)

Exterminas are from Italy. They play Black Metal and this is their second album.

Dichotomy is 40 minutes of Orthodox Black Metal that’s fast, aggressive and venomous.

Exterminas have managed to inject a decent amount of atmosphere and melody into this release without watering down their inherent aggression or hatred. It’s a great combination to hear, as the razor-sharp guitars do what they need to for the songs; strike out in deadly haste, pull back in contemplative readiness or soar up high with colourful grace.

The singer’s dark growls are full of malice and the music backs his sentiments up to the hilt. He’s probably channelling pure evil through his throaty delivery, but whatever he’s doing it works as a brutal counterpoint to the sleek, sharp songs.

Featuring a great combination of speed and malignant groove, Exterminas certainly know their stuff and Dichotomy is a well-wrounded and complete Black Metal effort.

A strong sound cements the package, giving the band the base of power needed to propel the songs higher without compromising the integrity or feel of the underground aesthetic.

Very highly recommended. Cult Black Metal with a bit of personality and plenty of style. Seek this out.

Eternal Black – Eternal Black (Review)

This is the début EP from US Doom/Stoner band Eternal Black.

Eternal Black play Traditional Doom Metal, (à la Saint Vitus), filtered through a filthy lens and incorporating an influence from bands like Down, Corrosion of Conformity, Orange Goblin and a touch of Eyehategod in the riffs.

The songs pass by with a pleasant rumbling and a companionable fuzzy delivery. The singer’s measured drawl is familiar enough to be enticing, but individual enough to carry off.

With decent grooves and an ear for a good riff, these three songs are over before you realise, despite each lasting about 5-6 minutes each.

A good, earthy sound that’s not too polished breathes life into the tracks, and all of the instruments are clear enough to be heard.

The songs are catchy, memorable and enjoyable. What more is there to say, really?

Recommended.