Reviews – Page 563 – Wonderbox Metal

Miasmata – Demo (Review)

This is the first demo by Dutch Death Metal band Miasmata.

It opens explosively with pignoise and blastbeats. A firm opening statement if ever there was one.

It may be just a demo but the sound is acceptable enough and showcases the band’s blend of chugging slam and blasting brutality. Solos and the odd flash of melodics appear in the songs as the band aren’t adverse to adding a bit of colour to the tracks.

I’d classify this short demo as a cross between Dying Fetus and Deicide. This songs are surprisingly enjoyable and overall I like this. This is no frills, no nonsense Death Metal that gets the job done nicely.

This demo is a good first release and if the band spend a bit more time honing their art then I think their eventual début album will go down a storm.

Have a listen.

Uburen – Withered Roots (Review)

Uburen are from Norway and this is their début album. They play Black Metal.

This is Viking-themed Black Metal with hints of Death Metal thrown into the mix here and there. Heavier than the norm for this style, Uburen play to the more extreme side of the Viking sub-genre.

The vocals alternate between Black Metal screams, rasps and deeper growls, with some spoken word and other styles making the odd appearance. The singer puts in a great performance and his vocals are quite varied compared to most monotonous vocalists who have maybe one or two sounds at most that they make.

The guitars are rhythmically melodic, stirring up the appropriate emotions and have a good double bass foundation that they build their songs on top of. This is not pseudo-commercial fodder, this is the real deal. Rather than the heroic songs and style-over-substance façade of most Viking/Pagan bands, Uburen have got to the blood and guts of the matter and their interpretation of the genre is altogether dirtier and heavier.

There are some really enjoyable, powerful scything Black Metal moments on this release and the combination of the higher/deeper vocals merely enhances this.

Imagine Enslaved if they were less Progressive and more aggressive, or maybe Amon Amarth if they used Black Metal as the basis for their sound rather than Death Metal.

Uburen deserve a wider audience than they’re probably going to get. You can help remedy this however – check out Withered Roots today and feel the blood run hot through your veins once more.

Favourite Track: Asmegin. Fast and furious.

Methedras – System Subversion (Review)

Methedras are from Italy and play Modern Thrash Metal. This is their fourth album.

A state-of-the-art heavy and crisp sound blares out of the speakers accompanied by a maniacal laugh and enough modern Thrash sensibilities to crush an elephant, (poor elephant). Methedras waste no time in preparing their mission statement and declaring it boldly.

This is Modern Thrash Metal and it’s ready to riot. Essentially the band mix elements of modern bands such as Lamb of God, Soilwork and Byzantine, Thrash bands like Annihilator and Testament and a touch of Death Metal to create an aggressively heavy album that pulls no punches. Think Testament’s Low updated for 2014.

The vocals are suitably extreme, combining screams and shouts with some deeper growling, as well as the odd melodic semi-cleaner chorus. The singer manages to achieve this with no small amount of charisma as well. Well done that man!

The songs are mature, well written and overall the album as a whole feels very comprehensive. The combination of aggressively Metal riffs and harsh vocals make for a good listening experience. With memorable choruses and hooks aplenty this is a fine collection of songs that I can imagine going down a storm live.

System Subversion is modern Metal without any of the commercial pandering or posturing that is so prevalent in today’s music. It’s modern with a heavier angle and a proper appreciation for Metal – it doesn’t let the side down.

Check out Methedras and give them your support.

Horizon – Don’t Let The Time Pass You By (Review)

Horizon is a one-man project from Finland. This is his second EP.

This is a short release containing Ambient soundscapes, Neo-Classical sounds and moments of Shoegaze that are all perfectly suited to night time reflection and introspection.

By its very nature a release such as this will be atmospheric and emotive and Horizon does a good job of playing to the innate strengths of the style.

There is also a good amount of variety of composition and delivery apparent in these 5 songs. We get ambient textures, piano, drums, bass, electronica, guitars and other sounds all used to create a vivid palette of emotional resonance with the listener.

This is strongly written music and creates the right mood of darkness with a hint of light; music for when night is starting to fade and dawn is approaching.

The compositions are mature and although they have elements of melancholy the overall beauty of the tracks doesn’t let this become overly negative.

The slight Electronica influence is subtle enough to have a positive impact on the songs without becoming stifling or overwhelming; rather it’s another string to the artist’s bow that he uses to enhance the songs and give them a modern flavour.

This is a very good EP and my only real criticism, such as it is, is that it’s a very short release. Apparently he’s working on a full album so hopefully this will make an appearance at some point in the future. Keep a close watch for it.

In the meantime, get a hold of this little gem. Sit back, relax and take it all in.

The Manipulated – Neon Messiah (Review)

Hailing from Denmark, The Manipulated are an Instrumental Sludge Band and this is their second release.

Well, I must admit that the album cover immediately puts me off this release. I mean, who wouldn’t be put off by that? But let’s persevere and see what lies within, as ultimately it’s only the music that matters.

It’s immediately apparent that the music is well worth the listen, as interesting and crushing Doom riffs come falling out of the speakers. The music they create is rich and textured in the gloomy-but-devastating arts.

Whether slow and miserable or upbeat and despondent, The Manipulated create an aural tapestry of doubt, wretchedness and recrimination. It’s effective and noteworthy.

The band combine noise and trumpet into their Sludge assault to add extra layers of filth and intrigue into their dismal sound.

It’s not all crushing Doom and Sludge however, as there are plenty of lighter moments too, although these are just as dark as the heavier ones. This aspect of their sound shows a Post-Metal influence and is reminiscent of bands like Isis, only with more shadows and places to hide.

The Manipulated have produced a very enjoyable and solid piece of work with Neon Messiah. It’s bleak and unforgiving but that only adds to its charm in my book.

This is the soundtrack for the malcontent.

Fractured Spine – Memoirs of a Shattered Mind (Review)

This is the second album from Finland’s Fractured Spine.

Fractured Spine play Blackened Gothic Doom/Death Metal. Which is to say that they take the Doom/Style, add Gothic touches to the music and then layer a Black Metal fuzziness, melody and feel over everything. Early 90’s Gothic Black Metal mixed with Doom/Death.

They are also a bit more experimental than a lot of bands who play the Doom/Death style, which again gives them more of a Black Metal theme to my eyes.

Vocally the band eschew the normal purely Doom/Death deep vocals for a more varied approach involving a mix of deep growls, high screams and Gothic cleans.

Some songs have more of a Black Metal feel, others more of a Gothic Doom feel and occasionally even an early Lacuna Coil or …In The Woods style makes an appearance.

The keyboards and Gothic effects are prevalent throughout the album and it’s a refreshingly different take on the Doom/Death sub-genre.

A surprisingly varied album that experiments with its sound to create a mixture of related styles under one album.

Check them out and see what you think.

Protestant – In Thy Name (Review)

Protestant are from the US and play Blackened Hardcore Metal.

This is raw, dirty and exceedingly violent in nature.

The riffs have a real Blackened colour to the melodies, which are merged with a Punk attitude and delivery style. The Blackened Punk style has yet to be done to death and Protestant do it very well indeed.

Protestant inhabit a similar space stylistically to bands such as Hexis and Flesh Born, and if you like them you should check out Protestant, (and vice versa). All three bands are exemplars of this kind of music.

Protestant write good riffs and sound thunderously impressive. They let the darkness pile on thick and heavy, all the time allowing the driving Hardcore mentality to energise the songs and propel them forwards.

The vocalist croaks and rasps his way through the 8 tracks like his lungs are going to give out at any minute. He accompanies the apocalyptic sounding music like the final harbinger of the worst things yet to come. His is the voice of anger, rage and dark tidings.

Protestant have released an album that bridges the gap between the sometimes dissonant worlds of Hardcore and Black Metal in a way that sounds like they were born to do this.

In Thy Name is an album propelled by exquisite Blackened riffs and Hardcore energy the likes of which we don’t see very often.

Listen, listen loud and listen now.

Columns – Please Explode (Review)

Columns are from the US and this is their début album. They are a Grindcore band.

Columns play Grind that’s groovy and passionate. This is the kind of music that ignites pits and gets even reluctant Metalheads to start moving. Even when they’re playing at top speed and blast beats are flying everywhere the band have a definite swagger and rhythm to their grinding destruction.

Think rhythm, groove, brutality and individuality; think Pig Destroyer meets Aborted with the odd Carcass riff. That’s right, it’s wet-dreams-made-reality time.

The music is full of high energy riffs, crushing chugs, eviscerating speed and the occasional, remarkably Rock ‘n’ Roll, solo. For songs that are this short and brutal there is a surprising amount of variety and interest to be had.

The vocals are deep and growled or higher and intense. The singer has a good voice and range with some variety between these two ends of the spectrum occurring throughout the tracks as well.

Please Explode has a Hell of a lot of personality and each song is a hothouse of great riffs and brutal design. The thing Columns excel at, however, is ensuring that the songs become more than the sum of their parts. These riffs make full use of the band’s songwriting skills to really maximise the impact they have throughout the songs.

Rather then merely a few, (or a lot of), riffs stitched together to create a fast song, as a lot of Grind bands do, Columns create dynamic and purposeful riffs that gel with every other instrument and work synergisticly with the rest of the tracks to create a complete listening experience. It’s even more remarkable that this happens in songs that average about the 2 minute mark.

This is impressive, modern Grind that has a unique identity. It’s destined to be mentioned in the same breath as bands like Pig Destroyer as forerunners of the genre.

I loved this album. I’ll be very surprised if this doesn’t place highly on my year end list.

Essential listening for Extreme Metal fans everywhere.

Unaussprechlichen Kulten – Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath (Review)

Unaussprechlichen Kulten are from Chile and this is their third album of Death Metal.

HP Lovecraft-themed Death Metal is never going to be completely run-of-the-mill and Unaussprechlichen Kulten are no exception. This is Death Metal with an evil, occult feel to it.

They superficially draw comparisons with Incantation/Immolation, (only with shorter songs), as well as the odd bit of Morbid Angel. They have the kind of interesting songwriting that seems to be more related to the Old-School than a lot of current Death Metal, which gives them a Classic Death Metal sheen to their gloriously nefarious sound.

The relatively short songs add up to a relatively short album, so Unaussprechlichen Kulten definitely don’t outstay their welcome. What is here, however, is a very enjoyable collection of tracks that mix the aforementioned bands/styles into a melting pot that’s probably to be used as the basis of a potion or concoction that will end up summoning some long lost god or other. Until that time of our ultimate demise, however, we are free to enjoy the Death Metal that these Chileans have unleashed on the world.

The dark, heavy riffs and eerie leads are propelled by solid drumming and a singer who is doing his best Incantation impression. The songs have a darkly dynamic feel to them and the malevolent aura they exude is toxic to the touch. I also like that the bass is actually audible and provides a useful backdrop to the rest of the music.

If you’re bored of the same old generic Death Metal then have a good listen to Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath; for fans of well-played, interesting Death Metal that’s far too wicked and corrupt to be normal.

Highly recommended.

Almøst Human – Ø (Review)

Almøst Human are from Switzerland and play Metal with a modern, Electronic twist.

This is well-recorded and has a solid sound. The band have a late 90’s/early 00’s vibe to them that recalls bands like Spineshank, Mudvayne, Downthesun and Mnemic, only updated for 2014 and with keyboard/electronic effects added in.

This is not a style that I hear too much any more but Almøst Human are convincing and this is an enjoyable little release. The songs are longer than you’d expect for this style, which allows the band to develop the themes and feel of the songs without rushing them or purely focusing on mosh-friendly sections or what not.

These are good songs and I like the focus on developing a completed feeling rather than just stringing several riffs together with a chorus. Almøst Human appear to be attempting to pick from the rotten corpse of Nu-Metal; they aim to take what so many liked from the style and leave what made it so disposable. I’m pleased to say they have largely been successful in this regard and Ø is a comprehensive and enjoyable release.

This means that we have ended up with a heavy, modern Metal release with added effects/electronics that has a lot of enjoyable melodies. This vocalist shows himself to be a very capable singer as well as being able to scream when he needs to.

Check it out.