Reviews – Page 574 – Wonderbox Metal

Invidiosus – Malignant Universe (Review)

Invidiosus are from the US and they play Death Metal.

After the usual pointless intro we get dirty Death Metal with a Grind influence. It’s foetid, riffy, and full of rotten warmth.

The singer has an impressive growl. Deep and satisfying, straight from the bowels. Nice. The higher screeches are good too.

This is a kind of timeless Death Metal that might take cues from the past but is quite content in the present also. It’s heavy and fast, but also allows moments of technicality into the fray as well as slower, more considered parts.

The riffs rip and the drums pound. The gritty nature of the recording works in the band’s favour and overall this is a most enjoyable ride down the Death Metal canal of grisly delights.

Check them out.

The Order of the Solar Temple – The Order of the Solar Temple (Review)

The Order of the Solar Temple are from Canada and play Heavy Metal/Rock.

This is Old-School with elements of Classic Rock, Doom Metal and Psychedelic Rock.

The band have a very warm, laid back sound that instantly makes you feel at ease like a welcome old friend.

The singer has an excellent voice; he’s soft and exquisite, or ultra-high and maniacal, or deep and melodramatic…He has character and personality that’s for sure and puts in a stellar performance.

Coming across as a mix of Blue Öyster Cult, (who they also cover), Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Merciful Fate, this is an enjoyable way to spend 45 minutes when you’re in that retro mood.

There really is some great material here! The singer has a forceful presence and some of these riffs are just epic in scope and feeling.

I thoroughly recommend you listen to this and experience the band first-hand. May you be drawn into their world…

Favourite Track: Aeon of Horus. Everything from the vocal delivery to the tense guitars to the understated bass…a stunner of a song.

Secret Cutter – Self-Titled (Review)

Secret Cutter are from the US and this is their début album. They play Sludge Metal with an added side of Hardcore/Punk.

The Secret Cutter sound is one of pure unbridled filth, fury and fucking heaviness. This is aggressive and nasty in only the way that Sludge and really pissed off Hardcore can be, and when combined like this it just sounds gloriously horrible!

Think of bands like Eyehategod, Serpent Eater, Ilsa, Corrupt Moral Altar, Wolvhammer, Enabler and the like; distil what makes these bands so interesting, nasty and individual and you’ll have a good idea of the murky swamp of urban decay that Secret Cutter dwell in.

I love albums like this – no messing around, just undiluted heaviness and aggression, whether that’s done at speed or slowly. It’s rough, raw and genuine.

The Sludge is strong and works well with the added Hardcore/Punk influence that the band have.

The songs have a good degree of variety in them for a short album, (only 26 minutes), and within the style they play. Each song is readily identifiable also, (no mean feat for any band), and show a creative force at the top of their game.

They have some great riffs on this release and the songs are surprisingly catchy for this type of band. Although catchy probably isn’t the right term. Infectious, maybe?

Special mention should go to the singer, who absolutely rages and tears his way through the songs as if it’s the last thing he’s ever going to do. His high pitched screams are the very incarnation of savagery.

This really is a top quality release that has so many plus points it’s silly. In many ways this is the best of heavy, nasty music, and this is one I’ll be listening to over and over again.

Play it loud and get it now.

Order of Chaos – Deadweight Undertow (Review)

Order of Chaos are from Australia and play a combination of Underground Metal/Hardcore.

This is a hard one to pin down in some ways. It has elements of the more modern Metal/Metalcore sound, but also more of an unhinged, underground vibe and some definite Death Metal/violent Hardcore leanings.

This is more of the kind of thing I would have expected to come out of the UK rather than Australia; I’m thinking of bands like Corrupt Moral Altar, Charger, Raging Speedhorn, Labrat, Mindjuice, Mistress, The Rotted, etc.

Nonetheless, Australia it is, and it’s a good listen. The songs are typically about the 3 minute mark and are focused into little balls of heavy rage. They’re well written and have a good amount of energy. Although the emphasis is on heaviness, small amounts of melody get a look in here and there.

This is a good synthesis of modern-styled Metal with a violent Hardcore element keeping it grounded. It’s underground, nasty and rumbles along with a good chug and a healthy groove.

The singer sounds quite demented on occasion; the higher pitched he gets the more he appears to lose it.

It’s easy to like these songs as the emphasis is on ripping the listener’s face off before they even know what’s happened.

Songs for the moshpit.

Jesus Crøst – 1986 (Review)

Jesus Crøst are from the Netherlands and play Grindcore.

This is 22 songs in 15 minutes, so yes; here we have Grindcore of the short, violent variety.

There appears to be some form of football theme going on, which is not something that even vaguely interests me so I have no idea what that’s all about.

The music is nicely savage and scathing, with short bouts of violence and mayhem. There are some good riffs and even some catchy moments on some of the songs, (Horst Hrubesch for example).

The vocals switch between pignoise grunts and serrated screams and sound very nice indeed. Coupled with the fierce music it really promotes a vicious image.

The music has a good, strong production and sounds heavy and professional.

I have enjoyed this way more than I was expecting to, (put off by the football thing and cover), but if you ignore all of that then musically this is top-quality Grindcore.

Check them out.

Athanatheos – Alpha Theistic (Review)

Athanatheos are from France and play Blackened Death Metal.

This is a bold and ambitious release that’s as impressive as it is unexpected. As a concept album of sorts it naturally reserves the right to be different from the norm and the band make the most of their artistic freedom. Great album cover too.

First off though, before looking at the music itself, I feel compelled to applaud the production. A strong sound benefits the songs and allows the band free reign to create something with personality.

The music itself is brutal and harsh but also includes many moments of interesting ideas and standout parts. This is not simple music and it has obviously been put together under a labour of love and meticulous care. This level of quality is rare, and extends right down to the originally-recorded Gregorian chants that feature on this release.

The songs are varied and utilise pretty much all of the weapons in the Extreme Metal arsenal at one point or another, be this blast beats, slow/mid/fast sections, groove, Doom, etc. as well as the more unconventional parts also.

The tracks are all played well and solos/leads/melodies are put to good use. Everything is tight and focused. Songwriting skills are on top form and the band clearly understand the requirements for dynamics and energy.

Within its chosen Blackened Death Metal style this is a wonderfully diverse and creative release that explores all kinds of Extreme Metal territory before culminating in the final 16 minute track.

This really is a superlative album, and one which would almost certainly have featured in my best of year list if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s already a couple of years old. The fact that such a quality band can produce such a quality album yet remain in complete obscurity is disheartening to say the least.

It’s time to remedy this shocking turn of events. Go seek out Alpha Theistic and include it in your collection with all haste. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

Chaos Moon – Resurrection Extract (Review)

Chaos Moon are from the US and play Black Metal. This is their third album.

This is Atmospheric Black Metal with violent tendencies and a core of pure darkness.

The Black Metal created here is enhanced at all times by a layer of dark ambience that follows the songs around like an omnipresent shadow. This has the net effect of saturating every song with Blackened feelings and melancholia tinged with bloodshed.

Esoteric and obscure melodies are made full use of and there’s even a touch of the Post-Black Metal to some of the sections on Resurrection Extract. It all adds to the appeal of the tracks and ensures that the listener is sufficiently drawn into the world of Chaos Moon.

This is an album with many strings to its bow, whether this is the blasting hatred of the fast sections or the sorrowful mournfulness of the slower; Resurrection Extract hits you where it hurts and the combination of gratuitous atmosphere and razor sharp violence is a winning one.

A highly recommended listen that takes you on a journey through Blackened soundscapes and unexplored lands. Get ready to praise the Chaos Moon.

Amaze Knight – The Key (Review)

Amaze Knight are from Italy and this is their début album. They play Progressive Metal.

The band waste no time showing that they can play. Widdly, Jazz-influenced Progressive Metal with keyboards comes at you hard and heavy upon pressing play.

Each of the 5 tracks are around the 9/10 minute mark and each track is full of orchestrated Prog with exploratory and experimental playfulness.

There’s a slight Power Metal vibe to some of this as well, especially form the vocals, but the main feeling is definitely Prog.

The songs have a good mixture of the experimental and Progressive combined with an actual song structure that keeps the band from veering too far off course.

It’s an enjoyable listen as the musicians are talented and the music is allowed to be self-indulgent in a way that I’m quite happy to listen to. The keyboards and effects add an extra layer to the band’s wanderings whilst the bass is allowed free range to travel far and wide.

The singer has a good voice, although he definitely plays second fiddle to the music in many ways. When he does appear it’s with a confidence of delivery that many Power Metal bands would envy and he fulfils his role with ease.

At 47 minutes in length this is a meaty début album with lots of things going on.

Enjoy!

Martyrdöd – Elddop (Review)

Martyrdöd are from Sweden and play Hardcore Crust. This is their fifth album.

Elddop has a heavy sound with the music sounding organic and lively; a well-produced rawness, if you will.

The band are quite melodic with their riffing. Typically the rhythm guitar lays down a firm, heavy foundation whilst the lead guitar adds colour and flavour over the top. Some of the riffs are quite inventive and the band gives a passionate performance.

The music is of the d-beat Crust variety but is not purely limited to this. The drums power the songs as the guitars make their melodic massacres. This style of music has its roots in the past in bands like Discharge, but a more modern point of reference would be Kvelertak I suppose.

Vocally we have savage shouts that sound hoarse and desperately urgent. It’s as if the singer can’t quite wait to blurt out what his message is, but he feels so disgusted by whatever he’s talking about that he can’t help but just shout it at the top of his lungs. It all adds a refreshing energy to the tracks. Thinking about it, he reminds me of the singer of At The Gates/Lock Up/etc., only deeper and a bit harsher.

Occupying that rarest of spaces where harshness and melodics meet, Martyrdöd have produced an enjoyable album that takes the Crust template, adds a little bit of Metal to it and then vomits vitriol and poisonous invective over everything.

Listen loud and let Martyrdöd shake your world.

Keitzer – The Last Defence (Review)

Keitzer are from Germany and play Deathgrind. This is their fifth album.

This is pissed off Grind with the rhythmic brutality of Death Metal thrown into the mix in order to have every base aggressively covered.

The Last Defence is lean, mean and full of hatred. The blastbeats are furious Grind and the slower parts have Death Metal’s focused, crushing attack.

This isn’t flash-in-the-pan, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Grindcore, although the shorter songs are suitably represented. The songs are a little longer on average than a lot of Grindcore bands which gives the band the chance to deal out their Death Metal influenced assault with enthusiasm and a destructive will.

The riffs are tight and the entire attack that the band have is controlled and utterly lethal.

Keitzer know how to keep things interesting and have produced a relatively varied release in the sense that the riffs and drum beats don’t descend into monotony. Interest is held throughout this very brutal and proficient display of Deathgrind.

The singer has a great voice and he barks, screams and growls his vicious diatribes throughout the duration of the tracks. The songs themselves are surprisingly catchy and memorable. They’re backed up by a great sound too so that you can almost feel the devastation they leave in their wake.

A top class album. Combining the rhythm of Death Metal with the wanton destruction of Grindcore rarely sounds this good.

Check this album out.