Reviews – Page 588 – Wonderbox Metal

Cage Grind Noir – Pilots (Review)

Nicolas Cage themed Grindcore? Sure, I can get on board with that.

The vocals are hysterical raging, an insanity that seems to have infected the singer and left him with nothing to do but scream and vomit his love for all things Cage.

Samples infect the tracks like a disease, making sure you’re never too far removed from the subject matter. Each song is named after a film.

Grind of this ilk based on a theme/novelty-factor wouldn’t normally interest me that much if it wasn’t for the fact that the band are good at what they do. They know how to Grind. Puig Destroyer are another such band, and like Puig Destroyer the concept doesn’t get in the way of the Grindcore.

As far as the music goes the band actually peddle somewhat sophisticated, modern Grind, rather than the ultra-primitive variety I was initially expecting, (no idea why. Baseless assumptions and all that). It’s quality stuff. It’s only 13 minutes long but the band still have time for a bit of almost Post-Metal in the middle of the album, (Knowing/8MM), and some mid-paced atmospherics at the end, (Fire Birds).

I see no reason for you to not pick this up and enjoy a little bit of what they’ve got goin’ on!

Infestus – The Reflecting Void (Review)

Coming from Germany, Infestus play sophisticated Black Metal.

This is complex and multi-faceted music that explores a multitude of feelings and emotional states throughout the 54 minutes playing time. It’s state-of-the-art Black Metal with a top quality sound and a will to succeed.

The songs are reflective of this nature and excel at delivering emotive, dynamic, Blackened compositions that show off the talent of the powerful mind behind the band.

Dark melodies and riffs that bleed strength and emotion crackle and cascade across your consciousness as your intellect feebly struggles to comprehend the vastness of the infinite mysteries of the hidden night.

The impressive soundscapes that make up these 8 tracks are writ large against this darkened canvas and are brought to full technicolour life in brazen shades of mortality and buried life.

Each song brings a new experience to the fold and wields forbidden knowledge like one who was born to an esoteric existence, dedicated to withholding such dark arts from the unworthy masses.

This is elite music in all senses of the word. This is Infestus’ magnum opus. This is essential.

Human Infection – Curvatures In Time (Review)

Human Infection are from the US and play Death Metal.

And what an album cover! Now that’s what a Death Metal cover should look like…

The music doesn’t disappoint. After a perfunctory intro it’s straight into the USDM-style blasting with the nicely named Celestial.

The vocals instantly jump out at you with their character and are more Malevolent Creation than the cookie monster-standard.

This harks back to earlier times circa the 90’s, with short, brutal songs that could have come out of the Cannibal Corpse stable or the Floridian swamps; the band have the USDM blasting down to a nostalgic art, and the mid-paced assaults are authentic and rousing. There is even a subtle Thrash element to some of the riffs. It’s not a huge influence, but it’s there, adding its bite to the attack.

Human Infection also drag the songwriting skills of the bands from this earlier era into their work. These tracks are not merely a collection of riffs; thought has gone into the ebb and flow of the songs, as well as to making them catchy and loading them with hooks.

Like Morbid Angel and Suffocation conspired to produce a bastard offspring; Curvatures In Time is a worthy heir to the throne.

Ferium – Reflections (Review)

This is the début album from Ferium who come from Israel and play Death/Groove Metal with a slight Metalcore-style influence.

This is rabble-rousing groove Metal with a firm Death Metal basis and only a little bit of -core influence added in. A case could be made for calling them Deathcore I suppose, but they don’t share a lot of common ground with most Deathcore bands, (more emphasis on melody and less on breakdowns, etc.), and thus I feel this would be doing them somewhat of a disservice. Genre label quibbles aside, the emphasis is on the Metal, as it should be.

I suppose if you take a cross of, say Lamb of God and Arch Enemy and add more of classic Death Metal influence you’d be in the right area. Or conversely if you take some older bands such as Lipid and Konkhra and add a modern influence you’d end up in similar territory.

The songs are growers; they have an initial impact certainly, but require time to fully appreciate as they are the kind of songs that are unhurried, secure in the knowledge that they’re capable and worthy of repeat visitations.

This is at least partly to do with the fact that a lot of the riffs used here are midway between melodic and brutal, making them stand out and peak the curiosity. The band flirt with Melodic Death Metal but always pull back to heavier climes before fully embracing this destination. It’s an interesting listen.

The vocalist has quite the range, whether it’s deep growls or terror-inducing screams. He has the rhythmic patterns of a modern Metal shouter and the lungs of a Behemoth.

Ferium have produced a quality listen with enough longevity to keep things lively. Let’s see where this band end up as they have a lot to offer the discerning metal fan.

Dead in the Manger – Transience (Review)

Screaming out of the US, Dead in the Manger are an unholy fusion of Black Metal and Grind.

This release is 18 minutes of pure depression and hatred in equal measure.

Unusually the band juxtapose Funeral/Depressive Black Metal against furious Blackened Grindcore. It works due to a skilful weaving together of the two usually disparate genres.

The slow misery of the haunting opening track gives way to the savage, focused Grind of the second. The third and fourth combine aspects of both styles in a way that’s a welcome breath of stinking air; savage Blackened Grind colliding with dirge-like riffs and miserably anger. The fifth is a haunting interlude of samples and dark atmosphere, while the final, (and longest), track is blistering and solemn; blastbeats rage over sorrowful chords.

And what of the vocals? Black Metal to the core. Like static being vomited up by a diseased corpse. Perfect.

Dead in the Manger are hopefully not transient, hopefully they will be with us for some time yet.

North – Metanoia (Review)

North are from the US and play Post-Metal.

Whether it’s build and release or tense and relax; having light and dark or beauty and brutality; these are some of the staples of Post-Metal, that most varied of beasts, and North provide an exemplar of how to do this while layering the entire thing in raw, Sludgy vocals.

Picture a band playing their favourite parts of Isis and Year Of No Light and condensing these resulting compositions into shorter songs than typically either of those bands; this will give you a good idea of the ground that North tread.

The vocals are rough semi-cleans that provide an interesting counterpoint to the clear music. They are expressive and emotive in all of the right ways. The same can be said of the songs themselves. Taken together these tracks explore the emotional depths and heights of whatever the subject matter is. As someone once said of Radiohead – I don’t know what he’s singing about but I can tell he means it, (or something along those lines).

Each of these four tracks is a mastercrafted example of Post-Metal at its best, especially as it doesn’t aim to simply mimic Neurosis/Cult of Luna as a lot of Post-Metal ends up doing to some extent. Here we have a band travelling their own path to the beat of their heroes but with a singular intent all of their own.

I had never heard North before this EP, and I quickly come to the conclusion that this is a crying shame as the quality and effect of these songs is undeniable.

Expand your horizons, and make sure you travel North.

Sioux – The One and The Many (Review)

Sioux are from the US and play Stoner Metal.

Imagine a band like Mastodon had gone full on Stoner Metal and you’ll have the right idea. Sioux inhabit this special place, where the foundations of Stoner are laced with exquisite vocal melodies and spikes of aggression to create wonderfully enjoyable songs full of pace, dynamics and life.

Each of these tracks sparkles with an inner light that comes from a core of pure molten Metal, distilled though layers of desert Rock.

The vocals are reminiscent of Mastodon in places, as mentioned, but never in a plagiarised way; merely a shared debt to captivating melody and depth of voice.

All of the six songs that make up this 28 minute release are well written and hold attention easily. The band have lots of ideas and the talent to back it up with hooks and powerful arrangements.

Sioux may very well be your new favourite band.

Fisthammer – Infallible (Review)

This is the second album from US group Fisthammer, who must surely have one of the best names ever.

Fisthammer deliver us Death Metal with a lot of different influences at play throughout the 10 tracks on this album.

Sometimes it’s a bit of a Blackened influence on some of the riffs; sometimes they play something from the Technical Death Metal genre; sometimes they have a Progressive tendency; sometimes an Old-School vibe creeps into proceedings; sometimes a melodic section uplifts and inspires; sometimes a furiously modern breakdown/riff rears its head; sometimes an acoustic/softer passage relaxes things…I could go on but suffice to say Fisthammer are no one-trick pony.

All of these diverse elements are woven around a thoroughly brutal Death Metal core and swathed in a filthy yet powerful production and drenched in unholy blasphemy. Such a range of ideas and quirks could lead to a lesser band sounding a bit sloppy or unnatural, but Fisthammer give a coherent performance throughout and consistently deliver exceptional songs.

And exceptional songs they are – there are simply so many highlights it’s just silly. It’s hard to identify a favourite, although at this precise moment, (and it changes quite frequently), I favour Automation of Flesh as it’s just got an absolutely amazing riff in it. Listen to it. You’ll know the one I’m talking about.

Calling your album Infallible is a risk in some ways, as it opens up the band to easy attack had they released something sub-par. However, as they have released what will probably be referred to as a Death Metal classic in years to come, it instead gives people like me an easy way to compliment the band. Yes; this album is Infallible in both name and nature.

Overall this is inventive, interesting and basically incredible.

Get. This. Now.

Near Death Condition – Evolving Towards Extinction (Review)

This is the third album from Swiss Death Metallers Near Death Condition.

This is very brutal and very heavy, just as we like it. Coming across as a mix of Hate Eternal, Immolation, Behemoth and Morbid Angel; Near Death Condition have all the essential ingredients of a very filling and very tasty meal.

The vocalist is the proverbial icing on the cake. Whether he is growling or screaming his voice is immense and immediately engaging.

The songs are ultra-brutal with the blast beats played to precision and the guitars aiming to utterly destroy. They have lots of slower riffs that speak of an Immolation/Morbid Angel influence of slightly unusual structures that work very well. The band also throw in some more restrained sections with solos and even a bit of Behemoth-style orchestration here and there.

Near Death Condition offer us the complete package and Evolving Towards Extinction is the kind of album any Death Metal fan should relish getting their teeth into.

Pilgrim – II: Void Worship (Review)

Pilgrim play Doom Metal and come from the US. As the name suggests, this is their second album.

The band play a classic form of Black Sabbath-inspired Doom Metal that has a vaguely retro feel, but not overly so like some bands of this ilk.

Pilgrim have an epic feeling to their songs, but not in the same way that Power Metal can be epic, or Black Metal can be; this is more in the form of a terrible majesty and awesome horror, frightening but enlightening to behold. The tracks definitely have that otherworldly feeling.

The vocals are highly accomplished and are stronger than the average for this kind of band; the singer has range, depth and nuance.

The second song Master’s Chamber is the longest and my favourite of the 8 tracks on offer. It is slow and steady; a winding collection of gargantuan riffage that could move mountains with its heaviosity and burn heavens with its occult aura. This isn’t merely Doom, but DOOOOOOOM!

It’s important enough to say again.

DOOOOOOOM!

That’s better.

This album’s a bit of a belter really, the kind of album where the riffs suck you in, slooowly chew you up and slooowly spit you out. Slow isn’t their only speed and they know when to raise the tempo and rock out a bit when the mood is right. And you’d better get out of their way because when they do they mean business.

Pilgrim rule.