Reviews – Page 591 – Wonderbox Metal

Dead Earth Politics – The Queen of Steel (Review)

Dead Earth Politics are from the US and play modern Thrash/Groove Metal.

This is southern-tinged Modern Metal in the style of Lamb of God, et al, only with a slightly more Metal twist and some nice melodic choruses. Look at the album cover. Look at the song titles. There is no weak pseudo-Metal here.

Said melodic choruses are not of the sickly, saccharine variety; instead they’re all about the Metal and owe more to Pantera than the more modern Metalcore clones.

The riffs are good and the songs have plenty of energy. The band also don’t shy away from solos, which is always a welcome thing to hear.

The vocals are modern Metal shouting, combined with the aforementioned cleans with some even verging on Power Metal territory. Almost.

I’ve seen this band described as a cross between classic Metal and New American Metal and I think this description fits. Either way this short 3 track EP has the songs to play in the big leagues and is clearly the result of talented minds.

An enjoyable EP, and if they can harness this energy and songwriting finesse then whatever upcoming album they may be working on should be well worth a listen. Based on this release I’m looking forward to what they do next.

A modern take on fantasy Metal? Works for me.

The Drip – A Presentation of Gruesome Poetics (Review)

Hailing from the US, The Drip play Grind, fast and brutal.

This EP is 12 minutes, 6 tracks of mutilating Grindcore. The band worship at the altar of Grind legends Nasum and Rotten Sound, and are just as tight and focused.

The songs are streamlined and belligerent, with a good grasp of Nasum-esque dynamics.

The vocals are mainly high-pitched screeches designed to curdle milk and other such meanness. They sound savage and layer the top of the music like broken glass.

The production is clear enough to hear everything but also dirty enough to avoid the band becoming sterile or safe. A band with bite.

Each song is a self-contained furnace of energy and destruction, with nothing being held back. The band manage to give off a very complete feeling of listening to both state-of-the-art Grind but also one that’s aware of its heritage, going all the way back to Napalm Death when they unleashed Scum upon the world.

This is a great little collection of high octane grinders and it bodes well for a future album release. Definitely ones to watch.

Stoneburner – Life Drawing (Review)

Stoneburner are a Sludge/Doom band from the US and Life Drawing is their second album.

The band combine aggressive Sludge with minimal Doom in a pleasing and refreshing way, taking elements of the masters such as Eyehategod and Neurosis and combing them with an eclectic mix of bands like Electric Wizard, Warhorse and even a splash of Isis on occasion.

They have a punchy, buoyant sound for a group of this type, with the guitars seemingly larger than life and ready to pop out of the speakers at a moment’s notice. For all this vibrancy however theirs is a filthy sound, mired in dirt and caked in sin.

The vocals are low-in-the-mix rumbles that sound as if something lurking just underneath the surface is threatening to break through and wreak havoc, yet is restrained by the thick, syrupy music.

The songs are free form expressions of the darker side of life where not everything works out in the end. The album cover is quite evocative and one can imagine this album chronicling the life and times of the figure in the painting. Which is possibly why the album sounds so bleak, yet with moments of uplift; even in a drab life there are moments of colour. Of course the actual lyrics are probably about something completely different, but this is my impression and it seems to fit the mood of the album.

At over 66 minutes in length this is a long and rewarding journey through a damaged life that culminates in the final, epic track The Pheonix. A moment of hope as the final curtain falls? Maybe.

Music to captivate and absorb.

Buioingola – Dopo l’Apnea (Review)

This is the début album by Italian atmospheric Doom band Buioingola.

The vocals sound like someone shouting into a bucket and are strangely effective for this. They are set to a backdrop of apocalyptic Doom that wells up with despair and loss to the point of overflow.

The darkly melodic guitars speak of a deep dissatisfaction with the way things are, while the generalised aura of suicidal fragility permeates everything. Even when the band play more up-tempo the atmosphere is still very much down-tempo. In this regard they are not dissimilar to Deinonychus with their all-pervading mood of misery.

The icy feel of the riffs seem to leech all life and energy out of the room as you’re listening to it, drawing you further into the web of negativity that the band conspire to propagate.

Sorrowful guitar melodies, distorted noise Industrial effects, Post-Metal meanderings and some Hardcore/Crust bravado all added to a Doom core and an all-encompassing air of gloom mean that this is a heartfelt journey into someone’s bleakest nightmare.

Apparently Buioingola means “darkness in my throat”. Sounds about right to me.

A recommended listen.

Aurora Borealis – World Shapers (Review)

Aurora Borealis are from the US and play Black Metal with a Death Metal influence. This is the sixth album from this underrated veteran band.

I’m already a fan of this band so was eagerly looking forward to getting my grubby mitts on this one. Aurora Borealis have always been one of those band who have managed to be brutal, melodic, extreme and catchy all at the same time, and this new album of theirs is no exception.

The drums speed by like carpet bombs going off and the guitars are as razor sharp as always.

The vocals are harsh croaks that sound way better than they probably should and the vocalist always seems to come up with interesting rhythms and patterns for his voice.

The songs are no disappointment, with each one providing the riffs and melodies needed, as well us the right combination of brutality and restraint necessary for involving songs. The tracks are mainly in the 4:00-5:00 range and allow each song to develop and breathe without losing focus.

Another exemplary album of brutal Black Metal from this group of experts.

Pyrrhon – The Mother Of Virtues (Review)

Pyrrhon are an unusual Hardcore-influenced Technical Death Metal band from the US and this is their second album.

They kickstart proceedings with an entry track that would do Converge or Cephalic Carnage proud. The Oracle of Nassau explodes out of the speakers all frenzy and bile, and for 1:25 it proceeds to annihilate everything. In complete contrast the next song White Flag starts off slow and menacing, and lasts for a much longer 9:42.

The vocals are screamed static attacks or brutal guttural growls, depending on the mood of the singer.

The music is technical, involved and very intricate. The instruments twist and turn and play all manner of elusive riffs; the listener is submerged in a lake of discordant dissonance that somehow manages to satisfy in spite of the multiple disparate elements being unleashed.

This is the clever thing though, as each instrument by itself is exploring its own path but everything gels together for the benefit of the wider picture in ways that you wouldn’t expect. The songs manage to be exploratory and experimental while remaining coherent and delivering a completed whole.

Angular riffs, wilful bass, schizophrenic drums and daemonic vocals collide to create a challenging and ultimately involving listen. The songs owe about as much to the violent Hardcore background of bands such as Converge, Botch and The Dillinger Escape Plan as they do to Technical Death Metal.

Pyrrhon strike me as having a combination of sounds from bands as diverse as all of the previously mentioned ones, as well as having elements of bands like Uphill Battle, Gorguts and Today Is The Day.

If you’re looking for a new band to obsess over who are not your average band then say hello to Pyrrhon. This album is a must.

Antigama – Meteor (Review)

Meteor is the latest album from Polish Grind band Antigama.

Straight away you can tell that the latest Antigama album is just a top quality Grindcore release; the sound, the vocals, the playing, the delivery – it’s all spot on.

The recording is full and complete, with a devastating sound that makes the most of the band’s aggressive heaviness.

The vocals are brutal and satisfying with enough variety to keep things interesting but sounding good enough that the variety is a bonus and not something that’s necessary.

The playing of the band is tight and focused. They alternate between fast and aggressive, staccato stop-starts, brutal blasting and atmospheric heaviness with ease and the confidence of true professionals.

They’re also not afraid to experiment, with electronics and effects on some songs as well as guest and alternative vocals; it all adds up to something special.

Another solid, top quality release from these Grindcore masters; Meteor should see them at the head of the modern Extreme Metal pack.

Rauhnåcht – Urzeitgeist (Review)

This is Austrian Black Metal played with style and fervour.

Harking back to the glory days of the cream of the second wave of Black Metal, Rauhnåcht evoke the same feelings of mystical grandeur that bands like Emperor and Gehenna were so good at playing back in the 90’s.

The cold Black guitars are accentuated with keyboards that are obvious enough to help steer the songs but subtle enough to not be overwhelming. They provide an intoxicating accompaniment to the other instruments.

The songs charge, stalk, slash or prowl through their playing time, depending on the kind of mood the band are going for. Rauhnåcht seem perfectly willing and capable to excel at either fast or slow sections, usually both and everything in-between during the space of a song. Due to this the shortest song is 5:56, (Urzeitgeist), and the longest is 10:08, (Rauhnachtskind).

Vocals hiss like corrosive steam escaping from a vent, reminding me of the vocalist of Naglfar in their delivery. Subdued cleans also make an appearance at select moments and these are not over-used.

I really enjoyed this album. Along with the recent release from Akrotheism this has made me very happy that there are bands out there still doing this style of non-symphonic atmospheric Black Metal and doing it really, really well.

Treat yourself to this.

Blacksnake – Lucifer’s Bride (Review)

This is the second release from Polish Stoner Metal band Blacksnake.

The songs positively ooze out of the speakers, all confidence and charm. The singer has a good set of lungs and brings a classic Metal/Thrash style to the proceedings.

The band manage to combine Stoner riffs with a Heavy Metal feel and vibe. The songs rock out in all of the right ways and the band even inject some interesting ideas into the proceedings; different vocals and effects are all experimented with on top of their Stoner Metal core.

The Metal/Thrash influences that the band have incorporated into their repertoire elevate them above a simple Stoner Metal band and the natural-sounding combination of the two is a real pleasure to listen to, especially when the organ kicks in.

The band have a talent for writing catchy songs and this is an album I can quite happily listen to over and over again. It has the longevity of Thrash with the soul of desert Rock.

Crammed full of enjoyable songs and an honest, no-nonsense delivery this is an album that deserves a wider audience than it’s probably going to get. Be one of the lucky ones and get this now.

Panychida – Grief for an Idol (Review)

This is the third album by Panychida who come from the Czech Republic. They play Black Metal with a heavy Pagan influence.

Take a powerful Black Metal core, add some atmospherics and keyboards, infuse a bit of Primordial and old Dimmu Borgir into it and soak in a heady strain of Paganism and you have a good starting point for Panychida.

The songs are stirring and involving. They have aggression and exploration written into the guitars, as well as a good amount of epic Metal riffage.

Panychida offer a good variety of vocals, with almost every type making an appearance – screams, growls, whispers, cleans; they’re all here and all done well. Krastina (Grief for the Idol) is a great example of this as the vocals alternate between all of these and more in a short space of time.

Folk influences and instrumentation appear and these are done well without sounding out of place.

Panychida have produced a quality album. Give them a listen and see what you think.