Reviews – Page 595 – Wonderbox Metal

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.

All Pigs Must Die – Nothing Violates This Nature (Review)

All Pigs Must Die are from the US and play ultra-violent Hardcore Metal.

The band mix the aggression of Converge, the crust of Discharge and the Metal of Entombed into one searing package of extremity and violence.

This is a brutal rampage though a filth-fuelled rage-dump and catharsis through ferocity. The songs strain against the fabric of civilised society, holding the promise of anarchy and release but remaining coherent enough to channel all of the fury into a collection of tracks that are not only heavy musically but also with destructive potential.

There is 33 minutes of music here, spread across 10 tracks; the perfect amount of time so that the aggression truly flows into you but not so much that it can become stale or wasted potential.

I love music like this. It’s so vital and alive and epitomises why heavy music is so enticing. Do yourself a favour and get this album.

Slovenly World – Alternate Ending (Review)

Slovenly World are from France and play modern Metal.

This is quite a nice little EP here of modern Metal without any of the overt commercialism so rampant in this style otherwise. Songs are heavy and hard hitting, and the band know when to floor the accelerator when needed. They even have solos!

They remind of late 90’s/early 00’s bands like Mindjuice and Out only with an added dollop of more recent Metalcore.

Slovenly World are bruising but have plenty of melodic moments to off set the heavy guitars. These come mainly in the form of the singer who manages a some nice cleans as well as rougher vocals.

The songs are quite catchy and surprisingly infectious as the tunes worm their way into your brain.

Much more enjoyable than I was expecting; a band to keep an eye on.

Earth Crisis – Salvation Of Innocents (Review)

Earth Crisis are from the US and this is their latest album of muscular Hardcore Metal.

These veterans are an institution in their own right, and I’ve been listening to them since first getting Gomorrah’s Season Ends in 1996. Which makes me feel very old, but let’s ignore that…

This is another prime slice of Grade A Metallic Hardcore guaranteed to get the pit moving and limbs thrashing.

The songs are short and to the point. There’s no need for messing around when you’re this focused and have your vision nailed down. They manage to combine a few different styles from their quite varied back catalogue.

Earth Crisis have always played the slower, almost sludge-infected riffs really well, and I’m pleased that there are still a good smattering of these on most songs alongside the more chuggy riffs.

Salvation Of Innocents is similar to their style on the brutal Breed The Killers album only with a lot more vocal variety; we get the standard bellowing, rawer shouting, semi-cleans that are still rough-around the edges, gang vocals, and most things in between. Although we never really get the ultra-melodic clean vocals that peppered their excellent Slither album, I’d say that this is roughly a cross between that release and Breed The Killers.

After the first two tracks of heaviness and aggression Shiver brings in melodic vocals with an almost orchestral chorus. It’s a welcome reminder that this is a band that have in fact a wide arsenal of weapons in their armoury with which to assault the senses with. This is ably shown by the next track The Morbid Glare which is an up-tempo rager and faster than Earth Crisis normally play.

I’m very pleased to say that I am not disappointed by this latest album and wholeheartedly recommend it to every and all fans of heaviness.

Terrordome – We’ll Show You Bosch, Mitch! (Review)

Coming from Poland, Terrordome play Crossover Thrash Metal heavy on the extremity and it’s really only one step removed from Old-School Grindcore really. Thrashgrind?

This is brutal stuff and although it has a heavy Thrash influence there is equal amounts of Punk/Hardcore/Crossover in the mix.

The album is surprisingly good; I say that simply because sometimes bands of this ilk can grate a little bit for me, but I like this. It’s raw, honest and musically lacks gimmicks.

They have an underground sound that’s effective and has an especially good drum presence; you can feel every single kick drum.

The vocals are punky and enjoyable, reminiscent of a Hardcore band.

This was an unexpected find and more enjoyable than I was expecting it to be. Result.

Alehammer – Barmageddon (Review)

Alehammer are from the US and play Crusty Thrash Metal with an alcoholic theme.

The sound they have is one giant fuzzed-up monster of a sound. The heavily distorted guitars almost overwhelm everything else with their filthy, ultra-scuzzy noise.

The singer sounds rabid and the Crusty vocals are bellowed out at the top of his voice; they’re burly, unfriendly and make a hell of a mess.

The sound quality appears to vary depending on how inebriated the band were when they recorded it, with some songs like Fermented Death having a weaker sound but others such as ABV 666 sounding much stronger. Strange.

The songs are simple, belligerent and enjoyable. They have a drunken swagger entirely their own, and a crowbar to smash down anyone who gets between them and the bar.

This is Metal at its most primitive and most primal. Have some beers and let the fists start flying.