Vision of Disorder are a US Hardcore band. This is their sixth album.
Hardcore veterans Vision of Disorder return and from the off it’s riffs, riffs and more riffs as the singer snarls and the production crushes. I’ve been a huge fan of this band ever since their amazing Imprint album came out way back 1998. They’ve had some ups and downs over the years, but they’ve always delivered the goods in one form or another.
Razed to the Ground is what Vision of Disorder do best – a condensed explosion of violence and melody. These songs allow the listener to get wrapped up in pummelling grooves, high-energy riffs and a performance so pumped up it will tear your face off before it even realises what it’s done.
Ostensibly a band like Vision of Disorder should be a run-of-the-mill Metalcore band with no distinguishing features to set them apart from hordes of similar bands, except for their higher profile and length of service. In reality though, the atypical riffs, interesting melodies, Hardcore ferocity and pure passion that the band exude mean that they are very much greater than the sum of their parts.
These songs have catchines and hooks in spades. As well as all of the obvious, high-impact immediate stuff here, there’s also a deeper subtlety and nuance displayed on some of the tracks that merely adds to the album’s longevity.
I’ve always loved the singer’s voice. His screaming snarls sound like anger personified when he really lets rip, and his cleans always have a certain edge to them that made them stand out from most of the more commercial/weak sounding cleans used by a lot of their peers. He’s on top form again on this release and it seems he will never run out of steam. Here’s hoping.
This is a strong new album from these Hardcore stalwarts.
Moloch is a Ukrainian one-man Black Metal band. This is his latest album.
This is Old-School Black Metal that’s bookended by two Dark Ambient pieces, both of which are strangely effective.
The main feast is primitive, raw Black Metal that’s of the lo-fi persuasion and reminds of bands like Burzum and Xasthur. Elements of the Depressive Black Metal style rear their despondent heads on occasion, lending a painful edge to Moloch’s cold Black Metal.
These songs seem barely held together, but not because they are sloppily played or anything like that. The playing is in fact quite tight, but the style of Black Metal on Verwüstung has an inherently chaotic, tortured feel to it; it’s almost as if this has been created and released under extreme duress and some significant amount of pain.
The vocals howl, shriek and seemingly claw their way through the tracks with the sharpness of a sword. An impressive performance is given and I can only imagine the man was emotionally ruined near the end of the recording process. At least, it sounds that way.
Good variety and songwriting means that Verwüstung is an involving and engaging listen, with enough changes in speed and feeling to keep things interesting without becoming inconsistent.
With a recording that’s underground enough to be raw yet coherent enough to work well with the material, Verwüstung is a very satisfying album and a very strong listen.
Biopsy’s début EP Fractals of Derangement is a solid slab of USDM-style Brutal Death Metal that has enough ugly surgical scars to cause the staunchest of Death Metal fans to take note. Curious to learn more about them, I caught up with their vocalist in his operating theatre…
For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Shomeresh, vocalist of the band. I’ll be answering your questions today, most of our opinions about the band and the industry are rather unanimous so I’m quite confident I can do justice to do this interview by myself. Well, let’s get into it.
We’re Biopsy, a brutal death metal band from Bombay. We started off as three teenagers with a passion for this genre of music and that eventually evolved into us jamming, then composing our own music and finally recording an EP.
Give us a bit of history to Biopsy
The three of us met back in 2010, Keshav (drums) and Akshay (guitars) were already jamming with each other a few others, I (Shomeresh – vocals) came into the picture a few months later and joined the lads for a jam session and we really seemed to connect on a musical level. We initially began covering and composing music as a death metal act but over the years our musical interests shifted towards brutal death metal. The sheer aggression, intensity and versatility of the genre is something that appealed to us and we then decided to stick with this genre and began composing several tracks out of which a few of them made the cut to what is now called ‘Fractals of Derangement’ our EP.
What are your influences?
Our musical influences come from a variety of genres. We love listening to music outside of just metal or even rock. So to answer this question I would like to say our influences come from the entire music eco-system as a whole, which would include genres like drum & bass, psychedelic trance, electro-house, rock, post-rock, classic rock, metal, funk, techno etc. Pretty much any track that sounds good, we don’t like limiting our musical tastes to the genre our band plays – that’s like restricting yourself from enjoying all this amazing talent out there. When it comes to Biopsy’s influences in particular, I’d say bands like Disgorge, Defeated Sanity, Gorgasm, Cephalotripsy, Dying Fetus, etc. helped us shape our sound into what it is today.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
Well, I can’t speak for the rest of the guys on this one but personally I have been listening to a lot of hip-hop of late (best music for the drive to work), along with that I’ve always been a passionate lover of electronic music (psychedelic trance, electro-house, glitch, trap etc.) and metal of course. Among the metal bands on my current playlist, Betraying the Martyrs and Of Mice & Men are two bands that feature more often than not.
As this is your début EP, is there anything you would do differently if you had to do it all over again?
Not really, we’re really happy with how it sounds and the way it’s been accepted and appreciated by peers and professionals around the world. If anything we’d probably like to change my profile picture in the EP booklet, according to the guys I look like a queer ‘Persian prince’.
What’s your favourite song on your EP and why?
We each have different favourites, because each track has different levels of contribution from the various individuals in the band. My favourite would have to be ‘Surgical Symmetry’ as I deeply enjoy the extremely synchronised synergy between guitar and vocal lines throughout the track. There were several segments of the track where the vocal lines fit so well with the guitar lines that the three instantly knew we would never find a better alternative. It was one of those tracks where everything just seemed to come together, and we probably brainstormed the least on vocal, guitar and drum lines for this one and I love it when that happens, because otherwise you’re constantly second-guessing your decisions.
What are the subjects/themes of the songs?
The theme of the band is a deranged surgeon killing individuals who he deems unworthy of existence. People with contagious diseases or tainted characters. A quick read of the booklet in our EP case should explain this in elaborate detail.
Give us a bit of information on your songwriting process.
The song-writing process for this EP consisted of Keshav and Akshay sitting together and ironing out the instrumentals, then sending over the track to me after which we’d brainstorm on appropriate vocal lines which was followed by me penning down lyrics and selecting a good title for the song. Sounds really simple when I lay it out like this, but there are several complications that come up along the way which you have to deal with on the fly, but I suppose that’s the journey every set of artists go through while composing something as a group, there are always individual preferences and tastes it’s about how you can best accommodate everyone’s opinions without compromising on the integrity of the final output.
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
A. Given the fact that we’re currently in different countries, I’m in UAE (Dubai), Akshay is in Michigan (USA) and Keshav is back home in India (Bombay) composing music is quite the challenge, but we plan to exchange stuff over the internet and try to put together a few more tracks then hit the studio and record another EP in the near future.
Thanks a lot for this great interview! We enjoyed it very much!
Dalla Nebbia are a Progressive Black Metal band from the US. This is their second album.
This is sophisticated Black Metal that incorporates elements of the Progressive and Atmospheric sub-styles into itself, as well as some Doom/Death elements here and there.
Featuring an added violinist on most of the tracks, this is expansive and exploratory music that may have a firm base in Black Metal but refuses to be constrained by its traditional trappings.
The band are clearly talented, imaginative and ambitious, which is a fine combination. Dalla Nebbia are the kind of band that brings influences from some of the best aspects of Emperor, Agalloch, Opeth, Arcturus, Windir and other similarly lofty bands together into one place and then makes them their own.
The songs have a high emotional content that seems to come naturally to the guitars. The tracks aren’t simple, straightforward affairs either, so this rich, emotive quality is even more impressive. Background synths and effects add a further layer to the variety of riffs and melodies used, with the intention of everything being to take the listener on a Blackened journey into the dark places of the world. With Dalla Nebbia as your guide, this is a trip worth taking.
Mainly propelled forwards with traditional Blackened screams; cleans, growls and other vocalisations also appear and reinforce the impression of a varied and interesting band who are happy to do things their own way.
This is a varied release that covers a lot of ground. It’s not something that can easily absorbed in one listen as there’s a lot going on here; each spin brings something else to your attention, and there’s a lot of quality content to notice on Felix Culpa.
Very impressive and very enjoyable. Make sure you look out for this one.
Ram are a Swedish Heavy Metal band and this is their fourth album.
This is Classic/Traditional Heavy Metal with a solid sound and songs aplenty.
The style of the music and the singer’s commanding voice takes me back to the days when I was first discovering Heavy Metal. This is straight-ahead Metal with enough influences from the likes of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden to keep any Metal fan happy, although it should be stated that Ram have enough personality of their own to avoid Svbversvm coming across as pure hero-worship.
The songs are catchy and do have hooks, but it’s not quite as obvious an affair as you might imagine. Although these elements are here, Ram seem to take more pride in creating songs that work holistically and create a good Metal atmosphere, rather than concentrating on the specifics of individual song parts. This is not to say they don’t have decent riffs and choruses, (they do), but it’s the song as a whole that’s important rather than just parts of it. For me, this approach works and increases the longevity and depth of the songs.
Having said all that though, songs like Holy Death are just pure wonderous aural-sugar and catchy as fuck, so there you go.
The singer’s style and his performance is resolutely Old-School, with his projected attitude and confidence being almost as important as his vocal skills. He knows how to sing that’s for sure, but like the music the emphasis is on feeling and delivery, rather than shiny harmonies and sing-along choruses; after all, this is resolutely Heavy Metal, not Power Metal.
Thankfully they have chosen to present all of this in a solid production that doesn’t over-emphasise the Old-School nature of their style. It’s a thoroughly modern recording that has enough grit and dust to ensure they don’t come across as too polished, while still giving the songs the respect and power they deserve. It’s well-judged, as too much one way or the other would have been to the album’s detriment, I feel.
I like this kind of Heavy Metal; yes there’s a nostalgia factor to it, but ultimately this is a contemporary Metal band existing in 2015 and producing quality music for fans of the classic style. The fact that they do it very well is a bonus.
At 50 minutes in length, this album is a very enjoyable listen and Ram are a most welcome addition to my music collection.
This is the début album from US Symphonic Blackened Death Metallers Tine.
Blackened Death Metal is a funny beast. Frequently just a Death Metal band with some added Blackened spite, you also occasionally get a Black Metal band with some added Deathly brutality too. Very occasionally, however, you get bands that actually combine both styles in a convincing, equal way.
Tine are one such band. Combining the darkness and atmosphere of Old-School Black Metal with Death Metal’s feral core, The Forest Dreams of Black is a feast of spectrally enhanced Metal that takes elements of bands such as early Emperor and Behemoth to create 53 minutes of emotive Blackened Metal.
The Symphonic elements are nicely understated, making sure that they don’t overpower the rest of the music. They add and enhance, rather than overtake or smother. One of my all-time favourite Atmospheric Black/Death Metal albums is Depresy’s Sighting, so it’s a big compliment that The Forest Dreams of Black puts me in mind of this.
The music is clearly a passionate and personal affair for its creators, and this shines through in the music with a dark, poisonous light.
I have really enjoyed this release. There’s real feeling and atmosphere here, with an underlying emotional intensity that’s hard to ignore. The two different genres both come out in the songs in different ways and the commanding vocals are full of presence, bringing everything together to a charismatic focal point. A satisfying sound that isn’t too polished rounds off the impressive package and I am left with fond memories of a walk through a dark and dangerous forest, one that I’m happy to revisit again and again.
This is the third album from Swedish Atmospheric Sludge/Post-Hardcore band Moloken.
This is Cult of Luna/Isis-inspired Post-Metal that has been combined with Converge-style Post-Hardcore to create individualistic songs that are sharp, nasty and boiling with heated darkness.
Caustic, throat-shredding screamed vocals provide a brutally simple focal point to the apocalyptic music. The band are here to sow darkness and reap pain. Their music is a dense, claustrophobic affair, ripe with urban decay and full of disturbed interest for the observer to become upset by.
Varied and nuanced, there are a lot of good ideas on display throughout these 29 minutes and Moloken make the most of the relatively short playing time by filling the album with bleak sounds that captivate and enthral.
Equal parts Sludge, Hardcore and dark atmosphere, All Is Left to See is enjoyable and recommended.
This is the début album from Spanish Brutal Death Metal band Carnivorous Voracity.
Making a strong opening statement of intent with their album cover, Carnivorous Voracity proceed to deliver almost exactly what you might expect over these 36 minutes.
It’s very hard for me to dislike Death Metal like this. It’s savage and nasty, but with enough songwriting savvy to make sure that the music doesn’t become too one-dimensional. This is an important point, as a lot of bands of this ilk are essentially one-trick ponies, no matter how enjoyable.
With The impious Doctrine the band have ensured that there are enough elements of a few different types of ugly brutality included to keep things fresh and interesting. Brutal Death Metal forms the core of the release, but there’s sprinklings of Classic, Modern, Slam and Technical Death Metal thrown into the blender. It all makes for a very satisfying album.
The songs hit the mark, they really do. Although not a band who are primarily about hooks and catchiness, there’s a surprising amount of good hooks on here regardless, and overall this is a very strong album.
The recording is solid and everything sounds slick and professional. The blasting drums and face-smashing riffs are in-your-face, tight and focused.
The vocalist veers between lethal growls and ugly pigsqueals; being very proficient in both he never puts a foot wrong in his delivery.
Yes, this is a very, very nice release. TIME FOR FULL VOLUME CARNAGE!
Extreme Noise Terror are a Grindcore band from the UK and this is their latest album.
This is a band that have been around for a long time and know a thing or two about ugly brutality. This is Old-School Grind with a firm Hardcore/Punk base that lends the tracks a nervy energy and attitude.
The songs are like short, violent bashes to the head. This is a good thing, honest. It’s raw, uncompromising and savagely delivered.
Each of the tracks is like a shot of adrenaline, with the high-octane Punk riffs and the pummelling drums acting in concert with the frenetic vocals to produce maniacally destructive music.
The dual-vocal assault is belligerent, hostile and unrelentingly antagonistic, frequently straddling the line between murderous and downright frenzied and chaotic.
One of the great things about a band like this though is just how catchy some of these songs are. Sure, they’ll never be a radio hit, (why would they want to be?), but in our rarefied world of Extreme Metal these songs have more hooks than most.
30 years (!) into their career and it’s heartening to see a band like this still so vital and vibrant. Turn up the volume and blast this out for all it’s worth.
This is the début album from US Doom Metal band Disenchanter.
Having enjoyed their previous EP On Through Portals, this album is a welcome chance to catch up with the band and see how they have taken advantage of having a full-length release.
Well, here we have 55 minutes of quality music; on this release the production is heavier and more professional, the playing crisper and tighter without losing their easy-feeling style, and the songwriting skills have been honed to a fine, sharp point.
Disenchanter play Doom Metal with a good Stoner component, which means that the songs almost roll out of the speakers with an easy confidence and a self-assured air.
The singer has a rich, powerful voice that seems to have a natural presence all of its own, irrespective of the warm, heavy riffs that frequently accompany it. Her voice is strong and compelling.
My favourite tracks are the longer ones, which take their time to build and explore their musical horizons more than their shorter, more upbeat brethren.
Female-fronted Doom Metal is something I’ve been enjoying more and more recently and Disenchanter are a really good example of why.
Vision of Disorder are a US Hardcore band. This is their sixth album.
Wonderbox Metal 