Wonderbox Metal

Cut the End – Dawn’s Death to Dusk

After their good-but-rather-average 2008 release The Beauty is Inside, Cut the End returned in 2011 with something very special indeed.

Death Metal gone post-rock. Post-Death Metal? Cut the End could very well be to Death Metal what Enslaved are to Black Metal. Here we have some epic length songs that rely on solid writing and delivery to entrance the listener in each and every turn.

Imagine a band like Cult of Luna if instead of a hardcore/post-rock background they had a Death Metal one with some nice thrash-y riffs sprinkled liberally around. The songs grow and grow, twist and turn, in the pleasing manner of old-school thrash epics such as The Call of Ktulu, etc. High praise I’m sure you’ll agree, but this band are something a bit different and more than live up to it.

If you are a bit tired of Death metal and are looking for something a bit more, yet still within the Death Metal genre then this is the band for you. Or maybe you like your post-rock and shoegaze, but wish is had a bit more bite? This is the band for you.

Have a listen and I’m sure you’ll be hooked.

https://myspace.com/cuttheend

Hypocrisy – A Taste of Extreme Divinity

I have been a fan of Hypocrisy since their 1999 self-titled album, and since then I have been hooked. Across their many albums they have been quite diverse; playing everything from brutal Death Metal, to Black Metal and everything in between.

This album, from 2009, can best be described as melodic Death Metal – catchy songs with good choruses are abundant here. Comparisons can be made to bands such as Amon Amarth in this respect; as this album follows in a similar vein to their output. If you like this style of music, or indeed Amon Amarth; then it’s a safe bet you’ll like A Taste of Extreme Divinity.

With Peter Tägtgren behind the helm you should already know that the sound on this album is suitably huge, with his voice complementing this nicely.

Strongly recommended for some good headbanging fun!

https://www.facebook.com/hypocrisy

Birth Through Gore – Reign of Depravity

Here we have some brutal Death metal from Greece, and my my is this a brutal affair! Sticking within the constraints of the genre; they nonetheless do a very good job of creating a very satisfying Death Metal experience. Everything is in place here – massive, full-production sound; faster-than-everything drums; guitars that bite; and vocals that are deep enough to be brutal as hell, but not so deep as to descend into comedy pig-squeals.

The songs whizz by in a blur of technical riffage and brutality, but they are also not afraid to slow things down a bit now and again to break what might otherwise become monotony, (although this is a relative term of course – their slower bits would still be faster than a lot of other bands).

All in all a very satisfying release that grows in enjoyment on subsequent listens and as the nuances of the songwriting and guitar riffs start to make themselves known. Recommended.

https://www.facebook.com/BirthThroughGore

http://www.last.fm/music/Birth+Through+Gore

Bright Curse – Bright Curse

Bright Curse

Time for some doom!

This UK band is relatively unknown, but on the strength of this release hopefully that will change. This is blues-y doom with plenty of feeling. The singer has a very good voice that fits perfectly with the blues-y feel of the music on display here and is extremely enjoyable. I am listening to this in the car at the moment and it is one of those releases that even though you know is good; it just gets better the more you explore it.

The songwriting here is of a high standard, and something that you could be reasonably expected to hear from a band on their second or third album, and not just their first EP. This bodes very well for their next release and I look forward to it immensely!

Favourite track? Probably Unknown Mistress.

I hope there are good things in the future for this band, as they deserve the recognition and respect afforded similar (-ish) UK doom veterans such as the wonderful Electric Wizard.

A very enjoyable release that should reside happily in anyone’s collection. Good songs and good jams? Get it now!

Don’t take my word for it – have a listen…

https://www.facebook.com/BrightCurse

Misery Index – Retaliate

Retaliate is a quality grind album from 2003 – if you are a fan of intelligent grind then I heartily recommend this.

For fans of Napalm Death/Brutal Truth/Dying Fetus-style grind in the sense that there are actual songs with lyrics that are better than just the usual gore/sex/etc. tirade.

The songs are quite catchy in places, which just reinforces the quality of songwriting available here. Admittedly there is nothing groundbreaking here; but who needs groundbreaking when grind is done so well? I’d take Misery Index over a whole host of lesser “innovative” bands any day.

Check them out –

https://www.facebook.com/MiseryIndex

http://themiseryindex.tumblr.com/

Abnormality – Contaminating the Hive Mind (Review)

Female-fronted brutal/technical death metal, although if you didn’t know the vocalist was female you wouldn’t necessarily think so – that’s how brutal and guttural the vocals are.

If you like this style of music then you know what to expect here. What is to separate them from any number of other brutal death metal bands? Well, quite simply the’re just better than most! How so? Excellent vocals and tight musicianship; combined with a massive production and great songs mean this is a must for any death metal fan.

I seriously recommend this album.

Find out more –

https://www.facebook.com/AbnormalityOfficial

Lykathea Aflame – Elvenefris

An older album here from 2000. This is excellent, atmospheric, (but still with plenty of brutality), death metal with an Egyptian theme. Now, this may immediately bring to mind Nile, but rest assured that this band are not copying and they sound wholly themselves, at least as much as any band does anyway.

Songs are well constructed and generally of the longer length, which gives the band ample room to explore their art. A good production and sound tops it all off, and there is some exceptional musicianship on display also.

I heartily recommend this album and think it is somewhat of a lost classic.

Apparently the band are still together, but this the only release that I am aware of. Do yourself a favour and track down a copy of this album – you won’t regret it.

Tesseract – Concealing Fate

Do you like a bit of djent, but find most bands who play it sound the same? Then Tesseract could could be the band for you. This EP from 2010, with a different singer to now, mixes the djent style with a more progressive edge to create a very enjoyable experience across the 27 minutes it plays for.

The EP is essentially one long song broken into 6 parts, and thankfully their skill is equal to their ambition. Initially when I listened to this album I thought it was okay, but was not until subsequent listens that I decided that I did indeed very much enjoy it.

If you’re looking for your metal with a slightly different feel than average then check them out.

http://tesseractband.co.uk/

http://www.youtube.com/user/Tesseractproject

Plague Widow – Plague Widow

Modern Death Grind at its best. Admittedly there is some overly long intro/outro stuff going on, but the actual grind tracks themselves are very satisfying indeed.

Sometimes bands of this ilk can be let down by a poor production or poor vocals, but this is not the case here. A good production with a massive sound adds a pleasing layer of heaviness to the package, and the guttural vocals are those of a seasoned pro, sure to please anyone who enjoys their death grunts nice and deep, without descending into silly pig-squeal territory.

I strongly recommend this release. Enjoy.

Find out more –

https://www.facebook.com/plaguewidow

http://plaguewidow.tumblr.com/

Valtari – Fragments of a Nightmare

Melodic Death Metal in the vein of Dark Tranquillity. Well written and well recorded; if you like the Gothenburg style of metal then you’ll be more than happy with this album.

I’m quite enjoying the songwriting on display here, and there is certainly an obvious passion for this style of music evident throughout. The album is especially impressive when you consider that it is all the product of just one man: Marty Warren.

If you’d like to hear more –

https://www.facebook.com/Valtari

http://www.valtari.info/

Enjoy!