Wonderbox Metal

Unrest – Grindcore (Review)

Unrest are from the US and play Grindcore, as you can probably tell. In fact, what do you do with an album titled Grindcore? Well, I’ll tell you what you do; you play it really damn loud.

Unrest appear to exist purely to play tribute to Nasum. In theory, this could end very badly indeed as Nasum are just sooooo good. However, in an unexpected twist of fate, Unrest manage to pull off quite the paradox by faithfully reproducing Nasum’s sound without sounding like a cheap knock off. Colour me impressed!

So, if you know what Nasum sounds like you know what Grindcore sounds like, and you can take that sentence in multiple ways really. Unrest’s Grindcore is tight, focused and furiously aggressive modern Grind that chokes the listener with almost 27 minutes of sharp, tasty Grindcore treats.

Like their heroes, Unrest know that Grind isn’t just about the blasting; dynamics, groove, feeling…these things are all important ingredients in the perfect Grind cake. Of course, this album isn’t perfect, but it is better than most.

Featuring some actual songs amidst the carnage and enough cutting riffs to maim the unwary, Grindcore delivers the goods time and time again.

Quality Grindage.

Eerie – Into Everlasting Death (Review)

Eerie are a Black Metal band from Poland and this is their début album.

With an album cover that screams “QUALITY METAL”, Eerie explode out of the speakers like a freight train, all speed and power. Their brand of Black Metal is of the underground, yet-still-state-of-the-art variety.

Blasting drums and Blackened melodies merge into a holistic listening experience that transcends mere descriptive words. This is elemental Black Metal, torn from the void and given form by practiced hands.

This is not a one-dimensional blast-fest though as Eerie have degrees of venomous attack and enough variety and light/shade to provide the listener with real depth.

Powerful vocals dominate proceedings, be this Blackened screams, commanding shouts or subtle cleans; the performance level is high and the delivery faultless.

These songs have the feel of exciting, otherworldly Black Metal that was highly prevalent in the late 90’s/early 00’s and Eerie take me back to those days whilst still managing to sound completely of the here and now.

Into Everlasting Death is a well-composed, highly realised incarnation of high Black Metal art. Seek it out.

Interview with Epi-Demic

Epi-Demic’s recent split with Solanum – Passages to Lunacy – proves that there’s plenty of life left in underground Thrash Metal in 2015. Adam was kind enough to answer some questions about the band and what they’re up to…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

Epi-Demic is a group of three guys from Calgary Alberta Canada playing a furious style of Crossover/Thrash Metal. Adam (that’s me), I play guitar and do the vocals, Kyle plays bass and Aaron plays the drums and does backup vocals. We have all been friends since high school when we started hanging out and playing music together. All of us were into Old school Hardcore Punk/Thrash Metal/Crossover and we wanted to start a band in that style. When we started jamming we wanted to create a sound that was heavy and aggressive but also unique and all our own. In the beginning learning how to play our instruments the music had a hardcore punk feel to it but as we got better as musicians it developed into a Crossover/Thrash style. The three of us have been playing music together for almost 10 years. We love what we do and hope to do it for a long time to come.

Give us a bit of history to Epi-Demic

Aaron and I started jamming when Aaron got a drum set and started practising. I had jammed with a few other people with no real results, but when me and Aaron started playing something clicked and we knew we had something that we could develop and put some work into that would be good. After a while we began looking for a bass player, we tried a few people out and kept writing material. Kyle had been playing with another group at this time, which eventually disbanded. In 2005 Aaron and I asked Kyle to jam with us and Epi-Demic was born. As we started to form a sound and an identity as a band we set our sights on getting a set together and playing some shows, eventually we landed a show at a local bar but there was a problem…I was still a minor! We managed to sneak around that roadblock for about a year with the help of a fake I.D. and a little luck, and we have kept going from there. Since then we have played many, many local shows, toured the west coast of Canada and the U.S., released a demo (The Plague Begins) and a full length (Madness) and have had a lot of fun doing it.

What are your influences

Like I said earlier we all started off listening to Hardcore/Crossover/Thrash music in High school when we started Epi-Demic so that was our main influence. Musically We’re into bands like: Cro-Mags, Warfare, Autopsy, No Mercy, English Dogs, Dr. Know, Ludichrist, Attitude Adjustment, Possessed, Demilich, Exodus, Overkill, Artillery, Excel, Beyond Possession and Asphyx just to name a few. My band members are an influence to me, they inspire me to play better and write better stuff all the time. Life in general is an influence for me for sure, the world around me both the good and bad definitely play a part in the music and lyrics I write.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

Here are 10 albums I’m really into right now:

1. Anacrusis, “Suffering Hour”

2. Autopsy, “Acts Of The Unspeakable”

3. Corrosion Of Conformity, “Technocracy”

4. Fear, “More Beer”

5. Morbid Angel, “Gateways To Annihilation”

6. Sodom, “Mortal Way Of Live”

7. Demilich, “Nespithe”

8. Excel, “Split Image”

9. Broken Bones, “Trader In Death”

10. Pestilence, “Malleus Maleficarum”

What do you think about the current state of the Thrash Metal scene in 2015?

Overall it’s doing really well and is healthy in my opinion. I think the scene is the scene, It’s usually really good but it can suck at some times. Sometimes you go to a show and have a blast sometimes it’s populated by dick heads and that can be a drag. Bullshit aside, I think it’s a good thing that there are bands both new and established playing thrash in 2015 and there are venues for these bands to play and for people to go enjoy themselves. I think that there is good music coming out right now and some that’s not so good but that’s not a new thing. Sometimes it feels like there are bands that go for a style that is derivative of things that have been done to death already. I like bands that don’t go for the lowest common denominator and push the envelope, thankfully there are bands like this in the thrash scene today.

Epi-Demic Band How did your new split with Solanum come about?

The split with Solanum was sort of a spur of the moment kind of thing actually. Epi-Demic had not planned on recording a split at all, but a friend of ours showed us their demo and we really liked the music. We got in touch with them and they sent us a few copies of their album and we sent them a few copies of ours. After that they decided to do a short tour of the west side of Canada so we helped them out by hosting a gig for them in Calgary, a few months later we went out to Winnipeg where they are from and played a couple of shows. Along the way the idea for a split came up and we were all into it so we made it happen. It all came together very quickly and it was a lot of fun to do.

What did you want to achieve with this new release?

First of all we wanted to make an album that was heavy! The songs we chose for the split are songs that we have worked very hard on, and put a great deal of practise and thought into. Now that the album is pressed and available at http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/store/hpgd103.html we want to take it as far as we can and get it into as many ears as possible. The split has received some very positive reviews so far which is good to hear, hopefully it will get both bands more exposure on an international level as well as at home.

Are you happy with how it turned out?

Absolutely! It’s everything we wanted it to be. Both bands put down some killer material that speaks for itself when you hear it. The production is raw and gritty, which I think helps the album as far as the atmosphere goes. The cover art is something that really stands out to me and it could not have turned out better. It’s a haunting image that fits the title of the album “Passages To Lunacy” perfectly. The whole process from meeting the guys from Solanum, to recording the songs, getting the album together and finally releasing it has been a very smooth process. We had high expectations for the split and so far it has delivered on all fronts.

What can you tell us about the lyrics?

Epi-Demics lyrics deal primarily with the darker side of being human and the world around us. On the split in particular the lyrics are about suffering and pain. “Time Is Running Short (Dying On The Cross)” deals with the psychological pressure placed on people in this day and age, and how giving up in a tense situation is the worst thing that one can do for oneself. “Famine” is about starvation and hunger in all of its wicked forms. “Nuclear Dream” is about us as humans losing our way as a people and needing to make changes and start again. Finally “Stewing In Misery” is about depression and desperation, and wanting to break away from these negative feelings at any cost.

Give us a bit of information on the songwriting process.

We write all of the music together for the most part, when one of us has an idea we jam it out and see where it goes. As we get a feel for the song we add new parts and experiment with different ways of playing things until we get it the way we want it. Once we have the music written we practise it until it’s ready to play live. At this point I take the song and explore the overall feeling of it until I create a theme for the lyrics and figure out what I want to say. After the lyrics are completed once again we practise it over and over until it’s ready for performance. We don’t force anything that we feel isn’t working, we like to let the music come naturally.

How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?

I can see the music getting more textured and complex in the future, the foundation of the band will always remain the same, crossover is what we play and that will not change. I think as we progress as musicians the songs will get more intricate even if we didn’t want them to, maybe they will get longer maybe not. Bottom line is that we will always play fast, heavy, aggressive music. It’s hard to say exactly what Epi-Demic will be like in the future but you can rest assured that it will intense and unique in its brutality.

What’s your favourite song on the split and why?

Good question. From Solanum’s side I would pick “Manipulated”. The song is sheer insanity and has some really cool riffs and grooves. Cam’s vocals on it are hard and unforgiving. If you like to bang your head make sure you check this song out. On the Epi-Demic side my favourite song is “Nuclear Dream”. From the opening riff to the last, this song is something that I’m very proud of. The duelling vocals between Aaron and I really worked well on this song, and every instrument comes through and plays its role well. This song took some time to write, so finally hearing it recorded was very satisfying to me. I also feel like the lyrics are some of the best ones I have ever written, and for that reason I would say it’s my favourite on the album.

What’s next for Epi-Demic?

Epi-Demic is going to have a busy year. It is our intention to record and release a new full length album before the end of summer 2015, the majority of the songs have been written already but we want to do a couple more to really fill the album up. In addition to the new album we hope to do a tour of the east side of Canada and the east coast of the United States this summer. Starting in Calgary and going all the way to the tri-state area will be a large undertaking but we are optimistic and excited to break new ground in cities that we have not played before. We’ve done most of our shows on the west side, so to go play uncharted territory is something we need to do. And as always we will keep the underground spirit strong, piss on fashion, and assault eardrums everywhere we go.

Album stream: https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/passages-to-lunacy-split

Order CD: http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/store/hpgd103.html

Epi-Demic facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theplaguebegins13

Gristnam – Even Less (Review)

Gristnam are from the US and play Grindcore/Sludge.

This is underground, aggressive Grind that takes elements of extreme Hardcore’s hateful violence and Sludge’s nasty groove to produce eleven tracks of Grind’n’Roll that is good for what ails ya.

Deep vocals populate the songs with a throaty aggression that fits the music well. The singer has a charismatic bark that has an appropriately Southern twinge to it, adding personality to the bile.

The production is fuzzy and heavy, allowing the band to be their filthy, nasty selves without detracting from the intensity of the music.

The songs have the Southern groove of Eyehategod, the confident swagger of Brutal Truth and the pure-blooded confidence of the Southern Metal scene. Indeed anyone familiar with the hotbed of earthy Metal talent that is Louisiana will recognise the tell-tale signs of this scene in Gristnam’s sound. Yet remarkably, like all of the output from this area, Gristnam have their own personality stamped into these tracks and Even Less is definitely its own beast.

These songs will leave you breathless and I imagine would transform a live show into a heaving mass of sweaty bodies and bloody carnage. The aggressive groove and dangerous assault of Gristnam is positively designed for the live environment.

Even Less has won me over effortlessly. What’s not to like here? Fans of underground, heavy, nasty music will no doubt lap this up, as they well should.

Check them out.

Wells Valley – Matter as Regent (Review)

Wells Valley are a Portuguese Post-Metal band. This is their début album.

Blending the claustrophobic swirl of Neurosis with the exploratory mindset of Tool and a touch of the Avant-Garde, Wells Valley have created an album that plays by its own rules and lives by its own aesthetics. I think the closest comparison would kind of be a cross between Rabies Caste and Scarlet.

This is not a normal album, and I mean that in an entirely good way. The band have chosen to take a sub-genre that has pretty lax rules at the best of times and experiment with it to create something that may not be entirely new but it’s as close as we can reasonably expect these days.

The band play around with the Post-Metal formula just enough so that Matter as Regent sounds innovative and fresh, but not so much that it strays to far from what makes Post-Metal such a compelling and interesting listen.

The music is involving and engages the brain as it twists and turns through its various incarnations. The band write songs that seem to be mutations of the standard template; it’s as if the music has been stripped back to the bare bones of the style and then rebuilt in Wells Valley’s vision of what this kind of music should sound like.

The emphasis on the diversity, dynamics and pacing of the songs on Matter as Regent is noticeable, both in the music and the vocals. They don’t seem to like to repeat themselves too often.

The guitars are set to a level where they’re intense and emotive without being overly heavy. Expansive riffs and atypical rhythms run the gamut from expressive to functional to esoteric; there’s enough instant appeal to be endearing but enough depth of composition to keep you returning for more.

Wells Valley have released an intriguing and ambitious album that not only largely succeeds in being greater than the sum of its parts, but also achieves the even greater accolade of sounding mainly like itself.

Quality.

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth – Brothers of the Sonic Cloth (Review)

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth are a Stoner Doom band from the US and this is their début album.

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth are heavy and rocking, which is the Stoner influence; they’re also slow and mournful, which is where the Doom element comes in; however they also have a nasty side that manifests in the Sludge part of their sound.

The vocals are nicely varied, with everything from harsh shouting to crawling drawls. All styles are performed perfectly in line with the emotive music and the variety sounds natural rather than forced.

Like the vocals, there’s a lot on offer musically. The band aren’t one dimensional at all and the songs here truly do incorporate Stoner, Doom and Sludge into a cohesive package that covers a lot of ground during the 45 minutes playing time. The band are all seasoned veterans so I should expect no less really.

I’ve connected with this album on a deeper level than I thought I would. It’s an album that is diverse and feels like it takes you on a journey, which is a feeling I love in my music. More than that though, it’s the sound they’ve created; it’s heavy enough to be crushing but nuanced enough to retain character and personality.

Well, this album has been a surprise and a treat. Get ready to worship.

Death Engine – Mud (Review)

Death Engine are a Hardcore band from France. This is their début album.

Death Engine play their Hardcore angry, atonal, dissonant and with much diversity. One moment they’re shredding out complex noisecore and the next they’ve gone all Post-Hardcore for moments of resplendent beauty.

This variety of assault is one of the things that makes Mud such a compelling listen. The band are very talented and even though this is only their first album, (and second release overall), they have clearly honed these compositions into the finely tuned songs that they are today through hard work and passion.

There’s lots of nifty ideas present on the album, starting on the first track Medusa and right up until the final one, Negative. Death Engine obviously aren’t lacking in the creativity department.

Angular riffing and complex drumming make up the lion’s share of the songs whilst the singer works himself up into an emotive frenzy.

The production suits the band; it’s not polished and clear but gritty and real. This is the sound of a band who are alive with vibrancy and furious conviction.

It’s hard to describe the feelings that Mud raises; this is the kind of album that it’s easy to fall in love with. There’s so much on offer here that it’s literally too much to absorb in one listen. This isn’t because there’s too much thrown in just for the sake of it, rather that the band have stuffed so much quality songsmithing into these tracks that while you’re getting absorbed in a particular guitar part it’s easy to miss everything else that’s going on.

This is a veritable Tour de Force of an album and one that Death Engine should be rightly proud of.

Bloody Hell this is good.

Kjeld – Skym (Review)

Kjeld are from the Netherlands and this is their début album. They play Black Metal.

This is Black Metal that’s as cold as ice and as hard as diamond. The band have a great production that carries them along. It’s a dry, cold sound that suits the delivery of the music.

Their songs promote images of a barren and inhospitable landscape, which is just like Kjeld’s sound; frosted and ageless, with slivers of melody peaking out through the ruins of long dead civilisations.

The band have a talent for these subtle melodies that seem to ooze out of the rhythm guitars like glaciers. They play fast but the atmospheres created are enduring and lasting.

The impression Kjeld give is one of permanence and durability. They seem built to weather the storms and the biting cold, steadfastly waiting for their moment to come. With the release of Skym that moment could be now.

The drums blast and the thick guitars burn cold beneath the dark majesty of the music. Harsh screams are well-placed in the mix and the singer does the genre proud.

Coming across as early Black Metal in the Scandinavian style, Kjeld have somewhat of a timeless quality to them; they manage to sound simultaneously classic and contemporary.

Skym is a really, really good album. Have a listen and let the frost creep in.

Sigihl – Trauermärsche (And a Tango Upon the World’s Grave) (Review)

This is the début album from Polish Black/Doom/Sludge Metal band Sigihl.

Sigihl play their Black Metal with added elements of Sludge, Doom and Drone.

This is special, in a disgustingly infectious way. There’s no guitar, but there is a saxophone. Sigihl make Black Metal art by their own rules. It’s intriguing, depraved and utterly compelling.

Calling it Black Metal though is a bit misleading, as although Black Metal is an integral component of their writing, equally important is the Doom/Sludge influence.

The bass-heavy distortion is combined with a saxophone sound that seems dredged up from the most sinister and worrying parts of a Silent Hill game. It’s unusual and instantly appealing. Sigihl have really worked out how to get the most from emotive filthiness.

The wailing vocals are buried by the bass and provide an unhinged counterpoint to the plaintive saxophone melodies.

The repetitive dirge/Drone-like nature of the music is infectious and draws you in, eager to experience the joyful misery that this cavalcade of woe is pedalling.

Sigihl have created a listening experience that’s almost tangible enough to touch.

A very individual release, destined to be tragically overlooked by many Metal fans. Don’t let this be the case with you.

Bloodscribe – Prologue to the Apocalypse (Review)

Bloodscribe are from the US and this is their début album. They play Death Metal.

This is Brutal Death Metal that’s short, nasty, violent and infectious. At its core it has a purity of intent that’s a joy to hear.

The songs are a hearty mix of blast, chug and groove that’s guaranteed to get the blood pumping and the body slamming.

There are plenty of tasty riffs here as well as some squeals, breakdowns, and chug-fests. The band remind me of the older, Suffocation/Broken Hope style of Death Metal and they play it well.

At only 25 minutes in length the band get in, make a gloriously noisy mess and then exit again swiftly.

Bloodscribe have a hideously warm production that reeks of decaying organic matter whilst retaining a powerful presence.

The vocals are guttural delights; sickeningly deep without descending into ridiculous pignoise territory.

A very enjoyable way to spend almost half an hour. Gotta love groovy, heavy Death Metal.