Wonderbox Metal

Archagathus – Dehumanizer (Review)

Archagathus are from Canada and play Grindcore. This is their 4th album.

Mincecore. Move over Agathocles. Dirty. Horrible. Ugly.

Archagathus are here.

Punk vehemence with Grinding fury. 20 tracks in 21 minutes. Blunt and to the point, this is a release that vomits out of the speakers and into your home, befouling everything with its very existence before it even hits your tender ears.

The production is as grim as the riffs and the vocals are as putrid as a rotten beaver. In the context of Grindcore though this is all complimentary and Archagathus spend their time being energetic and vigorous.

These are lively tracks that have a certain character about them – this is not faceless Grind-by-numbers; this is Punk violence and realised extremity.

What can you say about an album like this? You either like this kind of stuff or you don’t.

I do. Bring on the mince.

Lae – Break the Clasp (Review)

Lae are from Canada and this is their début album. They play Post-Rock.

Okay, so I say Post-Rock, but not only is that incredibly vague but it also doesn’t really do the band justice, as Lae don’t really sound like you’d probably envisage when you think of Post-Rock. They have an unusual style that’s as enticing as it is seductive.

So, first off I should mention that the band have a very sexy production courtesy of Today is the Day frontman Steve Austin. Apparently he, understandably, became so enamoured with the band’s songs that he ended up providing lead vocals for the entire album. That album is Break the Clasp and the first thing you should know then is that his vocals are stunning.

Haunting cleans are layered together and occasionally enhanced by Austin’s trademark acidic screams to create a performance that’s like a demented lullaby. Breaking the Clasp gives Austin a true platform to demonstrate just how good a singer he actually is.

The music itself is a multi-textured and highly emotive smorgasbord of tasty treats and delights. It’s a hazy, psychedelic mix of Rock and Post-Rock that’s strictly non-conventional and features enough hypnotic melodies to capture your attention forever.

There’s a great variety of mood and feeling to be found here. Doubtless this is not the kind of album to appeal to everyone; it’s not an “instant hit” by any means. It doesn’t suffer from this though, as the songs here have a longevity to be expected of a band who have seemingly taken the best part of over a decade to release their début.

The songs strike a personal note with the listener, drilling down to the core of what’s important in great music; connection, passion and feeling.

Providing band references as comparisons is not easy. Hmm, certain aspects, (but not all by any means – the slower parts mainly), of bands like Today is the Day, Earth, Swans, Fantômas, Angels of Light, etc. are suitable starting points.

Break the Clasp is something of a revelation for me. Albums of this beauty and intrigue don’t come along very often. I’m floored. I love this.

As I write these words it’s nearing the end of 2014, and a lot of amazing album have been released this year. All I know is that Lae will be featuring very highly on my Best of 2014 list.

Achingly necessary.

Wayfarer – Children of the Iron Age (Review)

Wayfarer are from the US and this is their début album. They play Atmospheric Black Metal/Post-Black Metal.

For fans of Enslaved, Cobalt, Wolves in the Throne Room, Altar of Plagues, Entropia and the like – Wayfarer are a band to add to the list of top quality, interesting Black Metal.

As soon as the record starts we’re treated to this quality; immediately we get emotive Black Metal with a Post-Metal-wall-of-guitars-style riff and sharp screams that can cut through steel.

The riffs and guitars are an instant hit with me; emotive and textured whilst still staying true to the Quintessential essence of Black Metal.

They certainly have a good Post-Black Metal element to their sound though as it’s not all darkness and icy guitars. Light and shade is used extensively; the songs contain rich textures and encompass a multitude of feelings.

There’s enough aggression here to satisfy fans who want a straightforward fix of the good stuff, but Wayfarer also include enough nuance and subtlety to draw the listener back into the fold and keep them engaged. This is music with depth and capability. They have a desire to rule, to rise above the mediocre and they don’t lack the ability to do so.

This album is full of wide, expansive music that seems to fill the horizon with its ambitions.

Children of the Iron Age is a stunning début. A definite one to get your hands on.

Primordial – Where Greater Men Have Fallen (Review)

Primordial are from Ireland and this is their eighth album.

A new Primordial release is always a bit of an event to be greeted with great anticipation. They’re a band who have carved out their own niche in the world of Metal and can rightfully say they’ve achieved what they have through their own hard work and individuality.

The first thing that always comes to mind when thinking of Primordial is the talented and dramatic vocals of their singer. This is not to belittle the musical content in any way, but this has always been the focal point of the band for me.

On Where Greater Men Have Fallen he’s on top form as always; power and passion are the cornerstones of his delivery. His performance is first-rate and he still has a great turn of expression and a strong theatrical presence.

The music, as always, is bold and striking whilst simultaneously having nuance and depth. The driving riffs will be instantly familiar to Primordial fans and the colourful, emotive world the band exist in is welcoming from the get-go.

The songs cover upbeat charges and more atmospheric, considered parts. Primordial do both very well and both get equal consideration on the album.

Primordial’s Black Metal background has allowed the band to retain a certain edge to their songwriting, even though these days there’s only a few Black Metal traces left in their sound. For the most part this is roaring, passionate Heavy Metal through and through, but without a cliché in sight.

Nobody really sounds like Primordial, and Primoridal don’t really sound like anyone else. A lot of this is down to the singer, but musically this is true as well. When you hear them you just know who the band is.

This album is a jewel in the crown of Primordial’s considerable back catalogue. Their previous album, (Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand), was good but not quite up to the usual Primordial standard for some reason. With Where Greater Men Have Fallen they’ve corrected this slight dip in quality with an album that sits alongside the best of their work.

If you already know Primordial then you’ll need little convincing to get this album. If you’re new to the band then this is a perfect introduction.

Have a listen.

Devil Sold His Soul – Belong ╪ Betray (Review)

Devil Sold His Soul are from the UK and this is their latest EP. They play Progressive/Post-Metal.

I’m a big fan of Devil Sold His Soul’s early work, but somehow I never kept up with them and this is my first exposure to them in a while. I was interested to hear this EP for this reason, especially as this is their first release with a new vocalist.

As always their music is impassioned, expansive and very heavy when it needs to be. Their songwriting has become even more developed than their older work, however.

It’s immediately apparent that their new vocalist fits the band like a glove. Scathing screams seem to spike painfully into your mind, but you like it anyway; soaring cleans rise gracefully from the emotive riffs whilst cascading leads swell up around them. Replacing a vocalist can be a very tricky thing to do successfully, but I’m immediately sold.

These tracks, (of which there are five), combine crushing guitars and soothing, sombre tones to create a collection of songs that pluck at the heartstrings as well as trying to pull them out.

The combined fiery melancholic nature of the guitars mix with vocals that veritably drip with emotion; these songs reveal a band that are at the height of their powers.

It’s like the power and passion of Year Of No Light, the dynamic energy of Deftones and the flawless delivery of Cult of Luna all rolled into one exciting package.

I love this. You will too.

Trigger – Start Our Revenge (Review)

Trigger are from Germany and this is their début album. They play Grindcore.

Immediately it’s a wall of hard noise that hits you with the first track. Trigger don’t mess around. This is 24 minutes of aural abuse and nasty Grindcore that’s for true fans only.

Violent Grind is the name of the game here. The Punk/Hardcore influences of the genre are not as blatant as some bands as Trigger go for a harsher sound and delivery than most.

The high screamed vocals sound utterly maniacal and unhinged. I’m sure the singer is a nice, normal, well-adjusted person in real life, but he sounds like a lunatic on this.

Did I mention there’s no guitars? No? Well there isn’t. Who needs guitars when you have bass, drums and enough bile and venom to kill an elephant. The riffs are fuzzed-up bundles of hatred and the drums are as relentless as decay.

The lack of guitar gives them a Sludge feeling in places, despite the near-constant high-velocity nature of the tracks. This feeling is reinforced on the odd occasion that they do slow down and it’s a welcome additional facet to their sound.

This is strangely compelling and oddly refreshing. Pull the Trigger and watch them explode.

Witchclan – The Dark Binding (Review)

Witchclan are from the UK and this is their second album. They play Black Metal.

This is raw, underground Black Metal with more melody than you are probably expecting and more evil than you can fit into a very large box.

Sinister, inhuman vocals scream out hatred and occult messages whilst the band play at breakneck speeds.

Surprisingly thick rhythm guitars provide a powerful base for the Blackened melodies to dance over, some of which are unusually upbeat. The entire production is unusual actually, and it lends the band a definite edge over their peers as The Dark Binding just sounds different.

This is added to by the band’s songs themselves. This is not your usual Darkthrone-worship. Witchclan have a lot more personality and individuality than that.

Don’t get me wrong; this is recognisably Black Metal and no-one would think otherwise, but the sound they have and their choice of melodies and riffs…Witchclan are forging their own way through a genre that has seen it all before and they should definitely be commended and supported for this.

Rather than just echo the Black Metal greats, Witchclan put their own individual spin on things in a superb way. They have ended up producing an album that is very obviously Black Metal but with a rotten freshness that puts most other raw Black Metal bands to shame.

Witchclan court their auras of darkness and mystery with great zeal and fervour, and the hymns to fell powers that are recited on this release have all of the requisite components to engage and terrify the listener in equal parts.

If I was to sum up this album in one word, that word would be evil.

There’s Underground Black Metal, and then there’s Witchclan. This is a dark gem and a must for connoisseurs of supreme Black Metal art.

Favourite Track: Dawn of the Serpent Kings. One of the shortest tracks here, but with a brilliantly realised air of malevolence and an otherworldly martial quality. Music for a daemonic invasion.

Old Thunder – Slings & Arrows (Review)

This is Atmospheric Doom/Sludge from the US. It’s the début release from this solo project.

The intro track Our Fields Are Burning is slow and meandering, and reminds me of Abandon. The singer barks over the first part of it and I like his voice; aggressive, legible and passionate.

June 2, 1910 is the first song proper and also the longest at just under 10 minutes. I’m once again reminded of Abandon, and their combination of Doom and Sludge with a dose of Crust is a path that Old Thunder also adhere to.

Having said that, Old Thunder also have faster sections that put me more in mind of a band like Rorcal with their Blackened Sludge delivery.

The first half of Sinking sounds like it’s stalking prey through a dark wilderness and once more I feel the need to comment on his barking voice; it’s very expressive and sounds really, really good. Nice work that man.

Rainroom has a strong despondent melodic streak running through it that focuses more on the Atmospheric Doom side of the equation, as well as some My Dying Bride/Katatonia influences.

The final track Serpent Sovereign is all about the dirrrggggeeeee.

My favourite parts of this release are the bits where the music slows, the guitars lock into a Doomy repetitive riff and the down-beat melodics come into play.

There’s also the odd moment of Post-Metal thrown into the mix, and even some clean vocals added in to spice things up.

This is a surprisingly diverse mix of Doom-esque sub-genres. All performed well and all, for the most part, sounding naturally mixed and not just cut and pasted together.

Slings & Arrows falls short of being absolutely phenomenal only very marginally. The first reason is the recording; there’s nothing wrong with it as such but I can’t help but feel the songs would benefit from a slightly fuller, warmer sound. The second is the songwriting; although very accomplished, especially for a first release, I feel it could be tightened up a little bit here and there.

Really though, these are very minor quibbles as this is a top quality début. On the basis of Slings & Arrows I fully expect that the next release from Old Thunder will be totally jaw-dropping.

Be sure to check this out.

Baring Teeth – Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins (Review)

This is Baring Teeth’s second album. They are from the US and they play Progressive/Technical Death Metal.

With a cover that gives nothing away, I was intrigued to find out what lay within…

Baring Teeth play dense, complicated music that mixes technicality and progressive forays to create an unusual beast of an album.

This is an interesting and unusual listen. Like a Jazz-Metal fusion of Uphill Battle, Converge, Crowpath, Gorguts and Pyrrhon.

Angular riffs and complex drumming make for impenetrable songs that take time to reveal their hidden treasures. The bass has a good presence and role to play too.

The songs meander along the highway of distorted frenzy. Sometimes restrained and relaxed, in no hurry to get to their destination; sometimes frenetic and unhinged, desperate to get somewhere, anywhere; sometimes the calm before the storm takes over; sometimes the controlled chaos of true genius.

Frequently; all of the above at the same time, and then some.

The vocals sound like they’re struggling to be heard behind the wall of noise that the band make. They’re perfectly serviceable but it’s the chaotic music that provides the real focal point here. Human noises are simply an addition to the trauma of the rest of the band’s cacophony.

Definitely an acquired taste this one, but definitely one worth persevering with.

Haate/Chiral – Where Mountains Pierce The Nightsky – Split

This is a split between Haate, who are from Italy and play Dark Ambient, and Chiral, also from Italy and playing Black Metal. Both are solo projects.

Haate’s contribution is made up of 3 tracks, 2 of which we’ve heard before on As The Moon Painted Her Grief. The remaining track, (the first one on this split), is new, or new to me at least.

Everything stated in the review of As The Moon Painted Her Grief about Haate is still true here, and the additional track follows the same theme.

Dark atmospheres and much expanded proto-Classical 90’s Black Metal interludes/intros are the order of business, and judging by this business is booming.

Only one of these three tracks may be new, but it’s a joy to hear all of them regardless. And if you’ve never heard Haate at all, then do yourself a favour and have a good listen now.

Chiral are a relatively new band and I’ve really enjoyed following the development of this artist from first demo Winter Eternal to début EP Abisso. For such a very talented and promising band I was excited to hear Chiral’s contribution to this split, especially as it’s a whopper of a track at 20 minutes in length.

Synths start us off before guitars, blasting drums and screaming daemons join the party. The brain behind Chiral, once more, has outdone himself.

This is quality Atmospheric Black Metal, frozen to the touch and icy to the core. It’s a highly emotive and engaging work with variation and good pacing.

The song – Everblack Fields of Nightside – seems to draw you into its dark embrace and keep you there. The Blackened melodies are enhanced by keyboard backing in a way that seems to be both subtle and overt, which is quite an achievement.

The general sound is extremely satisfying, with everything having the right level in the mix and the drums in particular sound well-rounded and surprisingly warm for such a frigid release.

Chiral keep getting better, there’s no other way to say it.

Top split, check it out.