Misericordia are from Sweden and this is their second album of Black Metal.
This is, unsurprisingly, in the Swedish style and aimed squarely at fans of Marduk, 1349, Immortal and Dark Funeral – high speed blasting and frosted melodies.
The sharp riffs come thick and fast as the drums blast and the Blackened melodies seep into your every pore. The guitars embrace their atavistic, icy Black Metal legacy and they ooze windswept hatred.
Some of the vocals are deeper than normal for this style of Black Metal, although they alternate with more traditional higher screams in addition to these growls.
Solos and leads are played well and the band are very focused on what they want to achieve. The drumming is tight and precise and the songs as a whole are quite satisfying.
If you’re a fan of unholy hyperblast then this is the Black Metal for you.
This is the debut album from US Black Metal band Singularity.
Technical Black Metal is not the most common of sub-genres, especially Symphonic Technical Black Metal, which is what this essentially is.
The synths are heavy and thick and give the band a colourful sheen under which to ply their trade. Said trade consists of sharp, crazy guitar work, widdly bass and precision-point drums. It’s as if a band like Dimmu Borgir had overdosed on Technical Death Metal and angular riffs in the style of some of Mayhem’s work. It also puts me in mind of the first Ephel Duath album.
The songs are still here though. This is an enjoyable riff-fest with inhuman drumming and layers of atmosphere and jagged darkness.
The technicality and Blackened atmospheres combine in a way that most bands never attempt and the resulting mix of styles works primarily because they never sacrifice the songs for the riffs. The playing is very impressive but the Black Metal framework always reins them in before they become overbearing or surplus to the needs of the song.
That being said, there is certainly a lot of flash playing on this album, but as I say – it works.
The tracks are quite varied as the guitars never stop and are always interesting and entertaining. The singer gives his all to the screams; they’re high pitched and very pointed. The cleans that appear are professionally delivered also; another string to Singularity’s impressive bow.
The production is top quality and everything sounds crisp and clear. You can really hear every note.
Singularity is extremely impressive in many ways. I always like a band that puts a different spin on things and the rampant technicality on this album really gives them a flavour all of their own. The fact that they mix this with a Symphonic base and have managed to produce an enjoyable set of songs without everything sounding messy or forced speaks volumes about their talent.
This is the début album from Australian Grindcore band Internal Rot.
This is short and hyper-aggressive Grind where every track, (bar the last one), is under 2 minutes in length and most are a lot shorter than that.
Noisy, angry, fuzzy and filthy; Internal Rot stink up the place with their destructive Grind.
As the first track, Muciferous, shows though, they also know how to slow it down when warranted and take a heavier, Sludgy route to devastation. Granted, this slower side of the band doesn’t appear much over the 20 tracks but it’s good to see the band are capable of more than just instrument demolition at top speeds.
One of the enjoyable things about this band is that they do get into a nice groove now and again in between bouts of blasting. Now, I love me some blasting grind, but it’s also nice when it’s interspersed with other tempos as otherwise it can risk becoming dull.
Mental Rot have this covered though. This is music for those with short attention spans and even shorter tempers, so dullness is not an issue here.
The proto-Hardcore chugging and brutal Deathcore riffs are condensed into violent blasts of Crusty Grindcore that really hits the spot.
Horrified are a Death Metal band from the UK and this is their début album.
With vocals that sound like they belong to an unhinged psychopathic murderer, this is rotten Old-School Death Metal with a Swedish influence and a fair few chainsaws stashed away with the bodies.
It’s a shambling, stumbling corpse of an album but not without its charms. Fans of polished, ultra-technical, modern Death Metal can look away now; this is atavistic, grotesque Death Metal from the bowels of history played with passion and a will to kill.
The songs are straightforward, ugly tracks that hack and slash their way through the crowds with maniacal glee.
This is not an album without flaws; indeed, if the band can tighten up their performance a bit then their next release will be even better. However, focusing on this too much is not the point. Horrified is about the base, underground rawness of Death Metal and although I do believe that they would benefit from a tighter delivery Descent into Putridity is not ruined by the lack of this.
The very rawness and underground brutality of this maggot-filled album is its own reward. Yes, I’m a sucker for Swedish-influenced Death Metal at the best of times, but I still like this.
Horrified have arrived. Let’s support them and let’s listen loud.
Kвіти Знедолених Берегів is a solo project from Ukraine that plays Atmospheric Death/Doom. This is his début demo.
This is woe-filled Atmospheric Doom with deep growling and swathes of desolate feeling.
The singer has a very powerful growl. It sounds quite primal in its force and carries a strong presence against the backdrop of the mournful music. This is backed up by occasional spoken word sections which are also performed well and have a good place in the mix, as I find spoken word parts are usually too high when most bands employ them. Soft, low-key cleans also unexpectedly appear, greatly enhancing the already varied vocal package. Neither the cleans or the spoken word sections are over done though and the deep growls eclipse them both.
The music shows good composition and everything is played well. The dark melodies have an air of longing to them and really drive the music forward.
Both of the songs on this release slowly build their funeral dirge over the course of about 10 minutes and the winding, plaintive guitars have just the right tone to connect viscerally with the listener without becoming overwrought. Subtle keyboard/piano is used here and there to further add feeling and I like the style of songwriting in general; it’s mainly about heaviness, both musically and emotionally, but there’s enough subtlety and nuance here to satisfy fans of all tastes and preferences.
For what is, apparently, a demo release, the production is very professional sounding. Everything is balanced and in its place; everything sounds crisp and punchy.
I’m very impressed with this. Hopefully we’ll see a full album from Kвіти Знедолених Берегів in the future and if it’s even half as good as За небокрай мрій it’ll be very good indeed.
This is the latest EP from “supergroup” band Nader Sadek.
The project features contributions ex- and current members of such notable bands as Cryptopsy, Aura Noir, Decapitated and Cattle Decapitation.
This is dark Death Metal with an aura of evil and a Classic Death Metal feel to it without it ever becoming overly Old-School in nature.
The general vibe is one of a cross between Morbid Angel and Deicide, although there is more going on here than just this, notably so on closing track Descent which features more of a Doom/atmospheric influence.
There are four songs on this EP, clocking in at just under 21 minutes in total, and each one of them has clearly had a lot of work put into it.
It’s very well recorded and the drums in particular sound thunderous. Everything is tight and well-played, as one would expect from musicians of this calibre.
The songs are enjoyable flights of Death Metal fancy and do a great job of delivering the goods.
Just Before Dawn is an international “supergroup” of sorts. This is their second album.
This is a war-themed Death Metal album in the Swedish style, replete with Chainsaw sound and harrowing melodics. This is combined with a good Bolt Thrower influence to produce the mother of all War Metal sounds.
The album features contributions from members of bands like Megascavenger, Massacre, Bolt Thrower, God Macabre, Bodyfarm, Aeon, Puteraeon, Morgoth and Demonical. Due to this, you know it’s going to be played and performed well, which it is.
As this is essentially Swedish Death Metal there are no real surprises here, content-wise, but that’s not important; what is important is the songs themselves and how good they are.
The calibre of the musicians involved and their collective experience means that they are not found wanting in this regard, of course. The songs are as warlike and bloodthirsty as you would expect.
The tracks pound and demolish their way across the battlefield like an armoured steamroller; heavy, relentless and unstoppable.
In some ways there’s not a lot to say about an album like this. If you like the Swedish style, if you like Bolt Thrower, if you like good riffs and good songs…you’ll like Just Before Dawn.
Rash Decision are from the UK and play Crossover Thrash/Hardcore.
Fast songs with short tempers; Rash Decision play Hardcore mixed with Thrash in its Speed Metal guise.
I find this style of music can get really stale, really fast, but the nice thing about Rash Decision is they manage to avoid this pitfall.
How? A couple of reasons. The first is the sheer energy and enthusiasm that these songs have. They seem alive.
The second is that although the songs are short they’re still actually songs. The band know how to write a good tune and there are hooks and catchy moments spread throughout this album like bountiful gems.
The vocalist has a good voice with just the right amount of belligerence and charisma.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable release from a band that play with passion and know how to write a good Old-School Hardcore tune mixed with a bit of Speed Metal for good measure.
If you’re looking for a perfect example of a Death Metal band that combines emotive destruction with wanton slaughter then you’d be hard pressed to better Arroganz. Their third album Tod & Teufel is a must for all fans of interesting, individualistic Death Metal everywhere. I quizzed their guitarist -P- to find out more…
Give us a bit of background to ARROGANZ!
ARROGANZ are – K – (vocals / bass / guitars), – P – (guitars / vocals) and – T – (drums / vocals). The bands origin is the city of Cottbus (Ger). Nowadays we live in different cities.
What are your influences?
Life and death. A lot of dark arts and music are given to us and we have a heart for all its being as long as it is honest and filled with spirit. Surely you could hear some of the influences – but we don’t like to be compared with these and other bands all the time.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
Just to reduce it to actual (2014) albums: Tryptikon – Melana Chasmata, Morbus Chron – Sweven, Ophis – Abhorrence In Opulence, Deathronation – Hallow The Dead, Dark Fortress – Venereal Dawn, Woods Of Desolation – As The Stars, Herder – Gods, Stench – Venture
What are your opinions on the current state of the Death Metal genre?
German death metal is growing more and more as t is recognized by the international underground better than ever.
Your take on Death Metal is a bit more individualistic and interesting than the norm and includes, to my ears, shades of atmospherics, Black Metal and My Dying Bride-esque melodics. What are your thoughts on this?
We just don’t go along with any trends. The construct of ARROGANZ contents and expresses a special philosophy and spirit. You can hear that certain combination of black/death/doom/rock’n roll elements and we feel free to do whatever we want to do! I don’t see anything ARROGANZ has in common with My Dying Bride. It is a great band but it serves a different style of music.
What did you want to achieve with your new release?
By releasing “Tod & Teufel” we manifest the line-up and its being in 2014.
We just made another big step!
Are you happy with how it turned out?
100% yes. You wouldn’t have been able to listen to it if it was different. We are satisfied as fuck and can’t wait to release that bastard. Our new label FDA REKOTZ is doing a great job and we get the support for “Tod & Teufel” that we need.
Talk to us about the lyrics
-K- writes the lyrics. The lines of “Tod & Teufel” are deep and dark philosophical – as well as spiritual. They are a strong outbreak of an inner being and very open. But instead of talking about them: Read them!
What’s the meaning of the title?
We don’t want to translate it into English. It is about freedom – the will and want to do, what you want and need to do.
How do you go about writing your songs?
-K- writes the songs. Then we arrange them together and try to get the best out of them. When we’re done doing this, I (-P-) make a preproduction. We all try to give the best amount of atmosphere, darkness and dirtiness to the songs. It is not only important to write it perfect, it is always about how to play it, too!
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
We are a very creative band – of course we already got ideas for the next onslaught. We will go the way we started to go – the songs will sound like ARROGANZ and probably will be different…that’s our attitude.
What’s next for Arroganz?
The first shows and festivals are confirmed. After the release we’re going to play gigs and in 2015 we’re going to have a split EP with three other German death metal bands.
Misericordia are from Sweden and this is their second album of Black Metal.
Wonderbox Metal 