Wonderbox Metal

Lelahell – Al Insane… The (Re)birth of Abderrahmane (Review)

Lelahell are from Algeria and play Death Metal. This is their début album.

This is Brutal Death Metal played fast and played heavy.

After the usual pointless intro, (mercifully brief), the real fun starts and the band introduce us to their blasting mayhem.

The vocals are the first surprise. Usually with this style of Death Metal we get typical ultra-guttural growls, but the majority of the vocals on this album are higher screams, (although deeper growls are used as well). It sounds good and reminds of a band like Defleshed.

The guitars have a nice tone to them and sound quite thick. The riffs are a bit more inventive than the norm, with colourful melodies and unusual flavours to the tunes. The songs have an exotic flair to them; Lelahell are definitely not your typical Cannibal Corpse clone.

This album is crushingly brutal and has a sound to match that’s suitably huge and clear. Lelahell are a very satisfying proposition and this chunky, thick sound combined with the band’s songwriting skills, dynamics and interesting riffs means this is an album to really get into.

As début’s go, this is a winner. Lots of bands are content to tread water, but Lelahell are more interested in forging their own path, and more power to them for this.

Make sure you get a hold of Al Insane… The (Re)birth of Abderrahmane. It’s well worth the investment.

Nero Di Marte – Derivae (Review)

Nero Di Marte are from Italy and play Progressive Metal. This is their second album.

This is complex and dense music. There’s a lot of substance here, a lot to take in. Nero Di Marte are not your conventional band; they do things differently.

Rather than catchy riffs or hooks, instead they play riffs that merge and flow with each other to build up a complex tapestry over time. As the songs progress it becomes clear very early on that a lot of thought has gone into these compositions.

This is modern, heavy Prog; more akin to Gojira, Mastodon and Memories of a Dead Man than Dream Theater. This isn’t Post-Metal, but the band borrow the sense of dynamics and momentum-building that Post-Metal does so well and fuses them into their own sound.

These are masterfully crafted tracks that are as engaging as they are entrancing. The low-key vocals almost get lost in the churning maelstrom of guitars and percussive treats, yet they’re there, they add a lot to the already busy music and they help the band connect to the listener in a very visceral way.

Derivae sounds very warm, with the drums in particular having a very satisfying feel to them. This feels like real music, not just something pieced together and let loose with minimal feeling.

Overall, this is a thunderously strong album.

A rewarding and entrancing listen.

Obituary – Inked in Blood (Review)

This is the US Death Metal titan’s 9th album.

Obituary are a true Metal institution and one that’s rare in that they sound just as good now as when they first appeared.

That’s not to say that they sound the same though, as they have experimented with their core sound over the years, to a greater or lesser extent.

Inked in Blood is heavy and largely mid to slow-paced. This, for my money, is always when Obituary sound at their best so I’m more than happy with what they’ve produced on this album. Faster parts appear of course, but Obituary have never played blast beat-fast so it’s all relative really.

The riffs sound instantly familiar without being tired and the entire album is like a happy reunion with an old friend. You may not see them that often any more but when you do you have a whale of a time. A big fat heavy whale.

The singer’s vocals are slightly lower in the mix than sometimes they have been in the past and this just makes the music seem even heavier. His vocals appear to be improving with age as they sound slightly less fluid and more venomous these days. In essence it’s the same voice as always of course, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Inked in Blood boasts strong songs that manage to sit right in that sweet spot between heaviness, groove and catchiness where all three elements of the Obituary sound meet.

Each song is recognisably Obituary without becoming same-y. The groove-based riffs are heavy as Hell and the slower more moody sections have surprising subtlety to them on occasion.

The production is solid and the music sounds immense when played at loud volumes, which I highly recommend that you do.

These Death Metal veterans have once more returned to the killing grounds to show the new guard how it’s done.

Behold Obituary.

Sempiternal Dusk – Sempiternal Dusk (Review)

Sempiternal Dusk are from the US and this is their début album of Doom/Death Metal.

If you take the Doom-laden riffs of Incantation as your base of reference and then mix this with a band like Esoteric then you’ll have an idea of where Sempiternal Dusk are coming from.

Huge, miserable riffs crash down on the listener and the band seem compelled to create atmospheres of pure horror and neglect. The production is one of filth and decay, with the music seemingly being played beneath a shroud of despair.

The vocals are very deep and low. They’re used as an additional instrument and seem to bleed from the guitars like a disease.

Lumbering, slow Doom shares space with mid-paced Death Metal to create dark moods and a heavy sense of oppression. Occasionally the speed picks up with faster drumming and guitar work, but thanks to the glacial nature of the growling and the overall feel of the songs even these parts are infused with a sense of something colossal slowly unwinding.

If you like music that’s punishing, unforgiving and unrelentingly bleak then Sempiternal Dusk are the band for you.

Class.

Arcturon – Expect Us (Review)

Arcturon are from Switzerland and this is their latest EP. They play Melodic Metal.

With this EP they give us 4 tracks lasting a total of just under 17 minutes.

This is upbeat Metal with a modern slant and added keyboards/effects. Think Dark Tranquillity as well as bands like In Flames, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Darkane, etc.

These four songs are well-written and well-presented tracks that are on the more commercial side of Metal but if you don’t mind that then there’s a good amount of enjoyment to be had from them.

The singer has a good voice and switches between shouting and singing with ease. It’s designed to promote emotive responses and as long as you’re amenable to the genre it does the job.

This is the kind of band I could imagine getting a good degree of success if they have the right backing/are in the right place at the right time/etc. They have this particular genre of Metal down pat and inject enough variety and personality into the formula to make it work.

Give them a listen and see what you think.

Cold Blue Mountain – Old Blood (Review)

Cold Blue Mountain are from the US and this is their second Sludge/Doom album.

This is expressive and expansive Sludge that combines elements of Doom and Post-Metal with scything screams and heavy atmospheres.

Moments of Post-Metal timidity and fragility combine with the wall-of-guitars approach of Sludge and the outright slow and heavy assault of Doom.

The result is Old Blood which reeks of despair and an almost tangible sense of lost hope. This is the soundtrack to broken dreams and wasted potential.

Of course, that doesn’t apply to the band themselves though as they have huge potential and see it realised across these 5 tracks.

The immense riffs combine with the caustic screaming to create fields of heaviness the likes of which most bands will never see.

Old Blood is a dark affair, powered by pain and driven by angst. It’s emotionally charged and the band don’t let up the mood for a minute. Whether it’s heavy or light, fast or slow, Cold Blue Mountain are here to remind you of the things you wish you didn’t know and the things you wish you hadn’t done. But there’s no catharsis, only regret.

Take the time out of your day to contemplate the horrors of existence. Take the time out of your day to listen to Old Blood.

Manes – Be All End All (Review)

Manes are from Norway and this is their fourth album.

Following on from their last release Teeth, Toes and Other Trinkets, which was an anthology, this is the first new Manes album in seven years.

Manes play a beguiling blend of artistic Rock, Darkwave Trip Hop, Avant Garde and 80’s-style Pop. It’s subtle, charming, disarming and insidious.

These songs have a laid back quality to them that’s almost detached from the actual music; as if something has been created by the music that hovers just out of view yet its effects can be felt by a lasting aura of deceptive comfort and false familiarity. This lends the songs a certain flavour of the otherworldly and the different.

There is a low-key catchiness to the tracks as well. Again, it’s a subtle affair, as even though the songs obviously contain hooks the first time you listen to them, it takes multiple listens for them to fully work their magic. Such is the nature of all great albums that have true longevity and depth.

There is so much to experience here. Manes create across a vast canvas using a rich palette of colours. There’s a lot that’s easily missed on first glance and only after taking it in for a good amount of time can you really appreciate what they have done here.

The singer’s captivating vocals are on strong form and the bleak-yet-uplifting-yet-not melodies that he uses complement the instruments perfectly adding layers of emotion to already emotive and layered songs.

This is music for dark nights and even darker activities. This is music that drips with soul and is ethereal in nature.

Fans of bands such as Arcturus, Ulver, Lethe, Dødheimsgard, Green Carnation, In The Woods…, etc. will lap this up, and with good reason.

It’s time to enter the world of Manes.

Heroes of Vallentor – The Warriors Path Part I (Review)

This is the début of Heroes of Vallentor. They’re from Sweden and play epic, heroic Heavy Metal.

It’s starts with an intro to end all intros, one that’s so full of heroic themes and fantasy imagery that it’s quite staggering.

When the music itself starts it’s no let down as it’s just as theatrical and heroic as I was hoping for. This is big, bold and brash Metal that owes as much to Manowar and Conan, (not the band though), as it does to European Epic Power Metal.

However; although the Power Metal aspect of Heroes of Vallentor’s sound is there, it’s not that large compared to the gritty and unpolished Heavy Metal that makes up the main part of their music. This is real Metal made my men who carry swords and axes to the supermarket.

The music is solid and played well. Leads and solos come and go and the riffs are Metal to the core. There are some catchy moments and lots of hooks to ensnare the unwary.

Each of the songs has clearly had a lot of thought put into it with the music the backdrop for the epic saga the band are spinning. The musicians attack their muse with passion as the tale unfolds.

The sound is warm and satisfying; gritty and raw but well-rounded and full nonetheless.

The singer tends to alternate between rough cleans and histrionic wailing. It does the job and ticks all of the right buttons for this kind of music.

At 56 minutes in length this is a long album, but if you’re in the mood for bravado and epic, heroism then these are the men for you.

It’s a very rough and ready album and certainly won’t appeal to everyone as this is a very niche form of music really. I can’t help but find it endearing however, and if you aren’t completely adverse to this kind of thing I suggest you check them out and make your own mind up.

H5N1 – A Time of No Tomorrows (Review)

H5N1 are from Canada and play Death Metal with an Industrial feel and an apocalyptic vibe.

The album artwork is a bit disturbing and atypical, and H5N1’s music follows suit.

This is apocalyptic and gloomy as Hell. They have a dirty sound that conjures images of toxic smoke clouds and vast factories mechanising the art of death.

Theirs is almost a Black Metal sound in the sense that it’s quite underground and raw, but instead of a typical Black Metal offering it’s filled with barbed Death Metal and brutal, guttural vocals.

A Time of No Tomorrows strays even further from the normal Death Metal sound by employing occasional keyboards to provide sinister punctuation to the tracks, as well as the fact that the band employ a dual bass assault that keeps things both heavy and filthy.

H5N1 have done something quite admirable in that they have taken the standard Death Metal template and made it their own. This is not a band that you can easily provide comparisons with other bands for. Most comparisons sharing a similar creative mindspace will probably come from the Black Metal genre rather than the Death Metal one, as this kind of lo-fi, evil music tends to be more Black Metal’s thing. Even Ævangelist who could be a provisional reference point are only marginally suitable as H5N1 have much more of a sterile, cold, industrial evil to them than the direction that Ævangelist have chosen.

H5N1 have created a noxious, pernicious album that is a good listen in its own right but heralds even better things to come in the future from this band I feel. Definitely ones to keep an eye on.

Give them a listen and see what you think.

Burn the Army – The Tide to Sink the Summit (Review)

Burn the Army are from the US and play Post-Metal. This is their début EP.

At just under 31 minutes in length this is a good-sized introduction to this new band. Taking their cues from bands like Isis, Burn the Army offer 4 tracks of well thought out Post-Metal in the familiar style.

Burn the Army are adept at contrasting passages of beauty against sections of much heavier anger. It’s the classic Post-Metal heavy/light, build/release scenario and the band pull it off like the naturals they are. On the whole though, Burn the Army have produced a much more varied album than just this.

The vocals are rich and varied, with the standard shouting for this style of Post-Metal being accentuated by more melodic voices that allow for a deeper exploration of concepts than purely angry barks.

The band are competent musicians and pour their passion into crafting precise riffs and emotive guitar work. There are even some quality dynamics and guitar widdling that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Mastodon album and some higher-energy bits that have a modern Hardcore feel akin to mid-period Poison the Well.

The combination of the carefully crafted music and the impressive vocals mean that The Tide to Sink the Summit has a lot more longevity and appeal than even the standard Post-Metal band and for just a mere début release this is a very accomplished set of tracks.

So, a band that combines Isis, Mastodon and Poison the Well? Sign me up!

If the band can continue to refine their songwriting formula for the future then I have high hopes for their first album, as this shows a great amount of promise.

One to look out for.