Wonderbox Metal

Human Devastation – Condenacion (Review)

This is the début album from Mexican Death Metallers Human Devastation.

This is Brutal Death Metal, and thankfully there is no waste-of-space intro; the first song Bienvenido a mi Mente opens up straight into the action.

The band deal in savagery, aggression and misanthropy. The songs pummel and beat and the vocals sound inhuman.

My, my there are some nice riffs on this. The band may be all about the brutality but they still know how to pen a good tune. They can play too, as shown by the blistering solos that appear now and again like spikes through flesh. The drummer seems a bit of a monster too.

This has a bit of a mid-period Cryptopsy feel to it in places, as well as reminding of Iniquity now and again. For this style of music Human Devastation are relatively varied as they don’t remind of any one band overwhelmingly; rather they incorporate a smattering of influences into their brutal whole. Even the singer demonstrates a good range.

This definitely has its own personality and its good to see a new band forging ahead on their own rather than just following others and paying homage.

Condenacion is a very strong first release and if there’s any justice in the world should see the band become a key player in the Death Metal underground.

Bastard of the Skies/Grimpen Mire – Split (Review)

Bastard of the Skies are from the UK and play Sludge, and they have teamed up with fellow UK Doomsters Grimpen Mire for this split.

And what a very nice cover they have for this split.

Bastard of the Skies are the first up, and they contribute 4 tracks to this release.

Their half of the split consists of Earthy sounding Sludge with a distinct inhuman quality to the vocals. Some good melodies make appearances and add depth.

The tracks are heavy lumps of solid matter and rumble along nicely. The band display some really good songwriting and this small collection of tracks are top notch.

Taking their cues from the usual suspects of Sludge; Bastard of the Skies entertain with their half of the split and obviously have a good ear for what fans of this kind of music want to hear.

Following on from that, the second half of the release is by Grimpen Mire who offer us 3 tracks.

They’re not wildly dissimilar from Bastard of the Skies, although whereas Bastard of the Skies sound quite coherent and solid, Grimpen Mire have more of a loose, dangerous feel to them.

Their contribution has more of an Eyehategod influence and successfully manages to sound scuzzed up, dirty and raging. The inclusion of some cleaner vocals is unexpected, however, but these work well.

At 40 minutes in length this is a longer-than-average split and one worth taking the time to explore.

Hard Tension – Fear and Guilt (Review)

This is the second EP from Portugal’s Hard Tension.

The band play Heavy/Power Metal with plenty of steel and melodic edge.

The guitars are a mixture of Rock-y riffs, Iron Maiden-esque licks and lots of well-played solos.

The band court an almost spaced out aura on occasion with the keyboards and synthesizers, and use these in both prominent and subtle ways depending on what they believe the song needs.

The singer has a good voice. Not as clean as a pure Power Metal vocalist; he has a rougher edge to his voice that lends his voice an authority that it might otherwise lack.

Overall the songs are a good collection of rocking Metal tunes with added effects and keyboards that play to the bands strengths of simple songs and good beats, all backed up with some old-fashioned fretboard wizardry.

Although the band could do with polishing up their sound in a couple of places this is not a band release at all. The more I listen to it the more I enjoy it. Hopefully their début album will be even better.

Check them out.

Favourite Track: Heading for the Light. Reminiscent of a mix between early Queensrÿche and Iron Maiden; it’s got a strong chorus and is just a great tune.

Nights Amore – Subscribers of Death (Review)

This is the début album from Nights Amore from Sweden, playing Dark Ambient.

The album deals in weighty subject matter and negative emotions. These are realised through pianos and dark Electronica.

I’m not normally a massive fan of these kind of releases as they are not usually done that well and I can tire of them easily. The good thing about Nights Amore, however, is that they don’t really go in for the Drone aspect of this kind of music as much as some. Here, the songs develop and breathe rather than just repeat and turn stale.

That’s not to say, of course, that this is wildly dynamic and full of energy; by its very nature this style of music is slow, mournful, quiet and introverted.

It’s not pure misery though, as there are elements of their sound that sound almost hopeful in nature. It’s not all of the time, but it’s an aspect of their sound that prevents the album from becoming maudlin.

Musically this is good stuff, although there are too many samples for my liking; for the most part I think the music would be better off without them, but that’s just me.

This is late-night bedtime music; the kind of thing to throw on when you want to relax and soak up the melancholy.

If you’re in the right mood and have had your fill of Extreme Metal for the day then check out Subscribers of Death.

Super Fun Happy Slide – Drop Your Pants and Grind (Review)

Super Fun Happy Slide are from Australia – can you guess what genre they play…?

You guessed it – this is Grindcore. Nasty and aggressive Grind with massive balls and a baseball bat with a nail through it.

The guitar sound alone is enough to peel skin. It’s like they’ve taken the Swedish Death Metal tone, wrapped it in barbed wire and distorted and warped it into a tight, hard bundle of super-condensed matter.

The vocals are at both ends of the extremity spectrum, with deep growls and piercing shrieks vying for a place at the front of the carnage.

This is in the best tradition of a band like Regurgitate only with a bit more of a Hardcore feel to some of the riffs.

This is the kind of Grind that takes you back to a long time ago when you were just getting into the genre and everything sounded fresh and exciting. For that reason if no other you should seek this out and listen to it loud.

Senior Fellows – Ecclesiastical Servitude (Review)

Senior Fellows are from the US and play Sludge Metal.

Slow, heavy and very, very nasty; Senior Fellows impress from the outset with their crushing nature.

Like the vast majority of Sludge bands in existence you can hear some Eyehategod in their sound, but thankfully Senior Fellows are no mere tribute/copycat band and more than stand on their own merits. The riffs do deviate from the usual Eyehategod template, for example, to create their own atmospheres of hopelessness and societal judgement and condemnation.

The songs are short but devastatingly heavy. They crawl along slowly and inevitably, destroying everything in their path. Some of the riffs are good enough that they could easily be stretched out into songs twice the length of what we are given here, but it seems that Senior fellows are all for economy of action and are keen to avoid ever outstaying their welcome. Well there’s no danger of that.

The vocals are tortured and inhumane; I really feel for the poor sap they’ve demoralised and broken enough to produce the sounds their singer emits. What foul deprecations and torment has he suffered and gone through in order to be reduced to this savage wreck of humanity we find here? It’s impressively brutal.

A thoroughly enjoyable début that could easily be longer to my mind. A tar-covered trip through filthied up Doom that showcases the best of what Sludge Metal is all about.

A recommended listen.

Silence the Father – Memories of Dying (Review)

Next up we have Silence the Father, who are form the US and play Doom.

I do like a bit of drum-and-bass Doom, especially when done well. A lot of bands who play this style tend to be instrumental, but Silence the Father not only have vocals but very good ones too. High-pitched cleans that are as sharp as the dangerous-sounding bass. They sail over the music and provide colour to its relentless grey shadings.

The drums are organic and have a very free feeling as they explore rolls, fills and slow-beatings under the watchful eyes of the omnipresent and oppressive bass.

The bass is the star of the show in many ways. Even though the vocals are usually the central focus and even here have the talent to pull this off, for me the bass is where it’s at on Memories of Dying. It’s a constant presence, a familiar and oppressively bleak aura of heaviness and lurking threat. It runs through the centre of the songs while the drums do their thing underneath the thick strumming and the vocals soar high above everything.

This is stripped down, lean Doom that’s ready for action. It just so happens that the action is slow, but that doesn’t dull the adrenaline rush from hearing such a great collection of Doom tracks. Well written, played and executed; for a début release this is especially notable.

This is Grade A DOOOOM! It’s as impressive as it is enjoyable and there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t get your grimy paws on this.

Fans of everything slow and heavy – here is your new favourite band.

Wolvhammer – Clawing Into Black Sun (Review)

This is the third album from US Sludgy Black Metal group Wolvhammer.

This is music that’s covered in filth and reeks of the underground; Black Metal that’s so impure it’s slowly mutating into a hideous Sludge Metal behemoth that threatens to corrupt and taint everything around it.

The band are absolutely focused on their misanthropic mission and are honed and coiled to a lethal point.

The great thing about this album is the songs themselves; there is a great sense of Doom’n’roll to these tracks that are propelled forwards with a Punk/Crust swagger that builds on their Black Metal roots and persists through the Sludgy mire they have created for themselves.

Put simply; the songs bleed negative emotion through every sickened pore.

The poisonous, bile streaked vocal shrieks are representative of dire inner struggles. They seem to reach out of the songs and force you to pay attention, all the while though you’re distracted by the grim musical bonanza that is spreading around you.

The guitars ply their Blackened trade with consummate ease and the entire album is just flowing with feelings artfully plucked, brutalised and abused by these purveyors of filth.

Does this sound good to you? Does it? Well it should. Wolvhammer have created a wonderfully dank album that I heartily recommend to all.

This is a stunning album.

Favourite Track: Death Division. It’s just so damn good.

I Will Tear This World Apart – IWTTWA (Review)

I Will Tear This World Apart are from Norway and play modern Metal.

The band rage and tear their way through these 9 tracks, concentrating on keeping things heavy and groovy while providing a memorable basis for a good old fashioned headbang.

I hear snippets of Earth Crisis, Hatebreed and even a bit of Sick Of It All in places, so these should serve as starting reference points.

This release boasts a state-of-the-art sound that accentuates every piece of aggression that the band throw out.

The singer is angry and there are no niceties here that might otherwise see the band straying into the dreaded commercial pastures. Instead, we get modern Metal played with passion and fire with elements of both Thrash/Melodic Death Metal and modern Hardcore vying for top position, all the time watched over by the Metal Gods who like things just plain heavy.

The majority of the songs hover around the three minute mark; long enough to make their mark but not long enough to lose interest in what they’re doing.

I Will Tear This World Apart successfully combine the trappings of Metalcore with the song know-how of Thrash and the aggression of Hardcore.

An enjoyable romp through the mosh pit.

Deus Otiosus – Rise (Review)

Deus Otiosus are from Denmark and play Death Metal.

The band open the album strongly with Rising War and the rest of the album follows in this vein; strong, muscular Death Metal with a hint of Thrash and even a slight Rock influence to some of the riffs and leads.

The vocals are like crumbling granite. Deep and rough; they sound bestial but largely legible at the same time.

The songs are chunky and heavy with just the right amount of melody thrown in to keep things lively, but not enough to derail the heaviness that runs through the tracks like bedrock.

Well-written songs display an ear for dynamics and song structure whilst retaining a raw aggression tempered by a Thrash sensibility. If you imagine a merging of Morbid Angel, Deicide and Malevolent Creation then you won’t be too far off.

The production is crisp and clear, delivering the kind of sound that a lot of bands would kill for.

A top album. Death Metal to Thrash out to.