Wonderbox Metal

Hyperborean – Mythos of the Great Pestilence (Review)

Hyperborean are from Sweden and play Black Metal. This is their second album.

We have 9 tracks here, one of which is a cover of (Don’t Fear) the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult.

Hyperborean play Melodic Black Metal with bite and flourish. This accomplished band are comfortable playing both at speed and at a more mid-paced rate. Expressive leads and emotive riffs accompany some inhuman drumming to produce the kind of songs that bands like Naglfar and Satyricon would be proud of.

The vocals scream their rage into an empty abyss, occasionally venting into a deeper grunt to emphasise their disdain for all things full of life and hope.

The music is sharp and some of the riffs are surprising; they have a good sense of dynamics and a good ear for melody. They also incorporate more solos and leads than a lot of bands of this ilk and this sits on top of their hardened core making the songs seem to zip by in a colourful blur. And with a 54 minute album this is no mean feat.

This is really enjoyable Black Metal and I like that the band haven’t gone the safe route and simply regurgitated generic riffs that have bean heard a thousand times before; some of the mid-paced riffs especially hit the spot nicely and really get the limbs gyrating along with the tunes.

Quality band, quality album.

The video below is for the title track, and one of my favourites from the album. Give it a try.

Spectral Lore – III (Review)

This is the fourth album from Greek Black Metallers Spectral Lore.

Spectral Lore play atmospheric Black Metal which courses with malevolence and a feeling of exploration without too much experimentation.

The songs are long, (as indeed is the album at just under 90 minutes), and they’re not afraid to develop their Progressive and Ambient sides. Well, I say “they” but Spectral Lore is actually only one person, which makes this album even more impressive.

The songs have a good amount of interest and variety during their long playing time which is essential for a work such as this. The Blackened melodies slip out of the speakers and the howling vocals are perfectly judged.

Even the bass is audible and does its own thing irrespective of the guitars in a rare show of autonomy.

Each track is emotive and lavishly bestowed with depth and character. A classic and masterfully judged recording harks back to the early glory days of the genre when Black Metal was already straining at the seams of its genre definitions but had yet to burst out completely. The sound in general is reminiscent of early Emperor and Satyricon and evokes nostalgic feelings whilst simultaneously earning it a stamp of high quality.

II is a veritable work of Black Metal art. It’s worth investing in this as its true value will only increase in time.

Hard Charger – Chrome Lord (Review)

Hard Charger are from Canada and play Crossover/Thrash Metal.

Thrash Metal raped by Punk. Or the other way around? Who cares; either way this is raw, underground and Metal.

The songs are short and full of confidence and have an Old-School Hardcore feel to them whilst also having sufficient metal licks to keep the mosh-crowd happy.

This reminds me of a more Hardcore-influenced Brujeria more than anything else actually. There’s something about the vocals; the fact I keep thinking the singer’s going to start shouting La Ley de Plomo at any given point.

Regardless, this is a decent listen and unlike a lot of bands who play this genre it’s slanted more to the Hardcore side than the Thrash side, which, as much as I love Thrash, works in the band’s favour.

Some of the tracks have a more rock and roll feeling to them as well, adding a cocksure swagger to the proceedings which shows that the band know how to have a good time. The solos are a welcome addition also.

A band to watch out for. A couple of refinements here and there, as well as upgrading to a fuller, bigger sound and their next release will be a monster.

Tombs – Savage Gold (Review)

Tombs are a Metal band from the US and this is their third album.

They play a style of underground Metal that mixes Classic Metal riffs with influences from Death Metal, Hardcore and Sludge. The result is Tombs.

Another way of looking at it is to imagine a band like Doomriders only have them violated by Death Metal and covered by Sludge Metal; a rocking sensibility that’s as heavy and nasty as can be. Again, the result is Tombs.

Not many bands are playing this mix of styles; apart from Tombs there are only a handful of others, including the great Serpent Eater.

The band open with Thanatos; it has a curious sound mixing Doom-laden Post-Metal riffage with prime blast beats and throat-straining vocals. The rest of the album is equally impressive and takes aspects of these differing genre styles in lesser or greater extents to create a varied, interesting and very satisfying release.

The sound is immense and as heavy as Hell. All of the instruments are clear and identifiable and the entire recording is as sharp as a knife.

A real sense of horror and evil pervades the roots of this album; this manifests itself in the actual songs sometimes as blatant misanthropy and hatred, and others as a more nuanced disgust.

There’s a lot of longevity in this album. Start your descent into the Tombs now.

Devangelic – Resurrection Denied (Review)

Devangelic are from Italy and this is their début album of Brutal Death Metal.

It bursts out of the speakers in a torrent of gore and blasting, firmly intent on murder and maximum devastation. It’s quite the opening.

This is ultra-brutal and ultra-extreme, with a firm base of USDM and plenty of squeal and chug.

The vocals are deeper than a hole full of corpses and twice as bloody. The singer positively reeks of putrefaction and bloodlust.

The recording is chunky and as solid as a block of granite. It’s heavy enough to flatten at 100 paces and sounds exactly as a band of this nature should. Devangelic sound immense.

This is unsubtle music that nonetheless is clearly played by people who know what they love and love what they know. It’s nothing original but who cares when you can batter your enemies senseless and string up their entrails like party decorations? Devangelic know how to slaughter and they do it very, very well.

Resurrection Denied is a prime slice of bloody Death Metal that should have fans of brutality and sickness foaming at the mouth at the thought of the hideous occurrences they bring.

It’s hard not to like an album as remorselessly, efficiently brutal as this. I’d recommend this. Play it loud and absorb the ugly menace within.

Lysura – II (Review)

Coming form the US, Lysura play Black Metal and this is their latest release.

II has two tracks, each clocking in at 8:41. This is Dissection-inspired Black Metal with a hint of Emperor.

Seasons in Exile starts off with some soft sounds and a gruff spoken voice barely audible. This slowly and inexorably builds to a rather grand set of riffs and noises reminiscent of Enslaved.

Once the song speeds up the screeching high vocals take the fore and we’re in icy cold territory with some bleak melodics and just a subtle hint of Thrash. Some Doom and even proto-Death Metal passages are allowed into the song enhancing it with their presence.

The second track Tome of Suppression starts with a rumbling, chuggy groove with razor blade vocals propelling it forwards before dropping off into lighter atmospherics with some almost 70’s noodling going on. Things soon get heavy again and add in a few Classic Metal riffs and we’re good to go.

The track demonstrates Lysura’s competence in weaving in small snippets of other genres into their sound without neglecting or weakening the Black Metal core that they’re founded on. Like the first one, this track is a winner.

II has a good energy about it and the band seem comfortable with their songwriting skills, even throwing in solos and leads.

Although this is billed as a demo the sound quality is perfectly fine for the most part and doesn’t get in the way of the enjoyment factor at all.

This is the kind of Black Metal that it’s easy to like; even within the given framework Lysura provide enough variety and interest to sustain and have enough depth of composition to ensure they aren’t written off lightly.

They have yet to release a full album, but when they do it’ll probably by a stormer.

Check this out.

Streaming here – http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=102767

Flesh Born – Han (Review)

Coming from the US Flesh Born are set to unleash their latest EP on the world.

This is screaming Hardcore with a Black Metal feel; dark and Blackened moods with sharp riffs all packaged in very short songs designed to pierce the minds of the weak.

The Blackened riffs are layered with high pitched screams while the Hardcore sensibility keeps things from veering to far into Black Metal territory and ensures the tracks last only as long as they need to.

Eight tracks, 11 minutes; this was never going to be pretty. Having said that though Flash Born do find time for less abrasive and more emotive riffs in their arsenal of pain.

Even with the short length of the songs the band make ample room for some slower riffs with the guitars lazily spreading misery and hardship like a virus. The aptly named Gloom is a perfect example of the art of Blackened Doom, cut short.

If you haven’t encountered Flesh Born before this is an enjoyable introduction to them. If they ever get around to releasing a full album it will be really interesting to see what they do with it.

https://www.facebook.com/fleshborn

Desecresy – Chasmic Transcendence (Review)

Desecresy are from Finland and this is their third album of Death Metal.

One of the first things that strikes me is the singer’s vocals – they’re very full and ragged growls that don’t particularly sound human.

The music is relatively slow for Death Metal and has quite a few Doom/dirge elements to it, as well as the normal blast beats being in attendance, of course.

There is a distinctly otherworldly quality to the songs, especially when the leads take the fore; quite an impressive achievement considering the short duration of the tracks. The songs are very enjoyable and easily wash over you in a tide of grimy distortion and guttural malevolence.

A thick, dense, murky sound means the songs sound even more oblique than they might otherwise do. Add this to the bestial vocals and the unnatural atmospheres the band create and you have an album that is not your run-of-the-mill Death Metal.

Think Six Feet Under with more Doom, more filth and a bit of eeriness. Yes that’s right.

It’s heavy and it’s good. Give them a listen.

Horrid – Sacrilegious Fornication (Review)

Veterans Horrid are from Italy and play Death Metal, this is their third album.

What we get here is unholy Death Metal powered by the Old-School and capable of conjuring all manner of lost and forgotten riffs.

Horrid are brutal and sinister at the same time. Imagine a band like Incantation messing around with Celtic Frost riffs whilst throwing in the odd lick from Death and Entombed – this is the land that Horrid stalk and they rule here absolutely.

Cavernous, guttural vocals invoke dark blasphemies while the Metal flares up around them. Horrid create feelings of unforgiving blackness and bleak rituals.

Awakening in a crypt, chained and bound; you are roughly manhandled onto a slab of shaped granite, your captors uncaring of your discomfort or the marks they are leaving. Masked acolytes surround you, the glint of a blade…

How Horrid.

Occult Death Metal played by true devotees.

Hashed Out – Hashed Out (Review)

Hashed Out are from Canada and play angry Hardcore.

This is violent music that’s noisy and Crusty. A hint of Grind, a smattering of Metallic fury, a good Hardcore base and even a touch of Sludge here and there – Hashed Out play music that’s full of rage and bile.

The singer shouts and spews vitriol across the 6 tracks and keeps the intensity up for the full 15 minutes playing time.

The songs may be short and furious but they have some hooks in them that keep you coming back for more. This reminds me of a more extreme version of some of the 90’s Metallic Hardcore bands like My Own Victim; the sense of songwriting that’s heavy but still catchy is similar, only with added Crust, filth and blasting.

Think of a Punk band swallowed by Eyehategod and powered by Grinding Crust. The songs stick around and the singer in particular is very memorable. In a sea of mediocrity Hashed Out stand tall.

This is an EP worth getting hold of.