Wonderbox Metal

Human Cull – Stillborn Nation (Review)

Coming from the UK, Human Cull play Grindcore and Stillborn Nation is 23 tracks in 25 minutes, which should tell you something, (especially as 5 minutes of the playing time is taken up with final track Echoing Silence).

This is ultra-brutal Grind with short songs and maximum aggression. The vast majority of the tracks are on, around or under the 1:00 mark so the entire album is essentially short episodes of shocking violence and mayhem.

But is it any good? Why, yes! Primitive riffs that don’t last for long tear out over rigorous drums and stringy bass. The band’s sound is rough and ready and perfect for the delivery. Each song wants to rip your face off and stomp on your skull.

For such short songs they do mix in a bit of variety in the sense that it’s not full on blasting all the time; a hardcore influence can be felt on occasion, as well as a debt to the more restrained and inventive, (relatively speaking), approach taken by Nasum. The tracks may be short but the songwriting doesn’t suffer due to this.

The vocals are impressively gruff and deep, accentuated with much higher screams here and there. The growling works really well for the band, with the singer having the same kind of characterful voice and delivery as the singer of The Red Chord which elevates the vocals above those of most bands of this ilk.

Top quality Grindcore. Get it while it’s hot!

Insain – Enlightening the Unknown (Review)

French band Insain play Brutal Death Metal.

Sadly they are no longer with us, but even with only a small number of releases they have left a powerful legacy and an enduring mark on the face of French Death Metal.

Their first album Spiritual Rebirth was a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying listen in the way that only the best Death Metal can be. Now with this final EP we’ll never know the heights they might have ascended to, but we are left with a new release that meets and even exceeds the standards set with their début.

The sound is huge and immense, like heightened gravity crushing down on you. The songs blast and bruise with the best of them, making full use of the sonic clarity to batter and beat you into submission.

The drums sound especially meaty. Double bass sections twist and turn with the guitars while blast beats overpower everything in sight by sheer force of inertia.

The deep grunting vocals are highlighted by the occasional scream and are utterly relentless and unforgiving in their delivery.

Although this is Brutal Death Metal the band are not adverse to injecting a bit of lonesome melody into the mix; a lead here, a solo there. It all adds a splash of colour to the brutality and demonstrates why Insain are so good at what they do. Or were, at least.

At 25 minutes in length there is no chance for it to get old, and every chance for savage aural pleasure. If only there was more where this came from! A must have.

Akrotheism – Behold the Son of Plagues (Review)

This is the début album by Greek Black Metallers Akrotheism.

For their introductory track Sepsis Ex Nihilo Akrotheism show that they have the standard slithering, creepy guitar tone down to rights, but add to this with all manner of Hellish noises and effects. After this we have hyperblast Black Metal with maniacal vocals that sound straight out of a nightmare.

The singer alternates between ultra-high pitch screeches and deeper Blackened bellowing. The juxtaposition works wonders and the aggression is ramped up to 11.

The music is largely presented at breakneck speeds and is surprisingly atmospheric in places, aided as it is by a healthy dark melodicism and subtler highlights in their arsenal of grim delights.

Taking the most aggressive parts of the razor sharp delivery of the best of the mid-90’s Black Metal elite, Akrotheism combine elements of Emperor, Gehenna and Cradle of Filth to produce Behold the Son of Plagues. Second wave bands such as these have a special place in my heart and Akrotheism have produced an album that works wonders with these base influences.

Black Metal these days seems to mostly consist of the ultra-cold and minimal variety, or highly symphonic, or off exploring pastures new and only use Black Metal as their starting point; bands that combine aggression with atmosphere in a non-symphonic way appear to be quite few and far between, which is another reason that Akrotheism are so damn good.

An exceptional album, especially for a début. Akrotheism play a form of Black Metal that makes me recall past glories with a nostalgic fondness, but that also allows me to look forward to the future with a content heart as I know that the style is in good hands. Top work.

Primalfrost – Prosperous Visions (Review)

Primalfrost are from Canada and play Melodic Black Metal with influences from Power Metal.

An extravagant intro heralds in the very textured and multi-layered Metallic sound that the band have. Razor sharp Melodic Black Metal sounds combine with larger-than life orchestration and enough solos to make any Power Metal band blush.

The musicianship in general is flawless, whether it’s the opulent leads, the spiky riffs, the solid drums or the symphonic keyboards.

The vocals for the most part are high pitched rasps straight out of the Black Metal handbook. These are occasionally offset by deeper grunts and heroic cleans that add further flavour to an already tasty meal.

The songs are highly accomplished and there are plenty of ideas at hand to stop things becoming dull. The songs each offer something slightly different, but all built around the central core of the band. We even get an epic 14:00 track that serves as the album’s centrepiece and is an expertly executed slab of Metal.

Prosperous Visions is 55 minutes of prime-time Melodic Black Metal. If you want the epic, fantastical grandeur of Power Metal with the rougher, more aggressive delivery of Black Metal then this is for you. An ambitious album and well worth adding to your collection. May they prosper for many years to come.

Get it here: http://primalfrost1.bandcamp.com/releases

Craving – At Dawn (Review)

Craving are from Germany and play lengthy Death Metal with Folk and Black Metal influences.

This is their second album and Craving are really coming into their own. Combining brutality, melody and Folk harmonies the band have produced 66 minutes of music that transport the listener back in time and away from the hum drum pace of normal life.

There is a medieval vibe permeating the songs, although this is juxtaposed against the heavier more brutal Death Metal parts. Sort of like a more aggressive Amon Amarth mixed with Korpiklaani or Finntroll.

Each of the long songs is a combination of the aforementioned styles, and across the album we get a bit of everything; Melodic Death Metal, Folk Metal, some Black Metal riffs…it creates an enticing package and manages to stay interesting for the entire running length.

The songs are memorable and the band effortlessly play both brutal and melodic parts with abandon. The ease in which they can transition from heavy, blasting sections into melodic, atmospheric moods is a pleasure to behold.

The vocals are mainly guttural Death Metal vocals, although on occasion Black Metal screams punctuate the blasting. On top of this there are also Folky cleans, some of which are rousing, heroic and quite epic in nature.

This is a Melodic Death Metal album that manages to embrace its Folk side without sacrificing its teeth, and for that reason alone is worthy of being listened to. Add to that the fact that it’s a very enjoyable album that stirs the Metal heart…well we have a keeper here.

Fossils – Flesh Hammer (Review)

Fossils are a two-piece drum/bass combo from Denmark that play instrumental Punk/Metal.

Flesh Hammer is the sound of controlled aggression and groovy tunes.

The bass has such a heavy, electronic quality to it that it’s almost like listening to a heavily distorted arcade game – and I say that purely as a compliment.

This is a short release at only 20 minutes, but this is all that’s needed when the creativity and imagination of the band is channelled so specifically into creating instrumental pieces that pile on the rhythm and heaviness. It just doesn’t have time to get dull.

An interesting and strangely addictive diversion from the well-trodden paths of the standard Metal music walkways; this will make a worthwhile addition to anyone’s collection.

Dark Man Shadow – Victims of Negligence (Review)

German band Dark Man Shadow have released their third full length album of Symphonic Black Metal.

This is well-produced slick music with varied vocals and orchestration aplenty.

The male vocals alternate between growls and semi-cleans, with the latter sounding particularly gratifying. These are usually interspersed with melodic/operatic female vocals.

The music has a pleasantly aggressive core with added keys and ornamentation played over the top of it. There is a bit of a Death Metal influence to some of the riffs as well, meaning that the guitars sound a bit more muscular than a lot of bands of this ilk. The band is still largely playing in the Symphonic Black Metal genre and Gothic Metal ostentation abounds, but they sound more solid and heavy than similar bands. Think more Atrocity than Leaves’ Eyes, for the most part at least.

If you’re in the mood for it this album fulfils your Symphonic Metal needs. Have a listen.

InfiNight – The Vision (Review)

Here we have a gem of a Power Metal release from Germany – InfiNight have released a Rockingly good EP of solid Metal.

Containing 5 tracks and 3 actual songs, (2 interludes), their brand of Power Metal is based not on histrionic vocals or flashy music, but rather it’s all about creating a good song and a catchy hook.

Hideaway is the first song and it’s a corker! A quality Metal song; it’s melodic and catchy with infections riffs. The singer has a voice that’s on top form and he knows when to hold back and when to let loose.

A Loss of Love has more of a restrained opening than the first song, but not to its detriment. Once again it’s incredibly catchy and very well written. The vocals really lift an already good song into almost chart-topping territory.

Final track The Vision sees the band up the tempo and take on almost a Thrash aspect.

Based on this EP InfiNight should be bigger than they are. Much bigger. This EP is an absolute cracker and is 13 minutes well spent for any Metal fan.

Sound of Memories – Living Circles (Review)

This is the début EP from French Melodic Death Metal band Sound of Memories.

This is a well recorded, well written début that takes its cues from bands such as In Flames and Withering Surface.

Upon listening to the first track Cyborg From Dust I must confess that for some reason I wasn’t expecting clean vocals to make an appearance, (not sure why), but when they do they’re done surprisingly well and actually enhance the song; especially as they’re only used the once. For the rest of the time the vocals alternate largely between screams and grunts, both of which are done effectively.

For such a relatively young band the professionalism of this release is impressive. Not only do they have a crystal clear sound where the instruments sound vibrant and sharp, but they have plenty of ideas and talent with the skills and musicianship to pull them off. Even the bass gets to shine.

This is hugely enjoyable, reminiscent of the 90’s/00’s when this kind of music was very in vogue. In this respect Sound of Memories is a very apt name as it certainly takes me back. Having said that however the sound is thoroughly up-to-date and the band clearly have ambitions bigger than living in the past.

A very impressive début release. Hopefully the first of many.

Burning Shadows – Gather, Darkness! (Review)

Coming from the US Burning Shadows treat us to 45 minutes of Power Metal.

This is a concept album, (which could probably be gathered from the sub-sectioned song titles alone), and the rather excellent album cover sets the scene perfectly.

The first song Overture – Hymn to Sathanas is all orchestration and builds up to some nice martial pomp that gets the blood pumping and the juices flowing.

After this we’re off into the land of Power Metal for A Thousand Lies – A New Dark Age. The start of this song is nicely written and at this point I remember thinking “so far so good, I just hope it’s not all ruined by a substandard singer”; the idea, of course, that quality music deserves quality vocals, and as I’ve opined about previously the weakest link in Power Metal for me is usually just that – substandard vocals.

When the singer of Burning Shadows does make an entrance I was relieved as it wasn’t the average vocals I was fearing and impressed that he’s also quite different to what I was expecting. He’s more restrained than a lot of Power Metal vocalists, and not as high pitched. Even when really going all out he’s still in control of his voice. It’s refreshing to hear and it makes for a better experience than another band simply fronted by Mr. High-Pitched-Generic-Vocalist-Person.

The music follows the concept and creates a suitable narrative of the story the band wish to tell. The songs combine elements of Power Metal and traditional Heavy Metal and are wonderfully composed. You feel part of the action and it’s easy to get swept away with the passion and excitement the songs elicit.

Everything here is well written, well recorded and well played. Burning Shadows have been an eye opener for me and I’m so happy that there are still bands out there who are doing this kind of music so brilliantly.

One of the best Power Metal albums to darken my door in a long time. Don’t miss this.