Wonderbox Metal

Teloch Vovin – I (Review)

US group Teloch Vovin play Black Metal with a mystical, esoteric feel and full of black magic.

Here we have 8 arcane hymns to who-knows-what, starting with the impenetrably titled 12/21/2012–1+2+2+1+2+0+1+2=11 (Including A Hymn to Apophis) which is as much 70’s Prog/Psychedelia as it is Black Metal.

The sound is atrocious, really bad, although presumably this was the intent. It sounds like it was recorded in a bucket in the early nineties.

Once you look past the dire sound you have some interesting Black Metal full of occult themes and references, sung with passion and played with intent.

The poor mixing and bad quality sound will put almost everyone off though, even those who are quite comfortable with a lo-fi Black Metal release will likely quail at this.

Good if you can take it.

Check it out here – https://soundcloud.com/earsplit/sets/teloch-vovin-i

The Wounded Kings – Consolamentum (Review)

This is the fourth album of Doom Metal from UK band The Wounded Kings.

The Wounded Kings specialise in slow, meandering Traditional Doom Metal with towering guitars and backing sounds. The album cover sets the mood; blackness, smoke and obscure symbols. When the vocals kick in they sound like they are coming from somewhere behind this protective layer of fog, tempting the listener into the blackness beyond. But don’t go. Oh no. You don’t want to step into their world. Her vocals entice and chill, echo and fade. Drawing you in and leading you away.

The album has the feeling of the occult, and the music has a ritualistic, droning quality to it that’s entirely disarming. You could listen to the thick, weighty guitars for an age, until it’s entirely too late. For everything.

It’s with feelings of oppression, foreboding and mystical expectations that the songs develop. They do this naturally; unhurried and unforced. There is, after all, no rush. No rush at all. What else do you possibly have in your miserable, worthless life that’s worth doing? No-one is waiting for you, no-one wants anything from you; simply surrender to the siren calls and give in. You want to see what’s in the dark, behind the smoke, right?

Music to be afraid to, and to be afraid of.

Hear The Silence here.

Persekutor – Power Frost (Review)

This is a short EP by Romanian Black Metallers Persekutor.

And what a striking cover they’ve chosen! Not what you would necessarily equate with such underground Black Metal but kudos to them for avoiding the usual clichés.

The two tracks on offer here are short and straight into the action with some fuzzy Black Metal straight from the dark, dank underworld.

This is Old-School Black Metal and the first track Power Frost may be less than three minutes long but immediately grabs you with a strong guitar riff and the whisper-rasped vocals. It’s masterful display of rhythm and mood is over all too quickly though.

Second song The Twitching Hour has the same rawness of delivery as the first and seems just as quickly over, (although it’s a whopping 15 seconds longer!). A quality riff leads the way with the drums providing a simple backdrop. The vocals are raspier on this song but keep the same sense of rhythm and catchiness.

A solid EP that is far too short and mainly serves to whet the appetite for more. Hopefully the band will summon up a full length at some point in the near future and we can all bask in its glory. Hail!

Solitary Crusade – Future (Review)

Solitary Crusade are from Italy and play Metal that combines a few different genres into a satisfying whole.

This is somewhere between modern Cyber-Metal in the style of Devolved and Fear Factory, and Techno-Black Metal such as Neurotech and Deathstars. There is also a pleasing European Power Metal feel to some of the parts, both guitar and vocals.

A decent-length EP at 24 minutes, the band showcase what they can do in 4 songs, (plus a perfunctory intro).

This is quite catchy and ably executed; there are some well written riffs and melodies, and the keyboards/effects are used well.

I particularly enjoyed Imaginary World, as this song in particular makes a good job of mashing up the disparate influences of Cyber- , Techno- and Power Metal into a coherent whole.

Check them out and see what you think.

The Socks – The Socks (Review)

The Socks are from France and play a 70’s-style Stoner Rock.

The album art immediately drew me in, although I must confess that it is slightly marred by what is, for me, a really awful band name. Still, personal taste and all that.

But onto the important stuff – the music. The Socks, (ugh), play good, old-fashioned Rock in a retro style with a liberal dashing of era-appropriate keyboards that add to the feeling of having just stepped out of a time machine. Well almost anyway, as the production has a good modern sound to it. Rather than coming across incongruous though it allows the songs to sound much more alive than if they had gone with a usually-muted 70’s style “authentic” production.

They have songs that are upbeat and joyful, with groove, energy and vigour, while also having songs that are more laid back and introspective. Holy Sons is one of my favourite of this latter type.

The album has a good deal of variety across the 9 tracks, with even some contemporary influences sneaking in occasionally, (Next To The Light contains parts that sound almost Alice In Chains-y, for example).

The singer has a good set of lungs; relaxed and soulful. He makes his mark over well-played and written songs that are both catchy and involving.

This is only their début album but the band display a knowledge and experience of songwriting well beyond what other bands might have acquired by this point.

Despite my reservations about the name; the band acquit themselves nicely and this is a solid album of really enjoyable retro-style Rock. If you’re partial to a bit of this then you can do a lot worse.

Amok – Somewhere in the West (Review)

Amok are from Scotland and play Old-School Thrash Metal.

It’s immediately apparent that Amok play authentic Thrash that’s unencumbered by modern strains and variants. This reminds of Anthrax and Testament from the 80’s and has the same kind of feeling about it.

Although it was released in 2013 it has a production job more reminiscent of 1983. This is not a criticism but merely an observation; it increases the impression that you’re listening to some long-lost Thrash gem from the genre’s heyday.

The songwriting follows suit too; catchy riffs fall out of the speakers like rain and guitar solos pop up over the place, which makes sense as this is based on an era when solos were plentiful, before the dark times of the 90’s where there was a worldwide shortage.

The singer does a sterling job; sounding like Joey Belladonna if he had a deeper, slightly raspier voice instead of his piercing high vocals. Admirable.

An impressive album with quality Thrash songs. Check them out for a slice of 80’s Thrash heaven.

Graveyard Ghoul – The Living Cemetery (Review)

This is the second full length album from Germany’s Graveyard Ghoul, who specialise in primitive Death Metal of the ugliest type.

This is Old-School to the chewed-on bone but don’t let that fool you into thinking it has nothing to offer. This album contains 31 minutes worth of thoroughly enjoyable romps through the graveyard.

If you take Autopsy as the starting point you’re in a good place, and Graveyard Ghoul embody their Death Metal ideals to perfection.

The songs use the guitars well and have a penchant for the slower, doomier riffs as well as the faster, more brutal parts.

Harking back to a pre-sanitised/sterilised Death Metal era, The Living Cemetery is completely untouched by any and all trends and corruptions of the genre that have occurred through the years.

It’s with hand on gravestone that I firmly recommend you add this album to your collection.

Thoughts Factory – Lost (Review)

Thoughts Factory are a Progressive Metal band from Germany, and here we have their 8 track album Lost, which contains 65 minutes of accomplished music.

It’s instantly apparent that this is a superior release. Superficially all of the Progressive Metal boxes are ticked, (bright keyboards, technical playing and leads, soaring vocals), but the quality of songwriting is plainly above average.

An ambitious release; the band know what they want to achieve and do everything in their power to achieve this. The musicianship and production is faultless and the songs are clearly in skilled hands.

This is quality Progressive Metal with plenty of variety; heavy, light, slow, fast, ostentatious, minimalistic – it’s all here. The songs are complex and show good structure and pacing. They have an ear for a catchy riff, and the guitars work with each song as a whole instead of trying to be the focal point as some bands make the mistake of having them as.

The singer has an extremely capable voice capable of belting out the powerful sections but also capable of frailty and nuance as necessary. His vocal lines are generally effective and emotive, and he knows when he’s onto a good melody.

The album is based around a central concept and accordingly the lyrics are more personal and emotional than the subject matter that a lot of Progressive bands deal with, and this further differentiates them from the pack.

Lost is likely to be one of the best Progressive Metal albums we’ll hear in 2014. A bold claim I know, especially as it’s only just turned February, but I’m confident that Thoughts Factory have what it takes to compete in the big leagues.

A top quality Progressive Metal concept album – time to add it to your collection don’t you think?

Devoid – The Invasion (Review)

India appears to be a hotbed of Metal talent these days. Devoid are another such band, but can they stand up to the high-standards of their countrymen? Let’s have a listen shall we…

After a short instrumental sets the scene, the band launch into the title track of the EP at speed. This is Thrash Metal with a strong Death Metal edge to it. They successfully manage to play both styles, and just when you think a song like The Invasion is essentially an out-and-out Death Metal track with a bit of Thrash, they slow things right down for the end and it goes all melodic and fades out slowly.

Aspects of the Old-School and the New- collide in Devoid’s songs, resulting in compositions that are a bit of both.

A good EP that promises much for their next album.

Warfather – Orchestrating the Apocalypse (Review)

Warfather sees the return of ex-Morbid Angel growler Steve Tucker; he of the amazing Death Metal Premier League lungs.

His voice doesn’t disappoint on Orchestrating the Apocalypse and he puts in a fine performance full of character and passion. He has a clear, deep growl that nonetheless retains legibility of the majority of the lyrics.

Warfather play Morbid Angel-influenced Death Metal with a lot of ideas and interesting touches. Inventive rhythms, melodies, effects/sounds and even some choral vocals all appear in places. It’s clear that even though they play what is at its core Brutal Death Metal, they are not interested in limiting themselves and instead take the time to add a bit of experimentation into the mix. All of which is very welcome and adds a kind of pseudo-operatic theme to the album.

The tracks are full of expert guitar work; complex riffing, chaotic time-changes and a plethora of solos and flourishes. Each song is seemingly cobbled together from random bits of an Extreme Metal nightmare, and somehow given coherence by a sheer force of will of the musicians involved.

A challenging album that I feel is destined to be misunderstood by many; this is varied, interesting and recommended to anyone who likes a little bit of something different with their Metal.